"Happy Birthday!"
The confetti showered on his hair and the equally flushed cheeks of the woman in front of him was a sight to greet him from work. He stared at her, confused at the noise, at the sheer size of his worn college shirt on her and even the showering colors from that small object in her hand. Silence reigns them for a while, frozen in the moment. She stares at him, a wide grin plastered on her face.
A sigh escapes his lips and he gently closes the door behind him, pushing some of the wayward cutouts into their apartment. He turns back to her, finding her confused look amusing. "What?" The slightly annoyed lilt in her voice was enough of a warning sign, thus he had to provide a reaction. "To be honest, when you said, come home early. I didn't expect this."
He waved to the assortment of decorations littering in their shared space. A happy birthday banner hung from the ceiling while numerous pizza boxes were stacked on top of another on their coffee table. The woman in front of him smiled sheepishly, "Well, you took quite some time so your siblings and I had some pizza before you arrived."
He lets a another sigh leave his lips, "So Katarina and Cass were on this as well?" He had missed out on seeing his sisters for the day, that was a little disappointing. He'll have to mail them his thanks tomorrow morning. He shook his head to clear the confetti off his locks, long hair following each movement of his gesture.
"Don't be so crass. They left something for you too, you know. Even Ezreal and Lux had come to drop a gift." She spoke indignantly, feeling the slight trickle of irritation bubbling inside that small body of hers.
"Oh? Even that blonde and her geek of a boyfriend."
"Talon! What did Ez ever do to you?" She whined. A chuckle bubbled deep within his chest and his arms wrapped around her middle, a gesture he'd usually do once he arrived. He bent down, pressing a soft kiss upon her temple, "Nonetheless, I'm home."
"Y-yeah, welcome home." He could feel the heated blush of her skin against his own. He pulls back, just a little, to study her expression. Sepia eyes weren't surprised to see the familiar pout adorning her lips; she had expected a more surprised reaction from him. Ah, he'll have to deal with that soon.
"So, what did you plan out for today?" He slides his hands down to her waist, a gentle touch of reassurance. It's enough to rouse her back from her fallen stupor, "Oh well, I cooked some lasagna and brought your favorite snacks. We could watch IT or some horror movies you like."
He arched a brow at her suggestion, "I take it you won't be having any good night's sleep in the next few days?"
She laughed nervously, she wasn't keen on horror movies. "Ah, but if it makes you happy, I'll concede. And I'll have to keep you beside me to get the night terrors away, no going away from me."
He lets out a chuckle, "As if I don't sleep beside you by default. Well, whatever. Let me change then we can get dinner sorted out."
She beamed up at him, nodding at his words. He releases her from his grip but she takes that moment to stand on her toes, her soft lips pressing a quick kiss on his own. "That's also part of the surprise." He smiles warmly, pressing a kiss in thanks.
Quinn quickly saunters to the kitchen, cheeks flushed red in the dim lighting of the apartment. He takes the time to take off his shoes and hang his coat by the coat stand. He lets out a noise of relief as he loosens the tie around his neck, pausing in his steps to pop some buttons off his top. He rolls his neck, appreciating the gratifying pop of released air in his joints.
Deft hands rolled the sleeves up his arm, relishing on the cold air conditioning cooling his warm skin. Summer was slowly paving its way to autumn, it was chillier during the morning but the afternoon commute had caused him to break a sweat. Talon slumped on the couch, pushing the pillows aside to relax into. He combs his fingers along his hair, weeding out the remaining confetti from his hair. He plucks a stray blue piece before chucking it to the litter at his feet. They'll have to clean this mess by tomorrow morning, thankfully it was the weekend.
He eyes at the presents settled on the floor, had she been trying to hide them? He shook his head and murmured about her haphazard attempt in a fond manner. He plucks one out of the bunch at random, slowly tearing the wrapping as he waited for dinner. It's a book about the latest Assassin's Creed game. He snorted, this was most likely a book haphazardly chosen by Cass out of sheer humor. Nonetheless, he placed the book at the edge of the table, he'll read that later.
He takes another one, this was covered in royal blue wrapping paper. He tore the wrapping with ease, delighted to see a collection of small knives bound in leather. It was kept together with a small book about the history of knife work during the late 18th century. Most likely Lux's and Ezreal's gift. He'll have to thank them later. This was a well thought out gift.
He took one more, one last gift to check before dinner. The delicious smell of hot lasagna wafted through the air and it was enough to rouse the hunger. This was most likely Katarina's gift. It was gaudy, the wrapping done haphazardly. His sister could do a better job but knowing she liked to poke his fun at him, he could only surmise the gag gift that was waiting to be unveiled. The wrapping gave way easily and he choked at the contents of his sister's gift.
