Worth the Fuss | PG13 | Grey's Anatomy
Title: Worth the Fuss
Prompt: Arizona forgets Callie’s birthday and Addison saves the day.
Challenge: 100 Fic Challenge (#38)
Fandom: Callie/Arizona, Callie/Addison, Grey’s Anatomy
Requested by: kris_me
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 1381
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: I just couldn’t help myself…sorry, Arizona lovers! She takes another hit in this one! Let me know what you think.
-
Callie Torres eased her key inside the lock of her apartment, her heart thumping hard in her chest as she contemplated what might lay behind the door. She had warned Cristina upon pain of death not to try any funny business, and the acerbic resident promised that there would be no surprise parties and no strippergrams. Her roommate had also obligingly offered to take an extra shift that night, allowing Callie the privacy of the empty apartment to spend her birthday however she wanted.
She couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she opened the door. It was dark, but that didn’t mean that Arizona wasn’t hiding inside wearing a negligee and a party hat. She flipped the light switch and drooped significantly to see that the open living area was empty. She would have been annoyed if there had been a surprise of some sort, but that didn’t mean that she would have hated it altogether.
Knowing that there was more to her apartment than just the living room, she turned towards her bedroom. Callie was sure that her birthday gift would be lying in anticipation on the bed. She took her time shrugging off her leather jacket, draping it over one of the stools in the kitchenette. She set down her keys and her purse, glancing across the counter to see if anything awaited her. There was nothing save the post-it Cristina had left on the coffee pot, which said “Hope your birthday doesn’t suck.”
Deciding that she couldn’t take waiting any longer, Callie strolled over to the door of her bedroom and took a deep breath, hiding her expectant smile, before entering.
It was empty.
Just to make sure she really was alone, she checked the bathroom, the closet, and even peeked inside Cristina’s bedroom. There was no sign of her girlfriend.
Callie tried with great difficulty not to sulk but found that she couldn’t stop the frown from forming. It was just a birthday-just another day-but it would have been the first one she shared with Arizona. She felt loved and appreciated every other day by her, but Callie couldn’t extinguish the small fragment of crushed hope that beckoned the need to feel just a little more special than usual.
Callie knew that Arizona had the day off; she’d tried to arrange her schedule to fit but a full board of surgeries awaited her. It wasn’t a horrible way to spend her birthday-if anything, fixing bones just reminded her of her badassedness. There was very little in the way of gifts that could compete with replacing a knee or popping an arm back into its socket.
Despite it all, she had no idea what Arizona had gotten up to on her day off, though a day full of daydreaming allowed her to believe it was spent preparing a surprise. As the hours had passed, Callie’s imagination had gotten the better of her, envisioning pizza, beers, and lots and lots of birthday sex.
She wasn’t ready to give up on her girlfriend just yet; she headed back into the kitchen and checked the voicemail on the phone. Her stomach tightened when she heard Arizona’s voice.
“You’ll never guess who’s in town! What? No guesses? Annie, my roommate from college! She’s in Seattle for some conference or something, and I’ve promised to show her the best of what this city has to offer-it’s too bad you’re working. Anyway, I probably won’t see you tonight unless you get out early, in which case you should call me and we can all try to meet up for dinner. Okay, I’m rambling now. Love ya! Bye!”
Callie stared at the machine for several long minutes, Arizona’s chipper tone ringing through her ears like a fire alarm. She wanted to be excited for her. She knew how much Arizona adored her roommate and how infrequently she saw her. It was a special occasion for Arizona. Otherwise, it was just an ordinary day.
But it wasn’t. It was her birthday.
She felt completely lame for being so upset, but of all the people to forget her birthday, this hurt the most. Even Mark, the man who possessed a talent for forgetting special occasions, remembered, presenting her with a flower plucked from one of the hospital’s flowerbeds. She’d been flooded with text messages and voicemails from her friends and family all day. Everyone had remembered. Throughout the day, everyone had proven to her that perhaps it wasn’t just a normal day, that perhaps she was worth celebrating after all.
It occurred to her that perhaps Arizona didn’t forget, but maybe…
Callie glared at the calendar on the wall that clearly marked her birthday. She and Arizona had even talked about the occasion earlier in the month and Arizona had promised to spoil her rotten.
So much for that.
She heard the faint buzz of her cell phone that was lodged at the bottom of her purse and quickly reached for it, frowning slightly to see that it was Addison, not Arizona, who was calling. She answered.
“Happy anniversary of the day you came out of your mother’s uterus!” the redhead cried.
Callie burst into tears.
“Hey-wait a minute. Don’t cry, Cal! I know it’s a gross mental image but I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“It’s not that…” Callie said miserably, slumping her body onto the couch.
“Did I call at the wrong time?”
“Huh?”
“You were born at 11:23pm, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but…” Callie’s mouth dropped, glancing at the clock to see that it was in fact the exact time of her birth. “How’d you know that?”
