Officially Official
Posted on Sat Dec 29th, 2018 @ 11:53pm by Ensign Callan Armidale
Edited on on Mon Mar 11th, 2019 @ 2:15pm
2,543 words; about a 13 minute read
Mission:
Mission 2: Into The Breach
Location: Faltan City
Timeline: MD02 - 1600
Jonah looked up as Cal exited their bedroom; he was wearing a pair of leather Chelsea boots - expensive by the look of them - dark denim blue jeans that seemed almost painted on, and a green button up shirt that wasn't quite buttoned up. Jonah got up and walked across the room, running his fingers through Callan’s seemingly always perfect hair. Touching his boyfriend's exposed neck, he teasingly asked, "You miss a few buttons?"
Callan had also paid some attention to what Jonah had chosen to wear for the evening - slim jeans and a light blue button shirt not dissimilar in style to his own, but a little more casual in a pair of tan, lace-up sneakers.
He recoiled very so slightly in response to the sudden ticklish feeling, with Jonah's touch over the front of his neck. "Doing up all the buttons isn't so trendy anymore," he chuckled. "That look was very 2380s."
Jonah laughed. "My trendy boyfriend," he answered with a smile. "It just means there are fewer buttons to undo later." Jonah ran his fingertip over Cal's exposed collarbone with a suggestive smile and a wink. "Ready to go?" he asked playfully.
Callan let out a short laugh at Jonah's hint, but gave several quick nods. "Yep, I'm all ready. Very ready."
The pair made their way to the transporters and from there, to a transport pad in Faltan City. The civilian transport hub was nothing special, but once outside, the city buildings reached toward the darkening sky. Despite its desert location, the night air was cooling fast. "Do you want to stop for dinner first or look through the shops?" Jonah asked, noting how many businesses and storefronts lined the streets.
Callan shrugged. "I don't mind either way," he said, but then he felt a small growl emanating from his stomach. "Maybe we can do that after dinner?"
Jonah nodded, already feeling the chill in the air, he moved closer to Cal. If there was one thing he hated, it was being cold. Though, it gave him an excuse to hold Cal closer against him, sharing his warmth. "So, we seem to have a wide range of food styles to choose from. Do you have a preference?"
"Hmm, I'm not sure what sort of cooking people on Faltan have," Callan said with a small frown. He wasn't one to be particularly adventurous when it came to food, often sticking with what's familiar from the already many different cultural cuisines from Earth. "I'm keen for something Asian-y, do you think they have their version of it here?"
Jonah pulled a small civilian pad from his pocket and activated it. Taping at the small controls, he noted several restaurants nearby. "Depends on whether you prefer Chinese or Japanese," Jonah answered. "Both are options within a few blocks walking distance."
Cal wasn't one to be picky, but at the same time he wasn't to keen on spending too much time on having the decision being offloaded back and forth between himself and Jonah. "Let's try Japanese, see if it's done as well as they are back home," he suggested. The Faltans, after all, are Human descendants and had already seen plenty of cultural influence from Earth.
Jonah smiled, pointing down the block to their right. "It's just another block that way," he answered, keen to leave the cool air and be in a warm restaurant of any kind. "I didn't expect it to get so cool" he added. "I guess I should have known better with this being a desert town."
They soon arrived at their destination - a seemingly small, quaint and almost hidden set of wooden doors. The soft glow of a red lantern bathed the entrance from its upper corner, thick black Japanese characters written over the decorate piece. They entered and was promptly attended to by a waitress in somewhat traditional attire, and led further into the restaurant which served also as a gastropub-like establishment. Since they had arrived in the middle of the dinner rush and without a reservation, Callan and Jonah were offered two seats at what appeared to be a bar counter, cosily close together, in the midst of other diners eating and chatting away. The atmosphere was lively and exciting.
"It's busier than it looked from outside," Jonah commented, his right hand squeezing Callan's thigh. He was surprised by the small amount of anxiety he felt being surrounded by so many people when he was hoping for some quiet to present the ring he'd brought with him. Jonah looked to Callan who seemed to be plucking plates from the conveyor belt laden with dishes of sushi, edamame, spring rolls and other foods Jonah didn't recognize.
A small smile pulled at his lips. "The food looks good though."
