Cocoa Connection
S&D: "Yes, plain chocolate is bitter, and dark. But it's good. So much good you can find very hard living without it. And it's not plain at all. Appereances can be deceiving, Odango". An afternoon together, a massive amount of cocoa products... Things are subject to change (this is for you, Sword-chan ;) )
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Warning: unbeta-ed. Beware of mistypos, mispellings, and translation glitches.
You still here? Great! -- bows--
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Wandering at the mall the day before St. Valentine's Day. Really, what was wrong with him?
All the heart shaped decoration and must-be-happy-to-be-in-love general mood was starting to bother him badly. Then he spotted the back of a familiar, unmistakable head.
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She tapped her index finger on her lower lip, while pondering at the brightly wrapped goodies beside her. Then she lit up and picked one, carefully freeing it, -chocolate- then holding it up like a prize. Finally, inch by inch, he watched with fascination as the light brown, muffin-shaped mass was driven to her parting lips and lingered on the tip of her tongue before plunging into her mouth. She barely tilted her head backwards, eyes closed with bliss. He suddenly envied that chocolate.
He moved to look at her better. Scratch it. He envied those chocolates. One... three... twelve. They looked espensive too. She couldn't have bought them all. Presents from suitors, more likely.
He wasn't walking toward her because he was jealous, and curious, and he needed his daily Odango fix. Naaaah. He was just saving her teeth, and her arteries, and her lovely –lovely?- shapely –shapely?- lithe figure for one more day. Just as any good gentleman and wannabe doctor would. Yeah.
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Her eyelids fluttered as she sensed a presence hovering in front of her.
He fought a lump in his throat at the sight – her chocolate-induced dreaminess still lingering in her slightly parted, moist lips, and in her gaze through thick lowered lashes as their eyes met - . She did too.
Eyes now open, she greeted him, a little on the hesitant, defensive side. His lips quirked upwards. "May I sit?"
She barely nodded, quickly scooting her sweeties neaxt to her and making room for him.
"I'd tell you not to stuff yourself with junk food again, but"-he picked up some of the chocolates "-Belgian chocolate." One of the finest "...briar rose, ginger, cloves, caramel, milk... excellent choice of flavours too."
He saw her blushing prettily in his peripheral vision. "A present from some suitors? Some old business man trying to seduce you?" Actually, he would beat the crap out of him if it was so.
" No, Mamoru-baka. They're presents from me to others."
"You SAVED money? And for ALL of these chocolates?"
" Hey, I've been purposedly saved the money for them for a while now.
The shell shaped milk chocolate and caramel one's for Ami-chan; the hot pepper lighter shaped's for Rei-chan, the briar rose and milk chocolate rosebud shaped is for Mako-chan; the cat shaped ginger one 's for Mina-chan." She picked up merrily two milkshake glass shaped goodies from his palm. "These are for Motoki and Unazuki".
She pointed at the three left between them on the bench. " White chocolate and pistachio cherry shaped is for Naru. This bigger one" she held a big chocolate heart "for my my mum, dad, and brother..." had she looked at him at that point, she would have caught the flickering in his eyes "...milk chocolate and strawberry topping. Oh, and this is for Miss Haruna" her finger pointed at a bell shaped chocolate, rhum and cherry inside.
"Your sensei? That sensei?" That was a surprise! Or maybe, not. Not with such a big heart like Usagi. He found himself smiling warmly, just a little. Enough to leave Usagi stunned though.
--This-- is a surprise, she thought. She archived the memory in her tiny, precious 'Mamoru-baka being nice' mental closet.
"They opened this FABOULOUS chocolate shop just some months ago, and I planned to buy Valentine sweets there since back then."
"But didn't you forget someone?" Sly one, Mamoru, he thought.
She stared at him, the emotion in her eyes shifting from perplexed to realizing, to embarassed, sad, annoyed. And some wistfulness and alarm surfacing all along that left him puzzled and... worried. And jealous. He dismissed the lattest by placing his pointe"That Umino guy"
At her horrified squeak of denial, he winked and grinned. She snorted "I don't have a boyfriend. Thank you very much for reminding me, Mamoru-baka. But you're not going to ruin my mood, mister. Get up."
She jumped up and dragged him by the arm towards the mall Belgian chocolate shop, almost pulling his arm out of its socket in her enthusiastic bouncing.
He didn't voice his objections to the tour very much, partly because he knew better than contradicting her in food matters, partly because he was noticing en passant how surprisingly strong her grip was. And partly because chocolate was a soft spot of his too. A --very-- soft spot. Not that he would admit a softness about anything – or somebody - aloud...
As soon as they entered the shop, a subtle, but unmistakable metamorphosis took place under Mamoru's eyes. Shoulder straightening and gaze sharpening, Usagi tutored him through the shop and gave him a chocolate history lesson. She could surf unfailibly among dates, countries, names and different cultures habits related to anything cocoa, pointing out at the chocolates on sale when she needed some concrete avail. (AN: Eh eh. Cultured Usagi, my favorite Sin ;) )It was a very thorough history lesson. To him, it was rather a very thorough lesson. Period.
He was impressed by her good taste and competence in the matter. If she only put a crumble of her enthusiasm in her studies...
At her halting motion he realized he had spoken his thought out loud. Stung, she retaliated revealing she had caught him dropping chocolates in his sugarless coffee when he thought nobody was watching. More than one, and more than once!
She smugly registered her verbal victory, but then she grew perplexed...
Her revelations had quite stunned him, for two reasons. First: he relied on his Tuxedo Kamen speed and skills for his... ahem... coffee secret. No civilian should be able to realize his moves, not to mention keep visual track of them. But maybe he had grown too self-comfident in his abilities. Had he been slacking down? He could not allow himself this. Hell, the world would not allow him this...
