Chocolates and Confessions

By Crystal Snowflakes

Summary:

"You know it's Valentine's Day today, right?" Ai's voice was quiet as she looked right at him with her eyes wide.

Conan couldn't stop his eyes from widening comically, nor could he stop the nervous laughter from bubbling out. "Y-yeah, I know."

"Well, I just thought it was the perfect time to let you know…" she trailed off, her gaze lowering slightly as she bit her lips, a hint of pink beginning to show on her cheeks.

[Happy Valentine's Day!]


"Edogawa-kun!" an unfamiliar voice called his name, a little hesitant.

Conan placed his indoor slippers into his shoe box as he turned towards the source of the voice, his brows furrowing as he caught sight of a girl with dark hair who was looking at him with wide brown eyes. She looked familiar, but at that moment, he couldn't quite place her name or which homeroom she belonged to. "Ah?" he asked unintelligently, more flustered than he usually was.

All he wanted to do was to get out of the school as fast as possible because throughout the entire day, he'd been bombarded with…

His thoughts stuttered to a halt as his gaze caught sight of the bright red gift box in her hands, and he felt his stomach drop guiltily. She smiled at him nervously as she shifted in place, her fingers fiddling with the satin ribbon on top.

Taking a deep breath, he tried to compose himself; he didn't even know why he was so nervous. When the awkward silence stretched on for another moment—he felt like it stretched on for far too long—the girl finally spoke up. But she was so quiet—perhaps not wanting to draw attention to herself—that he could barely hear her at all. Finally, she took a small step forward, her eyes flickering down to her gift and not quite meeting his again.

"H-here," she mumbled softly, biting her lip before looking back up at him, her cheeks growing pink, "T-this is for you." Without another word, she thrust the gift into his arms, her blush darkening, and he stared perplexedly at the present in his hands. Before he could process the situation or even say anything at all, she turned around and scurried away.

And just like that, she was gone. He didn't even know her name.

This exact scenario had happened to him throughout the entire day, and instead of being ready for it, it continued to surprise him each and every time. With a few blinks, he glanced down at the box in his grasp and wondered if all the chocolates he had been given today would even fit in his backpack.

"Did you break another girl's heart, Edogawa-kun?" Conan jumped when someone suddenly appeared next to him, but he relaxed once he caught sight of the distinct shade of auburn hair.

A scowl crossed his face then, and he shot a flat glare at Ai, who looked entirely too smug about the whole thing. Ever since they had started junior high, Valentine's Day had been a nightmare for him, and he found himself having to deal with this stupidly popular holiday every single year. It didn't help that Ai continued to torment him year after year by mocking him about the amount of gifts he would receive and the amount of hearts he would break.

Was it really his fault that they continued to give him things every year—even though he had never reciprocated any gifts he had ever received?

Letting out a deep sigh, he ran his hands over his face before looking back down at the small box of chocolate in his hand. With a slight huff, he shoved the box into his backpack—one that was already filled to the brim with sweets. "No," he muttered under his breath, awkwardly pinching the zippers of his bag so he could actually zip it up.

She stood next to him still, a mischievous grin transfixed on her face. "Not yet, you mean?" she said with a teasing tilt of her lips as her gaze flickered over to his backpack. "Looks like you've got more this year."

If anything, his scowl darkened. "I'm glad you find this funny. You should be glad you don't have to deal with this stupid holiday that businesses have capitalized on—"

"As much as I agree with you," Ai interrupted, her eyebrows lifting slightly, "I wouldn't mention it in front of Ayumi-chan. She spent all evening last night making chocolate, and I'd like her to enjoy the day."

Well, she wasn't wrong. As cynical as he and Ai were, there was no reason for their cynicism to leak into Ayumi—or any of the kids'—lives. Besides, over the years, they had already made their thoughts known, so it wasn't exactly like they were completely oblivious to their disparaging thoughts about Hallmark holidays—or in this case, a feast honouring two martyrs.

Sometimes, he felt a little bad that those three had friends like them.

Conan looked over his shoulder to glance around before finally looking at her again, his expression softening slightly. "Yeah, okay," he agreed. "Where are the kids anyway?" he asked, his voice lowered, trying to avoid catching the ears of anyone nearby. It wasn't like them to not be around at the end of the day; they often hung out together for a few hours, or if they couldn't, then they still walked part way home together.

"You weren't listening to them earlier today, were you?" Ai accused as she crossed her arms over her chest, her lips pressed thin. "For someone who's supposed to be a detective, you're lousy at paying attention to those around you."

