My First Valentine
Christopher Cain walked through Shiketsu’s gate. His coat fluttered in the wind. His heart pounded. It was Valentine’s Day. He pulled his hat low over his brow. He felt the weight of the single chocolate in his bag like it was solid lead. He just needed to get this to Faith and get out. Easy. Not even he could fuck up such a simple task.
He felt Hitomi laugh.
“Fuck you.”
Christopher sat at his desk. For once, he wasn’t among the first here. Everyone had gotten here early for some, surely innocent, reason. The classroom broiled with the same quiet tension of Valentine’s Day he remembered from back home.
Sally stared longingly at the furiously blushing Noah. Her head in her hand, motionless. It was like she’d forgotten how to blink.
Ashleigh bored a hole in the back of Imai’s head. Imai kept his eyes forward stoically, sparkles hovered around his brow. He seemed composed to a casual observer but to someone who’d been sitting next to him for half a year, it looked like he was about to faint.
Yui muttered to herself excitedly as she clutched something in her bag. She sounded like she was quietly rehearsing lines.
Inigo’s smiling face was transfixed on an empty corner of the room. Christopher sighed as his eyes found Hoge’s, seemingly, empty seat. If he couldn’t see Hoge, she must be about to fucking die. Only Inigo could see her when she was like THIS.
Hifumi and Bobby loitered in the back of the class, sneaking glances at their girlfriends. Unwittingly Christopher followed their gaze. There, in the middle of the room, 5 girls whispered conspiratorially. Minnie and Hailey studiously avoided looking at their boyfriends. Maxine looked to be in the middle of a vehement denial. Edie glanced at Orochi but wasn’t noticed. Faith… Faith was openly holding a full bag of chocolate grinning from ear to ear. She wasn’t looking directly at Christopher, but she would see him out of the corner of her eye.
When Christopher looked at her, her smile grew. His cheeks grew hot.
A massive snort echoed through the room. Christopher’s eyes found the source of the snort in an instant. His friend, the giantess Kaylee, studied the wall beside her, trying her best not to laugh. The girls’ eyes were on her, but they seemed confused rather than appalled. Faith tilted her head curiously, before glancing at Christopher.
Christopher looked away, embarrassed. If Kaylee was laughing at him, what colors had he turned?
As Christopher’s eyes swept toward the front of the room, he noticed his new classmate, sitting where Sandatsu had once sat. Nijimura, the ‘new kid’ seemed oblivious to the goings-on of the class. He just looked excited everyone was here on time.
The class door slid open and Rosethorn walked through. She didn’t even look at the room before she said. “Go ahead and hand out your obligation chocolates now. Then we’ll start class.”
A chorus of metal scraping on linoleum sounded as every girl stood and began to hand out chocolates to their friends. Faith’s bag was wide open as she started with Kaylee, then Yui, she worked her way around the room. Christopher was confused.
‘What the fuck is an obligation chocolate?’ Christopher wondered. From the context it sounded like the sorts of chocolates you gave to colleagues, did they do that in Japan? Were classmates considered colleagues? Back home you were only supposed to give chocolate to the person you were interested in or involved with. He hadn’t thought to look up something so fucking basic as to whom one gives chocolates to on Valentine’s.
Faith handed a small round ball of chocolate to Noah before coming to Christopher. She wore a grin that’d measure a kilometer in each direction.
Christopher avoided eye contact. He couldn’t look directly at her when she smiled like that.
“Here you go!” Faith put a ball of chocolate on Christopher’s desk, no larger than the others.
“… thanks,” Christopher muttered. This kind of sucked. He’d been excited to exchange chocolate with Faith only to find out Japan had taken a perfectly marketable holiday and turned it into Chocolate Secret Santa without the Secret.
Faith glanced behind her. She made sure Rosethorn wasn’t paying attention. She leaned forward and whispered. “Lunch on the roof.”
Christopher raised an eyebrow as he palmed her chocolate. “Sure.” He answered with confidence. He never minded spending time with Faith, even if Valentine’s had turned into such a disappointment. Faith, oblivious to his thoughts, moved on and handed a ball of chocolate to Imai, then Chihiro.
Christopher’s gaze followed Faith. Could he at least give her his chocolate? Would that be a faux pas? He could always explain how things were a little different in the stat--
‘THAT’S RIGHT!’ Christopher realized.
Faith had gone to school in America. She’d know America’s version of the Holiday! She, knowing he was American, probably made him a chocolate for that! Christopher smiled again, his eyes followed Faith around the room.
“Cain-kun.” Rosethorn’s voice cut through Christopher’s thoughts like a knife. He looked up at his teacher. She held her chin in her hand. She wore a stern expression. “Please don’t stare.”
Christopher hastily nodded. Hitomi chortled.
Christopher and Faith came to the school’s roof. Only to discover every couple in Shiketsu had the same idea.
Christopher saw Imai and Ashleigh sitting on the ground, surrounded by a circle of 3rd year couples, completely trapped. He saw Bobby and Minnie trying to find a place to sit down and enjoy their lunch. He saw a couple of 1-C students, some dark elf, and a blonde bastard almost as tall as Kaylee leaning against the wall, chatting happily. The dark elf was doing a poor job of hiding a giant red heart behind her back.
“Standing room only.” Faith laughed. Christopher sighed. That was no exaggeration. In some parts of the roof, where no one had successfully sat down, couples stood shoulder to shoulder, packed against walls and railings like sardines. The couples… didn’t seem to mind the forced proximity.
