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masterandapprentice2019-10-26 11:52 am
FIC: The Hero of Halloween by Merry Amelie
Author: Merry Amelie
Archive: MA only
Categories: Alternate Reality, Qui/Obi, Romance, Series, 2019 Jinnobi Challenge
Summary: Artoo rescues Halloween!
Series: Academic Arcadia – # 293
Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com
Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
For
My beta Helen
Laura McEwan for posting to the Master Apprentice ML
Travis for posting to the Master Apprentice Archive on AO3
Alex for inspiring Arcadia
2003 -- Masquerade
2004 -- Hallowe'en Kata
2005 -- Happy Tatooween
2006 -- Happy Tatooween, Take Two: Undercovers
2007 -- A Jedi Halloween
2008 -- Jedi Trick or Treat
2009 -- Return of the Jedi Halloween
2010 -- A Little Halloween Diplomacy
2011 -- Hallowed Light
2012 -- Halloween on the Go
2013 -- A Neighborly Halloween
2013 -- Halloween Treats for Grown-ups
2014 -- Groomed for Halloween
2015 -- Oh, Whistle and I'll Come into You, My Lad
2016 -- A Caffeinated Halloween
2017 -- A Spooky Oktoberfest
2018 -- Halloween Sweet Sixteen
To the late Alex, with my love and gratitude
She's responsible for making Arcadia a series - after I wrote 'Wedding Gifts', she asked, "How did Quinn and Ian meet?" and the rest is history.
I will miss you forever, my friend.
Artoo was the hero of Halloween this year, and his dads could not have been any prouder of him.
Their sweet Chihuahua single-pawedly gave a happy holiday to dozens of pups and kitties that Thursday. The whole family was watching him on their local television channel right now. The puppies had the best seats in the house - their dads' laps. And they were proud papas, indeed.
The men were dressed in their most comfortable clothes; they were already in their flannel pajamas and thick heather-grey socks, which made it all the cozier to curl up in front of the TV together. Quinn had started to let his hair grow to keep him warm in the low temperatures of Alder Run during the autumn and winter. And Ian's coppery spikes kept him warm, as well, because of their sheer volume.
Artoo gave out a woof that was as adorable as he was when he saw himself on television. It was a first for him, and he was one happy pup. He was starring in a Halloween public-service ad for the Alder Run Animal Shelter, which the townfolk had given the affectionate nickname of Pals with Paws. The ad had already led to many more pets than usual being adopted over the last couple of days.
The shelter was giving out a free t-shirt with each adoption, emblazoned with 'Pups in Pupkins' in sea-blue block letters and Artoo's picture above it. The tagline by the announcer was 'Take me home in your pumpkin'. And a lot of folks wanted to do just that, especially when he was dressed in such an adorable outfit.
Lelia had sewn him a costume in her art class at junior high school, so he was dressed as an Ewok. And not just any Ewok in the village - a baby Ewok. Ian had promptly taken a picture of him, capturing a soulful expression on his face that was completely irresistible. He and Quinn volunteered at the shelter once a month, and he'd shared the photo with their friends there, who had seen it as ideal advertising for a good cause. And the happy result was the ad the family now watched in delight.
"Who could possibly resist those eyes?" Ian crooned as he petted Sandy. He snuggled into Quinn's side, as adorable as Artoo himself, at least to his herven.
"'Tis utterly impossible," said Quinn, running his fingertips through Artoo's velvety fur.
"And it's even more impossible to resist you," Ian added, giving his husband a kiss on his jaw.
Quinn's eyes shone the softest blue. "Look who's talking," he said, nuzzling into copper fur.
Ian all but purred in contentment.
Artoo began to yap in bliss, as if he understood their conversation. And perhaps he did, given his front-row seat for their romance, his years of seeing them flirting with each other.
"This reminds me of when Lelia was a wee lassie, and she used to dress him up in her dolls' clothes." Quinn's smile was wistful.
Ian took his hand and squeezed it. "I'll never forget the Halloween when she decided to plunk that miniature straw hat on his head. He was such a trouper to put up with it for the entire party!"
"He's our sweet boy," Quinn said. "I took a photo of him with Lelia in her princess costume, and we still have it in one of our albums," he continued with avuncular satisfaction.
"I've got to organize them over Christmas vacation. We must have thousands of pictures by now." Ian grinned in anticipatory pleasure.
They were chatting during the commercials for 'The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe', the first of a series of movies adapted from the Narnia books. A perfect choice to celebrate Halloween. And looking over at his husband with a soft smile, Ian thought it was particularly fitting that Aslan got top billing. Not to mention that C.S. Lewis, the author of the series, had been a good friend of their favorite professor, J.R.R. Tolkien.
This was the best part of Halloween night for their little family. The trick-or-treaters had finished their rounds, and as Quinn liked to say, he and Ian had closed up shop for the night. Now they were relaxing with their pups after the candy rush.
And tonight kept on promising more delights. For there were even better treats than the candy bars they had given out for them to look forward to - Prudence's famous bat brownies and Violet's pumpkin tarts, which the ladies had brought over earlier that evening, fresh from the oven.
They'd had their usual active holiday, even though Halloween was on a Thursday this time, a jam-packed workday. It was also filled to the brim with fun. It started off at five o'clock with a sparring exhibition at their dojo, The Academy of the Light, where they dressed as Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan to the knowing nod of Master Yodama and the delighted squeals of the children. Even without the beard and braid, they left the kids spellbound.
At six p.m., they had attended a costume party thrown by Luke-Loves, where they stayed in their Jedi linens, with the proceeds going to Lambda Legal and Rainbow Railroad. They'd enjoyed a lovely holiday dinner there with their friends, as well. Case and Billie, Evan and Judy, and Ethan and Bant never missed an opportunity to show their support.
