Valentine's Day was nothing but a commercial ploy, and it would be stupid for the seniors class not to ride that wave too. Under the altruistic guise of helping young love flourish, the seniors had devised a simple yet efficient system to deliver chocolate-centered artificial roses, along with any desired messages, to anyone on school grounds throughout the entire day. To set the mood, the school had been valentine-ified from top to bottom with pinks and reds everything— paper hearts, streamers, helium balloons, tacky posters with punny pick-up lines… Just the perfect kind of decor for their little pop-up florist stalls.

Behind one of those stalls, Violet crouched down counting how many flowers there were left in her open box when she heard a heavy clunk on the counter above her head.

"I think these wings are bruising my skin."

William Robinson's voice momentarily startled her, making her jump and lose count of the merch. She dusted her skirt as she got up and gave the boy struggling with the straps of his fake angel wings an unimpressed look.

"Aw, but you look so good with them," she sneered, gesturing up and down to the boy's attire. He, like the other gentlemen assigned the roles of cupids, wore a white tunic with golden embellishments, a cord tied around his waist, a laurel wreath, a quiver with fake arrows with heart-shaped heads and a bow, gladiator sandals, and a pair of plastic wings so ridiculously big it made it hard for anyone to ignore such an inconvenient presence walking down the cramped hallways alongside the commoners.

He rolled his eyes, unclasping his wings and dropping them under the improvised counter. "Remind me why the girls aren't walking around this huge-ass school in these god-awful costumes again?"

"Well, one, we did practically all the work with the flowers, and the props," Violet stated, pulling a chair and sitting down. "And two, having pretty girls walk around in those things is asking for trouble."

"What, like we are not being sexualized here?!" Wilbur said with his hands on his hips, affronted.

The girl leaned forward, resting her chin on her hand, and glanced at the boy through her lashes. "I could use many words to describe how you look right now," she confided teasingly. " Sexy is not one of them."

Wilbur shook his head but smirked. "That is a load of double standards, Parr."

"Yeah, yeah, society sucks. Join the club." She smiled as well. "So I'm guessing all this chit-chat means you're done with your deliveries?"

"Yep." He nodded, handing her a folded piece of paper. "Just gave Gru's eldest daughter my last flower."

Violet flinched. "Oof. Someone's not gonna like that."

"Not my problem," Wilbur said with a nonchalant shrug. "How are sales going around here?"

"Meh. Fine, I guess." She picked up her clipboard and started transferring the information on the piece of paper the boy had given her, marking his deliveries as complete. As she did so, Violet casually ran her eyes through the numbers, doing the math in her head. "Whatever money we make is symbolic anyways."

"Mmm…"

"I've got three more deliveries if you're ready to go again."

Wilbur groaned, throwing his head back. "Give me a break, woman! I've been walking for hours, I have cuts on my armpits, and these shoes suck!"

"You can have five minutes," she conceded, maybe having a little too much fun with his despair.

"Damn, you have no heart," he scoffed.

"Gee, thanks."

"That's sad, Vi…" He picked one of the flowers displayed on the counter and twirled its stem around his fingers. With a click of his tongue, he threw the flower for her to catch. "Here, put this in the hole your heart used to be."

Violet's eyes narrowed, and she stared at him, confused. Her jaw clenched. "If you don't pay, that's stealing."

"You just said the money was symbolic."

"I did. But you don't see me shoving cheap chocolate down my throat like a pig just because our sales are symbolic, do you?"

"Ugh. Fine."

She watched as Wilbur hopped off the table grunting under his breath, made his way around the stall, kneeled on the floor, and started rummaging through his backpack. A moment later, he was returning to the front so he could smugly drop a handful of crumpled bills on the mason jar under Violet's care.

"Will this do?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Violet glared at him, crossing her arms. "What's your game, asshole?"

He gave her a 'don't be silly' look. "I'm making a donation, duh."

"Well, in that case, thanks for the chocolate, William," the girl stated, already tearing the candy wrapper and shoving the chocolate inside her mouth. She focused on the mellow bittersweetness of the chocolate, not allowing herself an ounce of a chance to acknowledge the unease stirring in her chest.

"Wow, you really weren't joking about the pig part, were you?"

"Fuck off—"

"I'm sorry for interrupting what I'm sure is a very tender moment," an impatient female voice said, "But I was sent to pick up more flowers."

At the sound of that very familiar—and unwanted voice, Violet straightened up and hastily swallowed the rest of her chocolate. Tersely, she asked, "How many boxes you need?"

Astrid's eyes were hard and not once did they leave the brunette girl. "Two should do for now."

"Coming right up," Wilbur said, going to the back for the blonde's requested boxes.

Twirling a lock of hair around her finger, Violet nonchalantly started, "You know, you looking like you're about to bite off the head of the next person who tries to talk to you can't be good for our sales."

