Peter leaves work early on Friday, he can't help the grin that's been etched on his lips from the moment he woke up that morning and doesn't seem to be disappearing any time soon. He drives home anxiously, knows that there's no reason for it because it's early and he would just have to do all the more waiting, but this way he could take a shower and be sure to be right on time without any incidents.
Lara Jean hates when he's late, but this time he's the one that doesn't want to waste a single minute.
As soon as he opens the door to the apartment he hears Sunny's light but excited paws quickly making their way to him and he greets her with a happy smile and a lot of petting.
"Hey, girl. Did you miss me?" Sunny just keeps on moving, her tongue falling out of her mouth and her tail rapidly moving side to side. "Yeah, I know, you miss mommy more."
The golden retriever all but throws herself on the floor asking for attention. Since the other source of love she's looking for is not available and since Peter is early, he gives in to her cute demands. Not long after, he makes sure she has food and water and hops on the shower, keen on smelling and looking his very best even though he knows it wouldn't really matter. It's the thought that counts, he thinks, and he's just too excited to care about putting too much into this.
So what if it's only been ten days? He misses his girlfriend. Sure, they've had way longer periods apart before. But that was different. They were in college and young and trying to sustain a long-distance relationship without knowing very well how to do that. But now they're adults. Now he shares a place with her - shares the responsibilities, a dog, his life with her. Her last month-trip to Korea had been before they moved in together, because on the last one he actually went with her. So ten days is quite a lot. He doesn't love the house as much when she's not in it.
It takes him longer than usual to get ready, but still not enough that he had to leave work as early. He stands by his decision though. He's in clean good clothes sitting on the couch, the TV on some random movie he's already seen but can't remember the name, leg bouncing where it's perched on top of his other knee. Sunny is restless on the floor, too, as if she knows what today is.
He picks up his phone and checks the message she sent last night one more time even though he has the information clear on his brain, and goes once again to the browser where the airline website is already open and on the flight tracker. The plane should land in twenty-five minutes. Given how long leaving the airplane takes and then getting to the exit and all that, and also considering how long it'll take to drive to the airport, he can leave in about fifteen minutes and be there perfectly on time. He has to actively talk himself out of just leaving now because he'll just be driving around the airport like an idiot. He can wait here. It's almost time.
He checks the tracker every five minutes, restless, and true to its word every time there's five minutes less on the expected arrival time. As soon as it says ten minutes to land, he jumps off the couch and grabs his car keys. Sunny follows him excitedly to the door, but he just pets her head once before smiling.
"I'm gonna go pick mommy, we'll be right back." And maybe he's crazy but she sits down as if she perfectly understood. God he loves that dog.
There's exactly as much traffic as he thought there'd be and the ride is taking him exactly what he thought it would, yet he's impatient behind the wheel. When he is almost at the airport, already in a slow but moving queue of cars, he gets a ping on his phone and it's just her sharing her live location, no words or messages alongside. It's okay, though, that's all he needs.
He follows as the blue spot on his screen walks towards what seems to be the exit of the building and stops where he knows cars are supposed to pick up passengers. He's almost there and he knows she can see it because he shared his location too. Once he's on the same lane as she is, he forgoes his phone and just looks outside his window, eyes very well trained at finding Lara Jean anywhere. Sure enough he spots her a little ways away, having clearly seen him already, waiting. She's too far for him to properly discern but she seems to have a yearning smile. Or maybe he's just projecting his own feelings onto her.
It's ridiculous how his heart does a little jump inside his chest as if he's still not sure how he got lucky enough to have her by his side. Although, to be honest, he'll probably never be.
There's a spot a few feet ahead of her and she walks over as he's parking, suitcase rolling alongside her. He's off the car as soon as he parks it, and choosing to ignore the usual "quick pick-up and drop-off" social rule, he hugs her waist and lifts her a little as she smiles happily at him before placing her lips on his, her arms around his neck.
He's missed her so much it's almost scary. And he knows her enough by now to recognize the same feeling in the way she kisses him, the pressing of her hands on the nape of his neck.
"Hey," he says softly against her lips as he puts her down, his arms still securely around her, and she smiles again as she meets his eyes.
