Archive of Our Own

With your one-year-old daughter in your arms, who won’t stop waving her little arms and babbling while you manage to open the door of your apartment. You set the keys down on the table on the little entrance and head all the way straight to your bedroom.

You place the little one on the bed, surrounded by pillows, leaving her favorite stuffed animal next to her. As you’re putting on your pajamas, your phone rings.

It’s Leon, of course. Who else would be today?

He asks if you’re ready for your date today. Even though it’s something casual, just going to one of your favorite restaurants and then heading to his apartment, you really don’t feel like it.

But, of course, you don’t want to tell him that you’re feeling pretty awful and don’t feel like going anywhere. That you just want to stay home and rest. You don’t want to tell him because he’s very excited about your first Valentine’s Day together, but also because you know that if you tell him how bad you’re feeling, he’ll come to your apartment with a bunch of different medicines and all kinds of treats to take care of you. Both of you, of course.

You look at your daughter, who barely ate a little while ago and is already half asleep. You can’t help but smile and decide to do the same as her. Maybe, if you take some paracetamol and nap for a few hours, you’ll feel much better for your date with Leon…

However, as you expected, it has the exact opposite effect.

The alarm makes you open your eyes instantly. Your head feels even heavier, probably because your daughter, already awake, seems to be playing with your completely tangled hair.

You get out of bed and run your hands over your face, nervous and doing your best not to become even more frustrated. You take a couple of steps toward the bathroom, but force yourself to sit back down when you start to feel dizzy.

You sigh, frustrated.

“Come on…”

You touch your forehead and it’s burning, just as you suspected. You ignore the heat radiating through your entire body and decide to stand up again, walking slowly to the bathroom while keeping an eye on your daughter.

You lean against the sink and lift your gaze to the mirror.

No way in hell your reflection seems to be someone Leon deserves to have a date with, but even so, you’re so stubborn that the idea of canceling tonight’s plans once again leaves your mind.

“ It’s just the flu… It’ll pass soon…” you whisper to yourself, gripping the sink tightly.

You go back to the bedroom to start getting ready, aware that Leon will arrive at any moment. Your daughter, sitting on the bed and hugging her favorite stuffed animal, keeps babbling mama. You smile, giving her a small kiss when you see her stretch her little arms out toward you, asking to be picked up.

“Mommy has to get ready for her date with Leon, okay?” you tell her as you walk toward the closet. “When I’m done, I’ll make you look pretty too. What do you think about that, sunshine?”

The light blue dress is still hanging where you left it a couple of days ago, when you ironed it so it would look as presentable as possible. You take it carefully, trying not to wrinkle it as you slowly put it on. The dizziness returns when you bend down to put on your shoes, not so high heels that you know are more than a clear risk. 

Once again, you choose to ignore every single sign that’s clearly telling you to stop.

After dressing your daughter, you set her down on her play mat with all her toys, and grab your makeup bag just to sit beside her. You use your phone’s camera to help you apply foundation to cover how pale you look, concealer to hide the dark circles, and more blush than usual so Leon will think you look more than perfect.

You even take a selfie with your daughter and send it to Leon, followed by a “We’re ready! We can’t wait to see you.” with lots of emojis.

It wasn’t entirely a lie, of course, but it was far from the truth.

You’re so absorbed in playing with your daughter that you don’t notice anything else until the doorbell rings.

He finally arrived.

Quickly, you stand up and pick up the little one, who seems much more excited than you.

You give yourself one last look in the mirror, forcing the best smile you can manage, and walk to the front door, trying not to let the dizziness that hasn’t left you betray you.

You open the door and see Leon standing there, smiling, holding a bouquet of roses and some bags in one hand, and a panda stuffed animal in the other.

His expression changes the second he really looks at you.

“You okay?” he asks, worried.

You try to hide how bad you feel, but it goes nowhere.

Leon quickly steps into your apartment and carefully closes the door behind him. He wraps his arms around your daughter, who doesn’t hesitate to go to him, and then takes you by the waist, guiding you to the couch.

“It’s just a cold,” you tell him calmly. “Seriously, I’m fine. It’s really just…”

Leon places the back of his hand against your forehead.

“Jesus... You’re burning up, love.”

“It’s nothing, really…”

He doesn’t say anything else. Still holding the little one in his arms, he rushes to the kitchen, opening drawers until he finds the one with the thermometer. He places it in his mouth and, with his free hand, hands you a bottle of water and the thermometer.

