Who: Leo D'Amato & Veronica Mars What: Happy Birthday When: Tonight Where: Veronica's Apartment Warnings: Cuteness Status: Completed gdoc
It was Veronica’s birthday. They may not be a couple, but there was no way Leo was going to let her birthday go by without doing something for her. It may have gotten a little out of hand as one idea led to another. He went into the local spa to buy her a gift certificate for an hour massage. Then it was a two hour massage. With a mani/pedi. And a facial. And fuck it. He bought her an entire spa day to use however she liked. A la carte was what the woman behind the desk had called it. He wasn’t sure but she seemed to have a satisfied look on her face as he paid.
Of course, on his way to work...where he would lock the door because he had stolen Veronica’s key...he came up with the idea to have a dinner spread ready for her when she got home from the spa. Seriously, who wants to make dinner after being made that relaxed?! But not just any dinner. He wanted to get her a small, Hindi buffet. When he got to work he called the local restaurant, ordered up a variety of items then arranged the time to pick it up.
Of course, he misjudged the timing. He was in the middle of getting the spread all laid out when the door to Veronica’s apartment opened. Leo was caught looking like a deer in headlights while placing out a bowl of jasmine rice.
“Uh...Happy Birthday?”
Considering everything that had happened in the past eight months, Veronica wasn’t exactly planning to celebrate her birthday, so when she discovered that she was locked out of the office and Leo had purchased her a spa day, she was surprised, pleasantly so, since that was a low key way to spend the day. She actually managed to enjoy the day of pampering and was debating her dinner options when she got back to her apartment and found Leo inside. With food that smelled amazing.
She smiled in spite of herself. Their relationship was… still largely undefined and this was a boyfriend level move. It should make her uncomfortable and yet somehow it didn’t. “You know I turned 30 last year, right?” she asked. “Or, wait… I guess that was… actually three years ago here. Cause I spent two at home.” Thinking too much about the dome and the way time shifted made her head hurt and she didn’t want to go down that path.
“Either way, it’s not a big birthday,” she said. “So you didn’t need to go to all this trouble.” She appreciated it though. More than she could properly articulate.
Leo got that puppy dog grin on his face as he rubbed his hands on the back of his pants in a nervous gesture. “I know,” he said. He had that sheepish voice to go along with the look on his face. “But if I remember correctly your birthdays never really went well and I wanted this one to make up for them.”
He made an awkward ta da gesture toward the food. “Soo...there ya go.” He shrugged. “How was the spa?”
Veronica was a total sucker for that puppy dog look. That, coupled with the grand gesture, was nearly enough to melt her ice-cold heart. But, no, she wasn’t going to let that happen. She wasn’t going to let herself fall for anyone else. Especially not here.
Still, she was smiling. “It was fantastic,” she said. “Very much needed. Thank you.” She walked closer so she could look at the food. “Wow, this looks amazing. You’re joining me, right?” No way was all of this just for her.
“You’re welcome,” he said then walked toward her. He leaned down to give her a kiss on the cheek. Play it safe. They were friends. That was what she wanted so Leo played nice. And he kept it brief. He stepped back immediately and gestured toward the table.
“Uh, well…” he chuckled. “I wasn’t planning on it. I was supposed to be gone before you got home.”
“Yeah, I totally want to eat dinner alone on my birthday,” Veronica said, the sarcasm practically dripping from her words. She had been planning on doing just that and would have actually been okay with it, but now she wanted him to stay.
She lightly punched his shoulder. “I’m going to change. Then we’ll eat.”
Leo was fluent in Veronica Mars Sarcasm. He had no choice. He was staying. Oh well. He liked Indian food and it did smell awesome. He sighed as he admitted defeat, but the punch to his arm made him smirk.
“Let me know if you need any help.”
It was out before he could censor himself and he froze.
Need help? No. Want help… well, she’d be lying if she said no. Veronica paused in the doorway and turned around to look at him. The expression on his face made her laugh because it was clear that the words had slipped out without him intending.
“I think I can manage,” she said. “But if you’d like to supervise… “
She let the offer hang, not knowing if she wanted him to take her up on it or not.
Oh it was tempting. Very. Very. Tempting. But he was trying to be good! But Veronica. Veronica’s bra. And pant-NO! Leo almost visibly shuddered before he grinned. “I’ll ah...just make sure the food stays warm.” By standing next to it at this point for how flustered he felt.
The slight flash of disappointment told Veronica everything she needed to know about how she’d been hoping he would respond to that offer. And as soon as she was out of his sight, she shook her head, trying to dislodge the idea from her brain entirely. They were playing a dangerous game and she needed to keep her cool so things didn’t get out of hand.
