Hello, everyone! I am so sorry for this very late holiday special story. I was busy with another fandom's V-Day special then work and social life was busy. But hey, I hope this long chapter would satisfy you all.

Also, I believe you all are aware of the discontinuation (or haitus, since it was Hive that archived the webcomic due to nozmo's lack of response) of TA&PV. And a few months ago, the webcomic was no longer accessible. I'm not gonna lie, my heart broke from both this news and it still hurts. It also discouraged me in writing fanfic of TA&PV, despite it been my only way to cope with the news. I guess I just find it hard to finish a final, good enough fanwork to publish online. If you read my profile, you'll see I have multiple multi-chapter story ideas for TA&PV. However, with the lack of readers and other fanfics to focus on, I'll most likely not going to spend too much time on TA&PV. It really is a shame, for I wanted to start 'By the Cat's Side' so much. But... motivation just isn't enough. If you all want me to write more, a review or a fav would be great.

Anyway, this story is a Valentine's & White Day special. The 1st chapter is for V-Day and the next chap would hopefully be out by White Day (14th March). And finally! A Todd x Petunia fic! So, this story set in a modern university college alternate universe, where everything is peaceful. Do note that some characters have age decrement, mainly Elijah, Meredith and Todd at the moment, to fit in the AU. The precise age of other characters are not brought up cause it's not important, but everyone (other than Cyril) are in the age range for college & university.

I had tried my best but there might be some OOC and mistakes regarding of my grammar and writing skills. I'm improving my English, so do bear with me.

Disclaimer: I do not own Todd Allison and the Petunia Violets. The only thing I own is this story.

Chocolates & Roses

Chapter 1: Chocolates for Him

"And... Done!" Petunia Elkwood exclaimed, tying the red ribbon onto the last wrapped chocolate box labeled 'For My Best Friend, Hana.'

Tomorrow would be 14 February. A day to confess one's love, strengthen one's existing love or remind the singles how lonely they are.

However, not all singles dislike this annual day of romance. Instead, Petunia loves it! There will be beautiful flowers, scrumptious chocolates, and if she's lucky, confessions or proposals to watch — she was a sucker for such cute scenes. It would be a day love fill the air, and Petunia relished from that thought.

She stood up from her dorm room's floor and examined the neatly wrapped boxes with a satisfied smile. That year would be the first time she gives out chocolates since the previous Valentine's Day fell on a weekend, and she was new to both Melbourne and college life. In one year's time, she made a lot of new friends, and a handful of them became close. Petunia was darn well excited to hand these chocolates out to them on the next day.

"How many did you prepare, Petunia?"

Petunia snapped out of her daze and turned to the source of the voice. It was from her dorm roommate, who was reading a book while lying down on the top bunk of the bunk bed.

"Nine. Oh~ I hope I didn't miss out anyone," the lavender-haired girl replied, turning to reread the names she wrote on the chocolate boxes.

"Nine?" The other girl echoed. "Gosh. That's a lot of crushes in just a year," she teased, causing Petunia's face to flush a light pink.

"It's not for that, Jacq! These are all for my friends and brothers."

"Oh?" Her roommate, Jacqueline Webster, got up into a sitting position, ignoring the strands of her maroon-purplish hair that escaped from her loose bun. "I didn't know you have brothers. Do tell."

Petunia picked up all the gifts and transferred them over to her desk before replied, "Um... Well, I have two brothers. My eldest sibling is called Elijah, 22 years old. The other one is called Meredith, 20 years old. I'm the youngest in the family at age 18."

"Elijah and Meredith. I bet they are good brothers since they'll be receiving chocolates from you," Jacqueline stated with a soft smile.

Petunia nodded. "Yup. But they tend to be quite overprotective — especially Elijah. How about you, Jacq? Any siblings?"

The girl in question shook her head. "Nah. I'm the only child. Although I have a friend who I considered as a little brother. Anyway, you sure one of those chocolates isn't for a crush? Minus your brothers', there are seven left."

The young woman blushed once more. "No, Jacq. They are for my close friends, that's all, no one special."

Jacqueline pouted, her sea-green eyes narrowed slightly. "Whatever you say, sweetie," she yawned, slid a bookmark between the pages and shut her book tight. "It's late now, shall we go to sleep?"

"Oh! Sure. Just let me put the chocolates into a bag," Petunia said and went to grab a tote bag she had prepared.

"Alright." Jacq released her hair bun, then laid back onto the mattress. "I'll be going to sleep first then. Remember to turn off the lights after you're done."

"Of course." Petunia placed each of the chocolate boxes carefully into the bag, moving them around to fit them all in. After that task, she made sure Jacqueline had dozed off before taking out a pack of white chocolates, wrapped with a red ribbon and a small card with her name and Valentine's Day greeting.

Quietly, she placed the gift onto Jacq's desk and turned off the lights in their room. Jacqueline would most likely sleep in the next day since her class was in the afternoon. Hopefully, she would like the gift she had left for her.

