[A/N] Somehow, I TOTALLY missed the fact that Valentine's Day comes way before Jake's or Tori's birthdays. Thanks to my good friend Cole Robert Beall for pointing that out to me.
So, have some surprise Forever Alone Day fluff before birthday fluff. Expect this kind of opening to come WAY too often because I am extremely uncreative.
Anyway, so begins the slew of crappy oneshots! Look forward to the next one in July.
Also, Valentine's Day will forever be known as Valinktine's Day because I needed a crappy pun that wasn't official and it is now canon.
Tori opened her eyes and began to rub the sleep out of them. She yawned, and looked at Jake lying next to her. He was already awake, and he looked at her.
"Good morning," he said.
"Mm… morning," she replied sleepily. "Did you have any dreams?"
"Nah," Jake replied, shaking his head. "Nothing new. My subconscious is so boring."
She smiled and stretched. "You're not the only one."
They stayed there for a short time before Jake suddenly clapped his hands together and jumped out of bed. "Well, no point putting it off. I oughta get up. Are you gonna sleep in, or…?"
Tori removed her blankets and shook her head. "Nah, I'll get up. Like you said, no point putting it off."
He nodded, and walked out of the room to prepare breakfast.
Tori began to get dressed, and felt butterflies in her stomach. She had to tell herself to calm down.
Why was she so nervous, anyway? It's not like this was a big important question or anything. It was just a simple request. Nothing more.
We don't do this very often, she thought. That must be it. That sounded reasonable. She took a breath, and walked out of the bedroom.
Jake was standing in the kitchen. He looked around when she came in and smiled. "Pancakes sound good to you?"
"You bet they do!" she replied happily.
It took them a few minutes to cook, and Jake served them up, expertly flipping a few onto a plate for her, and another for him. They were gone in a matter of minutes.
Once they were done eating, they settled on the couch, doing nothing for a moment before Tori spoke up.
"Jake?" she said. She could feel her stomach fluttering again.
"Yeah? What's up?" he replied, shifting his head towards her.
"Well, it's Valinktine's Day, and-"
Jake made a face. "Don't remind me."
"Why? What's wrong with Valinktine's Day?"
"I've never been a huge fan. It's just an excuse for all the couples to go out and make fools of themselves trying to be all romantic in public." He paused. "Actually, you know what? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'm just bitter I've never had someone like you before." He pressed his lips to her forehead.
Tori giggled. "Anyway, I was gonna say we don't get out of the apartment enough. You wanna go someplace nice for dinner?"
He thought about that for a moment, and shrugged. "Yeah, why not? It'll be nice to actually, you know, interact with society for once."
"Really?" she asked excitedly.
"What, did you think I could say no to you?" Jake said with a grin. "Here, I oughta make some reservations. I know the perfect place. It just opened up a few weeks ago, and I heard it's fantastic."
Tori moved away as he grabbed his phone. He turned away from her and began to dial.
{asterisks}
"Tori, you ready yet?" Jake called. It was almost time to leave, and he was waiting for her.
"Almost done!" came the reply. Jake looked down at himself, admiring his clothes.
He thought that he looked pretty good. He was wearing a tuxedo that he had only worn once before, black and rather stylish, with a bow tie and jet-black pants. A small gold chain was hanging out of his pocket, the only hint of colour that he had on him, which was connected to a pocketwatch that he only wore for special occasions. He took it out of his pocket, clicked the button, and checked the time. 6:12. The reservations were for 6:30, and he would've hated to be late.
He tapped his foot impatiently for a moment, before he heard her behind him. "How do I look?"
Jake turned around, and had to stop his jaw from dropping.
Tori was wearing an absolutely stunning dark blue dress that came down just below her knees and left her shoulders uncovered. Jake couldn't take his eyes off of her. Tori giggled at his reaction.
"You look…" he breathed. "You look… that's… wow…"
She laughed. "That good, huh?"
"When did you get that dress?" he asked.
"Oh, a few weeks ago," she replied.
