Special Affection Chocolate:
Author Comments: This is a gift written for Lovely-Sakura-Wings in DeviantArt.
Disclaimer: I do not claim any rights to these characters or setting. Gakuen Alice belongs to Tachibana Higuchi.
Mikan paced the length of her room as she fret over what to do. When she reached the wall at the end of her path, she spun around and walked back the way that she had just come. She was now walking back towards her bed, where the present, that was the cause of her dismay, sat. It was a small square box that was white; with red, pink, and purple printed hearts, and was tied with three separate ribbons; one red, one pink, and one purple. The excess of the ribbons hung in tight, spiral curls. The sight of the package made her mind spin with panic.
A week ago, she had gone to Misaki Senpai for some advice. It wasn't something that she could talk to Hotaru about, because Hotaru would probably scold her.
"Misaki Senpai?" Mikan drew the older girl's attention. Tsubasa Senpai had just left on an errand and Mikan was finally alone, in the special abilities classroom, with her. "How do you get a guy to pay attention to you?" she asked quietly.
"Hmmm? " Misaki questioned. She looked at Mikan to find that her face was cherry red and that she pulled on her pony tails nervously. Misaki grinned mischievously at her Kohai. "What's this about? Asking such a question, are you having problems with Natsume-kun?"
Mikan jolted and quickly looked up at her Senpai with wide eyes of shock.
"Ahhh!" Misaki teased, causing Mikan to look away in embarrassment. "So, what's going on? Did you two get into another fight?" Misaki asked and moved closer. She sat in a desk beside where Mikan stood and waited for the younger girl to answer.
"It's nothing like that," Mikan said, plopping down in the seat beside her. She placed her elbows on the desk and rested her forehead in her hands. Misaki watched and waited for her to continue, now understanding that this was something serious.
"Want to talk about it?" Misaki asked after a few moments of silence.
"I just don't understand," Mikan said, turning her face to the side to look at her confidant; her head was still held up by her hands. "Natsume and I have been together for over a year, but lately he seems so distant. Do you know that we haven't kissed, once, since we officially became a couple," Mikan complained. "And lately…when we're together, it feels like he's ignoring me. He'll read his manga or sleep and hardly acknowledges my presence."
"Maybe he just has a lot on his mind," Misaki suggested.
"Yeah, but… before, I could usually get some kind of a reaction from him. Even if it was only a glare or a smirk… at least he acknowledged that I was there.
Misaki smiled at her Kohai and patted her head. "I think I have an idea."
Mikan was forced out of her flashback when she ran head-on into the wall. She shook her head to clear her thoughts and turned to pace back in the other direction. Today was Valentine's Day, and she still hadn't decided whether or not she was going to give Natsume his chocolate; which was wrapped up in the box that sat on her bed. Since it was also Sunday, she was sure that he was probably locked up in his room to hide from all of the crazed girls giving away "special mystery chocolates." In fact, most of the guys stayed locked in their rooms, today. Valentine's Day at Gakuen Alice wasn't like your normal Valentine's Day. A lot of girls liked to mix "special ingredients" into their chocolate that would have a special effect on the person who ate it.
Mikan reached the wall, and turned around to continue in the other direction. She glanced at the box again and felt a twinge of guilt in the bottom of her stomach. She quickly looked away from the package and her gaze fell on her clock. It was getting late.
After taking a quick glance at her mirror, she fussed with her clothes and then with her hair, stalling for time. She wore a skirt and sweater outfit and her hair hung loosely down her back. With a deep breath, Mikan walked to her bed and gathered up Natsume's gift. She then headed out her door, towards Natsume's room.
Mikan wasn't too surprised that the halls were empty. She walked slowly, continuing with her inward struggle. Just as she considered returning to her room, she found that she was standing in front of Natsume's door. She stared at it for a few minutes, during which time she couldn't seem to make her hand move to knock. When she was finally able to rap on the door, there wasn't any answer. "Na… Natsume?" she managed to find her voice to speak. "It's me…" she said, and knocked on the door again. This time, there came the sound of the door being unlocked. Before she could protest, she was pulled into the room and the door was closed and locked again, behind her.
"Geez, what took you so long? I've been waiting all day!" Natsume complained.
"S…sorry," Mikan stammered. Her heart fluttered at the hope that he had been actually waiting for her.
"I'm starving!" Natsume muttered. "I've been here all day, hiding from all of the crazy girls out there," he said, stabbing a thumb towards his window. "You could have brought something for me to eat."
"Oh... uhhh… s…sorry." Mikan replied, looking down. It felt, suddenly, as if there was a rock in her stomach. "Dinner is over… so the kitchen is closed."
"Then go to Central Town and buy something for me," Natsume demanded. "You do realize that if I hadn't stayed here all day, some other girl may have forced some of her special affection chocolate on me? Who do you think I stayed here for?" he added when he saw the look that she was about to give him.
Mikan blushed and smiled to herself. He said that he had stayed locked up in his room all day for her sake. Her heart fluttered again and she felt a new burst of energy. "Okay," she said, and walked around him to the door.
It wasn't until Mikan was outside and found that she had JUST missed the last bus to Central Town that she realized he had sweet talked her. As she walked towards town, she muttered to herself about how; "He stayed in his room for himself. It was his choice to go hungry, so why am I responsible for bringing him food?" Yet, despite her annoyance, she complied with his wishes.
