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With every passing year, the thought of being single gets more and more annoying. In previous years, Rook would have others to embrace it with. Baking with Twitch, spending the night with Doc; just about anything to make Valentines a little less lonely. But since they and almost all his other close friends have their own partners, Rook’s been left in the background.
He does still have Thermite though.
Were they an unlikely pair? Of course they were; they had no reasons to even associate with each other, let alone be best friends. But, seeing as both of them had been ditched by their own friends in the pursuit of love, they found solitude in that. Plus, they were able to get under Lion and Ash’s skin, which amused them to no end when they would get irritated.
Rook wouldn't deny he was interested in Thermite, after all the time they've spent together it would be hard not to. He was fine with just staying friends, more than happy to watch cheap movies and spend their free time together. Though, he would never complain if Thermite wanted to change that.
Like usual, they were planning on bringing a new series to celebrate being single. It was always their plan and they had their fun doing it. That was until Blitz and Montagne pulled some strings to get a night off for the base to throw a small party, much like they used to do in their early years working. Which was bittersweet for both of them, as even back then they spent those parties either getting wasted or forcing themselves to find a random hookup for the night.
Rook was happy staying in, just not going and letting the others have their fun. He was already in his lounge wear, lazily lying on the couch of the common room, waiting for Thermite to come by so they could start. Most of the others would be in the cafeteria; that being the only room big enough for so many people to be at once, so they'd be nice and alone. He smiled when he heard the door open, which only grew when he saw Thermite with a mischievous smile.
“I know that look- what’re you planning Jordan?”
“Well, as you know, the party is tonight.”
“Yeah, they're decorating right now, Twitch tried to get me to help.”
“Right- and as you know, Lion and Ash will probably be there,” Humming his response, Rook sat himself up, barely able to conceal his curiosity as to what Thermite could be hinting at. It’ll clearly be something good though. “Nighthaven will also be there, meaning Ace will too. And you know how much those two hate him.”
“...What are you saying Jor?”
“I'm saying, we ask Ace to join us tonight. As our date .”
Well, that was certainly an idea. They've talked about Ace before, both agreeing their attraction to him but neither acted on it. It was odd for Rook especially, as he liked Thermite, had for the longest time, but he was open to the idea of loving Ace as well- it really had his head spinning. Maybe if this works out it can help him figure some things, but it will definitely be funny no matter what.
“You think he’ll say yes? We don't talk to him that much.”
“I think so! Just imagine the look on their faces Jules- watching us hold his hands and kiss him. Fuck, it’ll be priceless.”
“Ohohoh Jor, you're a fuck genius. You know where Ace is?”
“Yep, he's working in the medbay today, I asked Finka to let us talk to him in private and she agreed to be gone,” That was pretty smart on his part, Rook wouldn't deny that. Seems like he had this planned and ready to go through with it, even if he had said he didn't want in. Goof for him honestly. “C’mon, let's go ask. Better both of us than just one, right?”
Another good point, just so Ace would know they're serious about this and not just trying to get a fast one on him. Thermite smiled at Rook, waiting for him to stand up, before they stalked off to the workshop where Ace should hopefully be.
The halls were slowly being decorated, lined with cut out hearts and streamers, giving the base a very lovely feel. Even the door to the medical area was decorated; Doc, Finka, Thunderbird and Ace’s names were on hearts and taped to the door with their icons. It really was way too cute for a base like this.
Walking in, Ace was alone, typing on his computer and occasional checking his phone. He looked up as soon as he heard them, a smile replacing his concentrated look as he put down what he was working on.
“Ah- Jordan, Julien! It’s nice to see you guys!”
“Right back at you Håvard, just you today?” At least Thermite is smart and acting as if they didn't ask Finka to leave, might as well just let him do the talking.
“Just for now, Finka will be back soon. What can I do you guys for? Get hurt?”
“Well, no. Me and Julien need to, uhm, ask you something…?”
“Oh? What's up?”
“Well… You know the party tonight?” A nod from Ace, followed by him leaning back in his chair. Rook did his best to look like he knew where this was going, but he was really on his own. “We’d like to ask you to pretend to be our boyfriend, just for tonight.”
“...What?”
“Think about it! You pretend with us, piss off Ash, earn some points with Kali- all of us win!” It took all of Rook’s strength not to slap Thermite, that was honestly some of the worst wording he’d ever heard.
“Why would I want to do that? Kali already likes me so why would I need to earn points with her?”
“W-well, ‘cause, you-”
“ Because it saves you from going alone. It also saves you from getting made fun of by Kali,” Thermite let out a sigh or relief, looking at Rook to keep going. Ace didn't look pissed, thank god, more like they needed to convince him, which Rook would try his best to do. “We’ll pay you, whatever the cost. And afterwards we can even take the blame for the ‘break up’.”
