Ah yes, Valentine's Day, the day of love and all that bullshit.

"Where the fuck is the ganache?!" Everyone in the kitchen feared for their lives and they began to scurry about, searching for the missing ganache for the past thirty minutes. [Gordon Ramsey]

You see, nearing Valentine's day might be a day where you can make big cash, but it is also one of the most frustrating days for your RS. So many goddam orders, calls here, calls there, orders here, orders there,  it was truly a stressful day.

And to add to that...

"What do you want?" You growled, turning to face Terunori who was trying to close the doors to the kitchen and sneak away. 

"N-nothing..." He chuckled nervously, frozen in place as he shuddered under your sharp glare. He gulped, feeling a snake coiling around his neck. "I-I just wanted to stop by! But it looks like you're busy!! I'll get-get going now. BYE!" 

With that, he shut the door close, leaving you confused while the others kept on searching for the goddam ganache. 

"I found it!" 

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"The empress is... really stressed huh..." One of the first years said to Yase with a worried sigh, seeing you tempering the chocolate, and right at the day before Valentine's too. 

"I heard from the senpais that Valentines and White day are one of the most stressful days..." Yase explained, a frown on her face. "I heard that last year was much more stressful, especially with all the school changes and that." 

"Poor girl..." They sighed. But their worries soon increased when they heard the clatter of the scrape. "Are you okay?!" 

"I'm fine..." You groaned, picking up the now dirty scrape and tossing it on the sink. "What are you all doing just standing there? We have a lot of chocolates to make today, tomorrow's Valentine's Day, move or we won't be able to do jack shit today." 

"...yes..." 

They worried about your health. You were quite the workaholic, and they know that pretty well with the Halloween and Christmas parties. You've been so overworked that you looked like you could faint at any second now. 

They knew a bit of why you were doing that.

One was to probably make up for the troubles you caused during the Azami administration.

And two... was to distract yourself. February 14, after all, was your dear mother's birthday.

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"Oh, Terunori?" Yvon asked in confusion as he saw the familiar boy enter his shop with quite a worried look. Yvon turned to his co-workers, asking to be alone with the boy for a bit. "What's wrong? I'm about to close up shop, if you wanted something, you could've just texted me." 

"No... it's just..." Terunori scratched the back of his head, thinking of ways to phrase his words to this very protective uncle. But it seems like things were a bit tamer after that happened. "I'm worried that (Y/N)'s overworking herself. I know that events like these are a real pain in the ass, especially for her, but I think she's going a bit too far." [That?? What that? K1, what is that?]

"Ah... so (Y/N) didn't tell you?" He asked, placing on his jacket and leaving the store, leaving the rest of the closing to his workers. He made his way to the car, Terunori following after him. "Tomorrow isn't just Valentine's Day for (Y/N), rather, for us." 

"Why?" Yvon opened the door to his car, letting the boy enter as he went to sit by the driver's seat. 

"It's my sister's birthday tomorrow." There was silence in the car, Terunori now realizing why you had been so down these past few days, not even reacting to his teasings. Nor were you cornering him in a teasing mess. "And... well... next week is my brother-in-law's death anniversary." 

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"Good morning, ma cheri!" The cheerful voice blasted on your ear, first thing in the morning. 

You blinked, trying to process that shiny smile above your face. You closed your eyes, deeming this nothing more than a dream or a hallucination. 

"Dammit (Y/N)!! I woke up super early just to greet you today!!" 

"AHH!! What the hell are you doing here?!" You exclaimed, standing up fast, nearly bonking your boyfriend on the head. You turned to look at your clock, 6:00 am, just on time as your alarm started ringing. "It's so early! Why are you here? How did you get in?!" 

"Te-hee! Got a surprise for you!" He chuckled, holding up his fingers and showing you a pair of keys. Yvon's keys, to be exact. "Your uncle let me borrow his keys for today! For this very special day!" 

"Ugh... that goddam old man..." You groaned, dropping back on the bed with one hand covering your eyes. "also, just a reminder, I don't like celebrating Valentine's day. So I didn't get you any of those special chocolates." 

"...Oh who the hell cares about those!" He smiled, hovering above you, getting rid of the arm on your face, pinning it beside your head. "I just wanted to treat you today! Just think of it as a rest day!" 

"But we have school!" 

"Bah! Who cares about classes when you already basically own half of the school!" He pouted, giving you a small glare that couldn't even be called a glare. he looked so squishable. "I already contacted Yase-chin and made her in charge for today! So you can rest!" 

