A Year of Pure Happiness [Ivan]

[Zira Tigorov]

There was nothing more satisfying then watching the youth of Zootopia allow their imaginations to run wild in her classroom all day. She had decided that today would be a free day, something that she wanted to make sure they were able to do once a week at the very least among other, slightly more structured projects. Nothing was ever too structured in Zira's classroom though, including the classroom rules. Hence the reason these free days could leave the art room looking like a bomb of paint, confetti, and glitter had gone off, but Zira wouldn't have it any other way. 

If her room was a giant mess at the end of the day and the kids who had left from that room were smiling and giggling, then it meant she had done her job successfully. Would she get calls from other teachers wanting to know why she sent the students back to them hyper and messy? Sometimes, but by now most seemed to have learned to expect it and realized that their calls weren't going to change anything. Would parents complain that their kids came back with paint and glitter all over them and their clothes? Sure, but it was their own fault for not listening to the letter that Zira sent home with each student at the start of the school year. She warned parents that their children would get messy in her class and to send a smock of sorts they could put over their clean clothes. In the end the complaints wouldn't change anything. Zira knew what she was doing and her boss knew the benefits for the students and was most definitely on her side.  

Zira didn’t care what they had to say on the matter as long as she wasn’t going to get fired for it and she knew she wasn’t going to. Her job was to give the little ones a creative, imaginative outlet. To teach them how to keep their imagination and creative thoughts moving so they didn’t end up losing them the way many adults seemed to. Her job was to make the little ones happy and prosper. She was doing just that and a few annoying phone calls and cleaning up a giant mess at the end of the day wasn’t terrible, especially considering most of the time she had the kiddos help with the mess. Free days always seemed to run right to the bell though, so she was left to clean up before she could head home for the day. 

She was debating what she was going to do once she got home. She already had a present ready to give to Ivan when he got home from work, but she wanted to do more. It was their first anniversary and she wanted it to be special. He would be at work for a couple more hours at least anyway, so she would have time to make him a nice dinner or something, but she just felt like she wanted more. Surely she could come up with something while she swept all the glitter and pieces of cut up paper off the floor. 

[Ivan Tigorov]

Convincing Bogo that he needed a couple hours off was not an easy task. The chief was a stickler for the schedule and he didn't like sudden requests. But Ivan had gone to him a few days ago and explained things as professionally as he could. It was his anniversary, a first. And Zira was the love of his life. While Bogo was divorced, he understood the feeling. Those happy days, and he wasn't going to ruin it for Ivan just because his own went south. He gave him the half shift on their anniversary with the simple request that he share how it went. 

So Ivan went to work the first half of his normal shift that day. Other than a couple of rude citizens and suspects, it was a peaceful day. So he was able to say farewell to his fellow officers for the night, and headed straight for the school. He wanted to catch her before she went home and tried to cook them dinner or do any normal chores... and he always loved to see how crazy her classroom could get. He stopped by a couple stores on the way though, getting a bouquet of her favorite flowers, and a little stuffed tiger that he attached to hold the flowers for now. He was hoping to make sure that she had a fun evening. Not that she didn't make fun out of everything already.

The tiger officer got his pass into the school, something he had done many times anyways, and headed down the halls to her room. He opened the door quietly, only knocking on the wall beside it once he was in the doorway and could actually see her. Ivan smiled softly and moved inside at that.

"I'm looking for a Mrs. Tigorov." He spoke up as if he were a nervous parent or older student. But he held the flowers and cub toy with a smile on his face. It might have looked like he just stopped by in a slow moment from his patrol, but he had no intention of going back to work today.

[Zira Tigorov]

Zira was humming away as she cleaned up the room the same way she did each time the kids made such a mess. A wonderful, wonderful mess that she didn't mind cleaning up anyway. She knew that she'd soon get to go through the projects and see what exactly the little cuties were creating besides the giant mess. She swept the papers and glitter into a pile, her back to the door as she did so. She didn't see Ivan or even hear him approach until he knocked and spoke up. Even then she didn't recognize the voice.

Whoever it was in the doorway sound nervous. That at least ruled out a parent coming to yell at her after finding their little one covered from head to toe in their art supplies. They would have been far more confident and angry sounding if that were the case. No, this was someone who was genuinely looking for her, but she just wasn't sure if it was another student or some staff member. "Just a moment." she said softly to the visitor, sweeping the mess onto the scoop thing, moving to the garbage she was near to dump it in before she leaned the broom against the wall and turned around.

