What The Little Sticker Represents
{ Commission for KirbyGal! <3 }
“We can pretend we’re learning about it for the first time!” He says, sounding delighted. “It’s like a first date, but with the stars!”
What the Little Sticker Represents
by fun_fetti
Summary:
Helix breaks the hug as easily as it came, but he never breaks the contact. He grabs Casanova’s hand, squeezes it, and starts jumping and running toward the entrance.
“We can pretend we’re learning about it for the first time!” He says, sounding delighted. “It’s like a first date, but with the stars!”
Casanova breathes out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Helix being happy is, ultimately, what he had wanted the most. He thinks of the sticker and knows he’s chosen correctly.
Notes:
Commission for Kirbygal
(See the end of the work for more notes.)
There is only a speck of color decorating the desk calendar in Casanova’s office.
A sticker, of all things, holographic, glittery, and translucent all at the same time. It depicts a small bear hugging a heart, drawn with thick lines and big eyes, all to make it look– cute, Casanova suspects. And it is, cute. But the bear has nothing to do with that.
“To mark the date!” Helix said when he stuck the little illustration, with the type of sunshine smile that Casanova had to look away from—too much light. Helix was the cute one.
‘To mark the date,’ was it?
Casanova likes to pretend like he could just ignore it, like if he isn’t staring at it, it can just go away. But day after day, one calendar mark after another, that bear sticker beckons him further. Casanova tends to overthink– it’s part of the job description when you’re an astronomist– and as it turns out, that one mark in the calendar is no different. There are plans he needs to tend to, the sticker reminds him. He has enough time, but it time doesn’t last forever, it says as well. He needs to come up with something, and whatever it is, he needs to make Helix happy, goddamit.
Valentine’s Day. That’s what the little sticker represents.
Despite Casanova’s best efforts, every plan he tries to come up with just seems– well, lame is not the best way to put it, but he can’t think of anything else. Again, his brain tends to default to overthinking, so every time an idea pops up, his brain promptly dismisses it as less than ideal.
A stargazing date in their observatory, for example. It’s the first thing that pops up in an internet search when combining the keywords of ‘Valentine’s’ and ‘Astronomy,’ and all-in-all, it seems like quite the romantic setup. Unless it’s not. There is little point in going stargazing– at least, in the traditional sense, for his non-traditional lifestyle. Don’t Casanova and Helix alike do enough stargazing in that observatory of their own already? Would finding a coworker as they’re on a date ruin the mood?
Stars are still important to the two of them, but the location could use a change. Casanova tries to find a different angle for this approach. Stargazing on a field, perhaps? The internet suggests a picnic, with a charcuterie board, some expensive wine, and a spot far away from the city’s light pollution. Private and romantic, yes– unless it’s not private. Casanova shivers at the amount of bugs, most of them being mosquitos, using them as a picnic. That takes away the romantic atmosphere without a second thought.
The third idea is more of a stretch, but the more he considers it, the more it starts to sound appealing. It’s still quite educational, but there are no mosquitos and no coworkers to be a serious problem. Someone recommended it in a forum, and if anyone is to ask Casanova, it’s the best idea he could find.
Three days before that sticker marks the date, Casanova decides to sleep on it.
And with only two days left before Valentine’s Day, he makes a purchase.
“I’m not sure I’ve been around this side of town before!” Helix calls out, pace practically stuck to the car window. It is now that fateful day, and Casanova picked him up at eleven on the dot. Figured that way, there would be fewer people to give them an early start.
“Last October,” Casanova points out, only glancing at his partner while keeping his eyes on the road. “Dentist.”
“Is that your super secret Valentine’s date spot?”
Helix giggles, surprisingly comfortable with the tease. In turn, Casanova coughs into his sleeve– he’d be a bit more flustered if not for the sound of Helix’s laugh. Like ringing bells, a sort of music that Casanova likes to hear.
“... Not telling.” He mutters back, very matter-of-factly.
