MHA #6, Wednesday Evening

[firstofitskind]

To say the last few days had been busy for the two of them would be one hell of an understatement, but that didn't mean Liam was going to let Verity's birthday just go by in the aftermath. He did, however, call JGoB and have them make a last minute change to the cake he'd ordered. Which was sitting in a non-descript cardboard box in the kitchen for now, waiting for the reveal later.

(Yes, he'd promised the mice a not-insignificant portion of said cake in return for their patience, as well as their assistance in holding Verity to her promise not to peek prematurely.)

All they needed now was dinner, and Liam was just about finished taking care of that too- or at least, taking care of paying the delivery person from Outback Steakhouse.

"Food's here," he announced, having finally managed to send said delivery person on their way.

[ooc: for the birthday-haver!]

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[firstofitskind]

"Maybe," Liam said softly. "But it's not like there's a manual or anything, is there?" he added, making the narrative text.

[arboreal_priestess]

"Wish there was," Verity admitted with a wry chuckle. "I've never done this before. Hell, you're my first relationship that's lasted beyond the six-week mark."

[firstofitskind]

And Verity's was his first whatsoever, but she knew that already. "Well, we'll be figuring it out together," Liam promised.

[arboreal_priestess]

He was only six, he couldn't possibly have that much experience!

"Any thoughts on what comes next?" Verity asked, taking a forkful of mashed potatoes.

Oh god, this tasted so much better when she wasn't stressing over emotions.

[firstofitskind]

"Well, I had some very specific plans for tonight," Liam said with a grin.

That wasn't at all what she'd meant and he knew it.

[arboreal_priestess]

...You know, she was willing to be distracted.

"Oh?" she asked. Purred, really. "Do tell. I love specific plans."

[firstofitskind]

"Dinner, dessert... an invocation of the Sacred Law of Food for Privacy," Liam said. And then he was sliding his chair over so that he was sitting next to her, and whispered in her ear just what he'd planned for once the bedroom door had shut.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity's cheeks flushed during his, uhh, rather lengthy and explicit recitation there. Not embarrassed, no, just very turned on. As he pulled away, she turned, hooking the front of his shirt with her finger and pulling him back in for a kiss.

Look, after an explanation like that, she needed to do something.

[firstofitskind]

And Liam was more than happy to deepen that kiss.

"I take it my plans pass muster?" he asked, pulling away slightly as the need for air finally (temporarily) won out.

[arboreal_priestess]

"I'm thinking about climbing into your lap and straddling you in that chair to get a start on them," Verity told him. "So...yeah, I'd say so."

[firstofitskind]

"Mmmm," Liam said, lips curling up in to a smirk. "I'd be lying if I said the idea didn't hold a certain appeal." A beat. "On the other hand, there's something to be said for anticipation, as well."

[arboreal_priestess]

"You're a brat, Liam Kincaid," Verity announced, tempted to do it anyway, just to see how long he clung to the idea of anticipation. "I was so nice to you on your birthday."

...That wasn't actually what happened, Verity.

[firstofitskind]

"... You got me a birthday cake with children's toys on it," Liam reminded her.

[arboreal_priestess]

Verity laughed, still highly entertained by that. "I got you a cake appropriate to your age!" she protested. "And I let you see it!"

It would have been hard to troll him with it without that, after all.

"And hey," she said, grinning cheekily at him. "You love me. So, clearly, I'm doing something right."

[firstofitskind]

“That is true,” Liam grinned. “I do love you.” And he wasn’t going to get tired of saying so any time soon. “And you’ll get to see your cake. In due time.” Because yes, not letting her see it was absolutely returning the trolling favor.

... Sometimes, love meant knowing precisely which buttons to push.

[arboreal_priestess]

"You know," Verity said, one hand curling around his, the other still wielding the fork because dinner was really tasty, "of everything that's happened since I arrived at this island, falling in love is probably at the top of the list of things I didn't expect to happen."

She paused, considering it.

"Okay, no. Finding a male dragon that was still alive is at the very top. But it's a close number two."

[firstofitskind]

Liam huffed out a soft laugh. "Who would've thought being coerced into making out by overly aggressive mistletoe would lead to this? But to be honest... same here." Although he had his suspicions that the people who'd pushed him to come to Fandom in the first place had at least been hoping he'd try dating.

[arboreal_priestess]

Wouldn't they all be surprised at how well he'd taken to it?

"Overly aggressive mistletoe helped," Verity admitted. "But I was already thinking about making out with you by then. You're pretty sexy, Kincaid."

[firstofitskind]

"Well," Liam mused. "I suppose if the hottest person on the island thinks I'm sexy, it must be true. Because obviously she'd know what she's talking about."

[arboreal_priestess]

"Wait, Zoe thinks you're sexy, too?" Verity teased. "Huh. This wasn't a conversation I was expecting to have."

[firstofitskind]

"You're hilarious," Liam deadpanned. "You know full well I'm talking about you."

[arboreal_priestess]

"I am funny," Verity teased. "I'm glad you noticed."

She felt warm all over, though, and flattened her palm against his, fingers spreading like a starfish. "Can you feel what I'm feeling?" she asked.

[firstofitskind]

Liam's eyes closed for a moment as he focused on the energy that radiated out through his palm, connecting him to Verity.

"Yeah," he said, amused smirk transforming in to something softer, warmer. "I can. It feels- like coming home." He vaguely remembered doing something like this the other night, but then... his recollections of pretty much everything after they'd made it back to Sarah's were hazy at best.

[arboreal_priestess]

Hopefully he remembered how hard he'd tried Verity's morals and how stubbornly she'd clung to them. He had not made staying good easy, dammit, but she had persevered.

"Coming home, huh?" she asked. "I--I like that. And actually, that makes me think of something, hang on."

She stood up, taking her hand back with a small flare of regret, and disappeared into her bedroom for a second. A minute or so of rifling around later and she was back, hand curled into a fist. "I know I'm doing this backwards, considering it's my birthday and all, but I got you a present." She held her fist out.

[firstofitskind]

"You did?" Liam said, eyes going wide with surprise. "What is it?" He had a sneaking suspicion, of course, but didn't want to voice it just in case it wasn't correct.