greatexpectations | zari tarazi

"That's very... modern." He isn't sure what else to call it really, though he snorts at him knowing more about her than John. It's flattering in its way. "Is it like a secret? Because I am a vault if so. With triple-layer security and biometrics and everything."

"It's not a secret." Zari points out before she runs that over again. Maybe it is actually. John literally snapped the neck of a guy who went after her and that was before they were dating. How is he going to take hearing about a man who exploited her as a child and put her in a position to take back everything that was rightfully hers as a teenager?

"Actually lock that one down. I pretty much ruined that guy so he couldn't pull that with anyone else ever again. He doesn't need my magical boyfriend showing up like a decade later for revenge."

He's about to say it sounds like a secret when she renegs and he nods at the explanation. Pretty much what he figured.

"Probably a good call. He's the vengeful type." Which kind of makes him lucky to be alive, huh? His eyes widen a little at the thought as he starts to make some actual progress on this bag, though it seems bottomless really. "You have a lot of hair, but can you use all this stuff up in like, your whole lifetime?" He gets the influencer thing to an extent, and he's kind of a packrat himself, but this is even ridiculous to him.

"Yeah he is not someone screw with." Zari winces at the memory of that snap. Sometimes she forgets just how dangerous her boyfriend is. Add that to the pile of things to never examine. It helps that Nate actively offends her with that statement. She glances at him like he's stabbed her in the chest. "Rude! Can you read all those books in the library?!" She's just saying!! It's the same thing!!

Nate chuckles at her reaction, touching the bottles in the front row and rotating them all to face the labels forward.

"It wasn't a criticism, it's an impressive collection." Though, he has to point out... "Books don't go bad. Which is great because I'll be like, old by the time I finish them all. Especially if I keep getting distracted by the Greats."

Zari must have her favorite products too, and he touches his hair idly in thought. It's not like he's a stranger to hair care okay, he probably has the second-best hair on board!!

"Do you have a rec for me...? I always get these weird sticky-uppy pieces right here in the front."

She drops her anger immediately. Maybe John isn't the only one who can't stay mad at these people and their dumb faces. Zari is sorting blouses when he asks the question. She drops them all dramatically, face lighting up. "I have so many recommendations! Do you want some from my brand or something you can get in the 2020s? I mean I am willing to stock you with mine of course, but absolutely not pressure." She pauses a second like she's trying very hard not to crack.... until she does. "We're completely natural in case you were wondering." PICK HER, CHOOSE HER, LOVE HER.... BRAND. :')

"You have your own line of hair stuff?!" He knew about the perfume, obviously but he already has a ~signature scent OK. "Of course I want that. All these other brands are so obviously inferior." Though he maybe only recognizes one on the whole shelf. Friends support friends' small businesses wow!!!

Zari can't control herself. She claps, swaying from the balls of her feet to her toes in excitement. "Yay! You won't regret it. That perfume launch was a total fluke. I only release the best." She's already dashing into a drawer to get it. What? It's not weird to have already set aside ideal products for each Legend. "Hang on. I already picked out the perfect set for you."

"You did?!" Nate jumps to his feet, way too excited about this as he trails behind her to said drawer. "Is that one for everyone because like, we should totally get everyone on the same hair level. We'd be un-hair-stoppable."

"Oh, I'm way ahead of you." Zari informs him cheerfully as she reveals a set for each Legend... minus Mick. Sorry. She can't do anything with a shaved head! She pulls out the mini-set for Nate and presents it as a gift. It also helps she put a little bow on it. Clearly she's had this planned for a while. "I was going to force all of you to take this as a gift next month for the holiday, but you can have it now. A month should be enough time to think of something new."

"Woah," he says, somehow infusing reverence into such a silly word as he takes the package like it's the most precious thing he's ever been given. Nate looks from her to it a few times before blurting, "Can I hug you now?"

His reaction is literally why she loves giving gifts. Zari shifts from one foot to another like an excited little kid. The question is met with an enthusiastic nod. "I actually love hugs when I'm not at award shows." Those dresses are basically held together by tape and prayers. :( She holds out her arms. "Come here."

"That sounds like a story," Nate admits without asking for details as he steps into Zari's arms all too eagerly, his gift still clutched in one hand as he squeezes her. "Hugs are awesome."

"Oh, it's a story." Zari confirms as she pulls away at just the socially acceptable time. "I can tell you it if you help me finish putting all this stuff away and tell no one about my secret gift drawer." Zari is confident she can keep him away from the sexy stuff. She's less confident about Behrad hearing about the secret gift drawer.

He snorts before nodding like a loyal puppy as the hug breaks, still grinning like a fool.

"If there's one thing Heywoods' specialize in, it's keeping a secret." He whispers the secret-y part and gestures vaguely at the bags, putting his hands on his hips as he waits for instruction.

Zari laughs despite herself. What an actual loser. It charms her endlessly. She gets back on task pretty quickly, scanning the bags and mentally reviewing what's in each one. She starts putting from there. "Okay let's divide and conquer. Take those four and I'll take the other four. Don't touch the other two. That's camera equipment." And lingerie, but whatever. He doesn't need to hear that. "Empty them out and I'll point you at where they go." It will forever be a mystery how she keeps so much in this tiny room.

He has a sneaking suspicion it isn't just camera equipment at all the way she says it, but Nate knows better than to challenge it, going for the bags she points out and tearing into them without further ado.

"This is like, a lot of stuff for seven days. You guys must have been really busy." His eyes go a little wide, but he doesn't correct himself as he dumps out the stuff and starts sorting it into categories before she's even told him what's going where.

Zari rolls her eyes playfully at the choice of words and lets Nate have at it. Clearly he's good at this. She thinks they're very alike when it comes to their organization. "John works a gig job in 2020 with a side hustle as an unpaid superhero. I wanted him to live it up for a few days. Can you blame me?" God knows she's never missed a single luxury since getting a hold of her money.

"Nah, you're right, he totally earned it." Nate grins, swapping some stuff from one pile to the other before looking up at her for guidance. "Today was the first time I've seen him not look like, completely exhausted."

"Then my relentless bullying paid off." Zari jokes as she points to the correct dresser to put the first pile in. She trusts he can handle it while she works to put all the more delicate items away. "I swear some people wouldn't know self-care if it hit them in the face."

zari tarazi | dctv

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