Hello I'm back with another one-shot! I hope you like it, dear readers!
.:Summary:.
Hotaru dryly complements that Ruka has butterfingers, and Mikan, being the naiveté she is, does something that made Ruka turn as red as a tomato, Natsume burn with jealousy and Hotaru…well, Hotaru.
Disclaimer: I will never ever own Gakuen Alice, only the plot of this lousy fanfiction.
.;"Butter Fingers";.
Dedicated to:
,;Soul of the Rain;.
"Class, may I have your attention for a moment?" Mr. Narumi yelled from the front of the class. "As you know, Valentine's Day is approaching…"
The mention of the upcoming festival had an amazing affect on the class. Previously lax students sit up straighter in their chairs, eyes and ears alert for every single detail. Narumi grinned contentedly.
"…And I need you to decorate the class. Now, here are the ornaments…"
….
"Nogi, pass me one of those disgusting pink hearts," Hotaru drawled, obviously bored. Nonoko and Anna, who were passing beneath the duck scooter that kept her airborne, scowled.
"They're not disgusting! They're cute!" Anna protested. "Mr. Narumi's very kind to provide us them!"
"…"
Her sapphire-eyed friend sighed. "Hotaru, you sure don't seem interested in love."
"…Nogi, just pass me the stupid thing," Hotaru said exasperatedly.
"Y-Yes Imai!" Ruka saluted her then ran off in search of the elusive box of pink hearts Hotaru abhorred.
….
Meanwhile, with our favourite couple Natsume and Mikan…
….
"Natsume, will you -"
"No."
"Hey I was trying to be polite here, Mr. I-Don't-Care!" Mikan huffed, glaring at the boy. Natsume, in turn, rolled his crimson eyes and scanned the room in boredom.
Why must he, Hyuuga Natsume of the Dangerous Ability Types, be involved with such a petty activity? He was way above this.
And besides, he wouldn't be falling in love anytime soon, not with Persona looming over him like some hawk in search of prey.
Tuning the brunette's rant out, he stuck his hands into his pockets. Students bustled about, hanging up the ornaments Narumi had so, ah, kindly provided them with. Half of those disgusting pink hearts were already up, with the rest in the arms of waiting students on the ground.
The sight of pink everywhere sickened him. Stupid Valentine's Day.
"Natsume, will you -" Mikan tried again.
"No!" he snapped. "You're so eager to carry out Narumi's order, do it yourself!"
"Hmph, fine!" she huffed, out of patience with her partner. "I will!"
Mikan took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and placed her hand on a rung of a ladder she had propped against the wall. Muttering something about insensitive jerks, she ascended the ladder with a pink heart lodged firmly between her teeth.
"Just…a little…bit…more…" she mumbled incoherently. The tips of her fingers brushed the – oh dear, pale pink wall – in search of the elusive nail she was supposed to hang the heart on.
Sweat rolled down her face continuously, which was screwed up in utmost concentration. Why, oh why, can't she reach that darn nail!
It was just…centimeters away….
"Hey, idiot."
"Mmft ifh it?" she mumbled, her words muffled by the ornament she had in her mouth.
Natsume pointed upwards, although he knew the brunette wouldn't be able to see it.
"Hey."
"What?"
"Panties. Why heart-printed ones? Are you in love with someone?" he drawled.
From her position at the top of the ladder, Mikan turned first very pale, then very, very red.
"Natsume…" Her normally sweet voice was shaking with pure fury and embarrassment.
"…"
"You PERVERT!"
Just then, Nogi Ruka came, searching high and low for some decorations Miss Imai Hotaru requested for. Not surprisingly, Mikan's piercing scream nearly made his eardrums explode.
"Yeow!" he exclaimed, shaking his head to clear it of the incessant ring in his ears. "What happened?"
"Hyuuga happened," someone grumbled.
"Natsume teased Mikan again," Kokoroyomi offered, reading Ruka's confused thought.
"Ah. Thanks Koko."
"No problem."
"Wait, Koko-" Ruka called, but Kokoroyomi was already out of hearing range. Sighing, the boy decided to turn to Natsume for help.
