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Chris had never seen this much red in her life.
No matter where she looked, red was waiting for her. It was the stripes in the white wallpaper. It was the garlands hanging from the ceiling. It was the balloons lazily rolling across the floor. It was the hastily cut paper hearts dotting every doorframe. It was the tablecloths upon every table. It was the blanket on the couch she was sitting on It was the plastic cups everyone was drinking from. Red was around her, above her, below her. Hell, it was even inside her; she’d long since lost count of how many red-frosted cookies she’d eaten over the course of the evening.
Her stomach growled unpleasantly at the memory. She winced and rubbed it. Apparently, she was turning into a bit of a stress eater. Not a good sign. Only that idiot Hibiki could eat this much without consequences.
“FATALITY!”
Kirika’s triumphant cry pulled Chris out of her thoughts. The tomboy was punching the air with her Gamecube controller. On the TV screen, thick letters- red yet again, Chris noted with displeasure- spelled out “Player 2 Wins.”
“How’s that!” Kirika puffed out her chest at Shirabe, who was sitting next to her. “I beat you!”
“Thirteen to one,” Shirabe mumbled. She almost seemed relieved at the fact that she’d finally lost.
“Hey, a win’s a win!” Kirika turned back to the TV. “Come on, let’s play again! I can finally start catching up to you!”
“Why not quit while you’re ahead?” Chris snarked. “Save yourself the humiliation.”
“No way!” Kirika said, turning to face her. “I’ve almost got the razor-bomb combo down! If I can just perfect it-“
“Kirika!” Maria’s voice came from the kitchen. “I think your cake’s starting to burn!”
“DEEEEEEESS!” Kirika leapt to her feet. “I forgot to set a timer!”
She took in a sprint, almost colliding with Tsubasa as she came around the corner. “Sorry!” she squealed as she vanished into the kitchen.
Tsubasa watched her go with amusement. “I take it her first excursion into baking is going well?”
Shirabe stood up and turned the TV off. “I’ll help her. Otherwise she’ll be in trouble.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Tsubasa noticed Chris sitting on the couch. “Yukine! Perfect timing. Can I enlist your help in the bedroom?”
“Wha-“ And now Chris’ cheeks were just as red as the room. “Watch your phrasing, you dummy!”
“Tsubasa?” Maria called. “Please don’t cheat on me with your kouhai!”
“Sorry!” Tsubasa stifled a giggle. “I just meant help cleaning up. We wrapped our presents in there and ran out of time to clean up.”
“O-oh.” Chris felt herself blushing harder. “Of course, yeah.”
Shaking herself off, she stood up and followed Tsubasa, casting one last glance at the eerily red room behind her.
* * *
The bedroom, mercifully, was still normal, spared the vibrant decorations of the rest of the house. Miku was on her knees, diligently collecting scattered shreds of wrapping paper and bunching them up into compact balls. As Tsubasa and Chris re-entered, she looked up and waved. “Hi, Chris!”
“Yo.” Chris knelt beside her and started picking up scraps with her. “Any idea when that idiot’s gonna be back?”
“She shouldn’t be too much longer.” Miku tossed a ball of scraps into the trash can. “Unless I was wrong about where I left it…”
“It?”
“Oh- don’t worry about it!” Miku waved her off a little frantically. “I’m sure she’ll be back soon.”
“Hm.” Chris pursed her lips, but decided not to pursue the subject. “Well, next time make sure you’ve got all the gifts on hand before walking out the door. You know she’ll never get over it if she misses dessert.”
Miku laughed. “You got that right.”
“Not to worry.” Tsubasa shook the bedsheets out, raining yet more scraps down. “Maria will make sure Kirika’s baking experiment turns out well for her.”
“We can only hope,” Chris snorted.
“Don’t be mean!” Miku scolded. “I’m sure it’ll be lovely.”
A muffled crash came from the kitchen just then. “Deeeeess!” someone shouted.
Chris glanced at Miku with a bemused expression. “You were saying?”
“Ummmmm…” Miku leaned down and crawled under the bed. “Oh my gosh, there’s wrapping paper under here too! Let me just, uh, deal with that!”
Chris rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the wrapping paper. Probably best not to tease Miku too much: Hibiki would never let her hear the end of it.
As their work continued, Chris noticed that the wrapping paper scraps were also red. A curious knot tugged in her stomach. “Isn’t this too much?” she muttered under her breath?
“Huh?”
Shit. She didn’t mean for Tsubasa to hear that. “I-it’s nothing,” she muttered. “Just, like, there’s a lot of red in this house.”
“A lot of red?”
“You know, the decorations? The wrapping paper? Like, even for a Valentine’s Day party, it’s- you know what, never mind, it doesn’t matter.”
She was aware of Miku and Tsubasa staring curiously at her. Trying to ignore them, she lobbed a ball of scraps at the trash can. It bounced off the side and came undone as it fell to the floor, collapsing into a pile of loose wrapping paper again.
Double shit.
