Permanent -- PG-13
For all the kids out there like me who are sitting home, drinking jasmine tea, watching Food Network, writing Cookleta and remaining more or less disenchanted by Valentine's Day... At least let Cookleta enjoy it, will you?? <3 <3
[title] Permanent
[author] fieryrogue
[pairing] Cookleta
[beta] Nope.
[rating] PG-13 (language)
[word count] 1949
[summary] It's a special day for Cookleta.
[disclaimer] Surely, I have nothing to do with either of these fine young men, no matter how much I wish I did.
[warnings] Don't be deceived by the title (in a Cook song title sort of way), it's squashy, squashy, squishy hearts and rainbows. :D
[author's notes] I'm going to pretend it was written for david_squared's Challenge #21, Prompt #5, but really only because it happens to work. I really just sort of... wrote it today. :D
PERMANENT
He took a deep breath. Two hands on the corners of the glass case, an army of choices before him. Glinting diamonds. Sleek onyx. Yellow gold, white gold, Black Hills gold. It seemed endless. He didn't think it would be so difficult. Maybe this was a bad idea.
"Can I help you, sir?"
David looked up at the jeweler who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Er, yeah. I'm uh, looking for... I'm not really sure what."
The man sighed. He really didn't seem that interested. It was the end of the day and he probably wanted to get home. Who wants to be a jeweler working on Valentine's Day, anyway, when he probably has some extravagant white gold, diamond-encrusted Croton watch for his beautiful wife burning a hole in his pocket until he gets home that night and can give it to her, guaranteeing him at least one night of amazing sex? No one, that's who.
"Well, a ring, I'm pretty sure."
"Have you decided on a basic style? Type of gold?"
David bit his lip. No, he hadn't, but he didn't really want to say that. He sort of groaned indecisively.
"Well, over here we have more ladies rings to look at, if that would help."
David's brow furrowed. "It wouldn't, actually."
The jeweler seemed perplexed by this answer. "I see."
David doubted he did see and thus had to make the awkward point: "I need a man's ring."
The jeweler was clearly someone who could not hide his uncomfortableness with what that meant. "Oh," he said tersely.
Great, David thought. This is totally making it easier.
"Well then, you've got what you need there in front of you," the jeweler said in a way that made David think he was going to walk out and leave him there.
Why. Why I gotta get the ignorant prick, huh? Like this isn't hard enough.
"Platinum, I think," David said, seeing a row of wonderful candidates and trying to ignore his unhelpful salesperson. He leaned his elbows on the glass now, knowing full well that he shouldn't because display cases weren't made to withstand weight from above. He didn't really care, however, seeing as this had already been probably the worst shopping experience he'd ever had and he should have been walking out of the store. It was late though, and he was expected back home any time now. "Can I see these?" He pointed at the section of platinum rings.
With a bit of reluctance, the jeweler complied, shoving the case towards David as if he thought that if he were still touching it when David was that he might just catch something from him. David chewed on his lip to keep from saying something he would regret. Asshole.
One ring jumped out at him. Simple, but stylish. Basic band, no frills on the edges, with a black onyx stripe down the middle, itself bordered by the thinnest of gold trim. He pushed it onto the end of his index finger to examine it. It looked amazing and he was instantly in love with it. He peeked at the price tag. His eyes widened in shock, but then thought about that boy back at home and how amazing it would look on his hand and... quickly reasoned it was worth it to see his radiant smile, to see it on his hand every day and just the fact that it was so fantastically sexy and classy.
"I'll take this one," he said, not even considering looking at any others.
"Excellent choice, sir." Stephan Hawking might as well have been saying it, for all the tonality that was lacking from the jeweler's voice. He carefully removed it from David's hand and began rummaging for a box.
"Will you be needing any sizing or engraving?"
Shit. Engraving? He hadn't even thought about that. That would have been perfect.
"I need it tonight," David replied, the tone in his voice now missing. There must have been some sort of vacuum of spirit in this jewelery store, David thought.
"Very well, sir. Will there be anything else?""
I fucking hope not, David thought.
"No, thank you, that's all."