Her eyes lit up when she saw her darling Ivan standing in the doorway. Handsome as always in his police uniform. She took him all in before managing to get any words out, surprised to see him there as her mystery visitor. She noticed the flowers and the little stuffed tiger cub in his hands as well. "Oh Ivan..." she managed to get out, such love in just those two words as she brought her hand to her mouth, partially covering the bright smile she had on her face. 

"What on earth are you doing here? I thought you had to work a few more hours." Zira questioned, though moved toward him without wasting another moment. She wrapped her arms around him, giving him such a gentle kiss. "And you bought me these?" she asked, motioning to the little presents. 

[Ivan Tigorov]

Ivan smirked, covering his face with one paw to avoid laughing as she told him to wait. Of course she didn't recognize him. That meant his plan worked and his fake voice was misleading enough. It would help after all with his little surprise. He lowered the paw as she turned around, replacing the face of a suppressed laugh with a massive smile. "Just a moment, eh? Is that how today is gonna be?" He teased but the big grin on his face said he wasn't one bit truly offended by the request. He stayed put momentarily though, letting her take in the fact that he was standing right there and that he had brought gifts. He loved to show up on his lunch quite often, or drop by to see the class here and there as a sort of 'community service' going on. This year had been the best of his life so far, and the dating before that wasn't far behind. Of course he would take the time to show up.

Her words, her loving eyes and the look on her face said it all. It was worth it to take the time off. It was worth borrowing a department car, buying flowers, and showing up unannounced into this glittery mess of a room. She made almost anything worth it. He moved a couple of steps closer in the room, letting the door close behind him as he moved to meet her half way. Of course his tail dragged through some glitter that still remained and he could swear a small piece of paper was stuck to a paw pad, but he didn't care really. He just looked to her eyes with a soft smile and reached his free arm around Zira as she got to him. The tiger officer closed his eyes with a gentle loving purr as she kissed him, taking in the moment before he would even bother trying to answer her questions. He held her kiss for a moment longer before he lifted his head to look at the flowers.

"Oh yes. I bought these for you. I couldn't leave my darling without some gorgeous flowers." Ivan said with a slight nod as he looked to the flowers as if he had forgotten them in his hand. He was hoping that she would notice and like the care he had taken in finding the ones that she liked. Even the color that she liked. "And well... You see I thought today had to be something special. Like something was crazy special and it was nagging at my head. So I asked Bogo for a bit of time off cause I knew I just had to come see you. And he actually said yes!" Tigorov grinned big with wide excited eyes. Of course he had grabbed a couple of hours off. It was their first anniversary. He wasn't going to work a full shift and come home for just two hours of togetherness and call that good. That worked on many days, cuddling was a wonderful pass-time. But this day was far too special to not take a little time away from protecting Zootopia. "I'm here because I want to spend time with you. I'll teach some training class to make up for it another day, so I don't have to work any more today. The night is aaalll ours." He purred and looked into her eyes, his paw on her side as he did.

"That is, if you want it to be." He added, although he was certain that it was. Actually he had no doubt, but he just had to say it.

[Zira Tigorov]

Zira giggled a bit at his response to her telling him it would be just a moment. "No of course not. In all fairness, I didn't know it was you." she told him, really quite amused by his little stunt working so well. She could have been upset that she didn't recognize her own husband, despite him having used a different voice, but what good with that do anyone? His intentions were good and he wanted to surprise her and he succeed. That was all that mattered. "You know, if I had known it was you from the start I would have just told you to grab the second broom." she commented with a bit of a smirk. 

She loved the way that it felt to be in his arms. Warm, safe, and loved. The sound of him purring was just such a comforting sound as well. She purred back at him, her tail flicking a bit, causing some of the glitter that was on the floor to be pushed up in a cloud of sparkles. Her attention went back to the flowers in his hand, but kept herself close to him so that she was able to preserve the moment a bit longer. "They really are gorgeous, Ivan. They are purr-fect." she let out another soft purr as she bent down to smell them. "They smell lovely and they are my favorite colors. The colors of the sunset..." she said softly, looking up at Ivan with such a bright smile. She loved that he knew her so well and was so incredibly thoughtful. 

"Remind me to thank Bogo the next time I bump into him." Zira smirked at how excited Ivan got when he mentioned that his boss had allowed him to come. She felt just as surprised as he seemed to be by it, but then again, just because he was quite a grump didn't mean that he didn't have a heart at all. Either way she was thankful. "I was just trying to figure out what I was going to make for dinner for us." she told him. "But I think you have other plans?" she asked, tilting her head a bit as she watched him to see if he would maybe spill some more of his plans for the evening. 

