Sugar

by taitofan

Rated T

Disclaimer: I don't own NDRv3 or its characters.

Author's Note: This is my fave DR femslash ship, and I actually managed to do a holiday fic in time for the holiday. Amazing.

If you have any CC, please share and I'll listen. Please read, review, and enjoy! Finished 02-08-17

"Then we mix it like this…"

Kaede was doing her best to listen to Kirumi's instructions, really she was. It would have been terribly rude to ask Kirumi for her help and then just ignore her, after all. But it was so hard when all she could focus on was Kirumi's soothing, melodic voice and her graceful, skillful hands and—

"Akamatsu, is something troubling you? You seem distracted."

"Ah, sorry Toujou, I'm fine!" She laughed as casually as she could, going back to stirring the chocolate just as she'd been shown. Judging by Kirumi's frown, she wasn't very successful. "Well, maybe I'm a little distracted, but I really am fine!"

"…It is Valentine's Day tomorrow, so I can see why you would be preoccupied with your thoughts." She gave Kaede a smile that made her heart beat wildly. "Whichever boy you're giving your chocolate to will surely be very grateful."

Which boy. Right. Funny. And which boy, she thought to herself, would that be? Shuuichi, her best friend? That would surely go over well with Kokichi, who would throw a fit if she were to try wooing his boyfriend. Rantarou, who she got together with every week to do her nails? She was almost certain he and Kiibo were getting much closer than friends. Kaito was already dating Maki. That did leave three boys in their class who were probably at least bisexual and not dating anyone she knew of, but, well…

It didn't really matter when she held almost as little interest in dating boys as Tenko did. Though at least Tenko had already gotten Himiko to be her girlfriend, where Kaede had obviously not gotten that far.

"Well, I hope so," she finally answered, not ready to give away anything yet.

The homemade chocolate would no doubt turn out well if Kirumi was the one helping her make it, but whether or not she'd appreciate getting Valentine's chocolates from the girl she'd helped to make them, Kaede had no idea. Kirumi had never shown interest in anyone, so Kaede really had no way of knowing how she'd take it. The only luck she had on her side was that there seemed to be a lot of Ultimates spanning the current classes of 77 through 79 who were in same-sex relationships. Then again, she wasn't gifted with Ultimate Luck, so she just had to keep hope.

"Of course he will, Akamatsu. You're very kind and extremely pretty. Any boy would be thankful to receive chocolates from you." Kaede willed herself not to blush as her crush praised her. It wasn't exactly working out, but Kirumi didn't say anything about it. "You could give them to Ouma and he'd at least be happy that you'd thought of him."

Kokichi would probably be happy to get candy from anyone, she thought. Though in that case, Shuuichi probably wouldn't be very happy with her.

"T-thank you, Toujou. That means a lot from me, coming from you." Kirumi smiled at her, and Kaede thought her insides might melt. How was she so beautiful? All of the girls in her class were pretty, but Kirumi was elegant and sophisticated and mature and polite and just so amazing. There was no symphony or sonata in the world that could compare to the raw beauty of Kirumi Toujou. How could she not have fallen for her? "Ah, um, I think everything is blended. What's next?"

"Now we get the molds out…"

Kaede stared at the package sitting on her bed. It was wrapped in pink paper with a red ribbon tied neatly around it. Kaede had even taken the time to draw little half notes stylized with hearts on the paper in red ink. She wasn't going to try to be anonymous, especially when Kirumi knew exactly what the chocolates she'd made looked like.

She was relieved Kirumi had never come out and asked who she was making them for, but at the same time, that meant she couldn't very well ask who Kirumi was going to give her chocolates to.

Maybe they weren't for anyone, she thought. Maybe she'd only made them because Kaede had asked for help, and she'd eat them herself. No, she'd probably divvy them up and give them away as obligation chocolates to all the boys. Or maybe there was a boy she did like…?

They surely weren't going to be for her.

Kaede sighed and placed the package on her nightstand before getting ready for bed. There was no backing out now—even if there was no chance of her feelings being returned, she had to let Kirumi know how she felt before it ate her up inside. She had to have faith that Kirumi would consider her feelings, or at least let her down gently.

That thought in mind, she turned off the lights and laid down, hoping everything would turn out for the best.

Morning came far too quickly.

Kaede got ready for class in record time, her nerves making her stomach flip every time she so much as thought about the chocolates she'd be giving away today. Soon it was time to go, and she stored them safely in her backpack as she headed for the classroom. She wondered—should she give them to Kirumi immediately, or should she wait until they were alone? That could take a while though, and she wasn't sure her anxiety could wait until classes were done. But did she really want to be rejected in front of an audience? No, she had to stop thinking like that! Kirumi could still accept her feelings! She—

Kaede turned the corner near the classroom and stopped abruptly. There was Kirumi, a box of chocolates neatly wrapped in silver foil with a pretty mint green bow. And there was Kiibo, his artificial skin flushed as he accepted the box from her. The two exchanged words that Kaede couldn't hear before entering the classroom together without ever having seen her. Almost as if to add salt to the wound, Tenko and Himiko soon came from the opposite direction as her, holding hands and clutching chocolates to their chests that they'd likely made for each other.

Kaede's mind reeled and her heart ached. Kiibo? Kirumi liked Kiibo? And he didn't look like he rejected her either. But she could have sworn…

Well, she supposed it didn't matter what she had thought. It was hopeless.

