Chapter Text
Everyone knew David Shaw didn’t like surprises. He made his need for control and awareness of what was going on around him very clear. It was understandable, of course, considering his tumultuous life, and though Angel was eager to convince him to loosen up at least a little and learn to embrace a bit of the chaos that made life fun, they’d never expect or want him to change that much.
Especially since it made planning surprises for him that much more fun… the exasperated groan and resigned look he gave them every time was their version of catnip.
Which was why, after the Solstice Pack Party had wrapped, they’d been surprised when David had told them to pack a bag. Told them that they had an hour before the two of them left, and not to dally. When Angel had questioned why, he’d just smirked at them and told them they had fifty eight minutes now before he turned resumed packing up the party food.
It was very out of character for David ‘Vacations Need At Least A Month Of Planning’ Shaw, and Angel had simply stood there for a few more seconds, trying to comprehend what he’d just told them. When they heard him calling out to them that they were down to fifty five minutes, a huge grin had broken out across their face and they’d raced to the bedroom. Excitement thrumming through them as they hauled the biggest suitcase they had out of the closet.
Okay, they were obviously going somewhere, hence the bag. They weren’t going somewhere for too long, since they only had an hour to pack a single bag. He hadn’t given any stipulations about what they needed to pack, no requirements for warm or athletic clothing, so it wasn’t likely they were going to do anything heavily involved or strenuous like hiking or skiing.
There were a few possibilities that were racing through their mind, but the delight over the idea of David Shaw blindsiding them with a surprise like this was too exciting for them to puzzle it out. Besides, they liked the idea of David being so spontaneous, of springing this on them. He was playing to their love of chaos and surprises, and they were going to revel in it, rather than trying to guess whatever secret he’d managed to keep from them.
Clothes were tossed haphazardly into the bag, a range of outfits from something light and cool to bundled up and warm, just in case. They may love chaos and surprise, but they were mated to David Shaw. Just as he’d learned from them in regards to winging it, they’d learned to prepare for any possible situation, when they were afforded the chance.
And he’d be proud of them for taking the time to prepare.
Meeting him at the door, heavy suitcase dragging behind them, they met his faint grin with a huge smile of their own, hopping up on their toes to kiss his cheek before darting through the front door. Settled in the truck and ready to go before David had even fully finished locking up.
Their curiousity over what David was planning only grew stronger the longer they drove, watching the slight dusting of snow that Dahlia had gotten thicken into a proper blanket. Staring out the window as buildings shrunk, thinned out in number and slowly gave way to thick forest.
Angel was almost left breathless at the sight of the dense woods coated in crisp white snow, with the stars sparkling overhead in a clear sky. Seeing the woods at night during the summer vacation they’d taken had been wonderful, but there was a stunning beauty to seeing everything sparkling with the snow, made all the brighter and more beautiful as the moon started peeking up over the trees.
Remembering that Milo and Sweetheart had disappeared into a cabin for a weekend last year had Angel slowly piecing together a possible idea of what David was up to. But that had been out by the lake, and after having spent the summer with the pack there, Angel knew they weren’t going the right way for that place.
Catching sight of a familiar sign had Angel’s breath catching and their heart kicking up a pace. They knew this road… this was the road David had taken when he’d brought them to the camping spot he and his dad had shared. They hadn’t brought any tents, however, and he’d know full well the chances of Angel being up for sleeping in a tent in the dead of winter were… low.
They were coming up on an hour on the drive before David turned onto a small road that snaked into the woods. Unplowed, but the beast of a truck they were in climbed the growing hill without issue. Angel sat forward, eagerly watching through the windshield as they drove higher and higher, the trees thick enough overhead that the stars were blocked out.
“Keep an eye out, might see some deer.” David murmured, chuckling quietly as Angel practically plastered their face to the passenger window at that suggestion, scanning the dense forest that surrounded them.
