Special thanks to the bag of cranberries sitting in my pantry for inspiration.

For Soma, birthdays were never really a big deal.

It may have had been a big deal during the first few years of his life, but he had been too young to remember. The first birthdays he remembered were the last ones he had spent with his mother. One of those had been the first day he was allowed to work in the kitchen. The second time was spent the same, only that he tried to challenge his dad for the first time then. It was how he spent the first birthday without his mother. And it was how he spent the following ones, each year feeling more and more like a regular day. It got to the point that he would only remember that it was a birthday because the regulars would say something and his grandfather would make him a cake.

So when Megumi worked up the courage to ask him when his birthday was during his first year of high school, he was a bit shocked to see her freak out that it had already passed. He hadn't realized that it had until he had told her because of the turbulent events that were happening at that time. But his best friend still managed to find time to make a lucky charm for him.

"If we survive this," She told him as she dropped it in his hand right before the trip to Hokkaido. "We are going to throw you a proper Polar Star birthday party next year."

They did survive it. Somehow. Months passed, and before he knew it, Soma started to get reminders to not leave the country for a little while because his friends wanted to keep the promise that was made to him almost a year ago. He decided to let them have their wish. After all, they were the ones who had helped him get this far. It was something he could do for them. They had decided to have the party on the Saturday after his birthday, which worked out well as his actual birthday was the day before.

Soma had expected Megumi to be the first person to give him a gift on that Friday, as she had been the only person last year to give him something. However, on their way to school she mentioned that she would give his gift to him on the day of the party. At that, Soma expected to get whatever gifts he would get tomorrow.

Then Takumi decided to throw him for a loop.

The blond had stopped him right after lunch. Soma had thought that he wanted to schedule another Shokugeki at first. Instead, Takumi pulled out a small bag and practically shoved it into Soma's hands while mumbling a birthday greeting.

"What is it?" Soma asked as he unwrapped the gift.

"Cranberry Almond Biscotti." The blond replied as Soma examined the almost rectangular cookies. He could immediately see the cranberries, as they stood out against the paleness of the cookies.

"They look nice." He commented. "I especially like how the cranberries stand out."

"Well, cranberries remind me of you, so of course I used them."

"What?" Soma looked up from the cookie back to Takumi. "I remind you of cranberries?"

Takumi made a strangled noise then, further confusing the redhead.

"Why do I remind you of cranberries?" Soma pushed. But Takumi looked down and shook his head.

"F-Forget I said that." He told Soma, a faint tinge of red coming to his cheeks.

"But I want to-" A warning bell interrupted him, giving Takumi a perfect excuse to leave.

"You better enjoy them!" The blond yelled over his shoulder as he disappeared down the hallway. Dumbfounded, Soma watched him turn a corner before he looked back down at the cookie in his palm. He popped it in his mouth and closed the bag. He chewed on it the rest of the way towards class, tasting not only the cranberry but the almonds and some white chocolate mixed in as well.

But his mind was only on one ingredient.

And the person who had told him about it.

Soma had eaten more than half the bag of treats that Takumi had given him by the time Saturday rolled around. It was unusual for him to eat so much sweets, as his cooking style didn't really lean into that category. But he hadn't been able to stop himself, especially since he was still thinking about yesterday. It didn't help that he had not seen or heard from Takumi since he had given him the bag, no doubt avoiding him. So Soma had been idly munching on the cookies while trying to figure out what Takumi had meant. By the time Megumi had come to find him for the party, he had gotten no closer to solving the mystery than he had been yesterday.

"Do you think Takumi will come today?" He asked her on the way over to the dining room. He had not told her the exact words that the blond had said to him, but she knew about everything else.

"I know he will." She assured him before pausing at the bottom of the steps. Soma stopped as well and watched as she pulled something out from her pocket. He recognized it as another handmade charm. "I know it's the same thing I gave you last year, but you seem to find yourself in situations that rely on your luck. So, here's some more to help."

"Thanks, Megumi. It seems like I'm going to need it tonight."

Later on, Soma found himself fiddling with the tassel of the charm in his pocket. The party had been a blast, and it was still going. Right now, most of his friends were in the middle of a card game. Takumi had been the first one out and was pouting in a corner, mostly because Isami was still laughing about how unlucky Takumi was in this game. But for Soma, it was great timing. He purposely made himself lose before he hopped up to join Takumi.

