Chapter Text
“Y’look gorgeous…” Sniper purred, inspecting the beautiful sight before him. “Very, very nice.” He cooed, running his gloved thumb over a particularly healthy-looking flying duck orchid after giving his praise to a brightly red-colored stalk of bleeding heart flowers. He’d never celebrated Valentine’s day before, or, well, not in any way he’d like to remember. Recalling the sting of never getting any valentines from his schoolmates (or particularly kind words, for that matter) left him feeling rather bitter towards the holiday for most of his life.
Funny thing about falling in love. Tends to open you up to a whole bunch of things - feelings, ideas, holiday celebrations - that you might have brushed off before.
Presently, Sniper was hunched over the sparse countertop in his van, studying the plants he’d been growing in advance for this holiday as a present to Medic. In advance! He had been entertaining the idea of giving his beloved doctor some plants for quite a while now, ever since Medic had vaguely mentioned taking interest in studying them, but not having the time to grow them himself. Well, Sniper could grow plants. Did a bang-up job of it too, if he did say so himself.
And these weren’t just any plants he was growing. They were highly poisonous, some even deadly to the touch. Of course, Sniper was no stranger to such lethality, and figured this was the perfect present for his beloved doctor on love day . Was there anything more romantic than giving the object of your affection different kinds of lethal flora, that, in the wrong (or in this case, the right) hands could produce all kinds of nefarious bioweapons?
Sniper certainly didn’t think so.
“Last ones, you.” He placed the glass bulb over the bleeding heart to keep it safe, while turning his attention to the mountain laurels and water hemlocks he’d kept as sort of accent pieces to the other two. “Fit as a fiddle,” he said with a nod. This was great, better results than he was expecting, if he was being honest. “He’ll love you, pretty things.” Sniper sighed lovingly. He was surprising himself; he was actually excited. He’d never had anyone to really dote on before (he didn’t count sending money to his parents doting ), so this was a first for him. It was odd to him that he wasn’t fretting or stressing about the holiday that revolved around romance and commitment, two things that previously would have made him run for the hills. But this felt good. Comfortable.
If it had been possible, he’d’ve put all of the flowers in one big bouquet, a big morbid centerpiece just for his beloved, but this would have to do. After carefully discarding his gloves and breathing mask, he grabbed the thick red and pink satin ribbons he’d bought from a nearby gas station’s small special occasions section and donned the base of each of them in a pretty satin bow. He placed the glass containers carefully within a small wooden crate, putting some crumpled newspaper around them to ensure that they wouldn’t jostle or get damaged. After wrapping the small crate like a present (he was glad he’d gotten two spools of ribbon), he cleared his throat and inspected his good work, moving onto his next present for the good doctor.
He also made Medic a new pouch for his belt, tanning and carving the leather himself. It was the same off-white as his coat, matched perfectly, with brown stitching to compliment his other bags. Carved on the lid flap were simple doves, portrayed to the best of Sniper’s ability. The one in the center even had little red-stitched “blood spatters”, like Archimedes often had from nesting in his master’s morbid experiments.
Sniper placed this gift within a small box and wrapped it with tissue paper, donning it with a bow as well. ‘Ach, well, this pouch is just a little too big, and, aheh, this one, well, it’s the right size, yes, but not the correct shape,” Medic had ranted about his various satchels. This one would be just the right size, guaranteed. He’d also included a leather slip-cover for the doctor’s notebooks for an added layer of durability, the inside flaps able to hold small notes or miscellaneous scraps that Medic had been so fond of hanging onto. All in all, this gift-giving and doting thing was easy, and fun besides. Perfect.