Title: XOXO- His Valentine
Summary: Tohru had prepared something for Yuki for Valentines Day in hopes of telling him a little secret of hers, but the revelation that the Prince has a crush sparks her interest and leaves her fumbling for words each time she looks at him. Will he get the Valentine he desires?
Genre: Romance
Word Count: 5,344
Rating: K+
Tohru stood in the kitchen, beating a chocolate mix in a large bowl. With a tired huff and a wipe across her forehead, Tohru paused in her work, glancing at the clock to her left. When she noticed she had less than half an hour before she had to leave for school, Tohru quickened her pace, eager to leave the house on time. Yuki had already left for a student council meeting before school, and Kyo was off running. In her haste in placing the chocolate into a pan to cook, Tohru didn't even notice that she had stained her face with the sweet treat. As the dessert simmered, Tohru tossed off her apron and hurried to her room to change.
When she returned, the chocolate was ready, and she impatiently waited for the mix to cool, tapping her foot as she switched her gaze back and forth between the chocolate and the clock. Before it had cooled enough, she stuck her hands into the hardening chocolate and molded them into small spheres, trying her best to ignore her scalding palms as she hurried to finish. Just as she put the last one on the platter, a tan hand reached past her and snatched one of her precious chocolate treats. With a gasp, Tohru whirled around to gape at the orange haired thief behind her with her hands firmly planted on her hips.
"Kyo-kun! Those aren't for you!" she cried.
"Then who are they for?" he asked, not even bothering to finish chewing his mouthful of chocolate.
"T-That's none of your business!" Tohru exclaimed, holding the dish protectively against her chest.
"Don't tell me they're for the damn rat," Kyo muttered.
Tohru could only blush in reply, her cheeks heating up to an unprecedented degree. Averting his gaze, Tohru stared at a fraying thread at the bottom of her skirt. Without even having to glance up at his fiery red eyes, she knew Kyo was frowning and imagining himself murdering Yuki. Tohru shrunk into the corner of the kitchen, backing into the cabinets meekly. She could practically feel the burning shroud of Kyo's fury upon her bare shoulders. Clenching the platter nervously, she forced open one of her squeezed shut eyes and was taken aback to find a nearly placid countenance before her.
"Whatever," Kyo finally mumbled, "Just make sure he actually gets it. Don't let those stupid fan girls dump it in the trash, all right?"
He patted her head once before he started to walk away. Tohru's head shot up when she heard his retreating steps.
"Kyo-kun! Wait! You know I would have made you chocolates too, but you guys wouldn't let me make everyone chocolates this year!" Tohru called after him, not wanting to upset her friend.
He barely acknowledged her with a slight nod and a partial wave. No eye contact or even a glance back. Tohru frowned, peering at the chocolates guiltily. She hadn't meant to make Kyo feel rejected. She had tried so hard to wake up early and finish the chocolates so no one would notice, but Kyo found out already. Tohru knew Kyo had a small crush on her, but it was Valentine's day, and she thought she had mustered enough courage to tell Yuki of her crush, or at least enough to give him chocolates, but now she couldn't help but hate herself for considering her feelings for Yuki over Kyo's crush on her.
She grimaced, hugging the plate in frustration.
Meanwhile, Shigure had just awoken and was wandering over to the kitchen to get the breakfast Tohru usually left out for him. He was shocked to find Tohru still there, but he smiled when he noticed her squeezing a platter of chocolates to death. Walking over with a sly grin, he welcomed himself to steal a treat and pop it into his mouth. Tohru's eyes snapped open when she heard him loudly chewing one. Upset at another loss of her chocolates, Tohru frowned. At this rate, Yuki would be lucky if he even got one of his chocolates.
"Shigure-san! That's not for you!" she wailed.
"Don't worry, Tohru-kun. I was just sampling them for Yuki. And don't fret, they're delicious. He'll love them. That lucky cousin of mine!" Shigure rambled.
"Really? You think he'll- Shigure-san! How did you know they're for Yuki-kun?" Tohru questioned, bewildered.
She worriedly bit her lower lip. Had her feelings really been that transparent?
"Tohru-kun, I'd love to explain, but if you don't leave soon, you'll be late," Shigure warned.
Tohru let out a squeak before shoving the chocolates into the refrigerator, grabbing her bag, and bidding him farewell. She had raced out of the house before he could even point out the brown stain on her cheek.
Tohru had never run so fast in her entire life. The second she had set foot into the classroom, the bell rung, and she nearly collapsed before she sunk into her seat. She knew she was red and sweaty and that her friends were concerned, but when she turned to give them a reassuring smile, she noticed that Uo was struggling to hold back a chuckle. Tohru gave her a puzzling look, so Uo walked over after checking that Mayu was preoccupied. She sat down in the chair that was empty beside Tohru and smirked wryly as she wiped the chocolate from Tohru's face with her sleeve.
"Who were you making chocolates for?" Uo asked.
Tohru's cheeks inflamed as she looked away, avoiding Uo's prying gaze embarrassedly. In her gaze around the room, she made eye contact with Yuki. He smiled at her and gave her a wave, which she returned twofold with tinted cheeks before she turned around and busied herself by unpacking her backpack. Though Tohru hadn't noticed, Uo had watched the whole scene, and a knowing grin was plastered across her pale face. She snickered as she noticed that the blush across Tohru's cheeks now reached her ears.
