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February 14th
That was in a week, apparently.
Lounging on his chair, Perry re-read the e-mail on the lair's screen. It was from the official OWCA adress and it cordially invited any and every agent from within the tri-state area to a Valentine's office party.
An excerpt of the e-mail read:
"It is not mandatory to attend. The ones in attendance will get garanteed bonuses next month, the rest will riecieve them as normally. For sickness and other eligible vacation days application, visit form N°16."
Which probably meant that anyone not going would not get paid said bonuses at all. Bonuses that as of late, consisted on most of the paycheck anyway.
He pinched between his eyes and took a deep breath. He didn't mind visiting the office from time to time (much), and in the case of office parties food tended to be varied due to the different species involved. Also, the music was usually decent and it was a chance to actually see his colleagues. It wasn't bad; but the problem is that he was struggling to recall the last time he was able to spend a complete special day or holiday with his family. That was the problem.
That, and the fact that the party was supposed to be a music-themed talent show and agents were encouraged (and by that he meant: expected) to bring a partner.
And he didn't know how to play an instrument to begin with.
In conclusion: Fucking shit
With a frown, he got out of the chair and went back up the house. It would still be a few hours until duty called, and he hoped to get what the boys were up to.
It was on the way to DEI when he realized he actually had options. An option. Singular.
It hadn't crossed his mind at that moment, slightly upset as he was, but he did have a special person he could ask.
Did he feel a little flustered to do so? Maybe. But the truth is that Perry was sure Heinz would say yes. He isn't worrying about getting a no, but rather the things the assured yes might spark.
The distance he usually keeps is calculated. It is there for a reason. Heinz was work first and foremost, relationship second.
Which was a lie but he liked to repeat it.
Going with him to the party meant erasing that respectful and carefully placed limit, opening up the chance to do or be something else. Part of him desired to do so, part of him was, admittedly, afraid.
Afraid because the line was already blurry. It's not like he could deny the movie nights, the occasional lingering goodbye hug. The smiles. Heinz's hand on his when they both reached for popcorn…
He sighs. He wasn't very good with emotions.
As for what the music respected, he wasn't a terrible dancer, but that felt like something reserved for closed doors; he rather not dance in front of the whole OWCA. The best course of action in his opinion was to play some kind of instrument.
And if he was informed correctly, Heinz took guitar lessons
(Lessons from Jeremy Johnson no less. Perry really hopes that would never backfire on him. Considering Jeremy ALSO gave lessons to Major Monogram. But alas.)
It sounded good, really. Rounded. Obvious even. to ask him to go and play guitar together.
Parking on the DEI balcony, he set his thoughts aside. It was thwarting time, and he was a professional for fucks sake.
___
He lingered a bit, after the thwarting. The smell of the explosion was still in the air. Perry sighed, mind made up, and finally got a pen and his post-it notes out.
“OWCA's February 14th party, a week from now. Music themed. Need a companion.
Guitar?”
Short, but he was sure Heinz would understand what he was offering. Perry smile threatened to slip in as he saw Heinz's eyes open wide at the note
“What is this, Perry the Platypus?... February 14th?! That is Valentine's day, isn't it? Man, I didn't know Francis cared for such dates at all…” Perry shrugs, rolling his eyes. “Just mandatory company stuff huh?”
The platypus nods, half smiling.
The smile is returned fully, in earnest. “And you want me to go with you Perry the Platypus?” Heinz hands him the note back, and it's evident now that the scientist is getting excited. He answers, with a short buff, almost a sigh and nods once.
“For realsies?”
God, he is insufferable. Yes, Heinz, yes.
___
After another post it note they say goodbye to each other. They would meet up in Heinz’s apartment in a couple of days. the kids would be at school since it'd be in the morning on a weekday, so Perry should be in the clear to go then.
He was admittedly worried that the scientist had misread his intentions a bit. In his last note he had asked him to meet and to teach him a little something on guitar. It wasn't a date (of course it wasn't) but Heinz had answered with something along the lines of “I'll make sure to be ready. I'll make some of those cookies you like” which made it sound an awful lot like one.
It was bound to be a good time though.
The next day, before work (the reports, mostly, since Heinz had already told him he had nothing planned the day before) he realized he had a message. From Pinky.
“You coming to the Valentine party? I'm going with Agent K (as friends, please don't join in on the gossip)”
So much for gossip, he scoffed. He knew Pinky's true gossipy intentions.
Well, not really. Despite the fact that the other agents seemed to enjoy speculating about his and others life, Pinky was a close friend, and the question probably came from there.
“Yes. I'm going”
“Really? That's nice. I'll see you there then”
“Who, btw?”
Not telling him now would probably just be worse for the gossip when he shows up at the party. And Pinky deserved the thruth.
“Dr. D”
“Oh… That a big deal?”
“Why should it?”
“Your relationship is special”
It was different from other nemesiships, for sure.
“There's nothing against it ya know?”
“And no one against it either. It's cool you're bringing him”
“It's not like that”
“Of course. Sorry. That's fine too.”
He got where Pinky was coming from. They had talked about it before. They had helped each other since the whole 2nd Dimension debacle. Talking, sharing. It was easier if you weren't alone.
