Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Osvald and Partitio have both carefully chosen gifts for each other, leading them to realize just how tight of a chokehold Cupid has on the both of them.

It was Valentine's Day, and love was certainly in the air. All over Solestia U's campus, couples were giving each other flowers and chocolate and being extra frivolous with their public displays of affection. Single students were using the day to confess their feelings for the objects of their affection, and even some professors were getting in on the festivities.

One of those professors was Osvald.

Osvald was usually exasperated by the holiday, having to repeatedly remind his students that during his lectures was not the right time for canoodling, and scolding some couples who were getting much too handsy with each other in public on school grounds. It was as if these college-aged adults regressed to a bunch of horny teenagers for one day, and Osvald normally tried to ignore the day's existence.

However, this year, after a lengthy period of dormancy, his heart stirred for someone. Naturally, that compelled him to participate in this farce of a day, no matter how much it pained him to do so after hating it for so long. He had obtained a gift for that certain someone, and now he had the daunting task of gathering up the courage to give it to him.

Osvald was currently standing on the sidewalk outside of Partitio and Roque, staring down at the rose in his hand so intensely that he thought that it might catch fire. The LGBTQ student org had been handing them out in front of the chemistry building, and he had made sure to get there in time to obtain one himself. His gaze moved to the café window, and he was glad to see that it was busy enough to keep Partitio occupied so that he wouldn't notice him standing outside like an idiot.

"Ugh, what am I doing…?" Osvald sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose. He didn't even know if Partitio was interested in him like that. Sure, Osvald knew that he liked men, but he wasn't sure if he liked older widowers…and the baggage that came with that. A pit of discomfort had formed within his gut, and he was starting to regret coming here at all, when he heard the café door open and an oddly familiar voice say his name:

"Is that you, Osvald?"

Osvald raised an eyebrow as he looked up, and his eyes widened with shock to find Temenos Minstral, the private detective that had helped him prove his innocence five years ago, stepping out of the shop.

"Hello, Temenos. Good to see you."

"You as well!" Temenos paused to take a sip of his coffee, and let out a content hum. "Oh, this is delightful! You really should try this place if you haven't yet."

"I'm a regular here."

"Ah, I can see why!" Temenos chuckled and placed a hand on his hip. "So, how long have you lived in New Delsta?"

"We moved here right before the school year started. Got a teaching job at Solestia U."

"Good for you! I'm glad everything is working out…and apparently in more ways than one." Temenos was eyeing the rose in Osvald's hand, and Osvald clenched his jaw as sweat started to bead on the back of his neck.

"Oho, now who's going to be the lucky recipient of that?" A sly grin slowly spread across Temenos' face as his eyes wandered up to lock with Osvald's, and Osvald felt his cheeks heat up as he cleared his throat.

"Er, n-no one in particular…" Osvald muttered, but he couldn't stop his eyes from wandering to the window, his gaze fixing on Partitio, who was serving customers with a smile like sunshine on his face.

"Ah, so it's the charming café owner, is it? You have good taste." Temenos chuckled and gave Osvald's shoulder a few pats, and Osvald pursed his lips, shrugging him off as he shook his head.

"I-It's not like that at all. Someone…just handed it to me, and it would have been rude to refuse it," Osvald said. He certainly hadn't purposely researched what time the roses were going to be handed out, and he definitely didn't make sure that he was the first one in line so that he could meticulously examine each and every rose until he found the perfect one to give to Partitio. No, that would be utterly ridiculous…but also very true.

Temenos brought a hand to his face to stifle a laugh, and he shot Osvald a wink. "Well, whatever you decide to do with it, I do hope it works out for you."

"I told you, it's not-" Osvald was cut off when an unfamiliar man came out of the café, holding a coffee and a to-go bag.

"Sorry for the wait, Temenos!" he said as he handed him the bag, "I decided to get a panini, and they were giving away heart-shaped cookies and I wanted to get you one."

"Why, Crick! I didn't take you for the romantic type," Temenos teased, and Osvald watched as Crick's face flushed a bright red when Temenos wrapped his arm around his free one and he leaned up to place a quick kiss on his lips. "Thank you, my dear."

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Osvald. Good luck with your not-love confession, or something like that." Temenos waved a hand at Osvald as he tugged Crick down the sidewalk, and Osvald groaned as he rubbed at his temples.

"I need all the luck I can get, for whatever the hell I'm doing…" Osvald grumbled, and he took a deep breath before steeling himself and finally stepping inside the café.

Partitio loved Valentine's Day. Having a whole day dedicated to love meant that there was a lot of happy energy to go around, and the café was a hot spot for couples today.

"Aw, did Hikari send those flowers here for you, Agnea?" Partitio asked as he walked out of the kitchen with a plate stacked with individually wrapped heart-shaped cookies. A large vase of orange and teal flowers sat on a shelf behind the counter, and Agnea seemed to have an extra skip in her step.

