Kiss Like Real People Do
A Toby & Happy Story
By Brown Eyes Parker
Rated: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing, sadly. I don't even own a copy of "Like Real People Do" by Hozier, which I am going to remedy soon, like today soon.
.
Honey just put your sweet lips on my lips, we should just kiss as real people do.
Like Real People Do, Hozier_
It was just the two of them.
On Valentine's Day of all days.
Happy was walking beside him, pulling down the deep red dress that was probably Paige's idea and muttering about how dumb it was to go out on a first date on the most romantic day of the year according to the greeting card industry.
Toby was ignoring her tirade as he reminded himself over and over again not to let his mouth take over his brain like he was so prone to do when he was around Happy.
"Are you listening to me, Doc?" Happy asked.
"Um, no. . . I'm sorry, what were you saying?" Toby asked.
Happy rolled her eyes. "I was just saying how stupid it is to go out on Valentine's Day. You know what I mean? This whole holiday is fabricated by the greeting card industry to get you to spend an insane amount of money on cards that will get thrown away, flowers that will fade and chocolate that will be gone by the fifteenth. And if you don't have anybody, it just makes a person painfully aware of the fact that they're single and you hear all about it from crying roommates."
"It sounds like you're an authority on the subject," Toby said.
"I had a couple of roommates in college. One who had a boyfriend and did all the things I mentioned. The other one was single and would cry about it to me for a week. A week Toby, do you even know how annoying that was?"
"I'm a shrink," Toby reminded her. "So, yes, I know how annoying it can be sometimes. And I'll have you know something, not everyone throws away their Valentines. My mother kept every single one that my father gave to her from the time they were just dating."
"Oh. . ." Happy trailed off.
"And maybe it is cliché to go out on Valentine's Day on a first date, but I don't think there's anything wrong with it. It just worked out this way, I don't have any ulterior motives, and I'm not going to confess my undying love for you at the end of the night or ply you with the chocolate and red roses that you seem to disdain so much."
"I don't mind chocolate," Happy admitted, smiling at him inspite of herself. "It's just the chocolate in heart-shaped boxes I am averse to."
"Well, nobody minds chocolate," Toby answered. "No matter what the packaging is, but I don't have any for you. Especially in a heart-shaped box. In fact, there is nothing romantic on the agenda at all tonight. I was thinking we could go get pizza and see a movie."
"Not Fifty Shades of Grey though! Anything but that!" Happy replied.
Toby shook his head. "Of course not! The things wrong with that movie, it would take too long to list. I was thinking we could see that Colin Firth movie or the new Anna Kendrick's musical."
"The Colin Firth movie," Happy answered. "Paige will probably make me go and see the musical with her sometime this weekend."
"I knew you were going to pick the Colin Firth movie the whole time," Toby said. "So, I bought our tickets in advance, just to make sure we had seating."
Happy raised her eyebrow. "That was a little presumptuous of you, Doc. What if I had decided I wanted to see the musical instead?"
"I took a gamble," Toby said, shrugging. "It's what I do."
Happy rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I know."
"But I was certain an action flick would win out over people singing about their personal issues any old day."
Happy pulled down her dress and nodded. "You would be right about that. Argh, I wish Paige hadn't insisted I wear this stupid dress! It keeps riding up."
"I think you look really pretty," Toby offered.
She glared at him. "Not helping!"
"You're still wearing combat boots," he noted.
"Because I insisted," Happy answered. "Paige had the heels out, all ready to go but I told her if she was going to force me to wear a dress then I got to choose my footwear. It was a very powerful bonding moment, I don't think too many feelings were hurt."
"I'm sure Paige was proud of you for asserting your opinion on the matter," Toby answered, stopping in front of the team's favorite place to get pizza and opening the door for her. "After you."
"Thank you," Happy said, brushing past him.
.
"So, this hasn't been romantic so far," Toby said after they were seated and had ordered Cokes.
"I guess not," Happy answered, perusing the menu even though she would wind up ordering her customary slice of white pizza with garlic olive oil and sun-dried tomatoes when their waitress came back to take their food order.
"It almost doesn't feel like a date," Toby continued. "Even if you are wearing a dress."
Happy looked up at him and frowned. "If I were wearing what I normally wear, this could still be a date. You don't have to dress up in nice clothes for it to be a date, we could have easily gone to a monster truck rally wearing what we usually wear and it would have still been a date. Except, I don't think we're actually really good at dating."
"I've done the dating thing before."
"Yeah and look where that got you," Happy quipped, putting her menu down. "Well, I know what I'm getting."
"I know you do," Toby grumbled, beginning to think that asking her out was actually a bad idea. Maybe they would have been better off with the unresolved sexual tension. But looking at her, still fidgeting in a dress she wasn't used to wearing, he knew it would still go unresolved. With his luck, she probably wouldn't even let him kiss her goodnight.
