DRABBLES INCLUDED:

AFRAID

GRADUATION

MIDNIGHT

Shout outs: Thank you A Cinnamon Roll Writer (Author of SnS stories "My Dearly Beloved", "Status: It's kinda complicated", "Cherry Hunt: Aschente!") for always being a great help and giving a shout out to this story in their own works!

Thank you to Madeline Axelle (Author of TakuxMegu story "Symphonies of Dawn") who wrote the fic that sent me down the rabbit hole with this couple in the first place. I am literally over the moon she has favorited this story.

AFRAID

The day he finally came to the realization, Takumi was afraid. He was more terrified than he ever thought would be possible over something like this.

What fueled his fear now was the image he saw of Yukihira and Tadokoro-san together, just on the other side of Marui-san's room during another status quo Polar Star party.

Tadokoro Megumi, in all her delicate grace, sat next to the redhead and beamed as he thrilled her with some ridiculously animated tale. She always appeared the most content when standing next to Yukihira Soma, as if that was how nature intended her to exist. Her golden eyes shone as she stared, and they radiated a light greater than the sun upon his rival.

From the day Takumi had first acknowledged her, that particular look had been frequently present on the bluenette's face. Always directed at Yukihira. Only for Yukihira.

The red-headed idiot in question, however, laughed and chatted heartily as he always did. Lost in his own world. His eyes remained closed.

What had always motivated Takumi to challenge Yukihira in the first place was their blatant similarity, ambition and skill level. They were always placed neck and neck in the imaginary race running within the Italian boy's mind, and it infuriated him enough to try to keep pace.

This time, with the new awareness of the gravitational pull that hurled him around the girl with the sunshine smile, Takumi knew he was now miles ahead of Yukihira.

Wasn't it cruel, that for once, that fact didn't even matter?

The only thing saving him at the moment was Yukihira's blind oblivion to the blessing right in front of him. Always just within his reach.

Takumi was afraid of the day, should it ever come, that Yukihira Soma actually decided to open his eyes.

GRADUATION

They hadn't seen each other since graduation.

They were both still relatively young, but it hadn't taken much for the Totsuki 92nd Jewel Generation to quickly gain connections and funding opportunities in the culinary world.

In five years, Megumi Tadokoro was currently hired as the primary hospitality consultant for the operations of the Totsuki Resort. She innovated ways to improve the guest facilities of the resort, and her insight had been so successful the Board of Directors had started implementing them in their various chains.

Simultaneously, Megumi was completing a Bachelor's degree in Business, sponsored by the corporation. The goal was to groom her to eventually oversee her own international chain of trendy pod hotels/cafes as an addition to the Totsuki group. Megumi always had the knack for making people feel at home wherever they were. She had traveled enough to know the need for affordable, yet friendly, places to stay when in a foreign city. The concept of capsule hotels, something originated in Japan's hospitality industry, applied perfectly and could be turned into a destination experience by using unique design concepts. Megumi's life philosophies would be put into these cozy inns that were geared to attract the adventurous millennial traveler. Development for the first test location to open in Tokyo was her graduating project, an aquarium-themed capsule hotel inspired by her love for the sea and her home, and Totsuki was eager to fund as this hotel trend was growing internationally.

Takumi Aldini had easily helped to forge the path for his family restaurant to become a staple of Italian cuisine at its finest within Florence. He and his twin were currently working on expanding the family brand into more international locations. Surprisingly, the great Mizuhara Fuyumi had become one of his greatest partners in the project, even though he had turned her down to focus on his family's original restaurant countless times.

His natural good looks had marked him for another destiny in the meantime, as he was being streamed into thousands of living rooms with the release of his own Netflix cooking series. It focused on Takumi visiting locally owned restaurants around the world, giving publicity to their specialties and finding ways to improve them from the inside. His heart had always been soft for the narrative of family businesses striving for success, so most of the places he selected carried that story. His fan club was no longer restricted by the geography of the Totsuki school grounds, and he boasted an impressive online following on Twitter and Instagram.

Yes, both of the former Elite Ten members were doing quite well for themselves, so the fear of success wasn't the cause of the awkward tension as they stood in the hallway of the Totsuki Resort lobby.