Astrid put her hands on her hips and shout-whispered, "Yeah, from what I saw, I think our sales are doing just fine."

Violet raised her eyebrows in challenge, and whispered back, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think, wiseass—"

"There you go! Two boxes of freshly picked roses." Wilbur dropped the stack on the counter and dusted inexistent dust off his palms.

The blonde looked at him with a curt nod in acknowledgment. "Thanks."

"Want me to carry them for you?" he asked.

"I'm good," Astrid mumbled as she adjusted the large boxes in her arms. When she was certain she wouldn't drop them, the girl quickly spun on her heels as she addressed the remaining two, "You two carry on with… whatever the hell you were doing before."

"Hey, if you're gonna be like that, you can tell Andy to come grab the next batch himself."

"Bite me, Violet."

"I mean it, Hofferson!" Violet shouted as the blonde left without ever looking back at their stall.

"Uh… what were you guys talking about again?" Wilbur asked, tilting his head confused.

Suddenly annoyed at the world, Violet clenched her fists and glared at the boy. "Don't you have work to do?"

"Sheesh, who shit in your sandwich?" he grumbled as he started putting his plastic wings back on.

"... Just go make your deliveries, stupid."

In possession of a new stash of paper roses, Astrid headed straight to her and Andy's booth next to the library. Mind still occupied with thoughts of a very confusing ex-couple, she paid little attention to her path—until something blocked her way, that was.

"Hey, you."

Looking up, she found Hiccup, in all his cupid glory sheepishly smiling at her, and she groaned. "Jesus, I forgot you were wearing that."

"What, the sexy angel thing is not your scene?"

"Is it anyone's?"

Hiccup chuckled and gestured with his head to the boxes she was carrying. "Need help carrying that?"

"Why, you looking for another sprained muscle?" she teased.

"Ha-ha." He rolled his eyes and, ignoring her disapproving glare, took the boxes from her.

"That means I don't need your help, Hiccup—"

"I just need you to put them down for a sec," he mumbled, clumsily lowering himself. "You can carry them back all by yourself later."

"You better have a damn good reason for doing this, Haddock," the blonde said, crossing her arms.

"A reason? Yes. A good one?" He hummed, taking a moment to pat his tunic's hidden pockets for something. Then, he pulled out a small black box and proceeded to get down on one knee in front of her. "You'll have to be the judge of that."

"The fuck you think you're doing?" she hissed. She looked around for a plausible explanation for his behavior but only found amused onlookers staring from afar at the catastrophic spectacle she and Hiccup were putting on.

With a clearing of his throat, Hiccup looked up at the girl, trying to convey all his seriousness with the gesture, the tiny velvet box carefully secured in both hands.

"Astrid, I probably don't say this enough, but you make my life make sense when nothing else does. And this may seem sudden to you, but there's one question I gotta ask today…"

The blonde shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes. Her ears were ringing, and she felt her heart pounding wildly in her ribcage. "Get up before you hurt yourself."

"Astrid Hofferson… Will you be my Valentine?"

Astrid's head jerked back brusquely and her eyes shot wide open when she saw the blue ring pop inside Hiccup's stupid box. She almost screamed in his stupid ass face, but instead, Ignoring the sniggering coming from their unwanted audience, she exhaled slowly not to lose the little control she had over herself. "... Your Valentine?"

Hiccup blinked, confused. "... Yes?"

"You do realize this whole shtick is giving everyone the wrong idea, right?"

His nonchalant shrug in response made her huff, her annoyance rising once more.

"I'm serious, Hiccup. Get the fuck up."

"I'm taking that as a yes," he mumbled, crestfallen, but obliged his girlfriend, letting her help pull him up on his feet and taking it as a chance to casually slip the candy ring on her finger.

"How long was that ring in your pocket?" she asked as he crouched down to pick up the boxes on the floor.

"Since I left my room this morning. Why?"

"It's melting," the girl said, removing the sticky plastic band and popping the candy inside her mouth.

"Oh." Hiccup was scowling as he returned her the flower boxes. "Sorry, should've accounted for that."

"Still better than the alternative." Astrid lightly bumped her arm against his as she started walking back to her assigned stall.

Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he joined her. "That so?"

"Mhm."

"You know, there's a way I could make it even better…" he said with feigned nonchalance.

"Oh yeah? You have a stash of cheap candy in your stupid quiver?" she guessed only half-serious.

"Nope."

Hiccup tugged on her elbow, and when she finally relented and faced him with a raised eyebrow, he gently took the ring pop from between her lips. His other hand traced a light trail up her arm to the back of her neck, where his fingers tangled in her hair. Hiccup smirked at the constricted exhale his girlfriend let slip and ever so slowly, allowed himself to close the gap between them.

