Title: SpongeBob’s Secret Valentine
Authors: Nicole and Tarabeth
Couple: Peter and Duncan
Peter entered the living room and sat on the couch. "I hope one of those is for me," he said as he leaned in to kiss Duncan. Duncan sat on the floor watching television and using the coffee table for a desk while he signed and addressed SpongeBob Square Pants valentines.
Duncan tilted his head up toward Peter, but he didn't take his eyes off the television as he shoved another valentine into an envelope and sealed it. "SpongeBob says 'Yours is already done.' And I say, 'no snooping for it.'"
Peter gave a look of shock. "Me? Snoop? Never. What are you watching that could possibly be more exciting than kissing me?"
Duncan laughed, turning around and kissing him back. "American Idol. You can wait for a commercial. Simon's comments wait for no man."
Peter groaned. "Has another season started already?" he asked, dreading having to live through another season of smoopy pop music.
"Already? It's been forever." Duncan shoved the last valentine into an envelope and let out a whoop. "Finished!"
"Good, come have a cuddle then." Peter took hold of Duncan's hand to help him onto the couch. "I didn't realize you had so many lovers on the side," Peter said, smiling and motioning towards all of Duncan's finished valentines.
"You never asked." Duncan shrugged, settling down on the couch next to Peter and snuggling in. "Besides, you're my favorite." He grinned.
"Oh, thank goodness." Peter over dramatically gripped his heart. "I was worried. But seriously Dunc, who are all those valentines for?"
"Everybody at work. I even have one for Shirley," he said with a bit of a grimace. "So she wouldn't feel left out."
"Well that is great, Duncan, I know you two have had a rough year. I am proud of you for taking the high road," Peter said pulling Duncan in close to kiss his cheek.
Duncan smiled and nodded, leaning further into him. His eyes glazed over as he watched the screen. When Peter nudged him up to bed, he shuffled up the stairs, forgetting all about the bigger, frilly valentine he'd hidden under the others with nothing but, "From Your Secret Admirer" written on the front.
Peter stayed downstairs to close the house up for the evening. He smiled as he saw Duncan's Valentines in a messy pile on the coffee table. Peter picked up the pile of cards and began to shuffle them together, but there was one valentine that was much larger than the rest, a beautiful hand made valentine. Red, pink and white construction paper hearts layered on top of fancy white and foil doilies and written in Duncan's beautiful calligraphy the words, "From Your Secret Admirer." Peter's heart filled with love for his handsome partner. He knew he shouldn't, but he opened the card to read Duncan's inscription: "Meet me for lunch at The Garden Terrace Restaurant at 12:30. I will have a lavender rose so that you can recognize me."
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Duncan woke up early the next day, before the sun was up. He dressed quietly, and before he left, took a different valentine than the one Peter had discovered the night before, elaborately hand-made, on Peter's chest. He kissed his forehead. "Happy Valentine's Day! I love you." He then swept up the other valentines and headed off to work. He had a bit of planning to do before everyone got there.
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Peter awoke and reached towards Duncan, hoping for a little early morning Valentine's Day love making, only to find no Duncan and a beautiful handmade valentine lying on his chest. The only problem was this wasn't the valentine he had spied last night. He read this valentine: "Peter you have stolen my heart. I never thought I would fall for a criminal. With all my love, Duncan." Peter got out of bed, smiling to himself thinking that Duncan must be up to one of his tricks and figured he would discover the lunch invitation at another point in the morning. He made the bed and removed the elaborately wrapped box from the closet packing it in his briefcase, so it would be available to present to Duncan at lunch.
*** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Duncan got to his office before everyone else, delivering valentines around the building. He made sure the frilly valentine was in a very auspicious place on Shirley's desk. Over the course of the morning, he collected a bunch of valentines of his own, and grinned to himself as he saw the spring in Shirley's step. It was just too good. He left a little early for lunch as well, driving over to the Garden Terrace. There, he set up a vase with a lavender rose in it, and another valentine underneath. This one said "Gotcha!" on the inside. When he was done, he found a place to hide and watch.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Peter continued through his morning classes; he asked Nick to cover the afternoon classes, anticipating the arrival of the valentine. But when the lunch bell rang at 11:55 and there was still no sign of the valentine, Peter got worried and decided he should leave for the restaurant to ensure he was on time.
Peter arrived at the restaurant and headed towards the table with the single lavender rose. He smiled looking around for Duncan as he slid the valentine out from under the vase. He glimpsed down at the valentine and looked up in confusion to see a panic stricken Duncan.
Duncan snatched up the valentine. "That isn't for you! What are you doing here?"
Peter sensed that something was very wrong. Giving Duncan a very stern look, he said, "What are you doing here?"
Duncan slipped the valentine behind his back and thought about how to answer that question. "I.... Um." Think quick, Black.... "I asked you first."
"Duncan," Peter growled.
