"You're doing well Shirou, but here, let me…" Ophelia guided his hand, the warmth of it snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I know how to make chocolate," he countered.

"No. You know how to follow a recipe perfectly," Ophelia replied, taking the bowl away from him.

"Isn't that the point?" He replied.

Shirou looked around the kitchen. It was quite busy, Many Servants were preparing chocolates and other gifts for the upcoming Valentines day.

"The point," Ophelia said, snapping him back by slamming a wooden spoon near his hand. Her eye was almost alight from the harshness and passion in her demeanor. "Is to pour your heart and soul into this. You have to make it your own, something you like that represent your love. No amount of perfection will beat that."

Shirou sighed. She was right, of course. As the best at confecting sweets in Chaldea, at least from the part of the humans, Ophelia was the most knowledgeable when one needed help. Indeed, many of the staff had come to her for help, including Mash.

While he didn't wish to bother her at first, his failures to really make a chocolate the Valkyries would like made him end up reaching to her for assistance. It was shameful, but necessary.

"Sorry, Ophelia. I guess I let my ego get the best of me," at this, Ophelia's features softened. He didn't know why, it wasn't an excuse. He had to know his limits, always, otherwise would mean dying on the line of duty.

"It's alright. You are pretty good at cooking, excellent. Your problem is not there. You need… let's see…" Ophelia said, touching her chin, cheeks tinted pink. "… I don't know how to say this." she said with a click of her tongue.

Shirou involuntarily smiled. "I guess other Mages never really wanted you to express yourself."

At this, Ophelia smiled as well. That was some progress at least. She used to sulk a lot when talking about her own flaws, often brought up when Ritsuka laughed at her own and encouraged everyone else to join in her self deprecating humor.

"No. Feelings where secondary, always. I have no idea how someone like you got into this world," Ophelia said, going back to the hot chocolate bowl.

"You could call me very, very unlucky. Anyway, so… what am I lacking then?" He asked, redirecting the topic.

"The best words I can find are that… you're not putting something that means anything to you into it. You think too much about what the Valkyries would want, which is already a good part of the gift covered, but not enough about what you love about them and yourself into your gift," Ophelia replied.

Shirou felt a pang of coldness in his chest. "I guess… I don't have many things I love about myself. Sure, there's cooking but… I'm otherwise ordinary and uninteresting. A simple guy."

"That's not true," Ophelia said, once again into her harsh mode. "I'm sure there are some things you love to do, right?"

"I…" Shirou looked away. He really could think of none. "… tried, searching for that. But when so many people need help, you kind of stop having time for self-reflection. So even if there was a hobby I liked, there's no time to find it."

Ophelia grimaced, looking away. "Yeah. I know that feeling well. But still… try to think about what you love about them, and put that into your gift."

Shirou pursed his lips together, leaning over the table and looking at it as if it were to tell him the answer.

"I still want to give them something they'd like. They'll accept everything… well… the ones I summoned did. But I don't know how these Valkyries will react, and I don't want to screw this up," Shirou said, still looking at the table.

"Have you tried asking Brynhildr, or Skadi? People close to them?" Shirou looked at her as if she were insane.

"That's cheating!" He said. Ophelia narrowed her eye at the accusation.

"It's not. You cannot always know everything about a single person," Ophelia exclaimed. "It's not wrong to ask for opinions, Shirou. You're not a lone hero going on a quest for his honor."

Shirou stared at her for a few seconds, pondering her statement.

He didn't want to bother others for help, not after everyone he had failed to save, and everyone that had helped and save him.

But she was right, in the end. He needed to ask for help. That reality had slapped across the face.

However… talking to some of those people would be troublesome.

"Alright," he said, taking a deep breath. "Where do you think I'll find Skadi today?"

Valentine had everyone huddled in their rooms, preparing their dates, hanging out with friends or solving some sort of trouble.

That trouble being… some problem in the library.

Thing he found out today, when Ritsuka came into the Kitchen exlaciming. "Have you seen any cursed books recently?"