The drive home was filled with more and more anxiety with every mile that passed. He didn't know why, he and the boy had been living together in Kansas City for about three months now. His life wasn't really going to change after tonight. At least, he hoped not.
"Aw, damn it, I forgot flowers."
At least, he thought he should get flowers. Do you get flowers for a man? Thinking of the man in question, the answer was obvious: Of course, dummy. David pulled up to a corner flower stand that was still open for this very purpose.
"Good evening, sir," the flower vendor greeted him. "We're getting low, but I'm sure there's something here that's perfect for you."
Talk about a change in customer service, David mused.
He didn't really want to take the time to find whatever might be "perfect". He needed to get home. He needed to get back, get on with what he wanted to do and then make passionate love to his boyfriend. Each second before that time was just an agonizing waste of time.
"These are fine," he said, grabbing the first decent sized bunch.
"Excellent, excellent," the flower vendor said happily. "Any lady would be foolish not to love those."
David didn't even want to bother correcting him. What was the point? He had, however, noticed how much people assumed about you ever since he'd started this relationship. Damn, I hope I never did that to anyone.
Finally, he was back home. Across the parking garage, through the lobby, up the elevator, fumbling for the key. He hardly noticed any of it -- his heart was racing.
The apartment smelled richly of savory spices, herbs... chicken, perhaps? Overlapping it was the distinctive smell of vanilla candles and cinnamon.
"Hey, welcome home."
"Hey, you. You're cooking?"
"Well, um... I ordered it in."
Cook chuckled. "Damn, Archie, I'd've thought your mom would have made sure you knew your way around a kitchen."
"I'm still learning," Archie answered. "Are those for me?"
"Actually, they're apparently for some lady I didn't know I was even dating, but..."
Archie looked perplexed. "What?"
Cook snorted a laugh. "Nevermind. I'll... I'll tell you later." He moved to Archie, pulled him up in his free arm, and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
"I, uh, I have something for you," Archie said, moving out of Cook's grasp to the living room where there was a small package wrapped in silver paper sitting on the coffee table.
Cook followed him and put the flowers down on the table. "Is it gifts first, then eating?" he joked. "I thought it went the other way, just before the impassioned sex."
Archie looked horrified. "Is it? I mean, I don't really know how... how it goes."
Cook laughed the way he always did when Archie's naïveté shone through. "Right. 'Cause we're so traditional."
Color and a smile came back to Archie's face. He picked up the box and handed it to Cook. It was too pretty to tear. Besides the silver paper, it was tied up in silver ribbon with whispy translucent doodads poking out in every whichway.
"Well, go on," Archie prompted nervously.
Cook picked at the tape carefully, though unsuccessfully. Damn those chewed fingernails.
"Just tear it!" Archie laughed.
"All right, all right." The paper dropped to the floor, revealing a long skinny jewelry box. Cook lifted the lid and gasped at the treasure within it.
"Oh my God," he whispered. "It's amazing."
An ID-style bracelet with a wide tag and thick chain lay glowing in the box. "DAVID" had been etched into its surface and two faintly blue stones were set in it, one on either end of the name.
"Blue topaz," Archie said as Cook poked a finger at it as if it would bite him. "One for me and one for you."
"Our birthstones," Cook whispered. "Oh my God, Archie, this is like, the most astounding thing anyone has ever given me ever."
"Tell me how you really feel," Archie joked, for once having the upper hand in the comedy department. Cook cracked up. "You never cease to amaze me," he said.
"Here, I'll put it on you," Archie offered. Cook waited patiently as Archie struggled with the clasp, making a face like a monkey trying to do a math problem. He finally got it attached and Cook held it up in the light to see it sparkle. "It's just unbelievable," he said.
"Oh, shoot," Archie said suddenly. "I forgot something. I should have given it first." He whisked away into the kitchen and returned with a small Tupperware container. "I did make these," he said.
Cook took the container and pried off the lid. Small, light-colored cookies with a crackled cinnamon surface lay in rows wrapped lightly in wax paper.
