Scene 19 - Valentine's Day
As Artemis rolled her eyes at Wally for not remembering Valentine's Day, Brianna and Kaldur quickly left the cave for their date. The archer and the speedster's arguments could get quite heated sometimes and the couple did not want to be a part of it on this special occasion. The brunette stowed the small box of chocolates in her bag and sniffed her bouquet of three red roses, smiling at the scent. "Robin helped me research about Valentine's Day. I hope you like them." Kaldur'ahm said quietly as he looked at his girlfriend.
"I love them. Thank you, Kaldur." Brianna replied as she hooked an arm through his and pressed a kiss to his cheek. Their latest venture was to Los Angeles for more sightseeing and food feasting.
"Our brunch spot requires a little walk." The brunette said as she looked at the street names and they walked down the correct one according to the instructions given by her smartphone.
Once more, both of them sunk into their little own private world as they discussed about a wide range of topics. It was broad daylight and unfortunately for them, they dropped their guard and were blissfully unaware of a quartet of men tailing them at a distance. As they turned down a quiet road, the strangers proceeded to surround them.
"Apologies for interrupting your romantic date. Just give us your money and we'll be on our way. You don't want anything bad to happen on Valentine's Day, do you?" A tall, burly man who appeared to be the leader of the group stepped forward, eyeing Brianna's bag.
The blonde Atlantean stood back to back with the pyro and glared at the thugs, "Please gentlemen, theft is not worth it."
Another thug gave a chortle, "He called us 'gentlemen', boss! That's so funny."
The leader glared at him and the lackey closed his mouth quickly. Smirking, the leader stepped forth. "Oh, I don't think we'll be 'gentle' with your little girlfriend. You don't have the right to tell us what to do. Besides, you're outnumbered and your time is up." Without another word, all four charged at the couple at once.
Brianna dropped her bouquet and ducked to avoid a tackle before swiftly swinging her leg out to sweep one of the thugs off their feet. He fell onto the pavement with a thud and she lifted her arm up to parry the other guy's attack. Kaldur'ahm easily blocked the third assailant's punch and the Atlantean stepped aside to grab the hoodlum's arm, using his momentum to swing the guy towards a lamp post with a twang. The leader managed to grab the blonde from behind and pointed a knife at the flesh above the collar of Kaldur's jacket.
"You better stop now, pretty. Or your boyfriend will be bleeding all over the pavement." The man warned menacingly as Brianna was done kneeing her opponent in the groin and punching him in the nose. The brunette stared worriedly at the hostage situation but could not help but give a small smile. Aqualad's skin was denser than an average human's and she knew that a simple, ordinary knife would have some difficulty cutting through. The Atlantean gave his girlfriend a very small reassuring nod as his hand slowly crept down unseen towards the leader's thigh.
"What are you smiling at, girly?" The baddie said dangerously as he pressed the blade onto Kaldur's flesh.
The teenaged boy replied simply, "This." His hand discharged electricity, shocking the thug as he fell unconscious.
The knife left a very shallow cut and Kaldur'ahm immediately ran towards Brianna to give her a hug, "Are you alright?" He asked and she looked at his wound.
"I'm okay but you got hurt," The brunette said sadly and the Atlantean kissed her forehead.
"It's superficial. No blood was drawn."
He laid eyes on the trampled bouquet of roses on the ground and sighed, "It seems Valentine's Day is ruined."
Brianna shook her head and pulled away to pick up the flowers from the asphalt. "We'll talk about that later. Let's get away from here." Grabbing his hand, they quickly fled the scene of unconscious muggers and ran back to the Zeta tube to be beamed back to an abandoned telephone box in Happy Harbor.
They strolled past a few shops before settling on their regular hangout, a pancake cafe. They ordered the usual special set meal and Brianna laid her roses on the side before taking Kaldur's hand once more, "As long as we're together, every day is Valentine's Day to me. I'm glad that you're safe."
Her boyfriend furrowed his eyebrows and replied, "You were in danger. What if something happened to you? This is fast becoming a memorable Valentine's Day for all the wrong reasons."
"We were in danger Kaldur, not just me. Besides, let's not dwell on the past and what ifs. We should just concentrate on the future and be thankful for what we have. Don't forget, Ms. Dinah taught us well. Besides, the day is not over yet. Let's make the best of it." Brianna gave him another smile and squeezed his hand. Their pancakes arrived soon after and the Atlantean was still a little frazzled inside. He had to make it up to her.
