#valentine fic

[sleepyconfusedpotato]

Wildflower

What should Ghost give during Valentine's Day to Jade when she's an actual florist who sees flowers literally every day?

Pairing : Simon “Ghost” Riley x Charlotte “Jade” Le Jardin (OC) Word Count : ~ 6.4k words Warning : Full on fluff-fest, a slight angst, and the good o'l cursings.

Title and story inspired by the song 'Wildflower' by Clay Finnesand and 'La Vie en Rose' by Louis Armstrong.

February 14th. 

Fucking Valentine’s day - a day full of love, they said. 

He never really celebrated or cared about any of those kinds of days where people commemorate shit like love. For him, it's just like any other day. He woke up today and did his workout before he went on jogging.

However, that day is different as he saw countless red and pink decorations in every store in his apartment neighbourhood, offering Valentine's day discount for couples. He swore he saw more couples walking down the street than usual, that he even saw a man propose to his girlfriend when he was jogging. 

Looking at them, Ghost remembered,

He already confessed to Jade during the New Years. 

Yep. He did.

Across the London Eye, when the fireworks painted the infinite black, the chimes of Big Ben rang throughout the Thames River, he said it to her, 

‘I think I’m falling in love with you.’

Only to disappoint her again by saying, ‘But I don’t think I’m ready yet.’

Had he been a coward for not being ready to commit yet? Jade was a shining light in his life. She knew of his struggles, and she treated him with kindness and fondness no woman ever did to him. All his life he never thought to fall in love with someone, yet here he was. 

He wanted to be in a relationship with her. Fuck, he wanted to. But she deserved the world. She deserved certainty and stability while his job was nothing but that. He could get deployed out of the blue anytime – die anytime. He had a lot of things to sort out first.

He saw tears in her green eyes despite the smile. She only hugged him in response, saying, 

‘I love you, so I’ll stay right here.’ Jade muttered shakily while pressing her body to his in a tight hug, her fingers grasping the back of Ghost’s jacket. 

‘When you’re ready, I’ll be here.’

‘Let’s be friends, yeah?’ She had added, to which he answered with a smile. “Yeah. We'll always be friends.”

That was New Years. 

It'd been two months since then. Ghost and Jade had been texting each other regularly all the while continuing their lives. They met occasionally for a food tour as Ghost was a food enthusiast. Their chat was full of ‘Let’s try the new Korean BBQ around the street’, ‘You ever tried a fried ice cream?’, ‘There’s a new movie about a lady becoming a superhero across multiple universes’, and more casual stuff like those. Meanwhile Jade would take him to physical activities such as take him to a zoo, hiking, and even go to arcades. 

Johnny had been such a tease on it. He’d been bothering Ghost the whole time in the base as the Lieutenant looked at his phone and typing away on it more frequently than ever. ‘Yer’ lookin’ very happy these days, Sir.’ , ‘How’s Jade doin’?’, ‘Another ‘meet-up’ with Jade?’, 

‘Yer’ so full of rubbish. That’s called a date.’ Soap had said. 

'Shut your gob. We’re just friends, Johnny.’

‘Friends who go on dates together.’

Soap ran away before Ghost could smack the shit out of him. 

But was it really? Ghost and Jade frequently walk together, as friends, Eating at places together, as friends. Watch movies together, as friends. 

But seeing that one guy propose to his girlfriend lit up a spark in him.

That's when Ghost texted her for a meet-up somewhere, Jade replied back with,

‘I would LOVE to if it's not the busiest time of the year T_T and every Valentines we'd open from early morning to midnight, so I'm really sorry. We have all our employees working, but it doesn't seem to make any difference.’

He forgot that Valentine’s day is literally the most important day for a florist. Fucking idiot.

Ghost sighed as he looked up from his phone, right in front of the Le Jardin floristry. He wore a black hoodie and a face mask, the black face paint absent from around his eyes as he was on leave, a rare occurrence from his line of work. Inside the garden was an organised chaos, to say the least. Ghost saw at least 6 customers inside the garden, around 4 employees going around the shop to accompany them. Even as one person went out after buying a flower, two people would enter the shop to replace them. The place was positively crowded.

He looked far and wide for Jade inside among the sea of people, until a woman with ginger hair came out of a room with a big rose bouquet, giving it to a man in an expensive suit that was tailored to perfection for his figure. The man paid for the humongous flowers and left the shop with a nervous face, meanwhile Jade instantly attended to another customer. He could tell that she's a leader based on how she commanded her employees with such confidence and authority, yet still had that kindness and gentleness in her way of talking. Her legs brought her around the shop with utmost speed and precision, not a single step was wasted on her feet.

He could only smile proudly beneath the mask. 

For about 15 minutes he observed the shop, until a truck pulled up in front of an alleyway right beside the floristry. Didn't have to wait long to understand that the vehicle was meant to pick up flower decorations for a wedding as an old man came out from the alleyway (presumably connected to the backdoor of the shop) brought out a very big, white bouquet in his arms, which size was so big it concealed his head - surely he couldn't see where he was stepping. Ghost noticed that he was struggling to lift the giant decoration onto the truck, his knees looked like it was about to tumble, until his prediction turned into reality.

The old man's knees failed him, and the big white flower decoration would turn into a mess on the ground, if not for Ghost, who quickly leaped in and held the flowers from falling. Ghost huffed in relief that he jumped just in time. 

The man leaned to the side of the decoration to see who had just saved him, and saw a big, tall man dressed in a black hoodie and jeans, whose face was concealed by another black face mask.

Regardless, the elder smiled wide, "Oh good heavens! Thank you so much for the assist! My knees aren't as strong as they used to." The old man said as they both put the white decorations into the truck box. "Ah~ being young is so much easier innit?"

Ghost only nodded, avoiding eye contact to hide his identity. Why'd he help him? probably just from reflex, but then again, how could he just leave an old man stumbling to his fall?

"I'm really sorry for the trouble. I wish I could repay you." The old man's expression was so kind it's almost blinding. He wasn't that short or frail for a man with entirely white hair, probably a 5'9". Judging by his quite muscular arms from his rolled sleeves, he could tell that he's not weak, his knees just betrayed him at a bad time. 

Ghost didn't say anything to the man as he was about to walk away to avoid more interaction, before a familiar feminine voice called.

"Papa! Are you okay!? I saw you trip!"

Both men turned their attention to the shop, where a woman with braided red hair and dark blue apron was talking from the main doorway. 

"Don't worry, Lottie Dear. I got it, but only thanks to this young lad right here." He gestured to Ghost, where he stood right on the elder's left. "If not for him, we'd have to replace all the flowers." 

Fuck.

The old man is her father. 

It's Mister Le Jardin. 

Her green eyes caught the sight of a man whose built and sense of fashion she would recognize from a mile away. "Wait... Ghost??" Jade exclaimed, her face filled with surprise, "What are you doin' here??" 

The SAS lieutenant looked up to her with a tinge of panic on his concealed face, while Mr. Le Jardin observed him up and down. "Oh? You know him?" 

Jade nodded slowly, still shocked, "Yes... he's uh… he's a friend from work." 

He never intended to be noticed by Jade, afraid of disturbing her work, let alone meet her father out of all people. 

The father noticed that word. 'From work'. 

"Really now? What's your name, young man?" Mr. Le Jardin asked, his voice went higher in delight. 

He lowered his head to bow a little, before answering, "Simon... Sir."

"Ah. Nice to meet you, Simon! I'm Eli, owner of Le Jardin along with my wife Gracie – she's inside dealing with the clients." He introduced himself with a handshake, which Ghost reluctantly accepted. 

"Sir! Where're the rest of the flowers?!" The truck driver shouted as he got off his vehicle, prompting Eli to walk to the back door through the alleyway, leaving Ghost and Jade at the front of the shop, her face still painted with shock. A lady walked in front of Jade to enter the shop, so she made some way for her and approached Ghost. 

"Hey Ghost." The red-head started, happiness filling her voice. 

"Hey." 

"So… What brings you here?" She surely knew that he wasn't there just because he 'happened to be in the area', so he deleted that reply in his mind. 

"I wanted to see you."

Jade's eyes widened, surprised at his straight-forward answer. "Oh." 

"Your old man lost his balance loading this decoration into the truck, so I helped him." 

"Oh." Still with the same answer, Jade couldn't tell him how fast her heartbeat was, as her father just came in contact with Ghost, the man she fell in love with.

He looked inside the shop, observing the clients and employees walking around. "Busy day innit?"

"Yeah, it is. To be honest we've been busy since the last 3 days. Had to pick up tons of fresh flowers from our fields back in Norfolk, then arrange them for this day. Today's the busiest day, so it's an all-hands-on-deck situation. Also a big wedding is coming up tonight, and we have to transport these humongous flowers to a hotel ballroom for decorations. Biiig money. This is the third truck." Jade explained as her father and the truck driver walked out with two exact copies of the same white flower decor, lifting them up into the truck before immediately running back in. Third truck? The client must've had too much money on their wallets.

Seeing the scene that's happening in front of him, Ghost took a deep breath and blew it out. 

"Seems like your Da can use an extra pair of arms and younger knees." His deep voice suggested, making Jade's eyebrow rise. 

"Oh? Are you willing to help us out?" 

A nod was all she needed as a confirmation. "Got nothin' else to do or to be."

A wide grin fell on her lips as she grabbed Ghost's right hand and pulled him into the alleyway and to the back door of the shop, where a vast storage room was packed full of flower decorations similar to the ones that were being lifted to the truck. There were only flowers where the eye could see, save for the door that led to the front shop. There were huge boxes and boxes of flowers that had big 'Ian & Gia 14/02's written on them.

Ghost turned to the woman beside her. "Big money, eh?"

"Suuuuper big. Businessman and a big shot pianist. Wanted all the jasmines of blue white and red, and we gotta lift them all to the truck." She explained smiling to him, "Think you're up for this?"

"Won't even break a sweat." Ghost began stepping into the storage room, lifting three big boxes at once in his arms. Jade was left impressed by his show of strength as he ran to the truck at an impressive speed, before coming back and picking up more boxes like a machine, his hoodie still up and his mask still on. 

Jade scoffed at his feat, as her father came to pat her shoulder from behind, "A soldier huh?"

"...Yeah."

"It's basically written on his whole figure and posture. Is he any special in his regiment?"

The daughter could only let out a light laugh, "Very, very much so."

"Get out of here." His father looked at her in disbelief, "SAS?" 

"Yep. One of the strongest, and I'm not even exaggerating." 

