❝TWO YEAR SHENANIGANS❞
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹ chapter fifty-three,
Gilmore Girls — Season Three

November 6th, 2002

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

[ LUCY'S POV ]

I DON'T KNOW HOW I DID IT, BUT I CONVINCED TRISTAN TO SPEND OUR ANNIVERSARY AT A TWENTY-FOUR HOUR DANCE MARATHON. Actually, he agreed to it almost immediately, but I think he regrets it now because my poor, night-owl boyfriend is exhausted. His head lays on my shoulder, his arm cuddled around my waist so he can hold himself up while we walk across the street towards Miss. Patty's.

I hold my arm around his shoulders, keeping him against me as he practically falls asleep on my shoulder. Poor boy, I think, but I'm very excited about the dance marathon. Sure, it's a crazy event to participate in, and I imagine my feet will ache after an hour, but I'm excited.

I'm also overjoyed because it's mine and Tristan's two year anniversary.

   I also think he's happy, but it's hard to tell with all the moaning, groaning and bitching about being up so early in the morning. Part of me feels guilty, but dancing for our two-year-anniversary is going to be fun. He doesn't even know just how fun it will be.

   We arrive at the sign-up table just outside the high school where Babette is signing in the couples. "Morning, Babette."

   "Oh, morning sugar. You guys look terrific."

   That we do. Tristan looks absolutely gorgeous in a crisp white shirt, sleeves rolled up, and a pair of navy blue chinos. I told him to wear trainers as his feet will hurt, but he's here with a pair of loafers on because I'm wearing the smallest pair of heels in the world. He said "if you're gonna dance in pain, I'm gonna dance in pain with you." And they say romance is dead.

   I'm wearing a blue dress── no surprises there. It's a simple a-line dress with an obnoxiously large bow in the back, but I lowkey love it. Addy bought me this dress despite my argument against it, and I do secretly love it. It fits me beautifully, and I love how we look together.

We suit one another, I think.

"You not an early bird, hun?" Babette looks to a half-asleep Tristan, and I stroke a hand through his hair, shaking my head.

"No, he's not, but I just need to get some coffee in him and we'll be fine." He groans either in agreement or detest. Either way, I'm finding my dad and forcing coffee down his throat so he wakes the hell up.

I write mine and Tristan's names down, still holding on to the giant guy holding onto me. "Okay, now you two go and get your physicals, bring your release forms insides, and they'll get you a number."

"Thank you, Babette. Come on, sugar," I tease, pushing a kiss against his head as I drag him away.

We make our way towards Patty's where we stand in a queue, waiting to be called up so we can be checked out. Tristan doesn't take his head off my shoulder, and his arm still remains around my waist, and I just hold onto him.

I fear that Tristan is slobbering all over my shoulder, but I don't say anything. I just let him sleep like the giant baby that he is.

"Why did I agree to this?" Tristan mumbles against my skin, moving to rest his chin on my shoulder.

"Uh, because it's our anniversary," I say, running my hand through his hair delicately. "And you love me." He hums in acknowledgment, and I smile softly. "Oh, and I promised you a really, really great end to our anniversary," I whisper, and Tristan grins.

He looks me in the eye. "Yeah?"

"We don't have to stay long. Just a couple hours of embarrassing dancing, okay?" Tristan nods, and I run a hand down his cheekbone. "I know you have something planned for later, so just a few hours, I promise."

"Okay, baby." He lifts his head from my shoulder, standing up now, but he keeps his arm securely around my waist. "And, uh, happy anniversary, Blue."

I lay my head on his shoulder. "Happy anniversary, Tristan."

   "Now I need coffee."

Once we're given our number── six── we walk to the sports hall in Stars Hollow High where the dance marathon is being held. My dad is already in there, setting up his coffee stand, and I'm running towards him in desperation of coffee. I need coffee more than I've ever needed coffee in my life.

I stop in front of Dad, grinning like a fool, and I open my mouth to speak, but he knows what I'm going to say. "No coffee yet, kid."

I stare at him, mouth agape. "No coffee?" I gasp, hand against my heart. "Did you seriously just tell me that you have no coffee? What?"

Dad rolls his eyes. "Kid, come on."

Tristan stops next to me. "He has no coffee," I say, basically heart broken. "Where is the coffee, Dad? I cannot function without coffee── I cannot function at six in the morning without coffee, do you not realise that?"