"Tadokoro-san..." the handsome young blonde breathed in surprise, the name seeming ancient on his tongue as he took off a designer pair of Versace sunglasses to view her.

"Come on, Takumi-kun," The bluenette responded, gifting him with her radiant smile that brimmed with more confidence than Takumi had ever seen from her in high school. "We don't need to go back to that. You promised you would call me "Megumi," remember?"

Oh yes, he most certainly remembered. Even after all these years, they both did.

"Old habits I suppose," Takumi said, shrugging while giving her a charming smile. "All right then, Megumi-san. Forgive me, but you look beautiful. Though that remains a constant, no matter how much time passes."

A familiar blush grazed her cheeks, and for just a moment, the Aldini soared.

"I should have figured something like that would come from you," Megumi said, adding her own light laugh that was almost as charming as the young celebrity before her. "But thank you, Takumi-kun. You look great too. Though, would Kawashima-san appreciate you flirting so shamelessly?"

"Oh, um," Takumi cringed awkwardly at the mention of his ex-girlfriend, Urara Kawashima. "We've actually been separated since before the new season started streaming. I'm surprised you didn't know. It trended on social media for at least a full day."

Megumi's face was suddenly struck with an anxious look over joking about something potentially sensitive.

"Oh! I-I'm sorry Takumi-kun," Megumi stuttered out, and Takumi couldn't help but smile at the girl's own habits not entirely fading. "I've been so busy with classes, the location designs and with my work with Totsuki, I barely check my social media anymore. I only keep up with my Instagram account. I'm really sorry!"

Takumi smiled and sighed, waving off her concern with an expressive hand motion.

"Don't worry about it," he said. "To be honest, it was probably for the best. Urara-san and I had...our differences. I'm sure she's doing much better right now, and I have the show to focus on, so it's not something I can let bother me much."

"Better" was an understatement, or at least something Takumi could only hope would apply to his ex in time.

In truth, Urara had been set up to be his co-star for the show in the beginning. Yua Sasaki, Urara's best friend and former Totsuki Emcee, had found herself thriving behind the scenes of television production instead of facing the stage fright she had in high school. Takumi and Urara had started dating beforehand, but when he appeared on her popular foodie vlog a handful of times, the reaction was incredible and her fans were begging to see more of him. Yua pulled some strings and got him an audience with the producers for the developing show that had already cast Urara from the idol agency she had been with. They didn't need much convincing of his natural talent. Urara and him had great chemistry, he was working professionally in the show's genre, Yua was excellent at production and editing, and they even pulled Mimasaka Subaru into the project to do consulting on how to help tweak the specials of each restaurant they visited.

It was all going great...until Urara had snapped and quit production in the middle of the first season. It was allegedly due to how much more attention Takumi was getting online and in person after the pilot aired.

"F*** this! This was my project! These are my loyal fans! You think you can just bat your damn blue eyes and seduce everyone over the web I've spent years dominating? No way in hell! No one is worshipped more than Urara Kawashima! Urara-chan is their idol! Urara-chan is the definition of idol! Urara-chan is their god! You were nothing without me, so you all better get used to going back to that! We're over Takumi! Urara-chan, f******* signing off!"

These were the last words Urara had shrieked before storming off the set of their Kyoto episode. After spending three weeks cataloging herself partying to death on all of her social media channels, it was reported that she had finally checked into an upscale rehabilitation resort. Her agency had forced her, after she had been arrested for starting several fist fights in a karaoke bar when she had refused to give up the microphone.

Hopefully, some time, detoxing and a few therapy sessions would help.

"What about you, Megumi-san?" Takumi asked smoothly, dying to change the subject. "Any recent changes in your own life?"

Takumi was curious to know if she had been seeing someone. She was usually so private and conservative about that sort of thing, there was no way he would have been able to know without hearing from her directly. Still, he was afraid to push.

Megumi bit her lip nervously. She, indeed, had begun picking up a very out of character habit in her life, but it was definitely not one she could let Takumi know about. Not when she had been uncertain herself as things unfolded.

"Nothing more than usual," Megumi finally gave him, adding another warm smile. "This will be different for me though, finally being invited back to mentor with everyone."

The thought of her own previous experiences at the resort made her shake her head. Thoughtfully, she toyed with one of the loose strands of navy locks that fell past her shoulder blades.