"Alright, but I still owe you a romantic date today." Kaldur'ahm whispered and Brianna was a little surprised. "It was another idea on my list and I think I can scramble with some help." He explained after seeing her confusion.
"Oh. I look forward to it." The brunette mused and began to drench her waffles in syrup and ate it heartily with ice cream and berries.
It was difficult but Kaldur managed to pull things together at the last minute with Robin's help. The picnic basket arrived promptly at the cave and the Atlantean thanked the young Boy Wonder. The boy gave his trademark impish smile, "You're welcome. Now go and enjoy yourselves." He would have to buy Alfred a big meal soon as the butler worked furiously to make a nice basket with delicious food.
The mat was already laid out on the ground near the peak of Mount Justice and Brianna waited eagerly for their little impromptu dinner. Though they had enjoyed themselves with pancakes, a carnival, and a movie, the girl was curious on what her boyfriend had up his sleeves. A few minutes later, Aqualad trudged up the slopes of the hill and waved at her. He then placed the basket on the mat and began to lay out the cutlery. He ladled stew into bowls and dished the sandwiches onto the plates provided before taking his girlfriend's hand and giving it a kiss. "Dinner is served, my lady."
The brunette chuckled and they tucked into the sumptuous spread, leaning against each other as they ate and watching the sunset from their vantage point. The purple and orange sky slowly morphed into black with stars dotting it. Kaldur'ahm switched on the electric candles for a romantic ambience and the couple sat next to each other quietly, eating their chocolate mousse and admiring nature's beauty.
"The stars are beautiful tonight." Brianna spoke after the silence and the Atlantean nodded in agreement before confessing, "When I came into the surface world, it was night time and I was so captivated by the night sky since we were not able to view it underwater. They made me happy. So whenever I feel down, I just look at them and it seems like they speak to me."
She looked at him, amused. "That sounds sweet, dear. What are the stars saying now?" Kaldur'ahm looked up at the sky and smiled once more. He returned his gaze to her, "They are saying on how I am so lucky to have a beautiful and wonderful woman like you as my girlfriend."
The brunette laughed and pressed a kiss on his lips. They resumed star gazing as Brianna pointed out a few constellations she learned of in school and they also made up a few of their own.
"What if we ever lost each other, Kaldur?" Brianna spoke suddenly and the Atlantean was puzzled.
"Come again?"
"I mean, what if one day, we get separated in battle and amongst the confusion, we don't receive news about each other?" She asked again theoretically and he thought for a while before humouring her, "Then perhaps we should meet on that "A" shaped flame constellation we christened earlier."
Brianna was surprised by his imagination, "That's interesting. How should we get there?"
"The Green Lanterns can help us." He replied practically and they burst into laughter. "In all seriousness, we can contact each other with our insignias. You have the pearl I gave you which would let you know if I'm alive or not. I'm sure the League will not rest until either of us is found. As you said, let's not dwell on what ifs and live the moment," Aqualad added on after that and the pyro nodded in agreement.
The night soon passed by quickly and it was getting close to midnight. Brianna yawned sleepily and murmured, "Thanks for such an enjoyable first Valentine's Day for us, Kaldur. I love you…" She rested her head on his shoulder and he replied, "Likewise. I love you too." The blonde leaned down for one last kiss before the couple drifted off to sleep in each other's arms until sunrise.
Author's Note: No, they didn't have sex. =P They're still pretty new to their relationship and have not reached that level of intimacy yet. It could take years for them to go to the next level...
Anyway, I decided to shake things up a bit with a small fight since everything can't always be sweet and rosy and frankly, might be a little unrealistic. I know, three chapters in a row where "something bad" happens but I promise you the next few chapters won't give the couple any grief. Hehe.
So now that I'm updating once a week, do you guys have any preference on which day it should be updated? Weekdays? Middle of the week? Weekends? I'm open to any suggestion.
Now to thank my reviewers.
To piggythelaw: I PMed you whether she would visit Atlantis or not. Maybe in the future. You're welcome for the story, I'm glad you like the chapters so far. =)
To Eszra: Thanks!
To Dustfinger's cheering section: I also PMed you that you're right, the Atlantean calendar is different from the surface world. Thanks for the encouragement!
To cat: I'm glad you're happy that I'll be updating weekly. ^_^