One of my ideas had been to write as series of one-shots and group them together for a Valentine's Day fic. Alas, my laziness will always override my creativity, so only two stories were completed. This is that other story.

A day of love spent in one's office. Any normal animal would consider such a thing to be awful, but Isabelle considered herself to be abnormal in a good sort of way and, therefore, enjoyed working. Valentine's Day was for lovers, and she neither had one, nor desired one. That was just the type of dog she was. Whilst other animals were off scampering about with their heads in the clouds, she was doing her job down on Earth. Though, if K.K. wanted to date or something, I wouldn't mind. She laughed to herself, not the least bit bothered that such a thing would likely never happen, even if she did decide to go be a part of his concert crowd set for the evening. Though she didn't bother herself with matters of romance, she did enjoy treating Valentine's Day as, simply, a day of love. All sorts of different types of love. Though they never spent much time together, she did want to make today special for her mayor. Instead of the normal cup of tea that she left on his desk every morning, she decided to leave a cup of chocolate milk. She would've liked to have left a small box of candies, but alas, the marketing giants didn't seem to like the idea of platonic greetings enough to etch them onto the tiny, chalky hearts. Why can't there be a Friendship Day or something? Something for the rest of us? She sighed and chose not to let it bother her, instead choosing to roll her eyes at their limited mindset when it came to business. She was proud to be a part of a town that could think outside the box. Her mayor, for instance, would be receiving valentine's from all the female villagers today, though none of them saw him in a romantic light. They were just that laid back and comfortable in their friendship. Sure would be nice if I could get some chocolate, though. . .

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This is why I never want to leave this town. Joseph struggled to hold all of the gifts that his female villagers had sent him. Not even his old friends back home had been this affectionate! Back there, the closest thing he had ever gotten to a valentine had been the mandatory cards given out in elementary school. They had been as cardboard and insincere as his classmate's feelings. He was glad that he had moved here. He had made fast friends with nearly everyone in town, including his loyal secretary. He never thought he would see a talking, bipedal dog, much less one that worked for him, but it had happened, and he was loving the fact. He had always been a dog person, and now he got to be around one any time he chose, though she was usually in her, well, their, office. I should really do something special for her. He looked down at the pile of chocolates in his arms. I could always share these with her. Wait. . .can the dogs in this town even eat chocolate? He knew that the result of feeding a dog chocolate in his old town came with. . .fatal consequences. Alright. All I have to do is go on an elaborate adventure to find out without letting her know, stealthily ask what she'd like, and find a way to expertly deliver. . .wait. . .I can just ask. He slapped his forehead with the palm of his hand. Man. Something like that could go anywhere from a paragraph to an entire chapter, depending on how much effort I put into it. Leaving the fourth wall sufficiently shattered, he went off to share the spoils of Valentine's Day with his secretary.

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"For me?"

"Yeah! Happy Valentine's Day!"

Isabelle took the chocolates happily. "Th-thank you, Mayor!" She felt overjoyed to have received such a treat, but before she could bring the first piece of candy to her teeth, a horrible thought crossed her mind. Wait. . .what if. . .oh. . .oh, no. ungood. Doubleplusungood. Super bad even! She had read about human culture and tradition some years ago, and through her studies, she knew that, more often than not, they were more susceptible to the romantic aspect of Valentine's Day marketing than the residents of the various animal villages. Is he. . .no. no. surely not. Impossible! Oh, for the love of my sanity, please no! She felt sick. She hoped that she was just overreacting.

"Woah, Isabelle. You okay?"

"I'm f-f-fine." Ugh.

"You don't look so fine. Here. Lemmi get you some water." he ran outside to the water pump and came back with a cup for her. He held it to her mouth, which caused her stomach to wretch a bit more. She took it from his hands and gulped it down.

"I think I need to go for a walk."

"I'll come with you!"

"NO!"

He looked confused.

"I mean. . .no. . .problem. Come on. Let's go." Best not to upset the boss. Why me?

The two of them left Town Hall and went for a walk in the bamboo fields, the poor dog's mind swimming with awful thoughts. Okay. Remain calm. If he says anything suspicious, let him down gently. Don't wanna hurt his feelings.

"I'm glad I could walk with you. Makes Valentine's Day so much better."

Before she could stop herself, her mouth acted instead of her brain.

"I'm not into humans!"

The look of shock that came over the unsuspecting mayor's face could be akin to a horror movie victim coming face-to-face with the killer.

"U-uhhh. . .good for. . .you?"

And the realization that then came on the dog's face would be the look shared by said victim once she realized that said killer was going to cut her screen-time short.

"Weren't you. . .I mean. . .the chocolates. . .the walking. . .the touchy-feely sort of moment I sorta just squashed. . .?"

He blinked a few times, trying to process what she was saying.

"Ohh. . .you thought. . .ohhh. . .no! It's nothing like that!"

"B-but I read about how humans spend Valentine's Day. And you're a human, so. . .yeah."

"Pffft. Isabelle, I'm not like them. That's their thing. Not mine. I was just trying to celebrate it the way you animals do. You know, with friendly gifts and such. None of that mushy crap. It makes me gag. I just wanted to show my appreciation for all the hard work you do around here. You're a huge help to me, Isabelle. I couldn't run this place without you."

"Oh! Wait, really? You mean that?"

"Yeah!"

She smiled, both in utter relief that she had completely misjudged his intentions, and in joy for what his intentions actually were. Truly, there needs to be a holiday for the rest of us.

"Happy Friendship Day, Mayor."

"Happy Friendship Day, Isabelle. And thanks for the chocolate milk."