Petunia climbed into the bottom bunk and despite the excitement for the next day, she soon drifted off to sleep with a smile.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

"Happy Valentine's Day!"

A Japanese girl dressed in a green dress unintentionally dropped her detective novel, startled by the sudden cheery shout. She quickly composed herself and glanced up, just in time to see her best friend advanced towards her with a smile larger than usual.

"Morning, Hana!" She chirped then plopped down onto the empty seat beside her.

"Morning to you too, Petunia," the noirette greeted back. "Well, you seem more energetic than usual. What's the cause?"

The Aboriginal Australian girl only smiled bigger. "It's Valentine's Day! That's why."

"Oh? What? Did someone give you chocolate already?" Hana Ikimoto pressed on, eager to know if someone had confessed to her friend.

Petunia shook her head. "Nah. I doubt I'll receive anything from anyone other than my brothers. Oh!" She reached a hand into the tote bag she had brought along and taken out a red and green wrapped box. "Here! This is for you. Happy Valentine's Day, Hana!" Petunia grinned, holding the chocolate out for the long-haired girl.

Hana stared at the box in astonishment. Like Petunia, she wasn't expecting to receive chocolate at all. "For me?" She accepted the box and read the card. Sure enough, her name was written on it.

"Yup! I always gave out friend chocolate throughout high school. I don't see why I should stop in college," Petunia grinned. "I hope you'll like it."

A genuine smile spread across Hana's face. "Of course! I love it! Thank you, Petunia. This is so sweet of you."

"It's nothing. I should thank you for being my friend. Oh, by the way, are you able to pass this to Norah later?" Petunia took out a pink wrapped box. "I don't know if I'll be able to pass it to her personally. Will she be having her shift today?"

"Sure. Today will be a busy day, she'll be there," Hana confirmed and took Norah's box before putting the chocolates into her bag.

"Thanks, Hana."

Just then, there was a knock on the door, causing all the students in the classroom to turned their head to it. The majority of them thought the lecturer had been early until they noticed the person who entered wasn't a teacher at all. A blond young man stepped in, looking unsure of himself. He gave everyone a sheepish smile then asked, "Um... Sorry. Is there a 'Hana Ikimoto' here?"

The young woman in question immediately felt all eyes fell upon her. "Yeah. That'll be me," Hana stood up and walked over to the student who shrank under her gaze. "What is it?"

The poor freckled boy began to stutter, "U-Um... Some-Someone told me to p-pass you t-this." Then, he took out an expensive-looking chocolate box wrapped with a red ribbon. The blond held it out to the noirette, but she didn't move a muscle to take it.

"Who's it from?" Hana finally asked.

"Um... He t-told me n-not to tell you. Oh! This is from him too." The blond quickly fished out a card and placed it on top of the box.

Hana eyed the chocolate once more. "Is this a prank?"

The young man fidgeted uncomfortably on his spot. "N-No! He called out at the front entrance and told me to pass these to you in this class. It's true, I swear!"

It took a moment but Hana finally grabbed the chocolate. "Fine. Whatever. Thanks. Scram."

He didn't need to be told twice. The blond nodded, turned and practically ran out from the room, glad and eager to escape from the woman's intense gaze.

"Who's it from, Hana?" Petunia questioned once her best friend sat back down onto her seat.

"I'll be damned if I know. Must be some creepy stalker since he knew what class I'll be having today," Hana frowned, examining the luxurious box. "There better not be a mini-bomb inside once I opened it."

Petunia stifled a laugh, amused by the imagination her friend got from her mystery and crime novels. "I'm sure the guy means well and just shy. Why don't you read the card he gave you?"

The noirette placed the box down, picked up the card and read it in her mind. However, instead of blushing or smile like anyone who received a letter from a secret admirer, Hana looked like she was about to kill someone. "Great. Just great. He knows where I work part-time too. Urgh, such a cheesy pick-up line."

Petunia took over the card and read out the content, "Hello Sweetie, the burger you served me the other day was great. But you are rare and well-done at the same time. Since you brought me lunch, shall I bring you to dinner someday? Signed… A hat?"

"Oh, don't read it out loud, Petunia," Hana groaned. "It's giving me nothing but goosebumps."

"Well, I find it okay; despite the puns and signed with a random drawing of a hat," the lavender-haired girl said, flipped the card over but found nothing of interest. "Seems like he is a customer of Rainbird. Remember anyone you served burger to?"

Hana snorted a laugh. "Oh please. I'm 100% sure he took that line from the internet. It's so overused; it's just annoying. And of course not! You have no idea how many people ordered burgers in a day! As if I'll remember each of their faces."

"What should you do with the chocolate then?" Petunia asked, handing the card back to her friend.

