Work Text:
The smell of chocolate wafts through the dorm.
Rean has been assaulted by it since he woke up, and as he cools down from his morning training, he peeks into the dorm's kitchen to see the students hard at work, Sandy guiding them as best as she can while they share the limited space.
He giggles as he leaves them alone, taking a quick shower before moving to take his own special present tucked away in his drawer.
Crow's coming over after classes, so he has to be prepared with his own box of chocolates. Traditionally the girls are supposed to gift special chocolates on Valentines and the boys will reciprocate on White Day, but...
He can't wait that long.
"Good morning, Instructor." A familiar voice calls out from behind as he exits the dorms, he turns to see Altina by the open doors with her hands behind her back.
"Good morning, Altina." Rean greets with a smile, holding back his excitement. Can't be too giddy around the students or he would never hear the end of their teasing. "Is there something wrong?"
She can't stand still, looking around here and there, even though there's not much people other than the students out and about this early. Inside the dorms is another matter, a few presences lurking protectively behind the door.
"No, nothing is wrong." She shakes her head.
Is she perhaps...?
"You can do it later in class, if that's more comfortable."
Half of homeroom will be spent exchanging chocolates either way. Better to give them a time to do it rather than forcing them to sneak it around and letting the chocolate melt.
"No! I..." She trails off, her mutters sounding like 'I wanted to be the first...', if he's not mistaken.
Rean moves forward to pat her head, then steps away from her personal space. "Take your time."
After all, this is her first time with this kind of festivity. Things were too chaotic for them to celebrate with post-war restoration being prioritised, then there was the whole incident with Crossbell afterwards.
Now, after months and months, they have some sort of peace, enough to indulge in a sense of gratefulness for everyone around them.
"Instructor Rean..." She takes a deep breath, then shows him what she's been holding behind her back, thrusting a small transparent bag of chocolates into his hand. "Happy Valentine's Day. Thank you for... your guidance as Class VII's Instructor."
A bit too formal, but it's a start.
Rean smiles as he takes her bag of chocolates. "Thank you, Altina."
Her nervousness melts, and the smile she returns—a sign of how far she's grown—is better than any present he could ever ask for.
"I have your chocolates with the rest of Class VII's at my desk, so look forward to them later during homeroom."
She nods twice, and with a short bow, she disappears past the doors of the dorm, muffling the 'that's unfair!' 'I would've loved to be his first~' and such from behind it.
Rean shakes his head and pretends he heard nothing, heading to the Branch Campus, ready for the usual day of classes.
Nothing else of note happens, other than the usual teasing as chocolates were exchanged during homeroom. The students—mostly the girls—gave the boys and each other friendship chocolates, and Rean handed them the ones he bought for them, a dark chocolate in assorted shapes, to combat the mountains of milk chocolate that they must already have received.
"I believe Instructor Rean has his special chocolates reserved for a certain someone later, right? ♡" Musse giggles with a wink.
"It's written all over your face." Ash rolls his eyes with crossed arms behind his head.
Rean laughs awkwardly and offers no more, least they take it for ammo.
Lessons go on, they finish up with some notices of what's coming on their timeline—field exercises starting back up and exams on the horizon, to their loud sighs and groans—and with the student's bow, they each take their leave.
He gathers up his materials to allow the bright presence by the entrance to Leeves some time to head his way, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out.
Relishing in the sweet flavour of peace.
Students exchanging friendship chocolates in the corridors, laughing and giggling as they head to the campus garden, Instructor Towa doing her best with a tower of chocolates boxes taller than she is.
By the time he tidies up the empty Instructor's Room, a certain someone waits outside the door.
"You can come in, you know," Rean calls out, standing in front of his desk.
Crow opens the door just enough to slip in, almost catching his coattail as it closes. "Didn't wanna interrupt ya."
"As if you don't interrupt me whenever you want." He shakes his head. Especially when he aims to call him at exactly the time to cut off his concentration when he grades, though it's always after he has gotten most of it out of the way, forcing him to take an extended break. But anyway...