He makes you sit down on the couch immediately, and he does the same, gently setting the little one beside him and giving her the stuffed animal he brought.

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Leon asks, not angry so much as worried.

“I didn’t want our first Valentine’s Day to be a shitty one…” you lower your gaze, nervous. “And you were so excited about everything…”

Leon sighs and runs a hand over his face.

“Let’s get that fever down,” he says, taking the water bottle, opening it, and handing it to you. “We’ll just focus on that now.”

You nod, too tired to keep being stubborn.

Your daughter, sitting beside Leon, starts letting out little squeals to get his attention. And of course, he gives it to her. Leon leans closer and carefully lifts her onto his lap. The baby girl starts playing, touching his face with her tiny hands, while she laughs.

You can’t help but feel a pressure in your chest when you see how natural Leon seems with her…

“Hey… you don’t have to stay. If you want, we can reschedule this for another day, or just cancel it, and…” you begin, stumbling over your words. “You could probably find a much better plan for tonight, with someone much better, than taking care of a girl with a stupid cold and her one-year-old daughter.”

Leon looks up at you and raises an eyebrow.

“The only thing I want to do today, and honestly, on a daily basis, is to be with you two. Whether that means going to the park, having dinner at the most expensive restaurant in Raccoon City, or taking care of you,” he replies calmly. “You’re not going to change my mind. No matter what you say, I’m staying with you.”

After saying that, he gently sets the little one back down on the couch, grabs a blanket, and drapes it over your shoulders.

“Why don’t you put on your pajamas?” he suggests. “I’ll go grab the clothes I left here last time and, if you let me…” he glances shyly at the little one and then back at you. “I can change her,” he gestures toward the baby. “I mean, if you’re comfortable with that… just so you don’t have to make more of an effort than—”

“Yeah, sure, no prob. I trust you, Leon. It’s not a problem,” you tell him firmly. “Just… be careful with her, okay?”

He nods, leaves a kiss on your lips, and takes your hand so you both head toward your bedroom, though you peel off toward the bathroom.

You close the door slowly behind you. Even though you completely trust Leon… there are certain things that still embarrass you, and him seeing you this vulnerable, needing so much help, is one of them.

You start removing your makeup with trembling hands, and when you’re done and look at yourself in the mirror once again, you barely recognize yourself.

Now you feel much more exposed and, above all… much more insecure than you should feel with Leon.

You try not to make a big deal out of it, but you do.

You put on your pajamas, trying to ignore the sense of vulnerability going all over you. It’s not like Leon hasn’t seen you without makeup or at your worst before. There have been plenty of those moments, especially since when you met, your daughter was only a few months old. But today…

Exhausted and unwilling to overthink it any longer, you leave the bathroom and head back to the living room.

You see Leon sitting on the couch, finishing a phone call when he notices you. Your daughter is beside him, trying to shove the ends of his shirt into her mouth while your boyfriend does his best to pull them away with his free hand.

“How are you feeling?” he asks, standing and walking toward you, though he takes a step back so he won’t leave the little one alone.

“Well…”

“Hey, listen. Look at me.”

He gently cups your cheeks and makes you look at him. You avoid his gaze until he leans in and presses his lips to yours, kissing you before pulling away with a wide smile.

“Come on. Talk to me,” he insists softly.

“It’s just… Being sick, and looking this ugly… Maybe if I hadn’t taken off my makeup—” you begin, but Leon interrupts you.

“Hey, don’t say that,” he says, not taking his eyes off you. “You don’t have to hide anything or be perfect when you’re with me, you hear me? I wouldn’t change a single thing about what I’m seeing right now.”

“It’s just that I know it’s not what you’re used to seeing…”

“The only thing I see is my girlfriend, who’s definitely perfect, and who also happens to be a perfect mother. And yes, that includes when she’s as sick as she is right now.”

He leans in and kisses your forehead. You hear your daughter babbling, and you can’t help but smile a little, shyly.

Leon does too. Then his gaze drops to your lips, and he moves a little closer, placing his hands on your waist.

You rest a hand against his chest before he can do anything else… again.

“And what exactly do you think you’re doing?”

A small smile appears on his face.

“Kissing my girlfriend. Am I not allowed?”

“Don’t even think about it. You’ve already done it plenty of times today and I didn’t say anything.You’re going to catch the cold…”

“Do you think I care? You think a kiss is going to kill me?” he replies dismissively. He closes the distance between you again and holds your waist more firmly this time. “Besides… the worst-case scenario if I get sick is that you can be my nurse.”