The kiss was subtle, a discreet meeting of lips, yet the confident hand on the back of her head enabled Hiccup to apply just the right amount of pressure to make any person swoon. Anyone who was not named Astrid Hofferson, at least. Astrid Hofferson did not swoon, though, if she had to admit, she did come quite close to it when he kissed her like that.

She pulled back, eyes half-lidded, and whispered, "You have glitter on your lashes."

"Courtesy of one Violet Parr," Hiccup replied, goofily batting his eyelashes to make the tiny specks glisten.

"Pretty sure you're not supposed to wear them all day long," she noted. "Those things could make you blind."

Hiccup whipped his head back and stared at the blonde, fright growing on his face. "Wait, are you serious?"

Astrid shrugged. "Glitter is basically a mean-spirited gift straight from Hell disguised as fun and good times."

The boy let out a sardonic laugh as he ran one hand through his face. "Perfect. They're gonna have to poke one of my eyeballs out, and then I'm gonna have to wear a stupid eyepatch like a stupid pirate from a stupid theme park."

"I thought you liked pirates."

"Is that what you like, milady?" Hiccup teased, rolling his shoulders back and brushing their arms together as he walked just a little closer to her. "Do you dig a man who can roleplay?"

"I dig a man with both of their eyes if they can help it."

"... And just like that, my dreams of ever becoming a modern-day pirate are crushed."

Astrid snorted. "What are you, five?"

"Uh, excuse you, when I was five, I wanted to be a dragon master, not a pirate."

"Had to give up on that one too, huh, buddy?"

"... Who said I've given up?"

"Good afternoon, sir." Having picked his next prey at random, Jack matched some blond bloke's pace, splattering a charming smile onto his face and repeating the same routine he had been using all day. "Could I interest you in one of our fine, limited-edition roses? They are just the perfect gift for that special someone in your life."

"Uh, thanks," the brick wall of a dude said sheepishly as he tried to casually walk away from the silverhead, "but I don't really have anyone to give them to."

"A strapping young man like yourself? I bet some people out there would be delighted to be the recipient of your attention—" Jack clutched his inconveniently big cupid wings as he dodged some kids coming from the opposite direction. From the opposite wall, he checked the underclassman, trying to figure out where he knew that guy from when it clicked. "Wait, I know you… You're… and princess—Holy fuck, you're tall. And pretty damn charming, in a himbo kind of way."

The blond glanced at him, confused. "Uh... thanks?"

Grinning conspiratorially, Jack shoved a single rose onto the other guy's chest. "Here. Take this. On the house."

"But—"

"You take the rose, and you think about it. No pressure. And if you feel like giving it to someone, a perky little shit who drives you nuts, maybe, well, no one's gonna stop you, am I right?"

The guy's ears started turning red, and Jack mentally hi-fived himself with mild satisfaction.

"I-I—"

"Do some real thinking, alright, big guy? Maybe ask her out while you're at it..." Jack patted the blonde on the shoulders before ushering him forward. "Off you go."

Still a little disoriented, the younger guy mechanically dragged his feet on his way, though his eyes kept shifting between the rose and Jack for a while longer.

"You're welcome!" Jack waved, an odd sense of accomplishment filling his chest and making him feel lighter and energized. Momentarily, it even made him forget the stiffness on his shoulders and the parts where the wing straps were cutting into his flesh.

"... How are we supposed to make any money if you're giving away our merch to any mooch who walks by?"

Jack spun around, finding Hiro staring at him with crossed arms and a less-than-amused scowl on his baby face.

"Not everything in life is about money, silly boy," the silverhead replied with a long sigh, and as he made his way back to the flowers stall, he added, "Sometimes, bringing happiness to those around you is the greatest reward."

"Did you learn that when you got your life coach certificate?"

"I did." Jack grabbed a new rose and obnoxiously flicked it in front of the other guy's face. "Second lesson was: beware of scrawny assholes with a superiority complex. Their jealousy will make them do anything to make others feel small."

"Sounds like a total sham if you ask me," Hiro stated, taking the free seat behind the counter and leaning back to stretch his back.

"Good thing I didn't ask you then," Jack grumbled back with a sarcastic smile.

"You better pay for that flower, Frost."

"Put it on my tab."

"Alright, but don't blame me if you get in trouble later," Hiro said, pulling the school laptop from its case and placing it on the counter. As soon as the computer was booted up, he opened the Valentine's Day spreadsheet and started working. "So word on the street is that Haddock and Hofferson are engaged."

If Jack had been drinking, he'd done a spit-take at that. Deprived of any beverages as he was, all he could do was stare dumbfoundedly at the other boy. "... Where the hell did you hear that?"

Hiro shrugged, nonchalant. "Freddie said that—"

"School mascot Freddie?"