"Well, excuse me for being preoccupied," he retorted, rolling his eyes in mock annoyance. The fact that he somehow failed to avoid everyone despite his hardest didn't help; he should've just stayed home. "I've been busy dodging—"

"Your hordes of fans?" Ai supplied dryly. "The ones fawning over you all day? The ones that crowded the entire hallway? Or the ones running after you?" Her eyes were twinkling with amusement. "I hadn't noticed them at all."

Glowering at her once more, he let out an irritated huff and shook his head in disbelief. "Ha. Ha. Very funny."

She chuckled, and before he could say anything more, she moved past him and headed towards the front entrance of the school. With a curse under his breath—and a glare directed at her back—he hefted his bag over his shoulder and followed behind her.

The moment he stepped out of the school, the breeze blew through his hair. A quick look at the sky revealed clouds hanging above, casting a faint shadow against the concrete sidewalk beneath him. The air was crisp, and the sun was getting ready to begin its daily descent towards the horizon.

Ahead of him, Ai slowed her steps until he caught up and fell into step beside her. For a while, they both fell silent as a comfortable calm washed over them, and the only sound he heard came from the wind rustling past their ears and their footsteps echoing against the ground. It was always like this between them when no one else was around, and Conan rather enjoyed it.

There was something calming—comforting—about their peaceful moments like this. He liked it. It was the only time he felt that there were no expectations placed upon him to act like Edogawa Conan; it meant he could be who he wanted to be, say what he wanted to say, feel what he wanted to feel. Times like that were hard to come by nowadays, especially since it was getting harder for himself to tell apart who he really was anymore.

"Kudo-kun?"

Startled out of his reveries, he blinked slowly as he allowed his train of thoughts to derail and met the pair of blue eyes that were fixed onto him. She tilted her head slightly as she watched him, the barest hint of concern in her gaze.

"So… the kids?" he mumbled, clearing his throat awkwardly before avoiding her stare and stuffing his hands deep into his pockets.

He didn't need to look at her to know that she didn't buy his act. It was ridiculous how well she could always see right through him, even when others couldn't. She always seemed to know when his thoughts would take a darker turn—when he would get stuck somewhere within them.

Just like now.

"Genta's helping his dad at the liquor store today. Tsuburaya-kun went to cram school, and Ayumi-chan…" she trailed off, pausing as she tilted her head to slowly consider her words. Conan waited patiently, silently wondering where she was going with this. "Well, she went to look for Sasaki-kun."

"Sasaki? Sasaki from kendo club?" he asked, his brow furrowing.

"That's the one," she murmured, her smile fading slightly as a frown grew across her face.

"Why?"

Immediately, her expression turned to one of utter exasperation as she cast a sideways look at him, almost as if she was asking 'really?', like he was asking the most obvious question in the world. When he continued to look at her blankly, she sighed deeply, closing her eyes briefly before shaking her head with a wry smile on her face.

"How dense can you be?" she asked under her breath before reopening her eyes. Conan opened his mouth and shut it without saying a word. "It's Valentine's Day, genius. Why do you think she went looking for him?"

A choked sound escaped his throat as a sudden wave of realization hit him, and he stopped in his steps. Ayumi was at that age—the age when girls started talking about crushes, the age when girls started giving chocolates to boys. For a moment, he had forgotten because the only other girl he talked to—Ai—showed no interest at all in the opposite sex. (Well, except for the occasional mention of Higo. And it was completely justified, since all the boys she knew were technically a decade younger than her. That didn't mean he liked it though.)

Although Conan knew it was normal for teenage girls to want to date people, he found himself feeling slightly uneasy at the thought. She was too young and innocent for that sort of thing, and at that thought, he felt an unexpected swell of brotherly protectiveness.

"That kid better not hurt her feelings," he grumbled under his breath, unable to keep the annoyance from slipping into his voice. His lips pursed as he stared down at the asphalt beneath them, fingers clenching tightly at his side.

If he ever hurt her feelings…

"Hm," Ai mused softly, glancing over at him for a brief moment before looking away again. "I suppose this is how a parent feels when watching their child grow up too fast."

At that, the corners of his lips twisted up in amusement. She wasn't wrong. There were times it certainly felt like they were raising kids that weren't even theirs to begin with. At the same time, it definitely felt like time had moved too fast.

"Maybe," he said noncommittally as he let out a sigh, shifting uneasily from one foot to another.

"That doesn't mean I like it," Ai added with a scoff.

Feeling a shift in her mood, he nudged her lightly in the arm with his elbow. "C'mon," he said, wrapping his hand around her wrist before starting to tug her along with him. "Let's go home."

"I need to get groceries," she told him, but nonetheless followed behind his steps.

He paused momentarily, turning his head back towards her just briefly. "I'll come with you. But that's only if I get to come over for dinner."