"You wouldn't even have known to be here if you hadn't been -snooping-!" Duncan snapped, stamping his foot.
"Duncan Thomas Black, answer my question," Peter demanded.
Duncan scowled at him, but he realized that he wouldn't be getting away without answering. "That valentine was for Shirley. I was going to trick her into coming here and having to eat alone."
Peter sadly removed the wrapped package from his pocket and set it on the table. Glancing at his watch he realized it was almost 12:30, "Duncan, I expect you to sit here and have a pleasant lunch with Shirley. You will apologize for your part in the difficult relationship the two of you have had and you will offer to make friends. You will return to work, finish your day, and then come directly home so that we can discuss this."
Duncan sighed and sat down at the table, pulling the rose in front of him to wait for Shirley. This day was going to be the worse Valentine's Day ever! Not only was he now going to be forced into having lunch with Shirley, but he knew what Peter meant by 'discussing this.' "You have to go before Shirley gets here," he said petulantly.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Peter used the rest of his afternoon off to calm down and prepare for his discussion with Duncan.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Duncan didn't have to wait long before Shirley came. Though he rushed them a bit through lunch, he -did- apologize for being a pest, and once they got past that, it wasn't terrible. Not that he'd choose to have lunch with her again. The rest of the afternoon passed far too quickly, and before he knew it, he was walking in the house.
Peter looked up at Duncan as he entered the house. "Hi," he said.
Duncan sat down his briefcase and stood there, trying not to look like he wanted to be anywhere else. "Hi."
Peter reached out his hand, offering it to Duncan. “Come here baby.”
"I'd rather not. Look, I'm sorry about what happened today. But I don't think we need to talk about it." Duncan headed for the stairs to go change.
Peter got up off of the couch and followed Duncan upstairs. He entered the bedroom as Duncan was changing. "I think there are several things we need to talk about. I am sorry I snooped. I jumped to a wrong conclusion and got my feelings hurt. I realize that is my own fault."
Duncan looked him, a flash of anger in his eyes. "You're right! You shouldn't have been snooping. This is all your fault."
Peter sighed. "Duncan, I have acknowledged my fault in this situation. The trick you intended to play on Shirley was mean and cruel. Why would you do that to someone?"
"For the same reason she never gives me credit for the stuff I do, and the way she chooses other people to do special projects, and never me," Duncan snapped.
Peter spoke with a kind voice, hoping it might start to calm Duncan. "I am not condoning any of the things she has done, but what you were going to do today would have seriously hurt her and it could have cost you your job."
"So what?" Duncan muttered, mildly calmed by Peter's change in tone. "Then I wouldn't have to work for her anymore."
Peter slowly moved over towards Duncan, and pulled him into a hug. "Honey, if you don't want to work for her, you don't have to. You can quit, but it isn't okay for you to damage your career by seeking revenge against her."
Duncan sighed, leaning into the hug. "Fine. I said I was sorry. And she didn't even find out. She thought it was nice I would treat her to lunch.
Peter led Duncan over to the bed. They both sat down. "Yes Duncan, I am glad it worked out positively, but what would have happened if I hadn't shown up."
"No one knows that, Peter. But it didn't. Can't we just let it go?" Duncan looked at him pleadingly.
"Honey, that's not how our relationship works," Peter said, helping Duncan to stand up. "You need to be able to go to work tomorrow with a clean slate."
Duncan really felt like he could do that anyway, but he knew he had to honor the bounds of their relationship. He sighed, letting Peter take the reins.
Peter unfastened Duncan's slacks and lowered them along with Duncan's briefs to his to his knees. He carefully guided Duncan over his lap and asked, "Why are you getting this spanking?"
“Because you think I need a spanking to have a clean conscience,” Duncan replied.
Peter sighed, stood Duncan up, pulled up his briefs and slacks. “I really don’t want to spank you on Valentine’s Day, if that is what you think, we’re not doing this,” Peter stated, and got up and left the room.
Duncan sat on the bed, wondering where this day had gone wrong. His vision of this evening had been for Peter to come home from work to find a trail of Duncan’s clothes leading from the front door to a naked Duncan lying on a bed full of rose petals. He had composed a little note for each item of clothing, each one describing something he loved best about Peter and something he wanted Peter to do to him when he reached the bedroom. A tear rolled down his cheek and he decided he needed to go find Peter.
Duncan entered the study to find Peter sitting and staring out the window. “I am sorry Peter, I didn’t mean to ruin our day,” Duncan said through his tears. “I had special plans for this evening.”
Peter pulled Duncan onto his lap. “I know, we can have a romantic evening another time.”
They stayed cuddled together for a while, until Duncan stood up and began to take down his slacks and briefs. “I know why you are spanking me. I was planning to be mean to Shirley. I risked my professional reputation, but most importantly I hurt your feelings.”
Peter nodded, helping him over his lap. "Thank you, Love."
The End.