After explaining the situation, he and Ophelia had offered to help solve Murasaki's problem.

But in the end, Ritsuka told him to focus on his valentines despite his protests.

"You focus on making the Valkyries happy, Emiya! Wasn't that the whole point of summoning them? Besides…" after saying that, Ritsuka had grabbed Ophelia in a tight, one-armed hug. "… We'll have some time to bond! Ritsuka and Ophelia, best duo having adventures together! Every day for a hundred years!"

Surprisingly, Ophelia had put up little resistance outside a roll of the eyes.

And so… Shirou headed towards the simulator, which Skadi often employed at least once a moth. According to Napoleon, it was to 'mourn' her Lostbelt at first, thing that had turned into a happy reminiscence.

Entering it, he was hit by a cold breeze, and a familiar image. A long bridge of ice leading to a crystalline castle.

He remembered it clear as day. Her domain from the Scandinavian Lostbelt.

He walked the bridge, guilt pilling upon him. He almost felt the need to stop when he passed the point where Hildr… Lostbelt Hildr… had–

Shirou shook his head and quickened his pace.

He entered the castle, footsteps echoing as he stepped into the throne room. On the chair, sat Skadi. She was leaning over one of the armrests, head propped up on her elbow, eyes closed as if sleeping.

He gulped, something that echoed throughout the room, and unfortunately, waked her up.

Her intense crimson eyes looked around for a second before landing on him.

That was enough to put a frown on her face.

"Ah… the second Master. What brings you here? This is my private time, you should know this," she said, now sitting straight and cross legged, like a proper queen.

"Sorry to disturb you, Lady Skadi. I just… needed some help," he said. At this, Skadi frowned once again.

"I have extended my aid to the Master of Humanity, Ritsuka Fujimaru," she said, tone cutting through the air. "But that's where it ends. Knowing how you treated my daughters, I have no wish to help you."

Shirou felt like he was going to die. The cold anger in her voice was palpable.

"T-t-that's the thing… I want to make right by them. By the Valkyries that are in this world now," as he said that, he prepared for the worst. He kept himself steady, ready for anything.

However, Skadi's posture relaxed after a moment, left eyebrow lifting a bit above the right one.

"And how do you plan to do that?" She asked. The hostility was almost gone now.

"I…" the closed his eyes, trying to compose himself. "… I was thinking of a Valentine's gift."

"Valentine?" she asked, eyes widening, mouth open in a wide 'o'.

He nodded.

"But… isn't the woman supposed to give out the gift first?" She asked, wand tapping against her chin. When had she pulled it out?

"Who cares?" He asked, shrugging. "I just want to make them happy, make my feelings known, today. I may not get this chance again, and I'd rather neither they nor I have any regrets."

Skadi looked at him for a moment, and then her mouth curved slightly upwards, something she covered with her wand. "My, my. You sure are quite something boy. How little respect you have for things like status or tradition."

"Well, as a hero, I have to save everyone I can, without discriminating," he stated, more confident now. The guilt and shame had rescinded, a little."

"How peculiar. How… sweet. Hmm…" Skadi closed her eyes, once again frowning. After a moment, she opened them again. "Very well. I'll put some effort into helping you, if you promise you won't hurt my daughters… again."

"I would never!" He stated, almost shouting.

"So I thought. Then… it truly was…" Skadi mused. Shirou tilted his head.

"What?" He asked.

"Oh nothing. What is it that you need," she asked, once again the Queen of Ice.

"Alright, so I was thinking a gift, but I have no idea what they would personally like. I've met them before, but they are not the same ones. They haven't lived what they lived with me so… I can't really assume. Not in the short time we've been together. Do you think you could help me?"

At his swords, Skadi once again smiled. "Of course. My daughters are very reticent about being themselves. After all, a Valkyrie has no concept of priorities, they follow instructions and commands, and only that. The only thing resembling a priority would be their sisters' well being."

"Knowing that, you would better off with something that improves what they perceive as 'performance'. But…"

"But?" Shirou asked, mouth pursed.