She let out a snort, though a small smile played on her lips. "Don't you always invite yourself over for dinner anyway, Meitantei-san?"

"Oi. That's not true!"

"Is it not?"


As it turned out, it was just the two of them for dinner. By the time they had returned back to the Professor's house with their grocery bags in their hands, the Professor was running around the living room like a headless chicken as he attempted to primp himself up. He had apparently made plans with Fusae—it was just a dinner between friends, he insisted—that had somehow slipped his mind. Lucky for him, Fusae had called earlier in the day to confirm the time for dinner.

With the television—and with the Professor's panicked mutterings as he attempted to adjust his clothes and hair—in the background, Conan and Ai sat down quickly and got started on that day's homework. That didn't mean they didn't grumble about the pointlessness of it all, even if they both knew that it needed to be done.

Nonetheless, it didn't take them long to finish, and soon enough, they were settled on the couch—him watching whatever was on the television mindlessly as she relaxed next to him, a magazine in her hands.

By the time dinnertime rolled around, they settled in a wordless routine, with him washing the rice and setting the plates—the two things he could do around the kitchen without burning it down—while she whipped up a quick dinner.

It felt no different than any other day.

Conan had even forgotten it wasn't any other day until it was time to go.

As he slipped on his shoes and hoisted his bag over his shoulder, he opened the front door, ready to walk the few steps next door to go home. The sky had begun to darken into a deep navy colour that seemed almost black, with the faintest hues of pinks and purples from the sunset peeking through. The air was cool, but pleasant, and as he stepped through the doorway, he inhaled deeply before breathing out.

"Wait, Kudo-kun," her soft voice interrupted his thoughts.

He turned around, curious, her brows furrowing slightly. That was interesting. She never walked him to the door; he had become such a frequent visitor in the last few years that he had his own keys. That, and it almost sounded as if she was…nervous? "Huh?"

His gaze drifted lower—

And his heart stopped.

There, in her hands, was a red box. Shiny and glittery and with an obnoxiously big bow on the top.

"You know it's Valentine's Day today, right?" Ai's voice was quiet as she looked right at him with her eyes wide.

He couldn't stop his eyes from widening comically, nor could he stop the nervous laughter from bubbling out. "Y-yeah, I know."

"Well, I just thought it was the perfect time to let you know…" she trailed off, her gaze lowering slightly as she bit her lips, a hint of pink beginning to show on her cheeks. Know what? This wasn't good for his heart. And it wasn't like he was completely opposed to the idea of him and her—them—being together. But this was certainly not how he expected anything to happen, and was it so awkward?

What did he say? What was he supposed to do? He cleared his throat as his cheeks began to heat up.

"...I love you."

"Ehhh?!" The sound came out loud—like a strangled gasp—as he clamped a hand over his mouth.

And then as if that was the magic word she had been waiting for, the expression on her face immediately changed. A mocking grin split across her features as her eyes crinkled with mirth.

"Just kidding," she said wryly, her tone light. She held out the box and handed it over to him, and he took it gingerly, still trying to process the rollercoaster of emotions that he had just experienced—that she had just put him through. "Don't think anything of it. I showed Ayumi-chan how to make chocolate last night."

"B-but…! You!"

Ai looked amused. Way more amused than she should ever have the right to be. "You know I don't keep chocolate around the house because the Professor certainly shouldn't eat any."

Conan felt his face burn, and the corner of her lips curled upwards. It was hard to resist the temptation to reach over and smack her for that. Over the years, she had always teased him like this, but it was the first time he had gotten so close to actually believing—to feeling the slightest bit of hope—what she was saying.

"Right," he finally managed, his tone dry. HIs thumb traced along the sides of the box, almost unconsciously as he forced a grin on his face. "Of course."

A flash of uncertainty crossed her face, but he blinked, and it was gone as quickly as it had come.

"Seriously," she murmured, shooting him a small smile. "Don't read too much into it."

"Of course," he repeated. "I won't."

Ai nodded, and he took a shaky breath as he shifted his back higher on his shoulder; his fingers clenched briefly around the box. "Then, ah… I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you tomorrow, Kudo-kun." Her smile widened slightly as she closed the door behind him with a soft click.

His mind reeling, he stood there for a moment longer before his gaze fell on the box in his hands once more.

She had given him a gift on Valentine's Day.

He had exactly one month to think of a gift to give her in return.


Author's Notes: Hello! Happy Valentine's Day (or Singles Awareness Day…)! Some of you may realize that I'm setting myself up for White Day (on March 14), and while I do have something planned, I make no promises about whether I'll actually be able to write it.

I've been dealing with some health issues lately, so I may be posting less in the coming weeks/months, but know that I'll still be working on the other fic that's in-progress :)

Completed: February 13, 2022