A/N: Thank you everyone for the lovely reviews. I didn't expect to get so many people watching this story and commenting on it. Thanks so much. This story is a little belated for the holiday, but I hope still enjoyable. I made it a little longer, since it's only one story as opposed to five (this way I can divide the rest of the prompts evenly). I feel strangely dissatisfied with this, so I would appreciate any constructive criticism. Thanks for reading!

Title: Dear Cacao

Characters/Pairing: Tsuzuki/Hisoka, Saya, Yuma

Prompt: Confession (Writer's Choice)

It was the day before Valentine's Day and Hisoka was troubled. He had never experienced the ins and outs of a Japanese company back when he was alive, so he had never learned the proper protocol when it came to obligation, in this case, chocolate. Was he supposed to give chocolate to Konoe-kachou or everyone in the office? Was he supposed to even give anyone chocolate? The last thing he wanted to do was make a rookie faux pas and be the embarrassment of the office for the day. As such, he had been forced to look for advice from his co-workers, hoping the answer would be that no one celebrated Valentine's Day in the office.

Unfortunately, the first people to broach the subject were Saya and Yuma.

"Hisoka-kun," Yuma lilted the moment Tsuzuki had left the office on a pastry run. "Are you all set in your plans for tomorrow?"

"What?" Hisoka asked with a frown.

"Valentine's Day, Hisoka-san. The loveliest day of the year! Surely you haven't forgotten?" said Saya, gravely concerned.

"So what?" Hisoka covered any curiosity he felt with typical grumpiness. He didn't want those two especially to know he had no experience in these sorts of matters.

"What? Hisoka-kun, you're not doing anything on Valentine's Day?!" Yuma exclaimed, pushing her face close to his.

"Why should I?" he responded curtly, blushing at her invasion of his personal space.

"Well, it's just... this is your first year..." Saya pointed out, touching her hand to her cheek.

"How does that matter?"

"It matters a ton!" Yuma held her finger in front of Hisoka's face. "You have to give thanks to your partner for putting up with you this year! And by thanks we mean cho-co-late!"

"That's stupid."

"But it's Juuou-chou tradition," Saya said, looking crestfallen.

"That's right! Everyone will think you don't care that Tsuzuki helped you out when you were learning the basics!"

As much as he hated to admit it, the last thing he wanted to do was look ungrateful towards Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki had literally saved his life dozens of times in the short time they'd known each other, and he had to at least give him thanks for that. And then that last big case… Hisoka had been thinking a lot about what had happened on board the Queen Camellia, and he really owed it to Tsuzuki for helping him get back to work afterwards.

Eventually Saya and Yuma's prodding paid off and they convinced Hisoka to purchase some chocolates, assuring him that he'd only have to do it this one year. Hisoka was inwardly relieved that he didn't have to bother with figuring out office politics on his own, even if the help did come from an unwelcome source. As long as they didn't figure out Hisoka had been worrying about it, he didn't care.

But, as can be expected in the aftermath of a conversation with Saya and Yuma, the subject of Valentine's Day chocolate had been exhausted for Hisoka, and he couldn't bring himself to ask anyone else about it.

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That night Hisoka tidily laid out some red ribbon and simple, white wrapping paper, having worried that the clerk would have asked embarrassing questions had he gotten the chocolate wrapped in the store. Next to the paper on the table was the black box filled with chocolate for Tsuzuki.

Hisoka stared hard at the innocent box of truffles. Was it too big? Tsuzuki was the most senior employee of Juuou-chou (excluding Konoe-kachou), after all. Didn't that give him a right to a lot of chocolate? Obligation chocolate, Hisoka reminded himself. Nothing more than that.

It didn't matter that Tsuzuki had a sweet tooth, and a penchant for raspberry truffles. It didn't matter that said truffles cost seven hundred yen more than Hisoka was willing to spend. It didn't matter that the image of Tsuzuki opening the chocolates and savoring each one had been on loop in Hisoka's mind all day.

It was just obligation.

Tsuzuki had helped him out so much already that year. Nagasaki, the cursed violin, the Queen Camellia, and countless other cases… it seemed that all Tsuzuki was doing was saving Hisoka.

"Because you're my partner."

He was obliged to do it, Hisoka told himself, shaking off the blush that was creeping up his face.

Before he could have the chance to think about it too much, Hisoka distracted himself by wrapping the truffles. So the question now was, how would he give it to Tsuzuki? Leave it on his desk? Hand it to him in person?

Ugh. Any way he looked at it, he felt like a teenage girl about to confess her love to her upperclassman.

Hisoka spent a sleepless night worrying over the fate of the little box.

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Hisoka came into work the next day clutching the box of chocolates tightly. He was going to do it. It wasn't not like he was going to be romantic about it or anything. Just give it to Tsuzuki and get it over with.

As soon as Tsuzuki stumbled into the office (an hour and fourteen minutes late by Tatsumi's clock) and plopped himself down at his desk, Hisoka shoved the present wordlessly in his face. Tsuzuki blinked, taken aback, and broke into a grin.

"For me? Thank you, Hisoka! Can I open it?" he asked, halfway through taking the ribbon off. Hisoka nodded sharply. "Ooooh, wow, chocolate! And not just any chocolate, truffles! Thank you!"

Tsuzuki breathed deeply and poked around the box until he selected a truffle that suited his fancy. He took a bite, paused to taste, and melted into his chair with a sigh of ecstasy that made Hisoka's face light up.

"What's the occasion?" Tsuzuki asked, once he had licked the remainder of the chocolate from his fingers.

Hisoka flushed. "It… it's Valentine's Day…" he mumbled, not wanting to have to explain himself.

"Hmmm?" Tsuzuki peered at him with mischief in his eyes. "Hisoka, I'm touched. I didn't know you felt that way about me."

"What about you- no! What are you talking about?!"

"Well, it's Valentine's Day. You know… The day of love and romance."

"B-But… you're my… my partner…"

"Which is what makes it so cute! Who would have guessed our little Hisoka has a crush on his dashing, manly partner! Well, I guess it's not that surprising…" Tsuzuki preened.

Hisoka stared at him, his mouth agape. "But… but… the obligation chocolate…"

"What do you mean? We've never celebrated Valentine's Day in the office."

"…"

"But what'll become of our partnership, now that I know of your secret love?"

"…"

"Hisoka?"

"SAYA! YUMA! I'M GOING TO KILL YOU!"

Tsuzuki giggled at his scarlet-faced partner.

"Thank you for the chocolate, Hisoka," he cooed and leaned down to kiss Hisoka's cheek.

Hisoka remained incoherent for the rest of the day.