#also yes. the balloon was inspired by barry sloane from the movie six. the one scene where he walked into the classroom yep.

[gomzdrawfr]

Cash and Strawberries

♡︎ sugar daddy!Price x sugar baby!Raven ♡︎ unconventional sugar daddy/baby dynamic, slow burn, mutual pining, eventual smut...no promises part 1 ⋆ Valentine's Special (you're here) ⋆ part 2 ⋆ part 3

February 14th. The day where love is in the air, a day she wouldn’t have given much thought to if it had been any other time. But as she looked at the calendar and watched the date approach, her heart compelled her to move.

The day before Valentine’s day, she had gone and picked out the best strawberries she could find, the good kind. The ones sold separately in the local farm market instead of the prepackaged ones, so she could handpick each one individually herself. She could only hope the various videos of cooking moms on youtube, reddit posts and food blogs were right about picking the sweetest strawberries. Dark red, even under the green cap, with a pleasant aroma. The ones that smelled sweet even before she dipped them into smooth, melted dark chocolate.

She had considered white chocolate, but the very thought of seeing and smelling the sickenly sweet scent made her gagged. So here she was, stirring the pot, dipping strawberries, oldies romance playlist playing in the background, feeling way too eager for a silly celebration. 

The process had been frustrating at first. The coating didn’t sit right at time, part of the chocolate in the pot would clump together messily despite the even stirring, and she nearly burnt the first batch. The worst was prying the coated strawberries off the parchment paper because it would ruin the smooth coating.

But she kept at it, stubborn as always.

Hours passed, and she had finally packed them neatly in a cliché heart-shaped box, tied with a special silky white ribbon. She stared at the box, feeling proud and a bit...embarrassed? It was a little out of character for her, sure. But it felt right, it felt….nice. Price had been kind so far, and she really wanted to do something in return. 

Well, it was normal for sugar babies to do things like this, right?

But then his message came, along with a notification for her allowance—more than usual.

Won’t be able to meet today, love. Buy yourself something nice, yeah?

She stared at her phone longer than she should have. A small, aching disappointment settled in her chest. 

Of course, it was bound to happen.

This wasn’t some grand romance. He had been upfront from the start. She knew what this was, what she signed up for.

Despite the way her heart melted when he smiled at her. Despite how she missed the way his palm smoothed over her hair. Despite the way he looked at her, and for the first time in years, she felt genuinely cared for.

She swallowed down the disappointment quickly. 

It’s fine, she thought. Whatever. Got the money anyway. Let’s spend it on whatever the hell I want and just eat the damn strawberries.

She never even opened the box, nor did she went out for the day.

So when the knock at her door came, of course she was startled. It was nearly midnight, Valentine’s day was almost over, and she hadn’t expected anyone. 

She pulled the door open, and there he was. 

Price, standing at her doorstep, panting a bit as if he had just run up the stairs, a crumpled little box in one hand with a flimsy heart-shaped balloon, bobbing slightly with every breath he took. "Sorry, birdie, couldn’t get you much today. All the bloody shops were closed," he grumbled, looking a little sheepish as he handed her the box. The balloon wobbled in the air from his motion and bounced against her head. He exhaled through his nose, muttering something under his breath as he swatted it away, only for it to float right back and hit her cheek this time. With an exaggerated sigh, he grabbed the string in one hand to pull it away and, with the other, ruffled her hair as if to make up for it, giving her a soft, apologetic look before he glared at the balloon like it had personally wronged him. She looked down at the box in her hands. Inside, a slice of chocolate cake, slightly smudged and crushed.

Something sharp and sudden bloomed behind her ribs, bursting passed her lips in a quiet giggle, the ache from earlier swelled up and dissipated with relief so strong that she couldn't hold back her laugh, quiet and a little breathless.

She had spent the whole day moping in her bed, telling herself this was just another thing, another transaction she shouldn't get her hopes up for. And yet, the sight of him before her, all grumpy and winded, fighting a goddamn balloon on her doorstep at nearly midnight, instantly evaporated all those thoughts.

She shouldn’t. She really, really shouldn’t. But she took his sleeve and pulled him into her home, the balloon trailed close behind them like a third wheel.

Now, Price leaned against her cramped kitchen counter, watching in mild amusement and something softer when she pulled the little heart-shaped box from the fridge and set it beside his palm. 

He slowly pulled the ribbon apart, fingers brushing over the fabric as he picked up the faint scent of perfume she had sprayed on it. 

She made something for me.

“They were supposed to look better,” she mumbled, suddenly feeling ridiculous, hyper-aware of how some of the chocolate had melted before this, the once-smooth coating now a little uneven. She cursed herself internally for not putting them in the fridge sooner instead of wasting time sulking.

His voice was quiet, smooth, settling her nerves before they could start. 

"Feed me, darlin'."

She blinked at him, warmth creeping up her neck, but she obliged.

One by one, she picked them and pressed it carefully to his lips, watching as his mouth closed around the berry, his beard brushing her fingertips. His blue eyes focused on her, the corner of his eyes crinkling slightly when he chuckled, especially when bits of chocolate clung to his beard.

God, he was mesmerizing…heartwarming…

Then, he plucked the last one from the box himself, holding it between his teeth before leaning down close—too close—

He gave her a teasing smile, a nudge of his head, arms pulling her closer by her waist, a silent, “take a bite, sweetheart.”

Her breath caught, eyes darting between his and the berry. 

He didn’t move. Didn’t push. Just waited. Thumb brushing against her shirt in circles to support her.

Slowly, hesitantly, she leaned up, and took a bite. 

Their lips barely brushed, and she swore his head tilted to the side more and pulled her closer, as if he was reaching for a kiss—

She pulled back in nervousness, breath shaky and heart thumping loudly, the proximity and the almost kiss made her dizzy as she chewed slowly, staring at his mouth when he crunched the rest of the strawberry and licked his lips clean with his tongue.

That was dangerous. He was dangerous. 

He lifted a thumb, swiping away a stray drop of strawberry juice at the corner of her lips. His fingers lingered for half a second too long.

God, he wanted to kiss her. Maybe she’ll taste just as sweet as the strawberries. 

Soon. He thought to himself as he pulled back, licking his thumb clean before reaching for a tissue, smirking when he caught her flustered expression just as she turned and walked away, mumbling something along the lines of grabbing his coat and walking him back to his car. 

Soon, my birdie.