Zira took the little stuffed tiger from him and hugged it close to her chest. "I wouldn't want to spend the night any other way." she purred with a gentle and loving smile. "And Ivan...thank you." she added, kissing his cheek. 

[Ivan Tigorov]

Ivan seemed proud of himself as she admitted that she didn't know it was him. That meant he had succeeded in his scheme to surprise her entirely. Of course he hadn't wanted to scare her so the fact that she was smiling and not trying to hit him with the broom was an ultimate upside to his approach. The tiger officer didn't feel like running from his wife with a broom stick, those things hurt. He stared at her intently, his face dropping to entirely serious. "You were going to tell me to grab a broom, but now you aren't going to? So I'm not allowed to help this gorgeous lady clean up her classroom?" He asked with a tilt of his head and a teasing little purr to his voice. He'd help whether she asked or not.

The tiger felt a bit of the glitter landing on his nose, it was enough to make him feel like he was close to sneezing of course. But he held it, and looked to the floor and her tail, suppressing a bit of a giggle as he looked at the sparkles that were now stuck in her fur. Luckily she was always the creative type and hardly embarrassed. "Oh and they go perfectly with your lovely tail makeup. I promised you that I actually listened." He reached a paw and poked her nose with one finger to just get a bit more silly enjoyment out of it before he leaned nose-to-nose with her.

"I have a feeling Bogo will have forgotten by the next time you see him. But I'll remind you." Ivan promised with a smile on his face. He did respect Bogo but he was well aware that he was not someone the buffalo considered a friend. He was another officer and there were many of them to deal with. It was almost assured that he only even mentioned Tigorov's name because he read the name tag on his uniform. Ivan didn't mind though as Bogo still seemed to give him breaks on days like this. He glanced to the flowers, and then to Zira with a mischievous bit of a smirk. "Oh I have plans dear, but I also have plans not to tell you what they are. You'll just have to trust me darling." He reached his paw to stroke her soft face a look of pure love in his eyes as he watched her. He couldn't get over how beautiful she was or how lucky he was to have found this little gem in this city.

As she grabbed the little stuffed tiger he looked around carefully. "Does this classroom have any vases so I can put these down and help you clean up after the beautiful minds of our next generation?" He asked with a smirk at that and closed his eyes at her little kiss. "No Zira, thank you. I was just another cop when I met you... You've made me so much more." He whispered and wrapped his tail around her to hold her closer for just a little longer.

[Zira Tigorov]

"Now I didn't say that." Zira giggled a bit, looking up at him with a sweet little grin on her face. "Of course I would appreciate it if you would help me out a bit with this giant mess." She said softly. She of course would never demand that he help her out, but she would always ask and she was well aware that if he wanted to help her out he would do it whether she wanted him to or not. He was too sweet and good to her not to help. She wasn't ready to let him go just yet though so he could help. They could clean up in a moment.

Zira looked back at her tail with an amused smile. "They really do go well with it, don't they?" she asked, flicking her tail purposely to get more of the glitter to fly around. She was used to being covered in art supplies and going out in public covered in art supplies as well. It was what she considered her fashion...her make up and it seemed Ivan knew that, even if he was saying it in a joking sort of way. "And it matches the make up on your nose as well." she added with a giggle, scrunching up her nose when it was poked, only relaxing once Ivan was touching her. "And I know that you listen. I have never doubted that from you." she added softly, rubbing her nose against his as she closed her eyes.

"It doesn't matter if he has forgotten because I still want to make sure that I thank him. It is incredibly important to me." Zira told him, quite sincere about the whole thing. Bogo could be quite the grump, but he wasn't all bad and she was incredibly thankful that he had been willing to let her Ivan come to her for their fist anniversary. It only seemed right to thank him and she wouldn't feel right about it until she could do that. "Ooohhh, a surprise?! You know how much I love surprises!" she said quite excitedly. They were so much more fun than just knowing plans straight out. She loved the suspense and unknowing and she trusted her Ivan to make it amazing. "I will always trust you, Ivan. Always have and always will." she assured him.

Zira looked around for a moment without actually moving away from him, eventually motioning toward a vase that she had made as a demonstration at one point that had fake flowers in it. "You can put them in that one." she said softly, setting her hands gently against his shoulders. "No, Ivan. You were always so much more. You just needed a little help finding yourself." she said softly. That was how she believed soulmates worked anyways. They brought out the best in you, something that was always there, waiting to be awoken. "I love you, so much." she added, closing her eyes with a soft purr.