"Happy Valentine's Day, Crow."
His partner strides over with purpose, grabbing his cheeks and kissing him, slipping his tongue in, taking his breath away, before pulling back and placing their foreheads together, forcing him to lean against his desk behind to steady his weak knees.
He's only allowing this because they're alone, despite being on Campus grounds.
"Happy Valentine's, Rean," he whispers against his plump, reddened lips as he regains his breath. Red eyes as bright as the sunset streaming in from the windows, a colour he won't ever be tired of. "I gotchu an exciting present back home, but that's later."
Oh no.
"What did you do." Rean deadpans. Crow giggles in that musical tone, the tone that promises fun in the bedroom. He sighs. "Will your mind ever crawl out of the gutter?"
"Nah, not when I got ya." This man is lucky that he can never deny him.
At least it'll be in the privacy of their rented home on the outskirts of Leeves, courtesy of Principal Aurelia. He would never hear the end of it if they fooled around in his room at the dorms or at a borrowed one in Barney's Inn.
"Rean." Crow shifts to grab something from his jacket. "Close your eyes."
Rean does without a second thought, his hand is moved and a light box is placed inside his palms.
"You can open now."
The violet box in his hands looks modest, tied with a lilac ribbon with one side longer than the other.
"Can I...?" Rean asks, just in case.
"Go ahead." Crow is trying to keep his voice contained, though there's a slight falter.
He lifts the lid off.
Oh.
The shiny milk chocolate is in various shapes, of lotuses, leaves, and... 50 mira coins. They look good, the presentation is beautiful, there's a message written on the underside of the lid.
He can't help laughing.
"Er..." Crow lets out, intelligently. He definitely didn't expect him to laugh.
"S-Sorry. It's..." Rean stops. It's easier to show him. He puts it down on the desk and passes the box of chocolates he's been itching to give him all day, a maroon box tied with a pastel red bow. "Open it."
Crow dumbly lifts the lid off, and bursts into laughter of his own.
The dark chocolate inside is in shapes of lino petals, leaves, and 50 mira coins. He made them himself with help from the Cooking Club, mixing high-quality cocoa powder to get it bitter enough to suit his partner-in-crime's tastes. There's a letter taped to the underside of the lid, too, reminiscing how much it took for them to be here, by each other's side. In the centre of it all? A 50 mira coin.
Which sends Rean back into giggles. It takes a while until they've gotten it all out.
"Same idea, huh." Crow giggles as he puts the box down beside his. The lids of both set aside, showing their gifts off to the world.
"Mhm." Rean leans forward and holds Crow's cheek, pecking his lips and placing their foreheads back together. "Again, Happy Valentine's Day, Crow."
"Happy Valentine's. Hope you're ready for round two later." He snickers as he holds his waist possessively.
"Is there round three too?" Rean wraps his arms around his neck.
"If you don't wanna wake up early for the Free Day tomorrow, you could've just said so."
"Crow!"
They laugh, leisurely kissing a few more times, enjoying the closeness after being away from each other for so long.
"Though... I guess it's one way for you to pay off that interest." Rean tilts his head to the side, exposing his neck.
"Yeah?" The raised eyebrow and grin has no right making him look this nice.
"Don't get cocky, I'm only counting it this time!" Because if it was included all the time, that interest would be paid back too fast for his liking.
"Then I better make it really worth that mira, huh." Wow, Crow's going all in.
"Is that a promise?"
"You tell me, Instructor."
They take their chocolates—and the rest the Instructor received from his students—and Rean pushes Crow off the Campus grounds before they get carried away. No repeats of that one time, no thank you. Musse gave him knowing looks the whole week afterwards.
That night, after a dinner of fish burgers cooked up by Crow's dextrous hands, they spend their time in bed with that exciting present, until they've released their pent-up desires all over the bedsheets, cuddling the remainder of Valentine's away.