They ordered their pizza and Toby changed the subject, he already knew almost everything there was to know about her, so they skipped the typical first date interrogation and talked about Ralph and his first crush.
Happy realized as she ate her slice of pizza and Toby ordered her another one because she was looking at his hungrily, it was easy to be around him when it was just the two of them and he wasn't acting like a jerk. It was easy to admit to talk to him, to admit that maybe she had a little bit of a crush of her own.
"Come on," Toby said, interjecting into her musings as he paid the bill. "It's almost time for the movie. We don't want to be late or we'll have to sit in the very front row."
She pushed her chair away, followed him to the front of the restaurant. He waited for her, held the door open for her and fell into step beside her.
Suddenly, it felt a little bit like a real date.
.
He ordered popcorn, malt balls and more Coke at the concession stand while she went to scout out the perfect seats for them. She waited for him, guarding their seats so nobody else would take them. He showed up just in time for the previews, handing her her movie theater treats as they settled into the seats.
Happy forgot to be annoyed as Toby whispered to her what movies looked interesting to him, which ones that would be box office flops and which ones they should see together. When the film began, she nudged him and told him to be quiet. And surprisingly, he was for the rest of the movie.
When the movie was over, they made their way through the crush of people leaving the theater, Toby almost dragged her out so she wouldn't say anything offensive to the flock of females leaving Fifty Shades of Grey.
They stopped for ice cream on their way back to the Cyclone. He ordered her the largest chocolate cone they had and joked that he had actually purchased chocolate for her twice that day even though it was something she was very against.
"I told you, I'm not opposed to chocolate on Valentine's Day. . . especially when it doesn't come in a heart-shaped box," Happy retorted, shoving him playfully as they started to walk again.
Toby laughed a little and stopped her in the street. "Hey, if I asked you for permission this time, would you let me give you a kiss?"
Happy stopped mid-lick, his question catching her off-guard. She wasn't used to boys asking her for permission to kiss her, they usually did it whether she wanted it or not. Catching her lips before she could duck away. She licked her lips, swallowed the remaining ice cream on her tongue.
"Happy?" He asked anxiously.
"I would have to finish my ice cream first," she answered as she smiled at him, adding, "Maybe if you behave yourself the rest of the way home, I'll let you kiss me goodnight. Is that good enough for you Doc?"
Toby sighed. "I guess so."
The rest of the walk home was spent with Toby anxiously wondering what would happen next, if she was going to kiss him or not. They reached the garage and he turned to her, waiting for what would happen next, counting to ten over and over again to steady his beating heart and wishing he didn't feel like a high school boy on his first date. She was studying him, calculating her next move.
Just when he thought the suspense was going to kill him, Happy nodded.
"Okay," she said, uncrossing her arms and opening them wide. "I guess it'll be okay if you kissed me goodnight. If you really want to."
"Thank you," Toby answered, shuddering at the formality of it all.
They both neared each other, meeting in the middle. He brushed a dark strand of hair away from her face; she tilted her head slightly and closed her eyes. He cupped her cheek with one hand and leaned in, brushing her lips tentatively at first, feeling slightly encouraged when she responded to him.
He pulled her closer with his free hand, taking in the way she tasted salty and sweet and fizzy from the combination of junk food and soda she had consumed that night. Her lips were soft, void of the sticky lipstick his fiancee had liked to wear.
It seemed to last forever, it seemed like it was forever too short when she eased herself away from him and looked at him, her wide eyes dark with wonder and amazement.
"Wow."
"Is that a good wow?" Toby asked, closing his eyes and waiting for her answer.
Happy didn't answer; she kissed him again instead, a little quickly this time. "Thanks for tonight Toby. It was really nice."
Toby opened his eyes and wrinkled his nose, not daring to ask her if there was a possibility of a second date. He'd ask her again later, when they both had time to process what had just happened. If they actually processed what had just happened.
He cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, you're welcome. As first dates go, it was probably one of the best ones I've had in a long time."
"Me too," Happy agreed, hesitating a little bit. "Maybe. . . maybe we can do it again sometime. If you want to."
Toby knew he was probably grinning like an idiot as he nodded. "I would like that a lot," he answered.
"Good," Happy said. "Goodnight Toby."
"'Night Happy," he replied, not tacking on a Happy Valentine's Day to the end of it because there was no need to push his luck that far.
Maybe one day they would be at a point in their relationship where he could say it and she wouldn't get upset by the sentiment of it all.
Maybe.
He could only hope.
_The End_
.
Author's Note:
A couple notes, the movie Toby took Happy to see is Kingsman: The Secret Service Project and the musical he was talking about is The Last Five Years. Second, I know it doesn't have much to do with the title, but the song inspired the story and said title. I hope you'll tell me what you think of this story, looking forward to your feedback and to Love Boat. FOUR MORE DAYS!
Love,
Holly, 2/5/2015_