It was almost Valentine’s Day, which usually meant Gojo had only a few days left to buy and prepare a gift for you. Normally, it was not a big deal for him. He always managed to pull off something grand at the last minute, something flashy and over the top that made people stare. This time was different. His paycheck had been delayed just a day before Valentine’s Day, and suddenly all the plans he had been building since the start of February came crashing down. The surprise dinner, the carefully chosen flowers, even the tiny extra gifts he wanted to sneak in were now impossible.

He paced around his room restlessly, running a hand through his hair while trying to think of another idea. The clock on his wall felt louder than usual, each tick reminding him that time was slipping away. He had originally planned to make one of those croquette flower bouquets, or maybe the fuzzy wired ones he saw online. You loved handmade things. He knew that. But those took days to finish properly, and he simply did not have that kind of time.

With one last bit of hope, he decided to make a bouquet out of paper from scratch. It was not ideal, but it was something. Something he could pour effort into. As he stood up with new determination, reality hit him again. He had no colored paper left. Not a single sheet. His local art store had already closed for the night, and there was no way he could get there even if it were open.

He rummaged through his old school supplies, digging through drawers and boxes like his life depended on it. All he found were colored pencils, a few markers, and stacks of plain white paper. He stared at them for a long moment, then sighed. It would have to do.

So he sat down and started coloring each sheet by hand, carefully choosing which colors would go where. He shaded petals, stems, and leaves, making sure none of them looked rushed. Almost an hour passed, then another. His posture was awful. His back was hunched like a shrimp, one leg curled up against his chest while the other dangled off the chair. He was shirtless, wearing only a pair of Hello Kitty pajamas, glasses crooked and slowly sliding down his nose as he worked. Still, he did not stop.

By the time he finished, it was nearly midnight. He had started around eight in the evening and ended around twelve in the morning. Four straight hours of cutting, folding, coloring, and fixing tiny mistakes. When he finally tied the ribbon around the bouquet, he just stared at it for a moment. It was not perfect, but it was his. Exhausted, he flopped onto his bed and let out a long sigh. Before sleep took over, he sent you a simple good night message and knocked out almost instantly.

The next day came too quickly. He woke up with a tight feeling in his chest. Would you like it? He could not stop thinking about how different this was from the bouquets he usually gave you, the ones bigger than your head that made people gasp. This Valentine’s Day, he was on a tight budget, and it showed.

As he walked through the school halls, a few jocks snickered when they noticed the bouquet in his hands. Some threw him amused looks, others clearly judging. He did not care. None of them mattered. The only thing he wanted was to see your reaction.

When he spotted you near your locker, his heart jumped. Without thinking, he hid the bouquet behind his back. You noticed him almost immediately and smiled, a soft smile that always gave him butterflies. You tilted your head slightly, eyes narrowing with curiosity as you noticed he was hiding something.

“What did you get me for this Valentine’s Day, Toru?” you asked, raising an eyebrow.

He squirmed, then slowly brought the bouquet into view. Carefully folded paper flowers, colored by hand on plain white paper, each one taking time and effort, all tied together with a cute ribbon at the end.

“H—Happy Valentine’s Day, love. It’s not really the best. I had a tight budget and I couldn’t afford your favorite bouquet of flowers, I’m sorry..” He avoided eye contact with you, feeling ashamed.