Veronica liked Leo. A lot. She always had. And she appreciated the way he’d stepped up for her recently. In spite of all the times she’d used him in the past, primarily for professional reasons, he was always there for her and that meant something. It also meant she would not allow herself to use him for personal reasons.
Quickly, she changed her clothes, and rejoined him in the dining room, wearing a pair of denim shorts and a t-shirt that said ‘I may be wrong, but it’s entirely unlikely’. “All right, I’m starving,” she said. “All that lazing around letting people pamper me worked up quite an appetite.”
Leo rubbed at the back of his head and sighed once Veronica was out of sight. “...moron…” Obviously he gave the wrong answer, but they weren’t supposed to be jumping each other and tearing off clothes, right?! Ugh! He busied himself with getting plates, utensils, etc. laid out as he cussed himself out internally.
When she came back he couldn’t help but grin for her t-shirt. “How many of those do you have?” Because that might as well be her motto. That smirk was still on his face as he pulled a chair out for her.
Veronica laughed, focusing on the food in front of her instead of his gentlemanly gesture. He really needed to stop being so considerate. "Just this one," she said. "I have similar ones though." She liked snarky t-shirts.
"How were things in the office today?" she asked as she started filling a plate.
“Why am I not surprised?” Leo grinned at Veronica as he sat down at the chair across from hers. Space! Keep their dance spaces. Respect the dance spaces. Do not think about being curled around her while she’s wearing nothing but that t-shirt. Ugh!
“Fine,” he said with a smirk. “We managed to not blow anything up without you. Although I think Sherlock doesn’t like to be around the rest of us when you aren’t there. But he’s so hard to read.”
“I’m pretty sure he actually likes me,” Veronica said as she filled her plate. “He messaged me last week to see how I was doing. He also messaged me after I showed up in the office with my hand bandaged.” She actually appreciated it, since he wasn’t too nosy and didn’t demand a lot of explanation yet it was still clear that he cared about her well being.
He was an odd duck though. Which shouldn’t surprise her, based on the stories. “Did they know you were forcing me to take a day off?”
“You might be the only one he likes.” Leo chuckled. He didn’t mind. Sherlock was fun to talk to...when you could get him to talk. He was full of bizarre information and observations. Leo had started writing down the weird things he heard Sherlock say at work.
He nodded around a mouthful of food then swallowed. “I told them what I was planning and that they weren’t supposed to bother you.”
That explained the weird texts she got from Sherlock earlier in the day. Tell that man not to do something and he’d immediately do it. She wasn’t going to mention that to Leo though. “Don’t think this is going to get you a day off. You’re working on your birthday,” she teased.
If he wanted to take the day, she wouldn’t really care. Of course, now she was going to have to figure out some way to celebrate for him since he’d done all this for her.
“Yeah, I figured,” he said with another grin. He never really celebrated his birthday after he moved out on his own. Then never entirely when he was with the FBI, so he was used to his birthday not being a big thing.
“Will I at least get a cupcake with a candle on it?” He made purposeful puppy dog eyes at Veronica and batted his lashes.
Veronica pretended to consider that. “Hmmm. Maybe. I’ll think about it.” Of course she would bake cupcakes, that wouldn’t be a big deal at all. And she’d figure out something else to do for him. Maybe look into trip options and see if there was somewhere to go skiing.
After they ate in companionable silence for a bit longer, she said, “Man, this food is so good. But I think I might have to tap out. Did you order the werewolf special or something?”
Leo chuckled again then spoke with his mouth ful. “When the old lady at the restaurant heard what this was for I couldn’t stop her from loading me up. I actually declined a few things, but wow! Hindi moms do not take no for an answer lightly!”
She had reminded him of his own mom, and Leo had barely been able to contain his laughter. The glare that her husband had been giving him had been warning enough to hold his tongue and accept her generosity.
“Well, you can take half of it home,” she said. “Cause there’s no way I’ll manage to eat all of this in the next few days.” Or Veronica supposed he could come over here and eat again, though she wasn’t sure if it would be a good idea to suggest that.
She leaned back in her chair with a small groan. “You’re doing clean up, right?”
“We could take the rest to work tomorrow, and let Sherlock and Jessica have some birthday food.” Because Veronica was right. This was a LOT of food! Keeping it in the fridge could and probably would make the whole thing smell like saffron and jasmine rice...and not in a good way.
Leo gave a snort as he smirked at the birthday girl. “Yeah, I’m on clean up.”