His loud laugh filled the alleyway as Ghost ran back and forth lifting the flower boxes without a second wasted and tiredness showing. Jade smiled before heading into the shop to aid her mother and her co-workers with the regular customers. 

------

“Chacha, the pink wrapping paper and white 2.5 is out! We need more from the storage, please!” shouted Fiona, her co-worker and best friend of southeast asian descent, who mainly works in the front counter, preparing the flowers right in front of the visitors (which worked as an added value to attract more people). Her wrapping skills were second to none in the shop, even to Gracie, Jade’s mother, who sat right beside her counting the incoming revenues and accepting orders by call. 

“One minute!” Jade shouted back from the studio room, which was right behind the wall of the main display room while her hands also swiftly moved to arrange roses inside a heart-shaped box. The order had come in pretty fast; she had to make three of them at a time, and now she had to go up to the second floor to get the items Fiona requested. 

“Let me get it.” A deep voice came from behind her, making Jade flinch and look back to the source of the voice, where Ghost stood. 

“A-Are you done with the loading?” Jade asked him with a start, as it was not even 20 minutes since he started to help her father lift all the flowers inside the truck. 

“Just finished. Truck left just now with your dad to arrange the decorations in the ballroom.” 

“Oh.” Jade leaned back to take a glimpse of the back storage room, and true to his words, it was empty. “Wow.”

“Where are these… pink wrappings and the ‘white 2.5’s’?” Asked Ghost with a tone of confusion in his words. Jade could only giggle as she never thought she’d hear the word ‘pink’ out of his mouth. 

“Okay, so go to the second floor. On your 3, duck down and the pink wrapping is on the 3rd shelf from the bottom - take 4 rolls of ‘em. ‘White 2.5’s’ means the white-coloured satin ribbon with a 2.5 centimetres width. Don’t mistake them for the rest as there are the .5, 1.2, 4, and 5 centimetres as well. From the shelf go to your left and there should be a high rack and you can find the thingy there. Take two rolls. Don’t forget to close the door before you go down.” 

Ghost stood in silence as he processed the information.

Before Jade could ask him if he remembered all that, he answered: “Affirmative.” 

The man walked to the side stairs and stepped over 2 stairs, disappearing from her sight to the upper floor. Jade scoffed at the sight before going back to her handiwork. When else can you command an SAS officer like this?

----------

“Chachaaa~ Where're the pink wrappings and white 2.5s?! I need ‘em no–” Fiona noticed the new pink wrappings and white ribbons on the table as she worked. That was fast. 

She then looked up, expecting to find her red-headed best friend who was shorter than her, only to find a big, tall man dressed in a black hoodie and a face mask instead, who exudes danger in the way he stands. Fiona, Gracie, and the clients looked him up and down with mouths agape, as they never saw this giant man around, ever. The scene looked too damn comical for his liking.

“...Is this correct?” Ghost started with a voice lower than the depths of hell, which surprised the whole room. Fuck. Being looked at by people was the one thing he wanted to avoid, but here he was.

“Lottie dear, Who’s this?” the old lady beside Fiona asked Jade with a quite high volume, who was still inside the studio arranging the heart-shaped roses.

Judging by the nickname and those braids in her gray hair similar to Jade's, this lady could only be Gracie, her mother. 

Mrs. Le Jardin. 

“H-He’s a friend from work! I called him up here to lend a hand!” Jade shouted back from the studio. Even with the answer, all the people were still staring at him, especially Jade’s mum, and it felt like having ten laser sights aiming at him.

He swore he saw a smirk from Gracie.

So before he attracted more attention, Ghost repeated, “Is this correct?” 

“Y—yeah.” Fiona answered nervously, meanwhile her mother was still eyeballing him like she found a leprechaun. Upon hearing that confirmation, Ghost left the items in the counters and fast-walked back to the studio where Jade was, disappearing from sight. 

-----------

“Chacha, are you serious? ‘A friend from work’?” Fiona asked her best friend as she threw a piece of french fries into her mouth. The Le Jardin floristry was currently having a lunch break, and most of the employees went out to get their own meals, while the two stayed inside to talk about the man who was currently sweeping the floor of the studio alone, silently.

Fiona stared at his back from where they were eating at a counter, chewing at her fries. “Are you saying that you have a friend built like that with a voice like that working as a volunteer in the orphanage dealing with kids???”

“Nooo no no, that’s not it–!” That was where Jade messed up. She forgot that neither her best friend, nor any one of their employees know that the Le Jardins used to be MI6 black agents, except the fact that Jade was adopted. They both started to become friends when Fiona applied for the job 3 years ago, right when Jade just retired from MI6. All that she knew was the fact that Jade only had two jobs: Floristry on weekdays and in the orphanage for weekends. She never mentioned the other work that she did for the last two decades of her life. “I didn’t mean from work, I mean I met him when I was at work.” 

“Oh really?”

“Yeah.” 

“When and how did you meet him? Heck what is his name?” Shit. She needed to make up stories about him at this point. But what?! Jade hated lying. Sure it’s super easy to manipulate people by changing reality, but she didn’t want to lie to her best friend! Fiona’s the one who’s been helping her adjust to the life of being a florist and a normal life for the last three years (after saying that she’d been living abroad). 

However, how can Jade just say, ‘oh so actually I was an MI6 agent. Both of your bosses were too, actually. Not only agents – we were black agents who were trained since we were not old enough to make our own decisions to do the illegal stuff! I retired three years ago and that's when I met you, but they called me back again, and that’s when I met that guy who happened to be an officer of one the most elite task forces in the world!' 

That’s just absurd!

How did she meet him? How did she meet him?! 

"Ja– I mean Midg– I mean Lottie, where do I put these–"

The two women turned their heads to Ghost, who came out of the studio with the broom and dustpan in his hands. Looking at the two women's expression, he knew he fucked up. He didn't know what to call her outside of work. Her call sign 'Jade' was directly tied to her work as an MI6 and he couldn't know for sure if Fiona knew about that name. 'Midget' was the name he called her regularly, but he thought it was too harsh in front of her best friend, while 'Lottie' was…

"Why did you call her that?" Fiona asked him while chewing her fries, suspicion painting het face, while Jade sucked her lips and widened her eyes in shock.

Fuck. He thought right. It's a pet name used exclusively by her parents. 

"Wait. No way." She turned to Jade and Ghost back and forth before standing up abruptly, startling Jade, meanwhile Ghost stood calmly, still holding the cleaning tools in his hands.

"Chacha… is he your secret boyfriend?!?" 

That sentence shocked both of them as Jade quickly denied in panic, "No! No, he's not!! Just– sit down will you?" 

"That name is exclusively used by the bosses, ya know." She started walking towards Ghost slowly. 

Jade followed her from behind, trying to hold her friend back. "Fiona, he isn't! I swear!"

"No, seriously. How did you meet her? When?" She started closing in on Ghost excitedly, looking up at him. "What’s your name, by the way?"

“Simon.” Ghost answered deadpanly, as the last question was literally the only question he can answer casually. As long as he didn’t give out his last name, it’d be fine. “Name’s Simon.” 

"Ooooooh so he's the reason why you've been going out a lot after closin' up! You've been on dates!!" 

"NO!! We haven't–" 

"Yes."

Ghost's deep voice interrupted the two girls' argument, making them look at the man. 

"We've been on dates." 

Jade's face turned as red as her hair, and her heart beat so fast and so hard she swore Fiona and Ghost could hear it. Why was he suddenly doing this??? All the while, Fiona's jaw dropped to the floor, eyes glaring at her best friend in shock. 

Jade glanced at Ghost, but that damned hoodie and face mask did not help her at all. "I KNEW IT!!! I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU'VE BEEN DATING BEHIND MY BACK??? I mean– I am happy for you, Chacha, but WHY ARE YOU HIDING IT FROM ME???" Fiona excitingly chimed to her best friend, grabbing Jade's shoulders before shaking them like she's a ragdoll. 

"Wait– Fiona I can explain–"

"Okay! Explain then! Tell me everything! And don't you dare try to hide anything from me." That's right. She deserved to know. Fiona had been with her for the past three years. She's her first best friend ever. Jade knew she could trust her.

Jade relented with a big sigh and glanced at Ghost with a questioning look. He caught her cue before he himself took a deep breath. "As long as she can keep her mouth shut."

Fiona turned to Ghost, "Wh-what? What is this about?"

"Fiona. My dear best friend. My very beautiful friend that I trust. I love you, so, so much, so I will tell you the truth." Jade started before Ghost cut her again. 

"Jade where do I put the broom and the dustpan."

"Owh just put it on the side there yeah. Thanks."

"Who's Jade?"

—------------

"Okay. So let me get this straight." Fiona clapped her hands together in front of Ghost and Jade, who were sitting on the chairs behind the counter together while Fiona was standing up. Jade sat like she was being interrogated, while Ghost folded his arms in front of his chest.

"You, Chacha, had been working as an MI6 black agent for the last twenty years, since you were a wee kid, and then retired three years ago." Jade nodded.

"But two years ago, they called you back to this city called… Verdansk, and that's where you meet… Simon." She gestured to Ghost, who nodded.

"You only met briefly, until last October, you got called back from retirement again, and that's when you met him for the second time. But this one was special, as you guys started to develop feelings for each other, am I right?" Both of them nodded. 

"GOD this sounds like a Wattpad type of shite!!" Fiona grasped her hair from frustration, "And you're an MI6 BLACK AGENT??? REALLY???"

"Was. Papa and Mama were, too, actually." 

"Oh my Dear Lord in Heavens. THE BOSSES WERE BLACK AGENTS TOO?????" Jade nodded again. Clearly she didn't have any single clue of the burden that came with the words 'MI6', 'agent', especially with the added word 'black' in front of it.

"And you, Simon. So you're a soldier. Which one are you from? Navy? Is it the Royal Artillery? Or is it Life Guards like James Blunt?" Fiona asked with her very limited military knowledge. 

"You promised to keep your mouth shut so keep your promise." That voice came out harsher than he intended it to be, prompting Fiona to be taken aback.

"SAS."

The black-haired woman gasped so hard, covering her mouth in shock. "...like Bear Grylls?"

Jade couldn't help the giggle, as Ghost was utterly flabbergasted at her reaction as that was the first thing that came to her mind from the revelation. "...Yeah. Like Bear Grylls. And no I don't know him."

"Wow. Okay. So why the face mask? Does this have anything to do with secrecy and stuff?" Fiona asked him again as Ghost still had the hoodie up and face mask. She hadn't seen his face at all. "Am I not allowed to see his face? Wait Chacha you have seen his face right?"

"Of course I have! What do you mean by that!?" Jade countered, clearly overwhelmed by the barrage of questions. "Ghost. it's up to you."

