paris

(a/n: just a lil favor

for my mental health

but i'd appreciate any

and all comments tehe)

valentine's day. one of haley's favorite occasions ever since she'd been with timothée.

on previous valentine's days, he'd usually gift her with various flowers and chocolates, or some thing he knew that she'd been wanting. haley would usually make him food that he liked. timmy was the one who texted first, called first. he treated it like a birthday, really, calling her in the early morning from wherever he was to greet her.

however, it was different that year. for one thing, he wasn't there to spend it with her because he was busy filming in new york. haley texted him first that morning (not that it mattered) and got one that sounded hurried, apologizing and saying that he'd call later, so she let it go.

"sieeenaaa!" haley climbed the stairs as she came from the kitchen. she had a script in hand and was making her way to the bed since she was pretty tired. it was the same script that she spent the previous night poring over, the cause of an expensive electricity bill because of all the lights that she had on.

haley felt the dog curl on the floor by her tableside. "hi baby," she whispered, stroking sienna's head. "do you miss timothée?"

sienna barked, so haley took that as a yes. she wanted to hug him so bad, to see his soft hair that smelled so good. so she lay down in bed, shutting the curtains and pulling on the covers all while reminiscing times with timmy before falling asleep.

haley remembered one specific night where they were both at his new york apartment, tired from their own respective airplane flights.

the jetlag had made it hard to sleep, so she felt timothée get up from beside her. it was like sienna felt their restlessness, because it was the dead of the night and they could her her low barks and whimpers from the other side of the door.

"don't mind me, go back to sleep," he whispered softly, caressing her cheek as she reached her arm out for his hand. "i'll take si for a walk, she sounds like she needs one."

"she can wait til tomorrow." haley mumbled, half her face buried in the pillow.

"i think i need to go walk too." he said apologetically. at that, haley sat up, blinking back the sleep in her eyes and throwing the pillow she was hugging on the floor.

"wait for me." and so despite his protests of 'you need some sleep' or 'i'm not gonna go anymore', haley still got up and got dressed. she threw on a pair of sweatpants, a sleeved top, hoodie, then a jacket just for good measure since the nights were chilly.

and that was how timothée and she walked out the house in the dead of night at two in the morning, hand in hand with their dog. "where d'you wanna go?" he asked. haley could see the air that escaped every time he took a breath. like mentioned before: it was cold.

"literally anywhere." she said, her words blurred from beneath two scarves. timmy took her hand, looking left and right before pulling her to cross the street.

"ready?" he whispered to sienna, once they made it to the other side. "go." at that, their dog began to run, and the two of them did too, jogging after her all while keeping a firm hold on her leash.

"oh no!" haley said, picking up the mini scarf that fell of sienna. she bent down, squatting on her heels, to fasten it once more around their dog's neck.

"it's so fucking cold, my balls are frozen." timmy coughed out a laugh, looking around to see if there were any passerby. there were none. "so fucking cold." he repeated.

"such a baby." she teased, looking at their surroundings. "let's go there," she suggested. it was a small, quaint cafe that she spotted on the corner of the street. it emitted a golden yellow glow, and she could see the shop owner closing up.

"i bet they're fans of yours," he murmured, as they made their way to the shop.

"that is the most baseless assumption i've ever heard." she whispered, one hand on sienna's leash. she waved a gloved hand at the golden window, and smiled at the black haired girl that looked up from wiping one of the tables.

"hi," haley said to the girl, nudging timmy to relax since he was bouncing on his heels. "so sorry, but do you mind if we..." she gestured vaguely.

"fuck, i'm so sorry, it's just so goddamn cold!" timmy exclaimed good-naturedly, looking up at the cloudy sky and letting out a large exhale.

"no yeah, sure!" the girl replied quickly, ushering them in.

"a clean, well-lighted place," observed haley, reading off the name of the shop. "i loved that story."

