lucy had always thought she would be alone every valentine’s day. no matter how hard she wished, she wouldn’t have someone who loved her enough to stay like that. as such, she awoke with little hopes and ready to face a dreary day.
she fixed her bed and dressed herself, combing out her hair, brushing her teeth. her bosses at uzumaki café were all very sweet to her, allowing her to have some of the extra foods or misshapen ones for her breakfast, so she didn’t bother with that. she braided her hair, checking in the mirror once before deciding it was too much of a hassle for someone who would spend the day alone. then she opened her front door.
if she were even a little less attentive, she would’ve stepped right into a basket of red hearts and flowers. instead, her foot hovered almost comically, her entire being frozen.
what? a… valentine’s day gift basket? had it been delivered to the wrong apartment?
she squatted before it, inspecting, not wanting to ruin it if it were mistakenly delivered. (which of course it was, who was she kidding?) after a bit of assessing, she lifted a small card that was tied onto the handle of the basket, just to check. for the name, she told herself, and not to feel, even just for a moment, how it felt to be loved.
have a day as beautiful as you, lucy :), it read.
her heart stuttered. what?
she stood in a rush, lifting the basket into her arms as she stepped forward, towards the railing of her apartment floor. looking down at the streets below, she noticed a familiar figure wandering aimlessly in circles.
“atsushi?!” she yelped, a little too loud.
atsushi looked up, his eyes bright in the morning light. he lifted a hand in a wave, then brought it to his mouth, cupping his hands so he could shout back, “good morning!”
she flushed, stepping back, blinking quickly. huh??? what??
she glanced down at the basket, noticing now that the paper hearts strewn about were slightly misshapen, probably cut by atsushi himself, and there was a little doll that somewhat resembled anne drawn messily on the back of the card.
oh my god.
it was in a frenzy that she started down the apartment floor, only turning once because she forgot to lock her door, before stumbling down the steps, basket clutched tightly in her hands. atsushi met her at the bottom, smiling wide and bashful, glad to see she’d found the basket.
“uhm, i—” he started, but lucy cut him off, cheeks burning red, hoping this wasn’t some terrible prank.
“are you— do you—” she stammered, unsure what to say now that she was talking.
atsushi waved his hands wildly to calm her down, looking just as lost as her now. “i wanted to, uhm, ask you something. if you didn’t mind.”
“what?” lucy asked breathlessly.
“could you… be my valentine? …or whatever is supposed to be said. it’s probably weird now, sorry, i was just—”
something like relief and pure joy flooded lucy, and she interrupted again, nodding furiously. “yes, i— what? are you serious, i can’t believe— what the hell—”
they spoke over each other, confused, flustered, but utterly overjoyed, their smiles wide and full and so in love. when they calmed down, they moved to the side to sit on the curb, and atsushi rummaged through the basket, explaining how he’d put it together. lucy nodded and watched, gazing at him with a wonder in her eyes. and she thought, for the first time, maybe she wasn’t going to be alone after all.
