Bit was enjoying himself immensely. Sure, he had absolutely no idea why Dren and Taloch were showering him with gifts today, but he wasn’t complaining. Dren brought him a lovely stew that warmed him to the core, hot chocolate, and a large box of assorted chocolates. Bit had only ever had the cheap stuff he could swipe from vendors every now and again. This was a whole other ballpark. Every single one had different filling and were rich beyond belief. Taloch had warned him to only eat a few at a time to start. 

Taloch had also provided him with chocolates and some fruit flavored gummies that tasted of kiwi and mango. Both of them had also buried him in new plushies of varying sizes. A pair of gigantic bears holding hearts in their paws, a ridiculously soft and fuzzy unicorn, and a giant creature somewhere between a beaver and a duck colored bright pink. Bit snuggled with his new treasures and found himself dozing off. It was as the haze of chocolate and comfort was settling over him that Dren and Taloch sat a large vase on his desk, and arranged a ludicrous amount of curling red flowers in it. 

“These are called roses.” Taloch rumbled. “They are for you, from the both of us.” He gave a warm smile as Dren sat another steaming cup of sinfully good hot chocolate on Bit’s bedside table. 

“Also,” Dren said excitedly, “While we were grabbing those, we found this!.” The orc, with a grand flourish, produced a huge spire of crystals. Near the base was a large cluster of deep red gems, and from them huge points of pale pink crystal pointed towards the sky. Bit’s eyes sparkled as he turned the heavy stone in his hands. Pausing his enraptured examination of the sparkling surface, Bit beamed at Dren and Taloch. The pair instinctively clutched their chests and each other’s arms, but Bit was far too distracted with arranging his new treasure with his other crystals. 

Despite his excitement, Bit could feel the edges of his awareness being tinted by the familiar ache. His hands and feet becoming achy as his limbs began to feel heavy. Reluctantly he settled back into his bed, holding the bright red unicorn to his side as he settled. Dren and Taloch glanced at him in concern. 

“Ya alright little Bit?” Dren asked, moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Bit nodded, taking a sip of the slightly spicy sweet chocolate. 

“Feeling sore.” He said haltingly. Still getting used to speaking again after so long going without. A bolt of curiosity struck him as he settled in for a rest. “Why?” Bit asked, motioning to the various presents. 

“Today is… a day to celebrate people you care about.” Taloch explained, avoiding eye contact. Bit smiled at the thought. 

“Thank you. Care about you both too.” Bit said. He didn’t see their reactions as he snuggled into his pillows and let himself rest before the pain really set in. Dren and Taloch stumbled from the room, both sporting deep blushes. 

“He’s gonna be the death of me.” Dren muttered into Taloch’s chest. The minotaur could only nod in agreement. The pair shook themselves, having plans of their own for that night. Dressed up and cleaned, the pair waited for Bit to fall asleep before heading out to their favorite restaurant. There they feasted on rare steaks, oysters, a small army of sides, and for dessert a decadent slice of cake they shared. While they ate, the pair talked at length. Catching up on projects their enterprise had been working on. Updates on the progress of the soup kitchen. Then it inevitably led to odd things Bit had done that one of them hadn’t had the chance to see. 

Then it just kept rolling from there. They discussed the updates to Bit’s growing medical files that the doc siblings had been compiling. Then they moved on to how cute their little guest was, and how gentle he was with the plants on the terrace garden. How when he snuggled up to either of them on the couch it was like having a tiny heating pad curled into their sides. How his eyes sparkled when he tried a new food he obviously liked. How they wanted to just bundle him up in blankets and hold him when his pain got particularly bad. 

“We really need to get better at communicating our feelings to him” Taloch sighed, finally broaching the subject. Dren huffed and shoved another bite of cake in his mouth. But he gave a hum of begrudging agreement as he did. Taloch chuckled at his husband’s antics. Getting him to admit that they’d had feelings for each other had been like pulling teeth. “He’s smart, and will figure it out once he’s acclimated to, you know, not being on the street.” Taloch reasoned. 

“I know, I know.” Dren groaned. The orc hid his face in his large arms before suddenly popping his head up in realization. “Maybe we can look up ways to confess!” He exclaimed. Taloch couldn’t resist tilting his head in confusion. All that earned him was a snort of amusement from his partner. The minotaur’s glare seemed to sober him up. 

“I am begging you to make this easier than when we were dating.” Taloch deadpanned. “We simply need to be more forthwrite about our affections. I probably could have explained the importance of valentine’s a bit better.” Dren gave him a lecherous grin as he responded.

“Could always practice those explanations on me, maybe explain a few other things.” The orc purred as he waggled his eyebrows. Taloch nearly choked on his wine as he fought a snort of laughter. 

“Is that a sign to finish up so we can get a room?” Taloch gasped out. Dren, with a smile that could blind the unprepared, raised his arm and shouted.

“Check please!”

Bit was drifting in and out of sleep when he decided to watch something. Everything showing was revolving around very showy dates, exclamations of love, proposals, the giving of …. 

Wait…

WERE THOSE ROSES!? Bit’s thoughts went wild as his eyes were glued to the screen. Watching countless people exchange heart shaped cards, boxes of chocolate, roses of various colors, having dinner and kissing deeply. Sometimes escalating to far more. His eyes darted around the room. 

Roses… check.

Chocolates… check.

Plushies HOLDING HEARTS… check.

Oh… oh no. 

Bit’s cheeks heated and practically glowed with a blush. Rain began to slam against his window as realization struck. Oh no, his shorts were tight. Oh… oooooooh no. Nope, not dealing with this! Bit thought as he downed his sleeping meds, shut off absolutely everything, and buried himself under his mountain of blankets. He saw his strange pink beaver duck, blushed again, and buried his face in its soft body. Before sleep could claim him, he only had one final thought. 

I’m in trouble.