"so did i!" the girl exclaimed, pure admiration coming from her eyes. "gosh, you're so much cooler than you seem online," she said in an undertone. "not that you ever weren't!" she added. timmy and haley laughed, appreciating the literal and figurative warmth that she brought to them.

"you want a coffee, or anything?"

"maybe like a hot chocolate?" suggested timmy, looking at his girlfriend for approval.

"yes, i'd love that."

"make that two hot chocolates, and a large croissant, please." he told the girl. "and do you have warm water for sienna...?"

"sure, yes. please, make yourselves comfy." the waitress, who they found out was named laura. haley and timothée settled down in a tiny little desk, taking up more space than the actual table because of all their layers.

"you guys okay?" laura asked them. they knew that she knew who they were, and they knew that she knew that THEY knew she knew. "sorry to pry," she added awkwardly.

"just tired, really." haley explained. "couldn't sleep. you?"

"school's been a bitch. i'm a columbia girl," she shared. "fashion design. can't pay the fucking bills, so i work here. and i love it."

"columbia, hey!" timmy grinned. he never finished college, but he went to the same school as laura did for about a year before dropping out.

"yeahh. it's tough, man but i graduate next year and hope to intern somewhere right after or something. i've been submitting designs so i could skip the whole climbing-a-hierarchy thing, but nothing yet. this place is great, though. i get time to myself, and lots of customers give me inspiration for new designs."

the three of them talked about fashion and each other's respective style for awhile, with laura even pulling up pictures on her phone to show them her own original designs and ideas, before timothée noticed that sienna had fallen asleep. "i think it's time we go back," he murmured to haley, pointing at the floor.

they left, graciously thanking their host for the night. it was a long goodbye, one that took about five minutes. haley promised to put in a good word for laura at alainn so she could intern there when she graduated, and even saved some photos of her designs on her phone to see if it would make it on their quarterly releases. she really liked laura because she reminded haley of her mom a lot, and hoped to bring her the big break she'd been waiting for.

haley was jolted out of the memory when her phone rang. she'd been on the brink of falling asleep, but now that the spell was broken, she'd have to wait again. upon checking the time, it turned out that it had only been half an hour since she'd climbed into bed. "hello?"

"HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, BABY!" shouted timmy from the other line.

"ow," she groaned, moving the phone away from her ear. secretly though, she was ecstatic to hear his voice again. "hi, how are you? and happy valentine's to you too," she added.

"guess where i am."

"on set."

"wrong!" he exclaimed triumphantly.

"i don't fucking know, tim, where are you?"

"it starts with an L, ends with an X."

"like... holy shit, you're at LAX???"

"SURPRISE!" he cried.

"that's why you weren't answering!! you were on a plane!"

"i think now's the time to tell you to pack your bags."

"pardon?"

"we're going somewhere."

"wha— why? where?"

"love, that's a surprise."

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"paris?!" haley asked, once she saw the airport sign five hours later.

"they don't call it the city of love for nothing." he replied, a wide grin spreading across his face. "i just thought that since we haven't spent proper time together yet this year and since we haven't really got anything going on right now besides some offers, it would be a good little getaway-vacation thing." he reasoned. there was a real reason why he'd brought her there, though; she'd be finding out soon enough.

"thank you," she sang, leaning her head on his shoulder. she was excited.

he smiled. "we're gonna have a good time."

that much was true until they were strapped in first class in the middle aisle, right next to each other. haley was trying her best not to groan or whine, but the airplane stench had really gotten to her head and was causing a throbbing headache. she loved traveling, but hated planes. to help cope, she'd pulled on earphones, trying to focus on the music, while gripping the sides of her chair tightly.

"you alright?" timothée asked, concerned. he didn't seem affected by the airplane environment since he'd grown accustomed to it over the years, but he was a nervous flier too.

"fuck. it's the plane smell, i hate it," haley explained. "i'm sorry, i..." she felt the vehicle jolt, and her eyes widened with horror.

