ɪ ʜᴀᴠᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴘᴜʙʟɪꜱʜᴇᴅ ᴀɴʏᴛʜɪɴɢ ᴏɴ ʜᴇʀᴇ ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ 2021 ᴏᴏꜰ ɪ'ᴍ ꜱᴏ ꜱᴏʀʀʏ! ɪ ᴡᴀꜱ ɪɴ ᴄᴏʟʟᴇɢᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛɪᴍᴇ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇᴠᴇɴ ᴛʜᴏᴜɢʜ ɪ'ᴍ ɴᴏᴛ ᴀɴʏᴍᴏʀᴇ (ᴅʀᴏᴘᴘᴇᴅ ᴏᴜᴛ ɢᴀɴɢ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ʏᴀ ᴀᴛ?) ɪ ʟᴏᴡᴋᴇʏ ꜰᴏʀɢᴏᴛ ᴀʙᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴏᴏᴋ ʟᴏʟ. ɪᴛ ᴡᴀꜱɴ'ᴛ ᴜɴᴛɪʟ ʀᴇᴄᴇɴᴛʟʏ ᴡʜᴇɴ ɪ ɴᴏᴛɪᴄᴇᴅ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ᴀʀᴇɴ'ᴛ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴍᴀɴʏ ᴍᴀɪʀᴜᴍᴀ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ꜰɪᴄꜱ ᴀᴠᴀɪʟᴀʙʟᴇ-ᴀᴛ ʟᴇᴀꜱᴛ ᴛᴀʀɢᴇᴛᴇᴅ ᴛᴏᴡᴀʀᴅꜱ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛꜱ,. ɪ,ᴇ; ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴅᴜʟᴛ ᴄʜᴀʀᴀᴄᴛᴇʀꜱ ᴀɴᴅ ɪ'ᴍ ʟɪᴋᴇ ᴡᴇʟᴘ...ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ᴄʀᴀᴠɪɴɢ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴇɴᴛ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴇᴀᴄʜᴇʀꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʟɪᴋᴇ 3 ʏᴇᴀʀꜱ ꜱᴏ ɪꜰ ɴᴏ ᴏɴᴇ ᴇʟꜱᴇ ɪꜱ ɢᴏɴɴᴀ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ, ᴛʜᴇɴ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴅᴏ ɪᴛ ᴍʏꜱᴇʟꜰ! ᴀɴʏᴡᴀʏꜱ, ʟᴏɴɢ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ ᴏᴠᴇʀ, ʜᴇʀᴇ'ꜱ ꜱᴏᴍᴇ ᴋᴀʟᴇɢᴏ x ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀ ꜰʟᴜꜰꜰ!!

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Notes: Reader written with fem in mind. No use of (Y/N). Kalego being a tsundere. Kalego a little ooc for the sake of the joke, sorry lol. Established relationship, flashback alludes to mutual yearning

Word Count: bout 0.9K

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟＣＨＩＴＯ ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

Your eyes fixated on the small cactus on the windowsill. Despite the many months it's been since you last seen it, it still maintained its colour. Getting a better look at it, the plant actually looked more vibrant. Even the ribbon wrapped around the base of the pot still looks good.

"I'm impressed you still have this."

Kalego looks over his shoulder at you. He follows your gaze and feels, just ever so slightly, embarrassed. He rose from his spot on the sofa, temporarily forgetting about grading his students papers. He cleared his throat subtly before placing a hand on your shoulder--intending to guide you to, well, anywhere else.

"I'm sure you've noticed, I tend to keep all my cacti healthy and in proper shape." He argues.

You nod, "Well yeah." The two of you make your way back to the luxurious and soft sofa. Typical of Kalego and his tastes. Upon being seated next to him on the dark purple furniture, you glanced around the room; cacti everywhere--all well maintained too. You kept your gaze away from Kalego, having known him long enough that he gets embarrassed easily. Oh but you just can't help yourself!

"But that one in particular is a surprise, no?" You can almost smirk, picturing Kalego tensing up beside you.

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ SEVERAL MONTHS AGO

"Don't be weird." You deadpan.

Kalego irks at you, clearly tense and flustered--in his own Kalego way of course. Which essentially means getting defensive. He huffs, eyebrow twitching in annoyance, teeth bared in a harsh grinde.

"I'm not being weird. I'm just caught off guard, is all." Kalego tears his gaze away from you. His eyes are shut irritably when you look up at his face. He can fight off a blush pretty well. Decently impressive. You tilt your head to the side, not even bothering to hide the knowing grin on your face.

"Would you relax? It's just a birthday present--not a Valentine's Day gift if that's what you're thinking." You choke back a laugh at Kalegos expression.

