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“Happy Love's Day! My Joy!”
Akivili surprised Aha at the crack of dawn with a small bouquet of roses, The Elation waking up slowly, taking some time before noticing the gift that was right in front of them. It was the first time they got to celebrate such a date with someone as their partner, or, at least, with someone who cared to give them any sort of present or recognition. Aha's eyes glowed in excitement, taking the flowers between their hands and hugging them against their chest with an excited look on their face.
“Happy Love's Day, Akivili.”
Their voice sounded a bit hoarse, but it was due to the fact they just opened their eyes to the surprise. Aha was not precisely a morning person, but they got slightly used to being active from the early hours due to the constant training they had to be under. Despite that, some days it was still a bit harder than others to just be up at the required time. Rubbing one of their eyes with their closed fist, The Elation ends up releasing a short yawn, falling back on the bed before Akivili jumps right on top of their abdomen and leaves them slightly without air due to the speed of their movements.
“Time to be up, just because it's a special day we can't slack off. Xipe will probably kill us if we don't practice today.”
Without saying another word, Aha takes a single petal of one of the roses and places it on Akivili's nose, holding it against it while laughing, pretending there was no need to leave the bed at that time.
“We can have a bit of fun before… and after.”
Despite Akivili's face going completely red, they end up shaking their head while smiling, settling themselves a bit more comfortably over their partner's body before holding their cheeks to land a kiss over Aha's lips. The kiss lasts a good amount of time, both taking in the moment and enjoying the company of the other while The Trailblaze leaves the flowers on a side to not get them damaged, especially since their own body was practically resting over The Elation’s chest.
“I never thought that I would end up… feeling so much for you.”
Akivili mentions in an almost nostalgic tone, looking straight into Aha’s eyes while speaking.
“I was set on making you fall in love with me… but Aha is happy it worked.”
The Trailblaze just sighs and rests their head on Aha’s chest right under their chin, biting down on their own lip and slowly brushing their fingers over the other's naked torso. Akivili liked to touch them, knowing their touch reassured the redhead that the sort of intimacy they had was not an issue and that they were not scared. It always took Aha a bit to reciprocate completely, but every time the acceptance came slightly faster, which was good in the eyes of the professional acrobat.
After some minutes, The Elation's hands finally fixed themselves to bring Akivili closer in a hug, a kiss being stolen by the apprentice as they raised a hand to hold onto their beloved's, intertwining their fingers tightly.
“Can't we really… stay like this for a little longer…? I want to hug my love for a bit more…”
Was there a way for Akivili to deny such a request? The answer was: no. Aha's words paired with a pleading look made Akivili cave into the desire for staying in bed sharing that moment for longer, smiling in the end at how pampered their partner was.
“The flowers… are pretty, I like them. I never got flowers like these before.”
“Never…? Well… if this lasts… then I promise to give you different and exciting flowers every year.”
That was not the moment to ask why Aha never received such a simple gift before, or, at least, Akivili didn't believe it was. Closing both their eyes, The Trailblaze ends up letting out a soft sigh, smiling widely before a short giggle leaves their lips, taking the intertwined hands to their face to land a kiss on Aha’s side.
“Joy… I’ve been thinking...”
Aha moves their head to be able to look at their partner in a much more comfortable manner, curious about what they wanted to say. It was not usual for Akivili to just tease a thought instead of just saying it outright, so The Elation’s interest was picked immediately.
“Do I really look that good when I’m doing my show?”
“Aha believes Akivili does, very much. I love watching every single one of your movements.”
“I’m still not used to having someone be so honest, others would have tried to deny they watch me so intensely.”
There is a short moment of silence, Aha holding their beloved’s body before turning it around and making The Star lay down on their back. The deep, emotion-filled honey eyes of The Elation seemed to focus on The Trailblaze once more. There was no fear in Akivili’s eyes, despite the intense look on Aha’s, The Star just reaching up to hold their partner’s face with their hands while showing a loving smile.
“Why so serious all of a sudden?”
“...I love you… Akivili… My feelings for you go beyond anything I have ever felt or seen before. If I could…”
Another pause, but Akivili’s face was beyond red at that point. It was not only those words, but the tone in which they were said. Aha seemed to be almost choking on their own feelings, as if they were, indeed, too great to even say them out loud properly. It was a bit intimidating, Akivili had to accept that, holding onto the redhead’s face still and raising their own head to take a kiss out of the other’s lips. Being loved that much was something Akivili was not used to, but Aha’s devotion was as raw as it could be, and that was, at least, interesting.