".....why...?" You raised a brow, still processing as to what this gremlin was planning. He's done this quite a few times, pulling you away from classes and taking you somewhere, all to taste test some living hell on a plate. But sometimes he does bring you to his travels. Sometimes. Very, very, sometimes. 

"Just trust me on this." There was a shift on his face. From that cheeky grin to a genuine, pure, and loving smile. What a rare face for him to show. He moved over, sitting at the edge of the bed, his arms still beside your head. "So get ready, I'll be taking you on a date today." 

He leaned down, placing a small kiss on your head before standing up, waving goodbye, and closing the door behind him, something your uncle needs to learn to do. It's very frustrating when people don't close the door behind them.

"...." You stood up, holding a hand on your head, a small blush on your face. "What was that for..." 

God this boy just makes your heart beat so fast. And it's so frustrating, yet it somehow felt so nice. 

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"Good morning! you look  great!" Terunori smiled, gesturing to the surprisingly well-made breakfast on the table. A bunch of fluffy pancakes decorated to the brim with fruits. Freshly brewed tea with a nice aroma, it seems to be a personal blend by him. "Come on! sit down!" 

"...thanks..." You muttered, sitting down on the chair, examining the food. From the amount of food and decoration there was on the table, either Yvon helped him or he was here waaaay earlier before you woke up because you didn't take long to take a bath. "Did you... prepare all of this?" 

"Of course! Now come on! We have a lot planned for today!" He ran back to the living room, soon coming back with a small rose, handing it to you. "There you go, hold onto it, okay?" 

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Just as the boy promised, he took you around on a date, all in different places. First was the aquarium filled with couples, but you didn't mind, since Terunori explained to you a lot about the fishes in there, most of them ratings of how good they'll taste on a dish.

Sometimes you wonder if you somehow have a psychopath for a boyfriend because when he saw those creatures swimming peacefully, the look in his eyes was that of a killer.

And once you were out, you were given another rose. 

The second location was an arcade that was surprisingly devoid of anyone. It was just the two of you, enjoying the games, eventually taking your mind off school work. It was a really fun time, with you beating him in most games except that goddam shooting game. You were so close to throwing the gun at the screen just to kill that zombie. [He rented the whole arcade, didn't he?] (Yes uwu)

And then another rose. 

The third location was a movie. Welp, not really memorable cause you two fell asleep in the middle. That romance drama was not made for you two. 

Another rose, give to you by a half-asleep Terunori who nearly fell down the stairs. Thank Liquin who was fast enough to catch him. 

Lunch was spent mostly running around the market and eating street food, to which your grandfather would probably have a heart attack if heard that. He never liked it when you ate street food. 

Then, when you finished eating at a ramen restaurant, you were given another rose. 

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"Time for the best part!!" Terunori grinned as the car made its way to the school. "I prepared everything just as planned! So, what did you think of our date?" 

"Not gonna lie, you're getting better with planning." You complimented, remembering the Halloween incident and how he managed to get everything in time for the party. "Studying, are we?" 

"Indeed we are." He answered with a smug face, crossing his arms. He really was proud of planning this. He did plan this just last night. "Also, I heard why you don't celebrate Valentine's Day. So... sorry for being a dick last year and bothered you a lot." 

You sighed, rubbing your temples, already figuring out who told him this. "My uncle told you, didn't he?" He nodded. "You don't have to apologize, not like you knew last year either way. Plus, I'm busy this time of the year that my mind gets distracted from that. So I don't really care." 

"And as for next week..." 

"..." Your eyes flinch for a second, remembering what was to come for the (L/N) family next week. You could not escape this year, you didn't have an excuse to. "...I'll just be busy again... s-so I won't be going to visit him... my family will just... go without me..." 

"I'll come with you next week." He said, holding your hand, intertwining his fingers with yours. "I gotta present my ass for your dad, right? It's the polite thing to do, right?" 

Somehow, his words made you explode red. What was this boy saying? Not like you were getting married or some shit right? You were still only in third year, there was no need for him to make you imagine such a future. But somehow... you didn't mind that image on your head. 

Just you and him. 

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"Happy Valentine's Day!!" You jumped slightly, surprised at the sudden scare your RS members had given you the moment you and Terunori entered the building. 

"Jesus- do you want to kill me early?!" You exclaimed, holding onto your pounding heart, Terunori chuckling nervously as he patted your back. "W-what are you guys even doing? Are you done with work?" 