"we aren't taking off yet," he said, trying to soothe her nerves. "here." he dug into her bag and pulled out a vial of essential oil. "this okay?" timmy held it under her nose, guiding her to take deep breaths.

"yeah, that's better," she exhaled, her eyes glued shut.

"it's gonna be fine, it's gonna be fine." he told her reassuringly, giving her cheek a gentle kiss. as they sat together, he realized that haley was probably more scared of flying that he was, considering her parents' history. "are you okay? we can cancel anytime, just tell me—"

"no," she said hurriedly. "i want to go, i've flown millions of times, it's just... takeoff stresses me out. i'd rather be asleep for when it happens, i'm just waiting for the pill i took earlier to take effect."

he nodded in understanding. "i'm here if you need me, okay? you can lean if you want." timmy said, offering his shoulder. she shook her head, instead taking his hand and gripping it tightly before closing her eyes.

it was already late when they arrived in france, or very early, depending on how you saw it. haley and timothée arrived in the early morning, which was perfect since there were barely any people at the airport. he insisted that she close her eyes before helping her down from the rented car that they used to drive to wherever they were going.

"tim, tell me where we're going," haley mumbled, her head still adjusting from the dizziness that had stuck with her since the airport.

"i'll tell you in a minute, love, just rest for me please?" timothée asked, reaching to hold her hand in her lap seeing that she was tired. he was right though, since haley leaned against the headrest and shut her eyes, willing herself to sleep.

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"i still can't believe you rented us a house," haley said the next morning. they were at a quaint little cafe for brunch, one that timothée grew up visiting. it's manager recognized him since he had worked there ever since timmy was young, and was especially hospitable and kind to them in general.

"not a house, just a really small vacation place. it's valentine's day," timothée shrugged. "i wanted to do something." that wasn't his only reason, but haley would find out later.

"okay." she leaned into his shoulder since they opted to sit next to each other instead of across. "what're we gonna do?"

"i don't wanna spoil it, but i don't want to lie either, so i'll just tell you now. i was kinda planning to have dinner at home later? like a romantic dinner type date?"

"ooh. who's cooking?" haley asked, raising her eyebrows.

"oh, uh. i will." timmy said, bashfully.

"you?" haley repeated, a teasing look on her face. "cook?"

"those words don't belong in a sentence, do they? me cooking, who knew." timothée grinned. "we can go to mcdonald's if it fails but i've been watching so much cooking videos on flights and in my free time so i have high hopes. i might be speaking too early, though." he added.

"do we dress up?" she asked, a glint coming into her eyes.

"we could wear sweats and t-shirts if you want." he answered, leaning on her shoulder this time. "but i'm sure those'll be taken off at the end of the night regardless."

"fair." haley agreed. "i feel like i should help you, though. i don't want you setting fire to the rental house kitchen." there it was again, timothée thought. rental house.

"no, i'm gonna spend the entire afternoon alone at home." he said, nuzzling her neck with his nose. "groceries are coming."

"i can help you!" she insisted.

"nooo, i wanna do it alone!" timmy exclaimed. "to prove my malewife skills."

haley laughed at the absurdity of his statement. "alright then, if you say so. what do i do the whole day, though?"

"i dunno. walk around paris?" he offered. "i would go with you but like i said, i'm cooking. i'll take you around on a proper tour tomorrow, before we leave."

"alright, i'll see what i can do," haley said, thinking. "anyways, here's something for you." she pulled out a gift bag from her side and handed it to him. "happy valentine's day. or, belated happy valentine's day."

"you didn't have to get me anything!" he protested, but opened the bag to see a camera. "you got me a camera?"

"you like taking photos." she replied simply, watching him handle it carefully. though he didn't say much, haley could see how happy timmy was with what she got him. it took a lot of careful consideration on her part, and a lot of scouring for the perfect one, but she was glad that he liked it.

