Master Apprentice
Archive
Valentines by Design
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Archive: MA only
Category: Angst, Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Quinn and Ian celebrate their way.
Series: Academic Arcadia -- 1) Wedding Gifts 2) A Symposium on Love 3) Dinner and a Movie 4) Please Call First 5) Masquerade 6) A Change of Clime 7) Christmas in Williamsburg 8) A Paduan New Year's Eve 9) Flux 10) Ki of Tranquility 11) A Rescindable Honor 12) An Honor Conferred 13) Outmaneuvered 14) Valentines by Design
Feedback: Is treasured at MerryAmelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
To Alex, my friend and beta
No going out to dinner, no dancing, no parties. No attendant public handholding or kisses.
Quinn and Ian were no longer part of the straight set, with which they'd aligned themselves as protective coloration for years, nor were the two members of the gay community, since they were deeply closeted to all but Ian's family and Bant.
'Twixt and 'tween for now, it was left to Ian and Quinn to build their own traditions, the stronger for their privacy. Disdaining flowers and chocolate, an empty mimicry of traditional romance, the men were determined to give the day a personal touch.
Jo and Keith had invited both sons with their mates to Valentine's dinner at a fancy restaurant. Quinn and Ian were delighted by their strong support. And if fellow patrons thought that they were brothers, Ian's family might have considered it a plus.
That, in fact, was what caused the young men to decline: it would be so easy to continue their earlier ways of fitting in without question. Now they were lucky enough to have supportive relatives to buffer them from the full cost of their decision to be together. It felt like taking advantage of their generosity, especially since Ian knew first-hand that Kathy and Monty's original plans had been to attend a couples-only Valentine's dance. And they were sure that the organizers did not have Ian and Quinn in mind as fellow guests.
Both men were thrilled at the practical love that poured from the Prentices, but felt instinctively that they had to maintain their independence separately and as a couple, and not allow themselves to be completely absorbed into the family.
Ian had experienced problems before in this regard: Keith had expected Ian to attend his alma mater, the Institut de Lettres Magnifique, but Ian had not wanted to use his father's clout to get into the elite ILM. Instead, he'd opted for a gymnastics scholarship at Jedai U.
Ian's strong desire to make it on his own merit was matched by Quinn's, one of the reasons for their bedrock compatibility. No wonder the men suited each other so well. By the time they'd met, Ian and Quinn had achieved success individually, lessening the external pressures on them.
This, their first Valentine's Day as a couple, should be an expression of potential fulfilled, the union of two powerful men into one cohesive force. The day would not be spent in the benevolent protectorship of Ian's family, nor on public display, but rather in one another's company, the way a holiday for lovers was meant to be celebrated.
Since Valentine's Day was on a Saturday this year, Quinn and Ian were able to sleep in. Ian fluttered an eye open around noon, to feel Quinn suckling his cheek.
"Mmmmm...delicious," Quinn said, voice low, then lower.
Ian turned his face so their lips would meet. After several kisses, delicate to demanding and back again, Ian said, "Happy Valentine's Day, love." He whispered in Quinn's ear, "Our first together."
"It's the only one I've ever shared, as well." Quinn's fingers squeezed Ian's waist, covering the fair skin there with warmth.
"Me too." Ian pressed his hands to Quinn's.
Quinn grinned delightedly. "Imagine that -- I'll try to make it as happy for you as I possibly can, lad." Quinn explored every millimeter of Ian's dimple with a pointed tongue.
"You're, ummhh, off to a good start." Ian's fingers began to tighten on his lover's spasmodically.
Coherence had left the room for the next couple of hours, but neither of them had any use for it anyway.
Amazingly enough, the envelopes hidden under each pillow made it mostly intact through those hours. Sheepishly, Quinn and Ian handed the slightly crumpled letters to one another, trying not to laugh at their condition. After all, the men themselves were even messier.
Their resolve failed when they opened them simultaneously and saw the identical contents: gift certificates for a local bookshop. The two clutched each other tightly, chortling into conveniently placed shoulders.
"I know where we're spending the afternoon," Ian said, beaming.
"Let's go right after we've cleaned up. We can eat there; it's only a few minutes' drive."
Their hunger for lunch and new books gave them ample incentive to head for the shower. Twenty minutes later, Quinn and Ian were sipping cappuccinos and munching on sandwiches in a little alcove by the classics section of the bookstore. Such tables, their white linen tablecloths brushing the floor, were dotted randomly throughout the shop to give patrons privacy. Pachebel's Canon ran softly in the background.
"You played that for me on our first date," Ian said, eyes shining.
Quinn shifted his knees so that they bracketed Ian's. "I remember everything about that night, lad."
"You couldn't have known this, but my first semester of teaching at Ken State was a difficult adjustment for me after grad school. I used to come home from classes, put on Pachebel, and relax with a decaf latte."
"Wish I'd been there to soothe you even further." Quinn's voice alone had always been able to do just that for Ian.
"You're making up for it," Ian whispered.
Quinn had long since perfected a series of looks just for Ian that only the two of them understood, as had Ian himself for Quinn. He graced Ian with one now, glad of their almost telepathic connection.
Aware of their precarious privacy, Quinn deliberately turned to matters quotidian to defuse the moment, and finished the panini. "Good ballast for shopping," he said, an avaricious gleam in his eye as he considered the rows of hardcovers near them.
Ian turned his own gleam in a different direction when he saw the barista restock the brownies. He and Quinn shared one still warm from the oven, then were ready to ogle books.
Quinn and Ian began their quest at the tables near the entrance, feasting their eyes on newly published works. Choosing a few that seemed interesting, they started to skim them, ensconced in upholstered chairs next to one another.
The men surfaced about two hours later, and walked over to the science fiction section, where there was a large selection of fresh genre books. They also checked out the music department, Ian quickly snatching up the last copy of the 30th anniversary edition of Ziggy Stardust.
The two bought some additional CDs, several novels apiece, including one by Ellen Kushner, and still had enough left on their certificates for future visits.
Ian and Quinn had decided to make a festive dinner for themselves, so the next stop was the supermarket. When they got home, it was already time to start cooking.
They jointly prepared a lovely meal, lingering over it until the candles had gone out. Sitting on the glass-enclosed terrace with the remainder of their cabernet, Quinn and Ian looked at the night sky.
"I thought we'd be up there by now," said Quinn, waving his hand at the starscape.
"You were born only a few years after the first moon landing. No wonder you had big ideas."
"I thought we'd at least have a manned mission to Mars by 2004, instead of those toyshop rovers."
Ian said, "You've been an amateur astronomer for a long time. Let's get a new telescope. Our balcony gives us the perfect vantage point to see most of the constellations." Even in the low light, Ian could see the fire appear in Quinn's eyes.
"Good idea, lad. They've got amazing mirrors these days."
Lethargic after dinner and wine, Ian and Quinn abbreviated their aikido session, then saw Valentine's Day out the way it had begun: with kisses in bed leading to so much more.
They'd had no dinner out, no dancing, no parties. No attendant public handholding or kisses.
Neither rued the lack of these ephemera, for Quinn and Ian had everything nonetheless.
End.