"The one and only. So Freddie heard it from Snotlout who heard it from the twins who apparently saw it happening right in front of Colette's classroom. Haddock got down on one knee and everything."

"Hiccup is a weirdo, but not even he would get married at our age. I mean, is that even legal?"

"Barely, I guess?"

Jack spun on his heels and shook his head in disbelief. "Nope. No way. Even if he was thinking about proposing, I would be the first to know. And I know shit about it, so there's no way in hell that's true."

"Hmmm…" Hiro pouted, balancing himself on the chair's hind legs. "And here I was, getting worked up for nothing."

The silverhead smirked. "I'm not saying that's not a possibility in the future—"

"Excuse me," Anna interrupted their conversation, materializing out of freaking nowhere with her sister in tow. The girl also had the audacity of standing there all smug with her hands on her hips like she was the most righteous person in the world. "I was told there would be some seniors selling flowers around here."

Incredulous, Jack opened his arms wide and scoffed, "What am I? Invisible? The hell you think we've been doing all day?"

"Gossiping like two old hags by the looks of it."

The silverhead pointed at the younger girl accusingly. "That's high coming from someone who's clearly taken the day to slack off her Student Council duties."

"Joke's on you, Jack. I'm patrolling," Anna shot back as she approached. She made a slow circle around him, inspecting his costume with the sharpness of an art critic at a gallery.

Jack rolled his eyes, then let his gaze drift to the other Arendelle sister, who stood a few steps back with a white paper bag hanging on her arm and an amused smile on her lips.

"Hello, Frost," the platinum-blonde girl said, her voice soft and relaxed and like music to his ears.

"Your Majesty," Jack greeted back with a quick bow and his trademark smirk. "Could I offer you a rose?"

"Are you suggesting I buy one from you?"

Sighing, he took her free hand and closed her fingers around the flower's plastic stem. Before pulling back, he used his thumb to caress her wrist with a feather-light touch as he mocked, "Yeah. That's exactly what I'm doing—"

"Fuck's sake, asshole. Another one?" Hiro groaned, pointing a finger at the silverhead. "Stop giving away our merch!"

"Who else are you giving flowers to, Mr. Cupid?" Elsa asked as she shifted her weight from one foot to the other and tilted her head, more intrigued than angered.

Anna conspiratorially leaned over the booth's counter to snigger, "Someone's in trouble."

"You two? Shut the fuck up," Jack snarled at the two at the booth, then tugged on Elsa's arm, pulling her away for some privacy, and in a low voice, added, "And you? You should know there's only one person I'm giving flowers to today."

"Evidence seems to say otherwise—"

"That was me being an exemplary cupid boy." he shrugged smugly. "I'm giving leeway for kids to act on their repressed feelings and spreading Valentine's Day love, which I'll remind you, was the plan. So don't go having crazy ideas, Elsa, because I'm just doing my part. And I'll pay for all the roses out of my own pocket later, okay?"

Elsa hummed, biting on her lower lip. "Is that all?"

"Pretty much. And I'm not cheating on you."

"How comforting," she scoffed, playfully scowling at him. "Well, in thanks for that, and also for the rose, I'll let you have this."

Jack frowned at the bag she held up for him. "I didn't know we were exchanging presents."

Elsa shyly tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "We weren't, but I still wanted to give you something."

"You really didn't have to," he said, peeking inside the bag and pulling out a blue hoodie from it. The pristine fabric was nice and soft under his fingers.

"I figured it was only fair to give you a new one since I kept yours."

"Aw, now we can match," he beamed patronizingly.

"God, no," she groaned.

Jack chuckled, interlacing his fingers on her lower back and pulling her toward him. "Thanks, Elsa."

"The receipt is in there so you can exchange it for something else if you'd like," she mumbled, an adorable hint of pink tinting her cheeks.

"Hey, I would wear it right now if it wasn't for these stupid wings," he stated very seriously, letting his lips brush against hers as he spoke.

"No, you would not," Elsa whispered back, her fingers tracing lines on the nape of Jack's neck. "It's a dress code violation and I would very much appreciate my gift not ending up confiscated because you were being a helpless idiot."

Jack laughed, throwing his head back, and used his momentum to squeeze her a little tighter. "Because sheet dresses and gladiator sandals are totally dress-code approved, am I right?"

Elsa rolled her eyes and let her hands slip down his arms. "I should go check on the other stalls."

He pouted as she tried to untangle herself from him. "Aw, did I make you mad?"

Gripping his wrists and taking a step back, Elsa glanced back at the flower stall and called, "Anna?"

"Yeah?" the younger girl mumbled, mouth half-full and smudges of chocolate on her lower lip. Surreptitiously, she very unsuccessfully tried to hide an impressive pile of trash behind her back.