He whips around, eyes wide, tense and already on the defensive side. Typical Kalego. "Why would you assume I assumed that!?" He coughs, desperate to regain his composure. He mentally thanks Delkira that you got quiet and stopped teasing him...for now. He took a deep breath before speaking. "Thanks for the gift."

The professor turns around on his heel, intending to fully leave the situation and mend his wounded pride. He doesn't even leave the room before you're right next to him again. He stops in his tracks, staring at the neat little ribbon in your hands.

"If you want, it could be a Valentine's Day present." You offer. Kalego stiffens. You take the little cacti from his hand, carefully wrapping the pink and purple ribbon around the base of the pot. Kalego doesn't say anything but his thoughts are running a mile a second. They mainly consist of him deciding if he should be flattered or offended that you took this 'birthday gift' and turned into a gift with more... romantic intentions, so suddenly and seemingly as a last ditch effort to wound his pride further. I mean come on... did you like him or not?!

"I don't need your pity Valentine's Day gift." Kalego closes his eyes. You glance at him before staring down at the cactus. With a hum, you take the ribbon off but don't return the cactus to him.

"I suppose I'll just take this back then." You mutter.

Kalego is immediately reaching over for it and shouting. "No! Back off! It's mine!"

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ AND NOW...

"My poor, aching heart." You place a hand over your chest, feigning hurt. "I was trying to let you know how I felt about you and yet you reacted so cruelly. Oh the woes of little ol me."

Kalego stares at you, now over your wonderful, theatrical performance; "Uh huh." Is all he says.

He sighs, not at all done with you however. Despite how annoying you might be sometimes, he definitely finds it endearing on some sick level. He leans back on the sofa, taking a little break from his work as he sips on some wine you brought over for him--another gift. He makes a mental note to gift you something one of these days. It would feel a little more fair to him at least.

"It was a gift. Would have been rude to throw it away." He takes another sip. Man this is good wine. Where did you even get this stuff?

"Is that why you still have that thing?" You point at the golden statue of his boss. Remembering it as something about it being a bingo prize from what you were told from someone who claimed to be Kalegos senpai.

Kalego spat out his wine, nearly choking on it. "How often do I have to get rid of this thing!?"

｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟＳＵＫＩＭＡ｡ﾟ•┈୨♡୧┈• ｡ﾟ

｡ﾟYears Later｡ﾟ

"ᴡʜᴀᴛ'ꜱ ᴛʜɪꜱ?" ʏᴏᴜ ᴘɪᴄᴋ ᴜᴘ ᴛʜᴇ ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ᴄᴀʀᴅ ʏᴏᴜʀ, ɴᴏᴡ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ ꜰᴏʀ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀꜱᴛ 3 ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ, ᴛᴏꜱꜱᴇᴅ ᴏɴ ʏᴏᴜʀ ʟᴀᴘ."ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴏɴᴇ ᴏꜰ ᴍʏ ʙᴀɴᴋ ᴄᴀʀᴅꜱ. ꜱɪɴᴄᴇ ʏᴏᴜ'ʀᴇ ɴᴏᴡ ᴍʏ ꜱᴘᴏᴜꜱᴇ," ʜᴇ ꜱᴍɪʟᴇꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴀʀᴍᴛʜ ɪɴ ʜɪꜱ ᴄʜᴇꜱᴛ, "ʏᴏᴜ ꜱʜᴏᴜʟᴅ ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴀᴄᴄᴇꜱꜱ ᴛᴏ ᴍʏ ᴀᴄᴄᴏᴜɴᴛ, ᴄᴏʀʀᴇᴄᴛ?"ʏᴏᴜ ɴᴀʀʀᴏᴡ ʏᴏᴜʀ ᴇʏᴇꜱ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀʀᴅ, ᴡᴀʟᴋɪɴɢ ᴏᴠᴇʀ ᴛᴏ ᴋᴀʟᴇɢᴏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ɪᴛ. "ɪ'ᴍ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴘᴏᴜꜱᴇ, ɴᴏᴛ ʏᴏᴜʀ ꜱᴜɢᴀʀ ʙᴀʙʏ."ᴋᴀʟᴇɢᴏ ʙʟɪɴᴋꜱ ᴀᴛ ʏᴏᴜ ʙᴇꜰᴏʀᴇ ꜱʜʀᴜɢɢɪɴɢ. "ɪ ꜱᴜᴘᴘᴏꜱᴇ ɪ'ʟʟ ᴛᴀᴋᴇ ᴛʜɪꜱ ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴛʜᴇɴ.""ɴᴏ! ʙᴀᴄᴋ ᴏꜰꜰ! ɪᴛ'ꜱ ᴍɪɴᴇ!"

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♥

ᴛʜᴀɴᴋꜱ ꜰᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!