"I don't know," Hana sighed then picked up the box once more. "Not going to lie, but this brand is pricey. And from what I heard, these are good chocolate. Like, melt-on-your-tongue-and-tastes-like-heaven good."

"Why not keep it then?"

"Keep the chocolate given by an unknown, creepy stalker... Ha. If it isn't because they are expensive, I would have thrown them away right now. But, what would he thinks if he found out I kept it? He might think I have accepted his offer, which I totally not," the Japanese lady fussed, pressing a finger to her temple.

Petunia herself didn't know what to say, for she had never gotten into such a situation. "W-Well. He won't know if you hid it in your bag, right? He wouldn't be able to see it after all."

Hana was hesitant but slid the chocolate into her bag in the end. She gave the card one last read before throwing it into her bag with a disgusted look.

She might look repulsed and annoyed by the anonymous gift-giver, but Petunia knew her friend well; the black-haired girl was very curious about this guy's identity.

The next thing they knew, their lecturer entered the room and ushered everyone to sit down. Petunia followed the rest of her classmates and took out her notebook and pen from her school bag, ready to start the lesson.

She couldn't wait for lunch to come.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

Petunia maneuvered through the crowd of students with one destination in mind — and it wasn't the cafeteria. Her second lesson of the day had just finished a few minutes ago, allowing her to have an hour and a half break before her next and final class. However, instead of getting her lunch, the young woman made her way to the front entrance of the campus.

"Wait! Cyril!"

A tall man with messy black hair looked up from his backpack and turned to face the approaching girl. A small smile spread across his face once he recognized her. "Well well. Isn't it the little detective? Lunch time?"

Petunia flushed pink at that nickname of hers. "Stop calling me that. It only happened once. Not to mention it was one year ago and wasn't that impressive."

Cyril chuckled. "Maybe. But it's still interesting to me. Anyway—" He cracked his neck and sighed when it let out a satisfying 'pop'. "—What can I help you before I end my shift here?" Cyril was a part-time security guard at the campus. His shift started in the early morning and ended at noon. Petunia was glad she caught up to him in time.

"I have something for you." The girl fumbled around the tote bag and pulled out the correct box. "Here you go! Happy Valentine's Day, Cyril!"

Just like Hana, Cyril was surprised by the sight of the chocolate box in his friend's hand. "Wow, detective. I didn't know you like me that much," he joked with a laugh and took his gift.

"You know fully well this is a 'friend chocolate', Cyril."

"I know, I know. It's just fun to mess with you. Milk chocolate?" The man asked while reading the simple card on the box.

"Yeah. I don't know do you like chocolate. So milk chocolate is the safest choice. If you don't, you can always give it to Landon," Petunia explained. For a second, she wondered if she should have gotten a small pack for Cyril's housemate. But then again, she had only met the redhead guy twice.

"Then here's a new info for you detective. I like my chocolate the way I like my coffee. Black," he grinned.

"You mean 'dark', right?"

The grin on his face died almost instantly. "You know what I meant. That line sounds cooler with 'Black' instead of 'Dark'. Made more sense too since there's no such thing as 'dark coffee'."

"Well, there's dark-roasted coffee, and the term 'black chocolate' doesn't exist either."

"Shut up."

Petunia couldn't help but let out a giggle. Cyril was right; It was fun messing with each other.

Wanted to change the subject, Cyril glanced around until he noticed the tote bag Petunia was carrying. "So, how many more chocolates you're giving out?" He questioned while extending a hand, trying to look into the bag.

Petunia swiped his hand away playfully. "These aren't for you, mister. As for your question, 6 more."

"Oh ho. That's quite a number. Well, are there any boxes inside that are for you?"

Pink dusted across the girl's cheeks once more. "N-No. No one gave me anything."

"Oh, really? Geez... Valentine's Day in college is so much tamer than high school's. Does anyone get gifts at all?" Cyril asked curiously.

"There are; I have seen a handful of them on the way here," Petunia then added, "My friend, Hana, received one too."

"The mystery novel addict?"

Petunia pouted. "Don't be so mean. As if you yourself don't enjoy a couple of well-written crime novels."

"I wasn't trying to be mean," Cyril straightened up, cleared his throat then asked in a softer voice. "So, she received a gift from someone?"

The lavender-haired girl raised an eyebrow at Cyril's sudden change of tone. "Y-Yeah. One from me and another from an anon."

"Huh. Didn't expect someone to actually like her. Did she keep it?" Cyril shoved his hands into his pants pockets, something that left unnoticed by his friend.

"She did. The chocolate was expensive; it'll be such a shame to throw them away," Petunia answered.

"Ah, I see. Good for her then," Cyril stated then picked up his backpack. "Sorry, detective. I should head off to the tram station for my shift. Don't get into trouble, m'kay?"

Petunia quickly checked the time. "Oh, you're right. Sorry to hold you back so long, Cyril. And I won't. You, on the other hand, need to remember to eat lunch."