"Ready to finish your rounds?"

"Sure…" Anna frowned skeptically between her sister and Jack as she moved toward them.

"You are mad," Jack chuckled, crossing his arms in defiance.

Elsa spun back to face the silverhead and, giving his halo headband a flick, ordered, "Get back to work, cupid."

"Hey! Watch it!" he grumbled, putting the headband back in its place.

"I'll see you later, Frost," Elsa said as she linked arms with her sister to lead the latter away.

"Thanks again for the gift, Elsa!"

No matter how many times Hiccup was summoned there, the headmaster's office never lost its intimidating aura. And maybe, that was intentional, what with all the framed certificates on the walls; the thick leather cover books up to the ceiling; the impeccably polished mahogany furniture… and the burly tattooed man who looked like he could smash one's skull with his bare fists sitting behind the fanciest desk Hiccup had ever seen.

He kept glancing at Astrid sitting next to him, but the girl was adamant about maintaining her gaze focused on the headmaster, who kept writing on his papers as if they weren't even there. Unable to keep still under so much unaddressed pressure, Hiccup shifted uncomfortably on his seat, making the leather squeak, and he immediately froze with his breath trapped in his throat.

The noise seemed to remind North of the pair's presence, and ever so slowly, he put his pen down, folded his arms over his papers, and just stood there, looking at his hands, impassive.

Hiccup cleared his throat and clumsily dried his clammy palms on his pants. "Uh, Headmaster North, sir, I don't wanna sound disrespectful or anything, but… could you maybe give us a hint on what we were summoned here for?"

North hummed quietly and smoothed his beard with one hand. "You see, Mr. Haddock, when a parent or a guardian enrolls their child here, they are trusting this institution to not only offer a top-quality education system but, most importantly, to guarantee the wellbeing of that child. And, as acting headmaster, it is my duty to meet those expectations.

"That being the case, you can see how the unexpected engagement between two of my most prominent students would require my attention."

Hiccup's heartbeat stopped at that.

".. Is there anything either of you would like to say in regard to that?"

Hiccup heard Astrid hissing under her breath, "I knew you were gonna get us in trouble."

"How was I supposed to know this was gonna happen?" he shout-whispered back.

"You do not deny the truth of that rumor then, Mr. Haddock?"

"No—Yes! I mean—" Hiccup groaned, pulling his hair in a mixture of panic and frustration. "We are not engaged!"

"I have been told there was a very public proposal," North argued sternly. "With a ring."

"A ring made of candy." Hiccup chuckled awkwardly. "It's funny really, kind of an inside joke—"

"So there was a ring!"

"Yes, but not—but not like that," the more Hiccup talked, the less sure he was of his own words.

"That is a complete misunderstanding, sir," Astrid explained, throwing a quick glare Hiccup's way that told him to shut the hell up. "What your sources have seen was this guy"—she gestured with her thumb to her boyfriend contemptuously—"giving me a candy ring to celebrate Valentine's Day. Because he thought he was being clever, which obviously was a mistake."

"Definitely not a proposal," Hiccup added.

"Do I have your word that it was only a rumor then?"

"Sir, I promise you, I will personally hand you a wedding invitation myself when that time comes—"

"I am going to murder you, Hiccup," Astrid hissed through clenched teeth, and Hiccup felt a chill running down his spine.

"I look forward to it," North said, unable to hold back an amused chuckle, then in a more stern voice, he quickly added, "But do make sure that it does not happen whilst you and Miss Hofferson are still enrolled in my school, Mr. Haddock."

"... Sure thing, sir."

According to their schedule, the cupid service was supposed to end by six o'clock, for there was a movie marathon to be held after dinner, but with all the cleaning up that had to be done, the official release was delayed, and the majority of the seniors were late for their own event.

Having been assigned the provision of snacks, Astrid, Violet, and Hiro carried the latter's popcorn machine from the Robotics Club Room to the rec room and started working on the first few batches of popcorn.

"So what did North want with you two?" Violet asked her blonde friend as she sprinkled a hefty dose of salt and MSG into a pile of freshly popped kernels.

Astrid, with her elbows on the table and head propped up on one hand, shoved handfuls of popcorn into her mouth, munching loudly. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"What, he offered to officiate your wedding?" Hiro guessed half-jokingly.

"Stupid Hiccup and his stupid ring," Astrid scoffed, slamming her fists and faceplanting on the table.

Violet frowned. "I thought the whole proposal thing was just a rumor."

"No thanks to Hiccup."

Astrid didn't bother giving any further explanation, so Violet glanced at Hiro from over the blonde's frame for clues but got no relevant answer from the boy either. "What are you saying, Hofferson?"

Astrid laughed with contempt as she sat up and glowered at the other girl. "You know, why don't we talk about you instead, huh, Parr?"

