Author's note: This is the first chapter in a series that stemmed from a short story that I loosely based on something I wrote for Wam Story Archive a long, long time ago before it got shut down. This series was created and posted by me on Tellygunge back in 2016 and I wanted to share it here. Overall, this will be the same as the 2016 version but there will be some edits and minor changes here and there, essentially because I've either noticed typos or story elements that I want to modify. Since there are currently 7 parts and I'm working on the 8th one, I'm going to post a few that work together if they do and I'll space out the releases so I won't flood the story page with 8 different posts immediately. If people prefer all parts to be posted individually though, please let me know. Parts 1 and 2 are going to be released at the same time but in separate posts, I plan to post Parts 3 and 4 together in one post since they're both fairly short and take place on the same day, Part 5 will be its own post, and then Parts 6 and 7 will be posted in one because I think they go well together as a two-parter.

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Dating a woman of his own wealth sometimes proved to be tiring. On one hand, it was advised that he did, for she had money of her own and thus no interest in his. She was with Ian because she liked him. On the other hand, Victoria was materialistic, self absorbed and cared far too much about her appearance. Thankfully it wasn't a loveless relationship; he did care for her very much. Every now and then he considered proposing to her. Though he supposed love didn't come without its annoyances. Everyone did indeed have their own faults, after all-- no one was perfect. As close as she was and tried to be, she wasn't, but neither was he. His main flaw was impatience.

It was a flaw that often clashed with Victoria's flaw of vanity, for she took ages getting ready. Always the perfectionist, she spent hours making sure every meticulous detail was right. However, tonight was Ian's birthday and she was, once again, late. Most people of his status and money usually threw spectacular evenings for their birthdays, inviting all of their many friends, the whole ordeal. Ian preferred something in-between. The layout of food was what people would see at a large party, but it was just him and his girlfriend tonight. He simply wanted to spend time with her. But, of course, she was two hours late. Another one of Victoria's flaws; she was inconsiderate.

When she eventually showed, he rose from the sofa and briskly walked towards the door. His butler went to do it, and Ian would usually let him, but he wanted to answer the door for Victoria. Opening the door, he wore a smirk, allowing her inside.

"Nice of you to finally show." he commented. Look at her, he thought. That dark hair pinned up flawlessly, her makeup accentuating her face, eyeshadow and eyeliner bringing her blue eyes to pop like sapphires. And that dress, that beautiful dress with a matching earring and necklace set. The black and gold palate of her attire and jewelry looked stunning on her, and Ian was sure she spent a good while coordinating everything to match. Victoria was young, but she was the type of woman who acted older than she was; all regal and sophisticated.

"I was getting your present. I know I should've got it beforehand, but I couldn't decide what to get you." Victoria insisted, taking off her coat and then showing the wrapped gift as an example.

"So, you put it off to the last minute then?" he asked as he closed the door behind her.

"Don't put it like that. You don't even care about gifts, in fact, you always tell me not to get them for you."

"You're right." Ian chuckled. "So if getting a gift had been a hassle, you should've just forgot it and come without one. That way, you wouldn't be late."

She glanced up at him with an accusatory expression. "Is that what this is about?"

"Yes, darling." Ian muttered. "I try not to complain too much about it, but I have missed you. It's been a week since I've seen you and there's no one I'd rather spend my birthday with. See, I'm even wearing a suit for you."

Victoria raised a brow, her own lips curving upwards. "I see. That's because you're rather handsome in a suit. It looks lovely on you." She always thought he was ruggishly handsome, with his beard and his thick, curly black hair and him often wearing a simple shirt and jeans. He did clean up rather nicely though; his beard was actually classy and well groomed, and damn did he look fantastic in a suit and tie.

"You care too much about looks, Tori." he told her with a short laugh, before turning and walking with her towards the dining room. "How long did you spend getting ready tonight?"

The question surprised her. "Does it matter?"

"Not really." he admitted. "But I'm curious."

"It's not important, Ian."

Victoria sat down in the chair he pulled out for her, before Ian went to the other side of the table and sat across from her. After setting her present down on the table, she was looking in awe of the display Ian had set up. There was such an assortment of sweets: pies, pastries, a rather large three-tiered cake.

