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If there was one holiday that was ignored more than any other in the Sage residence, it was Valentine’s Day.
Neither sibling had anyone special in their lives, which meant that they had nowhere to go, and no one to celebrate with. Apart from buying discounted sweets the next day and stuffing their faces with them until they felt sick, they had no traditions to speak of. They certainly weren’t about to do anything together - that would have been weird.
As such, it was easy to guess that Genis had been having a perfectly normal day full of studying and essay writing, until he was forced to answer a knock at the door.
Putting down his pen and notebook on the couch he’d been curled up on, he crossed the room with determined steps, shivering slightly as he stepped away from the heat of the small fire he’d lit earlier to get cozy. The knock came again, more insistent this time, and he grumbled as he pulled the door open roughly.
“Has no one ever told you that patience is a virt– Oh, ew ,” he grimaced, taking in the sight of the man standing at the door. “What are you doing here?”
It was Zelos. Draped in his usual overconfidence, dressed a little too nicely for a simple visit, with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a heart-shaped box of assorted milk chocolates in the other, a red gift bag hanging from his arm. He shifted his weight against the doorframe, a lazy grin stretching across his face. “I could ask you the same thing, twerp.”
“I live here. Where else would I be?”
The older man tsked, shaking his head like it was some great tragedy. “Don’t you have a girl to snog? It’s Valentine’s Day.”
Genis’ expression twisted in immediate disgust, “Don’t tell me that’s why you’re here to see my sister.”
“With a little luck? Maybe!”
The young half-elf recoiled as if the very concept of Zelos and Raine together had physically harmed him. “That’s just gross. Why would you even say tha—”
Before he could continue to protest, a familiar voice called out from somewhere inside the house, “Genis, who’s there?”
Shooting the ex-Chosen a glare that said ‘ you will pay for this later’ , he shouted back in response, “It’s Zelos. And he brought flowers.”
The man in question whined loudly in disappointment, “Way to ruin the surprise…”
“Yeah, I wasn’t trying to help,” triumphantly, Genis smirked.
Light footsteps padded against the floor as Raine approached. Dressed in soft, casual clothes– nothing fancy, just a simple knit sweater and a long skirt– it was clear she had planned for a quiet, uneventful evening at home. She absentmindedly pushed a stray lock of silver hair behind her pointed ear, and her brow furrowed in mild confusion as her gaze flicked from Zelos to the flowers in his hands. “What are you up to this time?”
He straightened, flipping the bouquet around in his hand as if presenting a grand prize to a very lucky winner. “Spoiling you for Valentine’s Day, obviously!”
Raine blinked slowly as she took in his reasoning. Of course he would decide to do something like this. Why was she even mildly surprised after what he’d pulled off at Christmas and for New Year’s? “This is not at all necessary, good heavens.”
Zelos simply shrugged, as if the very idea of not bringing her gifts was incomprehensible, “Yeah, well, I wanted to, and nothing you say or do will change my mind.”
Genis made a noise of deep-seated, long-suffering irritation, like a cat on the verge of coughing up the biggest hairball of the century. “I’m going to my room. I better not hear any hanky-panky from you lovebirds or I’ll get annoyed.”
His sister recoiled, her entire body stiffening. “Genis Sage! Where are your manners?”
Behind them, the young boy made a show of collecting his study materials from the living room before stomping off toward his room and slamming the door shut with enough force to rattle the frame.
Zelos scoffed at the sight, “Yeesh, quite the territorial puppy you have there.”
Raine rolled her eyes, nudging the front door closed as her guest stepped into the house, “Teenagers… I’ll give him some chocolate later and he’ll get right over it.”
The redhead smirked, toeing off his shoes before following her deeper into the house. It was toasty inside, the warmth from the fireplace immediately making him feel welcome the same way it had the last two times he’d been over. The scent of old books that the Sage residence was so well-known for lingered in the air, mixing now with the faint floral fragrance of the bouquet in the woman’s hands.