“Sorry… words are hard…”
Aha apologized, thinking that their partner would be unsatisfied with their response. Yet, they could not be further from the truth.
“Three of them could summarize it… right?”
“Not enough, I love you is not enough…”
Akivili laughs, closing both eyes and wrapping their arms around their beloved to pull them closer in a tight hug.
“You truly are Aha The Elation, no one else would have this many feelings and so intensely. No one other than my lovely and silly clown.”
Only Aha would smile so fondly after being called that way, lowering their own body and holding it on their elbows to not drop their weight on Akivili, who raised their own self with the previous hug. Their expression finally relaxed, looking into their partner’s eyes once again before diving into another kiss. The morning was still young, so there was no real hurry to start the day already, the two of them just enjoying the company of the other between kisses and shared sweet words.
It felt like the world stopped around them and time was infinite, at least, the time they were sharing. No one else existed but the two lovers, and they didn't need anyone else in that instant. One of Aha’s hands goes back to the small bouquet, grabbing a rose and fixing it on Akivili’s ear, brushing away the black locks with their fingers before depositing a soft kiss on their forehead. The gesture was beyond sweet, and something Akivili had always yearned for, breaking out in a love-filled laughter to hold their partner’s face once more, preventing them from saying another word with a deep kiss. Despite that, Aha could pull away and smile back, lowering their head to leave a short love-mark on Akivili’s neck.
“My Star…”
“My Joy…”
A single, small yet meaningful phrase, especially since Aha did not normally use pet names or the like for Akivili, their proper name was already perfect in The Elation’s mind.
“Aren't you scared of… this?”
“Joy… well… I am, I won't lie. But history never wrote about cowards, and I am certainly not one. I was always told that being brave is not to live without fear, but to live in spite of it.”
Without another sound Aha finally rests their body on top of their lover, letting out a soft sigh and nodding several times. Akivili was right, and they knew it, but there were a lot of things they needed to get rid of in their own mind before fully coming to terms that there was no reason for the other to run away, at least not for now. Akivili’s hands get a hold of one of Aha’s cheeks, pulling from it despite The Elation’s protest, letting go a few seconds after, booping their nose and then their forehead using their index finger.
“Bad thoughts out, Mx Red.”
“Was it too noticeable?”
“It looked like you had a cloud behind your eyes. It prevents you from seeing the stars.”
“I would… never let that prevent me from seeing My Star.”
“You really are a clown, flattery won't get you anywhere… that you havent reached already.”
Of course such a forward insinuation would render Aha unable to speak for a couple of seconds, having to take a moment to process the phrase. But after doing so, they immediately move up, leaving a kiss on Akivili’s cheek before also leaving a loving bite on the soft skin. The light protest now came from The Trailblaze’s side, but Akivili knew very well that The Elation was a biter. The professional acrobat ends up pinching Aha’s cheek once more to make them let go; it didn't hurt, but they knew that Aha could just stay there without moving if no one dared to stop their actions.
“I’m not a meal, Joy.”
“That has never prevented me from eating you…”
Aha’s eyebrows go up and down suggestively a couple of times, Akivili being the one to go red in that moment once again and shut the other up with a kiss, it just seemed that they could not be away from each others mouths for long that morning; not that they were mad about it. But the bliss was cut a bit short by Xipe’s calling, making both lovebirds come out of the bed and dress up properly to greet the morning with the rest of the crew. They shared a last kiss before reaching the dining area, surprised to see a small basket of sweets in where each of them usually sat down. The ringmaster and Idrila were standing there already being clearly the ones behind the scheme, with Fuli and Lan coming right after and also standing there in amazement at the arrangement.
“What is this…?”
Lan was definitely not expecting anything other than the usual breakfast, everyone being prompted to come closer to the table, seeing that the baskets had each of their names on them, personalized to a small extent.
“It’s Love’s Day of course! We had to prepare some sweets for the people we love the most!”