"You really went all out, didn't you? Someone have a sweet tooth?"

"Somewhat. Mostly, it's for you-- I know how much you love sweets. Even if you try to hide it."

Victoria glanced up from the desserts and at Ian. "What?"

"Oh, I know. You want everyone to think that you are above eating sugar because of how bad it is for you, blah blah blah. I've seen your candy bar wrapper stash in your purse."

"You went through my purse?" she asked with furrowed brows.

"That one time when you asked me to hand it to you? It was open, and yes, I took a quick peek before giving it."

A tiny scoff, before a sigh. "But why have all of this for me even though it's your birthday, not mine?"

"Because I'm happy that you're here with me and I wanted you to enjoy yourself. Because I wanted to show you how much I appreciate you."

"Oh." Victoria looked across the table at him, slightly baffled. Then she saw Ian smirk again.

"Funny, though, you sometimes lack that same appreciation of me." Victoria was a good woman, she really was, but she was selfish. He supposed he could be selfish at times too. "So, how long did it take you to get ready?" Another one of his flaws was being stubborn.

Victoria gave an annoyed laugh. "Is that what that whole guilt trip speech was about? It's not that important; I'm not telling you." She was stubborn as he was. Folding her arms, her eyes followed him as he rose from his seat and went to stand by her side.

He went to undo the pins from her hair, watching it fall into brunette ringlets against her shoulders. "So, you curled your hair, and then put it up? God, how long the hair must've taken on it's own. You don't have to do all that, you know."

She glared up at Ian now, frustrated with his persistence. "You know, not everything has to be simple and without effort. Not everyone is lazy."

It wasn't so much as she struck a cord, or perhaps she did, but it was mainly the fact that both of them were too stubborn and set in their ways, and he found her obsession with her appearance, her vanity, her perfectionism to be, at times, very annoying. Ian took one of the chocolate cream pies into his hands and flipped it over onto the top of her head.

Victoria gasped in disbelief, frozen in shock as cream and chocolate engulfed her hair. It dripped down onto her nose, a bit of the broken crust sliding down her hair and down the back of her dress. Ian only laughed though.

"And not everything, Victoria, has to be so tense and uptight. We can just not care so much and have fun." he told her.

Gasping, hands slowly touching her hair, Victoria lightly pressed her fingers into the cream. A chill went up her spine. She was cringing, blushing, absolutely embarrassed. "Four hours." she huffed.

"Is that how long getting ready took?" he asked with a grin.

"Yes." Victoria snarled.

"Well here." Ian murmured and picked up another pie, only to smash it into her face. Victoria squirmed and squealed trying to get away from it as he rubbed it into her features. When he pulled it away, she looked mortified. Pie covered her face, running down her neck and into her lap.

"You are acting like a child." she muttered, wiping cream from her eyes as she sat there in devastation.

"Well, at least I'm having fun." he spoke with a grin. "Come on, Tori, lighten up a bit. It's just food. Harmless. See, look."

"Don't you dare, don't you dare!" she screeched as he lifted her up from her chair and onto the table, setting a pie right under her so she would sit into it. She squeaked, before he turned her around and rubbed her face into the three-tiered cake in the center of the table. "Mmpf!" Her head sunk into the icing and her noises of displeasure were muffled. Ian chuckled as he gave her face a good smear into the frosting, before letting her fall against the table, Victoria's torso landing in the cake as well.

Lifting her head, a whimper escaped her, her hands trying to push herself up out of the cake. Her neck, arms, chest were plastered with cake and frosting as she lied there, but it was her face that was the most thickly covered. "This was a very expensive gown." she muttered, feeling humiliated.

"I'll by you a new one." Ian assured. Victoria finally managed to sit up again, though she soon found herself underneath a flow of chocolate. Ian had ditched the salad from the salad bowl and filled it up from the chocolate fountain when she hadn't been looking. She shrieked, squirming with the horrible sensation of chocolate streaming down her head and face, quickly dripping onto the rest of her.

"Ian!" she huffed, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands when the deluge finally stopped. "Why are you doing this?" she spoke with the tone of commanding an answer.

