Total Drama is not mine. It it the property of Teletoon Inc. All rights go to them.
The light shining through the window was bright and blinding, its glow enough to wake the dead. And it was more than enough to wake Izzy Sharpe, who had been in the middle of an extremely pleasant dream when she was so rudely awakened. Groaning, Izzy rolled over, hoping to drift back into her dreams, but it wasn't to be. The light was just too bright and no matter what she did Izzy simply couldn't get back to sleep. And so, groggy and more than a little upset, she crawled out of bed, only to freeze when she realized what day it was.
"Shit." she muttered, glancing darkly at the calendar that hung on the wall beside the bed. "It's Valentine's Day and I still haven't gotten anything for Gwen."
The thought was not a pleasant one, as Izzy knew Gwen would be disappointed when she returned from work to find that Izzy had once again forgotten their anniversary. Izzy and Gwen weren't married, but they had been in a committed relationship for five years now, a relationship that still amazed Izzy to this day. They had gone on their first date on Valentine's Day and Izzy had forgotten that fact three years running, counting this one. Her inability to remember the date annoyed Gwen to no end and Izzy had to find a way to fix her mistake this time or she risked losing Gwen for good.
The last time Izzy had forgotten the date, Gwen hadn't spoken to her for nearly a month, and Izzy wasn't willing to go through that again. She was even less willing to lose Gwen all together, as she had no one else to turn to. She and Gwen had ended up in their relationship sometime after Total Drama. They had both grown tired of dealing with boys and had decided to try something else. Izzy had been the first to realize that she'd always liked girls more and Gwen had come to the same realization soon afterward. It was still a topic of curiosity for both of them, not to mention their former Total Drama castmates, but Izzy and Gwen had long since accepted that they were made for each other.
They were both outcasts, Izzy because of her crazy antics and Gwen because of her goth lifestyle, and they had both come to realize that they would never be fully accepted by the rest of the world. Sure they had both had relationships with people who had claimed to understand them, but Owen, Trent, and Duncan had all ultimately failed to appreciate them for who and what they were. And so they had abandoned the guys in favor of each other and now Izzy was about to lose it all because she had forgotten the date, unless she could find a fix before that night.
"Damn it, why does this always happen to me?" Izzy asked of the silence in the room.
The silence gave no answer and Izzy sighed before moving to get dressed. She had to act quickly if she was to have any chance at fixing this and every second she spent sitting and cursing her failure was another second she was wasting. With that in mind she pulled on the first pair of pants and first shirt she found and rushed out of the house without bothering to eat breakfast.
Izzy climbed into her car moments later and sped away from the curb, hoping that she would still be able to find something special to get for Gwen. But this late in the game the chances of that were slim and Izzy could already feel her spirits beginning to sink. But there was still time, however little, and it was that hope that Izzy clung to as she made her mad dash towards the proverbial finish line.
At that same moment, across town, another storm of panic was brewing. Izzy's girlfriend, Gwen Carver, sat behind her desk at the news agency where she worked, her mind lost in a sea of thoughts and worries. The agency was an independent firm that published alternative opinions to those presented in the mainstream news. Gwen had taken the job at Izzy's urging and she found it enjoyable enough, but it wasn't the job that was bothering her. It was the date.
Valentine's Day had always been a hard day for Gwen to face. She had never really been a fan of the holiday and even if she had been, there had been very few people who were interested in dating a goth in her hometown. All of that had changed when she met Trent on Total Drama Island and for the first time in her life Gwen had known what love and romance truly were. But then things had gotten complicated, with her fling with Duncan ruining her relationship with Trent and turning her off to romance for what she had, at the time, thought would be eternity. But then Izzy had shown her that they didn't need boys to be happy or enjoy romance. All they needed was each other and Gwen had found happiness once again.
But every year on Valentine's Day she found herself questioning the validity of that decision. And this year was no different. It wasn't her love for Izzy that she questioned. Rather it was their compatibility that she worried about. Gwen was keenly aware of the differences between her and Izzy, but they had been together for five years now, so those differences obviously weren't much of an issue at this point.
Then why do I continue to worry about them? Gwen thought. Why do I still think that there's some reason for Izzy and I not meant to be together?
Gwen had no answers to those questions and she knew they were absurd, but she could not stop thinking about them. It was driving her crazy, as she knew Izzy was fully committed to their relationship, and she worried that her insecurities would end up tearing them apart.
I wonder what Izzy would say to that thought, she thought. Knowing her, she'd probably say I'm just being paranoid or something.
Gwen was aware, of course, of Izzy's past inability to to remember their anniversary until the last minute, but she hadn't given much thought to that this year. She sincerely hoped Izzy hadn't forgotten again, but if she had, Gwen would forgive her, just as she had in previous years. And if Izzy had forgotten, there wasn't much Gwen could do about it now. She just had to trust that Izzy had remembered and wait until that night to find out.
