Happy Valentine's Day
Feb. 18th, 2018 07:48 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chiron_survivorA half-block away from their destination, Caspar had told Adia to close her eyes, that he would guide her the rest of the way. She asked jokingly if she should make a wish, too, but she knew that it was unnecessary. Whatever thoughtful, romantic surprise he had planned — on Valentine’s Day, no less — was sure to be more than enough.
“Door,” Caspar said helpfully as he led her through it. A pleasant jingle rang from above and she was enveloped in the sweet, comforting aroma of chocolate. “Okay. Open your eyes.”
She was inside a fancy chocolate shop, its counters and shelves festooned with red ribbons, all the better to show off the merchandise. The confections looked as good as they smelled, and Adia would have smiled in delight if she hadn’t suddenly realized to her horror and dismay that she had already been here once before.
On this very same holiday.
With a lovestruck Shark.
“O-oh, Caspar,” she whispered anxiously, clutching onto his sleeve and taking a small step backwards in an attempt at a quick retreat. “We should go somewhere else.”
Caspar let out a chuckle of disbelief. “What, chocolate’s no longer your favorite?” His laughter quieted upon seeing the nervous look in her eyes, which he tried to reassure with a soft smile. “Don’t worry about the cost, I’m trying to spoil you.”
“N-no, that’s not what I’m —“
“Hello, hello!” called out a deep, unsettling voice, cutting short her protest. A round, pink, demon-like creature fluttered into view from behind the counter, a smile on his toothy face. “Lovely day for chocolate, isn’t it? What can I get the happy —“ He paused a beat, his beady black eyes widening in surprise upon recognizing Adia. “— couple?”
Caspar sidled up to the glass counter, Adia unwittingly in tow. “I’m looking for something special for my girlfriend,” he said, wrapping an arm around her affectionately.
The shopkeep kept his eyes on Adia a moment longer than necessary before floating down to pull out a tray of some freshly-made chocolates. Taking his time to arrange his inventory, he remarked casually, “I do hope things go better this time, dearie.”
Caspar’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, you know, after breaking the heart of that charming little man. Poor thing cried his eyes out all the way back to the Plaza. It was terrible.” He placed a clawed hand to his cheek and shook his head sadly. “He didn’t buy a single thing.”
Caspar turned to look at Adia, but she had already dropped her gaze to the floor in a foolish hope that it would open up and swallow her whole. She could feel her face burning up, an embarrassed blush that she tried vainly to hide behind her thick-knitted scarf. “Excuse us a moment,” she heard Caspar say flatly before he gently took her by the arm and led her to the back of the store.
“Can you please tell me what that weird dragon thing is talking about?” he asked once they were presumably out of earshot.
“It, um, it happened last Valentine’s Day,” she explained, hazarding a glance up at his perplexed frown. “Shark had eaten a candy that made him think he was in love with me, and the more I rejected him, the worse he got, so I had to give him a kiss to —- what are you doing?”
Caspar had taken out his PINpoint and was scrolling through his contacts list. “Just going to have a little chat with that green-skinned friend of yours,” he muttered through a clenched jaw as he selected ‘Alien Douchebag’ and started typing out a message.
“Whoa, hey.” Adia reached up and placed her hands on his before he could hit send. “That wasn’t his fault, Caspar. He didn’t know that Nekomata had put a charm spell on the candies.”
Caspar paused. “All right,” he said slowly. She released his hands and he returned his PINpoint to his jacket pocket. Then he rolled his shoulders and turned towards the door. “I’ll go find Nekomata and have a chat with her, then.”
“Caspar. Please, it’s not worth getting upset about, it happened a long time ago.”
He glowered at a display of pink sugar roses and muttered, “That’s not why I’m upset.”
She tilted her head in confusion, but all she could sense from him was frustration and jealousy. “Okay. But you are upset. Can you tell me why?”
“Because!” He exhaled sharply and stomped the ground with the heel of his shoe. “Dammit, Adia, every time I try to take you somewhere in the Nexus, someone else has beaten me to it. Cafés, parks, restaurants… hell, some random woman whose name you don’t even know took you dancing! I just wanted to do something special for you, too, but how can it be special if you’ve already done it?”