Casanova knows that the intrigue of this date is eating Helix alive– but that’s part of the gift. The surprise that comes after the realization. (Assuming Helix will like the spot, but of course, Casanova can only hope).
“Please?” Helix pouts, making his best attempt at convincing puppy eyes, “Tell me, pretty, pretty please?”
Focus on the road, focus on the road, focus on the road–
A sign for his intersection’s exit comes up on the road, and Casanova takes that opportunity to excuse himself from this conversation. Thankfully, (mercifully, miraculously,) Helix doesn’t push. Instead, he brings his gaze back to the street and hums some kind of song as the ride goes by. Casanova has no idea what he’s signing, but it’s very much pleasant. There’s never silence between them, even if they don’t talk to each other. It’s always such a comfortable feeling.
Then, they park in a nearby parking garage, and that comfortable feeling starts fluttering away with the same anxieties he’s been mulling over. The hopeful, excited image of that little sticker keeps popping into mind, and the idea of Helix being disappointed is quite intimidating. Even if Casanova knows Helix. Even if Helix looks like he’s having an amazing time in the parking lot– as if that was the attraction itself.
When the sidewalk turns the corner into a different block, there is no way to delay the surprise any longer, Their local Science Center holds an Institution-funded Air and Space program that’s just as much an educational facility as it is a glorified curiosities museum. It spans almost two blocks with all its different buildings and is crowned by a high-budget planetarium right smack in the middle of the space. For highly trained and experienced astronomists like himself and Helix, traveling to a learning museum isn’t necessary. And yet, when Casanova had seen an ad on their website for ‘Valentine’s Day celebrations,’ he thought that it could be quite fun. Maybe. Possible. Hopefully.
Casanova shoves a pamphlet into Helix’s hands before his partner has a chance to speak, and before they make any sort of eye contact. It feels like an explanation is in order, before saying what Helix has to say.
“Sounded fun,” he tells him, voice strained and quiet. “Informative, Romantic.”
Somewhere in his office, stuck to that day’s date, Casanova pictures the sticker judging his every action.
“Oh, I love this!”
Helix, with his usual energy not deterred in the slightest, crashes against Casanova into an all-encompassing hug. The man has to steady himself to keep them both from falling, but it’s a nice surprise. All of that anxiety he’s been carrying for weeks, it’s gone. As if Helix’s hug is squeezing it out or something.
“I’m– glad,” Casanova manages, palming his cheek so he can find and fix his glasses.
Helix breaks the hug as easily as it came, but he never breaks the contact. He grabs Casanova’s hand, squeezes it, and starts jumping and running toward the entrance.
“We can pretend we’re learning about it for the first time!” He says, sounding delighted. “It’s like a first date, but with the stars!”
Casanova breathes out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Helix being happy is, ultimately, what he had wanted the most. He thinks of the sticker and knows he’s chosen correctly.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Tickets were prepaid, so it’s only a matter of getting in line so they can enter the establishment. The queue mostly consists of other couples on dates like them, maybe with the odd friend group here and there, but they all seem just as outwardly excited as Helix himself. The wait goes through like a breeze, and before they know it, Casanova is trying to catch up with Helix’s pace as they explore the halls of the museum.
The first thing Helix wants to do, of course, is dive head-first into the planetarium, but they find the doors closed. There’s a poster right next to the velvet line, with the words ‘special function’ written on it. It’s some sort of audiovisual event that has scheduled showings, and the next one is about an hour away.
Helix looks disappointed for a grand total of thirty seconds, then announces “We’ll come back then!” And he’s back to dragging Casanova around the place.
There are just as many exhibitions as there are interactive showcases, and the two take their time to go through the ones that catch their eye. Most of them seem to be made with children in mind, with the information overly simplified, and for an easier learning experience. Not Casanova’s preferred way to learn, but Helix was having a blast pressing buttons and pulling on levers.
There was a certain wonder at going through these motions, re-learning all of the basics. It reminded Casanova of how he fell in love with astronomy in the first place, and for the first time in a long time, he was almost as excited as Helix. Almost, that was. And inwardly.