Christopher was thoroughly confused. From the earlier display, he’d thought Valentine’s Day was more akin to a friendship day in Japan. But the roof’s particularly… crowded state made him think it still had some of the sane romantic connotations it had in the states.
“I thought dating was against the rules,” Christopher muttered, without a hint of irony, as he watched two 2nd years tongue wrestle.
“I don’t think anybody besides the principal cares,” Faith whispered, watching the same couple locked in a passionate embrace. Christopher couldn’t read her expression. She seemed… a little envious.
“… want to find someplace more private?”
“Sure!”
There was nowhere private.
The cafeteria was swarming with singles screaming in the faces of every couple unfortunate enough to wander in. This mob of single men was led by some first-year with a billboard tied to his chest that Christopher had never met. (Was his name Satori?) Sitting apart from the mob at a nearly empty table was Nijimura. Nijimura, always admirably obtuse, quickly invited Christopher and Faith to join him. Christopher politely declined while Faith watched the first-year leader work himself into a frenzied rant about ‘normies.’
They next tried to go outside. The infinite outdoors would surely give them enough room to have a private moment! Standing at the school’s exit was a rotund security guard whose belly jiggled with every word. He explained that Kuraban didn’t want any students eating outside today to cut down on ‘rules violations.’ He said that last with a knowing wink.
Finally, they tried the, supposedly haunted, 3rd floor stairwell. It was... occupied.
Christopher and Faith walked close to the wall, dodging the swarm of fellow lovers walking hand-in-hand. Singles glaring daggers at the lovers, Chris and Faith included. And the lovesick, desperately seeking that one person they wanted to see today. Christopher’s stomach grumbled loudly. Faith giggled.
“Maybe we should just find somewhere to eat? We can talk after school.”
“No,” Christopher shook his head. He didn’t have many positive qualities by his estimation. But there was one! He never gave up! “There’s got to be SOMEWHERE that--”
A gurgle came from beside him. Christopher looked to his right. Faith’s head was turned away. Her ears were a fire engine red. The gurgle had been her stomach.
Christopher looked away pretending he hadn’t heard. But he had heard, hadn’t he? Now he knew Faith was as hungry as he was. He knew that to prolong this fruitless search would be an exercise in cruelty to the girl he loved. That left only one option.
Christopher thought mightily of the two bentos in his pack. He thought of his corn beef with horseradish sauce sandwich. He thought of the mountain of rice and seasoned vegetables waiting for him. His stomach grumbled again. He sighed.
“I’m not gonna make it, let’s just… go to the classroom I guess.” He did his best to sound defeated.
Faith restrained a smile at his lie. She nodded.
When the pair arrived at the classroom their jaws dropped. It was empty. No one not even Rosethorn was here. Christopher and Faith looked at each other. They laughed. All that walking, half a lunch period wasted, when they could’ve just stayed here!
Grabbing Faith’s hand Christopher guided her to sit at the desk next to his. Faith, still laughing, let herself be pulled along. The two pushed the desks together and sat shoulder to shoulder. As if in sync, they both dug into their bags and pulled out a carefully wrapped homemade Chocolate. They turned and thrust their gifts towards each other.
“Happy Valentine’s Day!” Christopher exclaimed.
“Happy Valentine’s Da--” Faith blinked. She looked at his chocolate gift confused. “… huh?”
“What?”
“Why did you bring--” Faith began before her eyes widened in understanding. She laughed.
Christopher studied the chocolate in his hands. It was a handsome confection. A small cube of milk chocolate wrapped in clear plastic with a gold ribbon wrapped around its upper left corner. It wasn’t as cute as Faith’s little heart with a sash of hardened caramel, but nothing worth laughing at.
Christopher pouted. “What’s wrong with it?”
Faith leaned forward and hugged Christopher.
“Dumbass.” She whispered. “Only girls give chocolate on Valentine’s Day!”
“… they do?” Christopher exclaimed. He was shocked. Then when were the boys supposed to say ‘I love you’ by giving their partner diabetes? Was this out of consideration for girls’ post-holiday diets?
“Yeah.” Faith thrust her chocolate into Christopher’s hands and took his chocolate in her own. She kissed him on the cheek as she leaned away. “But I love it, thank you.”
Christopher rubbed his cheek, bewildered. In his other hand, he held the lovingly crafted confection Faith had just given him. In tiny letters, atop the sash of caramel was written the kanji for ‘the moon is beautiful tonight.’ He smiled. “I love you too.”
Faith froze for only a second, due to the setting. She looked around the classroom and confirmed they were still alone. Confirming that she gave Christopher another kiss, this one on the lips. Christopher reciprocated.
For a moment, there was nothing else. Just the two of them, floating in a void. When they finally parted a small part of Christopher died.
“Love you.” Faith repeated, restoring that piece of Christopher to life.
“Love you more.”
Faith grinned sloppily. The two were locked in each other’s eyes until the five-minute warning bell rang.
The two scrambled for their bentos, sharing a laugh at their idiocy. They had about five minutes to woof something down, but neither regretted the delay. Setting her bento on Noah’s desk, Faith looked at Christopher one last time and grinned mischievously.
“Don’t think this gets you out of White Day mister. I expect everything I got today and more.”
Christopher returned the smile on reflex, then her words penetrated the thick hormone-addled fog of his mind. His brow furrowed. “… what the fuck’s a White Day?”