Idrila mentions that fact before their waist was held by Xipe’s hand, the ringmaster just smiling in while letting their companion be the one to deliver the how’s and why’s of that surprise. The Beauty seemed extremely excited, leaning on Harmony’s shoulder and waiting for everyone to get their share. Aha immediately responds, showing a smile back to Idrila.
“Thank you Beauty! Next time I shall prepare you an entire chocolate fountain to make up for today!”
“Aha there really is… no need…”
Idrila looked a bit apologetic, not wanting the other to commit to such a long time promise, but to their dismay, Akivili joined in to tag team them without a single doubt. Xipe was the only one capable of stopping the dynamic duo, but their smile turned from fond to one worthy of an accomplice.
“We better save from now then, the fountain for my best friend needs to be the biggest and most abundant one in the market!”
Xipe laughs while listening to the exchange, Idrila barely being able to deal with the situation, not wanting the others to spend on them but knowing that it was quite impossible to stop The Trailblaze once they had a set idea. In the end, The Beauty was left with only one option: to wait for the next year and see what they would come up with in the end.
“You two are the worst… heh.”
“If you don't pamper yourself, then we may as well do it for you.”
The Elation’s words came as a pleasant surprise for Akivili, but Aha knew that Idrila was their partner’s best friend among everyone in the circus. Fuli sat down, also with a pleasant smile, the surprise element was clearly effective even for them, signaling a small “Thank you” Idrila and Xipe’s way, before being followed by their apprentice, Lan not mentioning much but visibly pleased about the unexpected gift.
“I know all of you probably have plans for the rest of the day, but breakfast is for our small family and I had this little surprise prepared. After that, you are free to go.”
The rest nodded at Idrila’s words, completely understanding and not being against it even a little bit. Aha and Akivili decided a few days prior to go out for a walk and to spend some time alone with each other. Fuli had their own partner to go and visit, the way they were already semi-dressed showing that the other could have a day off, which was rare and the reason they couldn't meet as much as desired. Idrila and Xipe themselves also had somewhere to go, the day was a special occasion so there was no wasting time. As for Lan…
“Hm?”
The Hunt’s phone vibrated with a notification, making them look down while everyone else pretended not to have heard the soft buzzing. Excusing themselves for a moment, Lan finally left the table to go to another room and be able to open the message without any worry.
“Happy Love’s Day to my most beloathed person 😘”
Lan shakes their head in annoyance a couple of times, massaging the bridge of their nose. They were weighing if to send a response or just leave the message on read, there were only two options at that point. They didn't even know why the other always bothered to taunt them with such behavior, especially knowing that receiving a text like that would leave them in a sour mood for the rest of the day.
As the younger one in the circus returned to the table after attending to their phone, at Ena’s home, where Yaoshi laid lazily on their bed in the still early morning, they got to hear their own phone buzz. Looking down at the device’s unlocked screen they could see the response to the message they previously sent, laughing entertained at its content:
“Horrible Love’s Day to you too 🏹💘💔”
“You are the worst hunter ever, Lan.”
The blonde decides not to respond back, they did not deem it necessary, hearing a knock on their bedroom door followed by the head of their sister’s main bodyguard. Everyone knew not to bother Yaoshi that early in the morning, but exceptions were always accepted if a good enough reason was given.
“I could get a day off today, I beg of you to not… do anything unsafe. My replacement can only do so much.”
Despite the warning, they knew that it was impossible to dictate what Yaoshi could even think about doing, but at least the heads up was given, some days that was more than enough.
“Don't worry, Qlipoth, I can take care of myself if anything happens. Go visit your partner at the circus.”
After the exchange and seeing the bodyguard leave, Yaoshi went quiet for a moment, only taking a couple of seconds for an idea to come to their head. Retrieving their own phone, the unanswered message was the first thing they opened, deciding to send a request back in light of the now diminished security. It took some minutes to get an answer to it, but this one made them laugh to themselves once more and with way more reason, they were, indeed, very predictable.
“Care to come spend the day? Everyone will be busy and I will get bored.”
”...”
”Give me an hour.”
”Aw, will you get me chocolates?”
”Poisoned if so.”
Maybe it was stupid for the rest to want to spend the day with the person they dislike the most, but, for Yaoshi and Lan, it was neither the first and probably not last time they would spend such a date like that. The entertainment was assured, and maybe, for the two of them and everyone else, it was a day to be with the person you feel the most strongly about.