Summary: Hori and Kashima are on a mission to try to help Sakura give Nozaki Valentine's Day chocolate since her last attempt failed miserably. While working together on this seemingly futile mission they realize just why they like each other.

A/N: Here's my one-shot for the Horikashi week 2015, day 6 prompt "teamwork."

Disclaimer: I do not own Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun or any of its characters, this is a fan work.

5. Teamwork

"So last year on Valentine's Day Chiyo-chan couldn't find the time to give Nozaki-kun her chocolates," Kashima said to Hori as she sat down beside him on their morning train, "I was thinking maybe we could help her this year…I already got Mikoshiba and Seo to agree to help. So since Valentine's Day is tomorrow we're going to meet up and brainstorm."

"Hmm," Hori brought his hand to his chin, "sounds like that'll be hard considering Nozaki just runs around the entire day." He knew Chiyo wouldn't do it in a straightforward way, so of course she or Nozaki would get distracted by something. Or perhaps even both of them would and she'd only realize until later she had a chance to give him the chocolates before she was swept away by one of his crazy schemes to get ideas for his manga.

"Doing what exactly?" Kashima asked, raising an eyebrow. She knew Nozaki was weird and was often looking for "ideas," but what for she had no idea.

"It's like a hobby for him…" Hori said pulling out his phone and looking at it. He got a text from Nozaki asking him if he had brought the camera he lent him. Yea, I have it. He replied back.

"What kind of hobby is that?!" Kashima asked, wondering what exactly Nozaki did with all that knowledge he was gathering. Hori seemed to be ignoring her though because he was replying to his texts.

Yea, we can meet there. Hori replied back before looking up at Kashima. "Sorry, I got distracted…did you say something?"

"No…" Kashima sighed, shaking her head. She had decided she didn't want to actually know the answer and was grateful for the chance to back out of knowing. "Anyways, will you help?"

"Oh yea, sure," Hori replied nodding, "although to be honest, if she just texted him to meet her he'd come…"

Kashima laughed and shook her head, "Yea, but that's too simple."

"Hey, Seo." Kashima said as she sat down beside her on a bench outside. "I didn't keep you waiting long did I?"

"Hey…I don't really know, I've been watching the boys play basketball over there." She said, pointing to where a group of boys were gathered. Wakamatsu was in the center of the group. "Did you do the singing exercises I told you to do?" Seo asked before taking a bite of the rice ball she had in her hand.

"Yea, I did," Kashima replied nodding. "But we can't talk about that now. Senpai's coming." She said in a hushed voice before she waved Hori over and once he joined she quickly changed the subject by asking, "Okay now that we're all here…Seo, what's a good way to get Chiyo-chan to be able to give the guy she likes chocolates?"

"She should just go up to him and go, "Hey, yo, I got you some chocolate," and throw it at him." Seo replied grinning.

"I don't think that'll work …" Kashima said shaking her head, scratching at the side of her cheek with her thumb. She couldn't help but imagine Chiyo just throwing it at his chest and then crying when the candies spilled and someone stepped on them.

"Definitely not…" Hori shook his head, imaging Nozaki thinking she was mad and asking him how to fix it. He'd probably stop being able to write a good plot for his manga for awhile too, because he'd be too freaked out about Sakura being mad and not knowing what he did.

"Why not?" Seo said as she got up, reaching into her bag and pulling out a small box. "Watch!" She began to run across the yard, shouting out, "Waka, hey! Waka! Come here!" She said, calling over the purple-haired first year.

"Seo-senpai, what is it?" Wakamatsu asked, breaking away from the group he was walking playing and moved over.

"I got you some chocolate," Seo said, throwing the box at him and then running off laughing.

Wakamatsu fell backwards with a groan when the box hit him in the face and laid there for a moment. The box was on his chest now and he picked it up, holding it over his face. "What just happened?!"