“I just- let me get this straight, Julien,” Watching as Ace rubbed his eyes, Rook had to try his best not to say they were kidding or just trying to get a reaction out of him. It was a good cover up for them both, just saying they want company to drink with rather than the idea of being with Ace in a romantic way. Thermite was also keeping his mouth shut, nervously eyeing Ace, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “You want to hire me , to be your date for the Valentines party?”
“Well- more like both of our dates…? Think of it like 'fake dating'! No strings attached.”
“And what are you paying me? Drinks are already free for the night.”
“Maybe we can talk about it after the party? I’m sure we can get something together just for you-?”
“Jesus, you guys aren't kidding. It would save me from going alone, but,” If he says no, he’s not necessarily screwed, but it sets him and Thermite back a bit. They don’t know anyone else on base who would be comfortable doing this, let alone so last minute. And even if they showed up, just the two of them, it really wouldn't get their point across. Besides, if Ace said yes and they impress him tonight, maybe it could mean some things in the future. Not that they were counting on it. “...Neither of you better get wasted, I’ll quit if you do. And one of you has to pay for breakfast tomorrow, my services aren't cheap so I'll think of something more."
“So you’ll do it?”
“Hell yeah, you guys are going to be in some serious debt. Making me do all this and skip a movie night with Wamai, but this sounds entertaining-”
Rather than letting Ace finish what he was saying, Thermite had pulled him into a tight hug instead, nearly squeezing the air out of him. Rook followed suit, though not as tight and softly urging Thermite to lay off a bit. Upon letting go, Ace’s cheeks were bright red and his hair was already a mess- pretty damn cute if you asked him.
“I guess, uh, I should get used to you two being so touchy. Considering what we're going to be doing…”
“Don't worry- it’ll just be some hand holding and kissing you on the check, nothing more. Just need to sell the idea, ya know?”
“I suppose, we should probably get ready then considering-” He looked them both up and then, reminding Rook he's dressed for comfort and that Thermite is still wearing his dirty clothes from the workshop. Maybe they should have thought of that before they hugged him. “-You guys aren't party material right now. Make sure you look good, even if this is a joke I want to look nice with you guys.”
“Yeah-of course Håvard! Guess we’ll meet you here in an hour.”
Ace nodded in agreement, pulling his phone out to seemingly inform Wamai that he won't be joining him tonight. Rook felt that was the best, seeing as now he wouldn't be the third-or would it be fourth?- wheel to him, Goyo and Frost. He seemed comfortable with the idea of them having to touch and kiss him, not even looking the slightest upset at it. Which, again, was a huge plus.
Ace left them first, saying he needs to hurry since he does a lot to get ready, which they really did believe. Just the idea of him getting dressed up for them had Rook blushing, a feeling he knows Thermite probably shares. They stayed there until Ace was fully gone, hearing the door slam before sharing a quick look with each other.
“What, um, what do we wear?”
“You’re crazy if you think I have any idea, Julien.”
Well, they had an hour to figure that out. Hopefully Ace wouldn't go over the top- he can't really see him using that much effort on a small party- but still wanted to look nice for him. Thermite was talking about somethings, he couldn't bring himself to tune back in, and Rook simply stared at him. He always looked cute when he was excited about things, like he clearly was now, so Rook couldn't help himself. Especially not when Thermite grabbed his hand and started dragging him to their rooms to get ready.
He probably screwed himself over for tonight, seeing as how he has both Thermite and Ace to deal with- but he can manage.
~~~
The party had honestly been going great so far. Ace was enjoying himself, even though Rook had told him these parties weren't the best. He didn't mind being stared at by others, happily telling Twitch and Doc they had been dating for months, and were just quiet about it. Thermite and Ace were perfect at playing along, calling each other ridiculous pet names and being touchy. Really selling the deal for all of them.
It got the exact reaction they were hoping for, both of them struggling not to laugh their asses off when they introduced Ace as their boyfriend. Ace was great at keeping his composure, somehow saying things just right to piss them off, letting both of them hold him close to show off. Really, it's like they had planned this for more months.
They had tried to pull the same thing with Kali, since Ace loosely mentioned that he doesn't know what she would say. Which was honestly, underwhelming. She seemed skeptical of the two, looking them up and down as if sizing them up, before congratulating Ace and telling them to have fun. Rook made sure not to tell the other two, but she was definitely keeping an eye on Ace the whole time, like she didn't trust him and Thermite alone with him, which was incredibly intimidating.
