Jaya Week Challenge 2023

Day 2: Gift

Post S16|SFW|Fluff

He always liked to spoil her.

Sometimes, she liked to be spoiled. Not that she ever admitted it.

But she wasn't one for expensive jewels or fancy restaurants in the outskirts of the city. Even when he insisted on buying her a gift, she always chose something small, inexpensive, and practical.

Of course, she tried to repay the favour. He loved receiving gifts (his tearing through every wrapped box proved that) and yet, she was never sure what to quite get him. It wasn't like he had everything he could ever wanted—in reality, he did.

She tapped her pen on her chin, looking through her list. Anything Starfarer-related was out of the question, for the rest had already bought him every merch she could think of. Back to the drawing board it was.

She recalled paying a visit to his parents. She knew that she would hear plenty of stories about his childhood birthdays and all the gifts he got back then. Unfortunately, it was much of the same: toys, comics, video games...

Although, she did find one thing: a recipe Edna was happy to provide her with, the carrot cake she would bake for him nearly every year. Admittedly, she didn't consider him much of a vegetable person (unless potato chips counted, she supposed). Nevertheless, she gladly accepted the recipe, staying a few more hours to catch up.

"Why do you need the recipe, dearie?" Edna asked her. "His birthday isn't for a few months."

She wasn't sure how to respond. That her guilt was eating her up, that she wanted to be the one to care for him for once? All she could do was give an awkward shrug, mumbling something about treating him well.

She sank further into the bed, trailing her fingers over the recipe. It was all she had, really. But she was determined.

She locked herself in the kitchen, not letting anyone disturb her craft. Even Jay himself knocked multiple times, but she didn't answer. She chopped vegetables in the air as if she were training, she decorated the top of the cake as if she were painting. By the end...

She realised she wasn't one for carrots. But it didn't matter. The cake was for him, after all.

Her cheek was stained with flour and her yukata (blue for the occasion) had become wrinkled underneath Zane's pink apron. She looked down at her Yang medallion and frowned. She wondered if living up to his gifts was even possible. It felt silly to say, but she felt like a teen all over again; inexperienced, nervous, trying out the relationship thing and miserably failing in her eyes.

They had both been through so much. He deserved this. Well, ideally, they deserved an extended vacation to a spa, but she knew that even a holiday like that wouldn't be able to keep them out of evil's gaze for too long. She sighed. She didn't like making wishes for many reasons, but just this once she wondered what it would be like if they were normal. She would still be struggling with gifts, probably.

The door opened and her spine arched. She tried to hide the cake behind her, but it was really no use.

He arrived inside quietly, gently sliding the door behind them shut. His hair was still wet from his shower and a towel was wrapped around his neck. His pyjamas were fresh out of the drier, but his indoor, boot-like slippers were the only thing that remained completely dry. The weather had admittedly gotten colder, but even she wondered whether he was alright with dressing so warmly already.

He leaned down to press a kiss on her cheek and she scrunched up her nose at the wet locks touching her face. She rolled her eyes, but he chuckled. He followed his action with a hug, and she simply accepted her fate.