stripes; au-ish

It'd become a tradition since they'd married to go out to the same restaurant they'd gone to before becoming engaged years ago. It was a fancy little place on the edge of town that emphasized more on atmosphere than food…but the food was certainly something to brag about as well.

One of Hope's favorite things about this particularly yearly date of theirs was when they got ready together before going out. His eyes would slide towards Lightning looking at her side of the closet, smiling when she would finally pick out an outfit - usually a dress she'd forgotten she owned. Then she would disappear to the bathroom to get ready, since this date was one of the rare times she would wear makeup.

She had gone just to do that, leaving Hope to shrug himself into his pants and button-down shirt. After a moment, he decided to wear the suit jacket as well and lay it carefully on the bed, turning back to the closet to select a tie.

He'd decided between two when Lightning came back to the bedroom. A slow, rather affectionate smile formed on his face at the sight of her in a dark blue dress with a pleated skirt that ended above her knees. She wasn't wearing a lot of makeup, at least as far as he could tell, but whatever she'd put on accentuated her eyes beautifully.

"Hello, lovely," he murmured, unable to resist pulling her close for a kiss. He could feel her smile against his lips, though the little chuckle that escaped her confused him a bit when they eventually pulled away. "What is it?"

"That's exactly why I don't wear lipstick," she replied with a smirk.

"Good call on your part." He grinned, planting another quick kiss to those irresistible lips of hers.

She rolled her eyes, but it was with a smile, though it faded slightly at her husband's state of dress. "Are you ready yet?"

"Almost." Hope held out the ties he'd narrowed down. "Stripes or solid?"

Lightning's eyes flickered between the two pieces of fabric, eventually grasping the striped tie. "This one."

"Okay." He smiled, reaching out to take it so he could put it on, but to his surprise, Lightning suddenly started to do so for him. "Uh, Light…?"

"Yes?"

"…What are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" Her fingers moved in surprisingly quick, efficient motions. Hope was mesmerized by what he could see, but then something occurred to him.

"I didn't even know you knew how to tie a tie."

"I learned when I was starting out in the Corps." Her eyes remained on the task, though they looked a little less playful, maybe from being lost in memories. "The cadet uniforms required you wear a tie."

"…How'd you learn?" he asked curiously. Maybe someone in her unit had taught her or something.

"I taught myself." She tugged the final knot into place. "On my first day there, I couldn't really do it that well. It was crooked and looked like I'd just thrown it on there with no care at all." Her fingers drifted down over Hope's tie. "Little did I know, there was a uniform inspection that day."

His eyes widened. "Did they let you off the hook? I mean, it was your first day and all."

"Tch. No. Stuff like that didn't matter." She shrugged. "I was called out in front of everyone. It was humiliating." Her hands paused, resting on his clothed sides. "I looked up how to properly tie one in a book that night, and practiced until I could do it in my sleep. I wasn't going to let something as ridiculous as a tie stop me from earning my place."

"You did and then some," he assured her, taking her hands in his own to bring them to his lips. A sweet sort of satisfaction hit him at the love and appreciation in her gaze when she met his eyes. "So don't worry. I certainly won't call you out if you ever happen to tie my tie wrong."

She smiled. "Good to know." A smirk formed on her lips. "Maybe you should wear them more."

"How come?"

"It makes it easier to do this." She slipped her hands from his, only to lightly grip the striped fabric around her husband's neck, gently tugging him down for a kiss. He eagerly obliged, his arms wrapping around her waist to pull her closer with a pleased little hum.

There was a slow, easy grin on his face when they pulled away for breath some time later. "Guess I've got a wardrobe update to make."