“Sorry,” she mumbled.
“It’s okay.” Miku knelt down and transferred the scrap pile into the trash can. “It’s just trash.”
Not just the trash, dummy.
“I’m surprised, Yukine,” Tsubasa remarked. “I thought you were quite fond of red.”
“I am! Just, you know, maybe not this much.”
“Hm.” Tsubasa stretched. “Well, your interior decorating tips are taken into account.”
“Oh, shut up.” Chris tossed another ball of scraps at the trash can. This one, thankfully, went in clean. Thank god.
Tsubasa was right, of course. It didn’t make sense for her, of all people, to feel ill at ease around the color red. But then again, maybe that was the reason why. Red was supposed to be her color. It was supposed to belong to her. And yet here it was all around her, representing something she barely even understood.
Valentine’s Day. A day for romance and soulmates, for blushing and confessions, for mushy-gushy idiots to profess how much they love each other. Even back when her life was normal, Chris didn’t understand it. It all just seemed so… distant. Like it was a big secret that everyone else was in on except her.
She stopped working. Right now, Kirika and Shirabe were going on who knows how many years of steady dating. Maria and Tsubasa had moved in together almost a year ago. Hibiki and Miku were on the verge of proposing to each other at any given moment. Every single person in this house had someone to be with this Valentine’s Day.
Everyone except me.
“Chris?” Miku’s voice broke through her thoughts. “Are you okay?”
“Am I… out of place here?”
The words came out before she could stop them. Tsubasa and Miku looked at her with concern. “What do you mean?” Tsubasa asked.
“I mean.” Chris rubbed the back of her neck. “This is, like, a couple’s holiday, right? It’s for all you idiots who do the whole dating thing. And, like… that’s not me, you know?”
“Oh, Chris…” The softness in Miku’s voice was somehow painful to hear.
“I-It’s not like it’s a big deal!” Chris stammered out. “It’s just, like, you’ve all got a reason to celebrate today. I don’t. But I’m here anyway.” She ran her hands through her air. “Aagh, forget it! I don’t even know what I’m saying!”
She turned her gaze away from Miku and Tsubasa. She didn’t want to see how they were looking at her. Was it pity? Confusion? Sympathy? Were they weirded out? Did they even still want her here? Maybe I should just go home.
At that moment, the door to the bedroom burst open. “Mikuuuuuuu!”
In spite of herself, a smirk crept across Chris’ face. About damn time, dummy.
“Hibiki!” Miku was on her feet and by her side in an instant. “You’re finally back!”
“Sorry, sorry!” Hibiki grinned bashfully as she brushed snow off her coat. “I know you said it was in the garage, but for some reason, I heard “garbage” instead!”
“You-“ Miku’s jaw dropped. “Don’t tell me.”
“D-don’t worry! I made sure to clean it all up when I was done rooting through it!”
Miku let out a giddy sound somewhere between a groan and a cackle. “Oh, Hibiki,” she giggled, burying her face in her girlfriend’s shoulder. “What am I going to do with you?”
Hibiki kissed the top of her head. “I’m really sorry.”
Miku said nothing, but snuggled deeper into Hibiki’s coat. Tsubasa cast a mischievous grin at Chris. Her eyes seemed to say, Let me guess, “get a room, you two,” right?
Chris rolled her eyes. It’s their dumb holiday. I’ll let them have it this time.
“So!” Miku turned back to Chris and Tsubasa. “Are we all ready, then?”
“Ready?” Chris furrowed her brow. “For what?”
“For presents, of course!”
* * *
It took some coordination, but soon enough, everyone was gathered in the living room. Kirika was gushing to Tsubasa about how lovely her cake turned out, while Shirabe confided in Miku how close they came to burning the kitchen down. Hibiki apologized profusely to Maria for taking so long, but Maria waved it off with an airy smirk. Watching them, Chris was struck by how well they all got along. Seven incredibly different people, all coming together on a chilly February night to celebrate the bonds that bound them together. A curious feeling began to well up inside her.
There was no time to dwell on that feeling, though; presents awaited. After the initial round of gift-giving- Tsubasa and Maria got so into Valentine’s Day gifts it was almost like a second Christmas- it was time for the couples to give gifts to each other. First, Kirika gave Shirabe a new pair of pink glasses frames, and Shirabe gave Kirika a selection of gourmet onigiri. The exchange appeared a little mismatched to Chris, but Kirika didn’t seem to mind at all. “Shirabe, you’re the best girlfriend ever!” she crowed, hugging the quiet girl tight.
“Kiri-chan…” Shirabe blushed a deep crimson. Had they been the only ones in the room, Chris suspected Shirabe would have tackled Kirika right there and had her way with her until morning.
Next came Maria and Tsubasa. Maria gave Tsubasa a beautiful silver necklace emblazoned with a phoenix, and Tsubasa gave Maria a pair of earrings patterned like dragons. “We seem to be of one mind,” Maria teased.
Tsubasa smiled and kissed Maria’s hand. “Happy to be of service.”