"How on earth are you mine?" Dad reaches down, pulling out a thermos, and he holds it out to me. "Here. Take it and shut up."

I unscrew the top, taking a whiff of the beautiful, strong scent of coffee. "Oh, I love you." I rush around the table, wrapping an arm around his. "Thank you."

   "I can't believe you actually signed up for this thing," Dad grumbles. "I can't believe you didn't say no." He shoots daggers at Tristan's, and I roll my eyes, taking a sip of my glorious, glorious coffee.

   "Well, I didn't get much say."

   "It's only a few hours," I insist. "Just want to be around for when Andrew dumps his partner because it happens every year." I don't participate in the dance marathon, but I always watch from the stands because it's seriously the most entertaining thing in the world. "Oh, and I'll be back just before Kirk runs around the hall, waving his trophy to the Rocky theme song."

   Tristan holds his hands out, and I pass the thermos to him, realising he needs coffee way more than I do. "Lorelai is hoping to win this year," Dad tells me.

   "Well, I'll applaud her if she does but nobody beats Kirk── nobody."

"We'll see." Dad squeezes my arm. "Have fun, I guess. Let me know when you're leaving, okay? Don't sneak off."

"I promise I'll be back because it's your birthday tomorrow," I tease, but Dad doesn't look amused. He's thirty-eight tomorrow, and we're doing our usual celebrating at Sniffy's for his birthday that he really doesn't care about. "Oh, you're a joy, Dad."

"I'll be a real joy once this is over."

"Okay," I mock. "Have fun making coffee and watching──" Lorelai steps over with her dance partner, also known as her daughter. "Lorelai! Good luck today. I hope you beat Kirk." I walk by quickly, snatching Tristan's arm, and I swear I hear him laugh. "What?"

"Nothing. Just..." He takes a long sip of the coffee, sighing. "God, this is good coffee."

"Yes, it is. Now gimme. We're starting soon."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

   THE DANCE MARATHON HAS KICKSTARTED, and we're dancing, and I mean we're really dancing. Tristan claims he isn't a fan of dancing, but the smile on his face says otherwise. Since Taylor counted us down, we've been dancing like our lives depend on it, and in some sick way, they do.

We're twirling, spinning , dipping and kicking around the dance floor, moving between couples, keeping our hands together as we don't want to be disqualified just yet. We agreed to stay at least ten hours, which then gives us the rest of the afternoon and evening for our anniversary date that he's planned entirely.

I trust that he's planned something pretty great, but I'm not the biggest fan of surprises.

   Tristan spins me around once, twice, thrice until I'm crashing into his body and laughing. He pushes a quick kiss against my cheek, spinning me away from him once again. "Let me spin you," I beg, needing a break before my heel breaks.

He ducks down, and I spin him around, letting him twirl under my arm. His arm hooks around my waist, and he dips me down like I'm a freaking bride. When he yanks me back up, he pulls me against his chest, and we silently decide to move slower.

   He smiles at me, and it's one of those smiles that nobody can ever get tired of looking at. He holds one of my hands tightly, his other arm around my waist, and I lean into him, never wanting to move from this exact position. If I could, I'd lock us in a music box where we'd twirl and dance to music for the rest of our lives.

   We fall into step again, letting the gentle rhythm of the upbeat music control our movements entirely. All the scenery and people around us dissolve, and I can only focus on the boy in front of me. It's just me and him, alone. His crystal eyes glisten, and that familiar smile of his spreads wider across his beautiful face.

   I reach my hand up, brushing my hand against his cheek. "What do you have planned for later?" I ask, hoping he'll come clean and tell me because I hate surprises, especially when they're made by Tristan.

   His hand cups the back of my neck, and Tristan brushes his lips across mine softly. My arms move to wrap around his neck, and I press my forehead against his, breathing him in. "What's the surprise, Tristan?" I repeat because he didn't actually answer me, he just kissed me.

   "Can't tell you, Blue." I roll my eyes, and Tristan's fingers take my chin, turning my face back to him. "It'll be worth it though, trust me."

   "Yeah, I'm not so sure about that."

   "Don't you trust me?"

   I scoff. "Of course I do."

   "Then trust me when I tell you that you'll be pleasantly surprised when you see what I have planned." His lips brush against mine again, and I sink into the simple feeling of him all over again.