"...I'd rather you help them grow into being… themselves. They already started the process," Skadi said, a tinge of regret in her tone.

"I know. Seems that is a given no matter when they are summoned," he said, remembering how cold and distant they were at first, both times he summoned them.

"Yes. It's a curse," she said.

"Curse?" Shirou asked, snapping his head to look at the Queen.

"No matter," she said, shaking her head. "But do give them something useful. Something to help them grow. Hildr seems to like fashion. She's always willing when Medb… drags me to her escapades," Skadi said.

Shirou tilted his head. "Interesting. I did notice she seems to care a bit more about it. But she also loves battle."

Skadi chuckled. "Indeed. Same for Ortlinde. She seems quite taken by what you told her, about feelings and love. She's constantly reading stories in the library. That may be helpful."

"And Thrúd…" Shirou said, closing his eyes. Thrúd was standoffish, to put it lightly. From the time that they had been together in Chaldea, she was a perfect Valkyrie. Cold, emotionless, commanding, fierce. He loved that.

But it dind't give him much to go on. He was stuck with the Thrúd from the holy Grail War as his reference.

And knowing how different the Hildr of now was, he was sure that memory would be of no help.

"Thrúd… she's still trying to be perfect. I'm afraid not even I know how to approach her," Skadi said, eyes closed in regret.

Shirou looked down, frowning.

He would need three gifts.

He would need to pour what each girl meant to him in them.

"Say, Skadi," he said, looking up to the queen. "Could you help me with something else?"

Shirou took a breath to calm himself. He was ready, and heading towards the changing rooms in Chaldea.

He just needed to wait for Skadi to meet with Hildr.

As he got past a metal clad corner, the winds behind him shifted, a woosh caressing his neck.

He turned, and saw something pink barrel towards him.

"OBJECT COLLISION! OBJECT COLLISION!" Hildr screamed, but it was too late, and he earned a headbutt to the chest with the strength of a ballistic missile.

An exaggeration in his mind, but if he felt the impact so strongly, it was at least rank B+.

"Owowowow. Sorry," he heard someone say. The impact had knocked him down to the floor, forcing him to gasp a few times to recover air.

"H-Hildr. Hey," he said as his foggy vision recovered.

Hildr sat in front of him, head surrounded by little stars. "Hey…" she said, mouth wavering.

It was certainly something unexpected, but given Hildr's energy, not too surprising.

"You ok?" He asked, getting up and offering a hand.

Hildr shook her head, and activated her light wings, her body uprighting itself by floating.

"Yup! Yup! I'm fine now. Sorry about that, I'm in a hurry," she said with a bright smile infectious enough to make him smile.

"I can see that. You really should slow down, for other's sake," Shirou said with a sigh.

Hildr's head wings dropped a bit. "I KNOW! But this is a one in a million chance! I need to get there!" Hildr said, voice growing louder.

"You're going to see Skadi and Medb right?" Shirou said. At this, Hildr froze, her face contorted in a panic.

Hildr smiled, mouth shut and looking around while her head wings spun slowly like radars.

"P-please don't tell Thrùd, or Ortlinde. Especially not Ortlinde!" She pleaded, shaking him a bit.

" I won't, I won't. Why is that so important that you're shaking me?" Shirou asked, head bobbing from front to back.

"W-well, Thrùd would scold me. And Ortlinde… well…" Hildr blushed now, fingers taping together. "She'd… you know… try it. And that would be no good."

"Oh?" Shirou raised an eyebrow.

"Y-yeah. A Valkyrie needs to be collected and level-headed, and be efficient, and other stuff Thrùd knows. I can't do that stuff, so if I do improper stuff in front of my sister…"

"...Ortlinde may imitate you? There's nothing wrong with that," Shirou said, fixing her with a stare.

"Of course there is! I'm not… a proper Valkyrie…" Hildr said, lowering her head.

Shirou couldn't stand it. "If you're not a proper Valkyrie, then I'm not a proper hero."

His voice was even and strong. Hildr looked up into his eyes, mouth hanging open slightly.

