This idea came to me one night, and I couldn't resist.
"Our first year anniversary is coming around the corner, Hana, I can't play Mario kart right now." My eyes scanned the holo screen, looking for the perfect surprise to really celebrate my year with the cowboy by my side. My mind wondered if he wanted to do anything... intimate. I mean- it's a special day and all so it should be a no-brainer. Still, I push that thought aside and start typing down cowboy hats. He does need a new one, his old one's all beaten up. But I probably should have known better than to do my research in the lounge area, some agents can get really nosey. Especially Hana.
"Well I'm bored! Angela won't let me do anything until my sprained ankle is healed! I don't get why she couldn't just use that healing stick!" She pouts as she looks over the holo screen. "A new hat? You know he won't wear it."
I sighed, "You're right." I forgot how picky he is with that sort of thing. My mind goes back to one secret Santa where Baptiste gave him a new hat that Cole reluctantly said he liked... and then never wore ever again. I can already hear him complaining about the fit on his head. "Well, maybe some new boots? He could use a new pair for missions."
"New boots take a while to break in, do you think he'd have the patience for it?"
My lips formed a thin line, no he would not. The man is patient to an extent. It'll probably be roughly a week before he starts complaining about the toe of the shoe pinching his pinky toe. "I can't just give him another western movie, I already did that for his birthday."
"Well... maybe you should be the present?" Hana mumbles.
My eyes widened as I turned to her, "WHAT?!"
Her hands went up in the air, "Look I'm just guessing he'd be into THAT sort of thing!"
"Hana!" My face went all red.
"I mean- he says you're the best thing that's ever happened to him!"
"In a modest and good way! Not in the damn bedroom!"
Hana lets out a frustrated sigh, "Don't tell me you never thought about spicing things up!"
I shook my head, "Hana I really don't want to talk about what happens in the bedroom." It wasn't really boring what we had, at least not for me. I hate the thought of considering Hana's idea.
"It's just an option, you could probably get away with buying him a bottle of whiskey. Everyone always gets him that and he's never bothered by it."
I bit my lip, I really wanted to make this gift special. Something that wasn't gonna be wasteful and expensive. Even after leaving the lounge, I scrolled through lingerie websites and found them too expensive for comfort. And then the idea hit me, a good idea. I eagerly typed it on the search bar of Amazon and put it in my cart. Giggling to myself just thinking about how surprised Cole would be.
After a few days, I got the package in my little cubby mailbox by the office. Bringing the box in, I saw my cowboy sitting on the couch watching an old western show. He had a bad case of bed head and was still wearing his plaid pajamas. His light brown eyes looked at the big box before they met my own.
"What's the box for, Sunshine?" He raises his brow.
I shrugged, "Just your anniversary gift."
He hummed, "Looks like you're going all out."
I grinned, "You'll find out tomorrow." My feet swiftly walked down to our shared bedroom, shoving the box into my closet. Now that I think about it, what did we have planned for tomorrow? "Hey, did we ever discuss what we're gonna do tomorrow?" I call out as I return to the living room and sit next to him on the couch.
"I was thinking of going out to a nice restaurant for dinner. I know the owner so we can arrange a private venue. Then, we go for a nice carriage ride across town. After that, we go home and see where the night takes us." He says it nonchalantly, but I know he's just wanting me to confirm with him if any of his ideas match up with mine. Especially that last part.
"And where do you think the night will take us?" I raised my brow, giving him a sly smirk.
"Bedroom maybe?" He gives me a wolfish smile.
"To sleep?" I joked.
He snickers, "If we can."
I laugh, "It sounds like a good plan but I have to ask; how fancy are you gonna dress for me?"
Cole takes a minute, looking off to the side in thought. "Can I keep the belt?"
I roll my eyes, "I mean if you're gonna wear my favorite shirt. The dark plaid one?"
"I'll consider wearing it if you wear those boots I bought you last Christmas." They were black cowboy boots with white stitching stitched up like lace along the sides. I've been meaning to wear them more, but with work I haven't been able to go out as often.
"I was gonna wear them anyways."
"Sure you were." Cole puts an arm around my shoulder and pulls me towards him. "Love you, sunshine." He kisses the crown of my head.
"Love you too, Cass." I snuggle in his warmth.
Then it came time for the anniversary. Cole woke me up, giving me a breakfast sandwich and hash browns from a fast-food restaurant nearby. We both ate greasy food together before leaving for our jobs. He had to go spare with Genji while I had to finish up a mission report and get to a meeting early in the afternoon. We didn't manage to make time for lunch, but we both didn't mind. As soon as I got to our shared dorm, I readied myself for the night; dressing myself up in a cream-colored turtleneck sweater with a pair of blue jeans that went with the cowboy boots. After styling my hair, Cole came back and took a quick shower. He trimmed up his beard and brushed his hair back but left the curtain bangs that frame his face nicely. As promised, he wore the flannel shirt with the same BAMF belt and blue jeans. He even wore his cowboy boots, saying that we match. Anyways we went out, ate good food, went on that carriage ride, and made it back to the dorm in one piece.
