GW Fic: Beer, Nachos and Anime 1/1
Title:Beer, Nachos and Anime
Notes: 2+5, strictly in platonic fashion, reflective and humour, G, unbeta'd
Wu Fei's take on the feast of St. Valentine.
~*~
It was a Saturday and for a change I wasn't at work. I decided to make use of this time and restock my depleting pantry and freezer, get that replacement shelf Trowa managed to break when he house-sat for me (I didn't even dare ask how) and I noticed I could do with some new socks too.
I could not honestly remember the last time I had the opportunity to do something as mundane as shopping. Maybe it was my last day off, no less than ten weeks ago. I was surprised to find that I managed to last this long. Having said that I had some friends who were kind enough to feed me on occasion.
Arriving in town I noticed that there was an inordinate amount of pink on the streets. Checking my watch I noted the date and groaned - 14th February. Of all the fifty-two Saturdays in the year, I had to have this one off.
The feast of St. Valentine was once a revered day to celebrate the martyrdom of Valentine. Duo once told me the story of the saint - of how he had bravely defied his emperor to save the lives of his fellow Catholics and was beheaded for his efforts. Most of whom he had tried to help was young men and women in love. And perhaps that was how he had become the patron saint of lovers.
Centuries later, humanity continued to exploit this holy day for monetary and personal gains. Women, the more gullible gender of our species when it came to the artificial romantic gestures only apparent on this day, no doubt felt the need to keep this sacrilegious tradition alive. Although, men could probably be faulted for not meeting the romantic requirements of the female of our species, driving them to resort to using underhanded tactics like Valentine's Day.
Each window shop was dressed in gaudy pink and lurid crimson in a variety of hearts, teddy bears, balloons and ridiculous slogans promising eternal love if you buy their merchandise. Highway robbery seemed commonplace with the many flower shops and vendors that dotted all over the town. Young men rushing around like headless chickens were buying every last rose in sight and every available heart-shaped box of chocolate, no doubt they had forgotten about today.
I sighed with consternation as I wove my way around the flower vendors that were trying to get me to buy their wares. If one more person shoved another rose in my face, they were going to have that stalk returned to them in a place where the sun didn't shine.
This was ridiculous. Why do people fall over themselves just for one stupid day? If romance was indeed important to a relationship, why reserved it only for this so called 'special day'? How special could it be when every other person has staked a claimed to it?
I stopped mowing my way through the frantic valentine-buying crowd and pondered. With thoughts like that, it was no surprise that my friends thought I was a cynical sod.
It didn't bother me if they did not think I had a single ounce of romance in me. After all, such gestures should be reserved for someone deserving. At this point in time, I have yet to find such a person. And even if I did have that someone, I certainly won't be expressing it wantonly on this hallowed-turned-materialistic feast. I would defy this day, even on principle alone if nothing else.
I shrugged to myself and continued my way. The sooner I got out of the pink, the better.
A few hours later, the pantry and freezer were stocked to the brim, the shelf was fixed and my sock drawer was burgeoning with brand new, un-holey socks. I settled down to catch up on some reading when the doorbell interrupted me.
Not expecting visitors, I had every intention to pretend I wasn't home. The doorbell rang again followed by a rhythmic knock of 'a shave and a hair cut, ten pence' and I knew it was Duo. I also knew that he would know I was home and he wouldn't give up. I gave him credit for tenacity if nothing else.
"I thought you might need some company," he said, walking into my apartment as soon as the door swung open. His backpack looked suspiciously full.
"What made you think that?"
"Because of all the icky lovey dovey people out there making mushy faces with each other," he replied with a childlike voice and an exaggerated grimace.
"Again, I say 'what'?"
"Don't you find it depressing to be alone on Valentine's Day?" he asked as he sprawled himself upon my couch.
"Valentine's Day is just like any other day as far as I am concerned," I replied in an even voice. "Being alone is routine to me."
"You were too busy shoving a stick up your ass when they were dishing out the romance, weren't you?"
"You were the one who told me that humanity have desecrated a religious feast for the selfish purpose of profit. If there's one to blame for my indifference about this day, it is you."
"Okay, if I take the blame will you stop being such a kill-joy and have fun with me today?"