"I…" Hildr's eyes moved along the ground. "I see! You aren't a proper hero! Yet!" Hildr exclaimed with a joyful voice.

Shirou deadpanned. "You didn't need to say it like that."

"Yeah. But I guess that's what makes you so interesting," she said without hesitation. Shirou flinched, face turning crimson.

"W-well, you're just as interesting!" Shirou replied, crossing his arms. He had spokem withoit thinking, and a part of him braced for consequences.

However, Hildr simply looked away.

"I… I… only because I'm different?"

She asked. Shirou pursed his lips.

Expressing himself wasn't his forte. He could be blunt about the realities of life, but his own feelings were… something that rarely mattered.

"Because you are always so full of energy. Because you always go where you need to go, without stopping. I'm sure no other Valkyrie is like that, and that makes you great."

Hildr turned even more red, to the point he thought there was smoke coming out of her ears.

"I-Is that so…"

"Yes," he said, and reached behind him. However, before he could pull out his gift, a hand reached for his forearm.

"Then let's go!" She said, dragging him off with little effort.

"W-Where!?" He asked, digging his feet into the ground. It had no effect, it was a slick metal surface.

"To do some 'fashion' with Lady Skadi snd Queen Medb. A warrior is only as good as they look!" Hildr said, not looking back.

"Hey, hey. I would love that, but first...!" He pulled, stopping Hildr a bit, just enough that she turned to look at him.

"Here!" He quickly extended his hand, letting the gift on it show. A square, red and brown box with a yellow ribbon.

Hildr froze, mouth hanging open in surprise.

"T-that is…"

"Happy Valentines!" He said, smiling. He was a bit embarrassed, but he pushed through before Hildr dragged him off.

"Valentines…" Hildr repeated, looking at the gift.

"C'mon. See what it is," Shirou said. "Weren't you in a hurry?"

Hildr pouted, and in a second she took it off his hands and opened it.

Inside the gift was a small clock, wrapped in silver and bronze, accentuated by zome brown and with a long chain and pin. The clock itself was a normal twelve hour one, with roman numerals. It's two hands were accentuated by an amethyst jewel in the centre.

"This is-!"

"A clock! A pocket watch. Since you're always going fast and arriving early, I thought this may fit you perfectly. And it looks good, at least according to Da Vinci," Shirou explained with a smile. "Also doubled as a chronometer, with its third hand."

"I see!" Hildr said, looking the device over like a child looking at their gift. It made him smile, but not enough to shut up.

"I thought that… you would appreciate it. We may not have… as much time as we think but…"

"With this, we'll be able to make it count," Hildr said, turning to him with a genuine, warm smile that made his heart skip a beat.

"Y-yes. That," he said, fighting down a blush. "I really want to keep up with you, Hildr. I WILL keep up. I promise."

Hildr's smile grew wider, cheeks tinted red. "Thank you. May I have permission to call you Shirou?"

"Well I-I… yes. Granted," he said, returning the smile. Then, he looked away. "A-anyway. I have other gifts to give to Thrùd and Ortlinde so… I'll be seeing you. The box also has some chocolates. Not the best but-"

"Oh," Hildr said, face already stained with the sweets' crumbs. "Sorry."

A laugh nearly burst out of him, followed by a shared look and comfortable silence. Yes, Hildr went fast, she always ran ahead. And he would follow her, trailing behind her warm light.

One more time, they bid their goodbyes, and went their separate ways.

Not for long, the Valkyries always stuck together.

But he still needed to find Thrùd.

And so, he headed for the battle simulator.

Thrúd was in a solo battle simulation, according to the registry. Luckily for Shirou, being a Master let him bypass the small list that the other Servants had put up to determine by whom and when the simulator would be used.

The simulated scenario was a rocky field, full of crags and spires. The enemies were Jotuns and chimeras.

He didn't have to go too far in to fight her.

In the midst of the battlefield, surrounded by enemies, Thrúd stood with her weapons at her side, body floating and calm.