"Sure sure." Cyril smiled then ruffled her hair. "See ya tomorrow and thanks for the chocolate."

The girl pat her hair back to its normal tidiness as she called out, "Bye Cyril!" She watched her tall friend walked out of the campus ground and soon disappeared into the crowd of busy Melbourne citizen.

Petunia turned on her heels and made her way to the cafeteria. If she eats fast enough, she can distribute her gifts to another 3 friends of hers before they return to their dorm.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

The faint sound of a violin was the first thing Petunia heard as she turned the corner and entered the hallway where the room her friends most possibly in was located.

As she neared her destination, the violin was accompanied by a piano and cello, playing a beautiful classical piece. She stopped in front of the door, not wanting to disturb their rehearsal. Petunia leaned gently onto the wall and waited, enjoying the harmonious music wafted into the corridor and her ears.

Eventually, the music came to an end and muffled talking took its place. Petunia took that as her cue to knock on the door.

Immediately, the talking ceased and footsteps advanced towards her direction. The door clicked open and she was faced by a slim dark-skinned male with shaggy dark brown hair. His initial bored expression turned into a mild surprise once he saw her. "Ducky?"

She smiled up at him with a wave. "Hey, Marcus! Long time no see. Dylan and Rolls are in there, right?"

As if to answer her question, another voice spoke from within the room. "Is that Petunia? Let her in, Marcus."

Marcus immediately swung the door wider and stepped aside for the girl to enter. Petunia sent him a 'thanks' after he closed the door behind her.

Petunia glanced around the music room. It was lit up by warm orange lights, which provided a sense of homeyness. One of the walls was covered with posters of instruments and famous musicians while the other two were lined with shelves where numerous musical instruments were kept in.

On the far end of the room sat a beautiful black grand piano with its lid raised. One chair was placed near the piano, and on it sat her friend, Roland, with his cello leaned against him. To his far right stood the so-called leader of the trio, tall, slim and dark-skinned like the other two guys, holding his beloved violin in one hand.

"Petunia!" The leader grinned. "It's been awhile. What brings you here to this side of campus?"

"Hi, Dylan. Hi, Rolls!" The lavender-haired girl greeted cheerfully, walking over to them. "You know why I'm here, Dylan. I did this every year when we're both back home in the Alice."

Dylan Springbell, the leader with light brown hair, perked up at her words. "Oh! I didn't think you would continue here in college. Alright then, where is it? In that bag?"

"Where is what?" Roland (AKA Rolls) asked, brushing a hand over his dirty-blonde hair in slight confusion.

"Be patient, you imp," Petunia playfully scolded Dylan with his childhood nickname from her, before gesturing Marcus to come closer. Then, she took out the chocolate boxes and passed it over to the correct recipient. When she was done, Dylan had a smug smile on his face, while both Marcus and Roland seems surprised. "Happy Valentine's Day to all three of you. I hope you'll like the chocolate."

"Aw Ducky, this is so sweet of you," Roland stated and Marcus nodded in agreement.

Petunia smiled wider. "It's nothing. I bet I'm not the first one to give you guys chocolate today. So, how many did you guys get?"

Marcus almost scoffed immediately. "Well…" He then made a sideway nod towards Dylan. "Ask him. Roland and I each only received 8 — including yours. But him on the other hand…"

Dylan grinned back, some of his teeth tinted brown by the milk & berries chocolate Petunia gave him. He swallowed the piece of chocolate in his mouth then promptly replied, in a rather proud tone, "30."

"30?! As in 'Three' 'Zero' Thirty?" The lavender-haired girl shouted in amazement.

Dylan only nodded, the smug smile still plastered on his face.

"Oh, man. That's a new record," Petunia mumbled, "And it's only noon."

Roland was the next one to cut into the conversation, "In my honest opinion, to receive isn't that much of a deal. What's important is whether Dylan has the courage to give instead."

Dylan's smile dropped just when Marcus added, "Oh, are you thinking who I'm thinking?"

Petunia, who knew Dylan since she was a little girl, immediately perked up from the hints of something she thought would never happen. "Dylan has a crush?! Who? Who is she? Tell me, Marcus!"

A red-faced Dylan suddenly launched towards the pianist, wanted to stop him, but an amused, laughing Roland held him back just in time. "Oh, he always quarreled with her, even over the simplest of things. But you know what they said: Boys tease girls they like," Marcus snickered, ignoring Dylan shouting at him to shut up. "You should've seen his face when he heard she'll be receiving chocolates from someone. Boy, he is so jealous."

"Shut up, Marcus! Or I'll cut your tongue out!"

"What's her name, Marcus? Who is she?" Petunia urged on, she was deaf to her light-brown haired friend's shouting.

"Well…" Marcus sent Dylan a sneaky glance. "Her name…"

"Shut up! Stop, you imbecile!"

"Is…"

"Who?!"

