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“I’m surprised you didn’t want to go anywhere yesterday, and yet you’re so eager to get out of the house today,” Carmen commented as she walked alongside Ivy who shrugged while slipping her hand into the taller woman’s hand, gently swaying their arms as they walked. Carmen blushed softly as a smile crept onto her face, so clearly in love with the freckled Bostonian by her side. Yesterday was Valentine’s Day, a day Carmen, in the past, didn’t care for. Sure, it was funny seeing Sheena try to flirt with people, and it was cute how the faculty had given her chocolates or tiny heart-shaped nanobots in Doctor Bellum's case. But overall it was just not an important day to her. That is until she met Ivy.
Ivy was cute, smart, courageous, and just perfect to Carmen. When the brunette found out that her teammate was pining for her she freaked out, to say the least. The brunette had never fallen deeply in love with anyone before Ivy. She had experienced crushes, but love was new. So new in fact that Carmen had yet to even say the word. Admitting most feelings was hard for the taller woman, which Ivy completely understood. The redhead heavily encouraged the brunette to take things as slowly as she needed, which Carmen was very grateful for.
“Hey, I liked our day off yesterday,” Ivy chuckled, snapping Carmen out of her thoughts. Their day off was quite nice in the brunette's opinion. Most of the day was just Carmen and Ivy in their sleepwear, watching romantic movies and snuggling happily under the blanket. Ivy had, of course, started the day by making the taller woman breakfast in bed, something that truly touched Carmen. It was special and she couldn’t help but treasure that memory. After a moment, Ivy finished her thought, “and besides, I needed ta run an errand anyway.”
“Ah, I see,” the taller woman teased with a smirk.
“Well I hope ya like what ya see,” Ivy winked playfully while puffing up her chest a bit. Carmen could feel her cheeks heat up as her eyes subconsciously looked over the woman before her, admiring her beauty.
“I do indeed,” Carmen responded, trying her best to hide her fluster as she hugged Ivy from behind. The redhead chuckled while leaning into the hug, smiling happily as she looked at Carmen. The brunette could feel her own smile grow, instantly being infected by Ivy’s happiness. “What errand might this be anyways,” the taller woman asked while kissing her partner's head gently.
“Just need ta get some groceries,” Ivy shrugged while kissing Carmen's hand. “Unless ya want ta eat mac and cheese for the rest of this week.”
“I’ll pass on that,” Carmen shuddered thinking about the last time they had to eat the same meal every day for a week.
“Yeah, that’s what I thought,” Ivy smirked while looking up at her girlfriend who instinctively kissed her forehead.
“Well then, lead the way,” the brunette smiled while returning to the redhead's side, once again taking her hand as they continued to walk.
It didn’t take long for them to find a small market near their base and, to their pleasant surprise, it was pretty empty. Ivy immediately took to scouring the aisles for ingredients, tossing whatever looked good to her in the cart Carmen had grabbed for the forgetful redhead.
Shopping was always rather quick when it was just Carmen and Ivy. If Zack had been there the brunette was sure he would’ve started arguing with his sister over what kind of pasta they should get. Carmen didn’t mind that though, she thought it was actually cute to see the siblings argue so passionately about their favorite foods. She smiled softly while watching her girlfriend navigate through the store, that is until Ivy froze while staring down an aisle. The redhead's eyes lit up as she dashed down an aisle while shouting enthusiastically, “Oh ho ho! jackpot!”
Carmen followed in confusion until she finally saw what had caught her girlfriend's attention.
Chocolate.
Discounted Valentine’s Day chocolate, to be exact. Carmen sighed softly, of course, it was chocolate. She knew it was Ivy’s biggest weakness, behind her and Zack that is. Carmen leaned on the cart while watching her girlfriend struggle to choose what to get.
“You know Zack is definitely going to sneak some of that to his room right,” the taller woman said with a small smile.
“Yeeeeah, but if I get like four of these packs then everyone can get their own,” Ivy shrugged. “I just dunno what pack I should get.”
“I mean I’m sure Zack will be happy with anything sweet,” the brunette stated. Ivy stared at her for a moment before nodding.
“Good point, Carm,” the Bostonia said after a moment. She tossed four boxes into their cart before guiding it towards check out. Carmen smiled as she watched the redhead maneuver the cart through the store. She quickly caught up to the shorter woman, kissing her cheek gently before saying, “I’ll catch up with you in a moment, alright?”
“Sounds good Carm,” Ivy agreed before they separated, Carmen immediately heading towards the bakery. She had passed it by while following Ivy and was quite surprised at the quality of the baked goods.
Carmen quickly purchased the item that had caught her eye before she met up with Ivy to make their trek back to the base.
Once back the two began putting away groceries, Zack helping them upon realizing they had returned.
“I thought you two were gonna go out and do somethin’ romantic,” Zack teased as he placed some of the fruit into the fridge.
“Anythin’ can be romantic when you’re with the person ya love,” Ivy shot back with a smirk.
“Alright, ya got me there, sis,” the taller redhead sighed, knowing he had been defeated with a single sentence. The two women chuckled softly as Ivy hugged her younger brother who begrudgingly hugged her back.
“Hey, I gotcha somethin’ at the store Zack-attack,” the shorter redhead teased as she grabbed one of the chocolate bundles from the bag. “Here ya go bro.”
“Oh! Discount chocolate,” Zack gasped as he took the box from his sister, tearing it open immediately and popping one of the sweets in his mouth. “Thanks, sis, you’re the best.”
“Yeah I know,” Ivy quipped as she finished putting away the last of the groceries. “Just try not ta eat em all in a day.”
“No promises,” Zack shouted back while returning to his room.
“That’s going to last him a day,” Carmen sighed with a smile.
“Yup,” Ivy groaned. “Then he’s gonna want some of mine.” They chuckled softly as the brunette leaned against her partner's back.
“I, uh, got you something as well,” Carmen admitted as she grabbed the barkery item from the paper bag she had been hiding. She handed it to Ivy who seemed rather shocked. “Happy late Valentine’s.”
“Aw Carm, ya didn’t have ta get me anythin’,” the redhead said softly. “I mean, I didn’t get ya anythin’.”
“You being with me is a gift in itself,” Carmen assured the shorter woman with a loving smile. Ivy smiled back before looking into the bag, pulling out a piece of chocolate fudge cake that was decorated with pink and red frosting.
“Oh wow,” the freckled woman gasped, honestly taken aback by this gesture. “Thank ya, Carmen. This is really sweet.” Carmen was silent for a moment as she took in her girlfriend, a warm feeling blossoming in her chest as she watched her partner.
“I love you, Ivy,” the brunette blurted out, only registering what she had said after seeing the shock on Ivy’s face.
“C-Carmen ya….ya,” Ivy stuttered.
“I know,” Carmen interrupted while stepping towards the redhead. “But it’s true. I love you so much, Ivy.”
“I-I love you too Carmen,” Ivy immediately responded with the brightest smile the brunette had ever seen. Carmen quickly caught the freckled woman's lips, kissing her passionately before guiding her to the couch. They stared at one another for a moment before relaxing next to each other. Happily sharing the dessert as they felt the warmth of their lover by their side.