"Talon, dinner's ready. Oh you, opened the-" Quinn was cut off at the sight of the contents. Talon turned to her, cheeks flushed crimson. "It's not like that."
In his hand was a bunch of magazines about shibari, women adorned with numerous belts and ropes. One looked to be a Japanese magazine as the writing was in kanji. She could also see a very distinct coil of red rope thrown into the bunch. It takes her a moment to absorb the information, and she arched her brow at the gift. He quickly dropped the magazines on top of the table, his cheeks a heated flush in embarrassment. "Stupid Katarina."
He stood abruptly, the embarrassment making him look so foolish. "I'm sorry about that. It's not like-"
She chuckled weakly, "Ah, why are you apologizing? It was Katarina's gift, right?" She wrapped her hand on his learn forearm and pressed a chaste kiss on his lips, "No need to think so much about it." There was a mischievous glint in her eyes, surely this was a topic she would pester him about in the future.
He lets a smile flit to his features, and his arms wrapped around her. His nose buried upon the short locks adorning her head, "Why are you so kind to me? I wished everyday was my birthday."
"Stop, you're too mushy. If every day is your birthday, I'd be weirded out. You're too sentimental and clingy. Stop, dinner's ready." She comically pushes against him but his arms stay locked around her, his laughter delighting her ears.
"All right, all right." He tries to navigate towards the kitchen with his arms around her. It's a foolish move and he should have expected this foolishness would result to an idiotic end. His foot catches the end of the carpet, sliding the rug over the polished wood. It causes him to lose his footing, tilting them backwards to meet the hard floor. They both utter a surprised cry as the world around them spun.
They fall as a mess of arms and legs, thundering against the wooden floorboards. A groan of pain escapes his lips while she lets out an annoyed huff on top of his chest. "You idiot." She muttered, pushing herself off his body.
Her lithe frame towers over him, short purple hair peppering what little inch of skin it can cover. Golden eyes glaring down at his foolish grin, truly what was coming down on him. "See? You can't have multiple birthdays. Gods, you'd be in an asylum if you act like this every day."
"I'd like to believe its compensation to how much of a stoic man I am at work." He lets out a mirthful laugh and she swats at his antics. It takes her a few seconds to join his melody of laughter, she should laugh like this more often.
Silence reigned upon them, the soft light of the dining area spilled unto the living room. Long brown locks spread like fire beneath him, spilling the curtain of hair as he lay. Sepia eyes took in her features, muted by the faded colors of the evening light outside.
It's his birthday, she said. Greetings had spilled from her lips, smiles a constant feature on her face for the night. He swallows a shuddering breath, eyes trailing down to the soft pink hue of her lips. She's just as surprised as he was. They were normally careful of their footing but tonight's foolishness had eased the rigid texture of their lives, barriers broken down to accommodate two people who want normal lives.
He raises his hand, calloused palm tucking strands of her dark hair behind a pierced ear. He let his fingertips trail down her cheek, pressing against the soft skin of her lips. She kisses them, warm breath tickling the very flesh of his hand.
"You look so beautiful." He murmured and it's enough to summon a fiery blush upon her cheeks. She lets out a soft cough, "Are you, all right? You sound so out of character right now." He doesn't respond, only trailing his fingers lower until his blunt nails scratch along the column of her throat.
They trail lower, faint red marks along her collarbone. She arches against him; a soft cry escapes her lips. It's enough to summon a smirk from him and he trails his other hand along her hips. Truly she was beautiful and alluring, clad in his loose shirt and a pair of shorts for home. He slid his nails back along her neck, tickling the skin of her nape. Calloused hands pull her down, as his lips find their fervor against hers. It's warm, much too warm in the chilling night.
She gasps away from him, an annoyed glint in her eyes, "You're going to make dinner cold."
"Oh, but I prefer this kind of dinner, right now." He peppers her jaw with kisses, letting his fingers run its course along the soft fabric of her shorts. He's more than pleased to find the familiar sensation of lace underneath the clothing.
"I'll assume you are looking forward to this as well." He murmurs against her skin and she refuses to respond even after his hands find their way beneath her clothes. She arched under his ministrations and it's enough to top the celebration of his name day.
"Now, I do know you were quite curious about Katarina's gift. Let's see if we can try it out tonight."
Author's Note:
So it was Talon's 'birthday' last Aug 24 and I can't help but dedicate a modern!Au for Talon's birthday. Quinn and Talon's relationship has been established and I did a little freedom on their attitude. I hope it's a good read and I still am brewing the next chapter. Life's been very busy. Thanks for putting up with my sporadic updates and writing.
edit: Revised it a bit due to redundancy and added a little more detail. The initial entry was a spur of the moment writing and immediately posted it here. Talon is based a lot on my boyfriend. I'm active on Twitter so feel free to message me or browse through my mundane posts.