Note: I realized this afternoon while at work that I should have prepared a silly little one-shot Valentine's Day fic, so I wrote this literally between client meetings. Like a boss.

No, seriously. I'm the boss. I'm still in the office. What am I even doing?

Following Emotions

He was new to this whole couple thing, so at first he didn't consider the possible ramifications of Valentine's Day. Logically he knew it was a thing, and he saw all the decorations start appearing in stores and public spaces along his daily route. He just never thought it concerned him. Not until Trowa ruined the blissful ignorance that he surrounded himself with.

"Did you hear that Chang got tricked into a date on Tuesday night?"

Heero looked up from his laptop to see Trowa leaning on the door frame of his office. There was a smirk on his face that spelled trouble.

"What's Tuesday?"

A twinkle in his friend's eyes spoke volumes, but to what he wasn't certain.

"It's Valentine's Day, and his new girlfriend managed to snag a date before he realized what was happening. He's going to be furious, they hardly know each other but she wants romance and fuss."

Heero grunted and looked back to his screen. Trowa took that as an invitation to enter the office and sauntered over to Duo's side of the room, falling with purpose onto his chair and turning to put his feet up on the desk. Heero suppressed a cringe. If Trowa did that at his desk he'd be angry at the level of disrespect displayed. But Duo would consider the causal action proof that Trowa was comfortable with him.

"Five credits says he stands her up and never speaks to her again."

Instantly his eyes shot back to Trowa. "Ten that he shows up solely to dump her."

Trowa mulled over his offer.

"Deal!"

Swinging his feet back down to the floor he stood to shake on the bet and bid Heero goodbye. It wasn't unusual for Trowa to make such a brief appearance, and it wasn't unusual for it to be fueled by some innocuous bet. But this time he couldn't shake the subject. Wufei's latest fling wanted romance. She wanted to be fussed over. Was he expected to commit acts of romance on this stupid holiday? What kind of couple cared about a day they were supposed to show their affection, mandated by a capitalist need to consume?

It wasn't that he didn't have feelings. He wouldn't be in a relationship if he didn't feel something for his partner. They'd still be having casual sex with no strings attached if he didn't have feelings.

But he did. And he feared they were bigger than anticipated.

It knocked him sideways when he realized he wanted more, and he wasted no time in following his emotions and requesting they start adding strings to that no strings relationship. And they did. But that was June, and now it was February. They'd been together together for months now but they weren't exactly public. None of their friends knew. If the Preventers found out they couldn't be partners at work anymore. Relena had even tried to set him up on a blind date in December because no one suspected a thing.

And they hadn't exactly done much for one another in terms of holidays or events. They weren't very... couple-y, if that was a word. Thinking about it now, he wasn't sure if it was because they didn't put any particular emphasis on holidays or because they just hadn't established expectations.

Was Duo holding back, afraid to ask for what appeared to be standard relationship markers? Was outgoing Duo Maxwell being... shy?

"Yo! Heero!"

He jerked in his seat to find Duo standing in front of his desk holding two cups of tea. By all appearances his name had been called several times while he was lost in thought.

"Where were you? Out in space?" He placed Heero's cup in front of him and shot him a critical look. "It's not like you to zone out."

Duo maneuvered back to his desk and Heero couldn't keep his eyes off him. He noticed how his intense gaze was beginning to make his partner uncomfortable, but he didn't break. He continued to really take him in, and try to figure out if Duo Maxwell was the kind of guy who wanted romantic gestures on Valentine's Day. He watched Duo shudder.

"Ro, you're creeping me out. For real, stop it."

It was Sunday. Two days until Valentine's Day.

He already decided that taking Duo out for a romantic dinner was out of the question whether he expected something or not. The risk of being caught together was high. Even if they simply went for a walk on the evening of Valentine's Day someone might see them and level accusations about their relationship.

They'd be right, but he couldn't admit to that.