"What about me? As far as I know, no one is taking bets on when I'm eloping," Violet countered, a sense of wariness rising at her friend's sudden accusing tone.

"No, you're just the girl getting roses from her ex, who she claims is just a friend, when you think nobody else is around to witness."

"William gave you a rose?" Hiro shook his head as he pinched the bridge of his nose, distressed. "That moron…"

Violet's eyes narrowed, not leaving the blonde's for a second. She would feel awkward if it wasn't for Astrid's haughtiness poking at her pride. "Yeah, as a joke."

"It's Valentine's Day."

"Which is nothing but a capitalist scam to make people buy more chocolate and flowers and I feel sorry for you if you think otherwise."

"Wow. Cynic much?"

"Pot, kettle."

Astrid clicked her tongue, and, seeming to change tactics, shot a glance at Hiro. "He's your friend. What do you think?"

"Do I look like I give two shits about his feelings for some girl?" To the girl in question, he added, voice shifting to a gentler tone, "No offense."

"None taken." Violet let out an exasperated sigh and turned to the popcorn machine to act busy. She could feel a headache starting to make her skull throb. "What do you want me to say, Hofferson?"

Astrid crossed her arms. "How about the truth?"

"He dumped me," Violet said, deadpan.

"Before that, you liked him."

She laughed, humorlessly. "Yeah. I did. Past tense. And you know what the problem with the past is? It distracts from the now. And guess what? I like where I am now. Sorry if I don't feel like going along with whatever the hell you think you saw today."

"Violet—"

"I think I'm gonna crash early today," Violet tiredly interrupted the other girl, sliding a full bowl of popcorn across the table, and smiled sheepishly at the other two. "Don't really feel like romcoms anymore."

Jack sat cross-legged on the floor next to the big TV where Wilbur had just finished setting up a notebook computer and went through the selection of movies for the evening. He was thankfully out of that excruciatingly humiliating cupid outfit and back into his casual clothes but the damage was done and it was now up to everybody else to deal with his cranky ass. His irritability heightened to that of a hyperactive ten-year-old in the middle of a sugar crash, Jack groaned, leaning back on his hands so he could glower at the ceiling. "Jesus Christ, who the hell picked these movies?"

"You did. With Violet," Elsa reminded him as she kneeled down next to him.

He did a quick scan of the room, where his fellow seniors took care of last-minute details, scattering pillows and beanbags around the room; filling bows with chips and lining up cups on the snack table; and so on and so forth before they let the rest of the kids in. All his friends were accounted for, bar one Violet Parr.

"Where is she, by the way?" He rested an arm on his bent knee and looked at her, tilting his head quizzically.

"Back in the dorm. Apparently, she's sitting this one out," the blonde replied, shifting so her back was to the rest of the seniors to confide, "Which brings me to what I wanted to talk to you about… Do you think we should reschedule the movie night?"

"Why?"

"Just feels like there's a bit too much tension in the air right now."

"Why?" he repeated, taking one of her hands and casually playing with her fingers.

Elsa sighed. "Violet is locked up in our room refusing to talk, Andrew is upset with me, there's a high chance Astrid is planning a murder… even Hiro and Wilbur seem to be at odds with each other."

"Sounds like a usual Friday night to me."

"I'm serious."

"Everybody's just tired, Your Majesty. Movies and unhealthy snacks are exactly what we all need to end the night." He fished his phone out of his pocket and after scrolling through his contacts, pressed the device to his ear, waiting for the call to connect.

"What are you doing?"

"Calling Violet."

"She didn't want to be bothered," she argued, furrowing her eyebrows in concern.

"See, that's your problem, Your Majesty. You're too nice."

"How is that a problem?"

"You hate antagonizing people." Jack scooted closer to her so he could rest a hand on her knee. "Lucky for you, I live for it."

Elsa rolled her eyes, but before she could throw a comeback at him, he raised a finger, shushing her. On the phone, without even bothering with pleasantries, he calmly said, "Bold of you to ditch me with no warning, Parr."

"Sorry Frosty, but being in a room full of cuddly couples watching The Notebook is the last thing I'm in the mood for right now ," Violet replied, her voice slurred and so filled with apathy that it made him want to slap her across the face to snap her out of her funk.

"Aw, come on, who's gonna make fun of Ryan Gosling's mojo with me?"

"That's what you got Elsa for."

He glanced at his girlfriend and smirked at her curiosity. "Elsa doesn't like talking during movies. She says it's distracting. And that I'm noisy."

"You are noisy."

Jack rolled his eyes, faking annoyance. Addressing the girl on the phone, he continued, "Listen, if it's the coupling that's bothering you, we can make that a rule. Significant others must sit three seats apart from one another at all times."

"What is that, school's new abstinence policy?"