Sharing with their coworkers was probably a better idea and Veronica nodded. “Okay, I’m going to put the kettle on for a cup of tea. You want anything?” She wasn’t sure if he was planning to stick around or not, though she hoped he would. It was nice hanging out with Leo. He was one of the few people that she felt comfortable enough around to be herself.
She figured it would be easy enough to stay out of his way while he packed away the leftovers, despite her kitchen not being huge.
“Sure,” he said as he started gathering up the remains of the feast. “Earl Grey would be great if you have any.” Fortunately, it was as easy to put back into the packages as it had been to dish it out. The actual dishes were going to be the pain in the ass. So the food got priority attention.
“I have some beer at my apartment if you want some of that.” He could take some of the food to his fridge while he was at it.
Veronica wrinkled her nose. “After all that food? I need something that will help digest. Beer is the opposite.” Though she generally preferred coffee, especially in the mornings, she had a decent selection of tea and managed to find earl grey for him and ginger for herself. She leaned back against the counter, watching him carry all the leftovers from the dining room to the kitchen and put them away in her mostly empty fridge.
“I mean, if you want a beer, that’s fine,” she added. She was still avoiding booze at the moment, but wouldn’t stop him if he wanted a drink.
“No it’s fine,” he said. “Tea is probably more appropriate.” He pulled open the fridge to tuck the food away. Immediately after he pulled the freezer door open. When he closed it he had a small ice cream cake in his hands.
“So, happy birthday,” he said with that puppy dog smile. “Again.”
“You are completely ridiculous,” Veronica said, shaking her head when she saw the cake. Her tone was fond though and she was smiling to show her appreciation. “If I eat that right now I’m going to explode, so let’s put it away for later.”
If that meant he had to stick around for a while so he could eat cake with her, well, that was just too bad, now wasn’t it? The kettle started to whistle, so she busied herself pouring hot water into the mugs she’d set out.
“Do you want to watch a movie? Or play a game?” she asked.
“You’re going to get chunky,” he said as he reached out to tweak her oh so thin waist. “A regular candidate for Weight Watchers.” He knew well enough to jump away now that the cake was put away or she was going to really swat him. Then again, allowing her to thump him could be considered another gift for her.
“Why don’t we watch a movie so we can digest?”
If he wasn’t holding the cake, he would have absolutely gotten smacked. As it was, Veronica settled for a glare. “Yeah, okay,” she said, handing him his mug once his hands were free and carrying her own into the living room.
She settled on the couch, feet tucked up underneath her, and grabbed the remote to scroll through their options on Netflix. “Anything catching your eye?” she asked.
Wow. He got away with it. Still, Leo took his tea with a meek smile. There was a touch of apology to it, but it went unsaid. But he did follow her to the living room at a bit of a distance.
He let her get settled first then took a seat on the end of the couch where he could lean against the arm. “Groundhog Day?”
Veronica shrugged. “Yeah, okay,” she said. In some ways, her life here in Madison Valley felt like Groundhog Day, but it was a fairly light movie that didn’t necessarily require close attention, so she figured it was a good option since right now, she wasn’t sure how much she’d be able to focus.
Today had been great so far. Probably the best birthday she’d had in a while. And a part of her wanted to lean against Leo, curl up with him, ask him to stay the night. She reminded herself that she was not in a place to make a commitment though and it wasn’t fair for her to use him as a stand-in. He deserved better, especially from her, considering the way she’d treated him in the past.
She started the movie and sipped her tea, occasionally sneaking a sidelong glance at him.
You would have to be a lot less observant than Leo to not notice you were being looked at, especially when it happened more than once. But whenever he glanced at her she was watching the movie. Finally, he caught her at it.
“What,” he said with a grin then wiped at his face. “Do I have rice on my face or something?”
"No," she said, her cheeks pinking ever so slightly at getting caught. Veronica should have expected it, she knew how skilled an investigator he was, which involved excellent observation skills. "Just…"
She paused, trying to figure out how to phrase her thoughts without giving him the wrong idea. "I really appreciate this," she finally said. "You. Everything you've done for me."
Without him, she would very likely be spiraling deeper into alcoholism, making more reckless choices.
A gentle smile formed on Leo’s face. It was different from his usual puppy dog look. There was something more mature and fond to it. Veronica had seen it before when they’d been dating. It wasn’t the same look he’d given her as his girlfriend. This was a familiarity.
“You’re welcome,” he said quietly. “You deserve it.” He meant it, and it wasn’t just lip service. Leo knew all the things she’d gone through from high school until they’d last seen each other when he was with the FBI. Veronica hadn’t had an easy life. If he could smooth that path out a little then he would. She had more than earned that from him.