"Stop! Petunia, he's lying!"

"No—"

RRRRIIIIINNNNNGGGGG!

The clock rang one o'clock, interrupted their shouting and laughing. The loud ring had caught the four of them off-guard that it took a while for Petunia to register in what had happened.

"Oh no! My class starts now!" The girl yelled and frantically ran to the door. However, she stopped in her track once her hand gripped the handle. "Marcus, message me her name later, alright?"

Marcus nodded with a smile before Dylan broke free of Roland's grip and pounced onto him. "Oh no you won't, you—"

The rest of Dylan's sentence was muffled as Petunia left the room and hurriedly rushed to her final class.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

"Darn it, Marcus really didn't send me the girl's name," Petunia muttered to herself as she checked her messages. "Gosh, Dylan. Why are you so secretive about this?"

The girl sighed and slipped her phone back into her pocket. School was finally finished for the day, and there are only 3 gifts left to give. Petunia continued her way, enjoying the scenery (and oh! A confession) outside the windows until she reached where her brothers would be.

The words 'Student Council' was etched into the door plate. After making sure a meeting wasn't going on inside, Petunia knocked the door thrice sharply, then waited for a reply.

"Come in," an unfamiliar voice called from within.

"Sorry for disturbing," Petunia said as she opened the door and let herself in.

The room was buzzing with talking, clean and brightly lit by the natural lighting from the windows. There were a number of desks in the room, each stacked with papers, folders, and some personal items. Most of the present members of the Student Council were either busy talking on their phones or discussing matters among a smaller group. Petunia glanced around the room but failed to spot her brothers. 'Where are they?'

"Any problem, Miss?" A voice coming from her right brought her back to reality. She turned and came to face with a tall young brunet. He pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose as his Malibu blue eyes inspected her curiously.

"Oh! Sorry," Petunia gave his name card a quick glance. "Mr. Clancey."

"It's alright. How can I help you?" He asked, his tone gentle and kind.

"I am looking for my brothers. Elijah and Meredith Elkwood. Are they in?"

"Ah. The Indigenous Representative's sister. No wonder you looked familiar." The gentleman smiled and held out a hand for her to shake, which she accepted. "As you already know, my name's Lowell Clancey. But you can just call me Lowell. You're Petunia Elkwood, right?"

Petunia ended their handshake and brought the hand to her face in slight embarrassment. "A-Ah. Yes. Gosh, did my big brother announced my name to everyone here?"

Lowell let out a light-hearted chuckle. "If someone brought up the 'sister' topic accidentally, yes. But, I heard about you from another friend of mine."

'Huh?' The teen blinked thrice in confusion from the news. 'Who?'

"Anyway," Lowell's voice once again snapped her out of her mind. "Your brothers went for a monthly meeting about an hour ago. They should be back so—"

"— right. This event is important, so I wouldn't accept any mistakes. That's a—" The door clicked open behind her and the voice cut off.

Petunia turned around and saw none other than her eldest brother standing in the doorway. Behind him stood Meredith and other members, all of them were curious of why their leader had stopped at the doorway.

"Well, speaking of the devil." Lowell grinned and greeted the Aboriginal at the door. "Hey, Elijah. Your sister was just looking for you and Meredith."

"Petunia?" The lavender-haired teen heard Meredith's voice as the long-haired man tried to look past Elijah. But that wasn't her worry at the moment. What worried her was Elijah's facial expression: serious and staring right at her.

"Hi, Elijah—" Then, he suddenly strutted towards her and held her face firmly in both palms. "Elijah! W-Wait!"

But it was too late.

"PETUNIA! My sweet adorable darling fabulous beautiful angelic gorgeous dazzling radiant wonderful stunning talented BABY SISTER!" Petunia tried to escape from her brother's bear-like grip, but her attempt was fruitless as usual while he continued nuzzling her hair like a huge, affectionate cat. "I nearly had a heart attack when I saw you! Ahh!"

Finally, he stopped and pulled away to make eye contact with her. "Honeycake chocolate pie, why are you here? Don't tell me… Did someone bully you? Who is it? Is it Lennon? I'll cut that son of a —"

"Wait wait! Elijah, please listen. Relax, I'm fine. I'm not here to report or something like that, and I have not met Lennon since that day," Petunia promptly cut in before her brother blow a fuse. "I'm just here to pass you and Meredith something, alright?"

Almost immediately, Elijah Elkwood cooled down. "Oh, really? Well, that's good." He ran his fingers through his hair to tidy it up. "Gosh, for a moment I thought that Lennon kid is causing trouble again."

"It's nothing like that. Hello, Meredith," Petunia reassured then turned to her other brother, who had entered the room after Elijah grabbed her. The young man smiled a gentle smile and patted his beloved sister on the head. "It's so nice to see you, Petunia. But, like Elijah said, it's a surprise to see you here."