She moved toward the kitchen, retrieving a plastic vase from the cupboard. As she filled it with water, she took a moment to admire the flowers properly, fingertips brushing over the delicate petals. They were fresh, vibrant, a carefully arranged mix of roses and other seasonal blooms. When she lifted them to her nose, she inhaled deeply, closing her eyes for a brief second as she murmured contently, “They smell absolutely wonderful.”
The redhead placed the box he’d been carrying on the counter before casually leaning against the old, worn wood, watching her with a satisfied smile. “Good. Would’ve been awkward if they smelled like garbage.”
Raine huffed out a small laugh as she placed the bouquet into the vase, adjusting the stems with precise movements. “I wouldn’t put it past you to make that kind of mistake.”
“Ouch, Professor, that’s harsh. You should know by now that I have great taste.” He didn’t sound offended in the slightest. In fact, he seemed downright pleased with himself.
As the half-elf finished fussing over the arrangement, she turned back to find the man holding out a small gift bag. “Huh?” she blinked. It wasn’t large, nor particularly extravagant, but the sight of it caught her completely off guard. She wiped her hands on her skirt before hesitantly accepting it. “What’s this about? You didn’t need to get me anything.”
“Sure I did! I promised you something last time I was here!”
She stared at him for a second before glancing down at the bag, her delicate fingers curling slightly around the thin handles. It wasn’t heavy at all, almost as if there was nothing inside, “Do I need to be careful with it?”
“Relative care, yeah.”
That only made her more curious. She pulled out the tissue paper, unfolding it carefully before peeking inside. Staring back at her was a pair of elegant, crystalline wine glasses, feather light in her hands. The thin, jewelled stems felt dainty between her fingers, the rims polished to perfection. A small laugh escaped her. “You actually got me wine glasses?”
“Obviously,” Zelos folded his arms, looking entirely too proud. Somehow people always assumed that he didn’t listen or that he wouldn’t keep true to his words, but he loved to prove otherwise. “What kind of guy would I be if I left my Valentine drinking out of a sad, little mug?”
Raine’s lips parted in disbelief, her mouth hanging open as if this was the most offensive thing anyone had ever said to her, “Hey! Be nice to my mugs!”
Zelos couldn’t help but laugh at her offended air. “They’re fine for coffee or tea, but quality wine deserves to be consumed in a designer glass.”
“Designer?”
“Yeah…? Did you really think I’d cheap out?”
“... How much did you pay for these?”
“Not important!” He proclaimed, waving a hand dismissively.
The half-elf exhaled slowly through her nose, clearly unimpressed by the dodge, but instead of pressing him further, she glanced back at the glasses with something softer in her expression. He noticed the way she traced the side of one with her thumb, lost in thought for a brief second before carefully setting them back inside the gift bag. She bowed her head with a small sigh, “You do realize I’m starting to really feel bad about never having anything to offer you in exchange?”
Zelos tilted his head, studying her with an amused glint in his eye, “I’m not doing this to receive anything.”
“Maybe not, but it does still make me feel like somewhat of a terrible friend.”
“Nah, you’re not.”
Her eyes narrowed into determined slits as she looked back up at him, a masterful plan brewing in the depths of her mind. “I’ll get back at you, don’t you worry.”
A smirk spread across his lips upon hearing those words, “If you really want to make it up to me, I have an idea.”
“Hm?”
“Let’s go out for a nice dinner, just the two of us.”
Raine mulled over the proposition, caught slightly off guard. If they were seen together, going on what could only be called a date, people would surely start asking questions and rumours would fly. That certainly wouldn’t be good for his image– though she could only imagine that he’d thought that all through before inviting her out. And perhaps she was just overthinking things as usual, ruining what could possibly be a very lovely evening before it even had a chance to exist. “…When would you like to do this?”
“Right now.”
