A/N: This is valentine's day themed because I started writing it on Feb. 14 and now it's near the end of May. Hahaha procrastination. This is really random and not my best (because it's fluff?) BUT I still hope you like it ^_^

Disclaimer: I do not own Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World and its characters. All I own is my crap LOL.

It's A Beautiful Day

Richter never thought he would ever find himself standing in front of a flower shop. He had never had a reason to, but now he did.

Richter took a moment to mentally prepare himself before pushing open the glass door. He found the sudden explosion of color in his immediate field of vision dizzying. The various scents of the flowers assaulted his nose.

Richter looked around, casting a critical eye over the profuse variety of flowers. There were roses, carnations, sunflowers, lilies, orchids, and much more Richter did not have the name for. Richter was at a loss; there were just too many for him to choose from.

"May I help you, sir?" an energetic female voice asked.

Richter turned around, relieved to have someone help him. A teenage girl was standing behind him. An obnoxiously pink apron monogrammed with the shop's name and logo hung on her lanky frame.

"I'm looking for flowers that would be suitable for Valentine's Day," he stated, his tone a touch too formal.

"Well, it is February 14, isn't it?" she said, a blindingly white smile on her face. The girl was of average height, on the skinny side but not too much, with her jet-black hair done up in two pigtails that moved whenever she did. Richter assumed she was into sports since her tan contrasted with the whiter skin on her palms and on the inside of her arms. She looked nice and average enough, though Richter felt that there was something different about this girl. Call it a sixth sense, if you will.

"What kind of flowers are we talking about? Are they for a friend, a coworker, or just a thank you gift? Or are you perhaps a secret admirer of some sort? One would be very lucky to have someone like you," she rattled on, giving him a wink at the end. Richter decided to ignore that wink and what it implied.

"No, it is for my…" Richter paused, then continued, his tone guarded. "My boyfriend."

Richter glanced at the girl, noting the surprised expression on her face. He became confused when the girl smiled suddenly.

"Hey, I'm totally fine with that. I'm from an all-girls school and, believe me, I've had enough experience with people who play for that team. I didn't think you would be the type of guy to be, you know, gay and stuff," she explained, giving him a slap to the shoulder in the process.

"…What," he deadpanned.

"Never mind. Let's get back to business, shall we? Do you know what flowers he likes?" she said, quickly changing the subject.

"I've never had a reason to ask him," Richter replied, inwardly grateful for having been spared from that conversation yet also regret for having listened to Aqua's advice in the first place.

"Do you have a picture of him, then? I'm pretty good at deducing things from a picture, if I do say so myself," she said, holding out her hand.

Richter reluctantly slid out his phone from his pocket. It was a fairly old model but it was simple, and fulfilled its purpose quite well. He had been told that his phone fitted him quite well. Richter never understood why that was so. He opened up his photo gallery and clicked a photo open.

It was the only photo saved on his phone, after all.

The photo showed a Richter with a small smile on his face and an Emil with a happy smile lingering on his lips, his cheeks tinted pink. Emil had practically begged to take a picture with him when they ventured out together to buy Richter a phone. Emil had looked at him with those wide eyes of his, and of course, Richter had eventually conceded. It was such a peaceful memory and Richter felt that that photo captured it perfectly.

He handed over his phone to the waiting girl and watched her as she studied the photo, her hand on her chin. After a while, she nodded slowly and turned to walk to the counter. Richter followed her at a distance, keeping an eye on his phone. She ducked to the other side of the counter and rested her elbows on it.

"I take it that you aren't one for PDA?"

"Well, yes. But how did…?"

"The background is a busy street. And this blond here – I assume it's your boyfriend – his shoulder is a bit rigid and tense. This is probably because he wants to hug you or something like that, but he doesn't do so because you wouldn't approve. I can tell he loves you very much though. Enough to not force you to do anything you would be uncomfortable with."

Richter was at a loss for words. This girl was full of surprises, she really was.

"Are you, by any chance, an amateur detective?" Richter asked.

"So you don't deny it! I'm right, aren't I? And no, my brother says I would be a useless detective since I talk way too much. He says I would blurt out clues or whatever to anyone I meet. Of course, I'm not that airheaded; he's just being an annoying brother," she rambled.