   Tristan tucks a lock of my hair behind my ear, and I watch in admiration. I lean forward, setting my head on his shoulder as the music takes a slower, sensual turn so people can relax for a few minutes. We continue to dance, too lost in the music to come to a stop, and I hold on tightly to the boy holding me.

   Tristan rubs gentle circles against my back, and I feel my eyes close for a quick second until the music picks up rhythm again, and I'm thrown right back into an extravagant, fast paced dance. "Still love me?" I ask, picking up my steps and moving my feet a little quicker to the music.

   "Nothing can stop me loving you, Lucy Danes." He twirls me, and I fall back into his chest.

   God, I'm lucky, is all I can think about.

   Six hours later, we're still dancing but we're moving much slower than most. Some── Lorelai and Rory── are dancing haphazardly and moving rapidly, but most are leaning into one another and relaxing to the music.

   Over the six hours, I danced over to Dad several times to grab a cup of coffee whilst keeping my hand in Tristan's so I don't get disqualified. Watching me drink coffee, dance, and stuff my face with a sandwich isn't the most attractive thing, but Tristan looked at me with a fond smile on his face.

   I don't know how he can still love me. For our anniversary, I woke him up early, dragged him to a crazed dance marathon, and now I'm drinking coffee and eating a sandwich made by Mrs. Kim at such a rapid pace that I might throw up.

   Regardless, Tristan laughs and smiles at me like I hung the moon.

   "I don't know how you──"

   I'm quickly silenced when I hear the familiar yells of Andrew. "You went out with Liam Neeson? Are you kidding me?!"

   I turn my head towards Andrew and his partner, smiling because I suspected this argument would occur any minute now, and now I get to watch it unravel again. "Whoo!"

   Tristan chuckles, looking towards Andrew and his partner strangely. He has no idea what's going on, but he looks heavily invested as anyone would be. "Why would you ever tell me that you went out with Liam Neeson? Why would you do that?"
 
   "Because I was trying to be honest," the woman argues.

   "I don't believe that, A, you actually went out with Liam Neeson, and B, that you chose to tell me now at this moment that you went out with Liam Neeson!"

   Tristan whistles, turning his eyes back to me. "My God," he mutters, and I grin.

   We watch as Andrew storms off the dance floor, his partner calling after him, but there's no sign of him turning around. He's angry, mainly because he can't stand Liam Neeson, and the rest of us on the dance floor are laughing and grinning because we knew Andrew would lose it.

   "Anyone you wanna tell me about?" I tease, lifting my eyes up to Tristan's.

   He hums, pretending to consider the question, and I smack my hand against his chest. "Don't worry, Blue, there's only you, and there only ever will be."

   I smile in satisfaction. "Good."

   Kirk dances by us, flipping his partner in a circle, and I stare in shock. I had no idea he could do that. Kirk is full of surprises. "Hey, flip me," Tristan says, and my mouth falls agape.

   "Uh, no."

   "Come on. Please."

   "Do I look like I can pick you up and flip you?" I ask, genuinely curious as to how he thinks I'm going to lift him and throw him around in a clear, perfect circle. He's crazy.

   He pouts. "It's our anniversary."

   "So you should flip me, o──" I yelp, caught off guard when Tristan grabs my hips, lifting me up and off the floor. "Nope!" I hit his back, trying to squirm out of his hold as he tries to turn me in a circle. "Tristan, put me down!"

   "What? I can't hear you." He spins around, still holding me up, and I've never felt more amused and embarrassed all at once.

   If he lifts me higher, we could really do the lift from Dirty Dancing, but I refuse to attempt that without being in water.

   He lowers me to the ground, and several people around us stare at us, smiling strangely, and I chuckle uncomfortably, smacking my hand against his arm several times. "You──" I groan, smacking my head against his chest.

   "Hey, I was trying to do the lift from Dirty Dancing," he defends, and I laugh softly, realising he practically read my mind. "We should totally try it, don't you think?"

   "In November?"

   "No, next summer."

   I pull my head back, looking up at him. "Okay."

   "You be Johnny, okay?" He leans down to kiss me, and I jerk back, avoiding his kiss because he did not just say that I'd lift him. That certainly ain't happening. He laughs. "I'm kidding, you can be Majorie."