He tried to think of ways to covertly do something for Duo, all while completely uncertain if he even wanted the occasion marked. Duo was not Relena. He wouldn't want a giant teddy bear or a box of chocolates and balloons. Flowers were out of the question. Duo once remarked to Wufei that giving a woman flowers was silly and kind of morbid because the flowers were already dead, and he went on about the symbolism of making her watch them wither away slowly. While Duo wasn't a woman, it made sense that his same logic would apply to himself.

The most frustrating part was not being able to ask his friends for advice. If he mentioned the holiday and asked what appropriate behavior would be it would spark a relentless need to know who he was wooing.

He allowed himself a small smile when he realized he was wooing Duo Maxwell.

It felt so... normal. Never in his life did he expect to feel so completely normal. Lately he was thinking that this was what Odin wanted for him when he encouraged him to follow his emotions. Especially towards the end of their time together, the older man seemed to always hold back something more that he wanted to say. It was as though he knew he'd die soon, and he wanted to leave him affectionately. There were moments, looking back, when it appeared he wanted Heero to just be a kid, and he'd flat out rejected the idea.

That he wasn't ready to understand the value of a little normalcy as a small child made him a little sad, but he was beginning to understand now. From the day he met Duo he slowly learned to value what a normal life, or as close to normal as any of them could have, would bring. Duo gave him the ability to smile. He gifted him the comfort of learning how to joke and not have his humor rebuffed. He gifted him regular physical touch that was tender and not violent. There was so much Duo gave without any expectations. He never asked for anything.

He was determined to give something back.

For Valentine's Day, apparently.

He just didn't know what.

Duo made no mention of the holiday and didn't plan for them to get together. They didn't always make plans in advance, but he considered it a data point, anyway. The possibility that Duo was specifically ignoring a lover's holiday was real. Given how outgoing he was, if it mattered he'd probably say something. It's not like only one of them was in charge of planning time together. Duo asked to spend time together in 62% of all instances in which they made plans for just the two of them.

Not that he was counting.

Maybe he was counting, but he was new to the whole relationship thing and data was good.

Heero ran a hand through his hair and groaned, sitting back on his couch and kicking his laptop away. No amount of research was helping. All the standard Valentine's fair was simply unacceptable. He still wasn't even sure Duo wanted anything at all for the holiday. He wasn't sure of anything, and the only options he could come up with weren't pleasant. Taking a look around his empty apartment, he decided maybe it was time to bite the bullet. Maybe he could lie and get through a phone call unscathed.

Swallowing hard, he dialed Relena first. Before she could even say hello he dove right into his reason for calling, speaking quickly and harshly.

"Relena, I require your assistance in understanding the rituals of Valentine's Day, as I am lacking in this area and do not appreciate being the least informed person I know on a subject that even children appear to comprehend."

The line was silent.

"Relena?"

When she spoke her voice did a poor job of holding back excitement.

"Well hello to you, too, Heero. I would love to help you, my dear friend." He didn't like where she was going. "Tell me, Heero, why is it you suddenly want to know about Valentine's Day? Are you, by chance, attempting to woo someone?"

He wanted to hang up on her. How did she know? How did she know to use the word "woo" as though it was utterly common? Did she know he was seeing someone? Did she know that someone was Duo? Would she tell people if it was confirmed? Would he lose Duo as a partner at work? Would Duo be upset that other people knew they were an item? He never said anything about wanting to go public, so for months he just assumed status quo was fine. What should he—

"Heero? Come on now. I'm only teasing."

"Oh."

"I don't think there's one right answer. For some people it's a day they use to make up for all the other days they neglected someone they love. For others it's an excuse to dote on the person they love, or be doted upon."

"And if you're not sure if it's love?"

He could've hit himself. He didn't mean to ask that. She paused, and took her time in answering.

"Love comes in a lot of different ways, with varying intensity. Sometimes it lasts, and sometimes it's fleeting. I think the point of Valentine's Day is just to express whatever you're feeling and no more."