"Was it expensive?"
"No, it wasn't that much. Not by how much most clothes like this sell for nowadays."
"Oh, good," he said, moving closer to her. He ran his hands up her arms, leaned down a bit, and began to kiss her neck. "I'd hate to rip something valuable off you when we come back."
She reluctantly pulled him off. "We have reservations, remember? Down, boy."
Jake moved back a bit. "Yeah, you're right." He linked their arms. "Shall we?"
Tori giggled. "We shall."
They walked outside together.
{asterisks}
They chose to walk to the restaurant instead of Super Jumping; the building had a balcony that they weren't sure they wouldn't crash into. It wasn't that far away, anyway, and Jake figured he could use the exercise.
When they got inside, Tori looked around the restaurant. It was really nice. The place was dimly lit by several small lanterns hanging from multiple locations, and there was even quiet music playing in the background. It was quite an atmosphere.
The host stood in front of them, giving them a wide smile. "Can I help you? We're rather full right now."
"Actually, I had a reservation," Jake said. "I'm Jake. I was told that there'd be a table ready?"
"Of course, sir," the host replied. "If you could follow…" His voice trailed off, and his eyes flickered away for a moment. His smile froze in place.
"Is something wrong?" Jake asked.
"I'm very sorry," the host said. His tone was colder. "But this is a fine establishment that we're running here, and we can't allow animals inside the restaurant."
Jake looked around, confused. "Animals? There's no animals here. All I see is Inklings."
"It's a rather strict policy, sir," the host said. "No animals allowed." This time, he nodded in Tori's direction.
Tori bowed her head and felt tears well up in her eyes. She tugged on Jake's arm, but he didn't move. She looked at his face.
Jake's face was completely blank as he stared at the host, who still had that smile plastered on his face. As she watched, Jake began to speak. His voice was calm, but she could hear the anger in it.
"I'd like for you to listen to me," he said. "I understand that you're running a very fine restaurant here, and I understand that she's an Octoling. But that changes nothing. You hear me? Nothing. She's caused no trouble, and will cause no trouble for the rest of the night. She is perfectly polite, and has done nothing to offend you whatsoever, yet you judge her by the tentacles on her head. I've got half a mind to turn around and walk out right now, because you don't deserve my service. But you know what? I'm not going to, because my girlfriend deserves a good time for Valinktine's Day. And I am not going to let you stop me from giving that to her."
The host narrowed his eyes, and spoke through gritted teeth. "My deepest apologies, sir. Allow me to lead you to your table."
Jake gently took Tori's hand and whispered to her as they followed the host. "You okay?"
Tori nodded in response.
The host ended up seating them at a booth, carelessly tossing two menus onto the table, making a displeased noise, and moving to return to the front entrance.
"Sir?" Jake said.
The host turned around again, his smile looking even more forced. "Yes?"
"I'd like your boss's phone number, please. And make it snappy."
"Surely that isn't necessary-"
"What I think wasn't necessary," Jake interrupted, "was the way you spoke about my girlfriend. Phone number, now. And kindly don't let me see your face for the rest of the night."
The host scowled and stalked away, returning a few moments later with the phone number. Jake took it, and the host walked back to the entrance. Jake let out an annoyed sigh and turned to Tori.
"Sorry," he said.
"What are you apologizing for? You didn't do anything wrong," she replied. "C'mon, let's just forget about him and try to enjoy our night."
Jake sighed again, and they looked through their menus, occasionally discussing meal choices. Eventually, Tori looked around.
"You know, we've been here a good few minutes now, and no one's taken our order," she noted.
"Yeah, you're right," Jake said. He had a sneaking suspicion as to why, but didn't want to say it aloud. "The tables are starting to clear up, too. I wonder what's wrong?"
As if on cue, a waitress walked up to their table. "Hi!" she said in a perky voice. "I'm sorry about the wait, but there were…" her eyes flickered over to Tori and she wrinkled her nose, "…complications."