"So," he starts, "Wanna exchange gifts?" He asks as he hangs up his black leather jacket on the standing coat rack.
My lips curl up into a knowing grin, "I'll have to grab yours from the closet." I take off my coat and hang it next to his.
"Don't you wanna see what I got you first? I think I did a pretty good job as far as gift giving goes."
I put a hand on his shoulder, leaning in to whisper into his ear. "Trust me, you won't want to wait on this one."
He chuckles, his eyes turning dark. "Did you forget to wrap up your gift, sugar?"
"I didn't think it would be appropriate for a public venue." I bit my lip as I averted his gaze.
He cups his flesh hand on the side of my face and tilts it to meet his dilated eyes. "Well, don't waste anymore time. Go off and show me that gift you got for me."
I give him a chaste kiss before I dash to the bedroom, straight towards the closet. Swinging the closet door open, my hands eagerly fished for the cardboard box. With the strength of a chemically altered super soldier, I ripped the box open with my bare hands and tore the plastic bag it was wrapped in. Throwing off my clothes, I suddenly thought of an even better idea.
I hollered, "Honey, do you mind if I film your reaction to your gift~?"
I can hear his distant laugh, "Sure, don't take too long, sweet thing!"
"Not planning on it, Cowboy!" I called back. I pulled the outfit over my head, its cozy material loosely hugging my form. I took out my phone and walked over to the full body mirror in our bedroom, turning on the recording as I pulled over my hoodie.
"Time to giddy up." I whispered as the camera captured my amazing outfit. I walked slowly down the hallway, holding my hand over my mouth with each step. As I made it past the corridor, I saw Cole sitting on the arm of the couch peeking his head out to see me. His eyes widened and his mouth dropped. The room went silent, and time itself went still. Here I stood in a horse onesie in front of my turned-on cowboy boyfriend.
"Ride me." I broke the silence, and he bustled out in laughter that landed him on the wooden floor on his knees. I giggled with him, his laughter being too contagious. "Hay or neigh?" I said through small giggles.
"Darlin..." he tries to catch his breath through his laughing fit. "You had me for a second there." He chuckles.
"Were you seduced?" I smiled.
"I was." He pulls me into his arms.
"Was?" I teased.
"You had me thinking you'd show up wearing almost nothing!" His chest rumbles as he laughs out loud.
"Well, I don't have a saddle on." I joked.
He giggled, "I'll give you an A for creativity and a C for cute." He gave me a peck on the lips. I stopped the recording, putting my phone into the onesie pockets.
"No more 'seeing where the night takes us'?"
"There's still a lot left to see, like your present." He lets me go, walks to the coffee table to grab a small gift wrapped in red and tied in a silver bow. "Happy anniversary, Honeybee." Cole hands me the gift.
I ripped open the wrapping paper to see what looked to be a jewelry box. Opening the lid up, I saw a golden bracelet with a charm hanging on its chain in the shape of the sun. "OOOOO." I awed in amazement as I pulled the charm bracelet out of its box and held it up to see it glimmer against the ceiling lights.
"You like it?" He asked.
"I LOVE IT!" I then struggled to put the bracelet over my wrist with one hand, but the cowboy stepped in and helped secure the clasp. Once it was on my wrist, I examined the tiny sun charm that was strung along the chain. "What does the su mean?"
"It means you're my sunshine. You make my days brighter no matter the weather."
"Awwww you're so sweet!" I gave him a big old hug, "Now I kinda feel bad that I gave you a gag gift."
"Nah, I love it! Sure, it wasn't EXACTLY what I envisioned but I be damned... You look as cute as a button." He kissed the tip of my nose.
I giggled, "A real boner killer though."
"Ain't a big deal, there's plenty more nights for that sort of thing. I'm just grateful to have you by my side, sunshine."
I plant a kiss on his lips, "Me too."
Later that night as we got ready for bed, I sent out the video to the group chat I have with most of the agents. Reinhardt texted first, saying for the both of us to stop HORSING around. Brigitte sent a gif of an audience collectively face-palming themselves. Hana responded with LMAO and Genji sent out a long hahahahhahahahhahaha. Angela said I was very clever, also wishing the both of us a happy anniversary. Cole just laughed with them, not at all ashamed of the tail (horse pun) of how his partner made him think he was gonna see them in lingerie but it turned out it was a horse onesie they bought for 20 buckaroos on Amazon. The end.