Anti-Valentine's Day
Pairing: Scott "Full Metal" Carter x f!Reader
Summary: Valentine's Day sucks. But she gets asked a question from someone she least expected.
WC: 2433
Warnings: fluff, an Elle Woods quote, Metal being a tad bit OOC? (Maybe, idk), amateur proofread (but if there are mistakes then I'm sorry), I think that's it.
A/N: a day late and a dollar short but here's my piece for Valentine's Day. I absolutely hate the holiday. Not sure how this ended up being a Metal fic but it is what it is. That's a total lie, he seems like the type to not like the holiday either.
Valentine’s Day was a scam. Scamming people out of money buying unnecessary shit for their significant other. At least that’s what she thought. She couldn’t understand why people would go balls to the wall buying overpriced flowers and chocolates for one day of the year when they should be expressing their love to their partners on a daily basis.
If they were only going to spend one day out of the year to be extra then she didn’t want a part of it. Which she wasn’t. She hadn’t had to worry about buying gifts for a special someone for almost five years. And she was perfectly fine with that. She just waited until the fifteenth for the discounted chocolate.
She had spent all week avoiding conversations with the girls about the up and coming holiday. Naima had wanted to set her up with a few blind dates. Lisa wanted to sign her up for a special Valentine’s Day Speed Dating event. Mandy wanted to have a girls’ night and just talk about anything and everything. And while she loved her best girlfriends, she didn’t want to be around people that day.
So you can imagine her surprise when she ran into Metal while on base. She had been walking with someone from Delta when he showed up out of nowhere. The Delta guy scurried off when he caught sight of the towering and brooding man. She snorted as she watched the younger guy scamper off. She rolled her eyes before turning her attention back to Metal.
“Master Chief Carter, what do I owe the pleasure of being in your presence?”
He raised an eyebrow at her. She raised her own back at him. Silence was deafening between them. When he hadn’t answered, she patted his bicep before preparing to walk away.
“Good talk. Duty calls,” she said casually.
He quickly checked for any eavesdroppers before finally speaking.
“Be my anti-valentine?” he said gruffly.
That halted her in her tracks. She internally replayed the words in her head a few times before spinning around on her heels. Her eyes were wide as saucers as she stared at him.
“I-I’m sorry. I just hallucinated. What?”
She definitely did not just pull an Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. Metal heaved an exasperated sigh before repeating once more. He only did that for her. Mostly because…well, he did shit like that and completely caught her off guard.
“My anti-valentine. We both hate the holiday. So why not spend the evening together.”
She remained silent as she stared at him. They weren’t the type to hang out one on one outside of work. If anything, they usually had Trent there with them. So this invitation threw her for a loop.
“Don’t overthink it.”
She narrowed her eyes at him before looking away. She took a deep breath before slowly letting it out.
“Why not,” she said, clearly unsure if she should or not.
“That’s not really an answer. If you don’t want to then that’s fine. No harm, No-”
“Dammit Carter! Yes! Yes I’ll be your anti-valentine! Now back to work!” she hissed, but slightly bemused.
He watched as she took off down the corridor. She almost disappeared out of sight before she paused to turn and look at him. He didn’t do or say anything. She eventually turned away then disappeared.
*******
They had agreed to meet at his place an hour after they finished work. She took an “everything shower” despite knowing that they’d probably just eat dinner and enjoy a movie. And she definitely didn’t slip into a matching set to wear under her clothes. She settled for a pair of jeans, a Jack Daniels t-shirt, and her favorite hoodie. A hoodie that she had borrowed (with no intentions of returning) from Metal. She slipped on some Hey Dudes before grabbing her keys and wallet as she slipped out the door.
Once the door was closed and locked, she unlocked her car as she walked towards it. As she slid into the driver’s seat, she decided to make a pitstop on the way over to his place.
A short time later, she now stood outside his house. Sure she had a key (everyone had a key but not everyone had a key to her place) but she couldn't bring herself to use it. So, instead she rang the doorbell. Silence prevailed but then she heard footsteps. The lock turned then the door opened. Only it wasn’t Metal.
“Trent?! What are you doing here?”
He smirked before walking past her.
“Well, I was hoping to get Metal to come out with me tonight for a few rounds of drinks but then I saw what he had planned instead and figured he was expecting company. Only thing is, I didn’t expect it to be you,” he said easily.
She clocked that immediately.
“What the fuck do you mean by that Sawyer?”
He stopped to look at her.
“I didn’t mean it in a negative way. Just…I never thought he’d–”
“Choose someone like me? Gee thanks.”
He ran a hand over his face.
“Dammit that’s not what I meant and you know it!”
“No I don’t know. Please explain what exactly you mean!”
At that time Metal stepped in to intervene.
“Trent, you're not helping your case. And you…stop listening to the dumbass,” he directed the last part to her.
She turned to look at him before deciding to go back to her car. She had barely turned to leave when Metal gently grabbed her by the arm.
“You don’t need to go. Just come inside and we’ll talk,” he said, stepping aside to allow her in.
She glanced at Trent before looking back at Metal. She nodded before walking in. Metal glared at Trent before closing the door on him. Metal locked the door before turning to look at her. She stood off to the side, still unsure of what to expect from him. He shook his head then walked up beside her. He placed a hand on the small of her back then guided her to the kitchen.
There in the kitchen sat a vase of her favorite flowers. She stared at them, thinking back to the time that she had the same flowers delivered once a month. Only two people knew what her favorite flowers were. One of them was currently six feet in the ground. The other stood beside her in the kitchen. She slowly turned to look at him.
“You’re the one who has been sending me flowers once a month haven’t you.”
It wasn’t a question. She didn’t know how she didn’t see it but now she was starting to connect the dots. She never saw the signs before now. Every memory came flashing forward at lightning speed.