   I rear my head back, gasping dramatically. "The mother?" I shrug my shoulders. "That's fine, the dad is lowkey hot."

   Now it's Tristan's turn to dramatically gasp, and I laugh. "I take it back," he mumbles, and I lean up to push my lips against his cheek briefly. "I guess I'll be Johnny."

   "Well, Patrick Swayze is beautiful," I say, smiling up at him. "Just like..." I push a hand against his chest. "...you."

   "Thanks, Baby."

   I grin, leaning forward to push my mouth against his just as we're shoved out of the way by two very, very infuriating people. No longer holding onto Tristan, I turn my head to my cousin. If looks could kill, Jess would be a pile of ash on the floor, I swear to God.

   "Unauthorised persons on the dance floor!" Taylor yells through his megaphone. Seriously, who gave that man a megaphone? He has too much power now. "Security! Security! Security!"

   Ignoring Taylor, my cousin and his... lady friend barge through the dance marathon, knocking several couples out of the way so he can sit right on the bleachers across from Rory and her mom.

   Tristan throws an arm around my shoulders. "We're out, right?"

   I nod, a little disappointed I didn't make it to the ten hour mark, but who was I kidding myself? I can't dance for hours on end, I'll die. And I want to celebrate my anniversary by carrying out whatever Tristan has in store for us.

   I lean my head into his shoulder. "You're happy we're out, aren't you?"

   "Oh, yeah."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

[ TRISTAN'S POV ]

   I HAD THE ENTIRE DAY PLANNED.

   After the dance marathon that lasted six hours── thanks, Jess── I drove us to the little cafe just outside of town where we had lunch. From there, we travelled to watch my sister's dance recital── and no, I'm not joking.

We met at my sister's dance recital, and with a lot of persuasion and... money, I convinced each of those girls from that day and Addy to dance for us── acting out the exact same routine that they had been practising when Lucy and I met. We sit in the exact same seats that are reserved just for us. I really planned this out.

Lucy has been smiling all afternoon, always leaning in to me, holding onto me, and I revel in the delicate touches of her.

"Tristan Dugray." I hold out my hand, introducing myself easily and humbly. "It's lovely to meet you, Luciana."

Lucy stares at me in awe, smiling fondly. "Lucy's fine," she says, repeating the exact same words she had said two years ago. She takes my hand, squeezing it extra tightly before freeing me. I peer over at Addy who is smiling over her shoulder, and I smile right back, grateful that she helped me set this up.

I hum, tapping my foot against the floor. "Luciana... Sounds angelic."

I remember meeting her. I remember how anxious I was when my eyes found hers. She looked nervous, but my God, I remember being terrified of how she'd look at me. Based on first reactions, people often judge me── assuming that I'm a playboy, and while I dated several people before her, I only see her.

Luciana Danes── my girlfriend. God, I am incredibly lucky to have her in my life.

She's never been a fan of her name, but from the moment I was introduced to her, I found her name to be uniquely beautiful, and just as angelic as her crystal blue eyes that I stare into for far too long for anybody's liking.

She looks at me, and I'm brought right back to the moment I met her. "Blue eyes," I mutter, reaching forward to brush a strand of hair behind her ear.

"I see you're not blind," she quips.

   "A blue-eyed angel," I whisper, repeating the same words I had said that night we met.

She really is a goddamn angel to me.

A blue-eyed beauty.

"Who knew that we'd be right here, two years later," she says, brushing her hand across mine delicately. "I definitely didn't know."

I raise a brow. "Really? I think I made myself pretty clear that day."

"I-I just..." She shrugs. "I'm just really glad Addy convinced me to come to that dance recital because, if she hadn't, I wouldn't have met you."

I lean closely, pushing my mouth to hers. When I pull back, I slide a hand into her hair. "I am very, very glad you came to that dance recital, Blue, really glad."

She smiles warmly, and if I could take a picture right now, I'd take one just so I can treasure this single moment forever. "Me too."

   It's strange to think about how two years ago, I didn't even know this girl, but now I can't imagine not being here with her every single day. Having her be a part of my life makes me a better person, more and more everyday. I've realised that, once Luciana Danes is in your life, she's in your life forever, and I'm damn happy about it.

Lucy keeps her eyes focused on the girls twirling around, and I focus on her.

I'm very, very lucky to have this girl.