As soon as the enemies moved, she moved like a storm. Even when alone, she was fearsome. He observed her from a nearby vantage point, admiring the grace and beauty with which she fought.

She took to the skies, avoiding boulders and hits, diving when the moment was right to strike at the eyes without mercy, then going for the legs in order to finish them with a stab to the chest.

Minutes latter, when the battle was over and she landed, he approached her; mesmerized by her flowing blonde hair.

Then, her lance moved. Seeing the motion, he projected Kanshou to block her strike.

"You have good instincts. But other warriors may not know it's you, Emiya," Thrùd said, turning to him with her piercing gaze. "I saw you during my battle. You were certainly reckless."

She judged him. She was always judging warriors, and thus, most Servants at Chaldea where under her calculating gaze.

"Well, I'm not one for sneaking around much," he said. Thrúd, however, did not seem to catch on the joke. Shirou brought a fist to his mouth and coughed slightly. "Sorry. I wanted to give you something."

"Something? May I ask for specifications?" She asked, raising an eyebrow. Then, Shirou pulled from behind him a wrapped gift similar to the one he gave Hildr. Only, instead of a square, this one was a triangle.

"Happy Valentines!" He said, smiling.

Thrúd looked at the object with a frown. "Valentines. My records indicate that it's a day where humans give gifts to others to show their feelings. Their feelings…" Thrúd's eyes widened as she came to a realization.

"Feelings?! Emiya, you can't possibly–!"

"But it's true," Shirou said, cutting her off. "I put my feelings in this gift. It's up to you to reject or accept them. I'm fine either way, as long as you're happy."

That was an abject lie, a rejection was certain to hurt. But he would respect her wishes.

"Why do my feelings-? Never mind. This is just… I have no use for gifts," she said, pushing the gift ever so slightly towards him.

"This one may. I know you always try to be a perfect Valkyire, so I thought you may have some use for this one," he said with a smile.

Thrúd pursed her lips, and then her hands drifted towards the gift. Dissipating her weapons, she opened it with care, never tearing the paper.

When she opened it, inside she found a rune-carved chocolate and a golden arrow with a familiar shape.

Her mouth opened slightly as she inspected the item. "This magical energy… this is…"

"My special arrow, Gungnir Zwei, made in the image of your spear. I hope you don't mind the modifications."

He knew they didn't, of course. The first time he used it in front of them, they were somewhat appealed, but in the end had accepted it.

Thrúd looked at the arrow with a frown, which made Shirou slightly worried. "Is… something wrong?"

"This modification… it's made it brittle," she commented, putting the arrow carefully in the box.

Shirou shifted from one foot to another. "Y-yeah. It was a compromise for more power."

Thrúd fixed him with her gaze, which was once again neutral. "It changed. It's no longer a strong, graceful spear," she stated.

"M-maybe. But it's still strong. It still flies, and it's still as beautiful as ever. Sure, it's not meant to last but…" he looked at his feet. "… I guess nothing is."

"You still think it's beautiful?" Thrúd asked, looking away. "Weapons are not supposed to be beautiful. Weapons are not supposed to change over time."

"And who said that?" Shirou asked, raising his voice a little.

"I…"

"Thrúd… we all change," Shirou stated. Then, Thrúd shook a little.

"What if I don't want that? What if I change into… something I hate?" She asked. Then, Shirou took her free hand.

"You won't. I know you, and you know yourself. You have your sisters. Just like I made sure that spear didn't break, I will never let you turn into something you hate," he stated, looking into her ruby eyes.

Thrúd gasped, a blush creeping into her face. "You're so certain, it's almost reassuring, Emiya."

Shirou smiled. "Well… I got a lot of inspiration from someone else I know. Someone who always knows what is right and wrong," he said. Thrúd pursed her lips, head wings lowering as if she were embarassed.

The Valkyrie took the gift closer to her heart. "In that case, I also won't let you, or my sisters, change into something to be despised. I'll make sure you all reach the end of your paths, whichever they may be," she said, smiling at him. His heart felt like it was on fire.