"I'm sure it was overdue for many of us," Takumi commented, eyeing the way her hair waved maturely in the style she chose for it now. "We've all achieved much since we were freshmen. It's odd to think how full circle things have come, especially in the place we first met."

In the ghost of his memory, a young girl with blue braids had stood in that very lobby years ago, ready to keel over from the pressure. Not that he had noticed her enough at the time. He'd been too consumed with destroying the redhead she usually followed, uncaring about the fact that she could have been removed the academy before she had even been a thought in his mind.

"And here we meet again," Megumi said, looking through Takumi in that way no one else could, looking for all of his truth and intentions. "I guess you can't escape some things, no matter how far you get from them."

Their eyes met together intensely for a short moment, aquamarine and gold burning each other as they relived the past.

It had been almost five years since they had come face to face again. Five years since they left each other in tears at their third-year graduation.

When Megumi had decided that she needed to put herself first, for once in her life, and not let an opportunity slip by.

When Takumi's pride had ruled him as she did the one thing he had always begged her to never push him to.

Their stares broke at the sound of a cell phone ringing a cheerful pop tune and vibrating enthusiastically.

"Oh!" Megumi realized, taking out her phone and looking at the caller ID. "I'm sorry, Takumi-kun. That's Dojima-senpai. He might be looking for me to go over some final details before the buses arrive. I should probably hurry and check in." She grabbed the handle of her floral patterned luggage and quickly turned, stopping only to bow daintily to the Aldini. "It's good to see you again. Good luck this week."

"Yeah, you too, Megumi-san," Takumi said, waving with one hand as the bluenette scurried off with a purpose in her life.

If Megumi was being honest with herself, she was all too grateful to be distracted from their reunion and immersed back into the world of hospitality she had chosen for herself.

Takumi could pick up on that desperation and ran a hand through his hair, replacing the designer sunglasses that had lazily kept his identity hidden from any fans that might recognize him.

It was going to be a painfully long week at the Totsuki Friendship and Rapport Training Camp for both of them.

MIDNIGHT

This wasn't the first time they had kissed.

Megumi had Yuki's antics at the Polar Star Second Year kick-off party to thank for that. There was also the time after, when he had properly confessed to her in a show of romantic grandeur she was too shocked to refuse. The way he kissed her had been only how romance movies and anime feature as possible, ambushing her with more emotion than she had been ready to accept. Emotion that he said he couldn't fight any longer.

He was such a gentleman. He had given her space, given her time...he would have given her the world somehow if she had the audacity to ask for it.

Under the pressure, she had pushed everything into the background in order to focus on a list of Shokugeki that had threatened the newly acquired seat she had fought for on the Elite Ten Council. People identified her as the weakest link, and she had worked herself into exhaustion accepting challenges in order to show them how wrong they were.

She was up late, preparing for a match in one of the on-campus kitchens she had access to with her new position. She had needed some air after a particular challenge was racking her brain. It was almost midnight now, and a walk through the dark, vast campus led her to sit at her favorite fountain at its center.

"I thought I'd find you here, Tadokoro-san."

After a few quiet minutes, Megumi gazed up to the ethereal view of Aldini Takumi standing in front of her. His golden hair was lit by the moonlight as he looked at her.

"T-Takumi-kun? W-What are you-"

"Would I be allowed to join you?"

Megumi was startled at his question and had only nodded as Takumi rested next to her, revealing a large thermos he carried in his hand.

"Takumi-kun, why are you here so late?" Megumi inquired, nervously fidgeting with her hands in her lap.

The Aldini looked down sheepishly and handed her the thermos.

"Would it be odd to say it was to bring you some tea?" Takumi said, giving her that genuine smile. "I know that's usually your gesture, but I'm sure you'd appreciate it too every once in awhile. Especially when you've been overworking yourself lately to almost Yukihira levels."

"Thank you," She said softly, deciding to drink some immediately. As she unscrewed the thermos and took a sip, the aroma and warming sense swept her away. The taste, the blend...it was so familiar...

"I hope you like it," Takumi said, leaning forward casually. "I'm better at making espresso, but I know this is probably closer to your taste. This is also my favorite kind, since you brought it over to Isami and me forever ago."