Then, they were ready for their annual tradition: a Ghosts in the Library presentation of 'The Cask of Amontillado' by Edgar Allan Poe, where their audience was bigger than ever before from word-of-mouth raves around campus. Luckily, they had worn their Jedi capes to the dojo and kept them on during the performance for the sheer dramatic effect of it all. The sound of their Williamsburg boots thunking in the wine cellar sent a deliciously creepy thrill through the whole crowd.
In spite of this bustle of activity, they got home in time to give out treats to the older children in the neighborhood. And the kids appreciated the assortment of out-of-this-world candy bars they got dropped into their pumpkins, especially E.T.'s favorites - Reese's Pieces.
So now, here the men were melting into the sofa cushions, covered by their quilt, with the pups snuggling on top of it, making them even warmer. The glow of the fireplace reflected an inner glow in all of them, as well. And seeing Artoo yip at himself onscreen gave his dads a good chuckle.
The whole family sat there for a long time, basking in the bliss of their autumn nest. No lamps were on, making it even more romantic for the men, who gave each other little kisses and nuzzles throughout the night. Finally, the thought of the brownies yet to come was enough to rouse Quinn from his comfortable perch. He brushed his fingertips over Ian's cheek, then put Artoo on the unused cushion by his other side, and slid out from under the quilt. Quinn stood up, set to head for the kitchen.
After using the facilities along the way, he ambled to the refrigerator to get milk before reaching for the cinnamon from the spice rack. He started the Gaggia burbling for their hazelnut cappuccinos, setting the heat gauge with his usual precision. Then he took the pumpkin tarts and brownies out of the pantry and put a couple of them apiece on a plate. He got their blue and green mugs from the cabinet by the counter and placed everything on a tray when their cappuccinos were ready.
A couple of years ago, Lelia had made them a ceramic napkin holder shaped like a jack o' lantern, which was sitting at the center of the kitchen table in the place of honor. Quinn took a few napkins from it with a smile and added them to the tray. Then Artoo and Sandy got their own holiday snack when Quinn shook dog treats shaped like autumn leaves into their bowls, alongside fresh water.
He brought the tray into the living room and put it down on the coffee table. The puppies had woken up when they heard their dad shaking the box of treats and trotted to the kitchen, where Quinn had left on the C-3PO night light for them.
"Hey, handsome. Our snack looks almost as delicious as you are," Ian said.
Quinn sat down beside Ian and pulled the quilt over himself again. He decided that a lingering kiss was the best answer to give his herven. Then they reached for the plate at the same time, chuckling when both of them went for the brownies.
"Y'know, Prudence makes brownies for us all the time, but somehow her bat brownies always taste the best," Quinn said between bites, already halfway through with the first one..
Ian grinned at him. "I know just what you mean." He angled his head up so he could lick a bit of chocolate from the corner of Quinn's mouth.
Prudence's brownies had become part of their rich family tradition, which started on the day they had met. They'd shared a meal at the Mace Student Center in Windover, Massachusetts when they were there to attend a symposium on Tolkien's wizards, back in 2003. For dessert, they chose brownies that were so moist they stuck to the dish, and Ian had poached his very first morsel from Quinn's plate, much to the delight of both of them.
Quinn could still hear Ian saying jauntily, "The food on your plate tastes better," as he fell a little in love with the intriguing young man across from him. The priceless memory inspired him to feed his lad a bite of his brownie right now, which made blue-green eyes twinkle with delight.
"Mmmmm, they're even more delicious from your hand than your plate." Ian modified his quote from 2003 as effortlessly as if no time had passed at all.
Quinn beamed at him. "'Tis a wonder you still think so after all these years."
"Oh, Quinn, I'll always think so." Ian gave him a chocolate-flavored kiss.
Quinn kissed him back, cappuccino and chocolate blending in an intoxicating treat. "Ah, darlin', you've been a true blessing to this lucky fella."
"It's the same for me, ma gradh, just the same," Ian said with feeling. He returned the favor of being hand-fed by offering Quinn a bit of brownie from his own hand. Judging by the incandescent blue of Quinn's eyes, it was the right thing to do.
Quinn nibbled the morsel from Ian's fingertips, then delicately licked them, sending a shiver of delight through his laddie.
When they finished the brownies, they started to eat Violet's pumpkin tarts, relishing the spices flavoring each bite - nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger. The taste of autumn. And they made the perfect accompaniment to their drinks.
The men drank their cappuccinos at a leisurely pace, savoring the sweet heat of the cinnamon with each sip. And between sips, Quinn took advantage of his height to dot Ian's face with kisses, while Ian murmured his love into Quinn's ear. The fire crackled; the quilt rustled with every little movement; the pups gave out an occasional woof in their sleep. The sounds of contentment.. The sounds of home.
They put the mugs on the coffee table when they finally finished their cappuccinos, in no hurry to take them to the kitchen. Now that the pups were in their baskets for the night, they could cuddle into each other more without having little paws in the way.
Quinn petted copper hair, which was shining in the firelight, with his love also shining through with every touch. Ian looked up at him in adoration, drinking in the crinkled eyes smiling at him in simple joy.
Ian's whisper could only be heard by Jedi ears over the crackling of the fire. "I love you, Quinn."
And Quinn heard it just fine. "Love you, mo stor," (my treasure) he rumbled, caressing Ian's cheek in a tender glide.
Ian yawned, burrowing deeper into Quinn's arms.
"Ready for bed, little laddie?" Quinn murmured.
"Mmm-hmm," Ian said. "And just think of all the pets who have safe and comfy beds tonight, thanks to Artoo." He snuggled into Quinn, his own safe harbor.
Quinn cradled his lad in his arms as he said, "He's the hero of Halloween."