complexfemalecharacter | [anniversary]

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steve

[anniversary]

Maeve isn't much of a zoo person. She isn't much of a celebrate this milestone person either, but tonight she's putting on a warm, oversized black sweatshirt on under the jacket Steve got her for her birthday, she's putting on thick, thigh high grey socks over her usual black tights, she's wearing a scarf and a pair of mittens, and her usual boots, and she's going out.

It's a light display at the zoo, which she's not really sure she understands the point of besides just being sparkly and pretty, which are also two things Maeve usually isn't about. But the pictures online had looked really nice and it had all seemed kind of romantic without being overly so and that's ideal.

Because it's been a year. An entire year. Neither of them have freaked out, neither of them has pushed the other way, neither has fucked this all up somehow, just by being themselves. Neither of them have said those three little words yet either, but Maeve thinks celebrating their anniversary might actually be a good time to do that.

Unless that's a cliche. She hasn't been able to decide yet.

She's planned to meet Steve downstairs, because she's almost certain both Robin and Rue know it's an anniversary, and there is no way in hell Maeve is giving either of them the opportunity to give her shit about it. So she calls out her goodbyes, then heads down the stairs, knowing Steve will be pulling up out front any minute.

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It's not lost on Steve that he and Maeve have been together for a year, and it's a little overwhelming. Not in a bad way, he doesn't think. It's officially the longest relationship that he's ever had, beating out Nancy by one month. But then again, how long was his relationship with Nancy even real? How long before she just started pretending?

Oof, don't go down that path.

Maeve isn't pretending. He knows that she likes him, maybe even loves him, even though they haven't said it yet. He wonders if maybe that's bad. Neither of them are good at talking about those sorts of things, and they've gotten along this far by just living in the moment. They're happy together, very happy, and he's pretty sure that he wants all of his moments to be with her. That's kind of terrifying. But also kind of awesome?

When Maeve invites him to the zoo, Steve is kind of relieved. It takes the pressure off of him to come up with something, even if Christmas lights with zoo animals doesn't sound like the most romantic way to celebrate a first anniversary. Maybe that's why she picked it.

He has every intention of parking his car and going up to get Maeve and walk her down, but by the time he's passing her building, she's bursting out of the front door. Steve pulls up to the curb and for one wild moment, he feels like he should hop out and open her door for her. But that's stupid. She's perfectly capable of doing it herself, and that's exactly what she'd tell him if he did it, so he just grins over at her as she gets into the car.

"Hello, gorgeous," he tells her, letting out a teasing whistle before leaning into to pepper her cheek and jaw with kisses as she buckles her seatbelt. "You look so cute all bundled up."

"I'm not getting frostbite just to look at some lights," she answers, as if she wasn't the one who planned the whole evening and is actually kind of looking forward to it. She leans into the kisses with a small, twisted grin, then reaches over to curl her fingers over Steve's knee, her palm warm against his leg as she settles into the car.

"You look pretty cute yourself," she tells him, giving his leg a squeeze. "Come on, let's go. Before Robin comes bursting out to tell us we're both cute."

She sort of hopes that makes it clear why she'd already been down here, ready to get picked up. Maeve isn't embarrassed by being in a relationship, she's actually pretty content, but she also doesn't love when people make a big deal out of it. That embarrasses her a lot.

“What, this old thing?” Steve teases with a laugh. He’d kept it simple— dark blue Henley, black pea coat, jeans, and his boots. He figured that he didn’t need to dress up too much for the zoo animals, and dressing up too much might have been awkward, so he kept it simple.

“Okay, okay,” Steve says with a laugh, shifting the car into drive and glancing over his shoulder before pulling back out onto the road. He lets out an exaggerated, put upon sigh and looks over at Maeve again. “One of these days, you’ll stop being embarrassed to be seen with me.”

He’s teasing, of course. He knows that she isn’t embarrassed of him, even though he’s a little dumb and knows fuck all about art and literature. He’s trying, though. Sometimes he’ll even watch a documentary just because it’s about something that Maeve likes.

If that isn’t love, he doesn’t know what is.

"That must be it," she agrees, voice dry. She knows he's only teasing and she's sure he knows she is, too, in return. "Deep, perpetual embarrassment. Try not to make me look bad in front of the lions tonight. I've been trying for oh so long to make a good impression on them."