"Come with me!" He exclaimed to the pouting teen.

"Another Shokugeki?" Takumi asked, getting up. But Soma didn't reply to the question. Instead, he led him up to his room. He knew Takumi would not question it, as the mezzaluna was currently in Soma's possession. Takumi entered the room first, making a beeline towards the familiar case on his dresser. Soma followed and leaned against the closed door, watching Takumi open the case.

"You're taking care of it." He commented.

"Don't I always? I know how special it is to you."

Takumi let out a small huff of laughter before closing the case. He then looked around again and spotted the almost empty bag of cookies on his table.

"Wow. You really liked them." This time his words came out in a mumble.

"I do." Soma nodded. "But I can't really enjoy them just yet." Takumi looked at him with a puzzled expression. "I can't enjoy them fully because there is a mystery surrounding them." Soma walked over to him and grabbed his wrist. "And you're the only one who has the answer."

"Um…" Blue eyes flitted between his encased wrist and back to Soma. "And what is the mystery exactly?"

"Why do I remind you of cranberries?"

Takumi stared at him for a few but long seconds, the expression on his face mirroring the one that Soma had when he first heard of this premise. Then his face started to turn a shade of red.

"I told you to forget about it." The blond murmured, looking away. "It's nothing."

"But I can't." Soma told him. "And if it was nothing, how come you just don't tell me?"

A few more seconds of silence stretched between them. Soma, never one to stay still, started to play with Takumi's fingers.

"W-what are you doing?" The blond stuttered. His gaze came back to his hand.

"Waiting for you to answer the question." Soma replied as he gently curled Takumi's pointer finger. A long sigh escaped Takumi, causing Soma to glance him. "Is it bothering you?"

"N-no…It's just…" Takumi trailed off for a moment before picking up again. "Cranberries are weird."

Soma hummed, prompting the blond to continue.

"They are harvested differently than most berries. Instead of being just plucked from a bush, the area is flooded. If that was done to any other berry, or even most other fruit, they would sink. But cranberries float, almost effortlessly."

"That's a cool fact." Soma cut in.

"They are also one of my favorite fruits." Takumi continued on, surprising Soma with another fact. "They shouldn't be, as they are really tart. But there's also a kind of sweetness mixed in them as you chew, almost like a surprise. That combination of flavors makes cranberries hard to resist, at least to me." Takumi looked away again, his face completely scarlet. Soma took a few moments to mull over the information dump he was given.

Then everything clicked together, and the mystery was solved.

"Are you saying that I rise up to challenges instead of sinking, weird, and I'm irresistible to you?"

"You forgot to add 'despite how annoying you are.'." Takumi muttered. Soma laughed at that, causing Takumi to frown. "Yeah, yeah! Laugh it up. Add it to the growing list of embarrassing things I've done over the months." He tried to pull away, but Soma tightened his grip.

"I'm not laughing because it's embarrassing." Soma assured. "I'm laughing because I'm happy, relieved even." Taking advantaged of Takumi's surprise, he released his wrist and threaded his fingers between his. "Unlike you, I'll be direct. I like you, too, Takumi."

The blond laughed softly, squeezing Soma's hand. "I guess this means we're going out now?"

"Yup!" Soma grinned. "Come on, I think the game is over now. We should get back before Yuki kills me for missing my own birthday party. Takumi nodded and allowed Soma to pull him towards the door. It was when Soma touched the doorknob that he had a passing thought.

"I have another question that only you can answer."

"Which is?"

Soma released Takumi briefly to turn around. Then he reached out to touch the blond, this time cupping his cheek.

"Can I kiss you?"

Takumi's eyes widened and his face flushed again, but he managed to squeak out a yes. The kiss was awkward, as this was their first kiss with each other, but neither of them minded. Besides, Soma got his answer.

"Even though you said that they are one of your favorite fruits," Soma said after they parted for air. "You do not taste like cranberries."

"Excuse me?"

"I'll explain later." Soma held on to Takumi's hand again as he opened the door. "Right now, I want to show off my new birthday present."