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Even with RWBY music in my ears, I could still hear the constant buzzing of the girl's at the back of the class. They were all huddled in a pod like lemmings, staring intently at food magazines, looking at one specific section: the chocolate section. Yep, it was that time of year again. Valentine's Day. Tomorrow would be that painfully awkward day where all the girls give sweets to the guys they like and swear on their lives that it's just out of friendship. As for me, my Valentine's Day had been the same for three years: Hoshi picked out what kind of chocolates he wanted and I'd make them for him.

A phone was shoved into my face with a recipe for white chocolate cookies on it. Hoshi held the phone up and pointed eagerly at it. Taking off my headphones, I scrolled through the ingredients and nodded.

"I think I can make that," I said.

"Yay!" Hoshi cheered.

"And as always, you'll help me," I winked at him.

"Yes, sir!" Hoshi gave a fake salute.

The first year I gave him chocolates, he nearly choked on them from how bad they were. Since then, I told him that if he wanted quality sweets, he'd have to help me. Although, I don't think he minded. Cooking them was just as fun as eating them.

"This'll be interesting, won't it?" Hoshi nudged me.

"How so?" I asked.

"Because you'll be cooking for two people this time, not just me," Hoshi answered.

My hazel eyes widened in realization. That's right, I had Kenma to give chocolates to now. It was just so shocking because the last time I made more than one batch was when…

"Kaori-chan? Are you ok?" Hoshi waved a hand in front of me, "You didn't forget the second person, right?"

"Huh?" I snapped to, "Oh, right! Kenma!"

Hoshi gave me a devious smile and whispered, "So is it gonna be giri or honmei?"

(AN: In Japan, there are 2 kinds of Valentine's Day chocolates. Honmei are chocolates given to indicate feelings of love, and Giri are chocolate given out of friendship or obligation.)

"G-Giri, of course!" I quipped with a flustered face.

"Hahaha!" Hoshi laughed at me red face, "You know, it would be a perfect way to confess!"

"Tch," I scoffed, "Do you honestly think I'd do something so cliché? Besides, I don't think he's ready yet,"

"I guess that's true," Hoshi shrugged in agreement, "He is awfully sheepish,"

"Mhm," I nodded distantly.

Hoshi noticed as I wistfully put my headphones back on and turned back to my desk. Homeroom would be starting soon anyways. He knew something was up with me.

Time skip!

"Kaori! Kaori! Stop!" Hoshi cried.

"What?!" I asked him as I whumped a second cup of flour into the mixture.

"We're supposed to add in the flour gradually! One cup at a time!" he whined.

"But I AM doing it one cup at a time!" I sassed him.

"Do it slower!" he groaned.

"Fine…" I grumbled as I turned my back to the counter, "Mom, don't eat all the white chocolate chips!"

My mom looked up from the kitchen table, her mouth full of white chocolate and her hand stuffed with even more. That was one problem with making food at my house, my mom was bound to eat some of the ingredients.

"Oh, alright," she sighed and put the fistful of chocolate back in the bag.

I turned back to the mixer and put in the last cup of flour. After that, we finished the mixture, put it on a cookie tray (with Hoshi making sure every cookie dough ball was the exact same size), and shoved it in the oven. After that, we sat in silence at the kitchen table, waiting for them to be done. Hoshi started filing his nails while I grabbed my DS and started playing Story of Seasons.

"So, have do you know how you're going to give them to him?" he asked out of the blue.

I looked up from my game and feigned confusion.

"Wouldn't I just casually give it to him and say 'thanks for being my friend slash video game buddy?'" I shrugged.

Hoshi put his filer down and stared at me with pitiful eyes as if to say "really?"

"Well…I mean…" I strained to find the right words, "I told you I'm not confessing like that,"

"I know…but…" Hoshi mumbled, "It's just that…this is the first time in three years that you've made two batches of sweets,"

I shut my 3DS, putting it on sleep mode and looked on sadly at the oven. Normally, something like an extra batch wouldn't be such a big deal, but the last time I did that, it was for…

"Dad," I breathed.