"Yep!! All done!" Yase reported, giving you a salute and a big grin as she held a small box. She ran up to you, handing you the box. "Happy Valentine's Day!" 

"Ah- thanks but-" You were not able to finish your sentence when suddenly they all lined up, holding a small present and then handing you every single one of them. It was basically impossible to carry them all when they finished. "what's... with this?" 

"A present!" Yase explained, a proud smile on her smile. "You've been working super hard lately! We were worried about your health, so last night, when Kuga-san asked us about you, we told him about your state, and we planned on making you take a break today!" 

"....You guys..." You took a deep breath before doing something unexpected to them. Their eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when they saw your smile and the small gloss on your eyes. "T-thank you..." 

"....WAA-"

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"Glad to be out of that mess..." You sigh in relief, finally in the comfort of your office.

"You can't blame them," Terunori said, sitting down on your desk, giving you a small smile. "To them, you looked so depressed that seeing you smile today must've felt like an accomplishment." 

"Well, I guess it really is an accomplishment..." You admitted with a frown. Terunori shut his mouth, ready to listen. "every year... I guess you could say I always sulk around this time... Both because of my mother's birthday and... my father's death.... but this year... I like February this year, thank you, Teru." 

"I swear you're too precious for this world," Terunori muttered, leaning down and taking you on a hug, burying his head on your shoulders. "If you feel exploding, tell me, I'll take you out again to get rid of your stress, just don't keep it by yourself again. Don't forget, there are people around you now." 

"Yeah. I know." 

With one last squeeze, he let go, taking his bag and taking out a box. A box wrapped in (F/C) ribbons. "I got a gift for you." 

"Oh, thanks.." You took the box from him, giddy and excited for what he got you. Because during the Christmas exchange, you had the best gift to give. You carefully undid the ribbons and opened the box. "W-wow... it's... shiny..." 

Your eyes were instantly caught at the halo-like glow of the rose with a golden stem. Terunori chuckled seeing your expression, you really were attracted to shiny things. He took the roses you received throughout the day and joined them with the fake rose. 

"(Y/N), I have a very important statement to say," he said. YOu could feel how his hands were trembling when he held yours, almost as if he was about to cry or maybe run away in a blushing mess. "I, Kuga Terunori, will annoy you, piss you off, make you feel flustered, make you feel angry, and make you fall for me over and over again until the very last rose dies." 

"...but that would take-" You paused, taking in a small breath as you realize why Terunori had chosen those words and these present. "You romantic little shit." 

"you got that right!" He chuckled, giving you a closed eye smile. 

"Then, please do annoy me till the end of times." 

"Oh, I will!! So you better get ready for it!" 

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You were quite lovestruck as you stared at the roses on your desk, Yvon peeking from your door with a worried expression. You've been like this since he came back and he was fearing for his life. He decided against calling you for dinner and closed the door, not wanting to risk his life and left you alone.

But at your love-struck state, you noticed something you've never seen on your desk. A small present with (E/C) ribbons. 

"Who put this here?" You asked, picking it up and examining for the name of the sender. But there was nothing, completely anonymous. Well, it's on your desk so it's yours now. 

Without much care, you began to open the present. 

And when you did, you finally realized who the sender was. 

It honestly made you laugh just how much that woman didn't change. All these years, all she knows to give as a present were always materialistic, but this time... it seems that a little bit of thought was placed on her gift.

"...It's... really out of your style, mother.." You picked up the necklace with a bunny pendant, but the bunny's ears were colored reddish brown on one side, and the other, (E/C). Just seeing this made you feel hope... that you're getting the mother that truly loved you. "Happy birthday, mother." 

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"...Thank you, (Y/N)." (M/N) smiled softly, holding the picture close to her chest. 

The morning sky of France was probably different in Japan, considering it is night there. But (M/N) could feel her daugther's feelings all the way there with just this present. A small picture from the past that she herself didn't know existed. 

A picture where the three of them were truly smiling, where there was no manipulation, no angered cries, no shouting. But a true family. [OHHHI FICKING KNEW IT]

||A.N||

I have so many goddam projects due at the end of the month. Someone kill me. AND MOST OF THEM ARE FROM THE SAME FUCKING TEACHER WTF????

Also, one of my teachers just made us take a test after one(1) class.

Eneweys. Happy Valentine's Day y'all, I ain't got one, Xiao and Ningguang didn't come knocking on my door so I'm about to commit breathn.

ALSO. The extras has a new update and it's about mommy. [Why must you hurt me this way?]