Jake became visibly angry. His nostrils flared, teeth gritted, hands balled up into fists. He moved to get up, but Tori gently placed one hand over his. "Just let it go…" she said quietly.
He contemplated for a moment, before settling back down in his seat and looking back through the menu.
"So, can I start you off with something to drink?" the waitress asked.
"Yeah, do you have any juice?" Jake asked.
"Juice, sir?" she replied. "I'm afraid not. We have a rather fine selection of wines, if you'd like."
"No, thanks," Jake said. "I tried wine once and didn't like it much. I'll just have some water, if that's alright."
"Of course, sir," she said. She gave a short bow and turned to walk away.
"Excuse me?" Tori said politely. The waitress sped up.
"Miss?" Jake asked. The waitress turned around and smiled at him.
"Did you need anything else, sir?" she asked.
"I think you forgot about my girlfriend."
"My apologies, sir. I've been working very hard tonight, and some things have just slipped-"
"Don't bother," Jake said. His voice was dangerously calm. "Just, please take her order."
"I'll just have some water, too, thanks," Tori said. "Sorry for the trouble."
"It's no problem, miss," the waitress said. Her smile looked like it was starting to fade, and she turned and walked away quickly.
Jake scowled after her. "I'm starting to think this place isn't as good as I heard."
"I'm guessing you didn't hear from any Octarians," Tori pointed out.
"Good point," Jake replied. "Let's see if it gets any better, at least."
Surprisingly, the waitress took their orders and brought them their food without any further incident. They were enjoying the food when a clearly drunk Inkling stumbled up to the table and slid into Tori's side of the booth. She flinched, and tried to get away as he put an arm around her shoulder.
"Hey there, hot stuff," he slurred. "Why not ditch this guy and come home with me?"
She struggled to get away from him, but he had an iron grip on her shoulder. The Inkling tried to plant a kiss on her cheek when a hand shot out and grabbed him by his collar. Jake pulled him out of the booth, and spoke.
"Listen here," he said angrily. "I am in a very bad mood. You're not helping the situation. So if you value your face, you might want to get out of my sight."
The drunk said nothing, and just stared at Jake with wide eyes. Jake drew his fist back.
"C'mon, buddy. Last chance. Gimme an excuse, I dare you."
He was about to punch him when the drunk bolted away as fast as his legs could carry him. Jake sat back down and continued eating like nothing happened.
Tori stared at him in shock. "Jake? Are you okay?"
He said nothing, and continued to eat. Tori dropped it, and returned to her food.
They were finished about five minutes later, with idle chatter scattered throughout. The waitress didn't come to their table once during that time.
The minute the last bites had entered their mouths, she returned. "Would you like to see a desert menu? Or would you just like the bill?"
Jake looked at Tori, and she shook her head. "Just the bill, thanks," he said.
The waitress nodded, walked off, and returned a moment later with the bill before leaving again.
"Are we gonna tip her?" Jake asked.
"I think we should," Tori said. "I mean, she was pretty fast, after all."
"Yeah, but she didn't like you any more than the host did," Jake pointed out. "And I think the reason she was so fast was because she wanted us out quickly."
"Do what you want, then," Tori said. "Maybe just a small one."
Jake did some mental math, and decided to tip ten percent. They were on the way out when the waitress stopped them. The tip was in her hand, and the rest of the money was still on the table.
"Excuse me, sir, but I believe that you were given exceptional service, and this tip doesn't accurately reflect that service."
Jake stared at her in surprise, opening his mouth to say something, before closing it and snatching the tip out of her hand. He moved to leave when he was stopped again.
"Sir, that hardly seems necessary-"
"Well, I can't say I'm sorry, because in my book, the minute you ask for a bigger tip is the minute you get none at all. That's just rude."
"How dare you!" the waitress said indignantly. "I worked hard for the two of you, and this is the thanks I get? I didn't even make that bitch leave!" She pointed at Tori, whose eyes widened. Jake flared up in anger again.
