Little Valentine's bit. I've written two for Souji/Naoto now, so I was thinkin' it would either be this or Metal Gear this year. Hope you don't mind.
"This is for me?"
"You don't have to act so surprised."
Makoto waited until Akira took the small box from her hand before clasping them behind her back. She resisted the urge to bite her lip, unwilling to back down after having come this far. No, today she would stand proud in the face of the lion that sat before her, eying the cute little box in his hand and carefully toying with the ribbon wrapped around it.
...Maybe she was exaggerating a bit.
The lion was actually her nerdy, messy-haired boyfriend, and, while he was far from a wuss, he didn't exactly give off a threatening aura. But that was something Makoto appreciated. It made it easier to just sit down and relax with him after a long day. "Cute designs."
"Thanks."
...Akira was acting a bit different today. Did he not like the designs? Or maybe he actually hated Valentine's Day? What if it was both? The awkward silence was beginning to bother her, and suddenly Makoto felt even more worried that her chocolate would not be up to par in Akira's eyes. She gulped and adjusted her school bag, turning to leave with a muttered excuse of something to do with her student council duties.
"Wai- Hey! Where are you going?"
With a chuckle still in his tone, Akira quickly set the box down and took her hand, tugging it gently when she initially refused to turn around. When she did, however, she noticed that he had taken off his glasses and set them aside. "Would you mind sitting with me?"
Akira gave a crooked little smile and patted the spot on the bench next to him. Makoto took a careful look around the courtyard. People were taking notice at their little...whatever this was. She wasn't really mad at him, so one couldn't call it a lover's spat. She blushed when she thought that...perhaps it looked that way. Her sight caught onto what looked like Sakura peeking over at them from one of the ramen shops. Makoto felt a small flash of embarrassment when it looked like she was also holding a camera and grinning cheekily. "..See, that's just unfair."
Contrary to what almost sounded like a rejection, Makoto huffed and sat down right next to Akira; not on the end of the bench, or even the usual few inches of distance she kept between them. No, instead she sat right next to him. It was only Akira's expertise with keeping his emotions in check that kept him from blushing.
...Hmm. Maybe he should stop keeping her in suspense.
Akira didn't comment when Makoto rested her head on his shoulder, plucking one of the chocolates out of the box and biting into it. Makoto kept her breathing even, almost certain that she could hear his chewing until he made a happy little noise and murmured. "...It's great."
To further drive his point, Akira bit into another piece and offered the box to her, shaking it gently as encouragement. Makoto hesitated for a second before picking up one of the little card-shaped ones and eating it. The two shared the box until there was nothing left, with Akira making sure that Makoto got the last piece. He draped his arm around her shoulders and sighed softly, content and feeling rather giddy in regards to what just transpired.
Then his phone rang.
He hissed lightly in distaste and fished his phone out of his pocket, quickly skimming over the email he received from Sojiro. "...I have to go to work, sorry. Swing by the cafe when you have the time, I'll make it up to you."
Akira stood and smiled gently, tucking some of Makoto's hair behind her ear. He punctuated his goodbye with one last kiss on her forehead and headed off, waving lazily over his shoulder as he went. Makoto watched him go briefly before letting a small smile make its way onto her face, glowing warmly inside at the inherent promise in his words. She took a deep breath and grinned at nothing in particular, glancing over to the ramen shop and being reminded of one last thing she needed to do.
Five minutes later...
"Delete it!"
"No!"
"Delete it!"
"Nnnnnno!"
"Futaba-chan!"
Futaba responded to the honorific by taking the time to stick her tongue out defiantly. "Are you kidding?! This is gold! Imagine if those lovestruck girls around the school saw this! They'd be after both of you and it'd be hilarious!"
"What?!"
"Not to mention another great moment to film!"
"You are not allowed to profit off of these videos!"
"Make me!"
I cannot wait to be almost completely wrong about the characters' personalities. Really! If I am, then that means I'll have even more to work with!