"Snickerdoodles," Archie said proudly and grinning goofily. "For my Snickerdoodle. Get it, 'cause they're cookies? Cook... cookies."
Again, Cook chuckled. "God, you're adorable," he said, "how would I live without you?" He unearthed one of the cookies and shoved it in his mouth whole.
"Ngggh, thath's good, Arthie," he said, mouth still full of cookie. "Damn." Unable to resist, he shoved another one in his mouth before closing the lid on the rest of them.
"Do you want to eat now?" Archie asked, positively glowing at his successful gifts.
Cook had nearly forgotten about everything else. Not only dinner, but giving his gift to Archie as well.
"Let's do my gift first," he said. Get this over with, he added in his head. It wasn't that he was dreading it -- no, it was quite the opposite. Rather, it was just absolutely nerve-wrecking, was all.
"You got me something?" Archie said, genuinely surprised. "What'd you do that for?"
Cook looked at him amazed. "Archie, look what you just gave me."
"Well, yeah, but--"
That was his Archie. Always generous, always selfless, never expectant. Cook shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the unwrapped ring box, keeping it completely covered by his hand until the very last second.
Archie's eyes went the size of dinner plates as he took the small box into his hands.
"What the--??"
"Open it."
An expression that Cook imagined matched the one he had had earlier when opening Archie's gift filled his lover's face. He had stopped breathing.
"David James Archuleta," Cook said, lowering his voice and drawing closer. "Will you stay with me, all my life, even when I'm sick and want you to stay home and feed me chicken soup and watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off with me five times in a row, and share the adventures of life with me, even when I'm being a total asshole or I steal the remote or wake you up to have sex with me at three in the morning, and especially in ten years when I'm a washed up has-been who is desperately trying to hang on to his career but is making Viagra commercials instead?"
Archie couldn't help but giggle. A smile so big that his face could hardly contain it beamed up at Cook as he answered, "... I will."
"Well then," Cook said, his heart soaring out of his chest as he pulled the ring out of the box, grabbed Archie's hand and slipped it onto his left ring finger (which sort of fit), "by the power vested in me by the state of Missouri -- or possibly Kansas because I still get confused by that -- I declare us... permanent."
[title] Permanent
[author] fieryrogue
[pairing] Cookleta
[beta] Nope.
[rating] PG-13 (language)
[word count] 1949
[summary] It's a special day for Cookleta.
[disclaimer] Surely, I have nothing to do with either of these fine young men, no matter how much I wish I did.
[warnings] Don't be deceived by the title (in a Cook song title sort of way), it's squashy, squashy, squishy hearts and rainbows. :D
[author's notes] I'm going to pretend it was written for david_squared's Challenge #21, Prompt #5, but really only because it happens to work. I really just sort of... wrote it today. :D
PERMANENT
He took a deep breath. Two hands on the corners of the glass case, an army of choices before him. Glinting diamonds. Sleek onyx. Yellow gold, white gold, Black Hills gold. It seemed endless. He didn't think it would be so difficult. Maybe this was a bad idea.
"Can I help you, sir?"
David looked up at the jeweler who had appeared, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Er, yeah. I'm uh, looking for... I'm not really sure what."
The man sighed. He really didn't seem that interested. It was the end of the day and he probably wanted to get home. Who wants to be a jeweler working on Valentine's Day, anyway, when he probably has some extravagant white gold, diamond-encrusted Croton watch for his beautiful wife burning a hole in his pocket until he gets home that night and can give it to her, guaranteeing him at least one night of amazing sex? No one, that's who.
"Well, a ring, I'm pretty sure."
"Have you decided on a basic style? Type of gold?"
David bit his lip. No, he hadn't, but he didn't really want to say that. He sort of groaned indecisively.
"Well, over here we have more ladies rings to look at, if that would help."
David's brow furrowed. "It wouldn't, actually."
The jeweler seemed perplexed by this answer. "I see."
David doubted he did see and thus had to make the awkward point: "I need a man's ring."
The jeweler was clearly someone who could not hide his uncomfortableness with what that meant. "Oh," he said tersely.
Great, David thought. This is totally making it easier.