Did she? Veronica wasn’t sure if she agreed with that. Sure, she’d gone through a lot in her life, but she’d also caused a fair amount of harm. Still, she wasn’t going to argue, not when they were having a nice evening.
She set her mug down, the little bit of tea left in the bottom had cooled enough that she didn’t have any desire to drink it, and, after a moment of hesitation, slid down on the sofa so she was sitting right next to him. Without saying anything, she leaned against his side, tucking herself under his arm so he had no choice but to put it around her shoulders.
If she had vocalized any of those doubts Leo would have been all too happy to point out all the ways she had helped people. Knowing your failings and owning them was one thing. Letting them dictate your self-worth was another.
She didn’t need to force herself under his arm. Once it became clear what she wanted Leo lifted his arm to let her in then wrapped her up in his arm. He gave her a small squeeze by way of a one armed hug then kissed her hair without thinking about it.
Veronica closed her eyes and let out a soft sigh of contentment. This felt right. In ways that scared her. She tried to push those thoughts out of her mind, tried to focus on the movie, but found that she couldn’t.
“Why are you still so nice to me?” she blurted out after a while, unable to stop herself. “I mean, when we first met, I got you fired. And yet here you are, all these years later, and you plan this amazing birthday for me. Why?”
Well, that came out of nowhere. But it wasn’t entirely unexpected. Leo had wondered when she’d get around to finally asking, so now that she had he couldn’t help but get a knowing smile on his face.
“Because I know you, Mars.” He didn’t move from his position. If she wanted to adjust then so be it, but he wasn’t going to make her. “I mean yeah. You got me fired, but it ended up ok. I had my bumps, but eventually it all led me to the FBI. And why should I hang on to something that happened so long ago?” He smirked. “Ancient history.” He was going to get hit.
“But why?” she asked as she did shift her position, but only because she wanted to be able to look at him easier. “I mean. I was pretty terrible to you from the start. And you kept coming back for more. I never understood why you didn’t just cut me off.”
Veronica wasn’t sure what answer she was looking for, wasn’t sure why she was asking, or at least wasn’t prepared to admit to herself why she wanted to know. A part of her wanted him to realize she wasn’t worth it, to get up and leave and distance himself from her. And another part of her wanted reassurance that no matter what she did, he wouldn’t leave. Even though she knew that was a promise no one could make.
Leo sighed a little as he shifted from a slouch. “Veronica...listen.” This time he did want her to look at him, and his expression was dead serious.
“You gotta stop thinking in the past,” he said as gently as he could. This wasn’t about Logan or the husband she lost. She’d been dwelling a bit too much in Neptune recently. It wasn’t helping. It was understandable, but it stood in the way of her moving on.
“I never cut you off because I knew why you did what you did.” She’d been trying to help Logan. It had screwed up a whole lot of things, but her heart had been in the right place. “You made mistakes. Hell, we all did. But you can’t let them define your life. And you damn well can’t use them to keep people away or from caring about you.”
Once again, his words hit hard, though not nearly as devastatingly as when he accused her of becoming her mother. Veronica listened, flinching a little at the accusation that she tried to keep people from caring about her. As far as she was concerned, she was keeping herself from caring about others since it felt like she lost everyone she cared about. It was an untenable position and she was well aware of it, but her recent losses had been a little more than she could handle.
“Sounds like you’re telling me to live in the moment,” she said, the words slow and deliberate.
He thought about it for a moment then nodded a little. “If you aren’t ready to move forward, living in the past isn’t a good option. So why not?” He smiled at her with a shrug. “You’ve made it pretty clear where you are and what you can or can’t handle right now. At least to me. Can’t talk for anyone else.”
Veronica considered his words for a moment before deciding to take them at face value. He was right that she couldn’t stay stuck in the past, but she wasn’t ready to move forward either. The only option she had was to just go with the moment and live her life. The past six months had been more about existing than actually living and she knew she needed to change that. Logan was gone. Steve was gone, at least the version she’d been married to. She was still here.
Movie forgotten, she leaned in and kissed Leo. She wasn’t ready for a relationship, probably wouldn’t be for a while, but he knew that and if he didn’t push her away, then she was going to assume he was okay with them having some fun. It was her birthday, damn it, and she wanted this.
There was no way he’d be against this. It wasn’t just giving her what she wanted. He enjoyed their slippery fun times, too. So he welcomed the kiss by catching her face between his hands. Soon enough, however, he was sliding his arms around her to pull her more fully into his lap.
He had respect for her furniture. He’d move this to her bedroom before too long, but there was something about making out on her couch that made him feel young. So...live in the moment.