Be My Valentine Contest - Prompt 1 Winner: "Valentine's Day is coming. The chocolates, the sweetness and the love are what everyone hopes for but not for someone who has an allergy to chocolates." 

vasaloloa with It's a Werewolf Valentine's Day

❤️❤️❤️

Greyson had been dreading going to his locker all day.

He knew what would be waiting for him there.

Valentine's Day was his most despised holiday due to the chocolate. Halloween was a close second, but at least dozens of people didn't flock to his locker to stuff candy in it, professing their love through poison.

It's not like he hated the taste of chocolate-it's that he absolutely could not eat it. Allergic was a better way to phrase it than telling people the truth: "I'm what you consider to be a 'werewolf', and since I'm technically part of the canine family, chocolate could kill me".

If people knew why he wasn't able to eat this sweet treat, this many treats could be considered as an assassination attempt.

No matter how many times he told his admirers that he couldn't eat chocolate, more and more would pile up in his locker every year. They didn't seem to care or acknowledge his aversion to the sweet treat. It was tiresome.

He was the only one in class who could get upwards of ten candy-grams at a time. He just smiled sheepishly and allowed his classmates to jeer and laugh.

Getting to his destination, he could already smell what awaited him. He opened his locker with disdain.
Several boxes of chocolates and love notes awaited him.

The scent nauseated him. Full of teenage saccharine perfume, potent cologne, and a chocolatey smell.

Something burnt mixed into this already pungent odor, and he knew that some people had gone out of their way to make him Valentine's Day chocolates.

As if he couldn't feel more guilty for not eating them.

"Woah, how much did you get this year?" a soft voice said from behind him. He was barely able to discern who it was by smell, since his nose was clogged up with the cloyingly sweet fragrances wafting from his locker. But the voice was a familiar one. A comforting one.

Adelaide stood behind him happily. Her frizzy blonde hair was situated into two space-buns today; her overalls were splattered in paint.

A trust-worthy neighbor, a best friend... and the girl he has had a crush on since third grade.

But he could never tell her that. Just like he could never spill his werewolf secret.

She smelled of marigolds and grass and sunshine. Like home. Her scent was better than anything-especially his locker right now.

"No idea..." he murmured. "Help me count them at my place?"

Any time he asked Addie to do something with him, the butterflies in his stomach seemed to burst into action. His wolf seemed to leap for joy within him.

"You bet! Here, I'll carry half of everything!" She held open her backpack mouth and indicated for him to scoop in the treats.

He chuckled at her eagerness and did as she asked, shoveling in the goods into the bag.

His hand brushed over hers and he blushed for a moment.

Addie-the girl who fawned over fictional characters. Addie-the girl who never asked anyone to any dance or prom so she could stay home and dance alone in the safe confines of her bedroom. And Addie-the girl who never dared to fall in love for fear of rejection and heartbreak. Perfect, introverted Addie.

He didn't want to break her out of her comfort zone, and so he was more than happy to be her best friend. If he could be by her side, his feelings didn't matter.

"You'd think these people understand by now that you and chocolate don't mix," Adelaide muttered. She helped stuff the remaining goodies into Greyson's backpack.

Greyson beamed. At least one person remembered his "allergy".

The walk home was quick, but Greyson was happy just to spend time with her. They made it up to his quaint room and proceeded to dump all the chocolates and notes on his bed.

Then they set to work on sorting out letters from poison.

The whole time they worked, they chatted, her effervescent mood instantly perking him up. Music from her phone played softly in the background.

Before they could register it, the sun had set and Addie deflated visibly. "I gotta get going."

Greyson nodded, equally as disappointed. "Want me to walk you home?"

She shook her head. "No, but..."

He lifted an eyebrow. "But?"

"...Can you do me a favor and get me something for dinner tonight? Dad's working late."

Greyson agreed. This was a normal request.

He went downstairs, got a microwavable meal from the freezer, and met her at the door.

After saying their goodbyes, he trotted back to his room, head hung low.
He stopped in his tracks, right before his door. He could faintly still smell her. She must have accidentally left something behind.

Opening his door, he saw a small Tupperware container with a note on it. Curious, he picked it up.

"Greyson, I didn't know the right time to give you these. They're carob chip cookies-you can eat them!" He grinned.

"Greyson," the note continued. "I like you. I'm saying it now because college starts-"

He didn't finish the note before he opened his bedroom window and jumped, landing perfectly, and practically scaling her fence to get to her.

He knocked frantically on her door. "Addie!"

She opened up, red-faced and teary-eyed.

"Is it true?" He panted, out of breath.

She cast her eyes downward. "I said in the note to ignore me if you didn't want to ruin-"

She didn't get the chance to finish talking, as he cradled her face into his hands and gave her a tender kiss on her soft lips.

Her bewilderment was evident on her features when he pulled away and scanned her face.

Happy tears ran down her cheeks freely. He chuckled as he embraced her tightly, her arms wrapping around his waist. She smelled like sunshine, marigolds, and grass. Like home.

"I like you, too, Adelaide," he murmured.