"Let's not go with that plan," Hori said looking over at Kashima and shaking his head, "poor Wakamatsu-kun." He wondered if he should go over and see if he was hurt.

"Definitely not." Kashima agreed, wondering how that ever seemed like a good plan to Seo.

"I'm sort of glad that's now how you gave me chocolate last year." Hori mused, watching Wakamatsu spill the box of chocolate open onto his face. He couldn't help but laugh a little.

"Okay, Mikoshiba," Kashima said as she sat down next to him in an empty classroom, "your turn. Seo's plan failed…"

Hori sat down on the desk across from her and said, "And Wakamatsu-kun was just beyond confused."

"Of course it failed." Mikoshiba replied shaking his head. "That girl's a monster…poor Wakamatsu is just continuously tortured by her. It's a wonder he's still alive."

"She's not a monster, I think she's just oblivious," Kashima replied as she leaned back in her seat, "but she's nice when you get to know her. That's beside the point though…so, what's a good idea to help out Chiyo-chan?"

"Hmm…let's see…" Mikoshiba said, bringing a hand to his chin. What would the girl's do in a videogame…? I mean, we only ever see it from the point of view of getting the chocolate…so maybe they did something to know the boy's schedule. He froze when it dawned on him that there were always other girls who were vying for his affection in videogames, "She needs to stalk him until the perfect moment. And stop anyone else from giving him chocolates. There's no other way, because she definitely can't just leave it somewhere for him…and she can't have others get in her way either!" All he could think of was how the girls acted like cuckoo birds and would throw out the other girls' chocolates if they were left in waiting for the recipient or how some girls would pull pranks on the others in order to embarrass them so much they couldn't bare the idea of giving their chocolates.

"I don't think anyone else is going to give him chocolate anyways." Kashima said, remembering having seen him this morning and a group of girl's whispering about how he "didn't learn from last year and so this year they wouldn't give him chocolate or the time of day." What he had done to deserve that treatment she had no idea and honestly she wasn't sure she wanted to know the answer. But thinking about it, she was glad that no one else gave Hori chocolate on Valentine's Day last year. It made her feel special to know she was the only one. What about this year though? She wondered, glancing over at him.

"And I think the problem with that is Sakura would probably consider the stalking part and get in trouble for skipping out on classes…" Hori muttered, remembering her telling him about the candy apple she was going to save. God sometimes she's scary when it comes to Nozaki…

"Well, maybe she should just give it to him?" Mikoshiba suggested, not really sure there was any other way. "I mean, Sakura isn't the flashy type, so I can't think of any other way for her to do it."

"The problem is she can't seem to get ahold of him." Kashima replied with a sigh as she brushed her hands through her hair. "But thanks. It's okay, I'll figure out some way to help her." She looked over at Hori and said, "Did you ask Wakamatsu-kun?"

"No, but I think basketball club will be starting soon," Hori said as he stood up, "come on, we'll go see if we can catch him before it starts."

"Okay!" Kashima said getting up. "See you later, Mikoshiba-kun!" She said waving over her shoulder as she followed Hori out of the room.

"Bye…" Mikoshiba muttered, not looking up at her or even waving. He had an incoming text from MayuMayu and that was sucking up all of his attention now.

Hori and Kashima closed in on the gym, hearing maniacal laughter echoing through the hall. They both stopped at the door and shuddered as they saw what was going on inside.

"Yo Waka!" Seo shouted, throwing the ball towards his face when he looked towards her. "You're so slow! You need to react faster!"

Waka fell to the ground and just laid there. Why did I agree to play a one-on-one with her?

Hori and Kashima both glanced at each other and asked in unison, "Should we go in there?"

"Kashima-kun!" Seo called out when she saw her in the door way. "Come over! We can play girls versus guys!" She ran over and grabbed her arm, dragging her in. "I've got more ideas for Chiyo-chan, so we'll brainstorm."

Hori watched as Kashima was dragged away and ran his hand through his hair. I have a feeling none of those ideas will be useful. He thought, before walking over to Wakamatsu and bending down. "So…you dead?"