"we'll test it later." he told her. "we can take so many photos, it's gonna be great." after their little brunch, timmy went back to the house to pick up the groceries he had delivered and finalize their dinner plans, while haley chose to wander paris like he suggested. she smiled as an idea popped into her head. "anyways. are you going to the oscars this year?"

"mm, i don't think so. i had to go last year to present best actor but i think i'm gonna give it a rest because of the press i have to do for season two of my show." she hummed, leaning back into the booth they were seated in. "and you?"

"i don't really have any reason to go to the oscars, so if they invite me then i'll skip. do you wanna go to coachella with me? it's in april," he added.

haley shook her head. "you took me once two years ago and it was a nightmare."

"it's like a three day concert that goes on for two weeks, what's not to love?!" he protested.

"for one, all the swirling rumors about you making out with three blondes and a brunette each year are enough to turn me off." reminded haley. every year, it seemed like people would make up the most absurd things, even going so far as to say that he had kissed multiple people at the festival.

"it was one blonde and one brunette, and that only happened once before we even got together the second time." he grumbled. "but alright. this is a big year for us both, i think." he had the bob dylan biopic being released late that year, which was said to be a big contender for the next year's oscars. haley on the other hand had a season 2 press tour for her action/thriller show, which was said to get her an emmy (the first one earned her a nomination).

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"hey," haley exclaimed, swinging the door to the house open upon her arrival later that afternoon. "how's everything going?" timothée was in the kitchen, attacking a bunch of soft, boiled potatoes with a masher.

"hey." he responded, spinning around to face her. to haley's surprise, he was wearing an apron that she'd never seen before, one that said KISS THE COOK in big, bold letters.

"wow. that's new."

"got it just awhile ago." he responded gamely, pausing his mashing to look up at her properly. "so, where'd you go?" timothée asked, eyeing the dior bag haley held in her hands.

she held it up. "the dior archives."

"oh, so not dior dior, then?"

"nah, i went to the archives to see the addie larue dress." haley explained. timmy's eyes dawned with understanding. the deep, red dress she wore years back while they were filming the movie had become iconic, now being referred to as the 'addie larue dress' like how the green gown keira knightley wore had become the 'atonement dress'.

"that was a beautiful dress." he said, remembering the first and only day that he saw her in it. "it looked amazing on you."

"it did," she agreed, kissing him on the cheek while thinking that it was an absolute pity they weren't dating yet when she wore it to film. "and it's late. is the plan to go to mcdickies still on, or was it a success?"

"put on your high heels and i'll be there to escort you down in half an hour," he answered. "i think it's almost edible, so that means we'll sit down in fancy outfits and eat half-cooked steak."

"oh, well thank the cooking gods, then!" haley answered in a joking, sarcastic manner before going in the room to change.

thirty minutes later, there was a knock on the door, to which haley answered with a big smile. timmy stood there in a black suit, and though it was something simple, he managed to make it look amazing. the white button down shirt had a few unfastened buttons at the top that exposed the thin necklace chain he had around his neck, while the black suit jacket was haphazardly slung over his shoulder.

"hi, i got you flo—" timothée's jaw dropped before he could even finish his sentence, his mind absolutely blown that all he could do was thrust the bouquet of roses into haley's hands and stare at her.

"i think you like it, so that means i don't have to change." she said, tilting her head to the side in mock thought. she had no intention of changing at all.

"no, don't, please, i—" timmy swallowed, laying his suit's blazer aside. "you look amazing."

"i know. you told me earlier." she giggled, amused at the effect the dress had on him.

"is that really the..."

"yes." haley confirmed. the bag from dior contained a replica of the addie larue dress, which was up for exhibit. they were kind enough to let haley have the duplicate, which was in the exact same size as the original meaning that it fit her perfectly.

"tu es fou." he mumbled, saying something in french that haley couldn't really understand. "you're crazy." he repeated, looking her right in the eyes.

"i'm sorry. i could go change if you want," she shrugged.