Welcome to Gaia! ::

As Dani eased her way into a pair of pajama bottoms patterned with happy, fat little pigs, she reminded herself that she was grateful she healed faster than the average teenage girl. She'd gone patrolling and it had gone well, but not well enough to leave her without scrapes and bruises. Thankfully, none were on her face this time, but as she stood in front of her mirror, she twisted, eying the already darkening patch of skin just over her ribs. That was going to hurt like a mother for a day or two, and she was pissed it had happened right before Valentine's day.

Not that she thought she had any plans, particularly. Parker hadn't mentioned anything, she thought with a scowl, unhooking her bra and heading across the room to where her tank top waited. It might have been snowing outside, but underneath her thick, plush blankets, it was toasty enough to justify a pair of summer jammies. As she tugged it over her head, she pulled her massive pigtails out and over her shoulders, tugging the ties out as she did.

Dani didn't sleep with her hair down, as that would be a mess and a half in the morning, but she liked to brush and then braid it before bed.

Seating herself, she began to do just that, gaze drifting to her bedside table as she did. Her phone was blinking, a signal of a text, and she frowned. She hadn't had it on her when she went out, which had been several hours before, so she wondered who it was from. Tugging her hair over one shoulder, she continued to brush it and flipped her phone open.



Brows drawing together, she glanced at her bedside clock. It was already ten forty, which at least meant that the text hadn't sat for too long unanswered, but it was still really late. She was tired and a bit sore, but as she studied her phone, she began to grow worried. What was Parker doing out this late? He knew better than anyone what kind of people were out at night! He was going to get himself in trouble, and right before Valentine's Day, too!

What an idiot!

Then, worry of a different nature set in. He wanted to talk about something... it must have been something serious, considering the time. He knew she tried to keep fairly early hours (or at least, that was what she told him) and wouldn't ask her unless it was important. Maybe he was hurt! No, he would have probably said something. Had something happened? It must have.

Oh God, something was wrong with Parker.

She rose quickly, forgetting her injuries, and hissed out a breath as she doubled over. Oh God, her ribs were sore. Sore as hell.

But Parker had been acting so weird lately. Something was definitely up, something she couldn't get to the bottom of. He was a reserved, sometimes distant person by nature, but she was closer to him than most people. She ought to be, she thought, as she picked up her bra and skipped the step of removing her tank top, struggling to get it on underneath it. She was fed up enough after about two seconds that she just put it on over the top, a pretty, lacy violet garment over the top of a plain white tank. She'd definitely be wearing a jacket.

The boy hadn't even kissed her yet, there was no way he was getting a peek at her bra, or anything that was under it. Hmph.

Sending a quick text back, she opened her massive closet, pushing coats aside until she found the puffy pink one that provided maximum coverage. It hit her knees at the hem and nearly zipped up to her chin, so it was appropriate. It would keep her warm, anyway.

She pulled her hair out of the back of it, sending it tumbling down her back in disarray, and hesitated a moment. If she brushed it and didn't braid it, it was just going to frizz out. She didn't really have time to braid it, especially not if something was really up with Parker, so she settled for looking less than absolutely adorable.

It was probably fine. Parker hadn't even kissed her.

... he hadn't even kissed her.

Trying to shove that to the back of her mind was more difficult than it should have been as she snuck past her dogs, whispering for them to keep quiet, and eased out the door. Her cell phone was in one pocket, henshin pen in the other, just in case. Who knew exactly what Parker was going to get himself into without her to supervise, after all.

She tucked her arms around herself, careful to avoid pressing too hard on her ribs, and fastwalked. Along the way, she came up with a thousand scenarios, each one more horrifying than the last. In at least half of them, Parker broke up with her, his reasons varying from her being too young to there being no chemistry, both of which were absolutely bogus. Had she not been worried, she would have actually gotten angry with him for things he had never even said or done, but luckily for both of them, she was more concerned than annoyed.

Though, if he broke up with her the day before Valentine's, there would be hell to pay.