While Gwen fretted about her and Izzy's compatibility, Izzy frantically ran from one store to the next looking for a Valentine's gift or two. She'd had no luck at the first three stores she'd popped into, and she was beginning to despair. But there were still several more locations she could try and she was determined not to give up until she'd hit them all.
She entered a flower shop next, the same shop where she'd bought Gwen a single rose for their first date. That rose had been red, but Izzy knew now that Gwen preferred black roses and it was those that she came looking for now.
The owner of the shop greeted her with a warm smile. "Looking for some flowers?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she spoke.
"Yeah." Izzy replied. "I'm looking for black roses. Do you have any?"
The owner checked quickly, before shaking her head no. "Sorry. Would you take red, white, or pink instead?"
"No, they have to be black." Izzy said, disappointed.
"There's another shop just outside of town that might have some." the owner said. "They'll be more expensive, but you might give it a try, if that's truly what you're set on." She smiled again, as if to say she wasn't disappointed that Izzy didn't want a different color.
"I'll look into that, thank you." Izzy said, returning the smile, before taking her leave.
Once she was outside she weighed her options. On the one hand she could just give up on the roses and find something else for a gift. But on the other hand she knew how much Gwen liked the black roses and she ultimately decided that she had to give Gwen what she liked. And so, she made her way to the other flower shop, stopping to make one other purchase on the way.
As Izzy made her way to the flower shop, Gwen was preparing her gift for the red head. Her gift was simple, but she knew Izzy would like it. All she had gotten this year was a single red rose and a pair of emerald earrings to go with the necklace she'd gotten Izzy last year. All she had to do now was get them into the house without Izzy noticing them. She'd been keeping them at her desk for over a week now, waiting for the opportunity to bring them home. But Izzy had always been waiting for her each night and she'd had to leave the gifts at work.
Time was up however and Gwen had to bring them home tonight, no matter what. And that was just what she intended to do. If Izzy saw the gifts before their dinner, then she saw them. Gwen didn't have any other choice. It was either take that risk or show up with nothing to give to Izzy. Fortunately she still had several hours before she was off to figure it all out.
The worries she had left the house with that morning were still gnawing at the back of her mind, but she had managed to put them aside for the time being. All she could think about now was how happy Izzy would be when she got home and she found herself wishing that her day could end now. But Gwen couldn't speed up time and she would just have to wait until the clock hit the end of the work day to see Izzy's joy.
Several hours later Izzy returned home, exhausted from her long day of searching for gifts. She had finally found the black roses and had bought Gwen a beautiful (and expensive) necklace made from green jade and black amethysts as well. In addition, she had bought a bottle of expensive wine for them to share. She hoped Gwen was happy with the gifts and that she didn't figure out that they'd been bought at the last minute. With any luck, Gwen wouldn't have even given any thought to whether or not Izzy had remembered the date and they could just enjoy the wine without any issue. She somehow doubted that would be the case, but she set about getting ready as though everything would be fine.
A short time later, as Izzy was slipping into something nicer, she heard the sound of Gwen's car pulling up in front of the house.
"Crap, crap, CRAP!" she screamed, a wave of panic flooding her.
Gwen was home too early and Izzy hadn't finished getting everything ready. The wine and roses were set out on the coffee table in the living room, but the food she had been preparing wasn't ready yet and neither was she. She was still only half dressed and there was no way she was going to start their Valentine's date looking like this. Thinking quickly, she pulled on a lime green sweater that Gwen had gotten her for Christmas and hurried downstairs to greet Gwen, hoping Gwen wouldn't see the roses and wine until it was time.
"Izzy, you home?" she heard Gwen call as she ran down the stairs.
"Yeah, I'm here." she replied, sliding to a halt in front of Gwen just as Gwen was closing the front door. "How was your day?"
"Boring as hell." Gwen muttered. "All I wanted to do was get the fuck out of there and come home so we could spend some time together."
"Awww, that's sweet." Izzy said, beaming. "I've almost got dinner ready."
"You didn't have to make me dinner." Gwen said, her tone amused.
"I know, but after failing to remember our anniversary the past couple of years I felt like I owed it to you." Izzy said, glancing nervously at the living room, where her gifts for Gwen were still sitting undisturbed.
"I would have just been happy to see you, Iz." Gwen said, smiling. If she sensed that Izzy had thrown this all together in a few hours she showed no sign.
"Yeah, well, it's done now, so...you know..." Izzy said, shrugging as her sentence trailed off into silence. She was struck by just how beautiful Gwen looked, despite a long day of work, and she had completely lost her train of thought.
"Well, shall we eat?" Gwen asked, her tone bringing Izzy back to her senses.
"Yes." Izzy replied. "The food should be done by now."
With that they made their way to the dining room, which Izzy had done up to resemble a fancy restaurant. She had prepared grilled salmon, scallop risotto, and fresh baked garlic bread for their Valentine's feast and she could immediately tell that Gwen was both pleased and surprised.
"Wow." Gwen breathed. "This...this is amazing Iz. What inspired all this?"
"Nothing really." Izzy said. "I just thought it would be nice for us to enjoy an nice home-cooked meal for Valentine's Day." She smiled and took her seat, Gwen following suit with one last look of amazement at her girlfriend.
