*Note* Tempura donburi is a Japanese dish where a bowl of rice is topped with various vegetables and/or shrimp that have been dipped in a batter and deep-fried.
Meryl sighed as she leaned back in her chair, taking a break from the stack of papers in front of her. She still had about 3 reports to look over, but they weren't too urgent. She could finish them tomorrow with plenty of time to spare. Besides, what she really wanted to do right then was to go home and relax. Johnny had been hinting that he was doing something special that night, but he refused to say any more beyond that.
"What's the rush? You'll find out soon enough," he had teased her before heading out the door that morning, leaving Meryl to pretend that she just asked out of mild curiosity, when actually she couldn't wait to find out.
Meryl couldn't resist a smile at the thought of her husband. Johnny was such a sweet, down-to-earth guy, and he always put her first in everything he did. True, he could be a dork and somewhat spastic at times, but those personality quirks were part of what made him so endearing to her. Even after all those times she slapped him around while they were in Rat Patrol 01, he still remained unquestioningly loyal to her, even saving her life at least three times before working up the courage to propose to her. Sometimes Meryl felt a little undeserving of such a doting husband, but she vowed to make that up to him throughout their marriage. Twisting her wedding band, she contemplated calling home to see if Johnny was back yet.
'If he answers, I'll just ask if there's anything he wants me to pick up before I go home,' she thought. Satisfied with her plan, she picked up her cell and dialed home.
"Hey Meryl, you heading home soon?" Johnny greeted her after the third ring. Apparently he had checked the caller ID before answering, but Meryl didn't let his sudden greeting throw her off.
"Yeah, I'm about to. Just checking to see if there's anything we needed before I left," she calmly replied, skillfully concealing her true intentions. Or so she thought.
"Hmm, no, I think we're good at home. I am, however, waiting for one lovely lady to head home before her surprise gets cold." Evidently he had seen right through her excuse. She swore she could hear his grin over the phone.
"Alright. I'll be home soon. Bye"
"I'll be waiting."
Okay, so she had tried. Sometimes she was still amazed at the way Johnny could read her so well. If she had a bad day, or was particularly moody for one reason or another, he seemed to perceive it and act accordingly without her ever saying a word about it, be it making up a steaming mug of tea, or letting her rest her head on his lap while they reviewed papers and reports together on the couch. It was almost like having the SOP communicating with each other, but this was better; this was the real, pure connection they had with each other, something that could never be replaced by nano machines circulating around in their bodies.
Gathering up her things, Meryl grabbed her keys and headed out the door, wondering just what was waiting for her at home.
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Johnny's Mustang was already in the driveway when Meryl pulled up to the house. Getting out of her car and walking up to the door, she did her best to compose herself and appear cool and collected. She was about to slide her key into the lock when Johnny pulled it open and greeted her.
"Welcome home," he smiled, giving her a peck on the cheek. Meryl wrapped her arms around his neck and returned the gesture, this time on his lips.
"So, what's this little surprise you have for me?" she asked, her voice low and sensual, dropping her arms around his hips to pull him closer.
Johnny visibly gulped a little at his wife's sudden aggressiveness, but managed to pull himself together in time to take her bag and lead them back into the house.
"Alright, I guess you've been waiting long enough for this. Now just close your eyes and I promise you'll get to see it really soon."
Smiling, Meryl closed her eyes as she felt Johnny's hands gently take hers and guide her towards to dining room. Along the way, she caught a trace of a wonderfully floral scent. Roses, perhaps? There were also whiffs of something incredibly delicious that reminded Meryl of just what an unexpectedly, but wonderfully good cook her husband was.
"Mm, Johnny, that smells wonderful. Did you make something?" she asked as he gently stopped her in front of what she presumed to be the dining table.