Usagi's "Hello-oo! Earth to Mamoru... Anybody in there?" and her waving hand in front of his face brought his back to the second reason:
She had been watching him that close? The day was full of surprises, it seemed.
Rather, Usagi was full of surprises too.
They continued their lesson ( after he had assured her he was ok, and, no, he was not bored, and he wasn't spacing out to annoy her. Not purposedly at least, but now that he thought about that...
That earned him a pinch on the arm. Or rather, an attempt at a pinch. She gave up after the third try. Hard as iron, the baka...)
She was a real gourmand. But there was still a gap in her education.
"What about the dark chocolate section?"
"It figures!" She rolled her eyes and wrinkled her nose, a bit too cutely for his self-control. He found himself smiling warmly again.
She was stunned. Twice in a day. She had witnessed many unusual and almost miracoulous things since her awakening as a senshi, but the baka's smiling performances surpassed them all a far cry.
Maybe she could stand the dark chocolate section, after all...
--1 hour later---
"Try this".
"80 percent cocoa? But it's BITTER!"
"You've told me the same thing about the 70 percent cocoa tablet. And you liked it" She blushed. After a first nibble, she had inhaled three sample squares in a row.
He broke the chocolate in half – she wiped a traitourous drool drop away at the rich penetrating scent breaking free after his elegant, neat moviments of wrists and fingers - and took one piece into his mouth, letting it melt (as Usagi had taught him. "No Chewing!") and rolling it on his tongue with a flourish.
"Yes, plain chocolate is bitter, and dark. But it's good. So much good you can find very hard living without it. And it's not plain at all. Appereances can be deceiving, Odango"
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Usagi examined the way he talked, moved, everything, in a different, much better light. Of course, the baka having discarded his usual outfit that day in favour of a a pair of jeans and jeans jacket matching his eyes and of a white polo-shirt wasn't bad either.
He looked - and incredibly, he actually was -younger, more carefree and gentle than he made the others believe. All the chocolate they had tried must have done wonders to his mood. Oh, well, the botanists did named cocoa 'theobroma', 'food of the gods'... (she stopped from drawing further, possibly unsettling conclusions ) .
Oh, he was always polite and perfect and beautiful (and at this, she eyed suspiciously her own umpteempth cocoa square) but in a less... detached way.
He smelled great too. Like chocolate and roses. Chocolate and roses? Ha! Must be the chocolate blend they're trying at the moment. The only man naturally smelling like the tablet in their hands would rather be her elusive handsome caped saviour... Wouldn't he? Dark shiny hair, strong jaw, desiderable lips, arms and chest strong and hard as iron... as her brain enumbered these elements one by one, her eyes glued to said features of her –thank the kami! - oblivious male companion.
He took her by the wrist, coaxing her by his side as they queued for the cash while his other hand fumbled in his jeans pockets for his wallet.. Unconsciosly she leaned closer to his denim jacket to catch a whiff of his scent once more.
Once outside he moved the hand he was hiding behind his back. "I shouldn't indulge your gluttony furtherly, Odango, but..." He grinned at her face – freezing the beginning of her scowl on the istant-
"... but you gifted me with a very pleasant afternoon. Arigatou, Usagi".
He revealed a perfect pink rosebud, petals rimmed with crimson, and a little angel of white chocolate, the details of wings, face, and hair, made with milk chocolate. How had he managed to buy the thing without her noticing? Maybe while you were busy sniffing his clothes... She blushed.
She sent a silent prayer to every kami nearby as she heard her own paralyzed tongue and brain conjuring up a stuttering ' It's beautiful... Thank you' without calling him 'Mamoru-baka'. While they were at it, said kami could have helped her switching to something better than "baka-san" though, she cringed as soon as the words left her mouth.
But he seemed to take her new term for him good-naturally, judging from the way the left corner of his mouth twitched upwards.
"You're welcome... Odango-chan"
She stuck her tongue out as he grinned impishly and avoided smoothly her mock-kick.
They had walked in silence afterwards. But it was different this time. No enmity, no tension. A sense of mutual comfort, rather. It felt so nice and new to both, so worth to be treasured.
She hesitantly tugged at his sleeve, until he turned. Her answer to the mute question in his eyes was barely above a whisper.
"Here. Take my hea- uhm... my present, please".
He stared at her, then at the object she had almost thrusted in his palm. She was nibbling her lower lip, cheeks rosy as he lifted the tiny transparent bag delicately, dangling it between them.
The item inside was made of rich, dark chocolate, Wild Rose-flavoured. A heart.
Only the faint awe in his gaze stopped her from running away at his arched eyebrow and suddenly stiffening form.
Her apprehension called for a reaction from him.
She startled at the warmth of his hand leaning on her shoulders, so focused she had been on his visage alone, on the display of unusual emotions on his face.
His eyes looked wider and more alight as they came closer to her, his breath stirring the hair between her cheek and ear and calling her blood to pound loudly where his "thank you" reached her, warm and low.
His other hand closed carefully, reverently, on the heart she had just given him.
"I take it gladly."
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ANs: wooohooo! He's 'holding her heart in his hands'... So much for subtle symbolism :P .
It seems my mind works in systole/diastole sort of way, fanfiction-wise: this one is relatively light-hearted and fluffy, while the last one-shot I wrote before this was definitely darker and and angstier. Angst/mush, angst/mush, angst/... In the end I think I'm not very good at this cutesy romantic stuff. But I had to try and see once, right?
Special thanks from my Muse to chocolate brand Jeff de Bruges for inspiration, and from me for opening their shop in my city. --drool--
And, of course, to Naoko Takeuchi-san for having graced us with her creation.