[CONTENTID1]

forty-seven: valentine’s blues

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[She had to just be going hormonal, right?]

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By the time the haunted look in Suho's eyes faded away and he stopped shaking at random intervals and he was able to smile as happily as he did before, it was the beginning of February and there was an abrupt change in the air.

"Valentine's Day?" Juyeon repeated, eyebrows raised, as she spooned some cereal-flavoured blobs into . "What's the big deal?"

"Isn't it a big deal for normies, too?" Seoyeon said with a laugh. She and Minjun were already there for breakfast. Juyeon could honestly say she enjoyed spending these short amounts of time with them. They were slowly growing more and more comfortable around her, until Seoyeon could show her snarky, sassy side without being too nervous and Minjun's voice grew louder and more confident.

"I mean, I guess?" Juyeon shrugged. "Not for me. I mean, it's more of a couples thing, isn't it?"

"Well, not always," Seoyeon said. "You can give it to guy friends, too. I give Minjun chocolates like, every year."

"They taste like ," Minjun complained.

"Shut up. You still eat them."

"Was it always like this, two weeks before Valentine's?" Juyeon looked around, as though she could see the new tension, like it was a tangible thing. In a way, it kind of was. There was a thickness that hung around everyone like clouds—guys were gathering in clumps like packs of nervous penguins, glancing at girls more often than usual, sometimes staring at them with an expectant look. Girls were whispering to each other, some excited, some nervous, trading recipes and constantly gossiping about whether or not the staff would let them go to the nearest town to buy chocolates.

”Of course,” Minjun snorted. “What were you doing last year?”

”Uh, studying? Scoffing at everyone for their Valentine’s craze, probably?” Juyeon finished up the last of her breakfast blobs and pushed her tray aside. “Is this something I should be thinking about?”

”Um, probably?” Seoyeon and Minjun shared a knowing glance and snickered into their bowls. “Normal, I didn’t think you’d make the winter dance mistake twice.”

”What do you—oh. Oh.” Juyeon was glad she finished eating. The feeling of the blob food bubbling back up for whatever reason was never pretty. “You mean Exo.”

They weren’t at the table, which was unusual, but at this moment she was glad. She didn’t need the entire table to turn awkward, she was blushing enough for seven people.

”I mean, let’s be real, they’re gonna be expecting it,” Seoyeon said.

”Even if they don’t admit it,” Minjun added. “Boys are stupid like that.”

”But, I—I—” Juyeon fumbled the words, her tongue suddenly thickening in and flopping uselessly in like a dead fish. “I’ve, um, never given chocolate to someone before.”

”Well, there’s always time to try new things,” Seoyeon said, in a falsely prim voice. She and Minjun tittered. “Honestly, you don’t have to make a big deal out of it.”

”But I, I don’t know how to make chocolates. Or what to buy. I don’t know what kind of chocolates they even like!”

”Then do research,” Seoyeon said with a shrug. “The first time I gave Minjun chocolate I just asked him what he wanted. No need to keep it a secret, really.”

”Right. Of course.” Juyeon laughed slightly as relief swelled up in her. “No need to keep it a secret. Just, just be up front about it. We’re all friends. Just tell them, ‘hey, I’m giving you chocolates, what do you want’.”

”Yes, exactly. Good for you, honey.” Seoyeon beamed at her, and Juyeon melted a little at the warmth and friendliness of it all, even while she pinched Seoyeon’s arm for sounding so patronizing when she said it.

”Besides, it would throw a little heat off of Exo’s backs, too,” Minjun said with a small grin. Juyeon could almost catch his eyes behind his mass of shaggy bangs, then remembered looking into his eyes probably wasn’t the best idea. “Why do you think they aren’t here for breakfast?”

”Because they got in trouble and are currently taking flak from the teachers?” Juyeon clapped a hand to her forehead and groaned. “Oh , did Kai and Chanyeol find spray paint again?”

”What? No, you idiot. It’s because they also realized Valentine’s Day is coming up. They’re probably freaking out because they don’t know if you’re giving them chocolates or not.”

”What? Bull.”

”I never lie.”

”Statistically, that’s thirty-seven point ei