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On the morning of February 14th, 2022, Jet Pack Guy was jolted awake in the wee hours of dawn by the sound of his alarm clock beeping. Groggily he rolled over in his bed, and punched the Snooze setting to shut off the noise.

Stifling a yawn, he sat up and rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a fist.

God, he hated Mondays. They were always such a pain. Yawning again, he shut his eyes, trying to remember why he'd set his alarm to go off at the crack of dawn to begin with.

As his eyes scanned the modest furnishings of his room, Jet Pack Guy was suddenly wide-awake when his eyes lighted on the calendar which hung beside the doorway leading into the living room.

There, circled in clear red marker, were three words:

Dinner with Rookie

And just like that, events from three days ago came rushing back:

Jet Pack Guy, Dot and Ace were all seated on the couches at the Coffee Shop. A few moments ago, Rookie had excused himself to go refill his smoothie, and now Jet Pack Guy was sitting awkwardly in his seat, wondering the best way to go about asking his other two friends for help regarding a delicate personal matter.

The truth was, the realization that he was in love with Rookie had both thrilled and terrified him. Guy had never expected that he could have such strong feelings for another person, let alone someone whom he had shared a close friendship with for so long.

Then again, Guy supposed he shouldn't be surprised, for that was often the way of it. Love was almost always completely unexpected and unpredictable.

Well, he might as well get it over with.

Guy cleared his throat, causing Ace and Dot to pause in their conversation and look at him expectantly, with somewhat amused expressions.

"Well, look who finally decided to join the conversation!" said Ace. When Jet Pack Guy raised an eyebrow, he went on talking. "Oh come on, Guy. You've been sitting there for the past twenty minutes hardly saying a word."

"Something's been on your mind lately hasn't it?" said Dot.

Ace smirked. " Something , Dot? I'd say it's more like someone's been on his mind."

Guy smiled sheepishly as his friends laughed, his eyes wandering to where Rookie now stood at the smoothie machine, considering which flavors to add to his cup.

"You're not wrong, Ace."

"Wait, you're serious?"

Both Ace and Dot were looking at Guy now, fascinated by this revelation. They both had a feeling they knew who had stolen their stoic friend's heart, but they decided to play along, to make it easier for Guy to tell them.

"So... do we know this person?" asked Ace, now leaning forward in his seat with interest.

"Maybe?" Guy answered, still watching Rookie.

"Is it a man or a woman?" asked Dot.

Guy blushed at the question and was silent for a moment before shyly saying "Yeah. Yeah it's a dude."

"Well that's all right, Guy!" Ace said. "No need to be so shy about it."

"You're right, sorry," Guy answered. "It's just, I wasn't expecting it. I've uh... I've never felt this way about anyone before, you know."

"Wait - never?" Ace and Dot spoke with surprise. "As in... this is your first time?"

Now Guy was positively flushed pink with embarrassment. "Um... y-yeah."

"Unbelievable!" said Ace, quietly. He grinned at Dot. "Who would have thought it. Guy - a virgin! Oho this is just too good !"

"Hey, keep your voice down!" Guy said with embarrassment as a few penguins glanced their way curiously at Ace's laughter.

"Right, sorry man," Ace replied. He was still chuckling. "I just never expected anything like this."

"You and me both, Ace."

"Well, I think it's great!" said Dot happily. "I'm glad you told us, Guy."

"Thanks, Dot."

"So, who's the stud who caught your eye?" Ace asked again.

At this point, Guy realized there was no point in putting it off any longer.

"It's Rookie."

"Okay then!" said Ace and Dot.

Both of them grinned at each other, and Ace knew Dot was thinking the same thing he was: I knew it!

"Wait - you're not surprised at all?" Guy stared at his friends incredulously.

"Nope," said Ace. "We figured it out a long time ago."

"Oh."

Guy sat quietly for a moment, feeling rather foolish. Of course Ace and Dot would have seen this coming.

"So, what are you planning to do about it?" Dot asked.

"What do you mean?" Guy asked, perplexed.

"Well, are you going to ask him out or what?" Ace said.

"I'm not sure," Guy admitted. "I hadn't really thought of a way to do it."

"Really?" said Ace. "Well, in my experience, asking at the first opportunity usually works."

"You think so?"

"Oh sure!" Ace said with a dismissive wave. "Just ask him if he's got any plans this week, and if he doesn't, ask him if he would be interested in doing anything together. Just play it cool, you know?"

"It's that simple?" Guy said.

Dot laughed. "Oh, just ask him, Guy. I'm sure he won't think anything of it. This is Rookie we're talking about, remember?"

"You're right," Guy said. "Okay, I'll go ask him."

"All right, good luck buddy!" said Ace said as Guy left the table.

