Valentine Surprise

by Merry Amelie

Title: Valentine Surprise
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Category: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series
Rating: PG
Summary: Working through Valentine's Day.

Series: Academic Arcadia -- # 170
A chronological list of the series with the URLs can be found under the header 'Academic Arcadia' at the Master Apprentice ML.

My MA story page is here.

Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com.
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.

For
My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol
Mali Wane for posting
My former betas: Alex, Ula, and Padawan Sue

2004 -- Valentines by Design
2005 -- Valentine's Day at the Gardens
2006 -- A Newlywed Valentine's Day
2007 -- Valentine's Morning
2008 -- Valentine's Night
2009 -- Valentine's Cruise (my favorite)
2010 -- Valentine Woods

To Inya

The sound of nine bells pealing at Luke Chapel seemed to brighten the lights in one little office in Taton Hall.

This year, Valentine's Day had fallen on a Monday, the worst possible day of the week for it. Quinn and Ian had been hard at work all day nonetheless, the holiday evoking no more than an occasional pleasant memory at the back of their minds.

Until Quinn heard the church bells ring.

He looked up from his red-scrawled exam with a smile, followed by an eloquent yawn and a truly massive stretch. His back was stiff from sitting too long, but it didn't dampen his high spirits. He had good reason to be cheerful. It was time for him to spring a little surprise on his lad.

"Back in a few," he said as he got up, leaving Ian to assume he was going to use the facilities. He left the door open to make his plan easier. Instead of walking to the men's room, he headed to the nearly empty parking lot, propping the outer door open with a rolled-up newspaper that was left beside it for just that purpose. Shovelled snow was still piled high on all sides of the lot, despite the recently moderating temperatures. Of course, even 40 degrees seemed like a gift in the nighttime after months in the deep freeze. He was in his shirtsleeves and could feel the cold air seeping in through the cotton as he opened the THX's trunk.

That morning, after a trip to the gas station, he'd set out for Rex's Diner and gotten a cooler-full of treats to celebrate the holiday, along with a conspiratorial wink from Rex. Quinn had known that their work would keep them from having a proper celebration today and wanted to make up for it in some small way.

He returned to the office with the cooler in his arms, delighted when Ian greeted him at the door with a grin. Good thing his Oxfords had made such a clatter in the hallway! He put the cooler down on a student chair, while Ian locked up with an authoritative thunk of the bolt. When he turned around, he suddenly found himself with an armful of grateful laddie.

"Oh, Quinn! Thank you!" Ian hugged him tight, then gazed at his mouth longingly.

On the spot, Quinn decided that his no-kissing-in-the-office rule would be suspended for this Valentine's Day. "Just remember where we are, lad," he said, knowing it would be all too easy to get carried away, especially since it had happened to him just a few years ago, on another workaday Valentine's Day.

His honest lad hesitated for a moment, his soft copper spikes resting on Quinn's shoulder. "It'll be hard," he sighed.

"Laddie!" Quinn teased, as if he thought Ian had said it on purpose, like one of his customary quips.

Ian chuckled when he realized what he'd done to evoke Quinn's mischievous reaction. "But I'm up to it," he added, his play on words intentional this time.

"Guess I owed you one," Quinn said philosophically, suppressing his groan. He waited for Ian's nod before bringing their lips together.

Ah, the kiss was all the better for being unexpected and slightly transgressive. Just as their celebration in the office would be. The flavor of love easily overpowered the coffee they'd shared earlier.

As soon as their lips had met, everything else faded. The whir of the heating unit, the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead, the creaks of an old building talking to itself -- all receded into inconsequence.

Hard plastic pressing into his leg eventually roused Quinn from bliss.

Ian had backed him into the cooler with one well-muscled thigh, so it was easier for him to cool off than usual. "Come see what I've brought," Quinn said. He reluctantly disentangled from Ian, even as he tousled his lad's hair. When he turned to check how much room he had on his desk for the food, the term 'disaster area' came to mind. He gave a snort, then added, "Looks like we'd best clear the decks first."

Ian's hearty laugh rang through the office, as clear as the bells which had roused Quinn earlier.

Together, they cleared off Quinn's desk, putting papers, laptop, books, lamp, and miscellaneous clutter on shelves and what was left of Ian's desktop. Quinn dragged Ian's chair next to his own, while Ian turned out the overhead lights, leaving only his desk lamp illuminating the room in a soft green glow.

Quinn hefted the cooler from the student chair to his desk and opened it with a flourish. Plastic tubs of spanakopita, fresh fruit, stuffed olives and grape leaves, feta cheese, and cucumber yogurt peeked out at them. There was even banana layer cake for dessert. And Quinn hadn't forgotten their beverages --vitamin water in several flavors.

Ian whistled. "And here I thought we'd be lucky to get something from the vending machine downstairs," he said, giving Quinn another hug. "Thank you!"

"My pleasure," said Quinn, and seeing the renewed sparkle in Ian's eyes just made his pleasure more intense.

They took out the tubs and spread them on the desk, until it looked like a buffet for two. Ian stacked the container tops in the cooler, so the leftovers could be neatly packed away after they were through. They grabbed plastic forks, then got styrofoam plates and filled them with delicacies. Each of them sat in his own desk chair, arms brushing as they ate. All thoughts of their work had clicked off like the lights, and they relaxed into date mode.

"These unexpected dates are always fantastic," said Ian. "I figured we'd be working until just about midnight, then go home and drop from exhaustion."

"Now what kind of Valentine's Day would that be?" Quinn chided with a gentle smile, his eyes crinkling in amusement.

Ian chuckled ruefully. "Not a very romantic one, but I hoped we'd make up for it later, when we finally got the chance."