“Right now?!”
“Yeah…?” She watched as his face fell, his excited expression replaced instead by one of pure heartbreak, “I mean, why not?”
Raine tutted, motioning vaguely at herself. “I look like I’ve just rolled out of bed. You need to give me some sort of heads-up for something like this.”
Zelos leaned in slightly, all confidence and charm. “Oh, come on. I want to take my lovely Valentine out to celebrate!”
She stiffened, eyes nearly popping out of her head as his words dawned on her. “Wait… What do you mean ‘Valentine’?! You never asked me to be your Valentine!”
“It’s implied!”
“I can’t just drop everything and go out right now,” Raine said, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. “It’s getting late, I have work I need to finish up, and I–” she caught herself in her stream of excuses with a sigh. “I’d just rather stay in, alright? At least for this time. If you tell me in advance, I’ll agree, but don’t spring it on me at the last minute like this.”
Zelos studied her for a beat before shrugging. “Alright. You win.”
“I do? That easily?”
“Yep.” He sing-songed, a smile breaking out across his face. “And since I’m such a gracious loser, I’ll cook for you.”
“I beg your pardon?”
He opened the fridge with a flourish, expecting to find a plethora of ingredients to choose from but instead scoffing at the appliance’s barren state, “There’s hardly anything in here to work with.”
Raine sighed. “I know. Grocery shopping was on the list of things to do today but we were both pretty lazy.”
“All the more reason for us to go out,” he tested. Upon seeing her look of disdain at the proposal, he quickly corrected himself with a small laugh to ease the tension, “Fine, fine. But don’t blame me if this turns out terrible. I’m working under extreme conditions.”
“You’re already spoiling me enough as it is…”
“What was that?”
“Nothing. Just don’t burn anything.”
“Should be pretty easy. My name isn’t Raine,” Zelos winked as he rolled up his sleeves with theatrical determination, prepared to figure something out of nothing. Deciding that he may find better options in her pantries, he began opening them one by one, only to find them much in the same state of relative emptiness. “Woman,” he said, peering inside with despair, “do you eat? Or do you just survive on caffeine and sheer willpower?"
“I told you we needed to go grocery shopping.”
The redhead stood before the open fridge and cupboards, taking note of whatever menial ingredients they had on hand. “You weren’t kidding. Okay, let’s see what we’ve got here… some linguine, a handful of baby tomatoes, a lonely red bell pepper, an onion that looks questionable–”
“It’s fine .”
“Debatable,” Zelos muttered, continuing his search. “Ooooh, what’s this?” He pulled out a small package of sausage from the freezer, waggling his brows. “This might just save your dignity, Rainey.”
“My dignity?”
He grinned. “Trust me.”
To his credit, he moved with practiced ease, dicing the vegetables and slicing the sausage with quick efficiency. Still, Raine flinched every time he handled her cookware too casually or moved a little too fast near the stove. “Zelos…” she cautioned as he flicked a chopped onion into the pan with entirely unnecessary zest.
“What?” He shot her a playful look. “You worried about me, babe?”
“I’m worried about my kitchen.”
“Mhm.” He smirked, turning back to the pan. “Sure, let’s go with that.”
Shaking her head, the professor set out to prepare the table. It was better than standing around hovering and worrying that something may get broken or ruined in the process. And besides, she hated being watched when she was hard at work on something, so she always tried to offer the same respect to others.
A few moments later, the scent of cooked pasta, simmering tomatoes, sautéed peppers, and warm spices filled the air. Zelos gave the pan a final stir before glancing over his shoulder, a self-satisfied gleam in his eye, “See? You doubted me.”
“I never doubted your ability to cook ,” Raine corrected as she pulled out a pack of matches from one of the drawers next to which her personal chef stood and lit a candle to set the mood, “I doubted your ability to do it without breaking something .”
“Your faith in me is honestly touching.”