Ghost huffed, lifting up one hand to the upper hem of his face mask. Fiona observed as Ghost pulled down the mask for a good 3 seconds, catching a glimpse of his strong jaw, his light brown stubble, the faint scars on his face, before putting the face mask back into place again. "Happy now?"

"Oh. Wow. Okay. I am happy." Fiona confirmed with start, turning to look at Jade again, "Chacha you hit a jackpot on this one – so you guys are a couple, right?"

The man and woman looked at each other for a long time, Jade bit her lower lip as her expression fell. Ghost could only close his eyes in regret. 

"Wait, no way you guys aren't a thing already. Whaaaatttt?" Fiona expressed her confusion because, for the last two months, Jade had started to buy more makeup and clothes, and the sudden interest in her looks had made Fiona suspicious. She really thought her best friend was dating a man secretly, but now that he's right here, both of them could not say that they're in a relationship?

"Look, Fiona… it's complicated, okay? We're just taking things slow right now. Our… jobs have their own risks, and we're just trying to enjoy things as they are now." Jade tried to explain with a bit of a sad tone to her voice. 

"So… you guys are friends, who happen to go on dates occasionally?" Fuckin' hell. Ghost thought. How could she say the exact same thing as Soap? Was it really weird? For two friends to just go together doing whatever they liked? 

After both of them nodded for the hundredth time that day, Fiona sighed in acceptance. "Chacha, Luv, I might not understand what you guys are going through right now, but Simon," she turned to Ghost, who lifted his head to see her clearly. "You better not make her cry." 

The man glanced to his side, where Jade silently sat on the chair. He knew she'd already hurt her feelings by saying he wasn't ready for a relationship yet, but if he wanted to be honest with himself, was ‘scared’ and ‘afraid’ the right word for it? As Soap and Fiona said, they’re literally doing what couples do. 

He’s just afraid to put a name on it. 

“I’ll try.” 

—------------

Jade had texted him earlier that during Valentine’s, Le Jardin’s floristry would open until midnight. Ghost wondered why as it had been a while since the employees had gone home, including Fiona (who told her that they were going to have a long chat on the phone) who had to go home and have dinner with her family. The sun had long drowned, replaced by the moon that accompanied the cold winter of London. Warm lights from the shops and a few street lights were the only thing lighting up the streets - one of them coming from the floristry. 

The sales peaked around 6 PM to 9 PM when people finished their work to be with their loved ones. Ghost had absolutely no skills in flower arranging or wrapping, so he did all he could to help the other employees to pick tools or items from high shelves, and even change the lightbulb when one of them died. Ghost didn’t mind it one bit as he found simple domestic things like this relaxing compared to what he did in the military - full of pressure, stress, and blood. 

Meanwhile, the utmost form of stress in Le Jardin’s (at least what he saw today), was a customer who kept changing the flowers that he wanted, and then lashing out at Fiona when his bouquet wasn’t tied the way he wanted to. Ghost almost wanted to step in, drag him out of the store, and throw him out to the streets, but Jade stepped in and calmly asked the customer for references, dealing with the situation one at a time, and finally, the man stomped out. Ghost knew that there were more variety of problems in retail, but at least he got to experience one today. To be honest that was probably the least angry person in London. 

That was 3 hours ago. Now, there’s only the Le Jardins and Ghost; the father had come home at around 4 PM after finishing the decorations. He took a photo of the ballroom and showed it to his family and Ghost, who was quite amazed at the old man’s sense of composition and aesthetic. 

The four of them were all in the front room, Gracie counting the revenues, Jade tidying up the display flowers, Eli wiping the windows, and Ghost sweeping the floors (again). The clock showed 00.23, the shop was empty, and even the cafe opposite them was already closed. As Ghost finished his chore, he put the cleaning tools to the side before approaching Jade.

“Are you not closin’? It’s past midnight.” He muttered to her, who was tidying up the edelweiss display. 

Jade smiled, “We usually extend about an hour.” 

“Why?” 

“You’ll see.”

Just as he was about to question it, the phone rang besides Gracie, who picked up the call immediately,

“Le Jardin Floristry. Yes, we are still open. You might be our last client, Sir. We do have tulips available. What colour? Red and pink, got it. The bouquet will be here when you arrive. Yes. We’ll be here, Sir, don’t worry. Thank you!” After confirming the order, Gracie smiled towards Ghost as she put the phone back. “That’s why, Simon Dear.”

About twenty minutes later, a man entered the shop in a hurry, dressed in a dirty fire brigade jacket. He clearly just finished his work and then drove to the floristry immediately after he extinguished whatever fire broke out somewhere. The moustached man approached the counter, where Jade had his order ready. “I’m here for my tulips?” He muttered, clearly tired from the way he panted. 

“Here it is, Sir. That’ll be 18 pounds.” 

“Thank you so much. You guys were the only shop open at this time. I’m forever grateful. I already told my wife and children that I’ll be late, but I truly felt bad.” He pulled out his wallet before putting a 20-pound note on the counter. 

“A pleasure for us, Sir. Have a good night!” Gracie chimed as he took the tulips in his hands, exited the shop and finally drove off. With that, Eli flipped the ‘Open’ tag to the ‘Closed’ tag.

“Delightful! Now.” Mr. Le Jardin put his hands on his hips, “Let’s have dinner.” Once Ghost heard that, he immediately planned his escape from the floristry like he needed to escape an enemy’s vicinity. 

“Simon Dear, you’re joining us, aren’t you?” But after hearing the gentle yet commanding tone coming out of Gracie, he decided against it, as what he heard in his ear was, ‘We’re going to have a conversation about you and my daughter’. 

—-------

Fuck. There’s the question. “No, Ma’am." He replied slowly, "Not yet."

“So, Simon Dear.” Gracie's voice startled Ghost as he was cutting the carrots for the chicken soup they're making, all the while Gracie was stirring the ladle on the pot. His hood was still up on his head, but he's taken off his mask to smell the chicken broth in front of him. He figured that if there's a civilian he'd let see his face, it's an ex-MI6 whose daughter he loved.

It was only the two of them in the kitchen on the third floor as Eli and his daughter were still tidying up the first floor. “Are you Lottie’s boyfriend?” 

Ghost expected a questioning look followed by a 'why', but instead she gave him a light nod. “She’s very fond of you, I think you should know."  That one caught Ghost's attention, briefly slowing down his slices. Did Jade talk to her mother about him?

"The way she talks about you, I know how deeply she really cared for you. She saw her future with no man, at all, until she met you. Had to do with 'understanding one another' she said." Gracie put in more black pepper into the pot.

“May I know, what stopped you from committing to her?”

More questions to answer, but this one, he didn't know how to answer. 

“...I don’t know, Ma'am."

Not long, Gracie muttered with a tone he almost forgot. Motherly. “...Are you afraid?”

And that's when he found himself so vulnerable, so open. And the weird thing was, he only felt like this when he's with Jade. He thought Gracie's her adoptive mother, but this magical familial trait where people could instantly open up to them was almost scary. 

He expected judgement, but what came was a light smile. “You remind me of Eli and me, back when we were still with MI6."

Was it a yes? No, he's not afraid. He just thought that if they started dating, she might be wasting her time with him. Well, he's afraid that all this love that he's feeling and all these moments with be for naught if he's just dead after a deployment gone wrong. He can't promise anything to her. Ghost knew how serious Jade was about a relationship. She wanted a long-lasting one.

Ghost didn't mutter a word out of his mouth. Only continuing his work. He could feel her gaze on him, but he still chose to stay silent.

"He was afraid of the life we’ll lead. Constantly running, followed by death everywhere we go. Stability and domesticity was a dream impossible to achieve.” As Ghost listened and wondered how the fuck did she read his mind, he lifted the cutting board and poured the cube-cut carrot into the pot. 

“However, I can tell him anything, he can tell me anything.” Gracie continued, looking up at him. Her gaze was as soft as Jade's, grey eyes softly gazing into his soul. “Eli had his own problems, I had my own, but what mattered was the fact that we both tried to be better, for my own sake, and for his sake.”

“He was my best friend, and I was his. It was a leap of faith to be together.” She said as her palm tapped his shoulder firmly.

“I’m saying this as her mother. If you love her, then go all in. She deserves all of you.”

---

Dinner was eventful, to say the least. The Le Jardins, plus Ghost, ate their dinner together in their house on the third floor. Chicken and vegetable soup accompanied by warm cups of tea was enough to fill their stomachs. Ghost, of course, had to take his hood down and took off his face mask to eat with the three of them.

It felt odd. 

When was the last time he had a family dinner like this? Eating a delicious meal without having to find a place where there's no other people? A place where he could freely show his face to others, the warmth of a family? 

It didn't take long for Eli to finish his meal, as he stood up and put on 'La Vie en Rose' by Louis Armstrong on the classic gramophone. Gracie scoffed loudly, stood up, and took Eli's hand in hers. 

"Heeeere we go." Jade rolled her eyes, seeming like she had to watch this for the thousandth time.

As Louis Armstrong started to sing, the two old couple put out an amazing slow dancing show in front of Ghost and Jade. Seeing them so unashamedly happy, and the fact that both of their eyes only stared at each other with so much love, Ghost unconsciously smiled.

And when he turned to look at Jade, there was she, two hands holding her phone horizontally, taking a video of her parents, grinning ear to ear while her eyes gleamed with joy.

It's such a warm scene to witness. 

He only hoped it was him and her in place of Eli and Gracie.

—------------

The time showed 02.13. Ghost and Jade were standing in front of the shop, a long scarf wrapped around Ghost's neck as the cold was harsh that time of the day. Jade insisted that he wore them, or she said he would catch a cold. 

"Thank you, Ghost. For today. My dad had been having regular trouble with his knee, so thank you so so much." Jade started, cheeks blushing that was certainly not because of the February winter. 

"Well, I doubt that, considering how well he danced with your mum." Ghost replied, making Jade laugh. Her smile was a sight he'd never get tired of seeing. “Are you going anywhere tomorrow?” 

That question quite surprised her. “Well… Tomorrow my shift starts at 3 PM. So I'm free in the morning. Why?"

“I want to make do for today. We haven’t had a proper… date. Yet. I honestly had wanted to bring you flowers, but I remembered you're a florist. So I felt like a prat.”

Her face turned as red as tulips at that. “Honestly, you helping out in the shop was more romantic than anything you could ever give."

"Oh yeah?" 

"Yeah! So… what are you thinkin’ for tomorrow? What do you wanna do, Ghost?”

“What do you wanna do?” He asked back.