I distinctly remembered making bitter chocolates for him every Valentine's Day. Although they tasted awful, he'd always eat them with the best grin he could pull off.

"Aw, are these for me?" my dad would ask all surprised.

"Yep! Happy Valentine's Day, Dad!" I'd give him a kiss on the head.

"Did your mother help you make these?"

"Yeah, how'd you guess?" I'd wonder.

"Well you both have similar cooking skills," he'd grimace as he finished the first cookie.

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing, Dear,"

Even as Mom and Dad went through their divorce, I still made him sweets, but by then, Hoshi was helping me. In fact, the last Valentine's Day chocolates he ever got from me were made with the help of Hoshi. At least he got to eat some decent chocolates before he left us for good. Suddenly I shook my head off all those fluffy thoughts and opened my DS again.

"I hate him," I murmured.

Hoshi reached over and stroked my hand, "Just make sure you give it to him with a little more meaning. After all, Kenma's the only person you've let in since then,"

"Okay," I whispered back.

But that only made things harder. How was I supposed to give it to him then?! Go into a long emotional story about my parents' divorce? No way would he want to hear about that! How was I supposed to give it to him with meaning, without going into an emotional backstory or making it seem like my chocolates were honmei! Hoshi wouldn't give me the answer, he said I'd have to figure that out on my own. The next day at school, I gave Hoshi his chocolates. As usual, he acted overdramatically like he totally didn't see it coming! Still, I had another parcel of cookies in my bag saved up for Kenma that I had no idea how I was going to give it to him!

"Should I wait until the weekend?" I asked Hoshi, "That's when I usually see him,"

"No!" he quickly said, "Valentine's Day is the only day to do it! Can you imagine how unromantic it would be to give it to him days after?"

"Then how do you suggest I do it?" I retorted.

"His school is nearby, right?" he suggested.

"Oh no!" I shook my head, "I'm not gonna creepily walk to his school and wait outside until I can give him my chocolates!"

Hoshi smirked at me, "How else are you gonna send it to him? Via pigeon?"

I stuck my tongue out at him. There really was no easy way to give them to him was there?

"Wait! Do not be alarmed! I am about to be a genius!" I gasped.

"You know I was just kidding about the Pidgeon…" Hoshi chuckled.

"No, I can just text him to meet me at the game store tonight!" I pointed out.

"You know, a lot of love interests have romantic rendezvous. You just have a stuffy old video game store," Hoshi sighed in disappointment.

"I think game stores are plenty romantic," I smirked.

Awkward situation: avoided!

Time Skip! And audience POV

As Nekoma's setter made the trek to after school volleyball practice with his friend by his side, he stared worriedly at his phone. Kuroo found it strange for him to be obsessing over his phone so much right then, he was usually trying to wrap up a game on his PSP or something.

"What is it, Kenma?" Kuroo asked, "You look a little worked up,"

Kenma looked up and pulled his usual vacant stare, "No I'm don't,"

"Uh-huh," Kuroo nodded suspiciously, "Does this involve Kaori by chance?"

Kenma responded by locking his phone and shoving it in his pocket, then staring out the school window as they walked.

"She wants to meet me tonight at the game store," he told him with a bored expression, "I don't know why though. She says it can't wait until the weekend,"

Kenma whipped his head back when he heard his friend snicker and stifle a laugh or two.

"Isn't it obvious?" Kuroo giggled.

"…No," Kenma replied simply.

Kuroo sighed in exasperation at his oblivious friend. Sometimes he wondered if things went over his head because he never paid attention or because he was so short.

"Don't you know what day it is?" Kuroo asked.

"Uh…" Kenma took a moment to take his phone back out and check the date, "February 14th,"

"And?" Kuroo went on.

The pudding head just stared straight back at him with a blank expression.

