Age 9, Valentine's Day
Fatin POV (Age 9)
“Mum,” Fatin called out, walking into the living room where her parents sat.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“I need to go to the store,” she announced, puffing out her chest.
“It’s a weekday. You need to practice, and I need to get some house viewings scheduled. I’m sorry.”
Fatin shook her head folding her arms. “I need to go.”
“Do not talk to your mother like that, she is not there to cater to your every whim. You can get your new nail varnish another day,” Samad chided.
“I don’t want nail varnish.”
“Then whatever it was. New clothes, stationary, whatever it is it can wait.”
“It can’t wait!” Fatin yelled, her eyes flaring gold as her parents stared at her in shock.
“Sweetie, calm down.” Rana ran a hand through her hair until she mellowed, Fatin’s eyes eventually shifting back to their usual colour. “What did you need?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day tomorrow and Kenny said he’s getting Amanda chocolate. He said because he likes her he’s buying her a heart and then he said I’m stupid because Leah is my mate and I never get her anything.”
“Because you’re nine, Fatin.”
“It doesn’t matter! I read a book, it said alphas always get presents for their omega. It said alphas that didn’t were bad people, and that people shouldn’t treat their mates badly.”
“What book?”
Fatin rummaged through her bag, pulling out a book clearly made for teens she had grabbed from the library as she wiped her tears.
“This is talking about older mates.”
“It’s not! And Leah overheard Kenny and now she thinks I’m a bad mate.”
“Did Leah say that?” Rana asked.
Samad worked to hold in his chuckle, as sad as his daughter was- she technically wasn’t wrong. Then again, they never thought they would have to prepare for their nine-year-old wanting to buy valentine’s gifts. Though it had never occurred to them Fatin was right, it was a holiday all mates celebrated. Their conditions were simply unusual. Though, the thought of his tiny daughter feeling like she had failed by not buying a piece of chocolate was rather amusing.
“No, but she felt sad. She did that thing where she wouldn’t look at me which means she hates me.”
“Leah doesn’t hate you. Mates do not hate one another.”
“She was upset because I’m a crap mate.”
“Fatin! Language!” Rana chided.
“Sorry.”
“Let me finish this up and then I’ll take you to the supermarket.” They had the most PG Valentine’s section Rana could think of. Lest her daughter sees some of the other things.
“Thank you. Do they have chocolates? Kenny said the best alphas get chocolates.”
“Because Kenny is apparently the voice of all knowledge, isn’t he?”
“Kenny has three girlfriends,” Fatin said.
“I don’t even want to know,” Rana rolled her eyes.
That was how they ended up in the supermarket, Fatin swinging on the trolley as she sailed down the Valentine’s aisle.
“Please slow down before you hit someone with that thing.”
She came to a stop in front of the chocolates. There was everything: love hearts, chocolate roses, golf balls.
Fatin’s eyes landed on something a little too high to reach though. “Mum, can you get one of those?” She wiggled a finger at a box just out of reach that Rana picked up, passing it down to her.
Her eyes locked on the lifelike chocolate frog that read ‘My Heart Leaps for You’ beneath. She stared at the bland heart and picked it up, frowning. Kenny had told her that hearts were the best and that everyone sent them.
“Remember you are shopping for Leah. What would your mate want?”
“Kenny said that-”
“Is Kenny your mate?”
“No,” Fatin huffed.
“What does Leah like?”
“Frogs.” Leah adored frogs. She had a knit jumper with one on the front, shirts with toadstools and frogs on, and plushies littering one side of her room. “I think she would want this one.” She placed the frog in the cart and left the heart on the shelf. “What else am I meant to get? What does Dad get you?”
Rana averted her eyes, moving towards the cards. “You’ll need a card and flowers or a plant.”
The card was easy, Fatin picked out one that had a big heart on the front and read:
To my mate, may we spend our entire lives together.
She couldn’t think of anything better than spending every day of her life with her best friend. Rana peered at the inside of the card to check it was appropriate for children then placed it in the basket.
“I think Leah will want a plant. A cool one,” Fatin said, looking through. She held up a venus fly trap that Rana looked at skeptically.
“Is that romantic?”
Fatin nodded quickly. “It has a booklet on cool things it does. Leah will like that. The other ones are boring.”
“But the other ones are pretty.”
“Leah doesn’t care about pretty things,” Fatin said. She didn’t. Her mate liked practical or interesting things. Science and history, books, and documentaries. As she looked at them, Fatin didn’t think she would appreciate flowers.
“Maybe get her one rose too? They’re tradition.”
She relented, agreeing as long as she was allowed to get the murderous plant also. Fatin wondered if it grew big enough if it would eat people.
The next day Fatin turned up at school with a huge bag and a balloon floating from it.
“Happy Valentine’s!” Fatin said, passing the bag to Leah.
The whole class stared, even Kenny who looked slightly annoyed Fatin had gotten more than the hearts he had.
“What is this?”
“You’re my mate. It’s tradition.”
Leah blushed, opening her presents as Fatin narrowed her eyes at anyone that gawked. Her mate hated attention on her.
“You got me a frog made of chocolate?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
Fatin smiled and helped Leah to get the rest of the things out. Oddly the thing Leah loved the most was the card.
For the next month, Leah used her Valentine’s card as her bookmark, keeping it on her at all times.
“It wasn’t even a dollar,” Fatin said. “She likes it more than the frog!”
Rana chuckled under her breath. “Your mate is very sentimental. I’m sure she loved everything, but that card reminds her that you like her.”
“Of course I like her, I’m her mate.”
“Yes, but sometimes omegas need reminding of that.”
The corner of her mouth lit up with a smile.
She would remind Leah each and every year.