"Hey," she replies back, just as softly. She's back on the ground on her usual height and he'll never not love the way she looks up at him.
He pecks her one more time and quickly moves to put her suitcase in the trunk. She's walking towards the passenger side and he immediately rushes to it, putting himself between her and the door.
She rolls her eyes as he reaches for the handle and opens the door for her. "You are so stupid," she says fondly as he helps her into the seat. He smiles and pecks her one more time, before closing the door and running back to the driver's side, ready to leave.
He drives off the airport lane and back to the LA streets and steals some glances at her, all of which he knows she sees because she's got her head turned towards him, definitely staring. She has a small content smile on her lips, gazing softly, and he knows his expression is a match.
"So, how was your flight?" he asks because even though she's clearly happy to be back, she looks beat.
"Eh, uncomfortable in a way only planes know how to be. But thankfully short." She stretches her arms in front of her after that and cracks her neck to both sides. It's funny how she's always uncomfortable in airplanes when she's basically pocket size and can actually fit in the seats. But Peter is whipped, obviously, so he just finds it endearing.
"Tired?" he asks again, even though the answer is obvious.
"Exhausted," she replies earnestly, and he laughs a little. She's always saying that people at work complain about work trips because they do a lot of overtime and he can see that that's what happened to her, on top of the long flight she already hates.
"Do you wanna take a nap? It's a short drive but it might help."
She looks at him like he's crazy, eyebrows all the way up in her forehead.
"No, I don't want to nap! I wanna know about your game last night!"
Even though he can see she's tired, the excitement in her voice is clear and it warms up his entire chest, forcing a huge smile to appear on his lips.
"Well, I'm really not as fit as I used to be," he starts off, and he knows she'll protest by the scoff he can see from the corner of his eyes, but he continues. "I try to work out regularly and all but going to the gym two to three times a week is not really the same as the preps I did back in school or college. So it was tough. I got home pretty beat, I'm actually still sore mostly everywhere."
He laughs a little and she does too, but she reaches to his arm where she squeezes it a little. "I'll give you a massage."
He can't help the smirk that blossoms, eyebrows wiggling. "Oh, I'm definitely on board with that."
She giggles that adorable little laugh he loves and he's once again thinking how the hell did he get so lucky.
"But come on, tell me more! How was it?" she prompts with big open eyes and he loves how she cares, how she genuinely wants to know.
"It was..." He sighs instead of finishing his sentence, struggling to find the words. He feels overwhelmed, for some reason, and gets a little embarrassed about it. "You know how there are some small bursts of happiness that only specific things can give you? Like seeing your favorite band live feels different than eating your favorite food but both are uniquely great?" She nods quickly and he knows that she understands it perfectly because Lara Jean's whole life is built around those small happinesses. "There's a particular kind of happiness that I get from playing lacrosse that I can't get from anything else. And I'd forgotten about it, somehow. And I started playing and, God, I was really out of shape and overall not good but I was really happy. I truly forgot how happy playing made me. I got home hurting all over but so- so content, you know? The only thing missing was you."
She's smiling all the way through but it gets apologetic at the ending. "Sorry," she says merely, her hand finding his and squeezing.
He's the one who rolls his eyes this time. "Don't be silly. I just like having you around all the time." She laughs lightly. "And we agreed on this pretty late, you were already travelling."
"Are there any plans of doing it again at some point?"
He's sheepish as he replies, not really looking at her. "The guys are talking about making it a weekly thing."
"Peter, that's great! You can even trade a day at the gym for it." She's smiling wide at him and it gives him a bit more confidence.
"Yeah, I know, it'd be great. But also it'd be on thursday nights, so we'd lose that time together."
She shakes her head negatively. "Hey, it's totally fine. I'll take that as the perfect day if I ever have to schedule anything during the evening and whenever I'm free I'll come down and watch you play."
He smiles despite himself. "You don't have to do that."
"I know I don't, Peter Kavinsky, but I enjoy watching you play. Like you said, you look so happy. And I miss running to you in the field at the end of a match."
He chuckles. "Yeah, well, be prepared for disappointment, this will not be the same as running to the star of the team in high school or a top player at college. I was actually the worst player last night."