"Y-yes. We can do that, Thrúd. I'll also make sure you reach the place you're flying towards," he said.

They remained in silence, looking at each other as wind caressed them. Shirou took one step closer, and Thrúd didn't even seem to flinch, although her expression softened a bit.

A loud sound took them out of it. An alarm blare.

"If you two are done there, step out! Kings are waiting to stretch their muscles, mongrels!" The voice of Gilgamesh shook the area, making Shirou and Thrúd frown.

"Sorry," he said, clearly towards Thrúd.

"It was improper to do this here. But… we'll continue, another time," she said, taking one of her hands into his own. It was cold, as always, but he could feel some warmth that was not his own, at the centre.

"Another time. But now," with some hesitation, he let go. "I have to go see Ortlinde. I'll Catch you later, Thrúd."

"Until we meet again, Shirou."

The mention of his given name made his heart skip a beat.

Shortly after, he left the Simulator with her, and after exchanging some glances, they went their separate ways.

Shirou still had one gift to give.

And so, he took off in search of Ortlinde, a pang of nervousness eating at the back of his mind.

Ever since Murasaki's library had appeared on the base, a certain craze for books had spread. And of course, the Valkyrie sisters were completely immersed. They even had lowered their gaming hours to spend a bit of time reading, something he was glad for.

Like most libraries, it had it's entrance hall, large tables with lamps adorning it as it opened the way to the registry. After that, many long bookcases flanked it, leading to rows and rows of books, other reading areas and even a second floor.

Ortlinde was not in the main hall, but in one of the side ones that had been 'freed' from the Demonic books tormenting the base. Luckily Ophelia and Ritsuka were dealing with them in record time.

The side area where he found Ortlinde was a lax one, mostly furnished with sofa's and bean bags. She was sitting on one of the latter, face deep into a book with a gray hardcover.

He could see something under her hood move at the same time as her eyes, which warmed his heart.

He approached silently, and coughed to catch her attention.

"Hey, Ortlinde," he said. The Valkyrie immediately left her book, turning to him.

"E-emiya," she said, looking around. "Do you require something?"

"N-n-no," he said, looking away. Her tone was neutral enough, but it still made him afraid. "I'm fine, I just…"

He looked back at her, and she eyed him with expectation.

"… You came to read as well?" She asked, shifting in her seat.

"Well… no. I came to give you something," he reached behind him, fumbling a little as Ortlinde suddenly began floating, head tilting to see what it was. Something akin to panic entered him, and so he found himself in need of diverting the conversation. "I see you're reading as well."

The Valkyrie turned back to her book with a slight blush. "Y-yes. It was quite a mesmerizing book."

"What about?" As he asked that, Ortlinde's mouth shut closed, lips wavering. Shirou frowned. "It… can't be something too bad, right?"

"It's… well…" Ortlinde said, pacing back and fort. "… A romance book. Jane Eyre."

He remembered that book from his time on Homurahara Academy. It had been a lengthy project he and Shinji worked on together. Well, Shirou worked on it and Shinji slacked off, but he had been fine with it. Shinji had broken up with another girlfriend at the time, and so it was up to his friend to support him.

"Romance? I thought you weren't interested in feelings," he said, going to sit down on a nearby chair. Sheepishly, Ortlinde returned to her previous seat.

"W-w-well, we… I thought it was necessary. And this book in particular, it's protagonists' changes in values and spirit as she meets the love of her life and suffers because of her duties. I just felt curious," Ortlinde said, going to grab the book and caressing it's cover.

"But you're the only one reading it. Making things more efficient for the three of you?" He asked. Ortlinde shook her head.

"No. Just me. Hildr moves too much to sit down to read for long, and Thrúd… well, I think she's scared. So it falls to me to keep researching what feelings are," Ortlinde said. Shirou smiled. Ortlinde, at least this Ortlinde, tried so hard for what she believed was best.

He loved that. Even a demi-goddess like her tried harder than most humans.

"I see. I guess that's what I love about you, you know? It's amazing," Shirou said, a smile taking over his features.

