Out of all the days Jun could've forgotten, why did he have to forget this one?
How could he have forgotten Valentine's Day?
Everything had started out well. He had woken up early like he always did, rushing through his morning routine like a whirlwind. One arm was in his striped jacket and a piece of toast was clenched between his teeth when he noticed the calendar hanging on the fridge, a certain day circled with a red pen.
His jaw dropped and the toast hit the floor.
Where had February gone? It seemed like yesterday it was New Years, and now it was already Valentine's Day? Oh crap, he wasn't ready for this day at all! Why had he put it off for so long?
"Oh, crap crap crap crap! What am I going to do?" The blond boy rubbed his cheeks, pacing around the kitchen (and stepping on the buttery piece of toast in the process—not as if he noticed) in a panic.
What was he going to get Hikari?
Every year since they were little, Hikari had gotten Jun great gifts for Valentine's Day; a hand-made PokéDoll, clothes for his Pokémon, new Pokéballs, his scarf…and he had never really gotten her anything in return, so of course he HAD to boast that he would get her something amazing this year…
…It had been a year already?
…Crap!
"Mom! Mom!" The boy slid into his mother's room (mostly because of the toast still sticking to his foot, leaving a buttery stain on the hardwood), almost crashing into the wardrobe before skidding to a halt. "Mom, Mom, Mom! What do girls like for Valentine's day?"
The poor woman—although used to her boy's antics, was not so used to being forcibly awoken when her son left at the crack of dawn to train—let out a large yawn, cracking an eye open. "Hmm? Why?
"J-just…because!"
"Hmm…" She sat up in bed, giving her son a small, albeit sleepy, smile. "Well, your father usually sends me chocolates on Valentine's Day. Hikari loves chocolates, doesn't she?"
"W-who said it was for Hikari?" The boy's voice echoed from the hallway as he zoomed out of the room, leaving his mother shaking her head at the toast left on her floor.
Making chocolate, huh…well, that couldn't be all that bad, right?
The boy ravaged the bookshelves in the living room, looking for his mother's recipe books. Not that the boy was a chef, but it couldn't be that hard to learn. All he needed was a recipe and some ingredients…yeah! He'd make the best chocolate that Hikari would ever taste in her life!
Finally, he found the dessert recipe book he was looking for (why was it hidden behind all those healthy food books anyways?), eagerly flipping through the pages as he looked for a good recipe.
Most of the recipes…looked harder than he thought. Roasting the beans himself? Where was he going to get cacao beans? And what the heck was a truffle? After ruling out most of the more difficult looking recipes, the boy decided to try his hand at making fudge. It didn't look hard at all, and look!—easy was right in the title.
After rummaging through all the cabinets and coming up with nothing, Jun pat down his pockets, looking for money to buy ingredients for his "Easy Fudge" recipe. He had a few Pokédollars from the past few battles he won—only Hikari could beat him now—so he grabbed his scarf and headed out the door into the cold.
Of course, being himself, he had forgot the fact that most stores nearby weren't open this early in the morning. The blond had run all the way to the nearest PokéMart only to find it closed for another hour.
Jun waited impatiently at the door, shivering ever so slightly against the frigid wind as he pressed his face against the window of the shop between pacing. Maybe, just maybe they would open up early today?
Although it seemed unlikely that it would, driving Jun insane. The boy didn't have much patience, but since he had forgotten his Pokémon at home, waiting was his only option.
When it was to the point that he thought he would die of boredom, the store finally opened its doors. He rushed in, quickly picking up the ingredients (luckily, he hadn't forgotten the recipe as well), and dumping them on the counter, just barely having enough to pay for it all. It meant he would have to survive on the Pokéballs and the Potions he had left, but he was sure the look on Hikari's face when she finally eats the delicious fudge he was going to make would be worth it!
He rushed home with as much fervor as he had to the store, eager to get to work. The kitchen erupted in a symphony of clashing pots and pans, the boy rolling up his sleeves as he surveyed the challenge in front of him.
Digging the recipe out of his pocket, Jun started to get to work.
Step 1: Lightly grease one 8 inch square cake pan.
Lightly grease? With what? The boy wasn't too associated with the kitchen; besides making Poffins once in a while, he barely ever cooked anything besides toast and cereal. He thought his mom used…some type of butter? Or was it that spray stuff? Jun began to dig through the drawers again, looking for something to "grease" with.
Quickly becoming frustrated with his search, the boy went with his gut and slathered butter all over the bottom of the pan, chunks of butter clumping together here and there.
…so it wasn't exactly lightly, but it didn't matter much, right?
Step 2: Break 1 lb of 2 oz dark chocolate into pieces. Place in a sauce pan filled with 1/3 cup sweet butter and 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk.
That wasn't bad, either! Jun began to think this cooking this was entirely too easy.
He took the bag of chocolate chunks, trying to break them down to size the only way he knew how: by beating it against the table.
That method inevitably failed and earned him a scolding from his mother, walking into the kitchen in a huff when the commotion woke her up for a second time that morning.
