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“You know you could have asked for help, right, Newt?”
Arthur sounded cheerful, but that didn’t help how stupid Isaac felt, after deciding to surprise his partners and ending up only with a burned dinner, having to ask Amy friend for help with the food, and his boyfriend to accompany him to buy something for their girlfriend. And he still had no idea what he could get Arthur for Valentine’s, and he wouldn’t ask.
Why did he think he could have done it on his own again?
“I thought it would be easy enough. It was just a matter of following the instructions.” Which only made him feel worse.
“It is, when you have some basic knowledge. Have you ever tried to cook before?”
That was the same thing Amy had told him when she had found him in the kitchen, luckily, before the smoke alerted everyone to what had happened. Although he doubted no one else noticed.
“And you know how to cook?”
“You would be surprised. Next time we should cook something together.” Arthur stopped walking, staring at the other side of the street. “What about getting Rei some flowers?”
Isaac looked at his boyfriend, then at the flower shop.
“Are you sure it will be enough?”
“It’s Rei. She’ll be satisfied with anything.” Isaac gave Arthur his most serious look. That was not the kind of answer he wanted. Arthur chuckled. “Flowers may be fleeting, but they are perfect for any occasion. Especially when you already made her a gift. You said you only wanted something to apologize for the dinner.”
By now, she would have found out about the incident. Very few things stayed a secret in that mansion, even when most of the residents had gone out.
Isaac had asked Arthur’s advice because Arthur was more experienced with women, or dates in general. He had thought of flowers himself, of course, but he wasn’t sure if they were appropriate. But getting a green signal, Isaac knew exactly what kind of flowers were her favorite, although Arthur helped him chose the size of the bouquet.
When they were leaving, though, Arthur told him to go ahead. Isaac was confused and curious, but went along with his boyfriend’s request. He waited in an alley not far from the shop, but a little calmer than the busy street.
Arthur met him no longer later, with a pair of roses.
“What are these for?”
Arthur gave him a sweet smile that was enough to make Isaac feel warm, both excited and embarrassed. What if anyone saw them?
“They’re for you, luv.” Arthur stepped closer, handing him the roses with one hand and picking up the bouquet from him with the other.
“Why?” Even while questioning, Isaac took the flowers, his face burning.
“Do I need a reason to show my boyfriend how much I love him?”
Arthur’s fingers brushed Isaac’s cheeks, that only heated further.
“Ar-Arthur! Someone will see us.”
“No one is here right now.” Arthur leaned in and gave him a peck on the cheek. “You’re too cute, Newt. We can continue this on the way home.”
Arthur winked at him and Isaac was sure he would catch fire, even though it wasn’t possible. But besides the embarrassment, Isaac couldn’t fight a smile as he looked down at the roses in his hands.
Sometimes Arthur was such an idiot that he had no idea why he loved the man, but moments like these made his heart swell with affection.
At that moment, he decided to put his embarrassment aside to find an appropriate gift for Arthur.
“I was planning on buying something for you, too. What do you want?” Isaac couldn’t look his boyfriend in the eyes while asking.
“You don’t need to get ne anything, Newt.”
“But I want to.”
If Arthur really refused, he wouldn’t insist, but it was only fair that he got Arthur something, like he did with Reina.
“So, what about I request something tonight?”
Isaac sighed upon seeing Arthur’s grin. That was not the kind of thing he had in mind. He wasn’t even sure if it counted as a gift.
“I’m serious, Arthur.”
“Me too. There is nothing I would love more.”
“Is this all you ever think about?” Isaac knew that about Arthur, but sometimes it was frustrating.
“Only because I love you. But if that’s not enough, why don’t we stop by a café and you buy me something sweet?”
“Fine. And…” Isaac hesitated, knowing that choice could work against him. “I’ll think about the other thing, if it is reasonable, and Reina agrees.”
Arthur looked surprised before smiling at him.
“And I’ll make sure you won’t regret it.”
He probably would, but once, on Valentine’s, maybe he could indulge Arthur.
Reina excitedly waited for them at the gate when the two returned to the mansion, which probably meant everyone else had left for their own dates already.
“Welcome back, boys!” She kissed Arthur, then Isaac. “Where have you been?”
“I… We went to pick these for you.” Isaac offered her the flowers. “In fact, I wanted to cook for you, but it didn’t work.” To his surprise, Reina laughed as she took the bouquet. “I mean…” he tried to think of a reason why she was laughing and what he should say, but nothing came to mind.
“I heard.” Reina hugged him. “So I wanted to cook while you were away, but I got a little ambitious, tried to multitask and ended up burning everything all over again. So, there’s dinner, but Amy made it. I wasn’t going to tell you if you didn’t want to tell me, though.”
“Well, aren’t you two just sweet?” Arthur hugged them both. “And you were so worried about having to apologize when Rei found out, Newt.”
“You didn’t need to tell her that!”
“But that’s so sweet of you, Isaac. Thank you for worrying, and for getting my favorite flowers. I can’t believe you remembered..” Reina gave him a light kiss.
“Of course I care, and I remembered everything about you.” Isaac smiled, although he was blushing again. “Happy Valentine’s, Reina.”
“Happy Valentine’s, Isaac.” They shared a deeper kiss. “And happy Valentine’s, Arthur.” She kissed him, too.
“Doesn’t this remind you of when we got together?” Isaac had forgotten. It wasn’t just Valentine’s, it was also their one-year anniversary. And right when he said he remembered everything about his partners. “Happy Valentine’s, Isaac. And happy anniversary for both of you.”
They shared a few more kisses, enjoying each other’s warmth. Their Valentine’s hadn’t started on the beat note, but they had a wonderful night ahead of them.