Megumi could barely speak. She didn't think that the tea blends she had given the brother's back then had even made an impact.

"Takumi-kun...you-you didn't have to," she tried to fight out. "Your seat is higher than mine, you should be getting your own rest. You shouldn't..."

'You shouldn't bother with me...'

That's what she wanted to say.

Takumi had always shone her such consistent consideration, even before he had confessed. All that energy, no matter how close of friends they were, should be spent somewhere else. On some other girl that could return it immediately and rightfully deserved it.

How, even now, when she had kept him on a knife's edge without a word for weeks, could he still show her so much care?

She could feel a tightness in her chest. A familiar panic started to creep up as her hands shook, despite how tightly she clasped them around his warm offering.

"Hey, hey," Takumi said softly, turning to her with that melting concern in his blue eyes as he noticed her inner distress. "Tadokoro-san, it's okay. I was up working in the council room too if that helps. You know how those upper seats throw us with all the trivial paperwork."

His excuses to soften the impact of the gesture still didn't calm Megumi down, and she heard him sigh lowly. He ran a hand through his hair and angled himself more toward her, now closer than before.

Takumi reached out carefully toward the thermos that she gripped. She thought he was going to take it back, but he slowly wrapped his hands around her own, warming her trembling fingers even more.

His movements were soft, as if approaching a skittish animal, and he continued to look to her for any sign of resistance. Megumi couldn't move an inch, she could only stare and allow him to hold her in his presence.

"Ti voglio bene, Megumi," Takumi said, his voice sincere like a dream as he spoke in his first language.

Megumi melted as Takumi said her first name, a privilege he didn't often allow himself out of respect. He had started to call her that recently, every so often when they were together. However, during this awkward period after his confession, he had stopped completely.

She hadn't even realized she had missed it so much.

"Takumi-kun-" Megumi breathed out, her mind and heart racing at the possible meaning of the foreign words. "W-what-what-did-you-"

"What it means, Tadokoro-san," Takumi answered with a sad smile, trying to quell her fears. "Is that I don't want you to worry. 'Ti voglio bene' is what you say to someone that you wish nothing but happiness and wellness for. You care so much, Tadokoro-san, for everyone else. In return, I hope you know I will always want what is best for you. No matter what choice you make as an Elite Council Member, about your future beyond Totsuki, about the people in your life...even including me...Please know that is a sentiment that will never change."

Megumi's entire body shook. She swore she was close to tears, though she wasn't sure if they were despair or relief. She couldn't identify any of her emotions, just that she felt a flood coming on that she had been trying to hold back for her own sanity for weeks.

Why? Why did he keep coming back? How did she deserve it...any of it?

She wasn't sure of much, but for some reason, at hearing his words, Megumi decided to act on impulse and prayed that the aftermath wouldn't implode the both of them.

Her grip on the thermos disappeared as it crashed to the floor and spilled the rest of Takumi's gift onto the concrete by the fountain. The Aldini clasped her hands tighter and raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"Tadoko-" Takumi tried to question, but Megumi cut him off as she leaned forward and closed her eyes.

This wasn't the first time they had kissed.

But here, at midnight, as she held onto his hands like a lifeline...

As she gave in to the siren call of the moonbeams that decorated his perfect face and lit up the running water of her sanctuary...

As she let his words fill her mind, praying they would always be true, and letting them drown out all conflicting doubt she had...

Megumi decided this would be the time, that she would kiss him first.

A/N-

Hello there! Geez, wasn't I the person that said these drabbles were going to be shorter snippets? My goal is to get to all of the suggestions I've gotten so far in time. I just kind of write as they come to me. I hope you all like these! They jump around a bit in time, but I think these are going to connect more than I originally intended them.

Think of this story as a jigsaw puzzle, putting random pieces of the big picture together one at a time until you can see all of it. ;)

Thanks to A Cinnamon Roll Writer and my anonymous guest again for the prompts. Keep them coming!

Please leave reviews! I'm hungry for feedback and they are the primary way I know his story is getting some traffic. Tell me a suggestion of what you think Megumi's hotel should be called, or Takumi's Netflix series. I'll probably end up using the best ones. ;)

Till We Dream Again,

-Tasia