She's not even sure if the zoo has lions. It seems rather cruel, keeping lions in a cage, but she also has no idea what else would be done with them in Darrow, where it seems like the rest of the world doesn't even exist.

How do they explain where lions come from to kids? This place is such a trip most of the time, she has no idea how people manage to make sense of it.

"Great, now I have to fight a lion," he replies in an equally dry tone, smiling over at her as he pulls up to a red light. He reaches over to put his hand on her knee, squeezing gently and leaving it there as he starts driving again.

It doesn't take long to get to the zoo and after Steve parks, he gets out of the car and locks it, putting his keys into his pocket before reaching out for Maeve's hand. The gates are wrapped in white and blue Christmas lights, with white netting lights draped neatly over the hedges lining the fence.

"This is neat," Steve says sincerely, because it does look pretty special. Christmas has never really been a big deal to him, aside from the gifts. He's never really gotten into the spirit of the holiday itself, but he thinks that maybe things are different now. Christmas is tied up with making things official with Maeve, and she's still here to celebrate with him, and that makes him feel warm and cheery and everything people say that Christmas is supposed to feel like. "It was a good idea."

"Yeah, it's pretty," she agrees in a soft voice, almost as if she's embarrassed to be saying so. But she still leads Steve to the ticket booth, buys admission for the two of them, then leads him inside.

They enter a tunnel first, the regular entrance to the zoo, she figures, even though she's never been here before. The support beams are all wrapped up in lights, and overhead is a colour changing net of lights, a rainbow chasing itself as it moves down to the end of the tunnel and then back again.

"What do you think? Lights on the animals, too?" she asks, pressing her lips into a smile as she glances up at Steve.

When Maeve goes to pay for the tickets, Steve feels the urge to protest, but he wisely holds his tongue. It's still instinct for him to want to pay for their dates because that's what he was taught, but Maeve comes from a different time. She's independent and strong and if she invites Steve somewhere specifically, she pays and Steve lets her.

It's a habit that he's unlearning bit by bit, and he's glad for it. It is more fair, after all, that they split things more often than not. He can treat her in other ways.

"Oh, totally. I hear that polar bears are very agreeable," Steve quips, looping an arm casually around her waist as they walk together. He looks around a little in awe, tipping his head back to watch as the colored lights chase themselves back and forth. After they leave the tunnel, they turn a corner into the first exhibit, all lit up with lights made to look like ocean waves and palm trees. "This is really impressive."

Edited 2022-01-06 01:24 (UTC)

She honestly hadn't been sure what to expect, but now that they're here, she's glad they'd come. The light displays are everywhere and she pauses in front of the one Steve has commented on, watching as the way the lights change make it look as if the waves are actually rolling in and then back out.

"It's pretty cool, but it's no sparkling light crown on a polar bear," she teases.

Turning, she spots another exhibit, this one catching her interest, and she pulls on Steve's hand to tug him over. Spread out across an open area is some sort of flooring, almost like a dance floor, made up of a bunch of square. Each square lights up when its stepped on, a different colour every time, and Maeve hops to one square, watching as it lights up orange beneath her feet.

"So high maintenance," he teases, because Maeve is anything but. In fact, she is at times almost frustratingly low maintenance. Steve is used to high maintenance girls. He knows how to handle them, but Maeve is a different breed entirely. Sometimes he doesn't even know what to do with her, but God, he loves her.

"You know, I used to think that a Walkman was the height of technology," he jokes as she steps out onto the light. He hops out onto the square next to her and it turns purple under his feet. With a grin, he reaches for Maeve's hand and tugs her forward so they can hop from one square to the next, watching them light up under their feet.

"This is awesome." He tugs Maeve in against him and wraps one arm around her waist, holding her hand aloft in his as he pulls her around in an improvised sort of waltz, laughing the entire time.

It's really pretty and Maeve, who insists she hates traditionally romantic gestures, who often feels awkward and uncomfortable when faced with it, doesn't feel that at all. Not with Steve. She laughs as he pulls her into the dance and while she has no idea how to properly waltz and has a feeling he doesn't either, it's still a lot of fun.

And the lights change under their feet, from yellow to blue to green to purple, and she watches the way they throw different coloured shadows across Steve's face as they move.