"Well then, you've got what you need there in front of you," the jeweler said in a way that made David think he was going to walk out and leave him there.
Why. Why I gotta get the ignorant prick, huh? Like this isn't hard enough.
"Platinum, I think," David said, seeing a row of wonderful candidates and trying to ignore his unhelpful salesperson. He leaned his elbows on the glass now, knowing full well that he shouldn't because display cases weren't made to withstand weight from above. He didn't really care, however, seeing as this had already been probably the worst shopping experience he'd ever had and he should have been walking out of the store. It was late though, and he was expected back home any time now. "Can I see these?" He pointed at the section of platinum rings.
With a bit of reluctance, the jeweler complied, shoving the case towards David as if he thought that if he were still touching it when David was that he might just catch something from him. David chewed on his lip to keep from saying something he would regret. Asshole.
One ring jumped out at him. Simple, but stylish. Basic band, no frills on the edges, with a black onyx stripe down the middle, itself bordered by the thinnest of gold trim. He pushed it onto the end of his index finger to examine it. It looked amazing and he was instantly in love with it. He peeked at the price tag. His eyes widened in shock, but then thought about that boy back at home and how amazing it would look on his hand and... quickly reasoned it was worth it to see his radiant smile, to see it on his hand every day and just the fact that it was so fantastically sexy and classy.
"I'll take this one," he said, not even considering looking at any others.
"Excellent choice, sir." Stephan Hawking might as well have been saying it, for all the tonality that was lacking from the jeweler's voice. He carefully removed it from David's hand and began rummaging for a box.
"Will you be needing any sizing or engraving?"
Shit. Engraving? He hadn't even thought about that. That would have been perfect.
"I need it tonight," David replied, the tone in his voice now missing. There must have been some sort of vacuum of spirit in this jewelery store, David thought.
"Very well, sir. Will there be anything else?""
I fucking hope not, David thought.
"No, thank you, that's all."
The drive home was filled with more and more anxiety with every mile that passed. He didn't know why, he and the boy had been living together in Kansas City for about three months now. His life wasn't really going to change after tonight. At least, he hoped not.
"Aw, damn it, I forgot flowers."
At least, he thought he should get flowers. Do you get flowers for a man? Thinking of the man in question, the answer was obvious: Of course, dummy. David pulled up to a corner flower stand that was still open for this very purpose.
"Good evening, sir," the flower vendor greeted him. "We're getting low, but I'm sure there's something here that's perfect for you."
Talk about a change in customer service, David mused.
He didn't really want to take the time to find whatever might be "perfect". He needed to get home. He needed to get back, get on with what he wanted to do and then make passionate love to his boyfriend. Each second before that time was just an agonizing waste of time.
"These are fine," he said, grabbing the first decent sized bunch.
"Excellent, excellent," the flower vendor said happily. "Any lady would be foolish not to love those."
David didn't even want to bother correcting him. What was the point? He had, however, noticed how much people assumed about you ever since he'd started this relationship. Damn, I hope I never did that to anyone.
Finally, he was back home. Across the parking garage, through the lobby, up the elevator, fumbling for the key. He hardly noticed any of it -- his heart was racing.
The apartment smelled richly of savory spices, herbs... chicken, perhaps? Overlapping it was the distinctive smell of vanilla candles and cinnamon.
"Hey, welcome home."
"Hey, you. You're cooking?"
"Well, um... I ordered it in."
Cook chuckled. "Damn, Archie, I'd've thought your mom would have made sure you knew your way around a kitchen."
"I'm still learning," Archie answered. "Are those for me?"
"Actually, they're apparently for some lady I didn't know I was even dating, but..."
Archie looked perplexed. "What?"
Cook snorted a laugh. "Nevermind. I'll... I'll tell you later." He moved to Archie, pulled him up in his free arm, and kissed him lightly on the forehead.
"I, uh, I have something for you," Archie said, moving out of Cook's grasp to the living room where there was a small package wrapped in silver paper sitting on the coffee table.
Cook followed him and put the flowers down on the table. "Is it gifts first, then eating?" he joked. "I thought it went the other way, just before the impassioned sex."
