1A/N: TIME TO RUSH A BIRTHDAY/VALENTINE'S FIC.
Honestly when I saw the list of dub names and Kirina as "Valentin Eisner" it took a few hours for it to finally click. I screamed.
Well played, Level-5. Well played.
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Valentine's Day. A day where girls give chocolates to boys they're interested in.
Or, as Kirina would say – Chocolate Hell.
"This is always a fun time of year." Mansaku said, as they passed through the school gates. Kirina was glancing around grimly, clutching his bag to his chest. He wore his white sweater under his uniform today, the hood already up over his head, as if to hide him from the inevitable. "I bet it'll be as bad as last year. And the year before that."
"You're overreacting..." Asuto laughed nervously, practically feeling the displeasure flowing out of his friend. "We're still pretty new here, so maybe it won't be such a big problem?"
"I don't know, Asuto, the girls in my class made it pretty clear they'd be up to something..." Kirina said, pulling his hood tighter over his head.
Asuto was about to say something as they approached the shoe lockers, but as Kirina reached out to open his, he got it half an inch open before shutting it immediately.
"Why is it against the rules to lock these on Valentine's..." He sighed. Asuto took his cue and reached into his bag, pulling out a large paper bag and unfolding it before dropping it under Kirina's locker. The blue-haired boy gave him a look before finally opening it all the way, his frown deepening and the amount of cards and bags and chocolate that poured out.
"And so it begins." He heard Mansaku chuckle ominously from the other side. Kirina wished he was close enough to hit him with his bag.
.
Class, unfortunately, was not much better.
Kirina decided this the moment he walked in and saw his desk. Apparently one of the girls had decided to be a team player and brought a large box for the others to pile their "gifts" into.
Gifts from hell, maybe.
He hesitated to approach at all, not quite fearing for his life but fearing for his sanity, He felt someone push at his shoulder, but he stood strong.
"Hiura, I know you'd rather be at home hiding under your bed, but could you move–" It was Norika, and she cut off immediately once she realized what he was staring at. She gave him a sympathetic pat on the shoulder. "Wow, sorry. That's gotta be terrifying."
He closed his eyes and sighed, then grunted when Kozoumaru shoved past him.
"It's just Valentine's, don't be a wimp." He said, and Kirina scowled momentarily.
Kozoumaru just didn't know.
Norika gave him another light push, and Kirina finally conceded.
"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't get you chocolate." She said as they sat down, her seat conveniently next to his. He raised an eyebrow at that, and she reached into her bag before pulling out a bag of sour gummy hearts. "Since I know you and chocolate are like vampires and garlic."
"I'm sure it's worse than that. At least garlic will kill a vampire." Kirina just had the misfortune of living with the taste in the back of his throat for hours.
"Now you're overreacting."
"Did I overreact on my seventh birthday?"
He had a point. The fact that it took seven years – two into their school years – for the rest of their town to realize he absolutely hated the stuff after always getting it for his birthday was a sore spot for him. If his words alone didn't convince them, the absolute meltdown he had in the classroom when the teacher presented a chocolate cake that said "Happy Birthday Kirina" certainly did.
"For your age? No." Norika said slowly. "But now? You'd think you would just tell people."
"I'm sorry if 'do you avoid chocolate like the plague' has never come up in conversation."
It was probably because they were speaking so casually but no one seemed to notice their conversation at all, because a mere minute before the bell rang Kirina found himself called out into the hallway and three cute, decorated boxes were shoved into his chest.
I hate today.
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When they finally returned to the manor, Kirina was in a bad mood. And his friends trying to "cheer him up" wasn't helping.
"It wasn't that bad."
Oh maybe not to them, but finding his locker in the club room filled from top to bottom in cards, bags, packages and chocolate was downright horrifying, even more so when their coach said he had to take them home, whether he wanted to or not.
It didn't help that no amount of "No", "I don't like chocolate", and "Please don't give me anything, seriously" didn't stop his – apparently many – admirers from insisting he accept their gifts. At some point the girls seemed to decide the best way to get him to accept their "affection" was a hit-and-run.
Asuto disagreed with the terminology, but Kirina certainly felt like he'd been struck. Several times, actually.
"If it makes you feel any better–" Oh god, how many times was he going to hear that today? "I think gave Yone the recipe for your grandma's vanilla birthday cake this morning, so you don't have to worry about that."
Kirina's head snapped towards Michinari, who jumped in shock.
"I'd hug you if you didn't stink of chocolate."
"Yeah, I had a feeling you'd say that..."
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A/N: You'd think a whole five months of planning this would mean I'd think of more, but brain just does not work that way.
On another note, after today I've decided Valentine's is indeed a hellish holiday and therefor am with Kirina on this 100%. Just not on the part about chocolate.