Izzy poured them each a glass of white wine, knowing that the red she'd bought was still waiting for them in the living room. Once their glasses were filled she raised hers and said, "To us. May our love never falter."
Gwen followed suit and added, "And may we never feel the urge to go back to men either."
Izzy giggled and they both drank before turning their attention to the food.
They would eat in relative silence, both of them shooting flirting glances at each other across the table. Gwen told a quick story about a couple from her work and Izzy laughed, before telling her own story about a couple she'd seen at the store earlier that day.
When they were finished eating they retired to the living room, where Gwen was greeted by another surprise that took her breath away. "Black roses." she whispered, stunned.
"I know they're your favorites." Izzy said, sliding her arms around Gwen's waist.
"They are that." Gwen said, sounding as though she was in a dream. She turned then and kissed Izzy on the lips, the soft touch of her lips stealing Izzy's breath.
Izzy gasped, exhaling against Gwen's cheek and then they were locked in a full embrace, Gwen's fingers twining in Izzy's long red hair. Izzy's fingers slid down Gwen's spine, sending shivers of pleasure through the goth, who returned the favor by inserting her tongue into Izzy's mouth. Izzy moaned then as Gwen's hands came around to cup Izzy's breasts, her fingers moving over the soft tissue with gentle grace. In response one of Izzy's hands slid down Gwen's thigh and then around to the front, where it slipped into Gwen's pants.
Now Gwen moaned and Izzy grinned, glad to see her touch could illicit such pleasure. Gwen's spine arched as Izzy continued to move within her, her fingers deftly finding the perfect spots to make Gwen moan with pleasure. Gwen kept a firm grasp on Izzy's breasts through the whole act, her touch still drawing moans from Izzy as well.
When they finally pulled apart, they both collapsed onto the couch, exhausted from the power of what they had just experienced. Izzy rolled over and grabbed the wine off the table, pouring them each a glass while Gwen caught her breath.
"More wine?" she asked, when she noticed Izzy pouring.
"Yes." Izzy answered. "A vintage red that I bought today just for this occasion."
"I see." Gwen said, her tone amused again. "And I suppose you bought the roses today as well?" She looked at Izzy, her expression deadly serious.
"I did." Izzy answered, handing Gwen a glass of the red. "I also bought you this." She handed Gwen the box containing the necklace, hoping it would be enough to keep Gwen from figuring out that she'd forgotten about their date until that morning.
Gwen took the box and opened it, the sight that greeted her stealing her breath away once again. For a long moment she didn't speak and then she said, "Oh Izzy, I love it. It's so beautiful."
"Just like you." Izzy mused, smiling.
Gwen smiled as well before handing Izzy her gifts. Izzy took them gratefully and was about to open the box that contained the earrings when she stopped.
"What's wrong?" Gwen asked. "Do you not like my gift?"
"No, it's not that." Izzy muttered. "It's just that...well, I forgot. I forgot our anniversary again. That's why I got you all this stuff today, because I woke up this morning and realized I'd messed up again. I'm sorry."
"Izzy, there is nothing to be sorry for." Gwen said. "So you forgot until the last minute, big deal. I overreacted to that last year and I'm not going to do it again. All that matters is that you care, which you obviously do, and that you're there when I need you, which you are. Everything else is just icing on the cake."
Izzy nodded and opened the box, smiling at the earrings. "So, you're not mad at me?" she whispered, with a hopeful glance at Gwen.
"No, I'm not mad." Gwen assured her. "I'm just relieved. This whole night is a weight off my shoulders."
"What do you mean?" Izzy asked, curious.
"Every year I get paranoid around this time of year and I start to question why we're together." Gwen answered. "I start to question if we made the right choice and if we're even compatible, stuff like that."
"Of course we're compatible." Izzy said, kissing Gwen on the lips again.
"Yeah, I see that now." Gwen said. "I guess we both have issues when it comes to this holiday. I wonder why that is. Why is love so hard to figure out?"
"Because love is a crazy thing." Izzy answered. "It's chaotic and unpredictable and no one will ever truly understand or control it."
"So, like you then?" Gwen said, grinning.
"Yeah, like me." Izzy agreed, taking a sip of her wine. "Just like me."
Gwen grinned again and then leaned in and kissed Izzy. Izzy gave in immediately and they both surrendered to the passion once again, Gwen glad that they had both finally found the answers to the riddle of love.
End.
A/N: And that's my first pure romance fic (well romance and a little angst, but whatever). Anyway, I decided to write this as an experiment to see if I could actually pull off romance. It's a Gwizzy fic, obviously, and that pairing is also kind of an experiment on my part (though I'm certain I'm not the first to pair them up). So that's the story behind this. It's a Valentine's gift for the fandom, so I hope you enjoy reading it on this most romantic of holidays. Personally, I think it's kind of crap, but that's just me. It was fun to write at any rate. Anyway, just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. Hope you enjoyed. Cheers, KT.