Cal licked his lips. "You have no idea," he said with a grin. "How much I actually love Japanese food. And it looks like this place is legit. Sushi train and all. Ever seen one of these?" he nodded over to the belt that slowly moved around the counter, pausing to thank the waitress who filled their small cups with Genmaicha.
Jonah cupped the small teacup with his hands, warming them. "Not in person," Jonah responded, snatching a spicy tuna roll from the belt as it passed by. "But I've seen them in vids. It's kind of out of fashion on Earth, isn't it?" he wondered.
By then they'd gathered several of the small plates off the conveyor belt, and began sharing the food. Callan shrugged and said, "I suppose so. With replicators popping up everywhere, people get lazy and forget how to actually eat real food. It's kinda sad, really. But anyway..." he picked up one of the menus and began reading. "What main you gonna get?" he asked in between a chew.
"I was thinking the sukiyaki... you?"
"A very sharable dish," Callan nodded in approval. "I was just checking out the ramen. I haven't had good ramen in ages. Look at their extras," he pointed at the menu. "I'm gonna get that 'garlic bomb'!"
Jonah was happy at Cal's excitement, he seemed so far removed from the seriousness of their last few days on the Archimedes and much more the carefree youth from their holiday. "Anything your heart desires, pretty boy. Just remember, I'm going to be kissing you later. Definitely..." Jonah winked, squeezing Cal's thigh again.
Callan laughed again. "Of course," he said, munching on another piece of sushi. His fingers played the delicate chopsticks, which he quick reached forward with and used its tips to dab a small smear of soy sauce over Jonah's nose.
Jonah almost wiped the soy sauce off his nose but grabbed Cal by the back of his head and pressed their faces together, spreading the soy sauce to Cal's nose too. Grabbing his napkin, Jonah wiped the mess off Cal's face and then his own. "People are going to think we're children," Jonah chided though he couldn’t hide his amusement.
Cal raised his brow briefly, "Mm hmm, one more than the other," he insinuated, turning to the ramen that had only just been placed in front of him. He jabbed his chopsticks and soup spoon into the heap of noodles and began to enjoy his meal.
Jonah returned an empty plate to the conveyor as his sukiyaki was placed before him. He too grabbed his chopsticks and began mixing the vegetables and beef with the broth before picking some up and shovelling it into his mouth. Jonah and Cal ate their entrees quietly. Though Jonah was distracted by the ring in his pocket the entire time. "So, what's the plan for after dinner?" he eventually asked, pushing his bowl in Cal's direction.
"Probably you debriefing me on my new position?" Callan said. "Give me all the dull jobs so the rest of the staff won't suspect favouritism? You're gonna have to treat me especially bad."
Jonah's eyebrows knit together. I'll tell you right now, I'm not treating you badly to satisfy the ego of the rest of the staff. You're my fiancé and you work with me. If they don't like it, I'll make sure they get all the full jobs and work twice as hard. You may not get all the exciting work, but you're not getting all the shit jobs either. I'll be fair. If that isn't enough, then they can transfer to another post. I don't want that kind of attitude in my department anyway."
Callan's eyes had widened with Jonah's rather long and serious discussion. "Hmm," he mumbled, sipping some of his soup. "I was just joking..."
"Well," Jonah answered abruptly. He hasn’t caught the joke. "All the same."
"So, I suppose we're not debriefing on my new position?"
"I was thinking more cuddle on the couch after dinner," Jonah suggested. "But if you're really looking to be treated badly..." Jonah let the sentence end there, turning a pointed look and devious smile to Callan.
"You and your wild ideas," Cal said, taking the hint and intentionally - suggestively - slurping up noodles through his lips. But he quickly took a more serious note. "But yes, I know you'll do the right thing in managing the department's staff."
"Not top of my priority list tonight." Jonah placed his hand on Cal's. "Work is the least important thing on my mind," he added quickly.
Callan nodded, looking down at his now relatively empty bowl of noodles, with little more than the Tonkotsu broth left in it. "Sorry," he gave a quick apology, giving Jonah's hand a gentle rub. "The whole transfer thing just kinda stressed me out a little, that's all. But not because you're the security chief, Jonah. I was just getting pretty stuck in on work with the intel folks before suddenly being pulled out."