“I know everything about you, Calliope Torres.”
Callie gave a heavy sigh, though she was warmed by the thought. “At least someone does.”
“What do you mean?”
“Arizona forgot my birthday.”
“WHAT!?”
Callie held the phone away from her ear while her best friend shrieked obscenities. She could clearly picture the other woman with her brows furrowed and her hands clenched in anger. “Yeah,” she mumbled.
“But…how could she forget?” Addison asked, a note of genuine surprise lacing her tone. “She seems like the type to go completely crazy for something like this…how the hell could she forget?”
“Her roommate from college is in town.”
“That’s no excuse! She spent four years with her! This day should be a momentous day celebrating your existence!”
Callie gave a half-laugh. “You know, I don’t even want to try to justify the reasons why. Either way, she forgot.”
Addison’s voice softened. “I’m really sorry, Callie.”
“Hey…no biggie, right? It’s just another day.”
“But it isn’t.” Addison sighed. “I wish I could be there.”
“Me too.”
There was a brief pause. “I know this isn’t really the same thing, and it’s sort of a cheesy idea…but there’s a Meg Ryan movie marathon on Lifetime…we could watch it together, make fun of it…you know, like the old times. It’s not the same thing, but…”
Callie smiled. “Got any beer?”
“I may or may not already have one opened in your honor.”
Callie beamed, feeling the heavy sadness lift from her chest. “You’re the best.”
“True as that may be, today is about your awesomeness, not my own.”
Callie laughed, reaching into the fridge for a beer. As she closed the door, she glanced at a picture of herself and Arizona. She felt the disappointment beginning to well inside but the sound of her friend’s voice on the other line reminded her that maybe it wasn’t so lame to want to feel special on her birthday. Addison, who lived hundreds of miles away, had proven that she was worth making a fuss over.
She glanced at the clock on her way back to the couch. “Only thirty-one minutes left.”
“Let’s make the most of them, shall we?”
“Deal.” Callie smiled, reaching for the remote. She scanned the channels until she found the mousy blonde actress’s face boasting a goofy grin. She relaxed into the couch and sipped her beer.
“Hey, Cal?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad you’re alive.”
Callie blushed and grinned like an idiot. “Me too.” She paused, still feeling disturbed by something. “Oh, and Addison?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ever talk about my mother’s uterus again.”
Addison laughed. “Deal.”
Now Callie could fully enjoy the remainder of her birthday.
---
Prompt: Arizona forgets Callie’s birthday and Addison saves the day.
Challenge: 100 Fic Challenge (#38)
Fandom: Callie/Arizona, Callie/Addison, Grey’s Anatomy
Requested by: kris_me
Rating: PG13
Word Count: 1381
Disclaimer: Not mine. Wish they were. Please don't sue.
Author's Note: I just couldn’t help myself…sorry, Arizona lovers! She takes another hit in this one! Let me know what you think.
-
Callie Torres eased her key inside the lock of her apartment, her heart thumping hard in her chest as she contemplated what might lay behind the door. She had warned Cristina upon pain of death not to try any funny business, and the acerbic resident promised that there would be no surprise parties and no strippergrams. Her roommate had also obligingly offered to take an extra shift that night, allowing Callie the privacy of the empty apartment to spend her birthday however she wanted.
She couldn’t stop herself from grinning as she opened the door. It was dark, but that didn’t mean that Arizona wasn’t hiding inside wearing a negligee and a party hat. She flipped the light switch and drooped significantly to see that the open living area was empty. She would have been annoyed if there had been a surprise of some sort, but that didn’t mean that she would have hated it altogether.
Knowing that there was more to her apartment than just the living room, she turned towards her bedroom. Callie was sure that her birthday gift would be lying in anticipation on the bed. She took her time shrugging off her leather jacket, draping it over one of the stools in the kitchenette. She set down her keys and her purse, glancing across the counter to see if anything awaited her. There was nothing save the post-it Cristina had left on the coffee pot, which said “Hope your birthday doesn’t suck.”
Deciding that she couldn’t take waiting any longer, Callie strolled over to the door of her bedroom and took a deep breath, hiding her expectant smile, before entering.
It was empty.
Just to make sure she really was alone, she checked the bathroom, the closet, and even peeked inside Cristina’s bedroom. There was no sign of her girlfriend.
Callie tried with great difficulty not to sulk but found that she couldn’t stop the frown from forming. It was just a birthday-just another day-but it would have been the first one she shared with Arizona. She felt loved and appreciated every other day by her, but Callie couldn’t extinguish the small fragment of crushed hope that beckoned the need to feel just a little more special than usual.
Callie knew that Arizona had the day off; she’d tried to arrange her schedule to fit but a full board of surgeries awaited her. It wasn’t a horrible way to spend her birthday-if anything, fixing bones just reminded her of her badassedness. There was very little in the way of gifts that could compete with replacing a knee or popping an arm back into its socket.