"Abstinence is a hoax."

"Abstinence is not a hoax," Elsa disagreed pointedly. "Relying solely on abstinence without proper sex education, that is a hoax."

"Whoa, somebody is trying to cause a scandal aren't they?" Andy appeared from behind them and mocked as he crouched down next to the couple. "What are we doing here, children?"

"Trying to convince Violet to come to the movies sesh."

"How's that working out?"

Jack and Elsa exchanged guilty glances. Her cheeks started turning pink, making her look all flustered, and he had to curl his fingers so as to not squish her adorable little face and drown her in kisses.

"We may have sidetracked a little bit," she admitted sheepishly as she tucked her hair behind her ear.

"I would hope so," Andy mumbled with a snort.

The silverhead shrugged, and on the phone, he said, "Anyways. Vi. Elsa is probably gonna make me take sex ed classes again because of you, so you better get your ass down here, or I'm signing you up with me."

"You don't have that kind of power."

"Like that's ever stopped me before. You have ten minutes."

"... I'll be there in eight."

Movie marathon over, all left to do was to send the kids back to the dorms and finish cleaning up the TV room. That final task, however, proved to be a more vexing endeavor than first expected, seeing as a part of the attendees, unimpressed with the seniors' movies selection, had decided to test out the provided snacks' projectile efficiency, which was only the first step down the path to dooming the room a biohazard zone.

The cleaning crew surely had their work cut out for them, for there were crumbs lodged everywhere. In the cracks between pillows, under the furniture, sticking to the exquisite carpet… Pools of spilled soda made the floor both sticky and slippery at the same time, and the stench of stale popcorn and artificial flavoring became nauseating the longer one stayed inside the room. As part of the aforementioned crew, Andrew in particular was not impressed by his peers' uncouthness. He could hear crunching noises under his shoes every time he took a step, and he could feel a headache brewing in the back of his head.

"Whose brilliant idea was it to give a bunch of baboons an unsupervised supply of buttered popcorn and carbonated drinks?" he grumbled as he fought with the popcorn kernels that stuck to his broom like glue.

"Somebody's bloodstream is running low on caffeine," Wilbur shot back when he passed with a tower of used cups in his hands.

"Elsa cut him off after she caught him stealing coffee from the teachers' lounge," Astrid explained.

Hiro scoffed, "Good God, Andrew, you actually drank that nasty goop?"

Andy pointedly glared at the other guy. "Coffee is coffee. And it wasn't stealing; the pot was there for anyone to have some."

"You're not a faculty member though," Violet countered, smirking with her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I think that still qualifies as stealing, bud," Hiccup added.

Wilbur crossed his arms and nodded in agreement. "Also, silly child, don't you know that North's office is where the premium beans are?"

"Stealing coffee from an alleged former Russian mob leader?" Andy snorted, returning to the horrendous task of sweeping the floor. "'Cause that'll go great."

"So you admit you were stealing?"

"... All of you shut up and get back to work, or I'm telling Elsa all about your procrastinating," Andy threatened, taking the time to glare at his friends, one at a time. And though they all did eventually comply with his order, it was hard to miss the sense of victory at his expense splattered across each and every single one of their faces.

"Speaking of, where the hell is she?" Violet asked, glancing questioningly around the room.

"She went to take the trash out with Jack, but that was a while ago," Hiccup said.

"Abstinence my ass," Violet snorted under her breath, though Andy was (un)fortunately close enough to hear.

"Oh my God, they are totally ditching."

"Yep. They're ditching."

"Ditching."

"I vote for tailing them," Wilbur said, raising his hand above his head.

"You don't even know where they are now," Astrid reminded the dark-haired boy.

"Uh… I may have an idea of where to start looking," Hiccup said, hesitantly.

"Well, what are you waiting for? Let's bust them!"

Jack had a surprise for her, which all in all would've been acceptable had he gone with the simple "I've got a surprise for you, Elsa." But no. His plans also entailed dragging her halfway across the campus with a blindfold on not to ruin said surprise.

A ball of apprehension and skepticism, she climbed up the stairs one careful step at a time, but couldn't avoid tripping again and eliciting a chuckle from her companion as he tightened the arm he had around her waist to keep her secure.

" Easy there, Your Majesty," he whispered, amused, tickling her ear.

Elbowing him in the ribs, she grumbled, "If I break my neck because of you, Frost…"

"Don't worry, we're almost there."

"Can't you at least tell me where we're going?"

"Are you not familiar with the concept of a surprise?"

Elsa let out an undignified huff. "Dealing with you on a daily basis is nothing but one surprise after the other."

"Then you should know better, Elsa."

