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He found out her birthday is on April 22. There's something fitting about how she was born on Earth Day, as she weaves a careful tapestry of foreign affairs, human affairs, & rumors of sexual affairs in order to save it.
(Not their rumor. She just manipulated other's rumors.)
The day is April 21st, and he's trying to figure out how to get an unauthorized Amazon order to the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
So, he calls Carl.
Plotting and scheming always had been fun with Carl, and by that evening, they had a plan in place.
By midnight, he had the package in hand.
The Legos hurt his hands to assemble (he hadn't done it in forever), but the flowers slowly took form, and by three am, he was done. Grace gently stood, careful not to disturb the delicate orchid that arced over his desk. He poked his head out into the hallway.
Her office door was open, and slightly ajar.
Perfect.
He turned back to grab the Lego Flowers, and softly approached her office. With his free hand, he rapped on the door.
"Come in."
As he pushed the door open further, he noted the strain in her voice. She must've been exhausted.
"It's just me." Familiarity marked the statement. It was just him, just Ryland Grace. Someone she could trust.
Grace took a step further into the room. Her eyes landed on the complete Lego set in his hands, her brow scrunching.
"Dr. Grace," she started. "I don't have time f-"
"Happy Birthday," he interrupted. A noise caught in her throat, and she lifted her gaze towards him.
"...are those for me?"
"Oh," he moved to set the flowers down on her desk. "I wanted to get you flowers but they don't tend to last long, and I wanted to give you something more," he paused, rubbing the back of his neck. "Permanent?"
Stratt stared at him for several seconds, disbelief having relaxed her face. She blinked rapidly.
"I-" she started, choking on her sentence. She hardly ever showed emotion, but now, he didn't miss how her eyes shone. Maybe it was the exhaustion.
"Thank you," she finished, meeting his gaze again. With a blink, any hint of tears were erased. "It is incredibly thoughtful."
Grace nodded, shifting his weight.
"Yeah, no problem," he replied. "You just know everyone's birthday but no one seemed to care when yours was so...plus, my kids used to love Legos, and they last forever, so..." A soft, closed smile pulled at the corners of her lips.
"Thank you. Have a good night, Dr. Grace."
He nodded, mostly to himself, before turning around and walking out the door. A quick glance back, and he stopped. Her fingers lingered on the plastic petals, a shy smile stretching across her face. She gently picked the Lego kit up and set it on the desk behind her, before settling back into work. Grace smiled to himself, and went back to his room. He wouldn't sleep for hours, contemplating the smile on her lips, and what it might taste like.