"Then, how did you find that out?" Richter pressed, having learnt by now to ignore this girl's endless ramblings.

"I grew up with Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys then went on to watch plenty of Detective Conan," she stated proudly, like that made her an official amateur-detective-in-training.

Richter just gave her a strange look with eyebrow raised and said, "What about the flowers?"

"Oh, yeah that. Lemme go out back so I can fix up your bouquet," she smiled. She handed him his phone back and slipped through a door half-obscured by a display of cut flowers.

Richter stared at the photo for a moment, feeling like it meant a little different to him somehow. He placed it back in his pocket and crossed his arms, waiting silently. A few minutes had already passed when the girl returned, a colorful bouquet of star-shaped flowers in her arms.

Its base was a round woven basket with a miniature pot inside that contained the foam. The pink, lavender, and white flowers were tastefully arranged to mimic a flower bush. The light pastel colors were pleasing to the eye and so was the arrangement itself.

"One of my best flower arrangements, if I do say so myself," she said proudly.

"It's beautiful," Richter said, marveling at the flowers that were handed to him. The bouquet was simple, yet it was beautiful in its simplicity.

"What flowers are these? They seem so… familiar somehow," Richter asked, deep in thought.

"They're asters."

"Asters?" Richter echoed sharply. He studied the girl's face closely, looking for a sign of recognition – anything that would mean that she knew. But there was none, so he guessed it was a coincidence.

"Yeah, asters. They're a symbol of love so it's perfect for Valentine's Day. They also mean fragility. That fits too because I could see that this blondie isn't much by himself. But then, he has you. You're his strength, his light," she said slowly, looking straight at him.

Richter set the bouquet down on the countertop and looked down, avoiding her unwavering gaze.

She continued, her tone growing soft, "Asters can also mean that you are being patient with the person you're giving them to, or in your case, that the person you're giving them to is being patient with you and you acknowledge that. I think that you're the type that thinks that they don't need anybody else. You don't like to open your heart to other people, so you put up these walls around yourself. But then, there's him. You try to block out your feelings for him, but he doesn't back down. He stays with you, slowly battering down those walls, even if you push him away."

She paused, took a deep breath, and then said, "He is being patient with you because he understands your reluctance to expose yourself to someone else, and thus, make yourself vulnerable. He wants to hear you say those three little words to him, but he doesn't ask you to because he understands and he really, truly loves you just the same. So he waits for you and is patient."

The air felt heavy as silence enveloped the store. Richter's heart felt like a dead weight in his chest and it pained him to admit to himself that, yes, all the things the girl had said was true, painfully so. Richter didn't move an inch, letting everything sink in. All his emotions felt like a hurricane in his head. Regret, guilt, confusion, helplessness, hurt. They all twisted and turned in his head.

However, beneath all of it, there was the warm feeling of love, of thankfulness, and of acceptance. He thought himself lucky to have someone like Emil who loved him that much, loved him enough to wait and respect his wishes. Richter felt that it was now his turn to show Emil exactly how he felt towards the younger male. And, by Martel, he was going to do it. It was now or never.

Richter was brought back to the moment at hand when the girl spoke again, "But all that's just speculation. The blond's face is an open book, you know."

The girl smiled at him once more and the mood lightened. Richter remembered the reason for why he was there and reached for his wallet.

"Oh no no no. This one's on me. You have to promise me something though. Promise me that you'll tell this boy exactly how you feel, okay?" she grinned, holding out her pinkie finger.

"You have a promise then. Thank you," Richter said, awkwardly lifting his own pinkie finger in the gesture of a promise.

He gingerly picked up the bouquet and gave the girl a curt nod. He turned to leave but stopped after a few paces and glanced over his shoulder.

"By the way, I never got your name," he remarked.

"It's Ophelia. Sounds old-fashioned, doesn't it?" she laughed.

"Yes, it certainly does."

The park felt different that day. The flowers seemed more vibrant and full of life. A cool wind blew softly, rustling leaves and hair alike. Numerous couples of varying ages walked down the paths hand in hand, oblivious to everything save for their loved one that walked beside them. The benches were also occupied with couples content to sit and converse quietly with their partner. One bench in particular was occupied by an elderly couple, their eyes closed, soft smiles upon their lips. Their fingers were intertwined and the old lady rested her head on her husband's shoulder.