“I didn’t think it would take this long for you to figure it out but then again, it is you.”
She snorted as she smacked him with the back of her hand.
“How long?”
“Since Yemen. That’s how long I’ve known myself. When it comes to how long I’ve been interested? I can’t say exactly.”
Yemen. That was two and half years ago. She stared at him, wondering why he didn’t say anything until now. And why on Valentine’s Day of all days to confess.
“Emma. She figured it out long before I did. She just never said anything. She thought I would have said something by now but I obviously hadn’t. It was her idea for it to be today when I said something. And to call it an anti-valentine’s day date.”
Her mouth fell slightly open. She wasn’t sure how to process that bit of information. She closed it before looking away. He took the brown bag from her hand, clearly ignoring that comical sound coming from her throat. He pulled the bottle from the bag then placed it on the counter. A bottle of Glenlivet single malt. Twelve years of age. He smirked a bit, remembering how they stumbled across this brand of whiskey and how it had become a thing between them.
He reached for two small glass tumblers, filling one with ice. He turned back around and filled them both with the whiskey. Once he finished pouring, he handed her the one with the ice.
She took it from him, her breath hitching when her fingers brushed against his. He inhaled sharply when he felt an electric shock on his end.
She muttered a thank you before raising the glass to her lips. She took a long sip before lowering it. He watched her, trying to get a read on her.
She put her glass on the kitchen island before taking his glass from him and putting it down too. She now stood in front of him, a bit of space between them to be able to look up at him without hurting her neck.
His face was blank from emotions. She thought a moment before cautiously raising a hand to touch the side of his face. She hesitated a moment, her eyes questioning if it was okay. He gave a short nod and she continued her action.
“Can I…can I kiss you?” She whispered.
His eyebrows raised, not expecting her to ask that but also realizing that he wanted her to. He didn't like this weird feeling. He doesn't do emotions. He'd rather shove them in a box and call it a day. It was already a lot to handle acknowledging that he had feelings for her. It took her some time to get where she was today. Having started on a ship when she graduated from A School.
He still remembered the first time he saw her. Sticking close to the Master Chief of Delta team, as he explained the ends and outs of being the Intel Specialist for a group of Navy Seals. They were introduced, her face giving off a perplexed look when he was introduced as Full Metal. She didn't question it though. He had watched them walk away, going wherever they were going. When she turned to look back at him.
That should have been his first clue that there was something there. Then again, he had just gotten out of a bad relationship so he couldn't really blame himself for not seeing it.
Now she stood in front of him, wanting to kiss him. Could he really allow himself this?
“Yes,” his voice sounding a bit more gruffer than normal.
She smiled softly before placing her other hand on the other side of his face. He met her halfway, his lips ghosting hers before actually pressing against them.
It was like time stood still. He relished in the way her lips felt on his. It was like they belonged against his. He took the initiative to deepen the kiss, nipping at her bottom lip hoping for entry. She granted him access, allowing his tongue to slip in.
Yup. This was definitely his best kiss ever. With a woman who meant something to him. He ended up scooping her up and placing her on the kitchen island. Her legs instinctively opened to allow him to step in between them.
Her arms slipped around his neck, her sighing contently into the kiss. His hands found their way to her hips, squeezing them every so often.
She found herself relaxing further into the kiss. A feeling she hadn't felt in a long time. She never thought she'd find herself in the arms of a Navy guy. Let alone Metal. Then again, he made life easier. She remembered the first time she saw him.
He didn't say much when Marsden introduced her to him, but that didn't mean that Metal didn't acknowledge her. He had grunted in response then studied her for a moment. That didn't last long when Marsden started to move away. She gave a short wave before following Delta 1. Before she disappeared around the corner, she turned to look back at him. He was still staring in her direction, watching as she left.
Two years after that day, she found herself on Alpha's team. Marsden was pissed as hell and tried to deny the transfer but it was above his pay grade.
She couldn't figure out why Alpha would need an Intel Specialist, seeing as they teamed up with Bravo. And Bravo had Mandy as their Intel Specialist. But she didn't argue with that. Little did she know that being on Alpha's team would be the best placement for her.
She broke the kiss first. She pressed her forehead against his. She could feel her heart beating against her ribcage. Her nerve endings firing on all cylinders. It was a bit before she could form words.
“You think this can work? I know you're on Bravo and I'm on Alpha. But…”
“It can work. We'll be fine. But if it comes down to it, then we'll figure it out.”
She mumbled an “okay” before leaning in to place a kiss on his lips again.
They eventually got around to eating dinner and enjoying each other's company. They ended the night perfectly in each other's arms.
*****
The next time the guys, Lisa, and Mandy saw them at Bulkhead, Metal had this smug look on his face. Everyone knew that they were finally together. They cheered and whistled. She playfully rolled her eyes as she allowed herself to be passed around for hugs.
Trent was last to hug her. Though she was hesitant to hug him back.
He whispered in her ear an apology for his reaction on Friday. Telling her that he never meant to hurt her feelings. That she was an amazing woman and friend. He told her that he was fully supportive of the two of them dating. He just never thought she'd date a Navy guy.
But seeing how happy she was with Metal, he could see how much Metal meant to her. He couldn't fault her on that.
She accepted the apology. Because in all honesty he was right. She never thought she'd date a Navy guy either. But this weekend proves that with the right person, it was possible. Metal knew the ends and outs of being deployed and spun up. Because he'd endure the same thing.
After they pulled away, she maneuvered around to sit on a stool next to Metal. He raised an eyebrow at her, she leaned into him.
“Trent apologized for Friday,” she whispered.
He grunted. She bumped her shoulder against his, smiling happily. He bumped hers in response. Drinks were brought to the table and more cheers were given to the new happy couple.
