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For someone as organized as Classified, he sure had a bad habit of leaving certain things to the last minute. Not work related in the slightest of course, but anything he had to remember on his free time. It’s not that he wasn’t prepared, he literally scheduled these things in advance. It’s that he would get so wrapped up in missions and paperwork and such that the other details would just slip his mind entirely, leaving him with quite the predicament to deal with later. Such an instance happened one day prior to Valentines Day, at which point Classified was reminded of the holiday when Private offhandedly mentioned it in passing.
He ended up doing a slight double take, thinking that the holiday wouldn’t be for another week or so. As it turned out, he hadn’t been paying attention to the dates, and had gotten them a week behind mentally. Ok, now was maybe the time to panic oh so slightly. He wouldn’t be able to clock out for another few hours, and most places closed at nine. This would leave him with about four or five hours to go out and get a few things for his team. This was one of the first times they were able to be on base all at the same time during the holiday after all, so he’d feel really guilty if he didn’t have anything. Maybe he could get off early if he finished quicker? He only had a few things left to do, and thankfully they were relatively simple tasks. If he got those done, he figured that he could start planning out what to give everyone.
It didn’t take too long for Classified to finish his reports, since they still didn’t know too much about the new target and what the villain was up to. All he could fill out really was name and a little bit of info on the appearance of the guy. Ironically, it was still more than they knew early on about Dave. Classified still really hated that guy, like, it didn’t matter how bad he felt for him, the mad scientist tried to kill the North Wind AND the Penguin agents. Ugh, if it hadn’t been for the kid, both groups would probably not be there anymore. Thankfully, none of the other villains that they’d faced recently had attempted to kill them, probably because none of them had been caught alone. With a sigh, Classified shut the laptop and clocked out.
Now, what to get everyone? He didn’t have to get stuff just for his team either, he wanted to get something nice for Skipper. The Penguin agent was so nice to him, and he loved Skipper’s company immensely. Spending time with him one on one was one of the best things that Classified could have happen in a day. And whenever they spoke, Classified always found Skipper’s eyes would glisten with amusement. His eyes were so pretty, he often had to make sure Skipper didn’t catch him stealing glances because when he did get caught staring, Skipper would usually glance over and wave, and that’s when Classified’s heart would simply stop. However, if he got something for Skipper, he didn’t want to feel like he was singling out the rest of the Penguin agents, so he’d have to get something for the other three as well. So, that would be seven presents. Not too difficult right?
Standing up, Classified made his way to the garage. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard someone yell his name from behind. Whipping around, he almost slammed directly into the source of the voice: Skipper. The aforementioned Penguin agent quickly moved to help Classified steady himself, since he had thrown himself off balance. Recomposing himself, Classified awkwardly stood there, brushing off his shirt.
“Afternoon pegwing”, he finally said, “what’d ya need?” Hopefully it wasn’t anything big, after all, there was only so much time left today. Skipper grinned and Classified felt his chest tighten.
“I hadn’t seen you around today Wolfie, so I wanted to say hi!”, Skipper said cheerfully, “Hope I didn’t scare you too much, didn’t mean to frighten you. Where are you going?” Oh no, well, maybe he could tell Skipper? It’s not like it was a secret he was leaving base. So Classified hurriedly explained that he was running out to try and surprise both of their teams, and that he was worried about how much time he had. Much to Classified’s surprise and concern, Skipper offered to drive. They didn’t get to drive alone together very often, so how could he turn that down? But now he would have to be extra careful while trying to get Skipper’s present.
“After you!”, he heard Skipper say as he opened the door for him. He scuttled through the door, followed by Skipper, who led him over to the familiar jeep-hybrid. As usual, Classified settled in the passenger side. Skipper pulled out of the base, turning on the radio. A comfortable silence filled the space between them, and Classified stared out the window watching as they eventually pulled onto a highway. After a bit, he turned to look over at Skipper, sighing and leaning his arm against the door. Now would be a good time to try and figure out what to give him, it had to be something that he didn’t already have of course. Getting him just a card wouldn’t feel like enough either. It didn’t matter that the saying was “it’s the thought that counts”, he wanted to get Skipper something special. He could just try walking through the store until he saw something that made him think of Skipper, but would it be good enough?
A slight rough patch in the road was enough to shake Classified from his thoughts, causing him to zone back in and look around. They were about ten minutes away if he wasn’t wrong, so at least he had a little more time to think. His team was actually relatively simple to but presents for. For example, he could get Short Fuse something Call of Duty themed. Eva probably would like something techy, so he could look into something fun for her there. Additionally, she’d also be getting something from Kowalski, since they were dating and all. He had to admit, he was a little jealous that he was going to be single during the holiday, but it was fine, not the main concern he had at the moment anyway.
