Chapter Text
The moment Nic Haught heard that he was getting transferred to Purgatory, his first thought was that he was going to die.
Of course he would be going to the small town where the drop out from his class in academy lived. The guy who didn’t like him. The guy who would probably see Nic as a job stealer. Fantastic.
Still, he was a little excited. From what he had heard from Champ Hardy about Purgatory, and what he had looked into after learning about its strange happenings, Nic was sure the place would keep him occupied.
The moment he saw Waverly Earp, he knew that this town would be home, that he would protect it no matter what. Five minutes into getting into town, Nic watched as this tiny girl with her hands on her hips and a shirt tied around her waist scolded two full grown men outside of a bar. They looked ashamed, almost like they were afraid to have made that girl angry, and he heard them both say ‘Sorry Miss Waverly’ as he drove past.
Of course he found out soon enough that this girl who had captured his interest the moment he saw her was dating the one guy in town who knew him.
Still, he did everything he could to learn about Waverly from folks around town. It became even more important to him when he noticed how people reacted to her last name. Earp was half loved and half hated in Purgatory, and he learned all about the hated part when Wynonna rolled back into town.
It was the same week Wynonna came back that he officially introduced himself to Waverly. Another week of small talk and smiles went by before she told him that she broke up with Champ. The only reason she gave was that she was tired of settling for being someone she wasn’t.
A full month later, a month full of flirty glances and talks when he popped into Shorty’s on his time off, and it was finally the day Nic had been looking forward to since he found out about it. He had requested the day off, and had ordered flowers from out of town to make sure rumors wouldn’t get back to Waverly.
Though he seemed to be incredibly excited about the day, Nic realized as he walked through the doors at Shorty’s that it was possible he was the only one.
Waverly looked upset, her eyes unfocused and angry as she wiped down the bar. It was only about noon and Waverly looked about ready to give up on the day. Frowning a little, Nic felt an ache in his chest when he noticed the telltale signs of redness around her eyes and the way she kept swallowing harshly around some sort of emotion.
It was Waverly Earp’s birthday and it had apparently started with work and tears.
Walking up to the bar, Nic carefully set the flowers in his hand on the barstool as he leaned forward to catch Waverly’s attention. Her eyes lit up just a little when she saw him, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a tiny smile. It grew when he simply smiled back and took off his hat, settling it on her head as he shook back the hair that fell in his face at the motion.
“What did I do to deserve the honor of wearing the stetson, Officer Haught?” Waverly’s voice was quiet, filled with a mixture of leftover emotional turmoil and a soft joy that was just starting to show.
Nic lifted the flowers with a shy little shrug, handing them over to a surprised Waverly with a soft chuckle. “It’s your birthday.” The words seemed to spark something in her as her chin immediately wobbled and her eyes hazed back over with tears. “What? Did I get the date wrong?” His momentary panic subsided when she shook her head rapidly, nearly knocking the hat off. “What’s wrong, Waves? Please don’t cry.”
“You.. you remembered.” The words sounded like a revelation, a grateful awe settling on Waverly’s face behind her tears.
Nic softened immediately when she spoke, the fact that he may have been the only one to remember incredibly apparent. “Of course I remembered. I asked you a few weeks ago, you seemed a little surprised I even asked. Guess I did good making sure I remembered, huh?”
Waverly nodded quickly again, her eyes sparkling with the smile that lit up her face even as the stetson slipped down low on her forehead.
“I didn’t know what to get ya, I was a little lost on that bit, so I just got the flowers and figured I’d ask.” Nic shrugged a little, smiling with a slight flush at the look Waverly sent him.
“Did you.. did you take the day off for this?” Waverly’s tone was questioning and Nic could see the last of the sadness on her face slip away in a flash when he nodded sheepishly.
"I wanted to make sure I was free for whatever you might wanna do.”
“Well…” Waverly looked over her shoulder at Shorty who was watching with interest, a slow realization starting to dawn on his face when he saw the flowers. “I have to work until four since Shorty is a little short handed but then I know exactly what I’d like to do.”
Nic grinned. Though he was a little sad he would miss out on a few hours of possible fun while Waverly was working, it meant that he had time to prepare whatever it was she wanted. Nodding happily, he tilted his head in a motion to get her to continue.
“I want to go on a date with you.” The words hung in the air for a moment, Waverly’s eyes holding a soft nervous light that vanished as fast as it came.
Probably because the possible date in question made a damn fool of himself.
Nic nearly fell off the barstool with his enthusiastic nod that turned into a desperate scramble to leave. He had so much to prepare. “I’ll be back to pick you up at five!” His mad dash to the door was followed by Waverly’s laughter, a sound so full of joy and excitement that Nic wanted to drown in it. “You can wear the Stetson till later, birthday girl.”
The sound of Waverly’s cheer of victory, accompanied by the sudden gasps of Shorty and Gus as they finally realized exactly what they had forgotten, was all Nic heard before the doors shut behind him.