“Oh? W-well… Hmmm." Jade contemplated, pouting her lips, glancing at the moon high in the sky. "Ice skating. And then Korean barbecue after.”

“I-Ice skating?” Ghost stuttered, not expecting that answer. 

“Yeah. What, you afraid you’re gonna fall?”

“I have no clue what you’re talkin’ about.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll hold you if you do.” 

He wanted to say something along the lines of 'fuck-off' or 'sod you'. But he deleted that reply before it came out of his mouth, instead saying, "Please do."

Jade grinned ear-to-ear at that response. She was anticipating a clap back from him, but it was such an unusually warm reply that she couldn't help the blush in her cheeks.

No matter how much she wanted him to stay close to her, he had to go, and Jade said her goodbye. "Thank you for today. See you tomorrow, Simon."

Still standing still, Ghost muttered, "It was fun."

She thought he was going to start walking away towards his apartment, but instead, a glimmer of light reflected on his brown irises, still gazing at hers with such hopeful and wistful eyes.

And before she knew it, Ghost leaned in closer to her face, and placed a soft peck on her cheek.

As he stood back, Jade saw that his face burnt red, seeming like what he just did took great courage and resolution. His face still so close to hers, Ghost left her speechless.

And before she could say anything, he said his last words to her that night,

"See you tomorrow, Lottie."

----------------------

Hope you like it! (❁´◡`❁)

#WHEEEEEEEWWWW #if I can draw more scenes I would #but I'm just so PACKED #might draw more and add them to this post in the future #call of duty #call of duty modern warfare #cod mw #cod #simon ghost riley #charlotte jade le jardin #cod mw22 #call of duty modern warfare 2022 #art #ghost x oc #ghost x jade #valentine fic #valentines day fic

[toloveawarlord]

Event: Be My Valentine 2023 (Edition: Valentine's Day)

Pairing: Ran Haitani x Fem!Reader

Prompt: "Spread those legs for me, beautiful"

Rating: 18+ Explicit

wc: 1.6k

a.n.: I am a simp for Ran Haitani. That's all.

The day had passed in a blink. Usually work dragged by but you were filled with anxious excitement and somehow you were climbing the stairs of the apartment complex that Ran lived in. Today was the day that all girls were scrambling to impress their lovers, and you were no exception.

Using the key that Rindou had loaned you, you were given access to the empty apartment. Perfect for setting up a surprise. Certainly, you'd spent an ample amount of time last night making some homemade chocolates, but that wasn't enough.

Taking full advantage of the small DJ booth that Rindou had assembled, music pumped you up while you unpacked all your things. Any girl could cook a meal for their man, but you were going to do more than simply make food.

A single text from Rindou alerted you to finish up your preparations. He had easily relinquished the apartment to the two of you, stating that noise canceling headphones weren't enough to block out the sounds.

Which you weren't complaining about.

"Baby, I'm home!" Ran called as he swung the door open. Love was truly in the air, and it was suffocating without you. Making out in public was one of his favorite pastimes. But instead of showing you off to the lonely shitheads at the bar, he was one of those bums, hanging out with his brother of all people on Valentine's Day.

He was quite thrilled when Rindou admitted to keeping him busy for you. It was adorable that you'd planned a surprise. You did all sorts of cute things like this, and it made him oh so happy.

"Happy Valentine's Day!" You were nervous, for sure. The two of you were intimate often, very often, but waiting, perched on the back of the couch in nothing but a bright red body harness, made you anxious, the excited kind.

Shit. Shit. Shit. Ran was known for his ability to control himself, except when it came to you. The harness invited his gaze to your tits, plumping them up. Violet eyes followed the straps down, crisscrossing over your stomach and leading to your thighs. He was too greedy to wait, practically salivating at the mouth. "Spread those legs for me, beautiful."

And you did. Slowly. You were on a high, feeling proud to have stopped him so thoroughly, as if he had short circuited at the sight of you. As Ran was drinking in your figure, you were studying his every expression. Lust. Love. His gaze intense, eyes hungry. His tongue darted out from between his lips at the sight of your pussy.

"All this for me, huh?" His brain finally disconnected solely from his cock, and Ran crossed the space to you. He needed to feel your soft skin under his fingers, needed to taste your lips right this very second.

"Well, there's also homemade chocolates if you're interested."

Ran chuckled, taking a rough kiss before answering. "Unless I get to eat them off this pretty body, it'll have to wait. Although I'm much too impatient for even that." His pants strained from how hard he was.

You leaned back enough to retrieve the bottle of lube off the cushion. "I'm all ready so no need to wait. I'm spoiling you today."

It was hard to tell whose hands did what, both rushing to remove his clothes. Ran could get frustrated easily when he was so turned on, which usually ended up with your clothes being ripped off. 

"Fuckin' hell-" Ran groaned, struggling to unbutton his top. It was one of a kind and he wasn't about to ruin it. But you had been quite busy with his lower half, and having much more success. Your hand slick with lube rubbed gently over his aching cock.

He'd never been able to figure out how you were so fucking amazing with just your hand.

"Having trouble?" You teased, trying not to laugh at him. This was a side of Ran that no one would see but you. Frustrated. Embarrassed. A hint of pink on his cheeks and the most adorable pout on his lips that only lasted a second when you swiped your thumb over his tip, gathering the precum to mix with the lube.

And you were the only person who could get away with teasing him so boldly.

Freed of his clothes, the older Haitani could finally stop holding himself back. You were eagerly receptive, latching your legs around his waist and draping your arms over his shoulders in order to not topple backwards when he thrust into you.

Matching groans of relief came from you both.

"I won't let you fall," Ran said, securing you with his arm around your lower back. It was all the warning he gave. He had to satisfy his craving for you this very instant.

Fast and deep thrusts rocked you and the couch that you barely touched. The fleeting anxiety of toppling back was overshadowed by the sheer fact that Ran was practically hold you up with one arm and fucking you without any restraint. You found it incredibly sexy of him.

Ran muttered curses against your neck, occupying his mouth with the taste of your skin. He altered between tender kisses and nipping to leave plenty of hickeys. Not even the most violent of brawls could compare to the euphoric sensation that you provided him. "Fuck, so fuckin'- perfect, baby."

"Ah-- Ran-" You whined his name, the only fully formed word that you could muster. His cock filled you up, almost too much but it felt so fucking good.

He did adore the way you said his name. It sounded so sugary sweet and utterly filthy at the same time. "Gonna cum already?" He teased your clit, barely swiping his finger over the nub to make you jerk in his arms. 

Your head bobbed in response, whimpering each time he tapped the sensitive bundle of nerves. You managed a soft, needy please. Although you were supposed to be spoiling him, it typically ended this way. You, a complete and utter mess begging Ran for more and more pleasure.

You'd never find him complaining.

"Look at me."

The deep violet of his eyes was your favorite color. They could command your attention without a single word. You could so easily lose yourself in their depths, so deep that nothing existed except for him.

"I never tire of looking at your pretty face, especially when you're like this. So, show me how good you feel and cum." Ran's grip around you tightened in anticipation of your orgasm. You tended to lose complete control of your body, which he loved to see. Rubbing your clit with just the right amount of pressure, your walls spasmed around him.

Your lips parted but no sound came out. His intense gaze held yours, allowing him a full view of your face when you came. The release came quick and hard, setting your nerves alight with tingling pleasure.

Ran nearly faltered with how hard you were squeezing his cock. He rocked his hips harder to keep thrusting into you even when your cunt was pushing him out. Combined with the filthy expression on your face, he was more than ready to fill you up with his cum. "Fuck, fuck-"

He shuddered, slowing his thrusts to finish emptying himself into your warm pussy.

All the energy drained and you leaned forward to rest your head against his shoulder, soaking up being enveloped in his arms. His gentle petting of your head could have put you to sleep. "There's one more thing."

"More than letting me fuck you in a body harness and chocolate? I can't imagine what else I'd ever need."

You untangled yourself from him and hopped off the back of the couch. "I am the best girlfriend ever, so of course there's more." You could walk. You could definitely, totally walk. Except your legs were not receiving the signal, more made of jello than muscle at the moment.

Ran snickered, lips quirked up into the cocky smirk that made you want to either punch him or kiss him. "Need some help?" It simply meant he'd done a good fucking job if you were wobbly after only one round.

"No, I do not," You answered stubbornly. Giving each leg a little wiggle to wake up, you managed to lead him to the bathroom without ending up a puddle on the floor. "Ta da! The perfect third gift."

The counter across from the tub had a variety of items from soothing lotions to hair care products and face masks. If there was one thing that Ran was obsessed with other than you, it was self-care. A little spa treatment after sex.

"You..." It was unusual for Ran to be speechless. He'd never experienced that warm feeling in his chest before you'd come into his life. The bathtub had filled by the time he collected himself. There were plenty of things he wanted to say, but it all came back to one prominent thing. "I love you so fuckin' much."

Ran wasn't the kind of boyfriend who found saying the word love difficult, but it still made you weak each time he did. "I love you, too. Happy Valentine's Day." You disposed of the harness on the floor, knowing that it would surely be a requested piece from him in the future.

The hot water soothed the soreness in your body. You settled in with your back against Ran's chest, both of you with hair up, face masks on, and a glass of wine in hand to have a relaxing bath. You weren't sure how you were going to top this year's gift, but you were certain that next year, you'd be even more in love with him.

#tokyo revengers #tokyo revengers smut #tokyo rev #tokyo rev smut #ran haitani #ran haitani smut #valentine fic #very late #haitani brothers

[giggly-squiggily]

Forget Me Not (Black Clover)

Happy Valentine's Day! I wasn't planning on posting anything, but in a sudden boom of motivation, I've decided I'm posting a fic! Yunleo makes me soft, and I haven't yelled about them in a minute, so here we are! :D I hope you like it!

Cloud 9 (Taglist Peeps):

@duckymcdoorknob @rachi-roo

Summary: It's the day before Valentine's and Leopold completely forgot. He scrambles to put together the perfect gift for his boyfriend.

Leopold was in quite the predicament.

You see, it all started a mere few hours ago…

~~~

“Perfect-oh, wait- no. It spread.” Mimosa sighed, brows furrowing as she looked at her tray of misshapen heart cookies. “They look like potatoes!”

“Yum!” Leopold grinned as he snagged one, frantically shoving it in his mouth before he could burn his fingerprints off. “They taste good! Nothing like a potato.”

“Why did you..nevermind.” His cousin shook her head with a small laugh as she put the tray down, grabbing her cookie cutter in hopes of reshaping them before they cooled. “At least they taste good. I suppose that’s the important part.”

Leopold hummed, mouth too full to speak. He watched her curiously, tilting his head as she reshaped her handiwork. “What’s the occasion? Are you guys having a celebration or something?”

“You could say that- it’s for Valentine’s Day. I’m gonna frost these and give them to-” She looked back at him, blinking when he went pale. “Leo?”

Oh.

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, NO!

How did he forget???