Later that evening, after watching the recital, we ate dinner at an Italian restaurant, and shared tiramisu── feeding each other like those sickly, cute couples in romance movies.

After dinner, I brought her to the main event of the night.

I bring her to the lake── the one we've walked around many times, the one we've eaten picnics at, and the one we jumped in when the weather was warmer. We've spent a lot of time together at this lake, and it's become a significant place in our relationship, but we're not here to just stand by the lake.

No, I brought her here to create a tradition── something we will do every year for the rest of our lives to celebrate us.

"W-What are we doing here?" she asks, looking around to see a lightened path up ahead── the one I spent three hours decorating the night before, and then I woke up early so I could dance at a dance marathon with my girlfriend.

I take her hand, dragging her along, and she follows after me without hesitation. "It's good, I promise." However, I would say that because I set this whole thing up.

"I trust you."

I lead her up the path that I lit with fairy lights, and we turn a sharp corner to the main event of the evening── the lanterns.

I got the idea a few weeks ago. I was sitting, trying to write my college essays, and I got very quickly distracted by this upcoming anniversary, and I knew I wanted to make it extravagant, so I did this. I set up an area near the lake where Lucy and I could sit, take a paper lantern, write on it, and release it into the night sky.

I wish I had done this for our one year anniversary, but it's never too late to create a tradition, especially one like this.

I turn to her, my hands holding hers. "I was thinking... Every year, on our anniversary, you and I should come here── no matter where we are── and we should release a single lantern into the sky to commemorate another year together. I know we didn't do it last year, but we can throw two to──"

I'm silenced by the simple press of Lucy's mouth against mine, shutting me up, and I smile warmly against her lips before drawing back. "This is the sweetest thing," she whispers, a hand against my cheek. "I-I don't even──"

She steps by me, shaking her head in disbelief as she sinks to the floor, taking one of the paper lanterns and a marker pen. I join her, sitting down alongside her, and I watch as she eagerly begins to scribble down onto the lantern.

"I mean, I don't even know how you thought of this," she laughs, drawing a very wonky heart around the simple message she wrote. "This is seriously the coolest and sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me."

I run my hand through her hair, pressing a kiss against her temple, and Lucy holds up the paper lantern, showing me the simple message.

Lucy & Tristan
11 / 06 / 2002

I smile, mainly at the giant heart she wrote around our names, and I lean in to push my lips against hers for a brief second. "I love you."

Her hand touches mine. "I love you."

"By the way, once you release that, you'll be tied to me for eternity." She laughs, but I think I'm being dead serious. I can't imagine not being with this girl. The idea of there ever being anyone after her makes me feel physically sick. I can't lose her, not ever.

She holds the lantern, and I hold the lighter. "I'm fine with being tied to you permanently," she replies, holding the lantern towards me. "In a way, I think I already am."

I know that I'm already tied to her for eternity, and I'm never letting go. She's got a hold on me, and I'm not ashamed to admit that.

I hold my lighter up, lighting the lantern so it'll be able to fly once we let go. "Ready?" She nods, and I count us down slowly.

After three seconds, we release the lantern into the sky, and we watch it fly for what feels like forever. The tiny speck of orange soars high, not leaving our eyes until we physically force ourselves to look away. When I look back down to Lucy, I find that she's already staring at me with a fond, calm smile.

She leans forward, pushing her forehead to mine. "Happy anniversary, Tristan."

   I take her hand, my finger circling the finger that is reserved for her future wedding ring── something I did on our one year anniversary── and I stare into her beautiful, blue eyes. "Happy two years, Blue." I push my mouth against hers. "Here's to many, many more."

   "To forever?"

   "To forever, Luce."

▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃

authors note:

it's been two years of luce & tristan 🤧🤧

i've never been so emotionally invested in a couple in my entire life i love them :')

i hope you enjoyed this chapter, there was kind of a lot happening but it was fun to write

the lantern tradition came from my favourite movie of all time: Tangled. (my first crush was flynn ryder . . .) anyway, i hope you find that little idea cute

this chapter was just a sweet chapter for my loves because after this, they'll be a lot of college difficulties but hey ho, i'm lowkey excited

sorry about the slow updates, im very heavily invested in my supernatural story so have been updating that like crazy lol

thankyou so much for reading, im grateful for all the readers who are just as in love with tristan and lucy as i am . . . THANKYOU