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If there's one thing Rin hates in his life, it's busybodies; therefore, he can't stop a vein from popping up on his forehead and his eyes from glaring at the three idiots who follow him closely every time he turns around, jaded, and tries to make them shut up with his angry gaze, but they ignore him. The situation has even brought a few snarls from his lips.
As he walks along the sidewalk, occasionally glancing at the shop windows on the street, he listens to his “appreciated” companions chattering behind him non-stop, making him lose his patience to enormous proportions. He wouldn't be surprised if his fist ends up crashing into one of their annoying faces. He's feeling too stressed (and worried) about how little time he has left to achieve his goal to let those three bastards keep ruining his day.
“You're a genius, Karasu!” he hears the youngest of the group, Charles, flatter.
“I agree ”replies the damn cockroach, its voice as annoying as it is disgusting, making him growl once again. “Your gift is super original!” adds the blond.
“Thank you, thank you,” the crow boasts in a boastful voice.
She doesn't understand the reason for all the chatter. What's supposed to be in the bag Karasu picked up at a jewelry store a few minutes ago? She must admit she's curious, not because she's interested in what the raven is going to give her boyfriend, but because the gift she has might give her at least a little inspiration to get one of her own. Now she regrets ignoring the moment she showed it to the other two idiots; maybe she should swallow her pride and ask.
Of course not, no way! He's not going to stoop so low as to ask Karasu to show him the gift, but everything changes when in his mind appears the image of the reason for his excursion through the city in search of a gift: Nanase and his smile are drawn in his head, even his gait stops.
Shit, he looks like an idiot in love (he knows he is). He never expected to be, but when it comes to Nijiro Nanase, his whole world is turned upside down.
That boy, with his calm and gleaming features, with bright and lively eyes that always watch him like the biggest of stars, with a cheerful and often welcoming voice; with a hyperactive personality and who has the flaw (that doesn't bother him so much anymore) of talking as if his life depended on it, had literally made a mess of him, so much so that he got to the point of practically begging Loki to ask Ego for permission to leave the premises to look for a Valentine's Day gift for Nanase, his Nanase. Did he achieve his goal? Yes, but there were two points that filled him with helplessness and made him let out curses: he had to be accompanied by Shidou, Charles and Karasu (the last one also had almost his same mission) and, to his bad luck and own carelessness, he never thought about what to give Nijiro as a present.
The first problem he was able to bear with much effort, but the second one was bringing out green gray hairs in him. “Why was it so hard to choose a gift?!” There were thousands of options, but he didn't want to resort to the typical clichés of roses, chocolates or stuffed animals; he wanted to give Nanase something special, something that, every passing day, he would see by his side and remind him of him. It sounded a bit possessive, but that was Rin.
Letting out a sigh where he thought he let out every last drop of his stubborn pride, he turned around and approached the other three, who looked at him confused and with a “What about this one?” face.
“Can you show me?” he asks; his voice is heavy and sounds more like a command. His index finger points to the bag that the jet is holding in his right hand.
Karasu seems hesitant, but slowly lifts the bag to pull out its contents, all to the attentive and curious gaze of the two blondes (even if they already knew what it was about). Rin remains neutral as he waits. Karasu's hand comes out of the plastic accompanied by a pretty red velvet box that she carefully opens, revealing two necklaces with very peculiar charms: a feather with blue details and a shuriken with greenish details. Rin is quick to relate them to the corresponding nicknames of Karasu and her boyfriend, that green-haired boy whose name she doesn't exactly remember. Strangely enough, Rin compliments her partner's creativity; it's not loud, but she does so while cursing herself for not having thought of something like this before.
“I ordered them from the jewelry store almost a month ago” he mentions calmly, and that hits right at Rin, even if his words had no such purpose.
“You think of everything, Karasu” Shidou says as he peeks in to see the necklaces.
“And how did you know Otoya's measurements?” Charles also approaches and asks with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Karasu makes a small grimace that looks like terror.