"I'm pretty sure that's not true but even if it is, I don't care. I was never running to the star of the team, I was running to you. It's always where I'll want to run to."
He feels such a surge of affection for her right then that as they stop at a traffic light, he interlocks his fingers with hers and brings her hand to his lips to kiss it softly.
They've been together for over seven years but damn if he doesn't fall in love with her a little bit more every day.
"I'm really glad you know how much I love you in every possible way so that I can fearlessly say right now that I can't wait to get you into bed," He claims at which she laughs loudly.
"I'm looking forward to that, too." She says honestly squeezing his hand and he smiles at her. "Snuggles with Sunny first, though," she adds seriously.
"Of course!" he replies because there's no way he'd expect anything different. "It's not like she would let it happen any other way, either, it's like she knew I was picking you up, all excited."
"I mean, if you seemed excited she probably was too, they can feel it."
"Then duh, because I was most definitely excited, Covey."
He's looking straight ahead but he knows that that little soft smile is back. He loves it.
"Just to be clear, though, here's what's gonna happen," she says matter-of-factly, as if she already has the whole thing planned out - which she most likely does. "We're gonna get home and have a moment with Sunny because I miss her, then I'm gonna take a shower because I'm gross-"
"- am I allowed to join you?" he asks swiftly.
"Yes, you are," she replies absentmindedly and he just nods even though she's going on as if nothing happened. "So then," she says as she glides her tongue through her teeth, "you're gonna show me how much you missed me-"
"Ooh, I really like that,"
"- and then I'm gonna show you how much I missed you." She continues despite his interruption.
He grips the wheel a little stronger and leans a bit forward. "Ok, gonna have to drive faster now, Covey."
She ignores him. "Once we're properly too tired you're going to order pizza, we're gonna eat it in bed while watching brooklyn nine-nine, and if I doze off you're gonna let me sleep until the next morning."
He scoffs. "I will immediately turn off the TV and join you. I missed sleeping with you in my arms."
She smiles and exhales some air through her nose in amusement. "Yeah, I missed that too."
"Also, may I just say that this is the best plan I've ever heard? We should do that literally every single night."
"And what would we do for the part of how much we missed each other?"
"I miss you all day during work, Lara Jean." It comes out as a deadpan joke, but they both know he means it.
"You are a sap, Kavinsky."
He shrugs. "It's my girlfriend's fault, she's too incredible. I can't help it."
They're getting to their building so they stay quiet for a while and soon they're parked and Peter's retrieved her suitcase. Before going up, though, he holds her one more time and presses her slightly on the car to kiss her delicately.
"I really missed you," he says to her lips.
He's pretty sure the sound she makes is her rendition of "I missed you too".
He lets her go and interlaces their fingers with one hand, holding her suitcase with the other. She opens her mouth and he's sure it's to protest that she can roll a bag herself, but they both know it's a lost cause so she just gives up before saying anything.
She has her keys in hand almost at the door when Peter stops her and says he'll take a video because Sunny's welcome is bound to be the cutest thing, which makes her smile super wide.
Sure enough as soon as Lara Jean opens the door she's tackled by the happy dog, her excited paws all up in Lara Jean legs and stomach, reaching for her with small barks as if she's saying 'Mom! You're home! I missed you!'.
Lara Jean struggles to get inside with Sunny on the way all over her, but she's smiling happily through all of it. Peter balances the phone in one hand as he pulls the suitcase inside and closes the door with his foot, the video still rolling. Lara Jean is now sat on the floor near the sofa and Sunny is making laps around her, licking her face and barking, paws reaching for her, her tail wagging at maximum speed.
Peter leaves the suitcase near the door and gets closer to them, still filming this moment with his heart totally full, and Sunny turns to him at some point and paws at him while barking and turning to Lara Jean.
"Yes, girl, I know, she's finally home!" and he can't miss the look Lara Jean gives him.
Eventually Sunny moves all over Lara Jean and drops down across her legs, tail still happily wagging. Peter stops the video and kneels down to snap a picture instead.
ljscovey is home 😍😍
He posts it to his story before turning his attention back to where it should be.
Sunny is tapping her paw in his direction and he gets closer so he can also fluffy her ear which apparently is exactly what she wanted.