"It would depend on your definition of fun."
"I brought beer, nachos and anime." He looked at me with his patented puppy eyed expression.
I couldn't help but laugh. Trust Duo to bring out the best, and worst, in me. "Don't hog the couch then."
Dusk had long darkened the horizon when we finished watching the movies; all the nachos were gone and we were down to our last few bottles of beer. We sat contentedly to watch the last to the credits roll out on the screen when my stomach growled.
"You cannot still be hungry." Duo smirked at me
"How can I not be when you ate all the nachos?"
"You said you didn't want any," he cried.
"I said I'd have some later," I parried.
"It's now or never, dude!" He cackled.
"Don't call me dude." I punched him in the arm lightly. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Why don't we go somewhere for dinner?"
"On Valentine night without reservations?" I raised a sceptical eyebrow at him.
"Hmm, good point."
"I've got a freezer full of ready meals, come and pick one."
We decided on the pizza in the end. Well, it was the simplest to cook and it was too large for me to finish on my own, so it was a good choice. While scarfing down our pizza, Duo flipped through the Sky channels to see if there was anything other than the mushy romance drama that was the staple of Valentine's Day. Fortunately we did find some classic sci-fi flicks, undoubtedly aired exclusively for single bachelors with no dates or plans. Perfect for us.
Duo spent the next hour or so explaining the intricacies of the quantum physics theories the show had, anything from wormholes, sub-space anomalies and anti-matter containments. Personally, I didn't see the fascination in those shows but Duo was enjoying himself and it was better than watching women swoon over Mr. Darcy in the latest rendition of Pride and Prejudice.
When the clock struck twelve, Duo turned to look at me with an impish smirk. "Well, we made it! The heretic day is over and we don't have to face it again till next year!"
"Next year, I'll be at work." I said resolutely.
Duo laughed. "It wasn't too bad, was it?"
I offered him a grateful smile. "No, it wasn't at all. You made all the difference."
"Do you remember me telling you about the origins of the feast of Valentines?"
"Of course."
"Then you remember that his love was not for his lover, it was for his family and friends. That's what it was originally all about."
"Indeed. Perhaps together we can eliminate the misconception of the feast and re-educate the world of the true meaning of Valentine."
"Yeah, trust you to want to change the world again. You've already done it twice!" He chuckled.
"We, Duo," I corrected him; "We changed the world together. We've done it before, we can do it again."
"So are we doing this ourselves or are we inviting the others?" I knew he was mocking me, but I indulged him anyway.
"Are you kidding? Trowa and Quatre are probably chest deep in roses, chocolates and teddy bears, it'll take a search and rescue team three days to find them." I rolled my eyes. There was no denying that Quatre was the soppiest romantic in existence, closely followed by Trowa. "As for Heero, he might come in handy. If all else fails we'll have him intimidate them into supplication."
"I was wrong about your sense of humour, Fei!" He howled with laughter. "Oh, man! You're something else!"
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." I replied loftily.
"You should." He grinned at me. "Although, I think I'd rather keep this to ourselves."
I returned his brilliant smile. "That sounds like a good plan. Instead of waiting a whole year, what do you say we do this the next day you and I have been let out of the slave pens?"
"That sounds like an even better plan!" Duo replied then stood and unfurled himself like a feline. "It's getting late. I'd better be going."
"Sure, I'll let you know when I've got the next day off."
"I'll see you in six months then?" he cheekily said as he opened the front door.
I pinned him with a look of consternation, eliciting another chuckle from him. "Good night, Duo."
"Nighty, night, Fei."
Perhaps I had been too harsh about Valentine's Day. The corporate merchants may promote the notion of gifts equal love and the restaurateurs may encourage the idea that good food and amorous ambience equal romance, but not all of humanity are so easily led to these well-laid traps.
Although, Duo and I spent the day together, we were by no means doing any of the 'the icky lovey dovey people out there making mushy faces with each other'. That did not mean we weren't doing things that we both could be comfortable doing to show our affection and friendship for one another.
Perhaps that is what Valentine's Day is truly about - the expression of our compassion and empathy, on every possible level, to a fellow human.
