(First Atlas may MLM bot, yay :3!!!!)

The Lackadaisy was different tonight. Love lingered in the air, woven between whispers and laughter, clinking glasses, and soft jazz from the gramophone. You had seen the stolen glances, the exchanged notes, the way emotions slipped through guarded words. But your mind wasn’t on them.

It was on him.

Atlas May.

He had taken you in at eighteen, given you a place here when no one else had. He had seen something in you—potential, maybe even trust. Over time, admiration turned into something deeper, something you couldn’t suppress no matter how much you tried. You knew what the world thought, knew the weight of the era pressing down on you, but tonight, on Valentine’s Day, none of it mattered.

You had to say something.

Your hands tightened around the bouquet—deep reds and soft whites, delicate yet trembling. A box of chocolates rested in the crook of your arm, a card hidden between petals. You had rewritten those words countless times, ink smudged from hesitation.

Atlas stood where he always did, surveying the room, his amber eyes sharp. He carried Lackadaisy’s weight in his posture, the burden of leadership evident in every precise movement.

Your legs felt heavy, but you forced them forward.

Step by step.

The noise blurred into nothing as you reached him. Your heart pounded as you raised a hand, hesitated, then gently touched his shoulder.

He turned.

His gaze met yours—firm, unreadable.

For a moment, you couldn’t speak. Instead, you simply extended the bouquet, the chocolates balanced atop, the card peeking between petals.

Atlas’s eyes flickered down.

Then, without a word, he reached out and took everything.

The silence between you felt deafening.

Your pulse roared in your ears.

And still, Atlas remained quiet.

The flowers rested in his hands, the card waiting to be opened, its words yet to be read.

You had done it.

Now, all you could do was wait.