It's almost Valentine's day! Of course Rabbit was eager to bring a box of chocolates to her favorite hero! ... ... but that would mean explaining why she brings a box of chocolates to her favorite hero. That'd be so embarrassing! Maybe she could just leave it by the inn's door for him. Yes, that's perfect! But would he see it? Surely the strongest, most loved hero would get plenty of chocolates! Hers won't really matter... Well, even if they don't... the important part is to receive them and not who sends them! Right?
Rabbit placed the box by his door, with a small note "For my favorite hero!" and with that she scooted away before anyone spots her.
Kzinssie emerged from his room with his hands wrung and a scowl fixed firmly in place, the sourest expression he could muster. He had delayed the inevitable for as long as possible, slipping out well into the morning, but it did little to improve his mood. He knew exactly what day it wasā had spent enough years stalking Rocbouquet as he picked out her gifts, only to end up as empty-handed as ever.
Who even was Valentine, anyway? Some smug bastard, no doubt. If Kzinssie ever met the guy, he was gonna rip the soul right out of him, just as years of chocolateless misery had done to him.
Naturally, he expected nothing. Expected to get through the day as he always did: ignored, alone and bitter as Wagnas received yet another lavish display of unrequited affection from Rocbouquet.
What he did not expect was to trip clean over a box left outside his door, his foot catching on the corner, sending him face-first into the hardwood floor. A shower of chocolates rained down around him, scattering across the hallway.
He blinked. Sat up slowly, disoriented.
His eyes darted around, scanning the mess in disbelief before settling on the culprit: a heart-shaped box lying open on the floor. Warily, he reached for it, half expecting the thing to be booby-trapped, but no explosions followed. No cruel tricks. Just a simple note tucked inside, peeking up at him like a taunt.
āFor my favorite hero!ā
Oh, crap. His heart lifted and sank in the same breath. He was in deep. Too deep.
He should tell her. Tell her, and then vanish into the afternoon sun before Cat found out. Or leave a note. Orā hell ā maybe he could just disappear entirely, like he usually did when things got too complicated.
But instead, still sitting on the floor, surrounded by chocolate and centuries of poor life decisions, he plucked one from the ground and popped it into his mouth.
And he knew then, as the taste melted on his tongue, that he wasnāt gonna tell her anything.
Not today. Not tomorrow. Maybe not ever.
Instead, he sat there, legs sprawled across the floor, absently reaching for another chocolate. He wasnāt good at this. At honesty. At handling things the way normal people did. He could fight, he could mock, he could vanish into the shadows when it suited him. But this?
He swallowed the truth down with another piece of chocolate, leaned his head back against the doorframe.
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