She took the bag from her son, pouring out the chocolate and cutting into bits with a knife. "It's much easier if you use chocolate chips instead of big pieces, Jun"
He pushed her out of the kitchen when she offered to help him finish the job; he didn't want his mother's help, he could do it himself! Besides, how could he brag to Hikari about fudge he didn't even make?
He poured in the milk into a pot and slide in the chocolate bits and butter, eager to get moving and start on the next step.
Step 3: Heat over low heat, gently stirring until the butter and chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Do not allow mixture to boil.
"Low heat? Wouldn't that just take longer?" Jun stared at the recipe, a small furrow in his brow. It wouldn't hurt to turn up the heat a little bit, right? It'd just make everything faster! He turned the stove to high, beginning to stir.
…why wouldn't the chocolate stay in the pan? It seemed like no matter how hard he tried to stir the mixture "gently," it would jump out of the pan and all over the stove top. "Gah! Stop it!" Eventually, he began stirring it so slowly that his spoon was barely moving at all.
And then the bubbling began.
Step 4: Remove from heat. Beat in 1/2 tsp vanilla extract until mixture has thickened.
At first there were just a few bubbles here and there, and Jun didn't pay them any mind. However, soon the whole pot erupted in bubbles, splattering everywhere. "OUCH! Crap!" He winced as boiling-hot chocolate bubbles burst and speckled his hands.
In a panic, he removed the now-smoking mixture from the burner, letting out a sigh of relief when the bubbling relented. Okay…that was a little more taxing than the rest had been. But hey, the mixture was melted now, right?
Jun poured some vanilla into the pot, not bothering to measure the dose of liquid. Taking a fork, he began to stir (still managing to splash chocolate everywhere), continuing diligently until the mixture was so thick that his fork stopped moving completely.
Step 5: Pour into prepared pan. Chill in refrigerator until firm.
He slopped the mixture into the pan, staring at his work.
It…didn't look bad. It actually looked pretty good! The recipe said he should chill it, but maybe he would just try a tiny bit…just to make sure it was good!
The blond ran his finger over the top of the fudge, putting it into his mouth with a smile.
"…bleh." Jun stuck out his tongue, starring at the finger like it had offended him. It didn't tastes like fudge at all! It was more like…burnt tree bark than chocolate! In short, it was completely disgusting. He couldn't give this to Hikari!
"What did I do wrong? I followed the recipe and everything!" The boy glanced at the crumbled piece of paper next to the stove, picking it up with a frown. "Gah! Now what am I going to do!"
…well. He would just have to try again until he got it right!
After three more failed attempts (and grudgingly going to his mother for advice), Jun finally managed to make a fudge that satisfied him. Although, at this point it was already three in the afternoon, and most of Valentine's Day was over!
He packed away the chilled fudge in a disgustingly girly tin his mother had found for him, slipping on his jacket before shouting his departure, heading for Hikari's.
Jun hoped the girl hadn't left as he banged on the door a few times, shifting nervously on the doorstep. After putting so much effort and having so many failures, he hoped the fudge turned out alright…or at least edible!
"Jun? Are you looking for Hikari?"
He almost jumped when Hikari's mother opened, startling him out of his thoughts. "Ah! Um, yeah, I am! Is she still here?"
The woman smiled at him, moving from the doorway. "She just got back, actually! She's in her room—"Jun didn't wait for her to finish her thought, zooming up the stairs in a second.
The girl's door was open, so Jun let himself in, spotting the girl hanging up her jacket in her closet. "Hikari!"
She almost dropped the coat in surprise. "J-Jun! Jeez, you scared me! When did you get here?"
He ignored her question, shoving the tin in her hands. "Here!" He looked away, suddenly embarrassed. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kari!"
Hikari looked down at the box, a smile slowly breaking through her confusion. "You got me something for Valentine's Day? Thank you, Jun!" She took of the lid of the tin, peering inside. "Fudge?"
The boy nodded, scratching his cheek sheepishly. "Yup! Made it myself!"
"Pfft. Since when do you cook?"
"Just shuddup and try it!"
The girl giggled, picking up a piece of fudge and biting into it, chewing thoughtfully. "It's…pretty good, actually." Her brows were raised in surprise, shooting the boy an astonished glance. "Wow, thanks Jun!"
He smirked, ego bursting once again. "I told you I would get you something awesome this year, right?"
Hikari couldn't help but smile back. "Right, like you said!" She stuffed a piece of fudge into his mouth before he could open it again, giggling. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jun!"
The blond mumbled a "you're welcome," past the fudge in his mouth before swallowing. He smiled back at her for a moment before the smile twisted, furrowing his brows. "Wait, don't I get something—"
She stuffed another piece of fudge into his mouth before giving him a swift kiss on the cheek, a sheepish smile now on her lips. "Well, uh, I actually forgot it was Valentine's Day! I was too busy training!"
Jun's jaw fell open, staring at the girl before grabbing the tin from her hands. "Well then, I guess these are mine now!" He ran out of the room laughing, an angry Hikari hot on his tail.
A/N: ...I actually started this last year...;;; It was after l realized that no matter how slow I stir, I cannot NOT splash food everywhere. And I figured Jun would be the same way. =w=
So...yeah. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! You should actually be able to make that fudge, BTW. *found the recipe online*