"Ugh, it's Valentine's Day, idiot!" Kuroo finally facepalmed.

So that's why Kuroo was eating chocolates today. They must've been from some doting girls. Kenma thought.

"She obviously wants to give you some chocolate," Kuroo spelled it out for him.

"Oh…" Kenma's face flushed up a bit but he buried it behind his phone, "B-but…I don't know that for sure,"

"Are you kidding me? It's for sure," Kuroo nodded.

During practice, some of the boys complained about how they didn't get any sweets from cute girls. Almost everyone was jealous when Kuroo pulled out four bags of chocolates he had scored that day. Just as practice ended, Kuroo spilled the beans on where Kenma was headed afterwards. That, of course, led to everyone crowding around him in envy. They all wanted to know if Kaori was going to confess to him or not! Kenma quickly fled the scene before giving a straight answer.

Kaori POV

Waiting at the game store, I couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Oh that's right, it was a bag of Puccho Fruit. I almost always had some in my Creed hoodie! But because of the cookies, I had to leave the fruity candy at home to make room in my pockets. As I stood in front of the Witcher 3 demo, I rocked nervously back and forth on my heels, wondering what I would say to him.

"Just make sure you give it to him with a little more meaning. After all, Kenma's the only person you've let in since then," Hoshi had told me.

But how was I supposed to do that without making it seem like honmei? I stared at a poster of Geralt of Rivia as I became lost in thought, completely unaware of the small setter coming up to me.

"K…Kaori?"

"Huh?" I turned around to see the guy on my mind, "Oh hey, Kenma!"

"…You wanted to see me?" he mumbled, desperately trying to carry the conversation.

"Yep," I smiled as I reached into my hoodie and held out a little shiny bag of cookies, "For Valentine's Day,"

Immediate response. Kenma's face grew a dark shade of red as his feline eyes stared in awe at the sweets held out before him. I figured I should probably smooth things over.

"You know, as a thanks for being my friend," I shrugged.

Totally NOT because I like you! Haha…ha…

"Oh! Right…" he nodded, his blush dying down a little.

Gingerly, he reached out and took the bag, its shiny paper crinkling at his touch. The way he looked at it and handled it made it seem like he was holding a precious kitten. Right, well, now was my chance to make a little more meaning out of this.

"Listen…" I began, and Kenma's amber eyes glanced sheepishly up at me.

"It's just that…urk…this is awkward," I fumbled with my words, "Um…"

Kenma just stared at me expectantly. I took in a deep breath and finally said it.

"You're the first person I've given Valentine's Day chocolates to besides Hoshi in years. Before you, I was only friends with him and only had him to give chocolates to. But now, I have one more friend to cherish every February. Please continue to be my friend,"

Bow. Yeah, I bowed. Call it cliché if you want, but after that heartfelt outpour, I couldn't think of anything better to do. There was no response from my friend, so I looked up to see his eyes wide and mouth slacked open.

Shit. I think I made that too heartfelt! I think I made him go into shock!

His gaze shifted back to the sweets before he gave me a quick bow too.

"And…uh…thank you," he mumbled anxiously, "You're…you're actually the first girl to give me Valentine's Day chocolates…"

Now my eyes widened and my jaw slacked.

"Really?" I gaped, "I would have thought otherwise,"

He just shook his head and muttered, "I'm not handsome like Kuroo,"

You have no idea.

I gave him a sweet smile before giving him a soft punch on the shoulder, "Don't write yourself off,"

He stared at the spot where I nudged him, his face starting to fluster again. As for me, it was getting late, and I needed to recover from this overly adorable moment! I headed past him towards the exit and gave him a wave.

"We're still on for this Saturday at 1, right?" I called back to him.

Giving me a nod, I noticed that tiny smile grace his lips again. That rare smile that made me feel so accomplished when I got it out of him.

I hope you're happy, Hoshi, because I sure am.

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