Next was Hibiki and Miku. In the end, both of them gave each other chocolates, but while Miku’s chocolates were all home-made, Hibiki had bought hers from a specialty store. This realization made her unexpectedly glum. “Miku worked so hard for me and I took the easy way out,” she complained.
“That’s not true!” Miku clasped her hands. “Even if you didn’t make them yourself, these chocolates are full of your love!”
“Miku…” Hibiki’s eyes swam with emotion.
“Thank you, Hibiki.” Miku pressed their foreheads together. “I’ll treasure this Valentine’s Day forever.”
“Mikuuuuuu!” And Hibiki actually did tackle Miku, hugging her tightly on the couch. “You really are my sunshine!”
“H-Hibiki!” Miku flailed in embarrassment. “You’ll crush me!”
Everyone burst out laughing. Chris leaned back in her chair and stared at the red streamers on the ceiling. They really were a nauseatingly perfect couple. Someday when they had kids, Chris would make sure to embarrass them with stories of how lovey-dovey their parents could be.
“A-anyway!” Miku finally managed to push Hibiki off her. “Don’t we have one more present to give?”
“Oh, that’s right!” Hibiki quickly sat up. From under her coat, she pulled out a small gift bag lined with red tissue paper. “I can’t believe I almost forgot this at home.”
She turned to Chris. “Chris, Happy Valentine’s Day!”
Huh? Chris’ breath caught in her throat. “For… me?”
Hibiki nodded excitedly. “Go on, open it!”
“Don’t rush her!” Miku whispered.
Slowly, Chris reached out and took the gift bag from her. The feeling from earlier returned. It swam through her as she opened the bag. It set her nerves tingling with warmth as she pulled away the tissue paper. It hummed softly within her as she pulled her gift out.
Oh.
It was a framed photo. The image it captured was from Chris’ graduation ceremony, barely a month after their final battle with Shem-ha. Chris herself was dead center, looking flustered and overwhelmed in her graduation cap. Hibiki was hugging her on the left with a big, beaming smile. Miku was to her right, wiping away tears of joy. Kirika and Shirabe knelt in front of her, posing dramatically for their senpai. Maria and Tsubasa stood off to the side, gazing at her with tender affection. A snapshot of seven idiots, just as much idiots back then as they were now.
Chris stared at the photo. She remembered this moment so clearly. After the chaos of defeating Shem-ha, a normal school graduation seemed like the most unusual thing in the world. But all six of them had been there for it. All six of them had celebrated with her, cried with her, cheered her on. They had been there for her just like they were always there for each other.
Just like they were still here for her now.
She realized there was a card tucked into the back of the frame. Slowly, she pulled it out and read it.
Dear Chris-chan,
A lot of people think Valentine’s Day is just for couples. But I think it’s more than that. It’s for everyone you care about. It’s about celebrating all the people you love, no matter how you love them. And even if my hands struggle to connect sometimes, I want to express those feelings.
Chris-chan, we all love you so much. We’re so happy you’re part of our lives.
Will you be our valentine?
Love,
And the bottom of the card was signed with everyone’s names.
Chris blinked. Dimly, she became aware that her hands were trembling slightly. That her chest felt tight and hot. That the feeling spreading through her had suddenly changed hue into something deep and yearning. Something wet dripped onto the card, staining it. Was she crying? No, she couldn’t be; crying was something you did when you were sad. How could she be crying when she felt so…
“C-Chris?”
Suddenly, Chris realized how wet her cheeks felt. She reached up and wiped them dry with her sleeve. No good; the tears were still coming. “What the hell,” she mumbled.
“Are you okay?” Miku was by her side. “I’m sorry if- we didn’t mean to-“
And before she realized what she was doing, Chris had wrapped her in a massive hug. She laughed, a breathy, surprised laugh. “What the hell!” she said again, feeling her cheeks ache with a massive grin spread across them. “You’re all so stupid!”
Sounds of relief echoed across the room. Before long, Chris felt six pairs of arms wrapping around her. Blanketing her in warmth. A warmth that accepted her just the way she was. Chris sunk into that warmth. She let it overwhelm her, consume her, paint her in colors she’d never been painted in before. There was red, for sure, but there was also gold, and blue, and silver, and purple, and pink, and green. A rainbow prism of colors bathing her in an unspoken promise that this time, everything was going to be alright. A promise that told her, in a language far clearer than words:
Welcome home.
“Good to be home,” she murmured in response.
“What was that?” Hibiki sounded confused.
Chris smiled and wiped her eyes on Hibiki’s coat. “Don’t worry about it.”
And with that, she wrapped her arms around all six of them. “Alright. You idiots got yourselves a valentine.”
“Hurray! I call dibs!”
“Don’t monopolize her, Kiri-chan.”
“Come on, now, you kids have to finish that cake!”
“Aaaw, just a little longer, dess!”
Chris smiled and closed her eyes. Maybe Valentine’s Day was the holiday for her after all.