"All right Guy, you can do this," Jet Pack Guy muttered to himself as he neared the smoothie stand. "Hi, Rookie," he said.

"Hey, Guy!" Rookie answered. "What do you think is better? Strawberry banana or strawberry kiwi?"

"Umm..." Guy glanced distractedly at the smoothie flavors, none of which really appealed to him that much. "How about the strawberry kiwi?"

"Good choice, man!" said a passing penguin.

"Okay, guess I'll go with the strawberry kiwi!" Rookie said happily, before promptly refilling his cup and grabbing a straw.

It's now or never, Guy thought, and he took a deep breath.

"Hey, uh - Rookie?"

"Yeah, what's up?"

Guy glanced back at Ace, who gave him a thumbs-up and an encouraging nod.

"Well, I was wondering if maybe - no, whether you had any plans this weekend?" Guy asked as innocently as he could.

"Not really," Rookie asked. "I mean, now that you mention it, there was something, but it's probably a long shot?"

"Oh?"

"You know the new Shadow Guy and Gamma Girl movie that's coming out?"

"Oh, yeah!" Guy said. "Everyone's been talking about it."

"Well, I'd really love to be there," Rookie said. "Trouble is, the tickets are super expensive right now, so I'll probably just have to wait another month to buy the DVD when it's released."

"How much are the premiere tickets, anyway?" Jet Pack Guy asked.

"Oh, at least eighty dollars," Rookie answered glumly. "But if you want reserved seats, you'd have to pay an extra ten. Why?"

"Oh, no reason," Guy said innocently. "Just curious."

.....

Now as he sat here in his bed, Jet Pack Guy remembered how he had met with Ace and Dot later that day. When Guy had told him what Rookie had said about the premiere, Ace grinned.

"Okay, here's the plan," he said. "Dot and I will handle the tickets. When Monday rolls around, you take Rookie to the Pizza Place for dinner before the debut, capice?"

"Wait, but won't all the reservations at the Pizza Place already be taken with the upcoming debut?" Jet Pack Guy said incredulously.

"Normally yes," Ace said with a sly smile. "Unless you're me and you've saved the entire island from certain doom a few times. Then people are more than happy to do you favors - from time to time."

Jet Pack Guy stared at his friend, dumbstruck. "Wait, wait, wait - you actually managed to get me and Rookie dinner reservations?"

"Yup."

Jet Pack Guy burst out laughing. "Who would've thought Ace would be so eager to play Cupid, eh Dot?"

"I know, right?" Dot answered with a giggle.

Ace just grinned, and began singing quietly to himself. "What can I say, except you're welcome... you're welcome... you're welcome..."

Jet Pack Guy shook his head with a smirk as he recalled the memory. He left his room that morning, ready for another day at the EPF HQ and whatever tonight had in store.

.....

Later that evening, Jet Pack Guy was waiting for Rookie in the Plaza. He checked his watch, noting that it was nearly eight'o'clock and feeling increasingly nervous. Ace had texted ahead, saying that Rookie would be arriving soon, but the Plaza was more crowded than Guy had thought it would be, meaning that spotting Rookie wouldn't be so simple.

Then, just as he was starting to wonder if this was a bad idea, he spotted Rookie walking towards him, weaving his way round the groups of penguins mingling in the Plaza.

When Rookie stepped into the light cast by the buildings' windows, Jet Pack Guy blinked, doing a double-take.

Rookie was wearing a black three-piece suit, with a red tie that complimented his green plumage. His usual red sunglasses and propeller cap were gone, replaced by dark shades that were tucked neatly in his coat pocket.

"Surprised?" he smirked when he saw Guy staring.

It was a few seconds before Guy unstuck his throat.

"Have you always had that suit?" he asked.

"It's fairly new, actually. Dot gave it to me a few years back at Christmas. Just never had a reason to wear it till now," Rookie answered. "Sure looks good on me though, doesn't it?"

Sure does, Jet Pack Guy thought, but instead he said "Come on, let's head inside."

When they entered the Pizza Place, they were met by a rush of warm air and the pleasant buzz of conversation from the penguins seated at the tables and booths. To the left of them, a band was set up on the small stage, the jazzy tune they played adding to the welcoming atmosphere.

The air was heavy with the fragrance of fresh-cooked dishes. Several feet away, two penguins stood behind a counter, expertly tossing pizza dough high in the air, while there was a constant flow of waiters moving to and from the kitchens, all carrying platters bearing fresh pizza.

As the two of them made their way to where the hostess stood behind a counter and cash register, Jet Pack Guy noticed quite a few of the female servers were ogling at Rookie as he passed. He decided to ignore them, and stepped forward to talk to the hostess- a penguin with peach colored feathers with blonde hair tied back in a neat bun. Reading the name tag on her uniform, Guy saw that her name was Jenny.