“I'll just say that sneaking around in the Spanish stratum is dangerous; Laviho almost strangled me when he found me measuring Toya's neck” he recounts, remembering that night as he closes the box and returns it to the bag. “He must have thought I was a weirdo.”
“What did you want to see Karasu's gift for, RinRin?” the younger Itoshi clicks his tongue; he knew Shidou wouldn't keep his mouth shut.
Rin sighs for the thousandth time that day and wonders to himself if it would be the right thing to tell those three about his problem. He faithfully believes that would be foolish, but neither is the possibility of, crazy as it sounds, asking for their help completely out of the question. He tries to come up with more options, but his mind is unable to do so and he gives up; after all, he doesn't have much time. It's past noon and they only have leave until four in the afternoon.
Well, there's no other option left; anything for his country boy.
“I need you to...” he gives a sigh, still in disbelief at what he's about to do. He feels the expectant and anxious gaze of the others. “Help find a gift for Nanase” he finishes speaking and waits for the other's reaction.
Rin could swear that the demon himself possessed him at the sound of Shidou and Charles' laughter.
“The great Rin Itoshi doesn't know what to get her boyfriend!” Shidou slaps him on the back while another of his hands exactly holds his stomach in an attempt to calm his, in Rin's opinion, outrageous laughter.
“Shit, you're a fool!” the younger blond joins in the mockery and points at him judgmentally; from his lips also comes a booming laugh that, like Shidou's, makes Rin snap out of it.
“I never expected that from you, genius” Karasu folds his arms; Rin is thankful that at least he's not laughing like a deranged, childish maniac.
“Stop, you fucking antennae!” he demands fed up as he holds Shidou's arm, stopping his silly punches.
“Do something to Shidou and we won't help you” Charles speaks with a serious tone, or at least he tries to, as the occasional chuckle escaped his lips.
Rin lets go of the brunet, but equally his face contorts into an annoyed grimace. The two blondes continue to laugh a little quieter.
“Why didn't you think of that before?” asks the only one who looks more serious of the three.
“I didn't think it would be that hard.”
“Difficult?!” exclaims Ryusei beside him.
“There are thousands of options, idi0ta! Dah!” it's incredibly stupid for those two to complete their sentences.
“I don't want to be a lukewarm person giving away something basic; I want to give Nanase something special.”
“And according to you what's basic?” while Shidou's voice annoys him every time he hears it, now it does it three times as much.
“Chocolates, teddy bears, flowers, shall I go on?” he speaks normally.
“Flowers aren't basic” the tone of voice the older blond uses seems to stress a truism. “If I could, I'd fill Sae-chan with them tomorrow.” Shidou lets out a small sob that seems real, but it's not sure if it is.
“I agree” Karasu joins the discussion. “In fact, I was thinking of giving some lilies to Otoya tomorrow to go with the necklaces.”
“That's the solution!” the youngest of them all approaches with an animated face and a smile on his face.
“What did you come up with?” asks Shidou excitedly as he approaches the boy. The Frenchman turns his head and fixes his gaze on Rin.
“You'll buy what you call basic, RinRin” the Itoshi frowns.
“I think I was clear when I said I didn't want to.” Those two are earning themselves a good smack. What, are they deaf.
"Let me explain; you'll buy everything you named as a companion for the gift you want to be unique. While we're getting all that, we can think of some special gift." Charles speaks as if he had just said the greatest idea in the world, which, even if he wouldn't admit it, Rin could use.
“You're a little genius, Charles!” Shidou doesn't take long to start playing with the younger boy's hair, making a mess of it, but the Frenchman doesn't seem to mind, as he laughs along with Ryusei.
“It hurts a little to accept it, but it's a good idea” Karasu mentions, crossing his arms.
Rin relaxes a little and sighs.
“We'll do it” she finally agrees, and Charles seems to be the happiest with the positive answer.
“We'll be cupids!”
[...]
The first stop was a stuffed animal store which, to Rin's bad taste, was packed. It was thanks to Shidou's aggressiveness that they managed to enter the place without much effort.
Once inside, they began to look for the best option on the shelves; each one dodging people and taking a different stuffed animal to bring to Rin for approval.
