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“You"re not doing anything for tomorrow, Riddle?”
Riddle looks up from his book and glances questioningly at Jamil, who"s in the kitchen cooking something up. “No, I don"t believe so. Why, what is tomorrow?”
“It"s Valentine"s.” At the redhead"s blank stare, Jamil sighs and puts the bowl in his arms down. “You know, the day where couples profess their love to each other. I thought you"d be doing something special for Ace.”
“Oh.” Riddle puts his book down and tilts his head. “But I can already do that whenever I want. Is there a difference?”
As if sensing some hidden drama, Azul peeks his head down the stairs just in time to catch the last part of Riddle"s words, and he and Jamil lock eyes with the same thought.
They"re so cute!
“Jamil? Azul? Why are you two looking at each other like that?”
Azul clears his throat and makes his way down to where Riddle"s sitting. “Oh, don"t worry about that, worry about what you"re going to do for your boyfriend!”
“And what should I be doing..?”
“Why, finding gifts, of course! Valentine"s is the one day you get to absolutely shower your lover with chocolates and flowers!”
“Don"t listen to him, Riddle. Having a nice gift is great, but it"s about the feeling that goes behind it." Jamil picks the bowl up and goes back to his cooking. "Find out what he likes, and give it to him. It"s pretty simple.”
“What Ace likes..?” Riddle thinks for a minute, then his eyes light up as a plan forms in his head. “Ah, I got it!”
The redhead scrambles to his feet, grabbing his coat off the rack, and Azul watches as Riddle rushes to get ready. “What has you in such a hurry so suddenly, Riddle? An idea, I take it?”
“Yes! I"ll be right back!” Riddle pauses in the doorway to put his other shoe on, giving him just enough time to answer. “I need to ask Trey for a favor!”
The next day:
Ace hums Riddle"s favorite song to himself as he wipes down a table. Soon! Soon, Riddle will be here, and Ace can give his wonderful boyfriend a gift he deserves, and maybe they"ll make out again, and–
“What"s got you in such a good mood, Ace?”
Right. He"s not alone anymore. So much for making out.
Ace turns and meets Francis"s eyes with a grin. "What, a guy can"t just have a good day? It"s nothing."
"Really? Sure you don"t have a date or anything?"
"Eh, well..." Ace scratches the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "If things work out, it might!"
"Whoa, good for you!" Francis puts his elbows on the counter and smirks as he leans forward. "Who"s the lucky girl?"
Ace winces. "Uh, well, actually–"
The door bell jingles, and both of them turn to see Riddle awkwardly standing there with his hands behind his back. "Am I... interrupting something? And why are there two of you now?"
"Riddle!" As much as Ace hates admitting it, he really does brighten up whenever Riddle"s around. "Nah, you"re not interrupting at all. Actually, we were just finishing."
Francis raises an eyebrow. "But we–"
"Nope, we"re done!" Ace saunters back behind the counter, pushing the other back. "And to answer your question, Cater-senpai made a post about us and sales shot through the roof, so Trey-senpai figured it"d be good to get some extra help."
"Ah, yes, I think I do remember Cater saying something about visiting. I hope it hasn"t caused you two much trouble." Riddle nods at them with a slight smile. "Good work, both of you."
Francis perks up and grins as he stands next to Ace. "Thanks, Riddle! Now, can I–"
"I think I got this, dude. Why don"t you go to the back instead?" Francis" eyes narrow, and Ace glares right back at him.
If magic was real, Riddle swears he’d be able to see sparks flying between the two of them, but eventually, Francis stalks off to the back of the store, leaving Ace grinning as he turns to the redhead. “So! Happy Valentine’s to my beautiful boyfriend,” Ace chirps, taking Riddle’s hands in his. “What do you want, rosebud?”
Riddle squeezes Ace’s fingers. “I suppose you’re not an option?”
The first-year’s eyes go wide with surprise, and he laughs as he leans in. “Not right now, but after my shift, definitely.” He closes the distance and kisses the tip of Riddle’s nose, but even though he pulls back after, their hands stay intertwined. “How about something I can actually make, yeah?”
“Very well. How about just one latte, yes?” Ace opens his mouth to say something, and Riddle raises his free hand to shush him with a pout. “I see that look on your face. I’m not going overboard again, don’t you worry.”