~~~

“What about… that’s not gonna work. Oh, now…no, that’s dumb!”

Leopold was pacing around his room, hands in his hair as he struggled to think of something. It felt like the hours of his day were flying by with each failed attempt at securing a date. Most if not all the local restaurants were full with reservations for the big day, and shopping proved fruitless.

Then there was the question of what Yuno even wanted for Valentine's day. Past experience proved asking was pointless; his boyfriend always said the same thing when asked what he wanted: “You.” It was cute and never failed to make Leopold blush as dark as his hair; but it didn’t make surprises like now easier.

That left only one thing remaining; a handmade gift.

And Leopold…wasn’t exactly a craft man.

“Why is making paper flowers so difficult!?” He cried in frustration after the seventh failed attempt, tossing yet another crumpled mess into the pile growing on his bed. Mimosa was kind enough to show him how to make them on such short notice, but it didn’t mean much in the end. Littered on the floor were various paper hearts he tried to cut out like a heart- but even those were lopsided and ugly. Little scraps of paper and a dash of glitter coated his room like a thin film with the redhead sitting in the middle of it all, fighting the urge not to cry.

“Come on, don’t give up! You’re a Vermillion! We don’t throw in the towel!” He grunted through a lump in his throat, closing his eyes as he willed himself to take deep breaths.

Paper hearts and flowers were out. He couldn’t cook to save his life, so forget that. Yuno was one of those weird people who didn’t like chocolate, so that wasn’t an option- what was left? What could he..

Opening his eyes, he peeked at the remaining paper and pens before him; survivors of his crafting storm.

And just like that- he had a plan.

~~~

February 14th. It was officially the big day.

Oh great Wizard King save him.

Throughout the day, Leopold was a mess of anxiety and excitement; alternating between joy of sharing his gift with Yuno and dread that he’d hate it. They weren’t meeting up until the evening; both of them had a day full of team tasks to do before then- giving the fiery mage even more time to panic.

What if Yuno saw right through him? His gift was certainly last minute; nothing flashy or intricate- Leopold feared it would come off as disappointing; leaving his boyfriend to question if Leopold truly did love him.

Oh god- what if Yuno hates it so much they break up? The idea made his legs feel heavy, dragging his feet up towards their usual spot as he went to face destiny. His heart raced a mile a minute, threatening to bust out of his chest.

I want to run.

I want to run away.

I can’t face you; I’ll only disappoint you.

He started to turn-

“Leo?” That voice- soft and low- called out to him. Leopold felt himself freeze, everything in him coming to a complete standstill. He had been caught. “Hey.”

“Y-Yuno! Fancy meeting you out here! Hehe, hi!” Leopold twisted to face him, smiling big in hopes it’d hide his fear. “W-What a night to meet! Hehe, so what’s u-up?”

“You invited me out?” Yuno raised a brow, concern in those golden eyes as he watched him sweat. “Are you okay? You seem a bit-”

“Happy Valentine's Day!” Leopold practically shouted, making them both flinch. There, he said it! Yuno blinked at him, eyes wide.

“Oh…Oh! Right- Happy Valentine's Day, Leo.” He smiled gently, relaxing as everything came together. “Is that why you invited me out here?”

“Huh? What- I-” Breathe! He took a shaky breath, willing himself to calm. “Yes- that’s exactly why! I have a-”

He’ll hate it.

Three little words was all it took. Leopold felt his voice fade out as he froze once more, paling beneath the stars. He..he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t take that risk.

Yuno raised a brow, giving him a small encouraging smile. Leopold took it to his heart as he let out a shaky breath.

“Yuno…I have a present for you.” Leopold reached into his pocket, hands shaking as he went to grab said gift. He couldn’t even get his hand in his pocket. “But…I’m scared to give it to you.” At his boyfriend’s raised brows, he hurried on. “I’m just- I just really nervous all of a sudden cause it’s kinda last minute and I usually put more thought into things like this and I don’t want you to hate me-the gift and-EH!”

Fingers pressed into his sides out of nowhere, making him jump up with a squeak. He hadn’t realized Yuno got so close. “So you're saying…you’ve lost your nerve?” Yuno asked, something teasing in his tone as he pressed in more, making Leopold giggle and squirm. “In that case, I’ll help you find it.”

“Y-Yuhuhuhuno! Ahehahahaa- wahahahit!” This was certainly not how he planned tonight to go. Dancing in his boyfriend’s arms as Yuno gently tickled his ribs, his face pressed into his chest as he lightly batted at his chest. “Hahhahahang ohoohohn, I gohohohotta fihihiihnd it ohohoohohn my ohohohohohown!”

“Sorry, no can do. We’ll be here all night.” Yuno grinned as he pulled the redhead into his chest, wiggling his fingers against his belly and making him squeal. “Not that I mind that, really.”

“YUHUHUHNO!” Leopold thrashed in his arms, kicking dirt and stardust around them as he laughed like a goon. Out here in their usual spot, not a soul could hear them. It felt both freeing and devastating at the same time. “YUHUUHUHNO PLEAHHAHAHSE!”

“Please what?”

“DOHOOHOHN’T DHOOHOOHOHO THAHHAT!”

“Do what? You gotta be more clear, Leo~”

“TIHIHIHICKLE MEHHEHEHE- NHOOOHOHO WAHHAHAHIT!” Leopold all but shrieked when Yuno bit his shoulder, blowing a raspberry against the clothed fabric. Low and behold- he found yet another spot on him that was ticklish! “YUHUHUHUNO!”

“What? I’m just doing what you asked me to do!” Yuno grinned, moving his fingers back to his sides as Leopold calmed. “Do you feel better now? Ready to share with the group?”

“Ahehaha! Fihihihine, fhihiihhine! Ihiiihhih’m reahhhhahahdy!” Leopold gasped out, falling back against the other with a soft sigh as Yuno supported him. “Yoohohu’re teehehrrible!”

“Hm.” The wind mage smiled as he pressed a kiss against Leopold’s cheek. “You love me.”

“I do.” He replied automatically, his voice hushed with sincerity. He felt Yuno jolt in surprise; not quite used to hearing it. It gave Leopold the push he needed. “Hey, can you let me go for a sec? It’s important.”

Yuno did so, watching him as the redhead took a few steps away. Turning back to his boyfriend, Leopold reached into his pocket, pulling out the folded paper. “I wrote this and…well, I know it’s not much, but if you’ll have me, I’d like to read it to you.”

“Poetry, Leo? Who would have known.” Yuno teased good naturedly, leaning back on his heels as he waited. 

“I’m not much of a poet- but I tried.” After another breathe, Leopold began to read.

“First of all; Happy Valentine’s Day. It’s our first, and I wanted to do something special for it. However- this is where I must confess. I kinda…forgot.” Leopold winched. Yuno gasped, clutching his pearls.

Then he chuckled, easing away Leopold’s worries.

“Sorry about that. I’ll remember going forward. But this letter isn’t about my forgetfulness; it’s about something much more important…it’s about you.

“When we first met; it was during my sister’s bootcamp. I remember when I first really looked at you- I thought to myself: ‘This guy’s really cool. And he looks strong. I have to defeat him!’ I declared you my rival and set my goal to surpassing this really cool guy with fluffy black hair and eyes like sunlight by any means necessary. I challenged you to many duels, and not once did you turn me down.

“I think that’s when I started to fall for you. I can’t pinpoint an exact moment; maybe it was the way you carried yourself- or how you always talked about your siblings with such love. Maybe it was during a battle- or how you declare your ambitions like obtainable goals rather than distant dreams. I thought my admiration for you was simply that; a feeling of mutual respect for my fellow mage.

“But then you looked at me and I realized it was more than that. It was love. A love that burned within me like a burning candle wick- new and different than anything I’ve felt before. It grew and grew until there were times I simply couldn’t be around you cause all I wanted was to tell you how I felt. I was scared you wouldn’t feel the same, so I kept that burning wick to myself for months.

“And then…you returned my feelings. You said you liked me back! I couldn’t believe it! Sure- things were a bit rocky at the start, and there was a moment I was scared my wick would blow out, leaving me cold within, but you kept it burning and you still do.

“Did that sound good? I’m not exactly good at this poetry stuff. The point is- I love you, Yuno. I love your ambitions and your dreams, I love your faith in me when I don’t have any left. I love when you smile at me, when you take my hand in yours and never let go. I love how you look at me when you talk- like I’m the only one here. I love how passionate you are about what you want to do with your life. I love your bravery, your kindness, your competitive spirit and how you always make me feel loved and treasured. Your love comes as easy as breathing, and I want to keep breathing it in, letting it do whatever air does to our bodies- something about blood cells and whatnot.

“I probably killed the vibe with that last part; the point is- I love you, and for as long as I live- I’ll always love you. Even in death I’ll love you. My heart is yours for all eternity. Happy Valentine's Day, Yuno. Let’s have many more.”

Finishing the letter, he stared at the page, suddenly too shy to look up. What would he see when he did? Would Yuno fight off laughs? Would he be bored? Disgusted? Disappointed? He was scared.

Be brave.

He looked up- and stared. Yuno was crying.

“Babe..” He whispered, but that’s all Leopold got out before he was engulfed by arms, a cloud of pine and forest invading his nose as Yuno clung to him. “Yuno?”

“Not much of a poet my ass.” He choked out, a wet laugh coming though his voice. “Leopold…That was so…I love you so much.”

Those words were like coming up for air after nearly drowning. More than that- it felt like he was ascending. His body felt light with relief, almost numb as he brought them around his boyfriend- grounding him and filling him with warmth. “I was worried you’d hate it.”

“Never. I loved every word.” Yuno pulled back, eyes shiny with tears. Leopold reached up, brushing them away with his thumb. “I hate that I don’t have the words to describe how I feel right now…”

“More than words?” Leopold asked, earning another wet laugh. He closed his eyes as Yuno leaned in, capturing his lips with ease. Where words failed him, Yuno’s kiss told him everything he so desperately wanted to hear. His hands ran through black tufts of hair as Yuno grasped his hips, pulling him against him until only the pounding of their hearts were between them.

~~~

“I feel kinda bad now. I didn’t get you anything for Valentine’s Day.” Yuno confessed after some time. They were lying beneath the stars, his head on Leopold’s chest as the redhead played with his hair. “I kinda forgot too.”