More than half an hour had passed and Rin had not approved any of them.
As she waited for Charles' self-appointed “cupids,” Rin scanned the store intently. It was then that her eyes were drawn to the lowest shelf: the stuffed animal was a brown bear, neither that big nor that small; its eyes were blue with slight violet hints and its clothing was only a small purple shirt with a heart stamped on the fabric that held an “I love you” in cursive script and black thread.
It was perfect.
She hurried over, squatted down in front of the rack, but as she was about to take it, an arm full of colorful bracelets reached forward and grabbed the toy. Rin looked up to find an almost five-year-old girl with brown hair and a smiling expression.
“I was here first,” she said, and the little girl seemed to understand her intentions to claim the teddy bear.
“But I took it first” a lukewarm argument, in Rin's opinion, but valid.
“How much do you want to give it to me?” sounded even insensitive, but they must understand a desperate lover.
“I won't give it to you” the little girl clings to the toy possessively. At the girl's refusal, Rin clicked her tongue.
An idea came into her head.
“Tell me, runt, do you love someone?” he asked with characteristic serenity.
“Yes, Mom.”
“I see, you know, I love someone too and I want to give her a gift as proof of that.” The brown girl cocked her head a little curiously.
“You want to give this to her?” slowly, the little girl separates the stuffed toy from her chest and places it in front of Rin.
“Yes.”
“Would the person you love take good care of it?” Rin doesn't even think about that question and answers right away.
“He will, believe me, he cares and loves even people who are broken.” The younger girl smiled.
“I'll give it to you, but you'll swear it'll be fine.” The jet nods and brings his hand to his chest under the girl's watchful gaze.
“I swear.” He said, and with a smile, the little girl hands him the bear and then runs off.
With her target in her arms, Rin stands and admires the bear; it reminds her a little of Nanase. For the moment, only the flowers and chocolates remain; she still doesn't choose the special gift, but she is sure that some idea comes to her mind or that of her “cupids”. Who, by the way, where had they got to?
“I think this will serve as a bribe against Sae-chan” he hears Shidou's voice nearby and turns around; he regrets having asked the above question, but that doesn't matter, as he notices how the brunet keeps his phone in one of his jacket pockets.
“You recorded it, didn't you, cockroach?” unfortunately, the blond nods; a smirk appears on his face.
“What do you eat that you guess!”
[...]
The chocolates were not difficult to obtain; now, with the clock showing 02:59 p.m., only the flowers and the special gift are missing.
Now the four of them are in a flower shop; Karasu observes the lilies accompanied by Shidou, while he, together with Charles, listen attentively to the recommendations of the store employee.
“Blue and purple flowers?” the red-haired woman repeats Charles' request in a kind tone.
“Right, we need the prettiest ones they have” the Frenchman smiles determinedly, and the girl nods.
“I think I have what you are looking for” Rin curves her lips slightly as she hears the employee. “I'll be right back.” And without further ado, the girl exits the cash register and begins to move around the store.
“Well?” Shidou approaches them along with Karasu, who already holds in her arms a pretty bouquet of white lilies that stand out against the greenish decorative paper, accompanied by leaves without any imperfections.
“The manager went to get our order” announces the youngest.
A few minutes later, the girl returns and brings with her a bouquet of nothing less than hydrangeas; their small flowers, with violet and bluish petals, are grouped harmoniously, giving off a subtle beauty as well as their scent. Their stems surrounded by a blue ribbon forming a bow are covered by a pretty violet-toned paper.
Rin couldn't help but be reminded of Nanase at the sight of the flowers; her heart skipped a beat as his smile appeared in her mind, as lively and warm as ever, perfect.
[...]
She must agree that they were more relaxed than necessary in their shopping; therefore, they deserved how hectic their breathing was from the many streets they walked through in search of the special gift. They checked jewelry stores, pastry shops, nurseries, you name it, but Rin failed to find what she was looking for, although at this point she still didn't even know what she was looking for.