Corporal, he could just get him a plush or something and be fine, same for Private. Though he’d be picking a pony one for the kid, since he liked them so much. Kowalski’s would be similar to Eva, since they had similar interests. As for Rico, probably a doll, since Skipper mentioned him liking dolls before. That’s everyone he supposed. This definitely was going to make things easier once they got there. And speaking of which, Skipper was currently pulling into the parking lot, circling around trying to find any available parking spot. It looked like Classified wasn’t the only one who had forgotten Valentine’s Day. After a few more circles, Skipper finally found an available spot and stopped the car. Classified must’ve looked a little spaced out still, because Skipper reached over and gently tapped his shoulder.
After giving an affirmative nod, he opened his door and got out. The two walked up to the building, with Classified barely outpacing Skipper. Upon entering, the pair agreed to split up and meet back up at the door, with Classified playfully reminding Skipper not to leave without him. He watched as Skipper walked away, ensuring he wouldn’t see which way that he’d be going. After that, he quickly went off in the direction of the tech section, as he planned to knock out the lab lovers gifts at the same time. It actually ended up being far easier than expected, as once he’d made his way around all the people, he actually saw two things they’d like: an electronic puzzle-type game for Kowalski, and a set of new wireless headphones for Eva. Two down, five to go.
As Classified passed by the clothing section, he managed to snag a tshirt for Short Fuse. It was one of the Call of Duty shirts the weapons expert had mentioned before, so there was a guarantee he’d like it. He kept walking, still unsure what to get Skipper. Nothing was really popping out at him, and it was getting mildly frustrating. It had to be something good, hadn’t he already thought that? Skipper deserved something special, he just needed to find something perfect. Why did this have to be so difficult? Why was gift giving never easy? Ugh, this was getting ridiculous. He turned the corner looking for the toy aisle, thinking that if he couldn’t find anything for Skipper just yet, it would be faster to knock out the other three presents than wandering aimlessly. Much to his surprise, he nearly collided with Skipper, who was equally surprised to run into him. Thankfully, neither of them dropped anything. As it turned out, Skipper had a similar idea for Private, and he even offered to help Classified find something for the kid.
Grabbing Classified’s hand, he cheerfully dragged him towards the right aisle, oblivious to the fact Classified was now slightly flustered. He really hadn’t expected that. The two of them walked into the aisle, and Skipper pointed out the series of pony plushies that Private was fond of. He suggested that they both get him one, and for Classified to take his pick. At that prompting, he ended up picking a blue one with a purple mane, while Skipper grabbed a green one with a yellow mane. He also asked Skipper for advice on which doll to get Rico, and Skipper was happy to assist. In turn, he gave Skipper advice on what to get Corporal.
Just before they were about to walk out of the aisle, Classified finally saw something that jumped out at him. A stuffed penguin that’s eyes looked a lot like Skipper’s. It definitely was something that he wouldn’t already own, and it was hopefully something he’d like. Picking it up, Classified felt how soft it’s feather fur was. He quickly stuffed it into his basket, tucking it underneath of the other two plushes to avoid the very chance of the surprise being ruined. Skipper had already walked off, looking for something for Kowalski, so he didn’t have to worry about being seen. So that was everything, except a few cards. He just got a pack of blank ones, simply to save time looking for a bunch of them.
Thankfully, Skipper hadn’t gotten to the register just yet, so he was able to check out without being seen at all. He even asked the cashier if she could put the penguin plush at the bottom of the bag. He went over to stand by the entrance, waiting for a few minutes and scanning the area looking for Skipper. After about ten minutes, he was about to try and text him, before feeling a hand on his shoulder and practically jumping out of his skin. It was just Skipper.
“Sorry Classy! I had gotten turned around and forgot where the checkout was.”, he said sheepishly, trying to help the man recompose himself, “You ready to go?”.
“Yeah, yeah I’m ready to go.”, Classified stammered. Skipper grinned and turned to walk out, looking over his shoulder to check that Classified was following. Once outside, Skipper looked back and forth for a few minutes, before glancing at the other man awkwardly.
“I forgot where we parked.”, he said, and with a sigh from Classified the two of them started walking around triggering the alarm beep. It took them about another ten minutes to find where the jeep was, and they finally could leave. Surprisingly, they’d only been there an hour. It felt like it could have been so much longer. The drive back was comfortably quiet, and was rather uneventful. Classified wondered if Skipper truly would like his gift, was it stupid? Would he be embarrassed to receive it? Would he not like it, or think Classified was joking? What if he hated it? No, Skipper would probably like it. Probably. He was probably just overthinking this again.