After being directed to one corner of the class, he walked expectantly there in the hopes of finding them. Sure enough, Mikan and Natsume were there, bickering endlessly. Scratch that, Mikan was the only one screaming at the top of her lungs. Natsume merely watched her quietly, mocking her with his nonchalant gaze.
"And now thanks to YOU, I won't be able to – oh, hi Ruka!" Mikan said brightly, all trace of her previous anger vanishing into thin air. She smiled and bowed.
"Hello Mikan," he replied pleasantly, bowing as well. "Natsume."
"What brings you here? I thought you were with Hotaru!" Mikan jabbered brightly.
"Aa. She asked me to bring her some hearts."
"I see. Well, since I'm done here, you can have ours!"
"Really? Thanks a lot Mikan, Natsume!" Ruka said gratefully, accepting the armful of hearts with a pleased grin.
"No problem. Your very helpful friend here has kindly stepped aside and left a girl in his place, anyway," Mikan said sarcastically.
Natsume shrugged. "You were the one eager to do it."
"Why you-"
"Er. I'll be going now!" Ruka interrupted, not willing to enter the fray.
"Can I go with you, Ruka?" the brunette quipped. Once again, her anger evaporated into nothing in a spilt second.
"Y-yeah, sure." She sure has mood swings…
"Natsume, you do want to come along?"
The fire alice snorted. "And why should I?"
"Just because," Mikan whined, begging him playfully. Natsume looked away.
"Uh. Natsume, I can use some help here," Ruka said, trying to balance the load of hearts in his arms.
"…Fine."
"Yay! You're so kind Natsume!" Mikan squealed.
"Shut up polka dots, I'm not doing this for you," he snapped. Her mouth zipped itself shut immediately.
"So rude…"
"Hn."
"Pass them here, Ruka."
"Thanks a lot, Natsume," Ruka said, giving half of the pink hearts to Natsume. The latter received them without a word, scowling at the awful hue.
And so the trio walked all the way to the other end of the classroom, where Hotaru was hovering restlessly in the air on her duck scooter.
"You took a very long time to get some hearts," she remarked as soon as they arrived.
"Sorry, Imai. Had to search all over the class for it," Ruka said apologetically.
"Idiot. The box of hearts is right there." She indicated the box in the middle of the floor, which was filled to the brim with everything pink.
Poor Ruka blushed, embarrassed. "Sorry."
"Just get them."
"All right!"
"He's just like her slave, isn't that right Natsume?" Mikan whispered to Natsume.
"Ruka is no one's slave," Natsume grated, glaring at her. "Understand, little girl?"
The latter gulped. I guess I forgot how scary Natsume could get…"Yes."
"H-Here, the hearts you requested Imai," Ruka stammered. Hotaru reached out to take them wordlessly, but before she could, Ruka's shaking hands had dropped the hearts.
"Sorry!" he squeaked.
"Butterfingers," Hotaru muttered, staring at Ruka with her empty violet eyes. It gave him the chills.
Butter…fingers? Mikan thought blankly. How could Ruka have developed butter fingers?
Poor Ruka was rooted to the spot with a face as red as a ripe tomato. Perspiration traced his jawbone and down his chin, indicating his nervousness at the waning of Hotaru's patience.
Suddenly something grabbed his arm, and a short moment later he felt something small and warm going up and down his fingers.
Ruka was shocked beyond words.
"Hey, Ruka, how come your fingers don't taste like butter?" Mikan asked quizzically. Her pink tongue was carefully licking Ruka's index finger like she would an ice cream, in the hopes of finding any trace of butter as mentioned by Hotaru.
Everyone in the hall froze as the temperature shot up at an amazing rate. They, too, had heard Mikan's innocent but deadly comment on the taste of Ruka's fingers. Judging by Natsume's scowl, he was not happy.
What about Ruka? His face had breached the limit of tomato-red and was now looking like an overly ripe tomato.
And Hotaru…was, well, Hotaru.
"No taste of butter at all…" Mikan mourned, giving Ruka's finger one last lick. "Hey Hotaru, why call him butter fingers if they don't taste like it?"
"…Idiot."
',',
Done! Hehehe, poor naiveté. Mikan'll wonder forever.
Please review! Explain to poor Mikan what butterfingers mean!