Once February began, Elsie set aside her need for socialization in favor of establishing set guidelines for their first Valentine's Day together. At first, Camilla thought it was unnecessary, but once she realized she didn't know what the average couple's Valentine's Day entailed, she agreed that she'd be more comfortable with a set plan. Plus, Camilla knew that Elsie wasn't one for plans to begin with, and the fact that she was trying to make one meant she was doing so with Camilla's feelings in mind. The gesture alone was a sweet enough way to commemorate the holiday, but Camilla knew Elsie would disagree, and she kept that thought to herself.

After some discussion, they agreed to keep it simple by cooking and eating dinner together, and no gifts were allowed. It was just as well, since Camilla had to spend the day at work, and Elsie was scheduled to spend the afternoon of the holiday at a photoshoot. While the day wasn't going to be filled with elaborate events, Camilla liked it that way, and Elsie was happy with the idea as well.

As soon as Camilla finished work the day before, she and Elsie stopped by a nearby grocery store to pick up what they needed in advance. In their laziness, they decided on an easy spaghetti dinner, complete with garlic bread and salad. Surprisingly, it was Camilla that remembered dessert right before they went to check out, and Elsie found an apple pie while Camilla grabbed vanilla ice cream for Elsie and a random sorbet for herself.

Camilla wasn't sure if her squad had any plans for Valentine's Day, but she didn't feel it was her place to ask. Instead, she simply gave them the option to start their day early so they could end early, and her squad unanimously agreed on a 0430 start time and a 1300 finish. While working through lunch was also an option, they also unanimously agreed that metas weren't meant to survive while skipping meals, and the idea was vetoed almost immediately.

In the last couple hours of their day, Camilla's concerns about asking personal questions were resolved when her squad began discussing their after-work plans on their own accord. They were driving their LUV around Long Beach for their rounds, when Mack asked Finn if he ended up getting a date for that night.

Finn sighed, dejected. "No. She said she was flattered, but she already had plans."

"The kid likes this sixth year girl at the Academy," Mack explained to Camilla, earning him a kick on the back of his seat from a flushed Finn.

"Hey, don't kick the driver!" Mack yelled to the backseat, then shook his head at Camilla seated in the passenger's seat. "These kids and their hormones."

"Focus on the road, Olomana," Camilla replied monotone.

"Well, did you at least take my advice?" Nakia asked from the seat behind Camilla.

"What advice?" Mack asked, looking between the two kids through the rearview mirror.

When Finn had gotten guiltily silent, Nakia rolled their eyes and answered for him.

"I told the kid that if he wanted to be taken seriously, he needed to start dressing like an adult," Nakia said, referring to Finn as if he wasn't only a year younger.

"There's nothing wrong with how I dress!" Finn snapped.

"Oh please," Nakia said with a mocking laugh. "Your wardrobe looks like the clearance rack at a kids' store."

"The kids' sizes are cheaper and they still fit me," Finn hissed back.

Nakia smirked. "Well, they definitely don't fit your age, unless you're trying to look like a ten year old."

Finn glared at Nakia before taking a deep breath and straightening his posture, determined. "Fine then, Pala, after work, why don't you show me how to dress then?"

Nakia's expression slowly turned serious. "Like I said before, I have plans."

"Oh, really?" Finn smirked knowingly. "It didn't sound like that was the case anymore from your phone call during lunch."

"Why, you little shit—"

"Hey, hey hey!" Mack yelled again, glaring at the backseat through the rearview mirror. "You two better behave or I will turn this car around right now."

Camilla let out a long sigh as she turned back to the window at her side. She hadn't meant for it to be so loud, but it quickly drew Finn's attention towards her.

"Cap, what about you?" he asked casually, as if he was trying to divert the attention away from him getting scolded.

"What about me?" Camilla replied, keeping her gaze on the street.

"Can we hang out?" Finn asked, slightly pitifully. "I don't want to be by myself on Valentine's Day."

"There's nothing wrong with that," Camilla said simply. She had spent her first twenty-five Valentine's Days alone and she turned out relatively fine.

"Yeah, but I'm going to be bored!"

Camilla forced herself to stifle another sigh. "Why can't you ask Mack?"

"Because Mack has a date," Mack interjected with his lopsided grin. "And it is going to be fantastic."

"Cap, please?" Finn begged.

Camilla didn't bother hiding her sigh this time. "Well, I have plans too though."

Finn narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Are you lying just to get rid of me?"

"I wouldn't bother lying to do that," Camilla replied, earning a snicker from Mack and Nakia. "But I really do have plans."

Camilla paused for a moment, debating on whether or not she should provide more information, and she came to the surprising conclusion that she wanted to share more with them. "I'm making dinner with my girlfriend."

"Are you serious?" Finn whined, and he hunched over in his seat. "Why does everyone have plans except me? Well, except for Nakia, I guess."

Nakia glared at him. "You shut your damn mouth, kid."

Mack sighed as he slumped against the steering wheel. "Man, parenting is hard."

---

By the time Camilla made it back home, Elsie had already started working on chopping vegetables.

"I thought we agreed to wait for each other," Camilla said as she settled herself next to Elsie, placing a hand on her waist and lifting her chin to rest on Elsie's shoulder.

"I figured I'd try to get a headstart since I'm so slow at this," Elsie explained as she turned her head to place a light kiss on the top of Camilla's head. Then, she nodded at the fridge. "Everything else is still in there."

Camilla squeezed Elsie's waist gently before going to the fridge for the rest of the ingredients. "You didn't do the onions yet, did you?"

Elsie laughed. "Are you kidding? You said you could do those so I'm definitely not going to touch 'em voluntarily."

They took their time in making everything yet they still managed to finish by half past four o'clock. With their plan being pleasantly ahead of schedule, Camilla decided to also make a batch of shortbread cookies, and Elsie was happy to help with the knowledge that she'd get to eat them later. Their last-minute dessert finished baking just in time, and the two headed to an enclosed part of the balcony to share their dinner under the night sky. Elsie commented that it would've been nicer with the stars as well, instead of the light pollution from the city, and while Camilla agreed, she was just happy to share the moment with Elsie.

LA's February weather was too cold for Elsie to make it through dessert, so they had their pie and cookies on the living room couch, with Elsie mixing it all with the vanilla ice cream Camilla had picked out. By the time they were done, they were both drowsy, and they came to a quick agreement to save the dishes for the next day. But at that moment, all they wanted to do was relax in the other's arms and take comfort knowing that after everything they've both been through, they still had each other.

---

NOTES

Well, it looks like things have finally settled down to the new normal! Right? Hahaha right?? Hahahahahaha...

(Hint: Absolutely not.)

ANYWAY, it was fun to write the post-Yellowstone dynamic of the Wyatt Squad, especially Nakia and Finn. Hope you all found it just as entertaining to read about them!

Thank you for reading, voting, and commenting!