My Sweet Little Daifuku Mochi
Author's Note: Set during Stream, after the events of the Rockman EXE movie, but prior to Beast. Pre-existing knowledge of "Doobee Doowap Communication" is not required to understand this fic, though appreciated. Enjoy the story and R&R.
Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to or of the Rockman EXE series.
Pairings: Established Netto x Tohru, one-sided Meiru x Netto, unrequited Dekao x Meiru.
Summary:
A prequel spun off a line from my fic "Doobee Doowap Communication". Traces the origins of Hikari Netto's pet name for his boyfriend.
Akihara Elementary. February 14, 20XX. Recess.
It had been several months since Hikari Netto let the cat out of the bag. Several months since they'd begun dating in secret.
Netto anxiously tapped his foot, shoulders arched at his desk in Mariko-sensei's sixth-grade classroom. He counted his tokens so far. Gifts he received from females who he was acquainted with, but nurtured no romantic attachment. Nothing serious or out of the ordinary compared to the truly schmaltzy stuff bestowed upon the more popular male students in his vicinity.
The general disinterest in his manliness didn't concern him. Contrary to the accepted narrative, he wasn't on the market, in point of fact.
Somebody whooshed by, dropping a folded, triangular scrap of paper onto his workspace.
Failing to catch the ninja's identity, he unfolded the note, and, livening at the familiar squiggly calligraphy, ferreted the memo's author demurely hiding behind the back door.
Hikawa Tohru. His boyfriend.
Apparently, there was an informant in on their relationship. An insider Tohru drafted to serve as his messenger. Sagely pragmatic. When they were alone, they could freely exchange affections, but here at school, stealth was key.
Tohru had agreed to play the role traditionally observed by girls on Valentine's Day in Japan, which meant Netto would be the beneficiary this holiday.
Agog to meet Tohru and see what he had in store, Netto sprang up. To his dismay, his classmates, Sakurai Meiru and Oyama Dekao, interposed and flurried his plans.
Dekao was bawling, chanting her name like a mantra.
Meiru, commiseratively, tried her hardest to ignore the hoo-ha, whatever the big fella's problem was.
"Dekao, what's up?"
"Don't 'what's up' me, Netto! This insult against my honour will not go unpunished!"
"I'm not doing anything!"
"It's your fault! It's because of you my Meiru-chan is –! My Meiru-chan is –!"
The Net Saviour followed each heaving accusation, waiting for Dekao to hurry up and spit out the source of his disquiet.
"Um, don't mind Dekao-kun," the redhead laughed nervously. She placed something on the table. "Here."
A pink box of chocolates. Homemade. The amorous type.
"Ehhhhh?" Netto lost motor function in his legs. Never had he experienced such enfeebling astonishment. "Meiru-chan…"
"You don't need to say anything. Just," she paused for a mandatory breath, "Happy Valentine's Day."
Florid, Meiru hightailed it from his ken, Dekao chasing after her.
In a state of blooming shock, the brunette almost bit his tongue. Oh, this is bad! This is very, very bad! What do I do? Meiru-chan likes me! How's Tohru-kun gonna take this?
Yes, Tohru. The guiltless child currently camped out in the corridor, he remembered, with his heart probably shattered into a million tiny pieces.
He quickly stashed his neighbour's boon in his bag, then booked it for the hall.
His love leaned on the verge, listlessly eyeballing the roof. Obviously saw the whole episode. How could anyone miss it? He and Meiru were smack-dab in the center of half a dozen chitchatting couples.
"Y-yo," Netto hesitated, acting casual.
"Hi," Tohru replied flatly.
"About what happened," he struggled. "I wasn't expecting that."
"It's all right. I was," the younger confirmed.
Hold up. Tohru knew Meiru had a crush on him?
There was no easy-peasy fix to this logjam. Tohru was sensitive. Should he try to explain? Reaffirm to Tohru he was the only one for him?
What a dunce he'd been! Prior to Rockman entering his life, Meiru fulfilled the duties of best friend, and they'd been through thick and thin together. They even solidified their bond chiselling their names into a heart-shaped charm on the playground near their houses.
He and Tohru didn't have a symbol of their own. He'd appealed and Tohru said yes.
Mercifully, the difficulty between the boys did not last. Before Netto could distress himself further, Tohru shrugged off Meiru's confession as if he'd already battled and come to terms with the matter, took Netto's hand, and gave it a perspicuous squeeze.
Viewing those honest brown eyes that he learned to adore expunged all Netto's doubts.
"Happy Valentine's Day, Netto-kun." Tohru enclosed his dope's fingers around the offering he brought him.
The surface was cool to the touch. Freezer cold. A twin-pack carton of Yukimi Daifuku, a glutinous rice cake dessert filled with vanilla ice cream.
"No disrespect to Meiru-chan or the history of Japan's candy industry, but honmei chocolate is cliché and overrated."
Well put. Tohru had the right idea. Distributing chocolates on the basis of favouritism and along gender divides, year after year, engendered an awfully tired convention.
Peeling the waxy plastic cover, Netto used the green pick therein to fork the rounds. He ate pleasurably, a noisy eater. The frozen delicacies were to die for, sticky layers of mochi and fluffy arctic dairy rolled into scrumptious snowballs. Sapid, and leagues better than the basic bean paste variant.
"Mrmm! Thank you, Tohru-kun! I promise to triple the return on White Day!"
Suddenly, he was much looking forward to March 14. Why only splurge on treats when he could personalize like Tohru had? For Tohru, he'd brook the five-hour transit via train, bus, and microbus to accompany him to his praised Daijibuku Onsen for a nice, relaxing dip. Matcha and wagashi. Smart Ball. An exceptional post-bath glass of milk.
Thus, deciding on the perfect White Day surprise for his boyfriend, Netto re-enacted Tohru's earlier divertissement, imparting a small yet meaningful squeeze. Ardour graced his lips once Tohru's head found his chest.
"I'm the luckiest guy in the world, Tohru-kun," he trilled. "My sweet little daifuku mochi."