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"What are you doing here tonight, Bruce?"
The other teenager shifted nervously. Edward addressed him a small smile before making way for him to step inside the modest house, then closing the front door behind him.
Arthur and Crystal Brown asked him not to open the door past a late hour, in theory Eddie agreed with his adoptive parents' warnings... but this is Bruce Wayne. His beloved, eccentric uptown best friend who lives in a rich tower, surrounded by luxury and everything everyone could dream of... while feeling like a complete outcast who desperately wants to escape the upper class world he feels trapped in.
It became a sort of... habit over the past almost five years they've been pals: whenever he is not feeling well, regardless of the reason, Bruce reaches Ed's quarter, jumps above the hedge circling his parents' garden and either knocks on the door or climbs the pretty cherry tree whose branchs reach the windows of Eddie's bedroom.
This evening he knocked three times on the wooden pannel of the door, his metallic blue eyes staring at nothing and his lower lip trembling. Maybe he should have taken a coat. The February night was kinda chilly and he drove on his motorcycle from Wayne Tower to where Edward lives wearing nothing more than a thin black turtle neck and baggy jeans.
He stopped on his way to the Brown household to... grab something. Just in case. Something red that matches today's main theme.
Bruce didn't want to admit it, but he felt... incredibly relieved, and happy to be instantly welcomed into the pleasant, cozy ambiance of Ed's home.
"I... I didn't want to stay alone. My parents went on a date at a fancy restaurant, I... was on my own, again. In this big empty house," the seventeen years old whispered, shifting from one foot to another. "For you," he added, practically shoving his purchase into his high school buddy's hands.
Edward was smiling like the Cheshire cat.
"They are beautiful," he brought the roses closer to his face to smell their delicate perfume. "Thank you."
Bruce didn't hold his friend's gaze more than a couple seconds, but that's alright. Eddie is used to it.
"Bruuuuucie!"
The teen was greeted by a dynamic six-year-old girl... who ran in his direction and gave him an enthusiastic hug.
Ed's little sister Stephanie is the demonstrative type when it comes to express emotions. The exact opposite of, for example, Edward's best friend.
Bruce followed them to the living-room, where another blond-haired kid, one year older than Steph, greeted him too.
"For me, Valentine's Day always means babysitting duties," Eddie explained with a knowing smile.
"Mommy and Daddy have dinner together outside, they reserved a table for two at Mommy's favorite restaurant," Stephanie specified in her teacher-like tone. "So do uncle Chuck and his new girlfriend."
Thus, Edward watches over his sister and his cousin Charles... plus Bruce, who apparently can't stay on his own either.
"Here's the plan for tonight," Eddie introduced with a smirk. "Dinner I cooked, Disney movie we'll choose by doing rock, paper, scissors, superhero-themed board game and eating heart-shaped candies plus chocolates. Sounds good to you?"
"Sounds perfect to me," Bruce responded, a powerful warmth blossoming in his heart.
He loves sharing slices of life with the Browns. Everything here with them is... so much nicer and way more entertaining than with his parents.
Things went smooth in a cute ambiance... aside from that made-in-Charles question:
"Why did you offer roses to Eddie, do you want to ask him on a date?"
"... We're friends. It's... normal, to gift flowers to your friends."
"On Valentine's Day?" The boy frowned, suspicious. "Dad bought pink roses for Maggie, and they are dating."
"Moreover, red roses are the symbol of love!" Stephie defined, categorical. "Miss Quinzel told us so at the dance club yesterday. She added that she robbed a florist to bring the prettiest bouquet to her girlfriend."
"Miss Quinzel has a tendency to exaggerate," Edward smiled. "What... doesn't mean she isn't right about roses being flowers associated with romance. I love them."
Bruce pretended he didn't blush crimson at the seductive side-glance Eddie cast him.
He'll... consider the implications later.
For now, he refused to answer any question regarding the true nature of his feelings for his friend.
Overall, the kids and teenagers had a lovely time this 14 of February, which the older ones concluded at some point by a traditional:
"Happy Valentine's Day, my darling."
"... Happy Valentine's Day, Edward."
The both of them shook their glasses of fruit juice in a parodied toast adults would make with flutes of champagne during their date.
Right here right now, playing a board game while eating chocolates with Eddie, his sister and his cousin, there is no place Bruce Wayne would rather be. He has a feeling this is what a perfect Valentine's Day should look like.
What more could he ask for?