She arrived at the designated meeting place, breath puffing out in a cloud before her, dancing from foot to foot. It was snowing, and it was cold. She had sneakers on, but she'd forgotten socks in her rush, so her toes were cold despite being encased by shoes. Snow was collecting on top of her hair, probably making her look like she had the worst case of dandruff in the world, and she was alone.

Dear God, if Parker didn't show up after all, she was going to be single on Valentine's because she killed him.

Dani didn't know what to make of Parker materializing out of the shadows, but it at least stemmed the worry that something terrible had happened to him while she was en route. For once, she didn't even have anything to say; simply stood there, arms at her sides, listening to the snow crunch underneath his footsteps as he crossed to her. It was the middle of the night in the end of winter, and it was snowing, and they were standing outside a closed cafe like they belonged. To say she was confused would be an understatement.

She didn't fail to notice the rose, but didn't have much time to think about it or what it might mean. It was funny how she'd just been mentally bemoaning the fact that the most she and her boyfriend did was hug and hold hands, because that was really all she and her last boyfriend had done. They were younger then, but she'd been more than content to keep things a hair above platonic, had not even been deliriously interested in the physical aspects of dating. Not just when she was thirteen, but after that as well.

Then there was Parker. Parker, who looked so sweet and a little bit awkward in his oversized coat, a fading rose in one hand. Dani didn't even think to question him as she glanced up, didn't expect the kiss in the least. She blinked, hands uncurling in surprise, and simply looked at him.

The kiss was brief and simple, leaving a silence in its wake that wasn't awkward but wasn't exactly encouraging, either. She'd spent so much time stressing over the fact that they hadn't kissed, that Parker was acting so strangely, and... it was done. She didn't have to worry, because now they were officially a kissing couple, right? And he was still acting a little strange, because she couldn't fathom him as the type of guy who would call his girlfriend out at nearly eleven P.M. to kiss her in the snow, but at least this time it was a good kind of strange.

A kind of strange that made her feel like he maybe didn't want their first kiss to be on Valentine's Day, because he wanted it to stand alone and not be just like anyone else's. She liked that; she insisted on being individual, better. Standing in the freezing air with snow falling down on top of them, her toes and fingers turning to ice cubes, all she could think about was how warm she felt from her mouth straight down to her stomach.

"Parker." She said his name thoughtfully, her eyes curious but not offended, frightened, or disappointed. She brought her hands up, fingers stiff from the cold, and curled them in the lapels of his jacket. It was warmer there, and had the advantage of rooting him to the spot, in case he decided to... well, just in case.

Who knew what this wild and mysterious new Parker would do next?

Then, like a light had been turned on, a smile flooded her face, and she rose on her tip toes, leaning into him. Not for another kiss, just for the closeness, though between his heavy coat and her thick pink one, it was impossible to get too close. She didn't look anything like she imagined the typical girlfriend should look in the situation; her hair wasn't done and she wasn't even really dressed, and the discomfort from the cold had resulted in a very red nose rather than red cheeks. Still, the smile was all for him, and the doubts she'd begun to have about their slow-moving relationship were laid to rest, at least for the night.

Her cheek grazed the rough fabric of his coat, itching a little, but she sounded supremely content when she said, "Hi."

Had anyone else dragged her out in the middle of the night, Dani would have been peeved. By simple virtue that it was Parker and they'd finally progressed their relationship past a gradeschool level, she was just about as pleased as punch. She'd never been the type of girl who needed anyone else's reassurance, and she certainly didn't need to feel safe and protected by any man, or anyone, really. Still, with Parker's arms around her, she felt nothing but, and couldn't help the silly smile that refused to vanish. It was a little strange how accidentally they'd come into each other's lives, perhaps moreso that they'd remained. That was due to a large amount of persistence on her part, but she knew it was definitely worth it.

No one suited her quite so well as Parker. Sometimes he irritated her, but that was true for anyone, and she probably got on his nerves every great once in a while. Maybe. That was normal; that was what her parents were like, anyway, and they had the strongest relationship of anyone she knew. She wasn't that serious about Parker yet -- they'd only been dating a month, and besides, who knew what the future held? -- but she figured that she couldn't find a better dymanic to base her relationships from, and they must've been doing something right.

