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John was nervous. He kept checking his appearance in the mirror, changing outfit after outfit, kept fixing his hair and changing its style not liking anything he tried.
He would have done that for another hour if his phone hadn’t rung.
“Hello!”
“Hi John. Are you ready?” Liz cheerful voice greeted him.
“No!” he frustratedly replied.
“Why? What’s wrong?”
“I can’t decide on what to wear, nothing seems right.”
“Oh! come on! Anything you wear will be perfect. Red will love whatever you wear.”
“I know! I still want it to be perfect. Sue me.”
Liz laughed while she answered,
“I know I know but trust me, whatever you choose it will be perfect. Besides, you will be late if you don’t decide soon.”
John sighed in defeat.
“Ok. I will be ready in ten minutes and call you.”
“Great!”
John sighed and started getting dressed in what he hoped the best clothes he owned.
***
John and Liz entered the restaurant together. The staff ushered them towards a table far in the back isolated from the rest. Red and blue were already there.
“Sorry for being late.” John said as he and Liz joined them at the table.
“No worries, we’ve only been here for five minutes.” Abe replied.
Hellboy didn’t say anything, just glared at the table not making eye contact with any of them.
Liz snorted noticing that and winked at Blue who smiled back.
“Since we’re all here now, let’s order food.”
John nods as he glanced nervously at Hellboy who didn’t return his gaze but kept glowering at the tableware.
“You know, I thought having a nice dinner at a restaurant owned by the director friend would be an enjoyable experience that prompts smiling not glowering.”
Hellboy raised his eyes to glare at Liz’s smirking face.
John ignored them and took a sip of water to calm his nerves.
Blue surveyed his friends calmly.
“Looking at your faces one might think this is a funeral not an engagement party.” He declared.
John spit his water coughing violently. Liz laughingly patted his back.
Hellboy leveled a hard glare at his friend.
“I didn’t want a party; I wanted a private dinner with John. You and Liz insisted on inviting yourselves.”
“We for sure invited ourselves, if you don’t know how to treat John well, Blue and I know how to. He deserves a party.”
“What do you mean I don’t know how to treat John well.” Hellboy angrily shouted.
“Guys!” John tried to calm them down, but Liz shouted right back.
“Well for started you haven’t spared a look at him even though he spent hours trying to find the perfect outfit for tonight.”
Hellboy looked guiltily at John.
“I’m sorry boy scout, I was just frustrated they were going to join us. You look amazing!”
John opened his mouth to reply but Liz wasn’t done talking.
“Second of all, it was my idea to have dinner at this restaurant where we all could be save to be ourselves, I bet you planned to have a takeout dinner at home to celebrate.”
“Would you please stop arguing.” John tried again.
“I proposed to him without your help, didn’t I. and HE ACCEPTED. He would have like what I planned.”
“Don’t let me start on your proposal it was…”
“GUYS! If you are not silent this second, I’m breaking off the engagement.”
Liz and Hellboy quieted immediately with Hellboy looking at John in panic.
John took a deep breath.
“Hellboy! I’m sure I’d have liked whatever you planned but I wish to celebrate with our friends. It would make the night more special.
Liz, I don’t care about an over-the-top proposal. I liked the sincere way Red asked to marry me so please stop teasing him about it.”
Hellboy looked smugly at Liz who stuck her tongue back at him.
At the moment, the food arrived. A lavish dinner was set on the table.
“Please, let’s enjoy our dinner. It has been a long time since the four of us spent a relaxed night together.”
Abe nodded approvingly at the suggestion even though he couldn’t participate in eating said dinner.
Liz and Hellboy also nodded and started digging into the food.
John sighed in relief watching his friends fondly. He still couldn’t believe how his life had changed since joining The BPRD. The people on this table were his family and one of them was his future husband. It all still felt unreal.
“If you’re not going to eat. Give me your plate.” Red interrupted his train of thought.
Abe smacked Hellboy on the back of his head.
“That’s not how you talk to your fiancé Red.”
“See! That what’s I meant when I said you don’t know how to treat him right.”
“Hey! I’m just saying he shouldn’t waste the food if he is not hungry.”
Liz was about to snark back at Hellboy when John suddenly burst out laughing.
He was very nervous all day thinking how his engagement to Hellboy would change the team dynamic, their bond and friendship. He shouldn’t have worried about it.
They ended up having a very nice dinner, notwithstanding Liz and Red bickering almost the whole time with John and blue meditating between the two of them.
And later at night when John and Hellboy were alone in the young agent apartment, they had their own special celebration.