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It was that time again in Daybreak Town; the time where all the Unions briefly stopped competing about Lux as much—the competition would never truly end—and instead everyone's attention was on the chocolates. Chocolates which, of course, were merely an excuse: the real question was who you gave them to, and would they be interested in getting them from you.
All Keyblade wielders were buzzing with the gossip about the romantic goings-on inside their respective parties, or at the opposite end of the spectrum, the miserable, lonely and depressed whose object of their affection wasn't in their party, in their union, or otherwise out of reach.
All of it was, in Ven's eyes, frankly disgusting. It was just a matter of principles: why would anyone feel the need to show it off so much?
And no, it had nothing to do with his total lack of friends—never mind romantic prospects. Thank you very much.
The mission to Beast's Castle was just salt in the wound. Even the Heartless had started taking on the appearance of heart-shaped boxes; fighting those in a place practically themed after a red rose struck Ven with the impression that someone was sending him a very insensitive message. When he got home, he retreated to one of his favorite hiding spots, dreading the thought of mingling with the others when there were so many of them going on dates today that all the nice hangout spots would be overcrowded.
No, a nice, abandoned house was much preferable to all that noise. He would kick back, relax and—
"Hello."
—and there was someone else already here. Someone who hadn't deemed it worth their time to turn on the lights, apparently, like some kind of creep. Ven swallowed that thought. "Hi! Um—sorry. Didn't know this place was taken."
"It's not."
Ven blinked, uncertain how to respond to that. Was it their way of saying Ven was welcome? "Oh. All right." He ventured further into the house, looking for the light switch; however, the power must have been cut off, because it was functionless. "So—" he said blindly to the dark, "are you also here to hide from everyone else's obnoxious PDA?"
"I'm just…here."
That got a chuckle out of Ven. "Oh. Yeah, same. Very casual. Totally not bothered." In the dark, he found an old, beat-up couch by a wall, and plopped down on it with a sigh. "So, you do this often? Lurk in dark empty houses?"
"Maybe you're the dark empty house."
Ven laughed again. "I get being cranky today of all days, but even with poetic license, that doesn't even make any sense!" He paused, trying in vain to peer into the rest of the house. "Where are you anyway? I can't see you at all."
"I know what you really want."
"Um—okay?"
"I can see into your heart. I can give it to you. We're fated to."
"You know it's not Halloween, right?" Ven asked with a nervous chuckle. "No need to play up the creepy act." No answer; to fill the silence, Ven chose to take the bait. "All right. What do you think I want?"
"What they all have today. Companionship."
Ven remained silent for a moment, unsure he understood correctly. "Are you…asking me out on a date?"
"I'm offering companionship for the day, since it's special."
"You really gotta work on your pitch. And—I don't want a date. I'm fine on my own."
"Yes, you do, and no, you're not."
"Oh, real mature," Ven said, rolling his eyes. And yet, wasn't it the truth? Whoever the stranger was, they had him dead-on. Maybe Ven was too tired by the day's mission to lie properly about it. "I don't even know what you look like."
There was a shift somewhere in the dark, something that wasn't quite motion but turned into motion, before the stranger finally came close enough that Ven could see them—first an outline, then a full person. Ven had never seen them before; he thought he'd recognize someone so handsome, well-built, with a shock of dark hair and striking eyes, almost reflective like a cat's in this dim light. The idea that someone like that would deign give Ven any attention, let alone ask him out—offer him companionship, whatever that implied—sounded vaguely absurd. And yet, here they were.
"Is this acceptable?" they asked.
Another nervous laugh; Ven could feel himself blushing, intimidated by their unflinching gaze. "Uh—you've seen yourself, right?"
"No."
That simple, matter-of-fact answer cut through the tension, and Ven decided he should play along as long as he'd manage. "Well, all right. It's acceptable."
"Shall we go, then?" They offered Ven a hand.
Ven considered the offer one last time. "Go where?" Mostly out of principle: he was already taking their hand. If he was honest with himself, anywhere was better than here. Immediately, they pulled Ven off the couch and led the way towards the exit. Ven only gave the slightest resistance before going along. "Do you at least have a name?" he asked as they stepped out into the sun. The afternoon was cold—it was still midwinter—but it was still lovely weather out. Really disgusting for the occasion—though perhaps less so, now that Ven wasn't alone for it.
"No," they said again.
"Private, huh? Okay then, tall dark and handsome."
"I'm not tall."
That was undoubtedly factual—they were of a height with Ven, who was fairly short himself. "But you are dark and handsome." Ven didn't even know where he found that kind of flirty energy, but it was here, and he would ride the wave. His date hadn't let go of his hand yet, so it clearly couldn't be that bad.
Maybe there was a chance to salvage this Valentine's Day yet.