"Well," Jonah drew out the word. "I'm guessing the transfer was requested above my rate, but I also think they wouldn't have transferred you if they thought there was a conflict. As for Intel, the training crosses over pretty well. You'll switch over without trouble and, if you need additional training, I'll make sure you receive it... here we are talking work again. Sorry."
But it was Callan who felt more apologetic. "Sorry," he also said.
Jonah smiled before wrapping his arm around Cal's shoulder. Looking at Cal's near empty bowl, he asked, "How about we explore this city before it gets much colder and darker? If you're done, anyway..."
Callan settled his chopsticks down and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds like a good idea," he agreed with a smile, and the pair stood and began making their way out, settling the bill on the way.
It was when they left the gastropub and out onto the street when Callan realised he'd should've brought a jacket to fend off the chilly breeze flowing down the city's streets. He quickly did the top buttons of his shirt, and gave his arms a rub, as if that might warm him up.
Jonah reached out and pulled Cal close to him, his hand at Cal's waist. "Maybe we should head home, or, if we want to walk around a bit, we can stop in one of these shops and get some jackets," he suggested. "I didn't realise the temperature was going to swing so rapidly."
Callan shook his head. "Nah, it's okay. I'll warm up fine, don't worry. You just have to give me heaps of hugs."
Jonah stopped Cal on the street, pulled him close and pressed his lips to Cal's. It started out gently, but as all things with Callan, Jonah lost his self control quickly, his tongue begging entry as he pulled Cal as close as they could get in the public setting.
The younger man fell into the same trance, feeling completely enveloped in the warm embrace, leaning back slightly as they indulged in their moment of passion.
Once they broke contact, Jonah smiled. "As many hugs and kisses as you want, pretty boy." Jonah used the nickname that was a sort of in joke between them. "Forever."
"We should probably go..." Callan chuckled just as he was about to become smothered. The couple shared a few more, before deciding that they should probably move on to avoid taking up the pavement.
A few blocks toward the transport hub, Jonah spotted a small park positioned between two buildings. It was an oasis of grass, desert grasses and small palms that seemed almost magically lit by floating lanterns and small, hovering lights that twinkled like Terran fireflies. It was also tucked away from the cool breeze and surprisingly warmer than the cold streets. To Jonah, it was perfect.
He grabbed Cal's hand and pulled him into the garden. "This is nice... cozy," he said, moving closer to Cal again. A shiver ran down his spine, both from the closeness of his boyfriend and the temperature change.
"Very pretty," Callan agreed, looking around.
Jonah smiled, almost shyly. "I know you already said yes to my proposal, and I had a ring then, but it was just a meaningless good band," Jonah explained. Plucking the ring he'd received earlier in the day, his smile widened from shy to beaming. "This ring is a family heirloom, passed down through four generations. I fought my dad tooth and nail to get it shipped, so of course it's late, but I want you to have it. It's a symbol of love, and since it belongs in my family, it means you're my family now, Callan."
Callan's eyes widened, and without him realising so did his mouth. The look of surprise stretched across his face - of course they were already engaged, and he wasn't one to expect any sort of massive celebration or special occasion - but the fact that Jonah had decided to symbolise their relationship this way warmed his heart. Together, as family.
He reached out and touched the ring - small, not ostentatious, but significant. "Oh, Jonah..." he said, almost in a whimper. "This... this is incredible..."
Jonah reached his hand out, gently pulling Callan into an almost chaste kiss for them. When their lips separated, Jonah looked into Cal's brown eyes and smiled softly. "When I was in Intel, I never imagined my future. There was never time to think about a year down the road, or five, or ten. Now, I just know that as long as I live, I want you to be a part of that future." Jonah slipped the ring on Cal's finger. "Mine... because you're incredible and I love you."
Callan tried to not allow tears from welling up in his eyes, but by then his vision had become partly blurry. "Oh, I love you too!" he said, clutching Jonah's hand as they kissed again, and remaining in a long embrace.
Jonah held Callan, sighing contentedly. Though it was warm, there was still a chill in the air. "What do you say we go home? Before it gets any colder..."
Cal nodded, enthused. "Home sounds perfect," he agreed, knowing full well it meant more time spent together, warm cuddles and more. "Let's go..." And with that the two strolled off, leaving behind the quiet trees and glowing lanterns.
RSS Feed