"I love you," she says, the words coming out, taking her off guard with their honesty.

They're dancing with very little coordination, and Steve is laughing, watching as colors light up this beautiful woman that for some reason chooses to spend her time with him, and at first he nearly misses what she's said. But then the words register and he slows to a halt, staring down at her face with a slightly awed expression.

He's heard those words before, and he believed them for almost a whole year until Nancy told him that it was all bullshit. Maybe some part of her did love him, but he'll never know now. It doesn't occur to him that Maeve might also be lying. She wouldn't lie, especially not about something like this. She means it, and Steve feels a little like he's walking on air.

"I love you, too," he says happily, grinning as he reaches up to cup her cheek. "I've been wanting to tell you that for a while now."

Maeve's smile twists and she wrinkles her nose, glaring up at him playfully. "So why did it take you so long, arsehole?"

As if it hasn't taken her equally as long.

Still, the way he says it, the knowledge that he's felt this way for longer than she may have thought, it all warms through her. Floods her chest, her stomach, makes her feel like she's almost weightless. Maeve isn't a romantic, not really, but she still wants to be loved and knowing she is, it feels wonderful.

"I could ask you the same thing, brat," Steve replies with a besotted grin, leaning in to kiss the wrinkled bridge of her nose, lips lingering there until he smooths out. He pulls back to look at her and slides his hand into her hair, cradling the back of her head as he stares at her.

She looks happy, and it's because he loves her. Because she loves him. It's enough to leave him a little stunned, and he chuckles a little before leaning in to kiss her again. His hands go to her hips and then down under her ass so he can lift her up right there, urging her legs around his waist as he holds onto her.

"If it started raining right now, it'd be like a movie," Steve teases, eyes bright, affection all over his face. "One of those sappy tearjerkers."

"You know I'd be forced to punch you and run off if that happened, right?" Maeve asks with her arms around Steve's shoulders, her legs around his waist. It's a little much for being out in public, but it isn't like they're going to start dry humping right here. She thinks, given the anniversary, given what they've just said, they deserve a little leeway.

"Um, there are children here!" someone shouts and without turning, Maeve shouts back, "Don't be a jealous prick!"

Then she grins at Steve and says, "They're probably right. We should probably..." She trails off and gestures a little with one hand against Steve's shoulder. Keep going. Continue on with their exploration of the zoo with its lights.

"You're ruining our romantic moment!" Steve calls out at the woman, because all their clothes are on and they aren't even doing anything. They're both laughing but it trails off as Maeve looks at him. The moment feels like it's crackling with electricity, and his eyes dip to her mouth before he gently lowers her to the ground.

"Yeah," he says dumbly, keeping his hands on her hips as he looks down at her face. Steve feels very torn, because the light show is very cool and he wants to continue with their date, but he also wants to drag her home and get her naked. Or maybe go find a hidden alcove somewhere. Or just drag her down onto these lights and see what colors they could make together. "We probably should."

"Come on," she says, taking him by the hand and pulling him deeper into the zoo. "Keep it PG rated for now, yeah?"

She can see it in his eyes, the fact that he'd much rather just take her home at this point, but she's paid for these tickets and they're going to enjoy the entire thing. Even if she does kind of want to just take off with him, too.

She feels a little bit like she's glowing, her smile an embarrassed little twist that belies her true pleasure.

"How about we make it PG-13 and you give me one flash of your boobs," he jokes, winking as she tugs him along by the hand. He would like to take her home, but they can do that later. Right now, Steve is pretty sure that he would do anything in the world to make her happy, because she's just done the same for him. He feels practically weightless.

Once they round another corner, the sounds of the animals become a little louder. The first exhibit seems to be the monkeys, and the lights are done up to look like the jungle, complete with banana trees.

"Oh, these little guys are great," he says excitedly, tugging Maeve over to look the Capuchin monkeys. Maeve tells him that she loves him and he gets to see monkeys? What a fantastic evening.

"It says here one of them is named Jack and she was donated to the museum by a citizen named Henry Goodsir," Maeve reads off the little information panel in front of the cage. "I wonder which one she is."

Maeve doesn't know anyone by that name, but if she had to take a guess, she would assume the man is from somewhere else, just like she and Steve are. It seems unlikely a random Darrow citizen would have a monkey with them for no particular reason, but to have arrived with one... well, it's still a bit odd, but it does make some bit of sense.

