Lose It (Closed, with Irridatedwarden)

[sumurset]

It was late, January had already recorded that evening's broadcast for the station, and now she found herself doing rather mundane, homely things. Not that she minded. In fact, it was enjoyable for her. Jan had always wanted to be a homebody type; big, strong man to clean house for; lovely date nights to look forward to on the weekends when they had the time and energy.


She was domestic. That was how she was raised, how she'd always wanted to be.


Sure, it was odd to find someone like that in the Mojave, but she couldn't help it. The lifestyle just appealed to her. Of course, January wasn't needy. She required time to herself.


Jan's taste was very specific and her standards were high.


Someone who was around enough to entertain her, but would give her time to just.. relax.


Spend time wither herself and no one else. Maybe even days to go back home and visit mama and papa.


It was part of the reason why she'd jumped Chip's bones as soon as he'd shown a lick of interest in her. Now, here they were; Lawrence off doing his thing, coming back home after jobs to a tidy house, warm food on the table, and a beautiful girl to boot.


Jan wasn't expecting him back that night--she thought he wouldn't be home until the next morning--so she was sitting curled up on their beat up couch, her stuffed teddy bear in her lap, and an Old World fashion magazine in her hands; snacking on some cookies she'd gotten from some little girl the day before.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Chip's life was falling in to place and, really, he couldn't be much happier.


He had a job he loved working with people he liked and who liked him.


He had a real bonafide house with electricity and running water to call his own.


And better than all of that, he had a girl who was so fantastic and amazing he was pretty sure she was something taken right out of his dreams.


He loved her, really, genuinely loved her, and he loved going out of his way to show it.


His job had ended a little sooner than he thought it would and when the chance to surprise January showed up, he had gladly decided to take it.


Dusting his plaid button up off with his hand, trying to look a little more presentable, Chip strolled towards his house, flowers in hand.


It was a simple bouquet, the desert flowers warm shades of yellow and orange, like a sunset, and if there was anything that would come as close to being as beautiful as January was, it would be flowers.


Unlocking the door, he tucked the flowers behind his back and peaked his head in.


"Jan?"

 

[sumurset]

She'd just let out a soft 'Ohh' at one of the dresses, totally wishing she could find something like it.


The door unlocking was lost on her. It was a room over, and with their small dusty radio playing soft tunes, she hadn't heard it open.


She definitely heard Chip's voice, however. Another 'Oh' escaped her, though this time it was more out of excitement. Head whipping around, January proudly showed off her pearly whites as she saw him. "Chip, baby!" She giggled; closing the magazine and dropping it on the couch cushion beside her.


Pushing her teddy and blanket off, she padded over to him; taking his face in her hands to peck his lips. "I didn't think you'd be comin' home so soon. Goodness me, I'd have gotten some dinner around if I had known.."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

He felt warm and giddy inside, like a child who had just gotten kissed by their long term crush.


Chip could have come back from the worst job, could have had the most painful run of luck, and Jan would still make him feel better.


He leaned down to let her kiss him, unable to stop his goofy smile from spreading across his lips.


"I was actually hoping you wouldn't have anythin' made because I was thinking you wouldn't mind putting on your best dress so we could go have some fun out on the town."


With those words he produced the flowers, offering them to her.


"Thought you might like to be treated special tonight."

 

[sumurset]

Jan's face flushed when he produced the flowers. If it was possible, she looked even happier than before.


"Oh my gosh, I can't believe you." Those words, of course, were spoken with nothing but joy behind them.


Playfully swatting at his chest, she took the flowers and smelled them.


"You best give me a hot minute, I wasn't expecting this!"


With that, she kissed his cheek and ran off to the bedroom.


Thanks to a practiced hand and limited wardrobe, she was ready in about ten minutes. Her natural curls had been smoothed out, her lips were painted, her lashes were lengthened, and her dress was cinched nicely at the waist.


When she emerged, January smoothed her hands over the skirt and beamed.


"Is this alright, hun?"

 

[Interstellar Bun]

While she was gone Chip made an effort to smooth his hair back, trying to get it all nice and tidy for her.


Sure he still smelled like sand and sunshine, but as far as the Mojave went, he could do much worse.


The door opened and he turned to look at her and his intake of air was audible.


He stared at her, his pale blue eyes, widening just enough to express his awe. Sure he had seen her looking dapper before, but he could never just get over how lovely she was.


He reached his hand out for hers, his smile only widening as he found the ability to speak once more.


"You're perfect, Jan."

 

[sumurset]

"Awh, baby." Her rosy cheeks flushed a bit brighter as she took his hand.


Sure, neither of them had greeted each other with an 'I love you,' but it was so heavily implied in the things they did.


It was why they were so damned happy together.


Chip's flowers were his I love you. An I love you that smelled delightful and mimicked the sunset they both adored.


Jan's had been in the way she held his face, the gentle touch that let him know she meant it when she kissed him.


They both left the house together, making sure to lock the door behind them. Jan had grabbed a jacket and her purse before leaving, just to be sure. Desert nights could be pretty chilly, after all, and she didn't want to start complaining during their night out.


The walk to the Strip was only about 20 minutes. One they were both accustomed to walking.


They the best way to get there, too, without getting mugged by any thugs.


After getting their passports checked out, they walked through the gates and stepped onto the artificially lit, bustling, infamous stretch.

 

[Interstellar Bun]

Chip was always happy to see the Strip.


It was a pillar of humanity, a beacon of hope that things could be rebuilt and in a lang where there was so often so little hope left, it was something of a blessing.


And the lights always looked so pretty in January's eyes.


Still holding her hand, Chip set an easy pace down the street. Some people hurried around them, others stumbled about with their friends and the NCR, well, they were probably the most amusing of any group there.


"So what do you want to do first? Dinner? Dancing?" He wiggled his brows at her. "A bit of gambling so I can guy you all the pretty things you deserve?"

 

[sumurset]

January carefully stepped over a particularly large crack in the pavement, humming softly as she considered her options. She really wanted to say "All of those things," but knew they couldn't do them all without the proper funding.


Besides, in the few months they'd been together, Jan couldn't remember ever going gambling with the man.


"I don't think I've ever seen you gamble, Mr. Goodnight. I'm almost offended." She grinned, looking up at him; tossing a wink. "How about we do that? I'll be your cheerleader."

 

[Interstellar Bun]

"With you on my side I'm sure I won't lose a single hand, darlin'."


He lifted her hand and pressed a kiss to the back of her knuckles, not breaking his stride.


The walk to the Tops, his favorite casino, was a short one. He liked the atmosphere; better than Gomorrah, not as uppity as the Ultra Lux and after he turned over his weapons at the door, he lead the way to the open floor where people gambled and cheered when they occasionally won. If one looked too close, they'd find that the entire process was kind of sad.


But not for Chip. He had good luck and a lucky charm at his side.


"Can't believe you've never seen me gamble. I'm pretty good at it, Bea is always tryin' to catch me cheatin' when we play cards together."

 

[sumurset]

January was a bright, smiling mess. She couldn't believe her luck. Every day she spent with the dork by her side was a blessing as far as she was concerned. How she'd managed to run into him and catch his eye? She wasn't cure, but dammit, she wasn't complaining.


When they entered the casino she was glad her weapon of choice was a small, concealable blade. One they would never find on her.


She was fairly certain Lawrence didn't even know she carried it.


Though she knew where the tables were, she allowed Chip to lead; her hand still in his as they walked over. Their first stop was a blackjack table. It was a good card game, and Jan enjoyed watching it played. She herself didn't have incredible luck, and would usually end up leaving with about as much as she brought.