She took a deep breath and willed away the tears that were threatening her eyes. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't. No, she held her head high and entered the classroom as calmly as she could.

The first things she noticed were the stacks of chocolates on the boys' desks, likely from reserve course girls. Kaito was eating his with Maki, who didn't seem concerned at all. Korekiyo and Ryoma both seemed amused by their hauls, while Gonta looked pleasantly confused by how many he's received. Rantarou had so many that they were stacked on the floor, and Shuuichi wasn't far behind. Kokichi, despite having a fair share himself, was of course pouting over that, and Kaede could hear her best friend assuring his boyfriend that no, he didn't care about those girls and yes, of course the chocolates Kokichi had made were far better than any of theirs. Kaede would have been interested in knowing just how well Kokichi cooking could have possibly gone if she weren't so upset.

Finally, there was Kiibo. Despite being a robot, he too had a decent number of little boxes. It wasn't as if he could even eat chocolates. So why had Kirumi…?

Right. Kirumi. Kaede still had the chocolates for her. She took off her backpack and placed it in her usual seat next to Shuuichi and pulled out the pink box. This was for Kirumi, who certainly didn't love her back. She took a deep breath and forced on a smile as she turned around and held out the box.

To Kokichi.

"Here Ouma, these are for you!" The entire class seemed to freeze as if she'd yelled the words as loudly as she could. "You like candy better than anyone I know, so here, please accept them!"

Kokichi shared a look with Shuuichi, who looked just as confused as he did. Then he looked at the box, then back up at Kaede.

"Akamatsu, stop lying."

"Huh?" She laughed nervously as he glared up at her. "What are you talking about? I'm not lying! They aren't meant as a romantic thing, so just take them, okay?"

"Look, I'm the best liar in this entire school, and you're definitely lying. You put all kinds of hearts on that box, and you wouldn't go through all that trouble to make obligation chocolate for me and not for the other boys in class too. Whoever you made them for, it wasn't me. Now stop being such a baby and give them to whoever you made them for!"

She glanced pleading at Shuuichi, but he just shook his head in apology. Well, she wasn't getting any help from those two, and now everyone wouldn't stop staring at her. What was she going to do?

Well, tell the truth, she supposed.

"You're right Ouma, I'm sorry. I chickened out…" He smirked and waved her off, an expectant look in his eyes. She was definitely not getting out of this. "So… The truth is…" She turned again, this time towards her real crush. Kirumi sat by the windows, right in front of Rantarou. Kirumi looked like she knew what was going to happened, which Kaede assumed meant she thought the chocolates were for him. What a mess! Not able to take it anymore, she marched over and held the box out to her. "Toujou, I've admired you since the beginning of our time here. You put all the music in the world to shame, and I can't keep denying how much I care about you. Please accept my chocolates, even if you can't accept my feelings!"

Kirumi smiled her usual polite, knowing smile and accepted the box without hesitation. With a soft laugh, she asked, "And why wouldn't I accept your feelings, Akamatsu?"

Kaede looked over at Kiibo, who had the desk next to Rantarou. He jumped as he noticed her looking his way.

"Oh, Akamatsu, did you see Toujou give me this?" He took the silver package from his bag. His face began to flush as his gaze flitted over to Rantarou. "Please don't misunderstand! Since I can't taste anything, I asked her if she'd be so kind as to make homemade chocolates for me to give to…" He paused and thrust the box towards Rantarou, whose eyes widened at the present offered to him. " A-Amami, I realize this is unorthodox, but please accept this."

The class's attention left her as Rantarou actually looked flustered for once in his life and immediately took the chocolates from Kiibo, acting if they were a sacred gift. Good, she thought, not only had she been right, now she wouldn't have to hear Rantarou not-so-subtly pining over Kiibo the next time he painted her nails. And that meant Kirumi didn't love Kiibo after all. A win-win situation all around!

"Akamatsu."

"T-toujou! Sorry, I spaced out, didn't I? Sorry, I just…"

She didn't get to finish. Kirumi stood up and leaned down to place a gentle kiss on Kaede's lips. Even with as innocent as it was, Kaede felt her entire face heat up. Kirumi laughed fondly and took Kaede's hands in hers.

"I've had my suspicions for a while, but yesterday all but confirmed it. You couldn't keep your eyes off me, and I didn't think you'd ever stop blushing." She leaned in again, this time placing a kiss on Kaede's forehead. "Akamatsu, you're very kind and extremely pretty, and any boy or girl would be thankful to receive chocolates from you. That includes myself. So if you'd agree to be my girlfriend, I'd be honored."

"Yes," she breathed, hardly believing this was real. But Kirumi's hands were soft in hers, and her lips still tingled from the kiss. She had it so bad, but it didn't matter. She had a girlfriend! "I'd love to be your girlfriend."

She heard someone yell "About time!"—and she was pretty sure it was Kokichi—but she could hardly pay attention when Kirumi's lips were once again on hers. It was a deeper kiss this time, and Kaede swore she could taste a hint of chocolate on Kirumi's lips. She cracked one eye open and noticed that the pink wrapping on Kirumi's desk had been torn open, and one of the chocolates had disappeared from the box.

That must mean she liked them, Kaede thought, smiling into the kiss. I'm so glad.

It was certainly the sweetest Valentine's Day that Kaede had ever celebrated, and she knew she'd treasure it forever.