"Why I am blindfolded again?" Evey questioned, letting V guide her out of the elevator. A soft wind ruffled her still-short bronze curls, letting her know they were outside. V's hand was sure upon her elbow as he led, Evey trotting to keep up with his longer stride.
"All things to those who wait, my dear Evey." V chuckled softly. "But in any case, the are but a few more steps." He stopped once they were on the blanket, let Evey sink into a sitting position, then untied her blindfold.
Evey blinked, her eyes barely needing to adjust to the soft warmth of candlelight. V had a picnic spread out before them on the rooftop. As Evey took in the selection of roast meats, vegetables, two salads, potato bake and various meticulously prepared side dishes, she thought it no wonder that V had banned her from the kitchen all afternoon - 'so not to ruin the surprise'.
"Wow, V. What's the occasion?" Evey turned in a slow circle to see candles illuminating the surfaces around them. There was just the slightest of breezes to make the candlelight dance and flicker. V stepped up behind his lover and wrapped his arms around her from behind. She relaxed into the strength of his grasp, smiling unconsciously as her eyes closed. "Do I need an occasion?" He questioned in a low voice, nuzzling at her hair with the nose of his mask. "I suppose not." Evey conceded, deftly wriggling around to face him, so she could hug him back. For a moment as they embraced, it seemed as if the food might be forgotten.
Evey's stomach, however, had other ideas. Due to her aforementioned kitchen ban, she had eating sparingly since her breakfast that morning. "Do I actually get to eat any of this?" she murmured, lips against his neck, just at the base of the ever-grinning Guy Fawkes mask. She felt his shoulders tense and lower with the intake of air, released as a barely audible sigh. "You had better, lest certain distractions get in the way." He murmured back, and Evey laughed and sat down on the edge of the blanket.
V had, as usual, over estimated. Between them they barely got through half of their private feast. After they had both finished and Evey was stargazing with her hands under her head, ever capable V packed the leftovers into storage containers.
"Not that I'm complaining V, but I still don't know why you've gone to all this trouble." Evey remarked, as V knelt beside her and offered her his hand. She accepted it and let herself be pulled into standing position, where V guided her to the edge of the roof. Some of the candles had blown out, and the few left cast leaping shadows over the stark white planes of V's face - or the face Evey knew best at least. "If you have a few more minutes of patience, Evey, all will be revealed." Smiling at his muted stubbornness not to explain himself, Evey leaned against him for warmth. Time had slowed and she had nearly forgotten she was waiting for her mysterious answer when the first burst of light pulled her from her drowsiness.
The fireworks were stunning - Evey, as always, was entranced. She shot a questioning look at her partner. As always his mask was impassive, but his posture betrayed no particular emotion either. After a few minutes of fireworks, Evey realized there was shouting accompanying them, and for a moment she tensed up. V ran a gloved hand down each of her arms soothingly. "This time, my dear, there is nothing more exploding, other than the fireworks themselves." She turned a questioning look on him. "Happy New Year's." He planted a cool kiss on her hand. Comprehension dawned, and Evey realized the words being shouted by the people of London were the same. V laughed, drawing his beloved into a hug. "This time Evey, they aren't my fireworks."