She ignored him, focusing instead on pulling out the wine glasses from the gift bag. With a brief pause, she filled them both with water before setting them down on the table across from each other.
Zelos turned just in time to see, and promptly froze on the spot, “…What are you doing?”
“Getting the table ready?”
“With water ?” His face twisted in exaggerated offense. “In the wine glasses I personally, lovingly, and generously gifted you?”
“Would you rather we drink straight from the sink?”
“I’d rather we drink literally anything else!” The ex-Chosen clutched his chest like the diva he was known for being.
“Well, you should have brought a bottle of wine, then. Unless you want orange juice, but I don’t think that would pair well with what you’ve made.”
Dragging a hand down his face, Zelos groaned. “I have never been more disappointed in you than I am right now.”
“Oh, please. You know I don’t usually drink. Sit down and eat your pasta.”
Grumbling about ‘absolute sacrilege,’ the man took the seat across from her, though the betrayal on his face remained intact. The moment he took a bite, though he perked up instantly. “Not bad, huh?” he asked smugly.
Raine twirled a strand of linguine around her fork and took a thoughtful bite. The flavors blended surprisingly well and she nodded in approval. “…It’s actually quite good. Also, I believe congratulations are deserved: you managed not to destroy my kitchen or set anything on fire.”
“Babe, that’s what we call setting the mood.”
She shot him a deadpan look over the rim of her glass. “Don’t push your luck.”
He chuckled, lifting his own glass in a toast, “To not pushing my luck.”
Raine hesitated for only a second before clinking her cup gently against his.
They drank as they proceeded to finish their meal, the flickering candlelight reflecting off the crystal, casting soft patterns against the table. It was nice, in a way Raine hadn’t expected. And if Zelos noticed how she lingered just a little longer on her sip, or how her gaze softened ever so slightly as she set her glass down… well… He wasn’t about to call her out on it. Not yet, anyway.
The man took another sip of his tragic water and let out a deep, dramatic sigh. “You know, there’s still time for us to go out and get an actual drink.”
Raine scoffed, pushing her empty plate aside. “Not happening.”
“Oh, come on.” He leaned in slightly, resting an elbow on the table. “What’s wrong, gorgeous? Afraid a little wine might loosen you up too much?”
“I hardly need wine for that, do I?”
Zelos froze. For once, he was the one caught off guard. His smirk faltered ever so slightly, his brain working overtime to process the fact that Raine– Raine – had just turned the tables on him so effortlessly. “W-Wait, hold on,” he finally sputtered, blinking back into reality as he watched her rise from her seat and begin picking up their empty plates and dirty utensils. “What do you mean by that?”
She hummed lightly, completely ignoring him. He could take her off-handed comment however he wanted to.
“Oh, you definitely meant something by that.” He pointed at her accusingly, but she was already rinsing off the plates, looking far too pleased with herself. Zelos huffed, making his way over to her, fully intending on taking over the task she had just set on. “I should probably make myself useful and help you out, huh?”
“You cooked for us, so I’ll clean up. It’s only fair.”
He shrugged and perched himself atop the small counter instead, watching as she moved around the kitchen to tidy everything up. Though he hated leaving her with all the work, he knew better than to push. If he let her have her way this time, she would be more likely to agree next time. Her motions were precise, efficient– everything about her always was– but something about the way she carefully dried the wine glasses, setting them down gently as if they actually mattered to her, caught his attention.
For a moment, he simply… admired.
He wasn’t sure why this felt different. He’d spent plenty of time with Raine before, had gotten under her skin, had teased her and flirted just to see how far he could push her. But tonight, she wasn’t just tolerating him– she was letting him in.
Maybe it was nothing. Maybe it was just the quiet after a long day, or the way the dim lighting made the kitchen feel smaller, more intimate. Or maybe, just maybe, something had indeed shifted between them.
Raine placed the last dish on the rack and turned back toward him, wiping her hands on a towel. “Alright,” she said, “you’ve got all my attention once more.”