"I think so," Wakamatsu replied with a groan. "Seo-senpai is so strong."

"Maybe you should just walk around with a football helmet on from now on." Hori said, not sure how Wakamatsu put up with her. God, I'm so glad that Kashima isn't like that… He offered him a hand and helped him sit up.

"Protect your face if you play." Wakamatsu said, although he was usually the only one who's face Seo aimed for. "In case Kashima gets ideas from Seo…"

"I don't think that'll happen," Hori said chuckling, "but speaking of ideas…I have a friend who wants to give a guy chocolate, but she's having trouble thinking about how. Any ideas?"

"Hmm…" Wakamatsu crossed his arms and brought one hand up to his chin. What was that manga I read? Where the girl made the guy chocolate… "Oh! I know!" He said, throwing his arms apart and clapping his hands together. "She could make him think she doesn't like him for a week and then surprise him by giving him the chocolate!"

"…Acting like a tsundere manga character aside, Valentine's Day is tomorrow." Hori replied shaking his head. "But thanks."

"Oh right…" Wakamatsu murmured, thinking back to the candy he had dumped on his face. Do you think Seo-senpai was trying to tell me something? Like that she expects people to get her candy?! But she's not a guy! He was beginning to feel dizzy just thinking about it. Or perhaps it was because he could hear Seo's sadistic laughter coming back towards him. By the time he looked over it was too late. A ball had already been skyrocketing towards his face.

"So we never did figure out a way to help Chiyo-chan, did we?" Kashima asked as she sat down beside Hori on the train. "And now it's Valentine's Day…" She sighed.

"Nope…guess not." Hori replied as he put his phone away. He was just texting Nozaki about meeting him after school, before drama club started, so Nozaki could give him some of the pictures he wanted him to study for backgrounds. "Too bad she can't just be more straightforward and just give it to him." He said, stretching his arms over his head. "Like, Nozaki always shows up if you ask him to."

"Wait…that's it!" Kashima shouted in excitement. "Why don't you ask him to meet you at some point and I'll ask Sakura to meet me…and then we just have them show up at the time!"

Hori brought his hand to his chin and thought about it for a moment, "Yea, that'll work. I'm supposed to meet him before club starts."

"Look, there they are!" Kashima said with a grin as she leaned over the balcony, watching as Chiyo and Nozaki ended up meeting each other on the stage. Club would start in about twenty minutes, so no one else was in the room.

"Don't talk so loudly," Hori hissed in a low voice, grabbing the back of her jacket and pulling her back from the balcony, then bringing a hand over her mouth, "and don't lean over or you'll fall over the edge."

"N-nozaki-kun…" Sakura said, blushing when she saw him. "Wh-what are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to meet senpai, but I have no idea where he is." Nozaki said looking around. "What about you?" He asked as he looked back down at her.

"Kashima asked me to come here." Sakura said looking around, not seeing the blue-haired girl anywhere. Then she remembered their conversation from the other day. She had told her she bought Nozaki chocolate, but didn't know if she'd be able to catch him since she failed last year. Oh, this is what you meant by "don't worry about it, fate will find a way to make it happen this year." I understand now. She felt her cheeks heat up even more now that she realized what was going on.

"Since you're here, I have something for you, Nozaki-kun." She said, turning a darker shade of crimson as she reached into her bag and pulled out the box of chocolate. Thank you Kashima… She thought, before looking up at Nozaki. "H-here," she said, handing over the chocolate, "I-I….I'm-your-fan!" She managed in one breath, aside from the stuttering in the beginning. Then she felt her heart sink when she realized what she had said. Again!? She chided herself, wanting to crawl into a dumpster because she knew what was coming.

"Thank you," Nozaki took the box and cradled it under his arm, then swiftly pulled out autograph paper and a pen from his bag. "You'll have a whole wall of these soon," He said as he quickly signed an autograph for her. "Here you go!" He said, handing it over.