Perry had explained to him once that he was really fond of Heinz. He cared for him. He liked thwarting him and he liked having movie nights and all of what they did together. The scientist treated him like an equal and he felt like he could freely be himself around him most of the time.
And Pinky had understood. He couldn't empathize but he understood. He also understood how complicated that was, because Heinz also liked him very much and that was obvious.
“Stop worrying so much. Have fun. It'll be fine”
“Thanks”
Maybe the dog was right. This was an opportuinity. Stop worrying. Be with Heinz. Have fun.
___
Perry tried to stick to that mentality when going to their not-date meeting. He would let it play out, within reason, and he would have a wonderful morning with Heinz.
Heinz was pretty sure that they would have fun too. He prepared some cookie snacks he knew his nemesis liked, and set up a comfy practice area in his living room with both his, and what would now be, Perry's guitar.
He had gotten it on a whim, a few months back. He had seen it on display and with it the idea of showing off his skills to Perry the Platypus ingrained itself in his mind. When Perry had asked, he actually had a lesson half prepared for him.
Heinz told him so, after setting down, seeing the surprise in the agent's face at the sight of the platypus sized guitar.
“You see, I was already prepared for this. It's nice to be a few steps ahead, really. You can always count on me Perry the Platypus”
They sat, and Perry grabbed the little guitar.
It looked outright adorable.
For the next minutes, they decided on one of the songs Heinz knew so they could focus on practicing one in particular. It was one that featured in one of the romantic operas they had watched some episodes of together and one that Perry really liked. When it came to explaining how to do so, the scientist showed the position with his own fingers and Perry would attempt to imitate it.
Heinz looked at those tiny hands and stared.
He looked up again when Perry chirred in question.
“Oh um, yeah, not quite Perry the Platypus. The first is fine, the second is a little skewed. Look”
He showed him, and Perry repositioned. It went like that for a while, Heinz doing the more difficult parts while Perry, since he was a newbie, the easiest.
Until a particular chord seemed to be giving Perry a hard time.
“No, no, it's not that the position is necessarily bad, but you're moving them wrong, it's not going to come quite as it- here, let me show you.”
Heinz leaned forward, forgetting his own instrument for a second. In class, nudging someone else's hand and fingers to the right position was normal, not weird or a big deal.
But with them it felt weirdly intimate. Perry's breath was cut short when, after leaning, the scientist used two fingers to slightly guide his entire hand to the correct movement.
Heinz also seemed lost for a second. He was thinking, for such powerful, skillful hands, they really are so cute and tiny. He was, sometimes, cute and tiny. Perry. Perry was cute. When the bastard wanted, anyway.
Oh and how he loved his hands. “Look at them” he thought “Aren't they soft?”
Without really thinking, he softly petted the back of his hand with his thumb. Perry was as still as a statue, only sighing softly, and looking straight at Heinz, stunned.
The spell was broken, suddenly, by Heinz, who realized what he was doing and quickly leaned back, letting go. Perry mourned the loss of touch somewhere inside him but he was so surprised he kept staring at Heinz.
“Uh, um, I” Heinz stammered. He probably had overstepped, he thought. He had made Perry uncomfortable. “Sorry Perry, I…”
A sigh (more like a stunned cough) and a smile that this time, stayed there, and then Perry was looking down, playing the thing.
Hey, that didn't sound bad.
It still took Heinz a few seconds.
“Y-yeah! There you go. You're a fast learner Perry”
Perry's smile didn't go away for the rest of the practice.
___
Once they were done, they placed the instruments aside and shared the cookies. Unsure, given the moment had since passed, Heinz decided to properly apologize.
“Hey…”
Perry waited patiently
“I'm sorry. If I made you uncomfortable, earlier… It's just, for punching so viciously you have really tiny hands! and… well.”
This time Perry leaned, and gently placed his hand on top of Heinz's, that was clutching at the seat.
It’s okay
“I… Thanks…” What for, Heinz wasn't sure.
They stayed like that for a while, quiet.
___
On the way back home Perry reflected about what happened.
He had fun. And it was fine. More than fine. He'd enjoyed it.
He really liked how Heinz petting had felt.
He had been a bit sad when the other apologized. He had done nothing wrong. Hopefully he conveyed that clearly enough.
He felt optimistic about the party.
___
And the party was actually nice. Most of the agents came either with other agents or with other animal friends and family. Certainly Heinz standed out.
Pinky and Agent K did an amazing piano and drums duo. Agent F came with a brother no one knew he had and did a coordinated dance. The rest of the agents either played an instrument or sang, which went as well as one can expect when they are all different kinds of animals.
Despite Heinz bumping into some of the agents and almost kicking the contents of a low table, they both had fun too. They ate, played music, danced, cheered the others, the whole deal. Heinz was delighted. Perry was too.
No agent was exactly surprised Perry had brought his nemesis, but most of them were certainly interested in talking about it.
Pinky had given his friend a thumbs up and a wink.
By the end of it, Perry dropped off Heinz at his apartment, and after an invitation, stayed for a bit longer.
They both sat together in the DEI balcony, close next to each other. They chatted about the party, about the other agents, about music. And when they ran out of things to chat about, they shared the silence, and company.
And maybe, they also shared a touch, and a big hand held a tiny one that night.