When the clock marks just twenty minutes before the planetarium’s showing, Cassanova suggests they go find some snacks in preparation, and the map on the museum’s pamphlet guides them toward the retail floor. There are a couple of heavier dining options, but the two gravitate toward a small coffee shop inside the gift shop. They get a small assortment of baker treats to share, and while they wait for their order, Helix keeps casting glances at the gift shop’s gares. There’s tacky house decor, paper-thin informational books, and lots and lots of stuffed characters, of all shapes and sizes.
“Go look,” Casanova tells his partner, giving him a gentle push on the shoulder. “Choose whatever. On me.”
There’s probably no practical use to any of that stuff, but the way Helix’s eyes light up makes the practical use the least of Casanova’s worries. Helix thanks him profusely, disappears into the aisle, and comes back with a small stuffed bear. It has big eyes (just like another bear Casanova knows), and it’s wearing a small white T-shirt with the museum’s logo.
“I just like teddy bears!” Helix explains, reaching his hands up and holding the thing up in the air, to full display of the world.
Yes. Casanova was well aware of that. “Of course,” is his answer.
“Is it weird?” Helix asks though he doesn’t sound either insecure or flat-out curious. It’s more… teasing, almost.
Cassanova lets out a small, closed-mouth laugh.
“Very you.”
“Really?” Helix sounds delighted. He keeps lifting the bear around, like trying to make it reach the sky. Instead, short as Helix is, the plushie barely reaches above the crown of Cassanova’s head. “Thank you, Casa!”
The other man nods, adjusts his glasses, and thanks the barista when he finally receives their drinks. He pays, both the drinks and the bear, and the two (or well, three) of them make their way toward the entrance wing. All the while Helix fuzzes over his latest gift.
At least it’s not a weird, cartoony version of the Milky Way, Casanova figures. Because they made plushies like that, and in his opinion, they are just as useless as they are unnerving. The teddy bear is the lesser of all evils.
And it also makes Helix happy. That’s the most important part.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
Helix continues to hold the plushie in his arms through the line for the planetarium. He doesn’t address it directly, but given the way he cradles it in a hug, it might as well be a part of the conversation. All through the function’s queue and while finding some seats, Helix talks and talks about the facts he’s ‘learned’ throughout the museum. It seems that the same passion for re-learning that has been warming Casanova’s heart has affected Helix, too.
They sit down. Helix settles the teddy bear on his lap and adjusts it so it's looking at the screen. Casanova needs to steady himself– damn it, that’s so cute.
“You know,” Helix whispers, even though the screens in the planetarium had already turned on, and are introducing some wonderful visuals. “I haven’t had this much fun in a while! I can’t believe I’m spending the day with you, Casa. Thank you.”
Helix sounds so enamored, so gentle and sweet, that Casanova doesn’t find any words to say back. He has the feeling that, no matter what he’d try to say, it wouldn’t match that. Helix had always been better with words, and that’s something Casanova had always deeply admired.
Music queues around them, and the screens explode with depictions of the Big Bang, filling the entire dome with lights and colors. Gorgeous representations of the beauty of space, guided by some passionate, excited narration. Casanova doesn’t watch– instead, he focuses on Helix. The way those lights and colors reflect in his eyes, so wide and full of wonder. The way the shadows bounce around the room and onto his features, that bright, beautiful smile. His ruffled hair. His flushed cheeks.
“It’s beautiful,” Helix says in complete, adoring awe.
“Yes,” Casanova whispers, breathless by the sight of the one he loves. Never once does he look away from Helix. “So, so beautiful.”
Helix smiles, impossibly wider. Casanova feels his hand being approached by his lovers, and he lets their fingers link together.
“I love you,” Casanova says, committing this moment to his memory. To think that he once thought to drop this whole Valentine’s Day business for good. He’s so, so thankful for that little sticker, that little reminder, and overall, what it represents.
“I love you too,” Helix says, squeezing his hand.
Notes:
Bolding and Italics to be added !