"…T-tha…thanks…" Sakura stammered, staring down at the autograph. She wanted to cry so badly right now. Why am I so stupid? She had imagined her soul had separated from her body and was now burying itself somewhere near the track. So. So. Stupid.

"Want to go look for senpai and Kashima?" Nozaki suggested as if nothing had just happened, sliding the chocolate into his bag. Then he paused, pulling it out more to stare at the box. It was very intricately decorated and made a good reference. Perhaps this was why she gave it to me? He wondered, looking back down at her.

"Yea, sure," Sakura said as she looked up at Nozaki. That's when she saw them. Oh my god…you assholes watched?! She thought when she made eye contact with Hori and Kashima, who were both leaning over the balcony above the stage and staring with blank expressions.

Nozaki was going to ask her about the chocolates, but the horrified look on her face told him he should look up. He ended up following her line of sight up to the overhead balcony and spotted the two staring down at them, then called out, "There you two are!"

"Did he just…? He just gave her an autograph…he really fucking did…" Hori gasped in disbelief and then suddenly he burst out laughing. "Oh my god." He brought his hand to his stomach. He had to lean against Kashima to support himself.

"I can't believe that just happened…" Kashima replied, laughing hysterically as well. There were tears in her eyes. Why on Earth would he give her an autograph? She wondered, thinking it was quite odd; nonetheless it was still hilarious to see something like that happen.

"Get down here! Both of you!" Sakura shouted, clenching her fists. She entirely forgot she had the autograph paper in one hand until she saw the stricken look on Nozaki's face. "Oh…oh no!" She cried trying to straighten it out. "I'm mad at them, not you Nozaki-kun!"

"I'm still not over what happened," Hori said laughing as he and Kashima got onto their train, "I can't believe he gave her an autograph…"

"I just don't understand…why did he have autograph paper? And why would he think that was what she meant?" Kashima questioned, looking over at him as they sat down, trying to quell her fit of laughter.

Oh right, you don't know about him being a mangaka. Hori thought, but he was just laughing too hard to respond because he was thinking about the look on Sakura's face. "He's just an idiot." He eventually responded. "But at least she got to give it to him this time, right?"

"Yea," Kashima chuckled. "Oh yea," she said as shifted and reached into her bag, pulling out a box of chocolate. "For you." She said smiling softly as she handed it over.

"Thank you," Hori said, returning her smile and taking the box.

"You're welcome." Kashima replied cheerfully. She was glad that she didn't have to deal with that kind of stuff with Hori. But she was also curious, "Did anyone else give you chocolate?" She felt her stomach knot up a bit hoping the answer was no.

"No," Hori replied shaking his head. The last time someone had given him chocolate other than Kashima was before he had met her. It had just suddenly stopped, not that he had minded. He didn't trust the candies from others, so he often politely had to refuse them with an excuse or he'd just give them to his younger brother.

Kashima couldn't help but smile again as relief washed over her. "Then that means I'm even more important, right?" She asked, blushing a bit.

Hori paused for a moment, realizing what she was asking. She wasn't asking about being his favorite kohai, because she would have just said that outright. And her face was slightly red. Let's not mess this up like Nozaki. He thought, reaching over and taking her hand, "Yes. It does." He watched as her smile became even more radiant and he knew he had replied with the right answer.

FIN

A/N: I am always so torn over how I'd want their relationship to actually like, start. Part of me really likes the idea that it'd be subtle like in this chapter. And at least on Hori's part having been something he was rather aware of for awhile. Another part of me is like, "I want a super dramatic like run in kiss type of situation." And another part of me is like, "I want the sad "is this goodbye?" kind of thing going on. So I went for the first one here.

Also yay everyone gets some sort of Valentine's Day stuff going on here! Even if poor Mikoshiba is really just texting Nozaki's brother. Oh I can't wait to see how that one will pan out.