"I should, shouldn't I?" she mumbled under her breath, and as her torturous climbing continued, her hands came to graze a cool metal surface. His fingers slipped from around her waist, and she heard a door being pushed open. Immediately, a gentle breeze hit her face, and she could smell the crisp scent of the evening outdoors. "Can I open my eyes now?"

Leading her a few more steps forward, he stopped, squeezing her hands before dropping them again. There was a click somewhere and light reached her eyelids through the blindfold.

"And… Now you can."

For a moment, all she could see was bright, paralyzing white. Which her brain immediately flagged as nonsensical, seeing as it was the middle of the night and she knew for a fact that the rooftop was not equipped with such an intense display of lights.

"What—"

As her eyes adjusted slowly, she began to make more sense of what she saw. There was a white tarp spread over the floor with real snowdrops delicately arranged over it, its flowery fragrance mixing with the crisp smells of the night; shimmery flakes of something that very closely resembled snow were arranged in small piles and dusted over mini pine trees; fairy lights were strung in the sky like stars giving the scene a romantic and ethereal mood… all of which, contrasting with the dark night made for a breathtaking view.

Jack took a few steps back, grinning sheepishly with his hands in his pockets. "So what do you think of my winter wonderland?"

"When did you have time to do all this?" she said, eyes still enthralled by the beauty of his little set designing project.

"Eh, you'd be surprised at what one can do when they put their mind to it." He took her hand, gently placing it on the bend of his arm, and guided her through the artificial winter garden. "These are supposed to go in the west garden," he said, pointing to one of the little white flowers. "Made a deal with Linguini so I could borrow them for a night. Everything else is pretty much props from old pranks that were stored in the robotics room."

As they stopped in the center of the white square, Elsa spun on her heels so she could face him. Hands wrapping behind his neck, she leaned toward him on the tip of her toes and, unable to hide her smile, whispered, "How long have you been planning this?"

Jack hummed, his arms lazily moving to wrap around her waist. "Since this afternoon? A little while after you stopped by our booth and gave me a new hoodie?"

"Weren't we supposed to not be exchanging gifts today?" she teased.

"You started it," he argued, furrowing his eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes. "It's not a competition, Frost—"

Her words were muffled by the screech of the rooftop's metal door screeching open. A flurry of colors and voices speaking over one another broke their little moment, and the couple jumped back, startled.

"Aha! See? I told you they'd be here," Hiccup said, pointing triumphantly at Jack and Elsa.

"Couldn't have said that like three spots ago, dumbass?" Hiro grumbled annoyedly.

"What the hell?!" Jack snarled, stepping forth with crossed arms in hopes to intimidate their unexpected crowd and their unending wave of unilateral conversation.

Not a second of silence later, Violet was flipping her hair over her shoulder to mock, "Well, if it isn't Mr. and Miss Sneaking Off To A Secret Romantic Getaway."

"What even is all this stuff?" Astrid grumbled, narrowed eyes scanning the entire rooftop like a security drone.

"Aw, Frosty, you sappy little dweeb." Wilbur beamed as he took the liberty of waltzing around the white garden.

"Pretty sure that door was supposed to be locked," Andy mused, clicking his tongue.

"Lock is broken."

Elsa shut her eyes tight and slowly took a deep breath in and out through her nose. "Please tell me you didn't break the lock…"

"I did not break the lock, Your Majesty," the silverhead huffed, glowering at her from over his shoulder. "It was already like that when I found it."

"Just making sure," she replied with a shrug.

With a roll of his eyes, Jack turned back to the rest of their friends. "The fuck are you all even doing here?"

"Well, neither of you were coming back, so we got a bit worried—"

"Sure you did."

"—I mean, something bad could've happened, you know?"

"Underage pregnancy, for example."

"Jesus Christ," Andy hissed as all the teenagers collectively shrunk in embarrassment.

"Not awkward at all, Violet!"

"Oh, like you guys weren't thinking the same thing!"

Hiro shook his head. "No, we weren't, you weirdo—"

"I think that's our queue to go back inside, shall we?" Elsa announced, her jaw set and her stance firm, trying to not look affected by the direction of their conversation.

"I second that."

"Third!"

"Screw you guys."

As the group huddled by the door to go back, Jack cast a final wistful look at his winter garden before turning the lights off. He sighed, "And on that note is how we're wrapping up our Valentine's day this year, ladies and gentlemen."

"What are you babbling on about, Frost, we still got a shit ton of cleaning to do."

"Oh, great." He laughed humorlessly. "Happy Valentine's Day to us!"

I've written a lot of "get your dirty paws off my girlfriend!" lines, and the other day I realized that… Instead of Jack being jealous of others showing interest in his girlfriend, I started seeing those scenes as Elsa not feeling comfortable with unsolicited physical contact or with being the center of attention, and Jack acting protective because he's aware of that… not that this kind of tidbit matters to anyone but me xD