Rook wasn't expecting any entertainment tonight, other than the playlist of cheesy love songs that someone had gotten around to making. What he got in return was Bandit calling out everyone he found having sex, making sure everyone else knew where and who. Which was funny on its own (especially when he overheard Doc getting caught with Lion and Monty), but it was even better when Bandit had to be called out. Apparently he, Blitz and Jager had found themselves in a supply closet, typical.
Things were steadily slowing down after that, either because a night's worth of tension was getting to them or they were too wasted to do anything. They were really just enjoying their time now, all three of them sipping on whatever drink they had gotten and watching as things winded down. Ace was leaning his head on Thermite’s shoulder while he had his arm around their waists. At this point, he wasn't sure if they were even doing this to sell it.
“Sooo- what now?”
“Hm? I don't know, watch these guys stumble around?”
“Sounds lame,” Ace had a point, that didn't sound like a good way to end their night. Both Lion and Ash were gone, which meant none of them had to be sitting so close anymore, yet neither made a move to shift away. It was nice, even if the room was too loud, too bright and reeked of weed. “Doc told me the training area is usually unlocked, we could… hang out there? The field area is pretty nice.”
“Yeah, Håv’s got a point, ‘supposed to be really nice out tonight.”
“Better than staying here, let's go.”
The halls of base were just as messy as the cafeteria, something Harry will probably scold everyone for. Stray cans, solo cups and decorations littered the way to the outside exit, making Rook wonder what the hell even happened out here, since the party was meant to stay in the big room.
Just like Doc had claimed, the doors were unlocked, the three of them sneaking out as quickly as possible and following the lit path to a clearer area of the field. There was a chill in the air, as expected, but Ace and Thermite were right; it was really nice outside. Especially as they came to a nice spot, off the path but close enough to the building so no one did lock them out.
“You know, it's pretty easy to see the stars at night where I’m from,” Ace took his seat on the ground first, eyes trained up as he reminisced to himself. Rook shared a look with Thermite, the Texan sending him a soft smile before he went to sit next to Ace, slightly indicating he came to sit too. So, obviously, he did. “I don't think I ever want to go back there, but you'd guys would love it. Maybe I’d go back with you two.”
“Yeah? Where my brother-in-law lives, I call it nowhere, it's pretty easy to see them too. My nephews love it.”
The second Rook sat down, Ace was resting on his shoulder and Thermite resting his hand on Ace’s thigh. They definitely didn't have to keep up the lie out here, no one was sober enough to manage to get here, let alone care about what they're doing. Rook didn't fight it though, reaching out for Thermite’s hand and putting his arm around them both. It was nice, fitting even, for the situation.
“I got to say, we suck at ‘fake dating’, don't we?”
“Eh, I thought we did good, at least until now. What about you Julien? Got anything to say?”
“Hm? About what? This-” Lifting up the hand that was holding Thermite’s, Rook loved the small laugh Ace let out at the sight. He was pressed pretty close to Rook now, either the chill of the night getting to him or simply wanting to be in his presence even more. He couldn't blame Ace at all for that, he wouldn't mind doing the same to the both of them. “- I’m… Happy with this. I like it. I like- I love you both.”
Both of them smiled up at Rook, Thermite squeezing his hand before Ace forced them to lie down with him on the ground. It gave them a much nicer view of the sky, Rook wouldn't deny that and was damn happy Ace asked them to come here rather than stay downstairs. Ace had essentially pulled them into him, making them press against him since he couldn't exactly do it to them both.
“I don't think we should sleep here, don't we have stuff to do tomorrow?”
“Hm? Probably. I just want to stay here for a bit with you two. Considering we're boyfriends now.”
Ace went into a fit of giggles after that, whether he was embarrassed to say the word out loud or simply overwhelmed, Rook couldn't tell. He looked over at Thermite only to catch him also starring, a lazy smile on his face. He mouthed a quick ‘I love you’ before turning his attention to Ace, grabbing his hips and holding him close so he would calm down.
“I don't think anyone will believe this is how we got together,” Rook wasn't wrong in the slightest, he knew they would think they're joking for the longest time. He can't speak for Ace or Thermite, but he's sure those two won't mind helping him convince his group they weren't just joking anymore. It would be fun though. “I hate to say it Jordan, but it looks like we have a reason to like Valentines.”
“Hah, guess you're right. How about to celebrate, well, us, we do go to breakfast tomorrow? That good with you Håvard?”
“That sounds great Jordan… I love you guys, you're both great.”
Joining Thermite in cuddling Ace, Rook nearly purred at the hand coming to rest on the small of his back and Ace burying himself into his neck. He could really get used to this, being shown this kind of love was nearly addicting. He put his own hand on Thermite’s hip, wanting to have as much contact with them both as he could before they separated for the night; even if they will just meet back up the next morning.