The girl could only laugh softly. "Ah, yes, well… I wasn't sure what classes you guys have today, so the Student Council is where you two would most likely be. I can't go to the boy's dorm after all."

"Silly Petunia, you could have text or call us. I'll answer you no matter what," Elijah cooed, smiling from ear to ear.

"R-Right. Anyway," Petunia took out her gifts then presented them to her brothers. "Happy Valentine's Day!"

It was at that moment Petunia regretted giving Elijah Valentine's Day chocolate in front of other people.

"My darling sweetest angelic amazing cupcake is giving me Valentine's Day chocolate?! Ahh! My heart burst with happiness!" Not caring that other members of the Student Council were watching the whole ordeal, Elijah picked his sister up jubilantly then twirled around, almost bumping into nearby furniture and knocking over important-looking documents.

"Elijah, stop! Put me down, please," Petunia pleaded as she spun. When her brother finally stopped, the world was still swirling in her vision, and her knees weak from the dizziness. If it wasn't for Meredith supporting her, her face would have kissed the floor the moment her feet contacted the ground.

"Oh! Let me give you yours now too." Petunia heard Elijah said before he rushed off to his desk. Once the world around her had finished spinning, she was greeted by a large, red heart-shaped box decorated with silky ribbons and frilly laces. On it, written in big, beautiful calligraphy was: I Love You, Petunia!

She felt her face went hot from embarrassment. She loves her brother, oh so very much. But the way he openly expressed his love to her and Meredith in public can be so embarrassing at times. The pink blush on her face turned redder as she felt all the eyes of the Council members fell upon them. "Elijah, you shouldn't have…"

"No No. My adorable angel deserves the best and only the best." Her eldest brother beamed.

'That wasn't what I really meant… But, oh well.' Petunia gave her brother a sincere smile and took the box. "Thank you, Elijah."

Elijah let out a shriek of delight then drew his sister into another tight hug. "You are so adorable!"

Petunia gave up trying to pry away thus simply waited for her brother to end the embrace. Once he did, Meredith stepped in and reminded the lavender-haired guy, "Elijah, we still need to wrap up everything after the meeting. Besides, I'm sure Petunia has other plans."

"Oh, yes. Of course. We need to finish up the meeting minute and send it to Mr. Hobbes," Elijah muttered, letting go of his sister and readied to return to his desk. "We have to send in before 5. Oh, blueberry muffin, stay safe, alright?"

"I will, Elijah. Go do your work." Petunia waved Elijah goodbye before turning to her other brother. "Thanks for stopping him, Meredith. He never knows when he goes overboard."

The black-haired young man only smiled. "It's nothing, sis. But I wasn't wrong, right? That you have other plans."

"Y-Yeah. You're not. How, though?" She asked curiously.

"The chocolate box in your bag," he pointed out. "Is it for a friend or someone gave it to you?"

"I-It's for a friend," Petunia told Meredith almost in a whisper, not wanting Elijah to overhear them then bombard her with questions about this 'friend' of hers.

Meredith nodded then patted her gently on the head again. "Alright then. Be safe, Petunia. I already sent my gift to your dorm, so remember to check it later, okay?"

"I will. Thank you, Meredith. Bye!" Petunia waved her brother goodbye then headed to the door, but she didn't leave before waving Lowell farewell as well.

Closing the door behind her, she placed Elijah's big gift into the tote bag and headed off to meet her close friend.

~*~*~ Chocolates & Roses ~*~*~

The Urban Horticulture buildings of the university college were situated at the far right corner of the campus due to the large land the course needed, thus it took Petunia a longer time to reach there from the main building. The number of students walking around decreased as she neared the structure, a sign that not many classes were held at that moment. However, Petunia continued onwards. She knew her friend well; he spent most of his time either in the dorm or at the gardens. In fact, he would have spent all his time in the greenhouse if it wasn't for the curfew.

Petunia entered the quiet building then made a beeline to the greenhouse. She had been there so many times she could walk there blindfolded. Soon, she exited via the side entrance and continued to the huge greenhouse. Since she wasn't a student of Urban Horticulture, she had no access to the glasshouse. Petunia pressed the buzzer provided for visitors such as herself and hoped her friend would be inside to let her in.

However, the person who approached the door wasn't her friend, but a tall blond she had never met before. He pressed a button on the inside to unlock the glass door before opened it with a friendly smile. "Hello. How can I be of assistance?"

Petunia greeted back. "H-Hello. I'm looking for a friend who studies here. Is Todd Allison in there?"

"Ah! Allison is in the rose garden; giving them a summer prune," the man answered, closing the door gently behind him. "Let me lead you there, miss."

"Oh, no. It's fine. I know where the rose garden is," Petunia rejected, but the blond insisted.

"It's not a problem. Besides, it's better if I show up with you, Allison can be quite… grumpy when he got interrupted during his work." The man informed as he led Petunia to the where her friend was.