He was snapped out of his train of thought when he noticed that they had gotten back to base. He grabbed his bags as quickly as he could, making sure that they were in fact his. Once he and Skipper got back inside, the two parted ways and he went back to his room. He sat down at his desk and pulled out the cards, and wrote one for every member of his team, mostly saying he was grateful they were friends. He paired each card with their respective gift, and sat them all neatly in order. The only card he was having trouble with now was Skipper’s. What on earth was he going to say? He was grateful for Skipper, and how nice he’d been ever since he’d joined. It didn’t matter if they clashed occasionally, Skipper hadn’t held the Dave incident against him, and he was far kinder to Classified than he thought he deserved. He was just so amazing, what could he even say about the Penguin agent?
After a few hours of writing and rewriting, he finally finished the card. It read as:
Skipper, I couldn’t be more thankful to know you. You’re such an amazing person and spending time with you is one of the highlights of my day. I consider you one of, if not by best friend. I hope you enjoy the gift, and I look forward to spending more time with you in the future.
-Classified
Finally, he went to bed, everything set up for the next morning. The night passed quickly, and he got up early in order to get ready before his team would wake up. By the time he was ready, the rest of his team was just getting out of bed. Sticking his head out the door to see whether anyone was walking around, he could see Kowalski and Eva already together. They had probably been up for a while if he was being honest. Well, they were already here, and they had just noticed he was standing nearby, waving at him. So he quickly grabbed their gifts and walked over to them, handing them each their card and present. Much to his glee, they both were extremely happy with their presents, thanking him happily. He grinned and went off to get the presents for the rest of the team.
He ran into Private and Short Fuse next, and both of them were incredibly excited about theirs, with Private immediately darting off to play with all of his Lulacorns (or whatever he called them). Glancing around a bit more he saw Rico and Corporal, and made sure to hand them theirs as well. The two were rather surprised to receive anything from Classified in the first place, so the presents were met with immense enthusiasm. Now, the only person he hadn’t seen yet that morning was Skipper.
Classified’s nerves on whether Skipper would like the stuffed penguin returned. It wasn’t stupid right? He wouldn’t hate it right? Right. He shouldn’t be worried. Where was he anyway? It was a little weird he hadn’t seen the Penguin agent yet. After wandering around for a bit, he finally decided to sit down in the common room. He held the plush in his hands, staring at it absentmindedly. Maybe Skipper had gone out that morning? Or maybe he was just busy, after all, they didn’t technically have the day off. After giving a sigh, he heard someone calling his name, much to his surprise. He whipped the plush behind his back, and saw Skipper walking towards him.
“There you are! I’ve been looking for you!”, he said happily, making Classified’s heart miss a beat, “I forgot you weren’t gonna be in your room right now, so I had to ask around to find you.” Now would be a better time than ever to give him the gift. Pulling it out from behind his back, he pushed the plush into Skipper’s hands, looking down and blushing aggressively.
“I saw this yesterday and it reminded me of you”, he said softly, “I hope that makes sense. The eyes look like yours.” He sounded stupid didn’t he. Shit. Maybe he should just go. Much to his surprise however, Skipper grinned and happily accepted the plush, tilting it back and forth, looking at the eyes. To his even bigger surprise, Skipper pulled him into a hug.
“Thank you Wolfie! It’s great!”, he said excitedly. Recovering from his shock, Classified returned the hug, leaning into Skipper’s shoulder.
“Oh! I got something for you too!”, pulling back from the hug slightly, he gave Skipper a brief look of confusion. Apparently, he had overlooked a bag that had been set down by the door. Skipper reached over and handed the bag off to Classified, giving him an encouraging nod prompting him to open it. Inside was a grey wolf plush, with white and tan markings. Classified could feel his cheeks burning, he hadn’t honestly expected for a present in return. Looking back at Skipper, he stammered for a moment before being able to gather his thoughts.
“I don’t know what to say pegwing, thank you so much! Thank you! I love it!”, he said, pulling the plush into his chest, running his hand over the fluff. He sat back down and happily stared at it, noticing that it’s eyes were the same shade of blue as his. Skipper joined him on the couch, and Classified leaned against him, surprisingly Skipper didn’t mind. He asked what Classified was gonna call the plush, and after a few moments, he settled on Finn. In turn, he asked Skipper what he’d name his plush, and he instantly answered Mozart. The two sat for a while in the common room, just enjoying each other’s company before work. Classified nearly fell back asleep leaning against Skipper, and neither of them seemed to mind.
That night, Finn was set on his bed having a place of honor next to the pillow, now being one of his most prized possessions.