The last thing he expected from Relena was measured and reasonable advice. He called her first because he expected something over the top, which he would temper with a call to Quatre. But she surprised him, and gave him something to think about.

"Thank you, Relena."

"You're welcome, Heero."

On Monday work went as usual, and Tuesday arrived with no acknowledgement from Duo about Valentine's Day but at this point he wasn't expecting anything. Their morning started typically, and Heero's only plan was to wait for Duo to leave their office and make his move. Unfortunately, his partner's mid day meeting was canceled and he decided to take lunch at his desk. That was... unusual. But perhaps he wanted to avoid people in the cafeteria. Heero noticed several flower deliveries occurring throughout the day and assumed they'd make Duo grumpy. The whole "symbolism of death" and all.

"Hey, you okay, Ro?"

Automatically he turned to his partner. Duo looked good, but he looked good every day.

"Yes, why?"

With a tilt of his head Duo waited to see if he'd get anything more in response. When he didn't, he sighed.

"I dunno, man. You just seem a little off today."

Every red flag went up in Heero's head. His mind screamed to abort his mission. Duo saw right through him and he was being stupid. Being normal was overrated. Having a normal relationship was unattainable. He was wrong about everything. So he took a page from Duo's book and made a joke.

"Maybe it's all the added pollen in the building."

The way Duo's eyes slowly lit up, the way his lips curled into a genuine smile, made everything seem all right. His laugh was rich and sweet. He didn't even have a comeback. They fell back into their comfortable routine and all was well once more.

An hour later, when Duo left to discuss a case with Trowa and Wufei, Heero made his move.

Relena told him to express how he was feeling. Nothing more, and presumably nothing less. It took him several hours to come up with what he considered an appropriate token of affection for Duo, and multiple attempts to get it just right. In the end it only took 3.5 seconds to reach over and place his gift in Duo's desk. In the twenty or so minutes before Duo returned he considered taking the gift back. If Duo wasn't looking for a romantic gesture he didn't want to appear foolish. But a voice in the back of his mind told him it was better to do something than do nothing, and he was a man of action.

Duo didn't open his desk for a while. He returned from Trowa and Wufei's office a bit annoyed and sat heavily onto his chair and got right to work. Heero patiently waited almost half an hour before he asked, as coolly as possible "can I borrow a staple remover?" He'd seen it inside Duo's desk drawer when he opened it earlier.

"Sure thing, Ro. What, you finally misplace someth—"

The red envelope immediately caught Duo's attention and his brow furrowed. Heero once again worried he'd made a mistake and done something wrong. Silently Duo opened the envelope and took in the card. It was a simple cartoon of a generic mobile suit holding a sign that read "You mobile suit me" in janky little letters as though the machine wrote it out itself. It was a popular card among small children but Heero thought it appropriate for them.

He thought he saw surprise, maybe confusion on his partner's face, but Duo was keeping his expression as neutral as he could. Then, after a long pause, he opened the card to read what was written inside. As Duo's eyes scanned the words he wrote he could hear them in his own head.

Duo,

I enjoy the time we spend together. You make me happy. Thank you for choosing to be with me.

-Heero

He watched closely as a small smile ghosted over Duo's lips. For a moment he thought his partner was blushing a little, but he couldn't really tell. There was a glint in Duo's eyes that hadn't been there before and it remained as he folded the card closed, put it into his pocket, and stood. That same odd light held within violet eyes focused on him as Duo silently glided across the space between them, and for a moment Heero thought he was about to get kissed. At the office. With no one around but with the door open so that anyone walking by could see. He wasn't sure if he was upset or thrilled.

And then Duo leaned over, whispered "thanks" so quietly he almost didn't hear, and held out his fist.

Startled, Heero automatically brought his hand up, as Duo had trained him years ago, and they fist bumped.

It wasn't the reception he thought he'd get. He wasn't even sure what he thought would happen when Duo got his Valentine. But in the back of his mind that same voice from before told him he was officially dating someone without an ounce of romantic whimsy in his system.

He was sure Odin would've laughed at him.