"Hello, my friend and I have reservations here," he said politely.

"Very good sir. Names?"

"Rookie and Guy."

Jenny nodded, her eyes flickering to the clipboard she held before her eyes lighted on their names.

"Ah, here we are, dinner for two at eight!" she said, setting the clipboard down. "Gentlemen, if you'll follow me, please, I'll show you to your table."

Coming around the counter, Jenny led them to a booth situated in the back of the restaurant. When they had taken their seats, she handed them their menus before quickly walking off to find their server.

When she had gone, Rookie and Jet Pack Guy took a look at the menus, upon which the items had been neatly arranged by category, written in neat black font. There were salads, pizzas and also a variety of appetizers and drinks.

After a few moments of looking over the options available, Guy heard Rookie speak.

"How do you feel about sharing a pizza?" he said.

"Fine by me," said Guy. "Which are you thinking?"

"Hmm..." Rookie glanced at the menu again. "How 'bout the three-fish spicy seaweed pizza?"

Guy nodded. "Sure."

Just then, a waiter with navy blue feathers approached their table.

"Good evening!" he greeted with a smile. "My name is Terrence, I'll be your waiter this evening. May I take your orders now?"

"Yes please."

"Great!" Terrence pulled a small notepad and pen from his pocket. "So, what'll it be?"

"Yeah, we'll have the three-fish spicy seaweed pizza."

"Oh, good choice!" Terrence said, jotting it down on his notepad. "That one's quite popular here. Would you like anything to drink with that?"

"Yes, I'll have a Cream Soda please," said Rookie.

"Uh huh," said Terrence, writing it down. "And you, sir?" he said to Jet Pack Guy.

"Just iced water."

"Okie dokie!" said Terrence brightly. "All right, I'll just take your menus and I'll get back to you in a few minutes, 'kay?"

"So how did you manage to pull this off?" Rookie asked when Terrence had gone.

"Pull what off?"

Rookie rolled his eyes, smiling. "Oh come on. You know what I mean. Did Ace have something to do with it?"

"Yes..." Guy said hesitantly. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. Just remind me to thank him later, all right? And... Guy?"

Rookie was leaning forward in his seat now, and Guy's heart thumped a bit harder in his chest when he saw the soft look the shorter penguin had.

"Is there something you wanted to tell me?" Rookie said quietly.

Jet Pack Guy's mind drew a blank. He was aware that his face was suddenly burning, as was another part of him down south.

He was saved from answering as Terrence suddenly reappeared with the pizza they ordered, setting it down ceremoniously on their table with a flourish, followed swiftly by their drinks.

" Bon appetit! "

"Thanks, Terrence!" said Rookie.

Terrence grinned. "Good evening, you two!" he said, before disappearing from sight with the serving tray.

The two spent a while in silence after that, each quite munching on their slices of pizza. Guy, for his part, was so flustered he could barely taste the pizza at all, which was a real shame - particularly as Rookie made it clear with every bite how good it was.

"It's like bites of awesome!" Rookie said, taking another enthusiastic bite, now practically moaning. "Tastes like joy! Mmhmm! Ooh! More joy!"

Guy's ears were burning. If Rookie carried on like this, he wouldn't be able to control himself much longer.

What Guy didn't know was that was precisely what Rookie was aiming for.

For the past week or so, Rookie had noticed a change in his usually stoic red friend's behavior. But really, he knew it went much further back than that. Ever since the battle against Tusk and Herbert the previous year, something had changed between the two of them. Suddenly Guy was finding more excuses to be around Rookie, when previously he had only ever wanted to hang out outside of work once every couple of weeks. Adding to this was the fact Rookie and Guy had actually been living together ever since Rookie's home had been destroyed in the tsunami the previous year. Rookie had been surprised when Guy had suggested it. At the time, it had seemed an extremely generous thing to do, but now that Rookie thought of it, he wasn't surprised. He had, after all, saved Guy's life at least twice in the battle against Tusk.

Now here they were several months later, eating dinner at a fancy restaurant, which from what Rookie gathered, Ace had been all too happy to arrange.

Jet Pack Guy cleared his throat, and Rookie raised an eyebrow at him, keeping his expression one of innocent curiosity, gulping down the last of his pizza.

"Uh, Rookie..." Guy said, fumbling with the right words to say. "I um... I wanted to tell you something."

"Okay."

"You'll have to lean in a bit closer," Guy prompted.

Rookie did as he said, leaning across the table, his eyes wide, heart racing in his chest.

"Yes?"

Guy leaned forward, his low voice distinguishable even over the surrounding noise.

"You've got some sauce on your beak."

Without warning, Jet Pack Guy surged forwards, flippers fisting in the starch material of Rookie's suit as he pulled the smaller penguin to him, capturing him in a deep kiss.