“I have a feeling you’d be a terrible patient,” you finally give in. You wrap your arms around his neck and glance at your daughter. “I can guarantee you that it's easier to deal with the little one than with you when you’re sick.”

The baby laughs and kicks her legs on the couch, tapping her new stuffed animal as if she understands what you’re saying and wants to join your conversation.

Leon opens his mouth to answer, but closes it as soon as the doorbell rings.

He quickly steps away from you and heads to the door just as fast. You hear him talking to someone, and while you pick up your daughter so you can both try to see what’s going on, you hear Leon say a quick thank you and close the door.

He comes back into the living room holding two pizza boxes.

“When did you even…?” you ask, confused.

“A little while ago,” he admits casually. “Actually… before I even got here.”

“But…”

“The selfie you sent me? I don’t know how, but I could tell you weren’t feeling well,” he confesses. “Could I have been wrong? Sure. We could’ve saved the pizzas for tomorrow, there’s no prob with that. But I didn’t want to take the risk of not having a plan B…”

He sets the pizzas down on the table, sits on the couch, and pats the spot beside him for you to sit.

“Let me take care of you today, alright?”

You sit next to him, placing the baby between you and wrapping yourself in the blanket again. You watch as he opens one of the boxes, grabs a napkin and a slice of pizza, and offers it to you.

Your daughter flails her arms as if trying to stand, reaching for the slice Leon just picked up, almost managing to grab it.

“When you’re a few months older, I promise I’ll give you some. But don’t tell mommy, okay? That’s a secret between you and me,” he says with a smile, kissing the top of her head.

You just stare at him, not quite sure what to say.

All of this…

Is it what you expected? Of course not.

Is he exceeding your expectations? Absolutely.

“Leon…”

“No ‘Leon’ today,” he interrupts gently. “I promised you a good night, right?” you nod. “Then, one way or another, we’re going to have one.”

You don’t argue anymore.

You eat in silence, sharing the occasional meaningless conversation about your week while playing with the baby at the same time. Leon even offers not only to prepare her bottle but to feed her when it’s time.

You already knew Leon was more than a good boyfriend, he was a great man, but today he seems determined to prove it even more.

While you continue eating and he burps the baby to keep her comfortable, you notice the bags he brought along with the bouquet of flowers and your daughter’s stuffed animal.

“What’s that?” you ask curiously, pointing at them.

“Honestly… I was going to give them to you as soon as I got here, but when I realised how bad you were really feeling, I figured it was better to wait until you got better,” he says with a shy smile, scratching the back of his neck. “I wanted to do something nice for you… but I’d rather you feel better, really. They’re just material things, after all. They can wait.”

You look at him fondly.

“Even if I’m sick, I still like surprises, you know?”

Leon reaches for your hand and laces his fingers with yours.

“Trust me: I’d rather wait until you’re much better. Besides, I think that gives us the perfect excuse to celebrate a second Valentine’s Day, this time a proper one. What do you think?”

You can’t help but laugh.

Leon starts cleaning up once you finish dinner, making you stay seated with your daughter when he sees you about to help. You protest, but he insists that you rest.

You give up and do as told. You turn on the TV and put on one of his favorite shows.

When Leon comes back, he picks up the baby girl, wraps himself in the blanket that’s covering you, and tucks you both in with another blanket you have nearby, placing the little one between you. She looks more than happy.

You curl up against his chest, calming down as you listen to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. Leon wraps an arm around you and starts kissing your face despite your playful complaints.

You can’t help but feel that, despite everything… It's being a good Valentine’s Day.

A great one, actually.

“Leon?” you whisper, trying not to wake your daughter, who has fallen asleep on his chest as well.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you,” you murmur. “I know it’s kind of a crappy first Valentine’s Day…”

“Don’t say that again,” he interrupts. “It’s… a different Valentine’s Day. And I already told you we’re going to repeat it when you’re better, so relax,” he adds. “Besides, I guarantee this isn’t the only Valentine’s Day we’re going to spend together. Or at least… I hope not.”

You lightly smack his shoulder and lean into him, shaking your head.

“I was going to say that having a pajama party at my place isn’t so bad either,” you reply.

“I’m more than happy to have pajama parties, or whatever, with my two girls,” he says, kissing your forehead while gently stroking the baby, now completely asleep. “Just being with the two of you is more than enough for me.”