“What?” Now it was his turn to clutch pearls. “Yuno!”

They looked at eachother. Then they were laughing.

“We’re a match made to be!” Leopold wheezed, shaking beneath Yuno as he giggled himself silly. “God, I love you.”

“I love you too.” Yuno smiled, scooting up so they were nose to nose. “I still want to give you something. Is there anything you want?”

“You.” Leopold grinned, watching Yuno flush pink, starting to laugh once more as he lightly slapped his chest.

“Jerk- that’s my line.” He laughed again, the sound muffled by Leopold’s lips on his. He was melting against him in minutes. “I still want to get you back.”

“You already did. Your love for me is the greatest gift I’ve ever received.” Leopold smiled, pressing his forehead against Yunos. “What more do I need when I have you?”

Instead of words, Yuno kissed him again and again.

Even if they both forgot the rest of them; Leopold would always remember this Valentine’s Day.

Thanks for reading!

#black clover #yuno #leopold vermillion #yunleo #fluff #sappy romance #tickle fights #thought it's more Lee!Leopold lols #valentine fic #this is shamelessly self indulgent #I just really wanted some Yunleo lols #happy Valentine's Day!

[catherineflowers29]

(Artwork by the lovely FruityBowTies)

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Succession (TV 2018) Rating: Explicit Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Relationships: Gerri Kellman/Roman Roy Characters: Gerri Kellman, Roman Roy Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, canon compliant if you squint, Alter Egos, Why Roman owns clothes from Walmart boys' section, The paradise wedding we were denied, Gerri gets an orgasm, Roman does the housework, Shades of Harold Pinter's The Lover Series: Part 11 of Truly, Badly, Gladly : A Gerri and Roman Valentine Collection Summary:

Roman and Gerri have a secret other life.

#roman x gerri #romangerri #roman roy #gerri kellman #succession fic #fanfic #valentine fic #my shite

[spotsandsocks]

✨Inspiration Saturday ✨

Tagged by @monsterrae1 @alyxmastershipper

For my Valentine’s Fic- it will be ready! Christopher has some questions about love.

Tagging @jobairdxx @dickley-buddie @sibylsleaves @loveyourownsmiilee @lostinabuddiehaze @fiona-fififi @swiftiediaz @shortsighted-owl @the-likesofus @ajunerose @thekristen999 @bekkachaos @spaceprincessem @elvensorceress @buddierights

#buddie wip #valentine fic #eddie diaz #evan buckley #buddie

[thebluestbluewords]

*Insert Pingu card meme here*

Not quite a Valentine's day fic, but something like one, maybe. Mal & Carlos, shippy if you squint. ~1600 words.

<3

“Valentine’s is…fun.” Carlos says doubtfully. 

“That’s what literally everyone says, yeah.” Mal repeats. “Fun. Because it’s a day about feelings.  And people here like to talk about their feelings.” 

“And it’s fun.” Carlos echoes back, sounding even more mystified about the whole concept. “Having feelings.” 

Mal has lots of fun feelings. She has rage, and anger, and sometimes a terrible hot feeling that bubbles up in her chest and makes her want to scream until everyone around her runs away forever and leaves her alone to die. “Look, I don’t know. Evie told me today that everyone here says it’s fun, and we need to make sure we’re not sticking out. And all the girls in third period were talking about how they’re so excited to tell everyone how much they love them, and Audrey was all, like, ‘buy your Valentine’s chocolate from the SGA table to support my school wide empire on fun’ and honestly I sort of tuned out after she started talking so I don’t actually know if there’s anything else to this stupid holiday.” 

Carlos makes a face that might be trying not to laugh. Or possibly trying not to sneeze. It’s hard to tell. “You heard that there’s feelings, and chocolate, and a chance to humiliate Audrey, and decided that obviously we have to make it a magical day for everyone?” 

Mal also heard that there’s going to be a chocolate fountain at lunch in honor of the holiday, but she’s keeping that part to herself for now. “Pretty much,” she agrees. “Throw me the glue.” 

“Do we get chocolate?” Carlos asks as he stretches up to pass Mal the glue. It means that he has to let go of one side of the ladder, which doesn’t feel entirely great from Mal’s vantage point standing on the tips of her toes on the very top step, but it’s fine. If she falls off at least she won’t have to go to class tomorrow. 

“Of course that’s the part you focus on,” Mal huffs, stretching down to snag the bottle of glue from his fingertips. “And yes, if you’re a very good little boy, we can steal Audrey’s student government chocolate as soon as her back is turned.” 

“I could take offense at that,” Carlos says slowly, returning to his place at the base of the ladder. “I could take it by myself and not share any with you.” 

“But you won’t,” Mal sing-songs, spreading a thin layer of glue over the blades of the classroom fan. Details are essential in wicked schemes, and she didn’t earn an A- in Scheming and Wickedness because she forgot the details, like making sure her magical mess is going to be a maximum pain in the royal behind to clean up. “Because you—Hey!” 

The base of the ladder wobbles again, just for an instant. 

Carlos looks up at her, face blank and innocent. “Did you need something?” 

Ugh, boys. 

“You undying devotion to the cause,” Mal snaps, shaking the bottle of glue in a vaguely threatening manner. “And your support on the base of this death trap, come on. If I fall off this ladder and break my neck I’m going to tell everyone you’re the one responsible for this.” 

“I’m already an accessory to your crime,” Carlos says placidly, but he’s holding on to the ladder again, so it really doesn’t matter what he thinks about the supposed legal system of Auradon Prep. Accessories to crime aren’t real when you’re a student, which Mal knows, because she’s read the student handbook. All students involved in mischief share punishment equally, in some sort of attempt at teaching them fairness that’s more misguided than the maps in wonderland.  “I don’t think a broken neck is really a likely outcome at this point anyway. And if you do break your neck from falling six feet down, I’ll just get all of the chocolate that would have been yours anyway. Really a win for me either way.” 

Mal will not laugh at her brilliant, wicked boy. Laughing will only encourage this sort of smart-ass behavior in the future, and as a leader in her school community, she is a pillar for goodness and upright moral behavior. 

Also, she’s afraid that if she laughs the ladder is going to break.  “Shut up and hold my ladder. If we make it through this alive I’ll get you your very own chocolate later. Legally gained.” 

Carlos, safe on the ground, does laugh. “Ugh, why?” he asks seriously. “Stolen food tastes better.” 

“Obviously,” Mal agrees. She’s actually going to murder someone over the stupid glue bottle designs. Stupid middle schoolers. If they hadn’t been caught doing glue shots at the back of the art classroom, Fairy Godmother wouldn’t have banned full size bottles from campus, and she wouldn’t be in this situation at all right now.  “But it’s not a very good gift if it’s stolen. I’m a good and moral citizen now, haven’t you heard?” 

“What if I’m evil and only take bribes in the form of stolen goods?” 

Mal throws up her hands, and the glue bottle with them. The thing stays firmly attached to her fingers. At least the glue inside it works, even if the bottle is a useless tiny piece of junk. “Fine then! But I’m taking it from Audrey, and you’re not getting it because of the holiday. I’m getting you chocolate because you’re a manipulative little rat bastard who is coercing me into acting as an accessory to your crimes.” 

Carlos grins. “Sure, keep telling yourself that, Malfeasance. Are you ready for the next bottle yet?” 

Mal plucks the glue bottle off her left hand and beans it down at his stupidly cute little curly head. “Yes. Step two, engage.” 

The industrial sized bottle of glitter was worryingly easy to procure. One little call to the craft supply warehouse, one school identification number from the back of their art textbooks, and a few little white lies later, five bottles of pastel pink glitter arrived in an unmarked package to Mal’s student locker. It’s really a security risk, how trusting the mailroom staff can be. She’s practically doing the school a favor. After this they’ll have to assess the contents of each and every package that all the students receive, and the mailroom staff will have more work to do. She’s creating jobs tonight, which is a good thing for the economy. Or something. Maybe if Economics wasn’t her final class of the day, and the classroom wasn’t so warm and comfortable for napping in, she would actually care. 

Whatever. Mal’s actions here tonight are an overall act of goodness that will increase the safety of the student population and therefore what she’s doing is a correct and proper thing and Fairy Godmother won’t be able to give her any crap about it later. 

Also, it’s going to be funny as hell to watch the glitter rain down the moment the fans turn on. 

“I think this one might be done!” Carlos calls up, coughing glitter out of his mouth. It’s possible that Mal could have been a little bit more careful with her placement. “If you wanna get down so I can move the ladder, I can take the bottle. Y’know, before you cover the floor too.” 

Mal flicks her final handful down over him, just for evil measure. 

“I think you’re done,” she calls back, shoving the cap back on the glitter bottle and dropping it down in the general direction of the floor. “With. Life.” 

“Ow,” Carlos calls back, voice completely flat. He catches the bottle that she’s dropped down to him though, which counts for a lot. “You’re not as cool as you think you are, dragon breath.” 

“I’m going to dump the leftovers of this in your shoes,” Mal says cheerfully, hopping down from the ladder now that the fan is fully coated, and there’s no longer glitter resting precariously below her feet. “You’re going to track it everywhere you go for months on end. The teachers are all going to know exactly where you’ve been each day and you’ll never be able to get it out of the treads.” 

“You would not.” 

“Would so!” Mal says brightly. “You’ve been getting too soft if you think I won’t.” 

Carlos rolls his eyes, but he’s already hefting the ladder up to move it to the next ceiling fan, so he can’t be too bothered.  “You won’t,” he says confidently. “Because we’re going to dump the leftovers through the slots on those lockers right by the second floor bathrooms.” 

Ooh, now there’s a thought Mal can get behind.

Next fan. Ladder down. Mal steps up. 

 “You’re thinking of the ones who won’t move their shit out of the hallway to let people by, right,” she asks, just to be sure. Details are essential, after all. “The same ones who clutch their little pink purses when we walk by? Not the ones by the stairs who won’t shut up about how we’re the downfall of proper society?” 

“Those’re the ones.” Carlos agrees. “The purse clutching feels worse somehow. Like, we’re not going to grab it out of their hands.” 

“Right.” 

“We’d totally steal their locker codes instead. Can’t fit a laptop in a purse, and I could use more scrap parts.” 

That’s it. 

“I’m rationing this so we can hit the ones on the third floor too,” Mal says, shaking the bottle of glitter with what she sincerely hopes is a menacing sort of look. She’s rusty. There’s not nearly enough chances for a proper wicked monologue at Auradon Prep. “You’re spared from the glittering for now, furball, but only because I’ve found a more deserving victim, not because you deserve better.” 