Ortlinde looked at him with widenes eyes. "W-w-wha…? It's just– Any Valkyrie would do this sort of thing for their sisters!"

"Maybe. But you're also doing It for yourself. And it's still something admirable," Shirou said. Ortlinde shook her head once again.

"It's standard. You also act for other's sake, and for no benefit at that! That sort of thing is what nearly qualifies you to be a hero!" Ortlinde said, voice growing louder. Seeing her so fired up warmed his heart.

"Well… yes. But the reason I do things for others is not as noble or good-intentioned as you think it is. I don't really have anyone to do it for other than myself. At least, I used to not have anyone else," he said, closing his eyes as memories flooded through him. "But you… you do it for people you love. I admire that, I really do. That's why I want to give you this."

He reached behind him as Ortlinde became paralyzed at his words. He pulled out the gift he had prepared, wrapped in a rectangular red box.

"Happy Valentines. This is for you, something that I hope we can both improve in, to enjoy ourselves," he said.

Slowly, Ortlinde took it, eyeing it like a curious cat.

Inside, she found a book about cooking, alongside some chocolates.

"I hope that we can both make some greats meals, someday," he added as she skimmed through the pages. "It's also quite technical, so you won't get bored."

With a thud, Ortlinde closed it, fixing him with a hard stare. For a second, Shirou feared for what she would say as memories from the Scandinavian Lostbelt invaded his mind for a split second. He feared she would dismiss his gift as insulting.

"Together," she stated simply.

Left without breath, Shirou simply uttered an agreement. "Together."

Then, Ortlinde sighed, and put the book aside. "Acknowledged. Then, shall we do something together?"

"L-like what?" Shirou asked.

"Want to read with me? This piece of furniture is quite comfortable," Ortlinde said, moving the bean bag, it's polyester making sounds as it moved to accommodate her figure.

"Y-yes. I would like that," he said.

"G-good. Then join me, if you would," Ortlinde said, scooting a little. It would be a tight fit, but he couldn't deny a request from the Valkyrie.

And so, he sat at her side. He was a bit wider than her, but not was wide as his future self. He still envied Archer's height and muscle density. In the end, he took up most of the space, with Orltinde squeezed on his left arm, holding the book.

"Alright then, I was on chapter seventeen. Shall I move to the start?" She asked, looking up at him. Having her so close, feeling her skin and breathing… it was a feeling that made it hard to think.

"I'll keep up, don't worry about me," he said. He wanted to add something like 'as long as I'm with you, I'm perfectly fine,' but by then Ortlinde was already deep into her book, holding it for him while she rested her head on his shoulder.

Of course, Shirou also held it open. He couldn't let her take all that burden on herself.

And then… Ortlinde shifted her head a little. "Removing hood. It's a little bothersome."

Ortlinde let her hood fall, revealing her short black hair and head wings. It wasn't a common sight, and to add to that, Ortlinde was quite beautiful.

To see her like that, it eased his mind.

It was like being back on Fuyuki with Taiga and Sakura.

A sense of peace, of having a future ahead of yourself.

He allowed himself to relax, to let his head fall a bit.

Unknowingly, he had leaned right into Ortlinde's head wings.

They were soft, so very soft.

And so, both of them dozed off, at least, until Thrúd and Hildr found them.

They joined them in the bean bag too.

A/N: Happy late Valentines! I love the scenes in F/Go, and so I thought, why not make a Valentine scene for the Valks and Shirou. And in this case, thanks to the suggestions of Pallan Minerva and TungstenCat (who are wonderful authors and you should all definitely read their works, especially The Saga of Shirou's Summons), I decided to focus a bit more on the individual relationships between Shirou and each Valkyrie. After all, they aren't the same no matter how hard they try to deny it.

Wether I succeeded or not I'll leave up to you, but I'm still quite happy with the result. This will probably a two parter, with the Valks' return gifts on White Day for some sweet inversion of tradition.

That is all. Hope you all enjoyed it and see you next chapter.