It took her nearly half an hour to walk to Central Town. When she got there, she was embarrassed to find that there were couples everywhere. She quickly found a takeout stall and ordered ramen to go.
Against her luck, the bus back to the dorms wouldn't be leaving for another couple of hours. Mikan was now getting angry and, as she walked back to the dorm, she contemplated dumping the ramen over Natsume's head.
After another half an hour of walking, Mikan stumbled up the stairs to Natsume's room. Her anger had subsided some. She was so tired that she didn't think she could dump the ramen over his head, anyway. She planned to drop if off and go back to her room to go to bed. When she knocked on his door, though, she was surprised to find herself suddenly in his arms. Before she could protest, Natsume was kissing her. She didn't have the energy to resist and soon her head felt dizzy.
Mikan practically collapsed in his arms. This kiss wasn't like the one that they had shared before, years ago at the Christmas dance. Natsume's lips were warm and soft against her own. His tongue tasted her lips and gently probed for an invitation to explore her mouth. She parted her lips slightly, with a quiet moan, and he deepened the kiss. Her mind was about to turn into mush. Her anger had completely disappeared, and she felt her energy return in the form of desire.
Then Mikan jolted in his arms and her eyes opened wide as she remembered Natsume's Valentine's chocolate. Had he eaten it while he was waiting for her to return with his food? Could it be that the special effects chocolate, that Misaki Senpai talked her into making, was the cause of Natsume's sudden mood? The thought made Mikan sad. She had debated giving it to him all day because she realized that she didn't want him to be affectionate towards her if it wasn't his true feelings.
Natsume, having felt her change in demeanor, ended the kiss and opened his eyes to find hers staring at him with a trace of fear. He released her and took a step back, thinking that his actions may have been too bold. He watched as she scanned the room, seeming panicked. "I'm sorry," he apologized quietly and looked down to find that she was still holding the bag that must contain the food she had bought for him. "I didn't really expect you to go all the way to Central Town," he added, and looked back up at her face. She was staring towards his bed with an expression of relief. Natsume tilted his head and followed her gaze. The box that contained his Valentine's Day chocolate sat in the middle of his bed where she had left it, unopened. "I… figured that you would want me to wait until you were here, to see me open it," he said, and walked to retrieve the gift.
Panic returned to Mikan's face. Dropping the carryout bag and rushing to get to the present before he did, she was just in time to snatch it away from his grasp. "Uhhh… This… you… you can't h…have it!" she stammered and held the box tightly against her chest.
Natsume raised an eyebrow at her. "Why not?" he asked. "Isn't it for me?"
"Y…yes," Mikan answered, but didn't let her guard down. "Still… you can't have it. I'm sorry."
"Why? What's wrong with it?" Natsume asked her, taking a step closer.
Mikan took a step back and continued to cling to the box. "Ummm…," she muttered, unsure of what to say. She couldn't tell him that it had the special effect to show great affection to her, in it.
"Did you put something in the chocolate?" Natsume guessed. Mikan didn't respond and took another step back to find that she was against the wall. "Why?" he asked.
"Mi… Misaki Senpai suggested it," she admitted, looking like she was about to dash around him.
"Why?" he asked again, taking another step towards her. When she attempted to rush past him, he reached out with one arm and caught her around the waist. He effortlessly snatched the box out of her arms and released his hold to jump away from her. The whole encounter happened so fast that Mikan blinked in surprise and stared at him for a few seconds before realizing what happened. "What effect will it have if I eat this?" he asked, already beginning to break the ribbons that were tied around the box.
"No, Don't!" Mikan exclaimed and lunged at him in the attempt to get the box back.
Natsume dodged her with ease and flipped the top of the box off to reveal the double heart shaped slab of chocolate that had their initials draw onto it with white icing. "If you don't tell me, I'll eat it," he taunted. She attempted to lunge at him again, and of course he dodged her. He was now holding the chocolate as if he were about to take a bite. "You better tell me, before it's too late?
Mikan froze in place and stared at him in disbelief for a moment, wondering if he might be bluffing. Natsume opened his mouth and inserted a corner of the chocolate without biting down. "Showing affection!" Mikan yelled.
Natsume blinked, and lowered the unbitten chocolate away from his mouth. He wondered why she would mix the special effect of showing affection into his chocolate, and, better yet, why wouldn't she want him to eat it? "You don't want me to be affectionate towards you?" He asked in a voice that was mixed with hurt and confusion.
Mikan couldn't look at him. She looked down at the floor and wrung her hands nervously. "N… not if you are not sincere about it," she admitted quietly.
Natsume stared at her in wonder. This wasn't something that he had expected her to do. He wasn't one to show affection very well. He supposed that the extra help couldn't hurt. "Mikan," he called her name, to draw her attention, and also to be sure that she would be the first and only thing that he saw.
Mikan looked up at him nervously, in time to watch him take a bite out of the chocolate. Her eyes went wide with shock. Despite knowing what was in it, he was eating the chocolate anyway. He held her gaze as he stuffed the last piece of chocolate in his mouth. Mikan covered a silent gasp with her hands when his look became tender and he stepped forward to take her into his arms.