"Didn't want to wait," Quinn said as he nuzzled into his husband's hair, which shone pure copper in the low light.

Ian purred in contentment. "Neither did I, but I thought we'd have to." His purr deepened when Quinn kissed his forehead. "Luckily, my maverick of a husband knows when to think outside the box, not to mention when to get take-out, so we can have a proper holiday now."

"Rex is a real life-saver," Quinn murmured into his herven's ear.

"Not just today, but think of all the times we've marked exams at our booth at 2 am," said Ian, remembering all of the bottomless cups of Rex's special blend of coffee that had fueled so many of their grading extravaganzas.

Quinn smiled into Ian's hair. "We've been spoiled the last couple of years, what with Valentine's Day falling on the weekend. Plenty of time then to celebrate properly."

"The only important thing is being together," Ian said earnestly, looking into tender blue eyes. "No need for cruises, fancy dinners, or secluded cabins for us to enjoy each other's company. All that stuff's just gravy."

"My ascetic lad," said Quinn, admiration resonating in his voice. He brushed an unruly strand away from Ian's eyes.

Ian grinned up at him. "Not really. I hate to admit it, but the office rules are really necessary. It's all too easy for me to get carried away."

"You're not the only one, laddie," Quinn admitted. "Don't forget that I was the one who got a little too frisky in here on Valentine's Day a few years back."

Ian said, "I don't think I'll ever forget that, even if I live to be a hundred." Their foreheads pressed together, just as they had then, while they relived that exhilarating moment and resisted the temptation to do it again.

Quinn's rumbling stomach broke the tableau, spurring Ian to action. He fed Quinn a slice of guava, licking an errant droplet of juice from the corner of his mouth. "Delicious," he said, leaving no doubt that he meant the combination of Quinn's skin and guava juice, especially when his tongue slid over the area again, eager to taste every last hint of that unique flavor.

Quinn picked up a raspberry and returned the favor, sliding it between Ian's already-juicy lips, then kissing Ian when he had stopped chewing. "Delicious is an understatement," he said with a wink.

They fed each other until they'd eaten most of the fruit and olives, then started eating off their own plates for practical reasons. After all, there was no easy way to feed one another feta cheese swimming in brine.

Ian saved his spanakopita triangles until just before dessert, since they were his favorite of all the delicacies. He actually liked them almost as much as Quinn liked his mini-hotdogs, though there wasn't much teasing to be done with them.

Luckily, they both had big appetites and still had room for the banana cake. Quinn made a mental note to thank Rex the next time he saw him, just as he lapped a bit of icing from the curve of Ian's top lip.

By the time they finished, the chapel bell had rung in ten o'clock. After a satisfied kiss, they began to clean up, with Ian volunteering to take the trash to the big bins beside the stairs, and Quinn heading to the men's bathroom to rinse out the recyclable bottles. He dumped them in the blue container next to the bins, then went back to the restroom for wet paper towels. While he was there, Ian came in to wash up.

Although it was tempting to continue their celebration in the deserted bathroom, especially with unlimited access to water and towels, good sense prevailed, and they left together after nothing more than a shared smile. Little did they realize they'd just had a close call -- the cleaning crew was due to come in less than ten minutes after they had walked out the door.

When they'd ambled back to the office, Ian helped Quinn put the leftovers in the cooler. As soon as he closed the lid, Quinn lifted the much-lighter cooler and set it back on the student chair. He threw a handful of towels to Ian, and they cleaned the big desk from opposite ends, taking advantage of this unusual situation, when it was completely free of clutter. Their hands met in the middle, and Quinn couldn't resist petting Ian's damp fingers with his huge paw. He then took the toweling from a very pliant lad.

They replaced the stuff they'd taken off the desk earlier, trying for some semblance of order. Quinn also put their chairs in their proper positions, albeit with some reluctance, then sat in his own. He knew they'd have to get back to work fairly soon. Luckily for them both, however, Ian was an inventive lad with a quicksilver imagination.

He gave Quinn a sultry look and decided to take the initiative this time. He went over to turn on the radio, clicking through the stations quickly. He stopped when he heard 'Nights in White Satin' by The Moody Blues, one of their favorites, and held out his hand. "May I have this dance?" he asked, even as his own eyes danced in anticipation.

Quinn smiled up at his husband. "So it's dinner and dancing, after all?" he teased as Ian pulled him up. He took the pen out of his pocket and threw it on the desk, so it wouldn't press against Ian's chin while they danced.

"How could I resist?" Ian said jauntily. With that, he led them in a dance between their desks, the carpet dampening the sound of their soles, in the unlikely event someone was still in the office beneath them. He sang softly, an impromptu duet with Justin Hayward, the rich melody mellowing the very air around them.

They relaxed into each other's arms, pleasantly rumpled and more than a bit drowsy. But after a few box-steps, their dancing perked them up a bit; the exercise after hours of inactivity was just what they needed. Not only was it healthy, but it would help them later on, when they got back to work.

Ian murmured, "This is even better than a cruise -- we don't have to share the dance floor with anyone else."

"And we don't have to dry-clean our tuxes," said Quinn, playing along with him.

"And we don't even have to wait until we get back to our cabin to kiss," Ian said, enjoying their improvised game of 'Can you top this?'.

Quinn knew a hint when he heard one and took advantage of being wrapped around Ian. He kissed him, just as "and I love you" soared through the room.

Ian said breathily, "This has turned out to be one of my favorite Valentine's Days after all, even though it's a workday, and a Monday at that."

Quinn beamed at him. "I'm so glad to hear it, laddie mine."

They shared a lingering kiss, then went back to work with renewed vigor. Valentine Monday still had about an hour and a half left to go, and they wanted to make every moment count.