“Oh, good,” Zelos said lightly, shaking off whatever weird train of thought he’d just been on. “Thought I might have lost you to the dishes-monster!”
Professor Sage rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched into a faint smile as she motioned for the man to follow her to the living room where they could settle down more comfortably to talk a while longer.
The hours ticked by slowly as they fell prey to a never-ending pool of conversation topics, each subject blurring into the next to the point that they couldn’t even remember what their trains of thought were. The remnant of the fireplace burned low, until finally Zelos noticed the time. He sighed softly, rubbing the back of his neck. “As much as I’d love to keep you up all night, I should probably let you get to bed.”
The woman frowned slightly, stifling a yawn, as if only now realizing how late it had gotten. “…I suppose you’re right.”
Making their way to the door, a strange feeling coursed through her as she was hit with a realization: she really didn’t want him to leave. Not after the lovely evening of pleasant company and lighthearted conversation. But at the same time, she knew she couldn’t ask him to stay. Not only did she have work in the morning, but Zelos didn’t have an overnight bag with him. Plus, he’d stayed last time and if she asked him to again, he may start to get the wrong idea.
Granted, it would actually be the right idea, but she wasn’t sure she was ready to let him know that just yet.
Raine hesitated before clearing her throat. “Thank you,” she said, her voice quieter now. “For dinner. For the gift. You really didn’t have to.”
Zelos studied her for a beat, his usual flirty grin softening just slightly. “You don’t have to thank me. I wanted to.” He stepped back, opening the door and letting in the chilly night air, breaking the moment with an easy chuckle. “Alright, Professor, I’ll leave you to your thrilling few hours of sleep.”
She exhaled lightly, shaking her head. “Goodnight, Zelos.”
He smiled at her fondly, and Raine barely registered what she was doing until it was already done.
One moment, she was watching Zelos turn to leave. The next, her hand had caught his wrist, pulling him back before she could even think twice. Her lips pressed briefly against his cheek– quick, fleeting– before the weight of what she’d just done came crashing down on her all at once.
Heat rushed to her face, her pulse pounding in her ears. Without giving him a chance to react, she turned sharply on her heel, retreating inside and shutting the door behind her with a little too much force. She pressed a hand to her chest, willing her wildly fluttering heart to calm down, but it was no use.
What on earth had possessed her to do that?
She hadn’t even thought it through. It was like her body had been controlled by a puppeteer set on making her look like some sort of lovestruck schoolgirl. Now, she was hiding inside like a complete fool while Zelos was standing on her doorstep, probably laughing his head off at her expense.
A loud, obnoxious sigh pulled her from her thoughts and she spotted Genis standing in the hallway, arms crossed over his chest, looking entirely unimpressed. “Is your boyfriend finally gone?”
Raine snapped upright, humiliation swiftly replacing whatever romantic haze she had been caught in. “Genis,” she all but growled, straightening her posture. “Do not start with me.”
The young boy rolled his eyes at her, making his way to the kitchen, “I’m just saying, if you’re gonna swoon over him, at least do it somewhere that isn’t the front door.”
“I was not swooning.”
“Uh-huh.” He opened the pantry, peering inside with a frown. “…Did he eat all our food?”
The woman sighed, pressing her fingers against her temple. “He cooked for us. Though we didn’t have much to start with.”
“Oh, so now he’s feeding you, too?” Her brother snorted, grabbing a box of crackers and shaking it experimentally. “Guess I should start preparing for a wedding.”
Raine genuinely considered hurling a cushion at his head. “Go to bed, Genis. It’s late.”
“Yeah, yeah, guess that’s what I will do since there’s no food left to eat in this place,” he muttered, disappearing back down the hall.
She exhaled slowly, finally allowing herself a moment of quiet. Tonight had not gone at all the way she had expected. And yet… she found she didn’t really mind.