Warnings and disclaimers in first part.
With his arms full, Trowa took a deep breath to calm his nerves before ringing the doorbell of Duo’s small house. He didn’t have to wait long for the door to open, the American giving him a baffled yet pleased smile, “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t feel like spending the evening alone on Valentine’s Day and hoped you would want some company. You said you didn’t have plans.” He allowed himself to think of something he had avoided contemplating as he added, “That hasn’t changed, has it? Have you made plans?”
Duo laughed as he stepped back, inviting Trowa into his home without words, “No, I haven’t made plans. I was actually thinking of calling you and asking if you wanted to…do something.” As Trowa moved past him, Duo took a deep inhale before closing the door, “Something in there smells really good,” he indicated the bags with a jerk of his chin. “Whatever it is, I hope you’re going to share. Missing lunch wasn’t a good idea.”
Setting the bags down on the kitchen counter that served as a table for the braided man, Trowa frowned, “I thought you were on lunch break when you came up to the office?”
Duo winced, “I was, but I spent more time with you than I really meant to. By the time I made it downstairs there wasn’t enough time left for food and a shower. I can deal with missing meals, but I had no intention of going the rest of the day with grimy, sweaty hair.”
“If it makes you feel better, I missed lunch, due to a last minute visit to the store that proved to be a wasted trip,” the tall man shrugged one shoulder, thinking of the rude man. “I’m certain the people shopping today were insane.”
“Yeah, I noticed the same thing on my way home when I stopped for drinks. One guy was shouting at the cashier because they were out of cards appropriate to give to his wife. I have a feeling he’ll be in the doghouse when he gets home.”
Chuckling at the observation, Trowa began to unload the bags, speaking to cover his nervousness. “I know you favor authentic Chinese restaurants, but you’ll have to settle for the Americanized version; everywhere else was packed and I wanted to hurry.”
“I like either, but when eating with Wufei it’s best to agree the real thing is better so you don’t have to argue during a meal. I’ll get some plates and chopsticks,” Duo offered as he moved to the other side of the counter.
“Do you have wine glasses?” Trowa pulled out the small cooler, opening it to remove the already chilled wine he had brought from his apartment. When two glasses were placed in front of him, he didn’t hesitate to pour some of the red liquid into each glass.
He did pause as Duo sampled the wine, making an appreciative sound in his throat, “That’s really good. What else have you got in there?” he stood on his toes to peek into the bags.
Smiling at the other man’s enthusiasm, the green-eyed man began to pull out several take out boxes, “There’s General Tso’s chicken, fried rice, lo mein, sweet and sour pork, chicken, and seafood, some pepper steak, eggdrop soup, wontons, and a number of vegetable and egg rolls.”
“Sheesh, Trowa, all of this must have cost a small fortune.”
Aware his face was turning red, Trowa shrugged as he pulled more from the bags, “I also brought these,” he said as he set candles in the middle of the food, already in holders. He wasn’t sure what to say when Duo wordlessly lit the candles, so he took the last item from the bag, “I know you’re fond of old horror movies, so I brought the Bride of Frankenstein. Maybe you would like to watch it with me after dinner?” Daring to look at his companion he saw that Duo was watching him closely, so shook his head, “That’s a stupid idea, isn’t it?”
“I think it’s a great idea,” the L2 native replied softly, eyes dropping to look at the food, the candles making a warm glow over the containers. “You’ve gone through a lot of work for a simple dinner, Trowa.”
Everything Trowa had planned to say was suddenly gone from his mind, the polished words evaporating from his memory. After a fortifying sip of wine, he chose to say what was in his heart, “You said Valentine’s Day is supposed to be about making an extra effort to show someone you really care, so that’s what I did. I wanted to do those traditional things to tell you how I feel, but nothing worked out the way I wanted it to.”
His eyes locked with Duo’s as the smaller man came around the counter, not stopping until they were close, “Is this your way of telling me you care about me?”
“I’m not good at this kind of thing, but yes, that’s what I’m trying to tell you. If you don’t care about me, I’ll leave now and we’ll pretend this never happened.”
Duo didn’t speak for a long moment, causing Trowa’s hopes and heart to fall. “There is something I wanted to give you for Valentine’s Day, but I didn’t know if you wanted it or not,” the long-haired man said finally, lips turned up in a shy smile Trowa was immediately fascinated by.
“I’d be happy for anything from you,” the tall man responded in a near whisper, fingers itching to touch the other man now that it seemed he had permission. “What did you want to give me?”
“It’s nothing much, just this,” Duo pulled Trowa down abruptly, sealing their mouths together in a kiss that had Trowa’s eyes falling shut without any command from him.
The smaller man broke the kiss far too soon, releasing Trowa as he looked up, clearly unsure how Trowa was going to react. Feeling much more at ease and in control, Trowa clasped Duo by the waist and tugged them back together, turning their bodies so Duo was braced against the counter. This time he initiated the kiss, taking his time where Duo had hurried, nibbling on pink lips before covering them fully.
When Duo responded instantly, Trowa deepened the kiss and moved his hands to the other man’s face, not allowing Duo to move away, not that he seemed inclined to move, but Trowa wasn’t taking any chances. As he broke the kiss, he smiled when discovering Duo was speechless for a long minute, “Does this mean you’re interested in being more than really close friends, Trowa?” the braided man finally asked in a soft tone.
The sensation of fingers caressing the back of his neck had the tall man sighing, tilting his head slightly as he regarded the other man, “This means I want to be a lot more than friends.”
“I only have one question. Does this food taste the same after being reheated?”
The inquiry threw Trowa off for a second and he frowned, “Pretty much the same, why?”
“Because I’d rather spend what’s left of Valentine’s Day with my lover instead of my would-be lover. Are you okay with that?”
In answer, Trowa blew out the candles and grabbed the glasses of wine, stepping back enough to allow Duo to move away from the counter. “Lead the way. I can wait longer to eat.”
THE
END
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