"He sure did!" Agnea gushed, letting out a dreamy sigh before focusing on preparing the drink orders that Thurston handed to her.

Partitio chuckled as he replaced the empty cookie plate on the counter with the full one and ran it back to the kitchen. The free heart-shaped cookies were a big hit with his customers today, and there was one customer in particular that he hoped would enjoy it too.

A fuzzy feeling flooded his chest as Partitio pulled a special wrapped cookie from his apron pocket. The other cookies were decorated with a solid colored frosting, but this one had blue frosting with Osvald's initials written in white over top of it. He couldn't wait to give it to him, and that was making this day drag on slower than molasses flowing in winter.

"Parti! Did you make a special cookie for Pops?"

Partitio's face flushed red as he jerked his head in Ochette's direction, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. "Aha, yeah, I suppose I did…"

"Oooh, are you finally gonna tell him how you feel?" Ochette bounced up and down on her toes, and Partitio pursed his lips together and averted his gaze.

"Eh, I think it's too soon for that, Ochette." Partitio really did like Osvald a lot, but he didn't want to rush things, given what had happened to his wife. Plus, even though he had found out that Osvald liked men, Partitio didn't know if he liked him specifically, and he didn't really know how to bring that up without accidentally dredging up bad memories. He'd just have to play it by ear.

"Oh, hi Ma!"

Partitio raised an eyebrow as Ochette greeted a customer after taking over for Thurston's break. Ochette hadn't mentioned that her parents would be in town, but as Partitio moved to stand beside her, he saw that the woman she was helping was definitely not her mom.

"She's not your mom, Ochette."

"No, silly!" Ochette laughed and shook her head. "This is Castti, and she's my doctor!" Partitio turned to get another look at the woman, who was smiling sweetly at him, but had an odd, mischievous glint in her eye. Odd…

"Are you Partitio?" Castti asked as Ochette prepared her drinks. Partitio smiled and tipped his hat at her.

"The one and only! Thankee kindly for coming in today, Castti. Is this your first time here?"

Castti nodded. "Yes, actually. I've heard a lot about your café from a certain someone, and I just had to come see it for myself."

Partitio beamed; he was glad that his reputation had grown so much that people were recommending his café to others. "Well shucks! Who did you hear that from? I'd like to thank them for spreading the good word."

"Oh, you know him very well." Castti giggled and shot him a wink, which caused Partitio to knit his brow in confusion, "And I think he will love the cookie."

Partitio's eyes went wide, and his gaze shot to the special cookie that he was still holding. The realization that she had been talking about Osvald hit him like a truck, and a goofy grin crossed his face. The fact that Osvald liked the café enough to recommend it to others made him so happy that it almost brought a tear to his eye.

Ochette gave Castti her drinks and a free cookie, and Castti nodded to Partitio before she made her way to a table occupied by a rather large bear of a man, who seemed more like a teddy bear with the way he blushed and smiled when Castti gave him the cookie and kissed his cheek before sitting down. Gosh, Partitio really did love all of the love surrounding him today…

The door suddenly chimed, and Partitio sucked in a sharp breath when Osvald stepped inside. "Howdy, Osvald!" Partitio said a bit too loudly, and he was practically shaking with excitement as he grabbed the coffee pot and met Osvald at the end of the counter.

"G-Good morning, Partitio," Osvald said, and Partitio frowned slightly as he poured the coffee into a mug. Osvald's face looked a bit pale, and he seemed nervous about something, with the way that his eyes were darting back and forth and he rubbed at his neck.

"Somethin' wrong, partner? Yer lookin' a bit…jittery."

Osvald shook his head, bringing a fist to his mouth as he cleared his throat. "No, it's just, um…here." Partitio's eyes went wide and his heart leapt into his throat when Osvald shoved his other fist towards him, which was clutching the stem of a beautiful rose. Dumbstruck, all Partitio could do was gape at Osvald, until he realized that he had overfilled Osvald's mug of coffee and was spilling it all over the counter.

"Shit!" Partitio cursed, whipping his hand up in time to catch the towel that Ochette threw his way.

"Don't burn yourself, silly!" she said, giggling as she stepped behind Partitio on her way to the kitchen.

"Ah, here, allow me." Osvald reached over to take the rag from Partitio, and his heart raced when their hands brushed. He watched as Partitio waved his hands frantically in front of him and he shook his head, and Osvald couldn't help but find the blush that had covered his cheeks to be quite endearing.

"N-No way! I can't have a customer cleanin' up my bumblin' mess!"

"It was my fault for distracting you, though." Osvald grabbed some napkins from the dispenser on the counter and crouched down to clean up the coffee that had managed to drip onto the floor. Partitio's face burned with embarrassment, but his heart fluttered at Osvald's kindness.

When they had cleaned up the mess, Partitio chuckled as he rubbed his arms. "Thankee kindly, Osvald. Sorry for makin' a scene like that, it's just…you really did startle me." Partitio's eyes wandered back to the rose that Osvald still held, before his gaze moved up to meet Osvald's. "Is it…really for me?"

