A/N: I know it's been a while since I last updated. Nothing was supposed to happen this holiday, and then everything happened all at once and it kind of knocked me for six. This is for the Rare Ship CC on tumblr and my prompt was ice cream.
Thanks to jaconda, Shadowpletlove, cmr2014, Alexandria M. R, and Dragonsrule18 for the recent reviews!
Warning for mild sexual innuendo, but there's nothing explicit.
Charlie smiled tenderly at the woman sleeping next to her. Jo looked so peaceful and happy that Charlie was reluctant to wake her, but it was nearing eleven and if she didn't get up soon they wouldn't get anything done. Besides, it was the first birthday they could celebrate as a couple, and Charlie didn't want to miss a minute of it.
Under normal circumstances, Charlie might have blasted the pop music Jo hated so much at full volume, but she decided that might be a little cruel on her birthday. Instead, she settled for shaking her girlfriend's shoulder and dropping a light kiss on her forehead, sitting back against the headboard as Jo's eyes slowly fluttered open.
"Morning sunshine."
Jo groaned and squinted up at Charlie. "Wha' time's it?" she muttered blearily.
"Time you got up. Come on," Charlie encouraged, tugging at Jo's arm. Jo feebly struggled against her, attempting to burrow back underneath the covers.
"Come on, Charl," she whined. "It's my birthday, aren't I allowed a lie in?"
"No."
"Such a dictator."
It took a while, but eventually Charlie managed to convince Jo to get up and shower. When she was dressed and reasonably awake, she dragged her downstairs and proceeded to lavish presents and a (slightly burnt) cooked breakfast upon her. Cooking wasn't exactly one of Charlie's strong points, but she was proud of herself for at least trying, and her efforts were rewarded with a peal of laughter from Jo.
"So, what do you want to do?" Charlie asked, once the breakfast dishes and torn wrapping paper were cleared away.
Jo cocked one eyebrow. "You mean to tell me you got me up this early and you didn't even have a plan?"
"I wanted to leave it up to you," Charlie defended. "I did have some ideas, though. We could go to the movies – I don't know what's on, but there's probably something mildly interesting – or we could eat out…" Charlie's voice trailed off as she noticed Jo's eyes light up at her words. She flushed a deep red. "Not what I meant," she said firmly, then curled her mouth up in a sly smile and winked. "But… if you insist, maybe later."
Jo laughed again. "I'll hold you to that," she teased. "Until then, though… Ice cream?"
Charlie gaped at her girlfriend. "It's the middle of October!" she protested, before sighing at Jo's pleading look. "Fine. Don't say I never gave you anything."
Jo beamed and kissed Charlie on the cheek. "C'mon then, Red, what are you waiting for?"
Charlie huffed a laugh at Jo's excitement before getting up to retrieve her coat and head to the park.
Fortunately, it was a fairly sunny day, so the ice cream van was parked in a shady spot near the park's entrance. Charlie had worried that it wouldn't be, considering it was still cold enough to warrant a coat, but she was relieved when she saw the familiar bright blue of the van. Jo bounded over to it, dragging Charlie along behind her, and frowned at the menu.
"What do you think I should get?" she asked, turning to Charlie.
Charlie shrugged helplessly. "Whatever you want, babe. My treat."
After much deliberating, Jo settled on a double cone, insisting they share rather than buy two separate ones. The man behind the counter eyed them suspiciously, but made no comment as he handed over their ice cream. Charlie paid him quickly then steered Jo over to an empty bench in a secluded corner. It was awkward with both of them trying to lick it at the same time, but somehow they managed not to smack foreheads too much by taking turns.
It was on one of Charlie's turns when Jo decided to jerk her arm just as she was leaning in, resulting in Charlie getting a face full of melting ice cream. She sat in stunned silence as Jo howled with laughter at the sight of cream dripping down Charlie's nose and sticking her hair together.
"Jo!" Charlie exclaimed, attempting to wipe away some of the mess, but only succeeding in spreading it more. She gave up and instead swatted her girlfriend's arm, grimacing as the fibres of her jacket got came away with her sticky hand. This only made Jo laugh harder, and Charlie took the distraction as an opportunity to get revenge by shoving her face into what was left of the ice cream. Jo gasped in shock and glared at Charlie, but there wasn't any heat behind the gaze. She stood up and threw the splintered cone in the nearby bin before stalking back to stand in front of Charlie, arms crossed. She bent over and took Charlie's face in her hands, looking deep into her eyes and kissing her hard on the mouth. Charlie's eyes fluttered closed and she melted into the touch of Jo's lips on hers, winding her arms around Jo and holding her close.
The kiss seemed to last forever, but Charlie soon became aware of their surroundings and pulled back.
"Jo," she whispered. "Stop. People are staring."
"Let them," Jo murmured, but relented, sitting back on her heels. She took one look at Charlie and burst into laughter. "What a sight we must look," she giggled. Her laugh was infectious, and Charlie quickly succumbed too. The pair staggered home like two drunks, stopping every few seconds to laugh anew at the strange looks they were getting from passers-by.
Once they were both showered and curled up together in bed, Jo turned to Charlie and nudged her.
"Hmm?"
Jo lifted herself up on her elbow and traced circles on Charlie's arm with her nail. "So… About that other treat you promised me earlier."
Charlie raised an eyebrow. "I'm not sure you deserve it," she teased. "You've been particularly naughty today."
"Oh, I'll show you just how naughty I can be."
A/N: I don't actually know when Jo's birthday is so I just took a guess. If you do know, please correct me if I'm wrong. I hope you enjoyed that, and please review if you have a moment! Bye!