Archie looked horrified. "Is it? I mean, I don't really know how... how it goes."
Cook laughed the way he always did when Archie's naïveté shone through. "Right. 'Cause we're so traditional."
Color and a smile came back to Archie's face. He picked up the box and handed it to Cook. It was too pretty to tear. Besides the silver paper, it was tied up in silver ribbon with whispy translucent doodads poking out in every whichway.
"Well, go on," Archie prompted nervously.
Cook picked at the tape carefully, though unsuccessfully. Damn those chewed fingernails.
"Just tear it!" Archie laughed.
"All right, all right." The paper dropped to the floor, revealing a long skinny jewelry box. Cook lifted the lid and gasped at the treasure within it.
"Oh my God," he whispered. "It's amazing."
An ID-style bracelet with a wide tag and thick chain lay glowing in the box. "DAVID" had been etched into its surface and two faintly blue stones were set in it, one on either end of the name.
"Blue topaz," Archie said as Cook poked a finger at it as if it would bite him. "One for me and one for you."
"Our birthstones," Cook whispered. "Oh my God, Archie, this is like, the most astounding thing anyone has ever given me ever."
"Tell me how you really feel," Archie joked, for once having the upper hand in the comedy department. Cook cracked up. "You never cease to amaze me," he said.
"Here, I'll put it on you," Archie offered. Cook waited patiently as Archie struggled with the clasp, making a face like a monkey trying to do a math problem. He finally got it attached and Cook held it up in the light to see it sparkle. "It's just unbelievable," he said.
"Oh, shoot," Archie said suddenly. "I forgot something. I should have given it first." He whisked away into the kitchen and returned with a small Tupperware container. "I did make these," he said.
Cook took the container and pried off the lid. Small, light-colored cookies with a crackled cinnamon surface lay in rows wrapped lightly in wax paper.
"Snickerdoodles," Archie said proudly and grinning goofily. "For my Snickerdoodle. Get it, 'cause they're cookies? Cook... cookies."
Again, Cook chuckled. "God, you're adorable," he said, "how would I live without you?" He unearthed one of the cookies and shoved it in his mouth whole.
"Ngggh, thath's good, Arthie," he said, mouth still full of cookie. "Damn." Unable to resist, he shoved another one in his mouth before closing the lid on the rest of them.
"Do you want to eat now?" Archie asked, positively glowing at his successful gifts.
Cook had nearly forgotten about everything else. Not only dinner, but giving his gift to Archie as well.
"Let's do my gift first," he said. Get this over with, he added in his head. It wasn't that he was dreading it -- no, it was quite the opposite. Rather, it was just absolutely nerve-wrecking, was all.
"You got me something?" Archie said, genuinely surprised. "What'd you do that for?"
Cook looked at him amazed. "Archie, look what you just gave me."
"Well, yeah, but--"
That was his Archie. Always generous, always selfless, never expectant. Cook shoved his hand into his pocket and pulled out the unwrapped ring box, keeping it completely covered by his hand until the very last second.
Archie's eyes went the size of dinner plates as he took the small box into his hands.
"What the--??"
"Open it."
An expression that Cook imagined matched the one he had had earlier when opening Archie's gift filled his lover's face. He had stopped breathing.
"David James Archuleta," Cook said, lowering his voice and drawing closer. "Will you stay with me, all my life, even when I'm sick and want you to stay home and feed me chicken soup and watch Ferris Bueller's Day Off with me five times in a row, and share the adventures of life with me, even when I'm being a total asshole or I steal the remote or wake you up to have sex with me at three in the morning, and especially in ten years when I'm a washed up has-been who is desperately trying to hang on to his career but is making Viagra commercials instead?"
Archie couldn't help but giggle. A smile so big that his face could hardly contain it beamed up at Cook as he answered, "... I will."
"Well then," Cook said, his heart soaring out of his chest as he pulled the ring out of the box, grabbed Archie's hand and slipped it onto his left ring finger (which sort of fit), "by the power vested in me by the state of Missouri -- or possibly Kansas because I still get confused by that -- I declare us... permanent."