Author's Note: This story is my apology for being gone for so long. I'm sorry.
Today was a very big day for Natsume and Mikan. Mikan and Natsume had been spending time alone together since they turned sixteen and sparks were flying. Of course, neither of them had actually made a move yet.
"Aw, come on man. It's been years. Just ask her out already." Ruka groaned between bites of his lunch.
"Shut the hell up. She's not just some goddamn girl. She's... complicated." Natsume pulled at his hair in frustration.
"Someday, some other guy is going to snatch her up and you still won't have the balls to do anything about it." Mochu laughed.
"Shut up. Oh my god." Natsume sighed.
"No. You are going to do this. You will ask Sakura Mikan out, once and for all." Ruka urged.
"And how are you so sure?" Natsume asked.
"Because Valentine's day is coming up. And if you don't ask her out by then, I will literally shove my hand down your throat and force out the words myself." Ruka threatened.
Natsume raised his hands in surrender. "Okay. How do you propose I do this?"
"Step one." Koko started. "Don't be you."
Natsume held onto Koko's arm and clutched tightly until Koko's sleeve caught on fire.
"Jesus! I was kidding!" Koko grabbed his bottle of water and doused his arm with it.
"Buy her flowers."
"And chocolate."
"Do some huge romantic gesture."
"NO." Natsume shook his head. "I would never do something like that. I'm not that goddamn sappy."
"What. Then what are you going to do?" Mochu leaned in.
"I'm just... going to ask her out. Just. Like. That." Natsume snapped saucily and grinned his confident grin.
On the other side of the room, the girls were also having a conversation
"Soooo..." Sumire grinned at Mikan.
"What?" Mikan asked as she shoveled a spoonful of tomato soup into her mouth.
"It's Valentine's day tomorrow." Sumire nudged Mikan.
"Mm hmm." Mikan nodded. She knew where this was going.
"Are you going to make him any chocolates?" Anna asked.
Mikan tried to look blank. "Who?"
Nonoko lightly smacked her hand. "Stop it. Natsume, obviously."
"Who's Natsume?" Mikan gulped. "Ohh, that Natsume."
Everyone groaned. "You are an AWFUL liar." Hotaru snorted.
"Okay, fine." Mikan rolled her eyes. "I may... have put some... thought into it."
Her friends squealed.
"I'm making some tonight. Do you think he'll like it?" Mikan asked, worriedly.
"If it's from you... he'll love it!" Anna reassured her.
"Okay..." Mikan bit her lip nervously as she stole a glance at Natsume.
And so that night, Mikan worked very hard to make perfect chocolates shaped like fire just for Natsume. And the hard work paid off because these chocolates turned out deliciously and beautifully.
Mikan nervously skipped into Natsume's classroom and discreetly tried to walk in through the door but everyone saw her.
"Hey, it's Mikan. She's probably giving Natsume chocolate." Mikan heard people whisper.
She almost ran back out. But she willed her feet to shuffle towards Natsume. Natsume looked up from his lazy position in his chair and lazily waved.
"Hey, Natsume." Mikan smiled sincerely.
"Yo." Natsume gave a half-smirk.
"Um... I made you some chocolate." Mikan held out a small box decorated in pink and red. She awkwardly pushed her hair behind her ear, feeling nervous.
Natsume blinked at the box for a few seconds before hesitantly taking it. "Thanks..."
"You're welcome." Mikan tried to say but it came out more like a question. She almost gasped in hurt when he threw it into his bag with no delicacy. She turned on her heels and started to walk out of the room.
"Mikan." Natsume called out.
Mikan spun around. "What." She snapped more fiercely than she meant to.
"I need to talk to you at lunch today." Natsume said before turning back to his friends.
Mikan gasped in disbelief. She shook her head. "Fine." She snarled and stomped out of the room.
Natsume turned and when she was totally gone, his friends stood up and started screeching.
"AWWW MAN. YOU TOTALLY F*CKED UP!" Ruka smacked him.
"What?" Natsume's eyes widened.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT? I'm done. You're screwed. It's over." Koko shook his head.
"WHAT? I was trying to act nonchalant!" Natsume complained.
"You looked like you didn't care." Mochu groaned.
"Mikan isn't like that. She knows what I meant."
"Whatever. I'm out. You're on your own." Ruka slumped back down into his seat.
"So that's what he did!" Mikan screeched to Hotaru.
"Stop bothering me with your problems." Hotaru sighed.
"Easy for you to say! You have a boyfriend!" Mikan cried out.
"What an idiot. Well, even if he did that, you should go meet him." Sumire shook her head.
"Ughh." Mikan groaned angrily before storming up the stairs to the rooftop. She angrily slammed the door open to see Natsume standing by the ledge, holding the box of chocolates that she had given him earlier.
"Hey." Natsume grinned at Mikan on the rooftop.
Mikan didn't look happy.
"Um. Since it's Valentine's day. I decided I'd be romantic today. So you're welcome." Natsume joked.
Mikan's face looked appalled and angry at the same time.
"I was going to ask you something important and I'm just going to come right out with it... will you go out with me?" Natsume asked.