Adia’s blush faded completely, replaced with a tender smile. “Cas, sweetheart. It is special because I’m doing it with you.”
Caspar stared at her a moment before dropping his gaze and swearing softly under his breath, ashamed of his own pettiness. “God, I’m an idiot… I’m sorry.”
She placed two fingers under his chin, prompting him to look at her again. “Don’t ever apologize for being honest about how you feel,” she said seriously. She leaned in and kissed him until she felt a smile blossom on his lips. “And it was very sweet of you to take me here.”
“Even with the nosy commentary?” he murmured into her ear.
“Well… I could have lived without that,” she replied, her blush returning. “Although I did try to warn you…”
“You did,” he agreed, kissing her forehead in apology. He stepped back, then turned toward the counter where the shopkeep was blatantly staring at the couple, a bonbon halfway to his open mouth. Hurriedly, he put the confection back on the tray and fluttered about, pretending to be doing some sort of important chocolate work. Caspar strode towards him, his frown returning with a vengeance. “I think you owe an apology to my girl.”
The demon’s wings drooped a little as he peered sheepishly around the imposing Cylon to where Adia was awkwardly standing behind him. “Ah… yes, of course, I’m terribly sorry for assuming —“
“You should be, you could have ruined her reputation.” He leaned on the counter and pinned the shopkeep’s beady gaze with his own. “You of all people should understand that. Who wants to shop at a store that has the reputation of an owner who doesn’t mind his own business?”
Swallowing audibly, the demon folded his clawed hands together upon his portly stomach. “No, no, we wouldn’t want that,” he agreed quickly. “Perhaps a bit of compensation is in order?”
~*~
“There is no way I’m going to be able to eat all of this,” Adia commented as they left the store, already opening the large heart-shaped box of chocolate-covered strawberries. “Even if he hadn’t thrown in that extra half-dozen, this is way too much.”
Caspar gave her a smug smile, practically strutting alongside her. “I know.”
“But I’m not going to waste it, either. That means I’ll be sharing with my friends. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“I am,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. So far as she could tell, he meant it. “As long as you get the first one.”
Picking out one of the strawberries by its stem, she brought it to her lips before grinning and offering it to her very surprised boyfriend instead. “Nope. You first.”
“Door,” Caspar said helpfully as he led her through it. A pleasant jingle rang from above and she was enveloped in the sweet, comforting aroma of chocolate. “Okay. Open your eyes.”
She was inside a fancy chocolate shop, its counters and shelves festooned with red ribbons, all the better to show off the merchandise. The confections looked as good as they smelled, and Adia would have smiled in delight if she hadn’t suddenly realized to her horror and dismay that she had already been here once before.
On this very same holiday.
With a lovestruck Shark.
“O-oh, Caspar,” she whispered anxiously, clutching onto his sleeve and taking a small step backwards in an attempt at a quick retreat. “We should go somewhere else.”
Caspar let out a chuckle of disbelief. “What, chocolate’s no longer your favorite?” His laughter quieted upon seeing the nervous look in her eyes, which he tried to reassure with a soft smile. “Don’t worry about the cost, I’m trying to spoil you.”
“N-no, that’s not what I’m —“
“Hello, hello!” called out a deep, unsettling voice, cutting short her protest. A round, pink, demon-like creature fluttered into view from behind the counter, a smile on his toothy face. “Lovely day for chocolate, isn’t it? What can I get the happy —“ He paused a beat, his beady black eyes widening in surprise upon recognizing Adia. “— couple?”
Caspar sidled up to the glass counter, Adia unwittingly in tow. “I’m looking for something special for my girlfriend,” he said, wrapping an arm around her affectionately.
The shopkeep kept his eyes on Adia a moment longer than necessary before floating down to pull out a tray of some freshly-made chocolates. Taking his time to arrange his inventory, he remarked casually, “I do hope things go better this time, dearie.”
Caspar’s eyes narrowed slightly. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Oh, you know, after breaking the heart of that charming little man. Poor thing cried his eyes out all the way back to the Plaza. It was terrible.” He placed a clawed hand to his cheek and shook his head sadly. “He didn’t buy a single thing.”
