Disclaimer: I do not own Eyeshield 21.
Author's Note: Well, if I did a Valentine's Day one, I have to do a White Day one, right? For those who don't know, traditionally on Valentine's Day its the girls treating the guys-on White Day (mid-March), it's the guys' turn to treat the girls back. Google it for more info :)
Short Pass: White Day
Sweets to the sweet.
"Agh...Mukyaaa..."
Sena looked at his friend. "Monta, what's wrong?"
The receiver gave him an agonized look. "I don't know what to get Mamori-neesan for White Day!"
"White-" The color abruptly drained from Sena's face.
Monta stared. "Don't tell me-you forgot?"
"Oh no...It's tomorrow, isn't it? Oh no...I need to get something for Mamori-neechan and," he gulped, "S-Suzuna... What am I going to do?"
"What are you going to do? What am I going to do? I need to come up with the perfect gift for Mamori-nee so that she will...Mukyaa..." Monta got that dreamy, blushy look on his face that he always did when he was fantasizing about his crush. It always squicked Sena a little out, since Mamori was like his big sister.
"Hey, practice doesn't start until a little later today since we have to wait for the other World Cup players to arrive from their schools. Why don't we run to the store really quick after class to go White Day shopping?" suggested Sena.
"Great idea! We can..."
Their voices faded away as they passed down the hall, and didn't notice a certain spiky haired blond frozen at his computer.
Shit.
If Hiruma Yoichi had thought that Valentine's Day was stupid, he had never even given a thought to White Day. Why would he? He had never gotten any Valentine's, so never had been under any obligation to do anything on White Day. But this year...
Warm lips against his cheek. "Happy Valentine's Day, Hiruma."
"Goddamn it."
"Hiruma?" Kurita gave his friend a questioning look, pausing in the middle of his second breakfast. "Is there something wrong?"
Hiruma didn't answer, lost in thought. Kurita was about to ask him again when the blond blew and popped three bubbles in rapid-fire succession before typing madly on his computer.
But while the quarterback could come up with 17 different plays on the spot during a football game, for some reason the appropriate White Day gift eluded him.
Flowers would be too...obvious. So would jewelry. Stuffed animals seemed so banal. Clothing would just be creepy. And a gun, while he had plenty of spares, didn't seem right.
Eventually, late that night, he came up with the idea to give her a creampuff. True, he'd already given her one for her birthday, but it was something he at least knew she would like. The problem was, this late at night the Kariya bakery was closed. And while he had blackmail material on the owners like he did everyone else in the country, he didn't have their home address to go wake them up.
But he lived in a fucking hotel, right? They had a kitchen, with all the ingredients and shit. And how hard could making a creampuff be? Baking was just an edible form of chemistry, right? Couldn't be any harder than making a bomb, and he had certainly done enough of those...
Mamori had a pretty good White Day. She received little gifts from everyone she had given chocolate to-the gift of a banana shaped hair clip from Monta was particularly notable, as it took him a good five minutes to get the words out before turning as red as the Devil Bats' uniforms and running off to class.
So yes, it was a good White Day. So why did she feel so disappointed? It was ridiculous to feel let down because a certain spiky-haired blond didn't give her anything. After all, she hadn't technically given him anything on Valentine's Day because Cerberus had eaten it. Well, except for...but did the kiss really count? It was only a little peck on the cheek and the next day he hadn't acted like anything had happened.
But she did feel something a little hollow in her chest, especially after she witnessed the sweet way Sena nervously gave Suzuna a little necklace with an American Football charm on it.
She sighed. She was being silly.
"What are you sighing about? You got enough gifts to fill out a fucking store."
"What?" She spun around to see Hiruma grinning at her. "I wasn't sighing!"
He popped at bubble at her. "Sure you weren't. What, you're so greedy you want even more?"
"That's not it at all! I was just-"
"Here."
"Eh?" Hiruma tossed something at her, and Mamori had to drop her broom to catch the little box. "What is this?"
"What does it look like?"
Mamori looked down at the little silver box with the white bow. She opened it.
It was a creampuff. At least, she thought it was a creampuff. She could smell the sugar and butter, and she could see where some of the cream had smeared a little against the side of the box. But it kind of looked a little...misshapen...
Don't tell me... She stared at him. Mamori had noticed that Hiruma looked a little tired that morning, but she had assumed that he'd stayed up all night running through the game videos again. Had he been doing something else...? She took the little fork inside the box and sectioned out a small chunk to eat.
And, well, it was clearly not a Kariya creampuff. The taste was...unique. But he was looking at her, with this uncharacteristically nervous expression in his eyes, and the longer she chewed the more fixed his grin became.
She swallowed and smiled at him. "Thank you, Hiruma. It's quite good."
She was rewarded as relief flooded into his eyes and he laughed. "Kekeke! Don't eat it all at once, fucking manager."
"I won't! I'll savor every bite," she told him as he brushed past her to head out the clubhouse door.
"Keke! Whatever." She thought his cheeks might have been a little flushed, but he turned away from her to pick up his M-16. Maybe it was the light.
After he left, Mamori looked down at the creampuff again and felt the hollow in her chest fill up. Her comment about the taste may not have been completely honest, but she had been telling the truth about savoring every bite. It may not be from Kariya, but a Hiruma creampuff was far rarer and much more special.
She beamed to herself. Mamori had a very good White Day.