Then the trees parted without warning, opening up into an open, sprawling clearing. Angel’s breath caught in their chest as they saw the clearing stretched clear to what looked like the edge of the small mountain they’d just climbed, and fumbled with their seatbelt. Throwing themselves out of the truck as it rolled to a stop.
They barely paid attention to the cute cabin snugged up against the treeline, too focused on the sight that lay in front of them as they tromped through the snow to the cliff edge.
Dahlia lay stretched out before them, spreading across the horizon for miles. Lit up in the night and sparkling with snow as the moon reached its peak, nearly full and brilliant in the sky. Bright enough that no flashlight was needed, and bathing everything in silver.
Footsteps sounded behind them, and Angel managed to tear their eyes away from the sparkling city below them, looking up at David as he joined them at the fencing that ran along the edge of the cliff. He gave that quiet, soft smile that never failed to melt them, and wrapped his arm around their shoulders, pulling them in to kiss the side of their head before looking out at the cityscape.
“Davey, this is amazing.” Angel breathed, leaning in against him not only for warmth, but to also latch their arms around him and squeeze, overwhelmed by the sight and the gesture. “It’s a literal Winter Wonderland…”
“Yeah, I…” The pause surprised them, but Angel stayed quiet, letting him work out whatever he was wrestling with. “I know that I’ve been busy the last few weeks… not just with the Solstice preparations, but with work in general. And I wanted to carve out a bit of personal time for us to make up for it.”
His arm around their shoulder tightened, hugging them back as he pressed another kiss to the top of their head, then their temple. “Been puzzling over how to do so, and was talking to Milo this evening when he brought up taking his mate up to the cabins a while back. That was when I remembered this place.”
Hearing his voice thicken, they looked up at him, and realized he wasn’t staring at the city. Turning to look in the direction he was, they stared at the cabin behind them, finally taking in the sight of it. Admiring the cute porch that wrapped around it, the large bay windows that looked over the view, the huge tree that sat to the side of it and shaded the truck, bare of leaves for now but no doubt thick with leaves in the peak of summer.
Realizing that this place was special for some reason, they looked up at him again, rubbing his back gently “Where are we?” They whispered, offering him an encouraging smile as he looked back at them.
“…this is the cabin my father built for my mother.” He explained. “This was where they went any time they needed to reconnect, needed time alone with each other. Where he brought me, when I missed him. Dad was… he was always careful to make sure his family never felt neglected for his duties as alpha.”
Squeezing him tightly, Angel linked their arm with his, gently pulling him along as they followed the footsteps the two had left, making their way back to the truck. “I know I can’t shirk duties, and my plate will always be full.” David added as he stopped at the truck long enough to grab their bags, then made his way along the snow laden path towards the front steps. “But I wanna make sure we get the chance to create personal memories too.”
Setting the bags down as they reached the front door, he pulled Angel in close, framing their face gently and touching his forehead to theirs. “Our life will always be a whirlwind of duties and responsibility. But I want to make sure that when we’re old, we have these quiet moments. These pieces of our life that were just ours, that were just us.”
Entirely overwhelmed, Angel’s hands came up to curl around his wrists, squeezing gently as they stared up at him in wonder. Amazed at how much genuine thought had gone into something that had felt so spontaneous. At how much love was shown in a gesture so simple. Feeling tears sting at their eyes, they gave him a shaky smile before tilting their head back in order to press a gentle, soft kiss against his mouth. Arms lifting to wind around his neck and smiling as they felt his curl around their waist.
“This is amazing, Davey.” They breathed, forehead still pressed to his as they broke the kiss. “I love that… getting to have you to myself like this. I know the pack is important, that you’re Alpha for a reason, and you’ll never let those responsibilities go unmet. I’d never expect you to. But I’m glad that… I’m glad that you get some time to just be David, and I get to just be Angel beside you.”
Squeezing him once more, they pressed a quick kiss against the end of his nose before flashing a grin up at him. “Now unlock the door, it’s cold and I wanna snuggle.” They insisted, hopping on their toes as David shook his head with a laugh while digging out the keys.
“Colour me surprised…”