Caspar turned to look at Adia, but she had already dropped her gaze to the floor in a foolish hope that it would open up and swallow her whole. She could feel her face burning up, an embarrassed blush that she tried vainly to hide behind her thick-knitted scarf. “Excuse us a moment,” she heard Caspar say flatly before he gently took her by the arm and led her to the back of the store.
“Can you please tell me what that weird dragon thing is talking about?” he asked once they were presumably out of earshot.
“It, um, it happened last Valentine’s Day,” she explained, hazarding a glance up at his perplexed frown. “Shark had eaten a candy that made him think he was in love with me, and the more I rejected him, the worse he got, so I had to give him a kiss to —- what are you doing?”
Caspar had taken out his PINpoint and was scrolling through his contacts list. “Just going to have a little chat with that green-skinned friend of yours,” he muttered through a clenched jaw as he selected ‘Alien Douchebag’ and started typing out a message.
“Whoa, hey.” Adia reached up and placed her hands on his before he could hit send. “That wasn’t his fault, Caspar. He didn’t know that Nekomata had put a charm spell on the candies.”
Caspar paused. “All right,” he said slowly. She released his hands and he returned his PINpoint to his jacket pocket. Then he rolled his shoulders and turned towards the door. “I’ll go find Nekomata and have a chat with her, then.”
“Caspar. Please, it’s not worth getting upset about, it happened a long time ago.”
He glowered at a display of pink sugar roses and muttered, “That’s not why I’m upset.”
She tilted her head in confusion, but all she could sense from him was frustration and jealousy. “Okay. But you are upset. Can you tell me why?”
“Because!” He exhaled sharply and stomped the ground with the heel of his shoe. “Dammit, Adia, every time I try to take you somewhere in the Nexus, someone else has beaten me to it. Cafés, parks, restaurants… hell, some random woman whose name you don’t even know took you dancing! I just wanted to do something special for you, too, but how can it be special if you’ve already done it?”
Adia’s blush faded completely, replaced with a tender smile. “Cas, sweetheart. It is special because I’m doing it with you.”
Caspar stared at her a moment before dropping his gaze and swearing softly under his breath, ashamed of his own pettiness. “God, I’m an idiot… I’m sorry.”
She placed two fingers under his chin, prompting him to look at her again. “Don’t ever apologize for being honest about how you feel,” she said seriously. She leaned in and kissed him until she felt a smile blossom on his lips. “And it was very sweet of you to take me here.”
“Even with the nosy commentary?” he murmured into her ear.
“Well… I could have lived without that,” she replied, her blush returning. “Although I did try to warn you…”
“You did,” he agreed, kissing her forehead in apology. He stepped back, then turned toward the counter where the shopkeep was blatantly staring at the couple, a bonbon halfway to his open mouth. Hurriedly, he put the confection back on the tray and fluttered about, pretending to be doing some sort of important chocolate work. Caspar strode towards him, his frown returning with a vengeance. “I think you owe an apology to my girl.”
The demon’s wings drooped a little as he peered sheepishly around the imposing Cylon to where Adia was awkwardly standing behind him. “Ah… yes, of course, I’m terribly sorry for assuming —“
“You should be, you could have ruined her reputation.” He leaned on the counter and pinned the shopkeep’s beady gaze with his own. “You of all people should understand that. Who wants to shop at a store that has the reputation of an owner who doesn’t mind his own business?”
Swallowing audibly, the demon folded his clawed hands together upon his portly stomach. “No, no, we wouldn’t want that,” he agreed quickly. “Perhaps a bit of compensation is in order?”
~*~
“There is no way I’m going to be able to eat all of this,” Adia commented as they left the store, already opening the large heart-shaped box of chocolate-covered strawberries. “Even if he hadn’t thrown in that extra half-dozen, this is way too much.”
Caspar gave her a smug smile, practically strutting alongside her. “I know.”
“But I’m not going to waste it, either. That means I’ll be sharing with my friends. I hope you’re okay with that.”
“I am,” he replied, wrapping an arm around her waist. So far as she could tell, he meant it. “As long as you get the first one.”
Picking out one of the strawberries by its stem, she brought it to her lips before grinning and offering it to her very surprised boyfriend instead. “Nope. You first.”