"They're cute," she says, tucking her hand into Steve's again.

"Well, we can try and found out," Steve says as he takes Maeve's hand, hold his other hand up next to his mouth to amplify the sound of his voice. "Jack! Come here, Jack. Come on, come say hi to my girlfriend."

He really hopes this monkey is smart, because now he's going to feel like such a tool if this doesn't work.

There isn't much of a response in the monkey enclosure, and just as Steve is about to be severely disappointed, one of the monkeys jumps over to a branch right at the edge of the enclosure to look at them curiously. "Holy shit, are you Jack?"

The monkey lets out a sound that Steve takes to be affirmative, and he huffs out an awed laugh before looking over at Maeve with a grin. "It's Jack!"

"Shit," Maeve says with a laugh, peering at the money. She chitters and chirps, bouncing around, then she's off again, swinging back into the enclosure. That was pretty cool and she grins up at Steve, her eyebrows lifted in amusement.

"You're the monkey whisperer," she teases him. "That's a talent that's going to take you places."

"I've wrangled preteens," Steve jokes, smiling over at her as the monkey hops off to return to its friends. "Monkeys are a piece of cake. But I am going to add that to my resume for sure."

He squeezes Maeve's hand walks along with her to take in the lights and the animals, and he's in such a good mood that it's a surprise to him when he hears the roar of big cat and flinches a little. At first, he isn't even sure why, but then they round the corner and he watches a jaguar growl and swipe at a large ball, claws catching the light.

If you asked him, Steve probably wouldn't admit to having any sort of lingering trauma from what he went through in Hawkins, but it's more likely that he just doesn't realize it. Claws and growls from something large enough to eviscerate him if given the chance put him on edge, apparently, and it isn't hard to guess why.

Still, he shakes it off quickly and even approaches the enclosure, watching as the jaguar hits the ball and sends it flying across the grass. "This guy would love to make us dinner, I bet."

"Pre-teens probably smell worse," Maeve answers as they meander away from the monkeys, moving through the light displays, the animals in cages. There's something sad about it all, even though she knows, at this point in time, most zoos are about preservation rather than simply putting animals on display. Especially in Darrow, she has to imagine, because any wild animals here can hardly be expected to survive in a climate that's utterly unlike what they're meant to live in.

When Steve flinches, Maeve turns to him, frowning slightly. She squeezes his hand and asks, "Alright?"

"Oh, no. I'm fine," Steve says, just a little embarrassed as he looks over at her. He really is fine; the feeling hasn't lingered. He wonders if it just might always be this way, having small things that will trigger a memory.

"Just-- I wasn't mentally prepared for the claws," he admits, rather than trying to pretend nothing had happened. He turns to look at the big cat, looking large and regal and nothing like one of those monsters, and he lifts their joined hands to press a kiss to Maeve's knuckles. "I was just startled, but I'm good, promise."

"Okay," she says, but she's still looking at him, studying him with big, dark eyes. "Just so you know, you don't have to be good. I mean, it's fine if you are, but if you aren't, that's okay, too."

Maeve has a feeling men don't get told that often enough and Steve in particular probably never heard it from her parents. Not that Maeve really did either. She was constantly told to be strong or be quiet and it's had an effect on her.

She just doesn't want Steve to think he has to be a certain way for her.

"I know," Steve tells her with a warm smile, and then shrugs a bit. "Well, now I know. I didn't before, but I do now."

He slides in behind Maeve and wraps his arms around her, resting his chin on her shoulder as they watch a tiger stretch like a house cat, yawning and revealing enormous teeth.

"But I am," he assures her, nuzzling his cold nose behind her ear. After kissing her neck, he steps away and takes her hand, threading their fingers together as they move through the rest of the big cats. "Are you hungry? I think they're supposed to have food trucks."

The tiger is beautiful, big and strong and sleek, but still somehow just like any other cat. It prowls the cage Maeve feels has to be too small for it, then leaps onto a platform with ease and curls up to sleep.

She nods at Steve's question, wrapping her hand around his, then turns and smiles.

"I could eat," she agrees. All in all, this has been a pretty great night.

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[anniversary]

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