Lara Jean has this adoring look on her face as she looks at the fluffy ball of fur in her lap and scratches her ear, and Peter moves so that he's behind her, opens his leg so that he can fit his torso to her back. He props his head on her left shoulder and she leans back against him immediately, a small sigh leaving both their lips.
He moves his hand back to Sunny's head and with the other one he gets his phone and turns the camera on selfie mode. Lara Jean looks so relaxed against him and they seem so picture perfect there. He snaps the photo that gets the exact moment Sunny closes her eyes in contentment and he doesn't think he's ever loved a picture as much before.
This time he publishes it as a post:
with my two favorite girls 😍
ljscovey is home so me and sunny have finally stopped moping
She asks to see his caption and slightly rolls her eyes but still grins widely.
They stay like that for a while and then Sunny wiggles until her belly is up and her paws are wide open, asking for belly rubs, which they both immediately oblige to.
"Oh to be a fluffy caramel dog being lovingly petted by their humans," Peter says and Lara Jeans chuckles quietly.
It takes a while but Sunny eventually gets up and starts walking around them happily to have both her parents home, probably too excited to just lie down. Peter takes that chance to move back just a little and push Lara Jean's hair behind her ear, pressing a light kiss to the juncture between her shoulder and her neck.
"Tell you what, go take that shower while I order the pizza."
"But- the sex!" she exclaims as if he's proposing a crime and Peter laughs against her skin where he still has his nose pressed after the kiss.
"Lara Jean, you're barely sitting up straight." Her whole weight is on him, which is a terribly pleasant feeling, but also an indication that sex is probably not their best option right now.
She pouts a little, "I really wanted to have sex."
He laughs again. "I know."
"I'm sorry," she says, because of course she does.
"Oh no no no, you know you're not allowed to apologize for sex related decisions! They're all valid and I refuse to accept this negativity in this house."
She laughs now and turns to him, seeking his lips in a light kiss.
"I love you," she says openly and it never fails to get his heart to skip a beat and then go faster to compensate.
He squeezes her waist and kisses her again. "I love you, too. So much. Now go take your shower."
Sunny follows her to the bedroom and then whines when she sees her with the towel in front of the bathroom door. Lara Jean looks all but heartbroken at that, so Peter calls to Sunny and she pads happily at him. He goes to Lara Jean's suitcase to take it to the bedroom and Sunny is in his way the whole time but he absolutely loves it, and Lara Jean laughs as she closes the bathroom door.
Peter goes back to the living room and picks up the TV remote before sitting down on the couch, Sunny immediately climbing in and lying down on his legs. He orders the pizza through an app and keeps changing the channel to see if anything good is gonna come up.
A while later Lara Jean exits the bathroom wearing only a towel and Peter smiles at her, because sex or no sex she's still the most beautiful thing he's ever seen and he loves it when she's wearing only a towel or a big shirt. He can see how she looks at the image of him and Sunny on the couch and she disappears for a second before coming back with her phone to snap a picture.
She's in the room changing when the pizza arrives and Sunny jumps as soon as the doorbell rings. He grabs the pizza and also a bottle of wine they have open and places them on the central table while he puts up netflix and finds brooklyn nine-nine like she had requested.
She emerges from the room with her pony pajamas that he always says she looks adorable in and as he sits down where he previously was, she sits down by his side, her head on his shoulder. Sunny decides to sit on the floor this time, fluffy hair on both their feet, and Peter presses play as they eat.
It's not long after they stopped with the pizza and the wine that he realizes she's sleeping on his shoulder. He turns off the TV and slowly turns to be able to pick her up bridal style to carry her to the bedroom. She's half-awake as she mumbles something about walking herself, even as she circles her arms on his neck. He laughs quietly and presses a kiss to her forehead.
He lays her down and after quickly putting the rest of the food away and going to the bathroom, he joins her under the covers. He finally gets to put his arm on top of her waist, his face buried in the back of her neck where her hair still smells like coconut. He's lulled to sleep not long after that, finally able to relax.
(And, hey, if Lara Jean wakes up missing him even more than the day before and finally gets to show him, good for them, right?)