Turning her face into his neck, she exhaled, breath warm against him. It really was cold. "Yeah. I'm glad you didn't wait until Valentine's Day. This is more... us."

What she meant by that, it would be difficult to explain. Sudden? Unexpected? Seeming doomed to failure but working out perfectly instead? If anyone had ever asked her if she would fall for a brooding, pessimistic individual, she would have told them flat-out she didn't have any patience for that sort of thing. She doubted Parker had ever imagined he would be with an energetic, competitive girl who refused to take no for an answer; he seemed like the type who would want a quieter girl, someone who was more peaceful and tame. By all rights, they really shouldn't have worked at all, but she thought they balanced each other.

Again, she thought of her parents, but didn't give herself much time to consider that. It weirded her out a little, and she wanted to enjoy the moment with him. It was, after all, quite a moment.

Even if it had been warmer, it was up for debate whether Dani would have tried to disentangle herself from Parker when she spoke next. Sources were leaning toward probably not, though. "So, you said you wanted to talk to me... is anything up?"

After a beat, she grinned. "Or was 'talk' a euphemism?"

She was used to Parker answering her questions in roundabout ways, especially when it wasn't something he was quite prepared to talk about, and she accepted it. Maybe she'd didn't like it entirely sometimes, but she figured Parker was like... an onion. You had to peel the layers away, and if you weren't careful, he might make you cry once in a while, but... and she forgot where she was going with that. Anyway, Parker was an onion, though he wasn't smelly and didn't make her cry. She wasn't sure if a boy was actually capable of making her cry.

Of course, before she'd met Parker, she would have insisted that no boy could make her sigh like the girls did in all those romantic movies, or that someone could make her feel like her stomach had dropped between her ankles and her head was full of clouds. Not that she'd admit something like that, because Dani was above all of those things, okay. She was confident and strong and really not falling for any of the tricks that teenage boys used to woo teenage girls and eventually (or not-so-eventually) get in their pants with. She was a practical, goal-oriented girl!

She had places she wanted to go. College, abroad. She wanted to get a job and have a future, and that kind of thing didn't necessarily require a boy at her side. Sure, she wouldn't mind being part of a couple, but Dani had always planned for a future where she supported herself. Teen pregnancy didn't factor into that well, so she'd dismissed the idea of serious dating.

But then there was Parker. Not that she planned to get pregnant first and plan her life later, but she was willing to accommodate. She would adjust her plans to include Parker, and she found she didn't even mind that much.

It was a little difficult to mind much of anything about Parker when they were kissing, though. She really liked kissing. She liked kissing enough that it was with great reluctance she finally agreed they had to go home. If her parents caught her she'd be dead, she mourned, as they lingered a few more moments anyway.

No, she didn't need him to walk her home. Thanks for the rose.

When they parted, Dani felt colder than she had on the way to the cafe, but she had a rose in her hand and she refused to abuse the poor thing further by stuffing it in her pocket. She went around a corner and watched to make sure Parker was actually heading home and not watching her for safety purposes. Parker was really great, and she really liked him a lot, but she was much better equipped to handle any night-time monsters than he was.

Sneaking into her house was getting easier and easier, though she was too tired to bother with the clumps of snow that she trailed along the carpet. She knew they'd melt into tiny waterspots, but she hoped they would be dry before her parents got up. If worst came to worst, they could assume the puppies had gone a little crazy.

In her room, she threw her coat and bra into a corner, dove under her covers with a long, happy sigh. The rose went on her bedside table next to her cell phone, and Dani shut off the lamp, blankets bunched up over her shoulders and covering her chilled ears.

Despite how tired she was, she watched the digital numbers on her alarm clock slide to midnight, and grinned to herself.

"Happy Valentine's," she whispered, drifting off to sleep with her head full of all the silly, romantic things she absolutely did not think about.