Chocolate
by oOTinaOo
Today M-21 was alone on his way to work – Tao and Takeo had been called down to the laboratory by Frankenstein and would come a bit later to school. If he had heard it correctly, Frankenstein wanted to talk to them about some changes in T2, but M-21 would make sure to ask his new comrades about it when they would meet up at work.
As soon as the school ground was in sight, M-21 perceived that something was off. It was early in the morning, but nonetheless there were more children than any other day at this time. Most of the girls were giggling and flashing glances at some boys, whereas the guys tried to seem unimpressed and nonchalant. It was too early in the year for harbouring a spring fever, so what changed the whole student body into a nuthouse? And what were the colourful small boxes the girls carried with them? Some boxes were decent but colourful others were flashy with ribbons and heart-shaped tags.
His question was answered a few moments later, as two girls shyly approached him. They bowed in front of him, both girls with beet-red faces.
"Please, accept this," stuttered the brunette girl and nearly tossed the small box into his hands. Out of reflex, M-21 caught the present and before he could even blink the other girl also obtruded her parcel into his other hand. Before he could ask what was going on, both girls escaped back to a group of giggling female students. What the …?
"So they got you this early in the morning with their gifts?" M-21 turned around to face the elderly groundkeeper. The other man smiled warmly and indicated to the two multicoloured boxes in M-21's hands.
"Gifts? I got," M-21 opened one of the two boxes and peeped into it "… chocolate?"
Confused, he looked to the groundkeeper and then back to the two parcels in his hands. Why the heck would some girls he never had spoken with give chocolate to him in such a fancy box?
"Ah, it's nice to be young, isn't it? I predict that you will get a lot more chocolate until the evening." The smile the groundkeeper gave him was open and almost fatherly. M-21 had no idea why, but that guy always was nice to everyone and he couldn't remember that he saw him angry or shouting. He had a calm air around him; perhaps that was why M-21 liked to have a little chat with him. But that didn't help him with his perplexity about the chocolate boxes in his hands.
"It's valentine chocolate. Girls give them on the 14th of February to males they like or who are close to them in a non-romantical way," explained the older male, as if he had seen M-21's confusion about the whole matter.
Now M-21 remembered that he saw something like exchanging valentine gifts at the laboratories in the Union. Naturally, there were no presents for M-24 or him considering that they were failed experiments and to tell the truth, he hadn't been that kind of guy you would call nice; at least not as he was an agent of the Union. Maybe today was a little different if you took the behaviour of the kids around him into account. They seemed to like him, much to M-21's surprise.
After a few more words, the groundkeeper had to go back to his work and left M-21 alone to watch over the children and the school grounds. It was the first time M-21 hated to be alone and wished hard for company of some other male, because now once again a girl approached him. Today the females of this school weren't normal – they were beasts. Like wolves hunting a prey.
After another ten minutes he had five boxes of chocolate in his hands and wished for a pouch and the prohibition of giggling school girls. As once again a dark haired girl made her way to him, he frowned. But his face brightened slightly as he recognised Yuna. One normal girl … or so he thought. She had a decent light blue box in her hands as she approached him shyly.
"Ajussi, I wanted to give you … this," stuttered Yuna and offered the box to him. Her cheeks were flushed and she couldn't look him in the eye, but her voice sounded sincere.
"Thank you," was all M-21 could say. Why was he nervous? Not in a way he couldn't bear it, but it definitely felt different than with the other girls. Perhaps it was because he knew Yuna and saw her almost every day. It felt embarrassing and in the same time kind of nice that one of the three girls remembered to give chocolate to him. Not in a romantical way, but because they spent time with each other.
'M-21 smiled softly, and then realised that was the first time he'd done so that day as he took the chocolate out of the girl's hand. Yuna blushed fiercely, made a small bow and took off towards the school entrance. M-21 shook his head of the unusual behaviour of the girl, but he still smiled slightly as he sensed Tao and Takeo approaching. Both of them had some small parcels in their hands, some colourful and with ribbons, just like M-21's.
"You got valentine presents, too? Great, isn't it?" Tao smiled down at the boxes in his hands as if he had developed a chocolate-addiction in the last few hours. Takeo arched an eyebrow but didn't comment on their comrade's outburst of joy. They got used to Tao's good-humoured personality in the last few months.
Just as M-21 wanted to ask, what Frankenstein had to tell them about the T2, Suyi joined them.
"Oppas, Ajussi, I made chocolate for all of the guys I am close with. So I made some for you, Headmaster Lee and my manager too." With those words, Suyi reached into her bag and pulled out three identical boxes. "I think the chocolate should taste at least decent, because Yuna and I made it yesterday together with Seira at my house."
The three enhanced humans thanked Suyi as she waved goodbye and hurried to class, because she was already late.
So every girl had made something for all the guys in Frankenstein's house. M-21 was, deep down in his heart, a bit disappointed. It would have been nice to once be something special and not in the 'strange experiment' way. But it felt nice that the children kept him and the other two experiments in mind. And if Seira helped Yuna and Suyi with the chocolate, it was guaranteed to be delicious.
A few minutes later, as the children were in class the schoolyard was empty, the three enhanced humans took a break. Takeo was sitting on top of the school wall, while Tao and M-21 were leaning against it. It was peaceful and Tao said that it was the perfect moment to try some of the chocolate.
"'Which one are you going to start with?" was the eager question of the computer specialist. "I'll try Suyi's first."
"I think I'll take Yuna's."
"I don't really mind," answered M-21 with a shrug of his shoulders. It didn't really matter to him and so he didn't understand the almost euphorical mood Tao was in. He randomly picked one of the boxes, which also happened to be the light blue one Yuna gave to him this morning. Or perhaps he chose it subconsciously; M-21 wasn't sure about it.
There were a few moments of silence as the three tried one piece of chocolate, only Tao groaned in delight.
"Why is your box larger than mine?" asked Takeo, disturbing the silence. His voice seemed to hide humour instead of curiosity and he held the box Yuna gave him down to M-21's eyelevel, so he could compare the two gifts.
Takeo was right. M-21's valentine box was larger, even if it wasn't that obvious. And also the chocolate seemed to be a bit better made, as if Yuna had chosen the best and most perfect pieces for his parcel, while some of Takeo's chocolates had dents and cracks. And when Tao selected Yuna's box out of his valentine gifts, M-21 could see, it was also the same size as Takeo's.
"M-21, your cheeks are flushed," snickered Tao.
Takeo jumped down from the school wall and landed next to M-21. "Is there anything you want to share with us?"
"It is definitely a mistake. Or Yuna only got two equal boxes and she gave the larger one to me, because we know each other a longer time?" M-21 tried to find a logical reason. Takeo and Tao gave him sceptical looks, but both were grinning, even Takeo.
"No, I think it's that Yuna got a crush on …"
"It's time to go back to work," M-21 interrupted Tao in midsentence and started to head over to the nearest entrance. But he couldn't deny that there was a funny, warm and unfamiliar feeling inside of him. And without a certain cause, he smiled as his view fell onto the light blue box in his hand.
I have absolutely no idea, if there is Valentines Day in Korea. So I just took the Japanese Way, because it fitted to my story idea ;)
This story is now proofread – thanks again at Dark Ice Dragon! Thank you for the mistake-hunting and the comments.