~Fin~
Notes: 2+5, strictly in platonic fashion, reflective and humour, G, unbeta'd
Wu Fei's take on the feast of St. Valentine.
~*~
It was a Saturday and for a change I wasn't at work. I decided to make use of this time and restock my depleting pantry and freezer, get that replacement shelf Trowa managed to break when he house-sat for me (I didn't even dare ask how) and I noticed I could do with some new socks too.
I could not honestly remember the last time I had the opportunity to do something as mundane as shopping. Maybe it was my last day off, no less than ten weeks ago. I was surprised to find that I managed to last this long. Having said that I had some friends who were kind enough to feed me on occasion.
Arriving in town I noticed that there was an inordinate amount of pink on the streets. Checking my watch I noted the date and groaned - 14th February. Of all the fifty-two Saturdays in the year, I had to have this one off.
The feast of St. Valentine was once a revered day to celebrate the martyrdom of Valentine. Duo once told me the story of the saint - of how he had bravely defied his emperor to save the lives of his fellow Catholics and was beheaded for his efforts. Most of whom he had tried to help was young men and women in love. And perhaps that was how he had become the patron saint of lovers.
Centuries later, humanity continued to exploit this holy day for monetary and personal gains. Women, the more gullible gender of our species when it came to the artificial romantic gestures only apparent on this day, no doubt felt the need to keep this sacrilegious tradition alive. Although, men could probably be faulted for not meeting the romantic requirements of the female of our species, driving them to resort to using underhanded tactics like Valentine's Day.
Each window shop was dressed in gaudy pink and lurid crimson in a variety of hearts, teddy bears, balloons and ridiculous slogans promising eternal love if you buy their merchandise. Highway robbery seemed commonplace with the many flower shops and vendors that dotted all over the town. Young men rushing around like headless chickens were buying every last rose in sight and every available heart-shaped box of chocolate, no doubt they had forgotten about today.
I sighed with consternation as I wove my way around the flower vendors that were trying to get me to buy their wares. If one more person shoved another rose in my face, they were going to have that stalk returned to them in a place where the sun didn't shine.
This was ridiculous. Why do people fall over themselves just for one stupid day? If romance was indeed important to a relationship, why reserved it only for this so called 'special day'? How special could it be when every other person has staked a claimed to it?
I stopped mowing my way through the frantic valentine-buying crowd and pondered. With thoughts like that, it was no surprise that my friends thought I was a cynical sod.
It didn't bother me if they did not think I had a single ounce of romance in me. After all, such gestures should be reserved for someone deserving. At this point in time, I have yet to find such a person. And even if I did have that someone, I certainly won't be expressing it wantonly on this hallowed-turned-materialistic feast. I would defy this day, even on principle alone if nothing else.
I shrugged to myself and continued my way. The sooner I got out of the pink, the better.
A few hours later, the pantry and freezer were stocked to the brim, the shelf was fixed and my sock drawer was burgeoning with brand new, un-holey socks. I settled down to catch up on some reading when the doorbell interrupted me.
Not expecting visitors, I had every intention to pretend I wasn't home. The doorbell rang again followed by a rhythmic knock of 'a shave and a hair cut, ten pence' and I knew it was Duo. I also knew that he would know I was home and he wouldn't give up. I gave him credit for tenacity if nothing else.
"I thought you might need some company," he said, walking into my apartment as soon as the door swung open. His backpack looked suspiciously full.
"What made you think that?"
"Because of all the icky lovey dovey people out there making mushy faces with each other," he replied with a childlike voice and an exaggerated grimace.
"Again, I say 'what'?"
"Don't you find it depressing to be alone on Valentine's Day?" he asked as he sprawled himself upon my couch.
"Valentine's Day is just like any other day as far as I am concerned," I replied in an even voice. "Being alone is routine to me."
"You were too busy shoving a stick up your ass when they were dishing out the romance, weren't you?"
"You were the one who told me that humanity have desecrated a religious feast for the selfish purpose of profit. If there's one to blame for my indifference about this day, it is you."
"Okay, if I take the blame will you stop being such a kill-joy and have fun with me today?"
"It would depend on your definition of fun."