“Alright, alright~ just one latte, then? You know what to do, rosebud! Half off today, just for you.” When Riddle doesn’t move, Ace frowns slightly and tilts his head. “Riddle? You good? I can just cover it if–”
“No, that’s not it! I- I was just wondering– it’s not legal tender so I completely understand if you’re not able to take it, but I was wondering if I could just…” Riddle’s hands fumble with something, and he eventually holds out a pastry box and a bouquet of roses towards Ace, his head turned away to hide his embarrassment. “Pay with this instead…”
Ace’s frown turns into a genuine look of surprise, and he carefully peeks inside the box. “Cherry pie? Riddle, did you..?”
Riddle, still refusing to meet Ace’s eyes, nods slowly. “I made it for you. It may not be perfect, but Deuce said it was your favorite, so…”
For a few moments, Ace is struck silent as he glances between the roses and the pie (and no, he does not swoon ), but he eventually grins from ear to ear as he takes the box from Riddle’s hands. “Damn right it’s my favorite! And of course you can use that, I’m just gonna need a little something extra.”
Riddle tilts his head in confusion, but Ace taps his cheek expectantly and he gets it. “Ah, I see. Alright then, if the wonderful barista insists.” The redhead goes on his tiptoes and softly kisses him, and Ace beams as he takes the bouquet and cake box from Riddle’s hands.
“Okay then, I’ll be out with your drink soon! And with a little surprise too~”
“Surprise? What kind?”
Ace’s grin turns cheeky. “Well, you’ll just have to wait and find out! I’ll be sure to bring it out with your drink, ‘kay?”
“Alright, alright. You know where to find me, Ace.” Riddle strolls over to his usual table, and Ace does a mock salute before running off into the back with the pie and bouquet in his arms. He pushes the curtains aside, and Francis gapes at him.
“Whoa, hey– dude, what’s all that? And what did you just do with Riddle?” He asks in disbelief. Ace merely answers with a hum, and Francis’s eyes go wide when the other pulls a box of strawberries out of the fridge. “Wait, we had those? Since when?”
“Since I bought them yesterday.” Ace starts up the espresso machine, adding a few fresh rose petals on top of the coffee grounds and letting it run.
“And why did you buy strawberries? It’s not like we don’t have other ingredients.”
The first-year tosses the strawberry pieces into the milk and lets the steam run through the milk. “Spirit of the season! C’mon, pink drinks on Valentine’s are bound to sell.”
“Okay, but you haven’t made that drink for anyone except…” A look of horror dawns on Francis’s face, but he simply closes his mouth and watches as Ace pulls another box out of the fridge, then a slightly crushed bouquet out of his backpack. The first-year can barely carry it all, but he eventually makes do and winks at Francis before he leaves.
“Wish me luck!” Ace struts out to Riddle’s table, and sets the drink down before holding out his own box and bouquet.
“Well now, what’s all this?” Riddle asks, pleasantly surprised as he hugs the colorful roses to his chest. “Flowers, and… chocolate-covered strawberries?”
“And a special strawberry rose latte, just for you! Tell me if you like the flavor, cause I literally just made it on the spot.” Ace grins and turns on his heel, blowing a kiss at the redhead over his shoulder. “Enjoy, rosebud! And come get me if you need anything else.”
Riddle nods, and Ace starts humming another song (he’s started leaning more towards classical now that the redhead’s gotten him into it) as he wipes down the counters like usual. It’s not even five minutes before Riddle marches up, setting the cup down in front of the tablet and staring up at Ace.
“Riddle? That was quick,” Ace says with a laugh. “What is it?”
“The strawberries were good, but since you made this especially for me, I figured I should at least let you know how it was,” Riddle replies. He picks the mug up and sips from it, falling silent as he thinks of what to say. “Well, it’s certainly different from what you usually make.”
Ace feels his hands go clammy, and he’s acutely aware of how awkward his smile is. “You… don’t like it?”
Riddle huffs and crosses his arms. “Now who said anything about that? I love it. In fact, I love it so much I’d like to give the barista a nice tip.” Ace barely has time to react before two hands pull him down, and then he tastes sweetness and coffee and the barest hint of rose, making all his worries disappear just like that.
(In the back, Francis is mentally kicking himself. The signs were all there, and yet he hadn’t read any of them. Well… surely, there’d be someone in his philosophy class willing to go out with him.)