Osvald's face flushed a bright red, and a fond smile crossed Partitio's face when he gave him a slight nod. "Y-Yes…b-but only because someone randomly gave it to me, and I, er, don't have any other use for it."

Partitio heard Ochette scoff and he turned to see her rolling her eyes. "Ugh, c'mon Pops! That's the lamest excuse I've ever heard-" Agnea interrupted her with a shush and quickly dragged Ochette into the kitchen.

"Aggie! Lemme go!"

Partitio let out a sigh and shook his head, blocking out Agnea's scolding as he turned his attention back to Osvald. He reached out to take the rose, and the shy smile that Osvald had on his face when their eyes met took Partitio's breath away. Partitio agreed with Ochette that Osvald's reasoning was lame as fuck, but he didn't care, because this meant that there was a very good chance that his feelings for Osvald were mutual, and that made his heart soar.

"Thankee kindly, Osvald. This is mighty sweet of you…whatever your reasons may be for it." Partitio said with a wink as he held the rose against his chest. Osvald cleared his throat and gave him a slight nod, and Partitio was happy that he still had a cute smile on his face.

"Yes, well, I should take my coffee and let you get back to work-"

"Wait!" Partitio quickly reached into his apron and shoved his specially-made cookie at Osvald. His heartbeat hammered hard within his chest, as a wide-eyed Osvald slowly reached out to take the cookie, and he stared down at it in his hand without saying a word.

"Since it's Valentine's Day and all, w-we're givin' away free cookies, and this is yours!" Partitio beamed outwardly, but he was internally screaming at Osvald's non-reaction; had he done something wrong?

Osvald's eyes flicked to the basket of cookies on the counter, and he was quick to note that they all were decorated with a plain coat of frosting. Unlike his, which had his initials on top of that coat, with the letters a bit uneven and lines shaking, which told Osvald that this was probably homemade. Partitio had made this cookie specifically for him, and that made butterflies take flight in Osvald's stomach. Did this mean that…Partitio shared his feelings for him?

"This cookie…is different from the others." Osvald gazed at Partitio over his glasses with an eyebrow raised, and he took great pleasure in watching Partitio's face flush a bright red as he ran a hand through his messy hair.

"A-Ah, well, that's just because…You're my favorite regular, of course!" Partitio let out a nervous laugh, and he pursed his lips when he heard Ochette start booing from the kitchen, before hearing Thurston shush and start arguing with her. Sure, Partitio knew that Ochette was right to be annoyed at his lack of action concerning his feelings, but Partitio didn't want to confess to Osvald in the middle of work at the café. That would be…incredibly unromantic.

Osvald chuckled as he slipped the cookie into his inner coat pocket, right over his heart where it belonged. "Thank you, Partitio. I am…very happy that you thought of me today." Yes, on Valentine's Day, the holiday of love. Osvald debated on broaching the topic of his feelings for Partitio right now, but he decided against it. Partitio was currently at work, and it would be incredibly inappropriate to do so now, no matter how badly he wanted to.

Noting how busy Partitio's coworkers were getting, Osvald adjusted his glasses before taking the coffee mug that was sitting on the counter. "I should let you get back to work."

"Ah, right." Partitio deflated slightly at having to part so soon, but he couldn't leave his hard-working employees hangin'! "I'll put that cup on your tab, and you can pay when the line goes down, partner."

"I appreciate it," Osvald said, and Partitio beamed as he picked up the coffee pot. He started to turn away, but was frozen in place by Osvald's next few words:

"And…Happy Valentine's Day, Partitio."

Partitio's jaw had gone slack as he whipped back around, only to find that Osvald had already moved to sit at an open table. His heart leapt into his throat when Osvald looked up from the book that he had pulled out and smiled, and Partitio felt like he had been shot about twenty times in the chest by Cupid himself.

"Happy Valentine's Day, Osvald…" Partitio mouthed, and a goofy smile crossed his face when Osvald chuckled before turning his attention to his book. Feeling like a million bucks, Partitio got back to work, much to the relief of his coworkers. However, he made sure to first add his precious rose to Agnea's bouquet for safe-keeping until after his shift, when he could start scheming about how and when to properly confess his feelings to Osvald…

Osvald hummed as he started his book, but his eyes kept wandering back to Partitio, and he let out a deep sigh as his hand moved to rest against his chest, over where the heart-shaped cookie lay over his heart. This attraction, this longing for the attention and affection from another person was something that Osvald had not felt in a long, long time…and that made him feel uneasy for some odd reason, but he pushed that negative feeling to the back of his mind for now.

As ridiculous as it sounded, and in the spirit of the holiday that he used to loath so much, Osvald felt like Cupid had him in a chokehold. As he sipped his delicious coffee, his eyes scanned the pages of his book without actually reading the words. His mind was preoccupied with his feelings for the handsome and charming café owner…and how he was going to go about acting upon them.