Despite it all, she had no idea what Arizona had gotten up to on her day off, though a day full of daydreaming allowed her to believe it was spent preparing a surprise. As the hours had passed, Callie’s imagination had gotten the better of her, envisioning pizza, beers, and lots and lots of birthday sex.
She wasn’t ready to give up on her girlfriend just yet; she headed back into the kitchen and checked the voicemail on the phone. Her stomach tightened when she heard Arizona’s voice.
“You’ll never guess who’s in town! What? No guesses? Annie, my roommate from college! She’s in Seattle for some conference or something, and I’ve promised to show her the best of what this city has to offer-it’s too bad you’re working. Anyway, I probably won’t see you tonight unless you get out early, in which case you should call me and we can all try to meet up for dinner. Okay, I’m rambling now. Love ya! Bye!”
Callie stared at the machine for several long minutes, Arizona’s chipper tone ringing through her ears like a fire alarm. She wanted to be excited for her. She knew how much Arizona adored her roommate and how infrequently she saw her. It was a special occasion for Arizona. Otherwise, it was just an ordinary day.
But it wasn’t. It was her birthday.
She felt completely lame for being so upset, but of all the people to forget her birthday, this hurt the most. Even Mark, the man who possessed a talent for forgetting special occasions, remembered, presenting her with a flower plucked from one of the hospital’s flowerbeds. She’d been flooded with text messages and voicemails from her friends and family all day. Everyone had remembered. Throughout the day, everyone had proven to her that perhaps it wasn’t just a normal day, that perhaps she was worth celebrating after all.
It occurred to her that perhaps Arizona didn’t forget, but maybe…
Callie glared at the calendar on the wall that clearly marked her birthday. She and Arizona had even talked about the occasion earlier in the month and Arizona had promised to spoil her rotten.
So much for that.
She heard the faint buzz of her cell phone that was lodged at the bottom of her purse and quickly reached for it, frowning slightly to see that it was Addison, not Arizona, who was calling. She answered.
“Happy anniversary of the day you came out of your mother’s uterus!” the redhead cried.
Callie burst into tears.
“Hey-wait a minute. Don’t cry, Cal! I know it’s a gross mental image but I didn’t think it was that bad.”
“It’s not that…” Callie said miserably, slumping her body onto the couch.
“Did I call at the wrong time?”
“Huh?”
“You were born at 11:23pm, weren’t you?”
“Yes, but…” Callie’s mouth dropped, glancing at the clock to see that it was in fact the exact time of her birth. “How’d you know that?”
“I know everything about you, Calliope Torres.”
Callie gave a heavy sigh, though she was warmed by the thought. “At least someone does.”
“What do you mean?”
“Arizona forgot my birthday.”
“WHAT!?”
Callie held the phone away from her ear while her best friend shrieked obscenities. She could clearly picture the other woman with her brows furrowed and her hands clenched in anger. “Yeah,” she mumbled.
“But…how could she forget?” Addison asked, a note of genuine surprise lacing her tone. “She seems like the type to go completely crazy for something like this…how the hell could she forget?”
“Her roommate from college is in town.”
“That’s no excuse! She spent four years with her! This day should be a momentous day celebrating your existence!”
Callie gave a half-laugh. “You know, I don’t even want to try to justify the reasons why. Either way, she forgot.”
Addison’s voice softened. “I’m really sorry, Callie.”
“Hey…no biggie, right? It’s just another day.”
“But it isn’t.” Addison sighed. “I wish I could be there.”
“Me too.”
There was a brief pause. “I know this isn’t really the same thing, and it’s sort of a cheesy idea…but there’s a Meg Ryan movie marathon on Lifetime…we could watch it together, make fun of it…you know, like the old times. It’s not the same thing, but…”
Callie smiled. “Got any beer?”
“I may or may not already have one opened in your honor.”
Callie beamed, feeling the heavy sadness lift from her chest. “You’re the best.”
“True as that may be, today is about your awesomeness, not my own.”
Callie laughed, reaching into the fridge for a beer. As she closed the door, she glanced at a picture of herself and Arizona. She felt the disappointment beginning to well inside but the sound of her friend’s voice on the other line reminded her that maybe it wasn’t so lame to want to feel special on her birthday. Addison, who lived hundreds of miles away, had proven that she was worth making a fuss over.
She glanced at the clock on her way back to the couch. “Only thirty-one minutes left.”
“Let’s make the most of them, shall we?”
“Deal.” Callie smiled, reaching for the remote. She scanned the channels until she found the mousy blonde actress’s face boasting a goofy grin. She relaxed into the couch and sipped her beer.
“Hey, Cal?”
“Hmm?”
“I’m glad you’re alive.”
Callie blushed and grinned like an idiot. “Me too.” She paused, still feeling disturbed by something. “Oh, and Addison?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t ever talk about my mother’s uterus again.”
Addison laughed. “Deal.”
Now Callie could fully enjoy the remainder of her birthday.
---