Emil observed them from a distance, smiling to himself. It warmed his hear to see living proof that love could last decades, maybe even a lifetime. Emil believed himself a romantic, unusual as that is for a teenaged guy. He leaned into the bench he was sitting on and opted to give the elderly couple their privacy. He tugged on his sleeve and snuck a look at his watch.

Richter was late.

Emil couldn't keep from worrying about this fact. Richter valued punctuality and, well, this was highly unusual. He took out his phone, checking once again if there was a new message. Emil jumped in surprise when his phone rang.

It was a call. From Richter.

Emil nearly dropped his phone as he fumbled with the buttons and pressed the device to his ear.

"H-hello?" he asked, slightly breathless.

"It's me, Richter." There was a pause, and then Richter continued, "Sorry. I'm running late. I… had something to attend to and it took much longer than I expected."

"It's okay. I haven't been waiting long anyway."

"…"

"…"

"Where are you?" Emil asked tentatively.

"Right behind you."

Emil whirled around with a gasp. Richter stood behind the bench, his phone pressed to his ear, and apparently hiding something behind his back. Emil's surprise sent him reeling backwards off his seat. He barely had time to make a sound before Richter caught him.

Richter was leaning over the back of the bench, his arm wrapped around Emil's shoulders. He was still hiding something behind his back but Emil's brain barely registered it due to the close proximity of their faces.

A part of Emil hated this whenever it happened. Another part of him stopped functioning and imploded. Yet another part wanted Richter to just kiss him already.

Imagine his surprise when Richter suddenly let him go, went around the bench, and sat beside him. Richter's warm hand caressed his cheek and Richter kissed him. Emil couldn't help but notice how Richter's lips were dry and a bit cracked.

It felt like the best thing in the world to Emil.

His eyes fluttered shut and he relaxed into the kiss. Everything else disappeared. It was just them and this kiss that made Emil's heart feel like it would burst out of his chest. Emil loved this. This warmth, this closeness, and this love they shared.

All of this left him quite dazed when Richter withdrew and brought out what he was hiding earlier.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Emil," Richter said quietly, handing Emil the bouquet of asters. Emil's eyes widened in amazement and surprise at the sight of the bouquet. He brought the flowers to his face and inhaled the sweet scent. He never expected Richter to give him this kind of thing. He can be romantic after all. But then…

"Aqua put you up to this, didn't she?" Emil looked at Richter, an amused smile lighting up his face. There was a beat of silence before Richter pushed his glasses up and said a quiet 'yes'. Emil laughed at the light pink spreading on Richter's cheeks and at his embarrassment at admitting that fact. This only caused a deeper shade of red to flush the redhead's face.

Reining in his amusement, Emil placed the bouquet beside him and turned to face the older male beside him. He placed his hand over Richter's larger one and blushed when Richter automatically intertwined their fingers.

"Either way, thank you. A lot. They're wonderful," Emil said slowly, giving Richter's hand a light squeeze.

Richter cupped Emil's cheek in his other hand and leaned closer. Emil stared straight at him with eyes that were filled with happiness and love that was only ever for him. Richter realized that Emil had always looked at him like this. Like he's giving all of himself to Richter, like he trusted in him so thoroughly that he didn't doubt anything, didn't regret anything. And it hurt him inside because Emil has always loved him and he didn't even realize. So he leaned forward, their faces a mere hairsbreadth apart, and he spoke with full certainty and honesty,

"I love you, Emil."

Emil's world felt like it stopped just for that one perfect moment. It was just Richter and he. Nobody else. Those three little words that Emil had so longed to hear rang in his ears. Emil's heart soared in his heart, almost like it was much too full of emotion to stay confined. Everything unfroze when Richter kissed him, soft and loving. Emil didn't know what else to do except to grasp the fabric of Richter's shirt and kiss him back. He never thought it possible that he could fall in love with Richter all over again.

He hoped deep down inside of him that next year's Valentine's Day would be even more perfect than this one had turned out to be.

Bad ending is bad. OTL.

R&R or w/e.