"I brought beer, nachos and anime." He looked at me with his patented puppy eyed expression.
I couldn't help but laugh. Trust Duo to bring out the best, and worst, in me. "Don't hog the couch then."
Dusk had long darkened the horizon when we finished watching the movies; all the nachos were gone and we were down to our last few bottles of beer. We sat contentedly to watch the last to the credits roll out on the screen when my stomach growled.
"You cannot still be hungry." Duo smirked at me
"How can I not be when you ate all the nachos?"
"You said you didn't want any," he cried.
"I said I'd have some later," I parried.
"It's now or never, dude!" He cackled.
"Don't call me dude." I punched him in the arm lightly. "What do you want for dinner?"
"Why don't we go somewhere for dinner?"
"On Valentine night without reservations?" I raised a sceptical eyebrow at him.
"Hmm, good point."
"I've got a freezer full of ready meals, come and pick one."
We decided on the pizza in the end. Well, it was the simplest to cook and it was too large for me to finish on my own, so it was a good choice. While scarfing down our pizza, Duo flipped through the Sky channels to see if there was anything other than the mushy romance drama that was the staple of Valentine's Day. Fortunately we did find some classic sci-fi flicks, undoubtedly aired exclusively for single bachelors with no dates or plans. Perfect for us.
Duo spent the next hour or so explaining the intricacies of the quantum physics theories the show had, anything from wormholes, sub-space anomalies and anti-matter containments. Personally, I didn't see the fascination in those shows but Duo was enjoying himself and it was better than watching women swoon over Mr. Darcy in the latest rendition of Pride and Prejudice.
When the clock struck twelve, Duo turned to look at me with an impish smirk. "Well, we made it! The heretic day is over and we don't have to face it again till next year!"
"Next year, I'll be at work." I said resolutely.
Duo laughed. "It wasn't too bad, was it?"
I offered him a grateful smile. "No, it wasn't at all. You made all the difference."
"Do you remember me telling you about the origins of the feast of Valentines?"
"Of course."
"Then you remember that his love was not for his lover, it was for his family and friends. That's what it was originally all about."
"Indeed. Perhaps together we can eliminate the misconception of the feast and re-educate the world of the true meaning of Valentine."
"Yeah, trust you to want to change the world again. You've already done it twice!" He chuckled.
"We, Duo," I corrected him; "We changed the world together. We've done it before, we can do it again."
"So are we doing this ourselves or are we inviting the others?" I knew he was mocking me, but I indulged him anyway.
"Are you kidding? Trowa and Quatre are probably chest deep in roses, chocolates and teddy bears, it'll take a search and rescue team three days to find them." I rolled my eyes. There was no denying that Quatre was the soppiest romantic in existence, closely followed by Trowa. "As for Heero, he might come in handy. If all else fails we'll have him intimidate them into supplication."
"I was wrong about your sense of humour, Fei!" He howled with laughter. "Oh, man! You're something else!"
"I'll take that as a compliment, thank you." I replied loftily.
"You should." He grinned at me. "Although, I think I'd rather keep this to ourselves."
I returned his brilliant smile. "That sounds like a good plan. Instead of waiting a whole year, what do you say we do this the next day you and I have been let out of the slave pens?"
"That sounds like an even better plan!" Duo replied then stood and unfurled himself like a feline. "It's getting late. I'd better be going."
"Sure, I'll let you know when I've got the next day off."
"I'll see you in six months then?" he cheekily said as he opened the front door.
I pinned him with a look of consternation, eliciting another chuckle from him. "Good night, Duo."
"Nighty, night, Fei."
Perhaps I had been too harsh about Valentine's Day. The corporate merchants may promote the notion of gifts equal love and the restaurateurs may encourage the idea that good food and amorous ambience equal romance, but not all of humanity are so easily led to these well-laid traps.
Although, Duo and I spent the day together, we were by no means doing any of the 'the icky lovey dovey people out there making mushy faces with each other'. That did not mean we weren't doing things that we both could be comfortable doing to show our affection and friendship for one another.
Perhaps that is what Valentine's Day is truly about - the expression of our compassion and empathy, on every possible level, to a fellow human.
~Fin~