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Skeppy sat, jittering with anxiety in the dimly lit restaurant. The table was set with a deep red tablecloth and a single candle burning in the center. White china plates, silverware, and wine glasses were set for a party of two. Skeppy had booked a reservation at this place weeks in advance because of the large crowd on Valentine’s day.
He’d spent days researching different restaurants and weighing his options for what was not too far from Bad’s home. In fact, he had done probably a little too much research into this area of town. Anyway, he was here now and that’s all that mattered.
Earlier that day, Skeppy kept debating whether or not to wear the suit he bought, even though he bought it specifically for this occasion. Damn you, insecurities. He spent hours in front of the mirror, trying on different outfits only to say “fuck it” as he pulled on the baby blue suit. He’d spent too much money on it to have it hang in his closet, gathering dust.
But then came the hair, and the shoes, and the accessories, and... what if I’m overdressed or worse, underdressed? And oh god, what if he didn’t like it? Skeppy had shaken those thoughts from his head as he tied his dress shoes before picking up his car keys.
He wanted to be there early. It would be humiliating if he spent this much time planning and preparing for this day and his guest arrived before him. Oh god, that would be so embarrassing. White knuckling his steering wheel, Skeppy zoomed down the Florida coast at 6:39 pm.
He got to the restaurant 5 minutes before the reservation, praying that Bad wasn’t there already. He talked to the hostess and thankfully he hadn’t arrived yet. She led him to a table, tucked away in the back corner of the restaurant.
So here he was, bouncing his leg as he glanced over the menu, the words not making any sense to him, (how the fuck do you pronounce “Hors d'Oeuvres?!”) while his other hand fiddled with his suit jacket. The doubt that Bad wouldn’t like it, or that he would feel uncomfortable at such a public and expensive restaurant was still lurking in the back of his head.
Skeppy knew Bad was a homey person. If he could, he would stay all day inside with Rat, ordering take out, playing video games, and talking to his friends over voice chat. But the sheer urge to do something new and different drove Skeppy to take Bad out of his comfort zone. Of course he had a backup plan. He’d promised if Bad ever felt uncomfortable that they would leave and go back to his house and watch a movie. Skeppy was not about to ruin his shot.
Although as Bad strolled up to the table, the fear that Bad would feel uncomfortable completely left Skeppy’s mind along with any other rational thoughts other than... Bad.
Skeppy blinked up at him, mouth slightly agape at the sight of him. Bad wore black pants and a suit jacket to match with a black turtleneck underneath. His pale skin contrasted beautifully with the darkness of the outfit, making the shine of his eyes brighter than ever before.
Without a word, Bad slipped into the booth across from him, the rings adorning his fingers clanking against the wooden table.
“Something wrong, Skeppy?” he asked innocently. It took Skeppy a moment to realize that the person sitting across from him was still the same BadBoyHalo he knew and not some high-class businessman. His thoughts were going a million miles a minute and it all led back to one word. Him.
“Dude, holy shit. How did- I didn't even know you owned clothes like this!” Skeppy exclaimed, finally coming to his senses.
“What? Does it look bad?” Bad asked, crossing his arms across his chest, shrinking back into the booth. Skeppy noticed the behavior change, quickly realizing that he never indicated if he thought Bad looked good or not.
“No! You look, like, really good,” Skeppy reassured him.
Bad blushed and looked down at the table.
“Thank you Skeppy, you look nice too,” Bad smiled.
“Nothing compares to you,” Skeppy whispered mostly to himself.
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They looked over the menu and ordered their food and a bottle of red wine. Both nursed their glasses of wine, Skeppy’s nerves fading away into the soft, easy tone of Bad’s voice. He always made everything feel like home.
They ate their food and drank their wine without so much of a disagreement. But that of course changed once the waitress brought the bill.
“Bad, please. Allow me,” Skeppy placed his hand on top of Bad’s which was reaching for the bill.
“No, Skeppy. You’re my guest,” Bad replied.
Skeppy chuckled. “Oh so you’re the one who booked this place weeks in advance, and you’re the one who invited me here? No, Bad, you’re myguest.”
Bad let out a sound of frustration.
“Please Bad let me treat you, just this once. You can spoil me all you want later,” Skeppy emphasized with a squeeze of Bad’s hand.
Bad grumbled. “Halfsies?”
“Nope,” Skeppy said as he pulled out his credit card and signaled to the waitress. The waitress came by and grabbed the card with a smile. Bad glared at her and Skeppy. Skeppy just laughed.
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There happened to be a pier outside the restaurant. A long walkway of old wood, stretching into what seemed infinity only lit by the moon and a few sparse lamps. The path being mapped out under the stars, fading into the distance of the navy blue water.
The pair exited the restaurant and walked down the pier, reveling in the peace and quiet-a contrast from the busy restaurant filled with glasses clinking and boisterous laughter.
Although they both enjoyed being in groups, nothing could compare with the near-silent moments they shared together. It seemed that even without words, the pair could grow closer; if that was even possible.
Skeppy assumed he knew just about everything about Bad. And he assumed Bad knew just about everything about him. Sometimes it seemed as if Bad knew more about Skeppy than he did. Very few things could surprise Bad when it came to Skeppy.
But Skeppy thought this one thing might surprise him.
His anxiety came creeping back, making his hands clammy and his throat dry as they continued to walk down the pier. The sound of their footsteps and Skeppy’s own heartbeat the only sound in his ears.
“You know why I brought you here right, Bad?”
“Yeah! It’s the 14th! Muffin selfie day!! We should take a picture together to post on Twitter!” Bad exclaimed and smiled at Skeppy.
Oh. So he didn’t know.
“Sure but, it’s not just any 14th is it? This one is special,” Skeppy said. The two had reached the end of the pier. They stopped and Skeppy leaned forward against the railing of the dock, staring into the dark horizon where the water kissed the sky.
It was cloudy.
He could feel Bad’s gaze on the side of his face, but Bad still remained silent. Skeppy could practically hear the gears turning in his head.
How was he not understanding?
“It’s Valentine's day,” Skeppy stated, still staring into the inky abyss.
“Oh,” Bad breathed.
Skeppy remembered that Bad never really celebrated Valentine's day. He claimed that it was pointless and that you should show love every day. “You shouldn’t need a holiday to show how much you love someone.” And that made sense to Skeppy. That’s why Bad lived every day, giving all his love to the world- to his dog, his family, his friends, and to Skeppy.
Skeppy hummed, beginning to regret this. He was starting to form an apology, a joke, something to lighten the mood. A “let's agree to never talk about this” sort of deal, but his words died in his throat as he felt a brush against his hand.
Skeppy looked down and it was Bad’s hand, trembling against his own. Wordlessly, Skeppy interlaced their fingers. They looked up at each other and Bad immediately turned his head away, and Skeppy noticed the pink tint on his cheeks.
“Bad,” Skeppy murmured, trying to keep calm. Skeppy squeezed his hand, and Bad met his gaze.
Skeppy put his free hand on Bad’s jaw, softly, watching for any sign of distress from the other man. With nothing but a short intake of breath, he took that as a sign to keep going. Skeppy rose up on his tiptoes and placed a soft kiss on Bad’s lips.
Skeppy pulled away and gazed at Bad’s eyes, dropping his hand from Bad’s cheek to his shoulder. Skeppy raised his eyebrows, silently asking if Bad was okay. Bad just swallowed before licking his lips and leaning toward Skeppy again. Their lips met again and Skeppy smiled into the kiss.
They gazed at the promise rings that they had bought each other for Christmas. Skeppy wondered if they would symbolize something other than just friendship in the years to come. He really hoped so.