Alfred liked to consider himself the school's personal Cupid.
Every year he would hand out Valentine's Day cards, chocolate, and other trinkets to all the people in school. It didn't matter if he knew them or not. This year was his senior year and he knew he had to make this Valentine's Day special for everyone. Which explained what he was doing up at two in the morning on Valentine's Day writing personal messages in each of the cards.
For his friends he wrote more personal things and for strangers he wrote things like "You're an awesome person," or "You're beautiful." He made sure to separate which cards would be appropriate for each person. He wouldn't want to accidentally tell a dude he's beautiful and risk getting punched in the face or laughed at. It was pretty stupid that a guy couldn't tell another guy that he looked good, but Alfred wasn't going to argue. He was too tired to do so.
By the time he was finally finished he had fallen asleep on his desk. When his alarm went off he just about had a mini heart attack. As soon as he had brushed his teeth, washed up, and got dressed for the day he was out the door. He waved to his parents and found himself rushing to school with two large bags of cards and other things. He was sure the people walking outside thought he was crazy.
When he arrived inside he took a moment to catch his breath before beginning the annual process. He ran over to his group of friends standing in their usual spot and took out the special cards he had for them.
"Here you go, Arthur!" Alfred took out one of the largest cards he had and handed it to his dear friend. Along with the card he supplied a small box of chocolates to his English buddy. "I didn't forget about you dudes either," the American boy turned to his other friends. One for Francis, Yao, Kiku, Feliciano, Ludwig, and all of his other companions. They each took their gifts with a smile and Alfred stood there with the same excited expression he walked into the building with.
He stood there and waited.
Waited.
Waited.
Waited until the bell rang and the group eventually spread out and went to class.
His smile faltered and he found himself dragging his feet into the classroom. It's okay. He didn't receive anything in return and that was okay. There were still lots of other people to go! His grin returned as he took his seat in class and began discreetly passing out treats and other gifts to his classmates.
When lunch came around he found himself surrounded by people who had received at least one item from him and someone else. He seemed to be the exception of course. He had emptied out a whole bag and most of the second one by then. Alfred sat silently as he scouted the area for people who had yet to receive something from him. It looked as if just about everyone had though.
That's when he spotted him. A lone boy sitting in the far corner of the room with nothing. Not a balloon, a box of chocolates, or flower in sight. He had a light colored scarf covering the bottom half of his face and violet eyes that stared down at the table. Alfred was on his feet in seconds as he jogged over to the tall man who could easily be mistaken for someone that was already in college. Maybe he was a super senior or something, Alfred thought.
"Hey there buddy!" The blond took a seat next to the other and put on a playful flirty smile. The other teenager brought his eyes up and Alfred had to blink a few times. Well, didn't he look friendly? No matter. "Happy Valentine's Day dude!" He continued and searched the nearly empty bag for a small trinket. He pulled out a key-chain with a heart charm and a card and placed it down in front of the boy. "Have a good one!" He smiled before he was quickly walking away. The other unsettled him.
When lunch was over and he finally succeeded in giving his whole school population something to appreciate, Alfred stood in the hallway after last period and watched everyone walk by. They all had something from someone. Even the teachers were piled with gifts from students that wanted to suck up to them.
And what did he have? Nothing.
No one got him anything.
Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised. It's not like Cupid himself got anything in return for making people fall in love, right? That didn't stop him from clenching his fists and letting his happiness diminish into nothing though.
Why didn't anyone get him anything? Sure he wasn't the most popular guy in school, but not even his friends had bothered to give him anything. What happened to Elementary school when everyone in the class got something? Even if it was a teacher he would have at least had something. He was empty handed and for what he could tell his chest felt empty too.
When the final bell rang he hung his head low and walked through the hallways with what little energy he had remaining. Everyone was either outside already, or staying for tutoring after school. All he had left were two empty bags with nothing but sadness to fill them with now.
As he approached the front door he felt someone tap his shoulder. He spun around with beaming eyes as the thought of one of his friends remembering to give him a gift immediately shot through his mind. His hope vanished when he realized that it was not one of his close friends, but instead the kid he saw at lunch.
"Did you want something dude?" Alfred questioned as the other boy stood awkwardly. He had his face buried behind his scarf as he kept his gaze directed everywhere but at the American. The two stood silently for a moment before the other held out what looked like a , it looked like a five year old made it with red paper and a pair of crappy scissors, but it was definitely a card. "For me?"
The taller boy simply nodded as Alfred took the heart shaped cut out card and opened it. The writing was sloppy and the English looked slaughtered, yet nonetheless it was adorable. Alfred held it tightly as he glanced back up to thank the other. However, he was already gone. He frowned for a moment until he decided the other must have felt incredibly shy. It took guts to walk up to him, he guessed.
Alfred sighed happily and exited the building. On his way home he continued to read the card over and over, as best as he could.
Dear ?,
I am not noing knowing your name but thank you gift. Never got one before.
Cinserely Sincerely,
Ivan
Cupid may not get a lot of appreciation, but he must have felt just as happy as Alfred when he eventually does.