Carlos laughs. There’s glitter all over his face now, raining down from the handful that Mal threw into his hair, and he looks happier than… 

Happier than he’s been in a long time. 

Maybe there’s something to this whole valentine’s thing after all.

#my fic #descendants #descendants fic #mal bertha #carlos de vil #weirdly this came out as a gen fic??? I am as confused as everyone else about this #valentine fic

[devastator1775]

Diakko Valentine Story Preview

Well, I came up with this story while at work today, and I intended to write it and post it today, but ...I ran out of time, and there's no way I'll be able to finish it, lest I am willing to lose some sleep over it ...and I'm not. So ...have a preview, and I'll write the rest tomorrow.

Happy Valentine, everyone!

Valentine's Day Mishap (short preview)

...

She put her keys into the lock, and made as much noise as possible, making sure Akko would be ready to spring her surprise, before she opened the door.

“Akko, taidama!” Diana called out as she closed the door, using her favorite way to announce her homecoming.

It was then that she noticed two things. One, there were rose petals strewn across the entire floor, with a clear path leading up the stairs, and preferably towards their bedroom. The other thing – the thing that made her heart leap in fright – was a distinct burned smell in the air.

“Akko?” She called out.

No answer.

“Akko!” She called out again, this time a bit louder, fear gripping at her heart. She then noticed that the light in the kitchen was on. She quickly made her way toward the light – noticing a bag with fake rose petals haphazardly dropped along the way - and peered inside the room, immediately noticing that the rather foul smell was strongest here – or had been a while ago. Relief washed over her as she saw Akko sitting in one of the kitchen chairs, but quickly replaced with concern when she saw that Akko was hanging her head, and her expression was dulled. By the sight of the kitchen, it seemed that Akko had been busy cooking – and by the look and smell of it, something had gone wrong.

...

#Valentine fic #Diakko #I ran out of time #The rest comes later #Diana cavendish #Akko kagari #little witch academia #lwa #lwa diana #lwa akko #atsuko kagari #akko #diana #dianakko

[satashiiwrites]

Valentine’s Day Fic Preview

Well… Grammerly appears to be glitching for me tonight so no editing was done.  I’m hoping to start posting this sometime next week (ha!) and stay on task to get done by the middle of February.  

Someone tell my muse to quit adding subplots.  

Anyways, this is still draft 2.0 version of this. 

Title: Sleepless in LA

Fandom: 911

Pairing: Eventual endgame Buddie, mentioned Buck/Abby, Eddie/Shannon, Eddie/Ana, and Buck/Ali

Fic Summary:  

Navigating the aftermath of Shannon’s death, Eddie never thought he’d be a widower by age thirty-two and raising a kid on his own without any help. When Christopher calls in to one of those late night talk radio shows asking how to help his Dad, Eddie realizes that he needs to try and move on for Christopher’s sake so he reluctantly starts dating what everyone tells him is the perfect woman  for someone like him. 

It turns out Christopher and he have much different ideas of just who they need.

 Buck has had a terrible year.  His physical injuries from the truck bombing were bad enough but having Ali leave him seems like a sign from the universe that he’s always meant to be alone. Listening to the radio at night, he hears the most adorable kid ever talking about how his Dad is sad and needs a new partner—LA kids are pretty progressive and this Christopher kid isn’t particular if his Dad ends up with a woman or a man. It almost gives him hope but who would want to date a firefighter who can’t help anyone?

A chance encounter on a pier, a natural disaster, and a promise made to meet up at the Griffith Park Observatory on Valentine’s Day brings together two soulmates who in another life would have met very differently. 

tags: second-ish draft. Heavily inspired by Sleepless in Seattle, Alternative Universe (Eddie doesn’t join the 118) with alternative first meeting, Christopher Diaz is a National Treasure, grief, angst, set vaguely in season 3, misunderstanding/assumed death (not really dead), we’re not purposefully going to bash any other canon relationship, timeline what timeline?

I must be a mermaid.  I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living—Anais Nin

They buried Shannon on a Tuesday—she’d died the previous Thursday. Everything had moved at lightning speed since then, except when time slowed to a painful crawl designed to hold Eddie in this new hell he found himself in.  His parents had arrived Saturday, and his mother had a comment for everything, like a leaky faucet. 

Drip.  How could she leave him again?

Drip.  Well, she had abandoned them first, and this was just a pattern of bad behavior…

Drip.  It was terrible that all of Shannon’s family was dead and wouldn’t be at the funeral to mourn her. 

Drip. Drip. Drip. 

A continuous, poisonous litany that made him want to scream in rage at the world until it all just stopped hurting. 

Eddie had loved her—still did love her. Didn’t he?  She was the mother of his son—the best kid ever.  He would die without Christopher and she’d given him to Eddie. 

Never mind the divorce she’d asked for when he’d taken her out with plans on rekindling their relationship fully only a few days earlier. 

Never mind how hard he’d been trying. 

Still—Shannon had been his wife.  He’d loved her even though it was complicated.  She was Christopher’s mother.  No matter what had happened before she hadn’t been planning on leaving them both by dying. 

(Even if she had been leaving him again.  Divorce felt permanent…)

LA in March was sunny like always even if he felt like the storm cloud around his head was doing nothing but pour out the flood of tears he couldn’t seem to let fall down his cheeks.  

He had Christopher to think of and be strong for and protect. 

Eddie held onto Chris as they both tried to hold it together, ignoring the discomfort of new dress shoes and a too tight shirt collar underneath the too warm suit jacket he’d bought so they’d both match as his mother had insisted on.  They’d spent too much on them and he’d already mentally swore to never make Chris or himself wear them again. 

The priest finished the brief prayer and encouraged Eddie and Chris to step forward to make a last goodbye.   The thorns had been cut off the rose stem but it was still pricking his fingers as he was holding it too tight.  Chris buried his nose in the blood red flower petals, taking a deep sniff before kissing the rose and then throwing it to rest on the casket lid. Eddie followed suit, curling his arm around Chris who was clinging to his side like he was afraid Eddie would fall in and join Shannon in her grave. 

Stepping aside after a moment, he lifted Chris into his arms. Chris was getting a bit too big to do this but they both needed it right now.  The small nose that tucked into his neck to hide from the rest of their family let loose a few sniffles and the too-tight collar was getting wet but he ignored it and rocked side to side as the rest of his family and his entire shift of coworkers placed flowers into the grave then lined up to express their condolences for his loss.

A sad smile and nod of understanding from his captain—Ronnie Cooper. Lena grimaced as she stepped up and gave him a bone crushing hug while stroking her hand down Chris’ back with a soft, ‘if you need anything—anything at all you call me.’  Logan, Calley and Stover fumbled their way through variations of ‘Sorry for your loss’ with their girlfriends hanging awkwardly on their arms. Stover was twice divorced but thought he might try marriage again with his current girlfriend who looked a bit wide-eyed at being introduced to the rest of the station at a funeral.  Logan and Calley went through relationships like tissue paper but were good guys, their dates appropriately subdued to match the mood. 

Eventually, though, it was just him and his family lingering around the gravesite.  

“Eddie,” his mom called gently, her hand resting on his elbow as she urged him to start walking towards the car. “The funeral luncheon will be starting shortly.”

Funeral luncheon. Abuela was hosting it because he was too much of a disaster in the kitchen to even think of hosting it.  Never mind how disorganized he’d been about arranging everything else. 

Shannon hadn’t even been catholic but they’d had the funeral done that way because his mother had insisted and Eddie hadn’t had the energy to argue with her about it. A mass followed by a prayer before the burial and then a luncheon to follow where everyone would eat Abuela’s best recipes that could be made in large enough quantities fast. 

“Do we just leave Mom here?” Chris’ voice cracked and warbled, his hands tightening into tiny fists in Eddie’s shirt.  

“Oh Mijo,” Eddie said, trying to tuck Chris’ head back into his neck but Chris was fighting him and wanted to be let down. 

“We can’t just leave her here!”     

“She’s not here,” Eddie tried to soothe his distraught son.  “Your Mom’s gone to heaven.”

“How do you know?” Chris asked, eyes glassy with distress. 

“Because your Mom loved us,” Eddie said.  “And when you love that much, sometimes heaven needs you.”

“But we need her!”

“I know Mijo.  Mom’s watching over both of us now—all the time.  From heaven.”

In response, Chris just thumped him in the chest with his small fists as he cried into Eddie’s neck. The absolute sobs of despair wracked his thin frame, fighting his grief physically as well as emotionally. 

It was heart breaking and all Eddie could do was hold him. 

“I’m here, Mijo” he whispered, over and over again as his heart broke one more time.  “I’m here.”

#Buddie #buddie fic #fic preview #second-ish draft #sleepless in LA #evan buckley #eddie diaz #valentine fic #holiday fic #angst #alternative first meetings #alternative universe #grief #mention of other canon relationships #vaguely set in season 3 #timeline what timeline

[amemipiacitu]

Y'all, here's a Destiel AU that I've written for the Valentine's exchange in the Fanfic lounge discord server ☺️ it's 2.5k one shot, rated T and it's a gift for @verobatto

Happy Destiel anniversary, friend's day, Valentine's day to all of you 🙏💙

#castiel #dean winchester #destiel #destiel fic #Destiel au #modern setting #valentine fic

[acronymking4tdp]

The Other Types of Love - A Valentine’s Re-post

This fic, by Fixationally_Consumed, is one of my favorite Valentine’s Rayllum fics, and since I have not managed to actually write any of my own ideas for the occasion I asked Fix if I could re-post this instead. Blessings bestowed, here it is: The Other Types of Love, by Fixationally_Consumed. Summary:  The southern U.S. cannot handle snow. Period.Which is unfortunate for Callum, who is stuck there in an airport on Valentine's Eve (day before V-Day). The atmosphere is... unfriendly. Until he meets a young Scottish woman who has a knack for brightening everyone's evening. While he's worried at first that she has unsavory intentions, Callum will learn that he's made the best deal of the night.

#rayllum one shot #valentine fic #happy valentine's day #callum/rayla #callum x rayla #stuck travelers #re-posting #fixationally_consumed

[bluegiragi]

patience and indulgence.

early access + nsfw on patreon

--

(hey i drew this comic in collaboration with the very talented author prettyunhinged, who wrote an amazing fic to go along with it!!! please leave a comment and kudos if u read it, it's so perfect >.< but also do look at the tags first lmao )

#i drew this comic based purely on vibes and asked nira for help on dialogue #and then she went and wrote an entire fic like im literally the luckiest person in the world <3 #ghost spends this comic sticking his tongue down soap's throat #and also. other areas #but yes erm this is genuinely the only page i can post onto tumblr without getting sniped #happy early valentines day!! #simon ghost riley #john soap mactavish #cod mw2 #ghostsoap #giragi art

[matchingbatbites]

Happy Valentine's, all. <3

Eddie doesn't want to be making this call. Literally the last thing he wants to be doing is making this specific phone call, but he'll be damned if he lets his asshole of a roommate get away with this.