He stood there for at least a minute before she answered.
"That's your idea of a romantic gesture?" Mikan scoffed. "No."
"What?"
"No. My answer's no. Are we done here?" Mikan started to leave.
Natsume clutched at her arm. "What, why? I thought you liked me."
"That's the problem! I do like you! But do you like me?"
"Obviously. If I didn't, I wouldn't be asking you out."
"Really? Because I just embarrassed myself in front of your class and you acted like a jerk to me! And you just expect me to totally roll over like a dog whenever it's convenient? NO." Mikan pulled away from him and walked away. She stopped in her tracks and turned, stomped back to him. She grabbed the chocolates she had given him earlier and threw it over the roof. Her eyes were watery and she was ready to cry in frustration.
She gave him once last glare and stomped down the stairs, leaving Natsume totally appalled.
After searching through the bushes for the tattered up box of chocolates that Mikan had thrown, he finally found it and went back to find his friends to explain everything that happened.
"So, that's what happened." Natsume explained.
"You're a f*cking idiot." Ruka groaned for the millionth time today. Only Ruka could get away with speaking like that to him.
"Shut up. I don't get it! My attitude never bothered her before!" Natsume slowly opened the box of chocolates and sighed in relief when he noticed that none of the chocolates were actually harmed.
"It's f*cking Valentine's Day. She doesn't want normal Natsume, she wants romantic Natsume." Ruka rolled his eyes as he picked up a piece of chocolate.
"If I was a girl, I'd be pissed off too. It looks like she worked pretty damn hard on these." Mochu commented, peering at the box.
"So what do I do?" Natsume asked.
"What can you do? Obviously she wants some romantic gesture." Koko sighed.
"How the hell am I supposed to do that?"
"Flowers. Chocolate." Mochu suggested.
"Mikan has a fifth block right? So go to her class and give her flowers, be romantic and apologize." Ruka commanded.
"In front of the whole f*cking class? No." Natsume shook his head furiously.
"Natsume."
"But..."
"Natsume."
"But..."
"NATSUME!" They all cried in unison.
Natsume cursed colorfully. "FINE!"
And so, Natsume ran off to find some flowers and chocolates to give to Mikan and when he did, boy did he feel uncomfortable.
He was standing in front of the door and he could see Mikan through the small window. He took one last deep breath before trying to discreetly open the door.
Mikan turned her head and saw Natsume out of breath, standing by the door. He was holding a large bouquet of roses very obviously behind his back.
"Natsume?" Mikan asked.
"Narumi. I'm borrowing Mikan." Natsume said.
Narumi-sensei looked mischievous. "Actually, I'd rather Mikan didn't leave the classroom. Why don't you say whatever you need to say to her now?"
Mikan bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. "Yes, Natsume?" I didn't even move because my desk was the closest to the door.
"Okay... actually. Can you stand up?"
I stood up slowly. "Why do I need to stand up?" I asked.
"So you can hide me from the class who is very discreetly watching."
"Are you calling me fat?" Mikan asked, amused.
"Of course not." Natsume tugged at his collar. "This better score me some brownie points because I am making a huge ass of myself in front of 30 people."
"29, actually." Mikan corrected.
"30, including the teacher. Who should be teaching instead of watching." Natsume snarled.
"Touché."
"Anyways, not the point. I am only asking you today because if I don't I never will."
"What?"
Natsume passed me the bouquet of roses. "Mikan. I really like you. Will you be my girlfriend?"
"Oh my god." Mikan laughed. This was ridiculously embarrassing not just for Natsume. "Yes."
"Jesus. Thank god." Natsume pulled Mikan in for a hug and Mikan clutched tightly to his back. After many moments passed, Narumi-sensei started applauding. "How long are you going to clutch onto Natsume, Mikan?" He laughed.
"I can't let go." Mikan pouted.
"Why not?" Narumi asked with amusement in his tone.
"Because, as soon I let go, he's going to leave. And then I'll be left alone in this room to suffer the embarrassment by myself." Mikan complained.
Natsume laughed and Mikan could feel his ribs shake. He slowly started to let go and Mikan reluctantly pulled back.
"I'll text you later. I'll even let you complain to me about how embarrassing it was." Natsume grinned cheekily. "Because I'm a nice guy. Who'll do romantic things from time to time." Natsume handed her a box of chocolates.
"Ugh." Mikan smacked him lightly in the chest. Natsume headed out of the room, leaving Mikan in the room holding a bouquet of roses and chocolates. Mikan stood still, waiting for the blush to come out of her cheeks. She sat down, avoiding eye contact with everyone in the room.
"MIKAN!" Anna squealed from the back.
Mikan thumped her head on the table in embarrassment. Narumi-sensei laughed heartily.
"I have a feeling that everyone's dying to ask Mikan questions. So I'm going to 'give you time to work on your homework'."
Everyone looked at him with blank looks. "That's code for, go smother Mikan with your questions."
I swear, it was a stampede.
THE END
Author's Note: I'm sowwy. T.T I've been SOOO busy lately with school, extracurricular activities and etc. And I'm not going to promise this won't happen again because it probably will. But I'm sowwy!