The lavender-haired girl giggled when he addressed Todd Allison as 'grumpy'. "I know, and no doubt he'll make sure the interrupter know that he hates them."

"Oh, yes. He did. He's always so blunt and rather rude at times," sighed the man. "He's one of the top students we have here, but his… harsh personalities drove people away. I discussed with him once, but, it seems like he prefers to work solo anyway."

From that conversation, Petunia began to realize this young-looking man might not be a student like she thought he was. "Excuse me, sir. Are you Todd Allison's…"

"Teacher? Lecturer? Instructor?" He chuckled. "Why, yes. I am — one of them, that is. The name's Earnest Howard. And you, miss?"

"Petunia Elkwood," she introduced herself. "A student in General Studies, and a friend of Todd Allison's."

Howard nodded his head. "I see. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Elkwood." Then, he let out a laugh. "Oh, my. I'm relief to know that Allison did has friends here on campus."

Petunia knew Todd Allison can be quite antisocial. But, was it really so bad that even his teacher was worried? "Is… Does Todd Allison talks to his classmates, Mr. Howard?"

"Hmm… He does, when it is necessary. Other than that, I don't see him interacts with them much," Howard recalled. "I guess few of them can handle Allison's… straightforwardness as well." He turned to give her a smile. "But, like I said, I'm glad he made friends, even if they are outside of the course. A lady friend too, to boot."

Petunia only smiled and nodded, though she wasn't sure why Howard seems so cheerful, as if her being Todd's lady friend is something worth celebrating. Soon, they reached the rose garden. True to Howard's word, Todd Allison was there, pruning and checking the flowers with his back facing them.

"Seems like he hasn't left; being out there under the sun for almost an hour now. Allison!" Howard called out to the ginger, but Todd either didn't hear him or blatantly ignoring him as he continued his work. This must have happened more than once for the teacher continued without an ounce of annoyance in his tone. "You have a visitor, Allison!"

"If they're here to buy last minute flower, you can tell them to fuck off," Todd Allison grumbled, his gloved hands never stopped taking care of the roses. "The flowers are all finished, and these here are not for sale!"

"Sale?" Petunia asked curiously.

Howard chuckled. "Ah yes, since today is Valentine's Day, and some of the flowers need pruning. We thought we might as well sell the good ones to the students as fundraising. We sold the last of them around noon, but earlier, Allison stated that the pruning job on the roses wasn't good enough and decided to do it by himself."

Petunia nodded in understanding. Todd Allison has always been passionate about botany, and wouldn't take 'good enough' for an answer.

"They're not here to buy flowers, Allison! It's your friend, Ms. Petunia Elkwood," Howard shouted and the orange-haired man finally stopped in his task. He let go of the rose he was inspecting and stood up from his kneeling position before turning around to face them with a look of surprise.

The lavender-haired girl waved to him as Howard told her, "Alright. I have to go back to the greenhouse, so I'll leave you two. Remind him to rest, alright?"

"Of course. Thank you, Mr. Howard," Petunia thanked the teacher as he nodded her goodbye and left.

Petunia herself wasted no more time and jogged up to her friend. "Hello, Todd Allison!"

He wiped the sweats off his forehead with a gloved hand as he watched the girl approached him. "Hey, Petunia. I wasn't expecting to see you here."

"Oh, come on. I've been here to see you almost every day, why is today such a surprise?" Petunia giggled. "So, you have a problem with people coming to buy flowers from you?"

The ginger growled. "If they act like they can do whatever they want, then yes. We had the posters up days ago, stating the flower sale has limited quantities and it's also on the first-come-first-serve basis. But apparently, some imbeciles missed out on the sale and thought they could just take one or two for free by themselves."

"They tried to steal directly from the garden?" Petunia gasped, shocked by the audacity of those students.

Todd Allison nodded with a groan. "Caught them red-handed right here. They said they'll pay for it… As if I'll let them go so easily, especially after they had trampled on the plants just to 'get the good one'," he sighed and looked over to the roses, where a patch of its bushes are noticeably different from the others around. "Those bloody idiots better not showing their faces around here again."

Petunia smiled a small smile and gently placed a hand on his forearm to calm him down. "Cheer up. I believe they have learned their lessons. Here, I have something for you."

Pushed Elijah's gift aside, she grabbed the last box and handed it over to Todd. "This is for you. Happy Valentine's Day, Todd Allison!"

Todd's eyes snapped to the chocolate box in her hands. It was wrapped in a pink hearts and stars patterned paper, a simple red bow, and finished off with a small Valentine's Day card.

Silence fell upon the two young adults as neither of them made the next move.

Todd seems to hesitate, and Petunia wondered why. He looked distraught, but she wasn't sure of what. Soon, Petunia started to worry that she might have done something wrong. Was it because of the card? Did he somehow read it? She purposely put the message faced down, so he couldn't have… "T-Todd Allison?" She asked, almost in a whisper, but it managed to snap Todd out of his reverie.