After a moment the ringing stops, and a voice says "Hello?"

"Uh, hi, is this Steve?"

"It is, who is this?"

"It's Eddie, Jake's roommate? I got your number from him." Well, from his phone when he'd left it unattended one day, but Steve doesn't need to know the details. "I really, really hate to be making this call, especially the day before Valentine's, but uh. Jake is cheating on you."

The line is silent for a moment before he hears a weak "What?"

Eddie's eyes squeeze shut at the heartbreak he can hear in that single word. He hates that he's doing this, but knows it needs to be done, for Steve's sake.

"I got home from work not too long ago, and heard him with some girl in his room. I took a video, if you want proof, but I just- I thought you deserved to know."

There's a bit of shuffling on Steve's end, along with a soft sniffle. "I, uh. I don't need the video. I believe you. I'm not all that surprised, if I'm honest."

He huffs a laugh, the sound so self-deprecating that it makes Eddie's stomach twist in empathy. "Guess that makes me three-for-three on my long-term partners cheating. I'm starting to wonder what the fuck is wrong with me."

That last part is softer, like Steve was speaking to himself, but Eddie hears it and frowns, because- because Steve is lovely. He can tell that Steve is beautiful inside and out, always kind with just enough sass to make him so fun to be around.

He's always makes sure to talk to Eddie every time he comes over, even if it's just a simple greeting or goodbye, and whenever he cooks at their apartment - because he's a great cook - he always makes enough for Eddie to have some as well.

It feels wrong to hear Steve talk like this, like there's something about him that needs to be fixed. Like his previous partners were right to abuse his love and trust, instead of treating them like the treasures Eddie knows they are.

Before Eddie can speak out to reassure him, the man continues. "Thank you for telling me Eddie. Spending Valentine's alone is gonna suck, but I guess that's better than spending it with someone who doesn't care about me."

"Spend it with me."

Eddie isn't sure where the request comes from, but as soon as it leaves his mouth, it's all he wants.

Steve gives a soft "Huh?" and Eddie repeats it, "Spend it with me. A boy as pretty as you shouldn't be cooped up inside on a day like Valentine's. Let me take you out, try to salvage it for you at least a little."

Steve goes quiet, and for a solid ten seconds, Eddie is sure that he's about to be rejected.

And then Steve says "Jake was supposed to pick me up at 6:30 tomorrow. I'll come by yours at six instead, so I can break up with him before we leave. Is that okay?"

A sigh of relief, and Eddie slumps into the wall behind him. "Sounds perfect, Stevie. Wear something nice, but casual, okay?"

"I can do that. I'll see you tomorrow, Eddie. And thanks again."

Jake comes across Eddie the next evening as he's packing the last of the food into a bag. He's spent the last hour or so getting it ready, making sure it's all perfect even though it's nothing too complicated.

A meat and cheese plate with some fancy crackers, a jar of the pickled asparagus he's recently become addicted to, a bowl of diced fruit and a box of fancy chocolates he'd splurged on.

He'd even dropped money on a bouquet of roses, and he already has a few comfy blankets and pillows packed into the back of the van. Everything perfect and ready to go. When Jake sees his preparations, he lets out a low whistle.

"Wow, Eddie. Trying to impress someone?"

Eddie shrugs, trying to be as nonchalant as possible. "Yep. It's our first date, so I want it to be special. Didn't wanna go the usual, boring, fancy restaurant route."

He's sure that's what Jake had planned for himself and Steve, and it's confirmed by the way his nose wrinkles. "There's nothing wrong with spending money on your date, Eddie. If you have the money to spend, that is."

Jesus Christ, Eddie can't wait to move out of this fucking place, and away from this fucking asswipe.

"Anyway, I've gotta go pick up Steve soon, and I'm planning on bringing him back here tonight, so maybe see if you can crash with your date, yeah?"

"Sure thing-" Eddie replies, though he's interrupted by the sound of a knock ringing through the apartment. He grins wide, knowing exactly who it is. "That must be my date. Can you grab that while I finish up here?"

Jake rolls his eyes but complies, and Eddie freezes in place, not daring to make a sound so he can hear whatever interaction is about to happen.

The door opens, and he hears Jake's confused "Steve? What are you doing here? I'm supposed to be-"

"Yeah, we're not doing anything anymore. Ever again, actually."

God, Steve sounds so bitchy, and Eddie fucking loves it. He grabs the bag of food and the bouquet of roses from the counter, glad that he got dressed beforehand, and makes his way to the entry.

"What are you saying, Steve?"

"I'm saying that we're over, Jake. Maybe you can call the girl you fucked last night and take her to dinner instead."

Eddie turns the corner in time to see Jake's stunned expression, clearly not expecting Steve to throw that at him. He takes a moment to bask in the fire burning behind hazel eyes, until they slide to him and that fire vanishes, replaced with something sparkling and delighted.

"Hi, Eddie," Steve says, his demeanor changing like the flip of a switch, and Eddie beams. He steps closer and offers the bouquet of roses, along with a "Happy Valentine's, Stevie."

The money Eddie spent on the flowers was worth it to see the blush that floods Steve's face as he reaches out to take them.

"Oh, thank you. That's really sweet of you."

"What the fuck is happening right now?"

Eddie and Steve both turn to look at a very petulant and confused Jake, and Steve just smiles. "Well, you just got dumped, and my Valentine is about to take me on a date."

It takes a moment, but something must finally click, because Jake's face goes red with rage. Eddie just grabs Steve's arm, guiding him out of the apartment before the man can actually do something.

"So what's the plan?" Steve asks as he takes Eddie's hand, lacing their fingers together as Eddie leads him to his van.

"Well, uh. The next town over still has a drive in theater, and they're showing some old romance movies tonight. The drive to get there is pretty nice, and we'll actually have some time to talk, and then- I have some blankets and pillows in the back of the van, and I brought food so we can do a picnic during the movies. I mean, if- if that sounds good to you."

Steve's eyes are sparkling again as Eddie rambles, and he squeezes their hands in delight. "That sounds perfect, Eds."

By the time Eddie gets home late that night, he's learned two things:

The first is that Steve had already been debating on breaking up with Jake before this whole fiasco, but the thing stopping him was that he actually likes being around Eddie, and he thought wanting to hang out with his ex-boyfriend's roommate would be too weird.

The second thing Eddie's learned is that Steve's smile tastes like dark chocolate and sunshine, and kissing him might just be Eddie's new favorite hobby.

(Eddie does eventually show the video to Steve, just to reassure him that he didn't break them up so Eddie could date him instead. The only comment Steve makes is "She's definitely faking, his dick game isn't that good.")

#i didn't plan on writing over 1k for valentine's #but here we are #steddie #steddie fluff #steddie fic #steve x eddie #steddie au #steve harrington #eddie munson #joey writes

[saradika-graphics]

— valentine’s day 💌💕

[Free] Masterlist Headers & Dividers!

Please consider liking or reblogging if you use 💕

#I was going to share these on the 1st but I’m impatient!! 💌💖 #valentines day #Valentine’s day #hearts #dividers #fic dividers #tumblr dividers #post dividers #aesthetic dividers #type: dividers #theme: hearts #theme: holiday #color: pink #color: red

[moontrader-arts]

Andrew prepare for St. Valentine dinner (of course he hates his boyfriend)

Talk with me about your headcanons for andreil’s interior design

#all for the game #andreil #andrew minyard #kevin day #neil josten #digital art #exy is sexy #fic rec #fun art #art #st valentine #aftg #aftg neil #palmetto state foxes #valentines day #artists on tumblr #my art #king fluffkins #sir fat cat mccatterson

[frosty-coffee]

#wyllstarion #bg3 #wyll ravengard #astarion #baldur’s gate 3 #my pieces for asidian for the wyllstarion valentine event on disord #definitely go check out asidian's fics on ao3 #they're fantastic #these were a lot of fun to make #gonna post the images separately too #my art #baldurs gate fanart

[coffeecatcraze]

The fact that Vaggie knew it was a HORRIBLE idea for her to go to Heaven because there were so many things that could go wrong and so many bad memories there, but her girlfriend needed her and she couldn't say no to her cute face; the fact that the headstrong, optimistic, determined, powerful Princess of Hell knew she couldn't handle taking this huge step alone and the only one person she could imagine being by her side in that critical moment was Vaggie.

The fact that even when she felt so hurt, heartbroken, and betrayed and tried for a second to deny it, Charlie never stopped loving Vaggie, still referred to her as her girlfriend, and had full faith that she was completely succeeding in her task (getting detailed sensitive information from a weapons-dealing Overlord) while Charlie herself was struggling and failing with her own.

The fact that even with Charlie so upset that she intentionally threw a painful commentbat her (a comment with a subtle double meaning, though Charlie herself was definitely NOT thinking clearly enough to realize that implication and only meant to make a jab at the secret-keeping), Vaggie still wanted so desperately to protect Charlie out of love that she regrew angelic wings despite having been in Hell for years.

The fact that one gesture from Charlie told Vaggie everything she wanted to say to her, and that mutual understanding was so complete that she didn't hesitate to run to her knowing she would be accepted because her girlfriend still loved her and forgave her.

The support, love, and intimate understanding these two share even when things are hard and painful is so beautiful. They've been together for years; they've been through so much; and it's wonderful to have that respected and portrayed canonically instead of dipping into that easy, fan-craved trope of dramatically heavy relationship angst. I'm glad they left that angst itch to be scratched by fanworks instead, because these ladies aren't that type.

They are powerful; they are determined; they balance and complete each other; and most importantly, they are so head-over-heels and experienced in their love for each other that it took one day for Charlie to deeply consider everything and fully reconcile with Vaggie, who never doubted her even for a second. Their relationship isn't just established; it's stable, and I love to see that for a wlw couple. <3

#hazbin hotel #chaggie #vaggie #charlie morningstar #i usually caption my gifs but i am Tired and wanted to post chaggie appreciation on valentine's day #so have this before i fall asleep! <3 #not all queer couples need long dramatic relationship angst arcs! #we need more queer ships like this <3 #and don't get me wrong i love a good angst fic! #there are some really good post-s1e6 canon divergent ones on ao3!!! #but honestly this is their canon dynamic and i love that the show stayed true <3