"You listen to me!" he shouted. "I know that she's an Octarian, and I know that they're our enemies! But you have no excuse for something like this! I told that host of yours when we came in, she has done nothing to you! I-" He stopped talking abruptly, and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna leave before I do something I regret. Here's your tip." He pulled a single coin out of his wallet and flipped it at the waitress, who caught it. "C'mon, Tori, let's get out of here." He walked out the door, and Tori followed him.
"GOD DAMMIT!" he yelled when he was outside. He started looking around the street wildly. After a moment, he angrily kicked and pounded the wall of the restaurant, screaming obscenities at the top of his lungs. Tori stayed back and watched him in mute fear.
It took him a few minutes to calm down, and he slumped down to his knees. Tori hesitantly approached him. "Jake?"
He looked up at her sadly. Tears were running down his face.
"C'mon, let's get you home," she said, and helped him up. He quietly began to cry, and they walked back to the apartment together.
When they arrived, Jake collapsed on the couch. Tori sat next to him.
"Wanna tell me what's wrong?" she asked.
Jake paused before responding. "It's just- I wanted this night to be perfect, and everything went wrong."
"Don't worry about that," Tori said. "There's gonna be more Valinktine's Days-"
"No, there won't," Jake interrupted. "I mean, sure, we'll have more, but there won't be another first Valinktine's Day for us. And I just wanted it to go well. I even had plans for when we came back and I don't know if I can do it now."
She processed that for a moment. "Do it," she said.
"Do what?"
"Whatever you had planned. Let's do it."
"Are you sure? I don't know if I'm really feeling it right-"
"Are you really gonna let the jerks at that restaurant ruin our first Valinktine's Day?"
"…Alright, then," Jake said. "Whatever you say." She had expected him to kiss her, but instead, he took a deep breath, got down on one knee in front of her, and pulled something small and square out of his pocket. Tori's eyes widened and she put one hand over her mouth.
"Wait, don't say anything," Jake said. "I have something I need to tell you before I go any further, okay?" He took a breath. "Here goes…"
"First of all, this is something I've wanted to do ever since you came back from Octo Valley. I kept telling myself that it was too soon, I needed to wait a while, stuff like that. But it was killing me, having to wait. So I'm not gonna wait any longer. Second of all, I know that we've only been together for a few months, but I already know that you're the girl I want to spend my life with. Everything we've done together, that just cements it. So… Tori, I love you, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?" He opened the box he was holding and revealed a ring.
She stared at him in disbelief, one hand still over her mouth. Jake waited for her answer, daring to hope that she would say what he wanted her to say.
"…Yes."
Jake's heart was pounding so hard he wasn't sure if he heard her correctly. "Really?" His voice came out as a whisper.
"Yes," she said. "Yes, I'll do it! Of course I will!"
Jake's hands started shaking, and he carefully took the ring out of the box and slipped it onto her finger. She looked from the ring, into his face, and felt a smile spread across her lips. Jake's expression mirrored hers, and he pulled her into a passionate kiss, which Tori happily returned.
He pulled her even closer to him, and slipped one hand underneath her dress as she began to remove his tuxedo.
[A/N] Okay, I got a couple of things to get out of the way here. First of all, despite having this here, I am NOT GOING TO WRITE A WEDDING STORY. I don't like those very much (not really sure why, I just don't), so I'm just gonna leave it at this in terms of their relationship. I'm saying it now that yes, they are going to get married, but I won't be documenting it. You guys can play it up however you want to in your heads.
Second, in addition to the aforementioned birthday stories that I was talking about, I also want to do some for Christmas (I mean Squidmas, oops) and Halloween. Just wanted to let you know. That's gonna bring the total up to eight stories featuring these two (assuming I can get them all written, which doesn't seem too likely).
All in all, this seemed a little bit sloppy to me, but I'm happy with how it turned out! I hope you guys are, too!
Happy Valinktine's Day, and I hope you guys get to spend it with the special squids (and octopus) in your lives!