"O-Oh! Um… Thank you, Petunia. It just caught me by surprise." Todd Allison accepted her gift with a rare smile, then added, "I didn't think of getting something for you today."

Petunia shook her head. "No, it's fine. I like giving out friend chocolate on Valentine's Day. I hope you'll like the one I picked out for you."

The smile on Todd's face faltered. "This is very thoughtful of you, Petunia, as always." Then it disappeared; back to his usual poker face.

Even though many of her friends had told her the same thing, Petunia felt her cheek warmed up from Todd Allison's praise. "It was nothing..." She let an embarrassed laugh, hoping Todd didn't notice her blush. "S-So, how's the pruning? Mr. Howard said you've been out here for almost an hour."

"He's right, but I'm actually done, just doing some final checking. If it wasn't because of those idiots and them stepped on the bushes, I would be done long ago. Dealing with them took awhile, the same goes to fixing up the bush." He walked over to the damaged area and pushed aside a thorny branch. "Fortunately, the damage wasn't disastrous, but they did snap several branches. I trimmed it as much as I could, it should continue growing just fine."

Petunia let out a sign as she noticed the crushed roses on the ground. She picked one of them up, only to frown sadly as a couple of petals fell off. "Poor roses; still so fragile despite all those thorns."

"Just like humans, don't they?"

That line captured Petunia's attention. "Huh? Why do you think so, Todd Allison?"

The ginger-haired man caressed a single bloomed rose before he continued, "Humans are like flowers. We all come in different shapes, sizes, colors and heights. Like flowers, we are all pretty, even if some people don't see the beauty." Todd grabbed the pruner, then snipped the rose off by its stem. "Some might be tougher than others, but we are all still fragile and vulnerable. Some people are like roses; covered in thorns to protect their fragile petals." He proceeded to clip off the thorns on the stem. "And our roots affect our growth, depending on the soil and dirt we lived through. But…"

Todd Allison placed the pruner down and twirled the short stem of red rose in his hand. After he was satisfied that the rose was thorn-free, he turned to his female companion. "But… what's most important, is that we need that one person in our life — our gardener — to take care of us, love us." He stretched out a hand and pushed a strand of loose hair from Petunia's face.

"Only then," Todd leaned in, decreasing the space between them, and tucked the rose behind her left ear. "We can grow and bloom beautifully like a flower ourselves." His hand slid off but hovered beside her cheek as if cupping it — just the slightest.

Their face was so close to each other; noses only inches apart. Petunia could feel his warm breath tickling her cheeks, causing her body temperature to rise higher than she thought possible. All the while, they stared into each other's windows to the soul, chetwode blue never leaving calico brown. He had something left to tell her, she knew he did. So, she waited, not trusting herself to move a muscle.

Todd opened his mouth, as if to say something, but closed them before anything could come out. His eyes broke away from hers and landed on her lips. Petunia felt her heart skipped a beat then thumped desperately hard in her ribcage. Surely her ribs would crack if this continues.

After what felt like an eternity, Todd Allison pulled away, and Petunia gasped quietly at the sudden loss of his warmth and presence. He turned and quickly gathered up as many loose rose branches in one hand, pruner in the other, and the chocolate she gave pinned underneath an arm.

Once he was done, he stood up and gave her an apologetic smile. "Sorry, Petunia. I have to clean these up and report back to Mr. Howard." He bit his lower lip. "It'll take some time, so I think it's best you return to your dorm. U-Uh… Thank you for the chocolate and Happy Valentine's Day."

Without bidding farewell, Todd turned on his heels and quickly left the garden, giving a stunned Petunia no time to react and stop him if she wanted to.

It was three minutes later that Petunia finally came back to Earth. She gasped and shuddered at the memory of how near they were to each other, his gentle soft touch when he tucked the flower behind her ear and the moment his eyes traveled to her lips... Petunia felt the strength in her knees diminished, and soon found herself crouching down. Her heart continued to pound in her chest as she hugged her quivering form, trying to calm herself down.

They were so close… So close. One step was all it needed to change everything; for better or for worse.

"Oh, god…" She breathed. "Oh, god…"

She wanted it. After so long of knowing Todd Allison, she finally knew she wanted it to be true.

She had lied to Jacqueline, not all gifts are for her friends and brothers only. One of them was for a crush; for someone special to her.

Petunia gently touched the rose tucked in her hair, and hoped, just hoped that it was an answer to the question written on the Valentine's Day card: Will you be my Valentine?

And that's the end of this chapter. Thank you for reading.

I hope the story is interesting to you all so far. The next chapter would be from Todd's perspective and the closing of this fanfic.

I really don't know what else to say. So, I hope I will see you all in the next chap! See ya!

If you enjoyed and wanted to motivate me to write more TA&PV fanfics in the future, please review or fav. They give me life.