"Because, you know what, it's fun. You know, like when we were kids, it was fun to get messy. As an adult, weirdly enough, this is kind of attractive."

"I never got messy as a child." she scoffed.

"Ohhhh. Wow, that explains a lot." Ian laughed.

Victoria let out a cry of anger and got a handful of cake to toss at him. "This is fun to you? I can't even understand that, let alone how this could possibly be attractive. I must look awful right now."

He didn't even try dodging when the cake was flung at him, it hitting his face with a smack. Ian licked his lips. "Yes, it's fun. C'mon, try it. Throw some more at me."

Pursing her lips, she continued to glare at her boyfriend, but throwing something else at him was tempting. With another huff, she picked up a pie and went to stand up on the table. Aiming to throw it, her foot slipped on the puddle of chocolate and she fell. Ian hurried to catch Victoria in his arms, and she landed safely in them. Except that the pie she held in her hand was now self-squished into her own face. "Augh!" Shaking her head, she threw the pie tin to the floor as Ian gently set her down in the chair. Victoria quickly rose to her feet, however. "This is horrible. I'm an absolute mess and it's all your fault!"

Ian only continued to grin at her, handing her another pie. "Then have a go at me. C'mon, Tori."

Holding back another whimper as one of her hands was feeling how thickly her head was covered in dessert, her other hand held another pie. Victoria glanced down at it. Her attention was soon back up to Ian's face. She walked closer to him, raising the pie and firmly pushing it against his face. For extra measure, she rubbed it in a bit before letting the tin drop. She looked up at him, still frowning. Victoria tried gaining composure.

Ian, on the other hand, was laughing. He licked his lips again and blinked cream away from his eyes, gazing at Victoria. "Oh come on. Don't tell me you don't think this is amusing at all."

"It's not." Victoria insisted as she began wiping the thick layer of chocolate covered frosting and pie off her face, although when she looked up again at him, a slight smile cracked onto her lips.

"Really?" he questioned again with a smirk. "Seeing me with pie all over my face, that's not funny in the least?"

"Stop." she spoke again, her smile widening as Ian made a face, which looked absolutely ridiculous underneath that cream. Ian then smashed an eclair into her hair as an extra texture, before he picked up a cupcake and squished it against Victoria's face. She squirmed, even more so as he grabbed another one and rubbed it in. "Alright, alright, it is!" she exclaimed, right as he brought another cupcake inches away from her nose.

"It is, what?" he asked teasingly.

Victoria rolled her eyes. "It is amusing." she finally admitted. She then gasped as Ian smashed the cupcake against her nose anyway.

"Good," he remarked. "Because I do find this to be rather sexy. You, a complete mess."

"Why? That doesn't make sense." she scoffed, her nails scraping the pastry crust from her hair.

"Not sure exactly. Maybe something to do with how obsessive you are about your looks, so seeing you all messy is a pleasant change."

"I hate you." Victoria pouted.

"Love you too, darling."

Fishing chocolate-coated crumbs of cake out of her cleavage, she sighed in defeat.

"Also," Ian spoke. "I don't appreciate being called effortless and lazy. I put a lot of effort into my company and the things I invent."

She looked up at him, a brow raising. "Had that offended you?" Victoria asked in surprise. "I know you're not. I was just... you know I say things out of frustration. Your inventions are amazing. I apologize."

"Thank you." Ian smiled. "Hold on just one minute." He left the room to approach the kitchen, and Victoria turned around cautiously.

"Ian? What are you doing?" she asked in horrified anticipation. When he came back, he had a bulk-sized bucket of chocolate fudge. Her eyes widened in shock. "Ian! No no no no..." She heard the snap of the container opening and shrieked when she felt Ian's hand on the back of her head. He dunked her head into the bucket, making sure it was covered completely, before pulling her head out of it and then pouring the remaining fudge down her dress. The fudge was so rich and sticky. It persistently clung to every inch of her face and hair. It ran down her dress like a thick sludge. "Ew... ew...ewww..." she whimpered.

"Now your apology is accepted." he teased as the bucket was emptied. Grinning in amusement, he very willingly took the backlash consisting of Victoria throwing fudge and pieces of smashed cake at him.