[Ivan Tigorov]

"I didn't think you would refuse to let me help." Ivan chuckled with a twitch of his whiskers. She wouldn't have needed to demand he help anyways. He glanced back to look, his nose twitching side to side as he tried not to sneeze from the shower of glitter that filled the air around them. Maybe a little exaggerated but it wasn't too far off. He purred and flicked his tail to swipe a bit more off of a pile with a big grin. "I listen and I remember how great your favorite colors go with your class glitter collection." He tried to stop himself from laughing but it was difficult to do. He just leaned his head close to her. "It's probably good you don't doubt a Tigorov, we have good memories." He grinned with a smirk and a wink. He didn't think she did at least.

He admired her determination. Bogo wouldn't even know why she was happy with him, but Ivan found it adorable. The chief was an interesting mammal, but definitely not horrible like others said he was. He was giving Ivan a chance after all. Even with his unusual demeanor and belief in people. The tiger had his own odd habits. "Just have the kids make him some adorable art project. You do those great and maybe he needs a little sparkle to brighten up his mood sometime." He suggested with his paws raised a bit as he really wasn't sure it would work. It was worth a try anyways. The buffalo had a child after all, he must be used to some sort of art being brought home anyways. Zira was the best teacher of such things.

"Yes yes. A lovely surprise dear. I promise you that it will be great, but you have to let me take you." Ivan said quietly and took her paw in his. "I think you can let someone else be creative once, right?" He asked with a tilt of his head. "Of course you can, and I promise not to outshine you." He added, gently letting go of her paw and looking to the vase that she pointed out. "That one will do just fine. Actually it will look wonderful." He turned to go toward the vase, but glanced back with a gentle smile to her. "I did find someone who was a big help though." He replied as he grabbed the vase to put his new flowers into. They certainly didn't need to carry the flowers around all night. They were pretty but they were a bother. Anyways, her students could admire them tomorrow this way. 

"I mean, I don't know what I'd be without you." Ivan added and looked back, setting the flowers back down on the table. He really didn't... there were quite a few times in the last year that he had been near quitting. The tiger moved back to Zira, letting his tail drag through the glitter a bit once more. "I love you Zira, more than anything. I hope I've done at least half as much for you." He said to her quietly.

"If I haven't, I'll start by cleaning up this mess here." The tiger commented and grabbed the broom himself with a bit of a smile. "The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get to my surprises."

[Zira Tigorov]

Zira loved the way that Ivan's nose twitched as she stirred up more of the glitter with her tail. It was so cute, as long as he didn't end up sneezing on her of course. Plus, he would be all nice and sparkly for the journey home or wherever they were going to go. Would they be going back to the house first or straight out? She would have to figure that out, but it could wait for a bit. "I never doubted your memory, Ivan darling. You know, I am a Tigorov now too. Have been for a year. I believe that the wonderful memory has been passed on to me by now." she said with a sweet little grin, flicking just a bit more glitter up around the both of them so it came down like a sparkly rain shower. 

Of course her brilliant Ivan had the perfect idea of how she could thank Bogo for allowing her to have her husband early on their anniversary. "Ivan that is a lovely idea! Absolutely marvelous!" she added, taking his cheeks in her hands as she leaned in and pressed her lips to his in a loving kiss. "The kids will love doing the project and it will be the perfect way to thank him and make it extra special." she thought for a moment herself. "Hmm, maybe I could turn it into something more than just a thank you from me? Maybe I could have each of the kids say why they are thankful for Chief Bogo and the rest of the force." she said thoughtfully, smiling at Ivan as she looked over to see what he thought of the idea. It could be perfect and it wouldn't be all about her.

She let out a bit of a dramatic sigh. "Well I suppose I can let you be creative just this once. Well really, you are being quite creative today it seems so I am sure that this surprise is going to be lovely." she added. Now would be the perfect time to ask when they were going, even if he would not tell her where. "Will we be going back home first or are we headed straight there?" she asked curiously. He was still in uniform and she was a bit of a mess, but really she wasn't worried about them going out in such a state. She would be fine with whatever Ivan had planned. 

"You have done plenty for me, Ivan. You are everything I wanted in a husband and more." Zira said softly, taking a moment to admire the flowers in the vase. They did look beautiful, but she liked to admire the handsome tiger in front of her even more. "I love you so very much and I don't even want to think about a world where you and I are not together." she added. She wasn't sure where she would be without him either and she didn't really want to think about it. It had to be quite awful. 

She grabbed a rag to start cleaning off the tables a bit while Ivan swept. "You know, this is a lot easier not having to do it on my own. We will be done so much faster...I tend to get distracted a lot." she commented with a small laugh.