"Well, why don't you see for yourself?" Johnny grinned, stepping back as Meryl opened her eyes and let out a small gasp as she saw the table in front of her. It was set for two, with tempura donburi steaming from their bowls and small plates of assorted Japanese pickles and sauce on the side. In the center of the table was a glass vase with a dozen red roses, each at the height of their blooms and giving off a rich, perfumed smell. When she noticed the box of dark chocolate from Recchiuti Confections, her favorite, it finally clicked.
"Oh! You mean, today is-?"
"Happy Valentines Day, Meryl. I guess your father wasn't kidding when he said you never remembered this day, much less celebrate it," Johnny laughed.
"You actually asked my dad about this before planning it all out?" Meryl asked in slight disbelief.
"No, no, it actually just happened to be good timing. We were talking with some of the other retired generals, and the topic of family came up. Some of the guys were talking about where they planned to take their wives out to dinner or what they were getting as a gift, and the Colonel mentioned how you never ever did anything for Valentine's Day, to the point where would completely forget about it. So I thought it'd be fun to surprise you," he finished, smiling broadly at her. "So, what'd you think? Like it?"
"Oh, Johnny, you didn't need to go through all this trouble," Meryl breathed, still taking in the splendor of the table and all of the preparations that must have gone into it. Johnny looked a little taken aback by her comment, so she quickly continued, "I love it. The flowers, the food, everything. And I love you for doing this for me," she finished, and drew him into a passionate kiss. She breathed deep, taking in everything, his scent, the taste of his mouth on hers, how she fit into his arms so naturally, his hands around her waist and her fingers running through his hair. 10 years ago, if someone had told her she'd be married to the cell guard whom she knocked out and stripped back in Shadow Moses, she would have laughed and thought they were kidding. Now, she couldn't imagine her life any other way.
"If you like it, that's all that matters to me," Johnny murmured as they pulled apart. "I swore I'd make you happy, and I intend to keep that promise." He gently traced the outlines of her face as he pulled her close, their foreheads resting against each other and their noses touching. Meryl didn't say anything, but they way her eyes shone told him just how happy she was.
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They were feeding each other their dessert over the table when Meryl suddenly realized that Johnny had been dropping subtle hints since last week.
"So that's why you were spending all that time in the florist shop last Saturday," Meryl exclaimed, remembering how Johnny had kept asking her opinion on this flower and that flower. She was surprised when, in the end, they had walked out without buying a single stalk.
"Yup. I know it was awkward and weird, but I couldn't think of a better way," he confessed.
"I thought you had suddenly decided that our house needed fresh flowers or something, but then you didn't buy any. If your plan was to confuse me, then it definitely worked," she laughed.
Johnny grinned back at her. "Well, no, that wasn't part of the plan, but it worked quite well, don't you think?"
"I have to admit, you definitely got me on this one," she sighed, pretending to be upset at being caught off guard, but her smile gave her true feelings away.
"So this is your first Valentine's Day experience, eh? Was it good enough to convince you to celebrate it again next year?" he teased as he cleared the table and brought the dishes to the sink. Meryl followed behind him, boosting herself up onto the counter to face him.
"Mm, it was definitely a romantic gesture," she answered, wrapping her arms around him. "Thank you," she whispered against his lips.
"Hmm, you're definitely welcome. So, you want to know what people do on the night of Valentine's Day?" he asked, smirking slightly. Meryl didn't answer but instead smiled back suggestively and pulled him in.
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To be honest, I'd given up writing fanfiction for a couple of years, until I discovered Metal Gear Solid. (I know, I know, I'm such a latecomer.) I watched my friend play Guns of the Patriots and instantly fell in love with the seemingly mismatched but incredibly awesome and endearing couple of Johnny and Meryl. Seeing as how there's not many such fics around, and the fact that my sister needed a narrative for a school project, I decided to combine two birds with one stone and write this short fic. I tried to keep them as in-character with my own opinions abut them as possible, but my sister did request a fluffy story, so there may be moments where it seems unlikely to happen. For all the readers who wondered like I did how Meryl and Johnny's married life would be like, I hope you had as much fun reading it as I had writing it. Reviews and constructive criticism welcome.