The younger Itoshi picks up his phone and looks at the time; his concern grows as he sees that it is only a little more than twenty minutes before it is time to return. He turns his gaze to Karasu and Shidou, who are trying to pull themselves together beside him; they look agitated despite their athletic condition. Fortunately, Charles stayed with all the purchases in the small park that was near the flower shop where they got the bouquets of hydrangeas and lilies.
Itoshi knows that time is about to run out and it fills him with frustration; he even squeezes the fabric of his jeans tightly in an attempt to free it.
“We can still find something” Karasu speaks haltingly beside him.
“I don't think so; Miss Anri will pick us up soon, and if we don't go with her, we'll be in trouble.” As annoying as it is, he knows Shidou is right.
“We should go with Charles and send our location to Anri.” Karasu doesn't put against Rin's word and nods.
The three of them start walking towards the place where they left Charles without losing speed, but in spite of that, Rin doesn't stop feeling bad; he hadn't managed to find something special for Nanase and that made him feel disappointed in himself. Nijiro deserves much more, deserves something just as special as him, but he was unable to find something like that.
The minutes pass and, when they arrive at the park, they find Charles on the same bench where they asked him to stay; however, the Frenchman is accompanied by two old women who seem to be teaching him something. Confused, the three approach and notice that the younger one has yarn, fake stones and some colorful plastic ornaments between his fingers; he is making handles/bracelets.
“Charles?” it is Shidou who catches their attention.
“It's you guys!” the boy smiles as his fingers continue to fiddle with reddish threads.
“What are you doing?” asks Karasu; the younger boy lets out a small laugh.
“While I was waiting for them, I took off my translator headphones and heard someone speaking French; it turns out she's French.” Chevalier points to one of the elderly women sitting on the neighboring bench. “It was a crazy coincidence; she and her friend proposed to teach me how to make manillas and I agreed because it looked fun.”
Rin doesn't give much thought to the boy's words, as he is busy sinking into his pessimistic thoughts; thus, he ignores the complicit glances Karasu and Shidou share.
“RinRin” the brunet calls. Rin turns to look at him indifferently, but he ignores her angry expression and speaks again. “A new idea came up.”
[...]
February fourteenth, Valentine's Day, a date on which Nanase has always celebrated only friendship, but this year is different, because now he will also celebrate love.
Many found it unbelievable that Rin and he had something more than a teacher-disciple relationship; everyone relentlessly stresses how cold Rin was and that his attitude could end up hurting him, but those comments are not relevant to him, especially when he loves Rin.
Nanase walks through the corridors in a hurry, holding the small gift he prepared with dedication and affection for Rin: a chocolate cake. It was no easy task to make it, but Rin tasting it is worth the effort.
Once he reached the shared dining room of the French stratum, he looked for Rin with his eyes, but could not find him. Was he still sleeping? It was unlikely because of his disciplined routine, but there can always be an exception; with that thought in mind, Nanase turns around ready to visit Rin in her room, but with what he finds at the entrance of the dining room, he is left speechless.
Just below the automatic door is Rin; in one of her hands she holds a beautiful bouquet of hydrangeas that dazzles his eyes; in the other arm, she holds an adorable teddy bear and a box of filled chocolates. Their eyes meet and it is then that Nanase notices the hint of embarrassment that runs through Rin's body. Smiling, Nijiro leaves the cake on a nearby table and approaches the younger one, who follows him with his eyes.
Standing face to face, the Itoshi carefully hands the bouquet to Nanase, and while he sniffs the flowers, Rin is able to take “the cherry on the cake”. The Itoshi pulls out of his pajama pocket the gift Charles helped him make.
“It's for you” he mentions; the eyes he adores so much fixate on his open palm. He couldn't be happier to see how Nanase is surprised by what his hand is holding: a small handle of purple and white threads, accompanied by small plastic pearls and a cute golden heart as the main ornament. Nijiro takes it and quickly attaches it to his wrist. “Thanks for everything” he says nervously, although he knows how to hide it (a little).
He hears Nanase laugh softly for a few seconds.
It is when the lips he loves so much, soft and delicious, meet his that he accepts the fact that maybe, just maybe, his three idiot cupids did an excellent job.