Uo questioned, "For the prince?"
"Uo-chan! Shh!" Tohru hissed.
With her blush deepening, Tohru quickly glanced back at Yuki, making sure he hadn't heard her before pouting at Uo, which made Uo stop teasing her immediately, but Tohru was sure Uo stopped more so because she was eavesdropping on the conversation between the Yuki fan club members in front of them. Tohru sighed, trying not to overhear them, but they were making that difficult for her. She tried to focus on reviewing her notes instead, but she couldn't help catching the half whispered words the fan club members were spouting to each other.
"You ask him!"
"Me?! But! But- Oh fine!"
With her fists clenched determinedly, Minami stood up and turned to the corner where Yuki sat. After staring at the school prince dreamily for a moment, she cleared her throat, making him turn away from the window he had been previously staring out of and face her with his eyebrows raised curiously. She faltered with her mouth agape for a second before taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"So… Yuki-kun, since it's Valentine's day and all, I was just wondering if… if maybe…Um… I mean do you like anyone at the moment?" Minami asked as casually as she could manage.
Tohru's eyes shot wide open, and she had to grip the desk with all her might to keep herself from whirling around and staring at Yuki as everyone else had just begun to do. Not many rumors could catch Tohru's attention, but an inquiry of the prince's love interest was an entirely different story. Heck, even Mayu was eavesdropping. From the silence that enraptured the classroom, Tohru assumed she wasn't the only one interested in Yuki's response. She was, however, the only one bothering to conceal her curiosity, fighting to keep her head towards the front of the room instead of facing the desk two seats behind and one to the left of her. Even Motoko had ditched her class to listen from the hallway.
"Umm… Yes," Yuki admitted awkwardly.
Gasps filtered through the room.
"So you have a l-lover?" Minami choked out in shock.
"Not exactly…"
"You mean you haven't confessed to your crush?!" another fan girl blurted out.
"Not yet…"
"Why?!" Minami nearly shouted.
"Fear of rejection…?" Yuki responded reluctantly, wishing he had just lied in the first place.
"Whaat? Who would reject you?"
"She might," he murmured under his breath.
"Psst. Hey, Tohru. The prince just glanced up at you, and he's blushing," Uo whispered into Tohru's ear.
"Stop looking at him! You're making him uncomfortable!" Tohru hissed back.
"But he likes you," Uo told her nonchalantly.
Tohru's cheeks darkened as the words sunk in. She only let herself revel in the possibility for a moment, picturing a pleased Yuki eating her chocolate and holding her hand in his, before she shook her head, clearing her head of her fantasies. Quickly peering at both of her friends, she hoped they hadn't seen the dazed and dreamy look across her face, but as soon as she spotted the smug look across Uo's face and a faint smile on Hana's, Tohru knew her hopes had been in vain. Sometimes, she felt her friends placed too much faith in her, and she didn't want to get her hopes up lest he crushes her heart.
"Impossible," Tohru muttered with a sigh.
"Tohru, come on. Don't you see how he treats you? He fawns over you like you're a goddess. He practically worships you," Uo pointed out.
"Uo-chan! That's not true!" Tohru denied, "Yuki-kun is just a nice person! Hana-chan, tell Uo-chan that she's exaggerating!"
"Sorry, Tohru-kun, but I must agree with Arisa on this. He does dote on you a lot and his waves…" Hana trailed off, feeling no need to explain.
Tohru covered her face with both her hands, trying to hide the blush fully blooming across her once pale cheeks while she continued to shake her head in denial. Uo simply laughed at her friend, hugging her in apology. Tohru wasn't paying attention though; she was absorbed in the progression of the interrogation directed at Yuki. This was one thing she could thank the fan club for, even though she could tell all the attention bothered Yuki. The fact that he had a crush gave her an ounce of hope, and while the spotlight focused on him, no one but her friends had noticed the scarlet tinge to her face.
"Who is she?" Minami asked eagerly.
"Um… A girl in this class," Yuki mumbled unwillingly.
"Who?!" most of the girls demanded in unison.
"Uh…"
"Is it me?!" Minami cut in.
"Afraid not," Yuki replied as politely as he could.
"Me?"
"No, no! It's me, right Yuki-kun?"
"No way! Me!"
"Sorry… I don't know any of you all that well, let alone enough to claim I love you," Yuki uttered uncomfortably.
Waves of dejection crashed through the room as the once hopeful girls sank down into their seats, gaping at him, disbelieving and hurt. Tohru, too, hung her head in defeat, albeit receiving no rejection. Her faint glimmers of hope that the girl Yuki liked could possibly be her had all but vanished now. If he didn't like any of those girls, some of the most beautiful in the school, then he must see absolutely nothing worthwhile in her. Depressed, she dropped her head onto her desk, contemplating whether she should give him her chocolates anyways. She had slaved all morning for them and had sacrificed hours of sleep, but they'd probably inconvenience him and drive a rift in their treasured friendship. Unbeknownst to her, Yuki's eyes were glued to her with a sheen of concern to them.
Noting both their reactions, Uo turned to Yuki with a grin, deciding to play matchmaker, "It's Tohru, right? You're completely in love with Tohru."
Tohru's head immediately shot up in shock. She gawked at her friend before flipping her head to peek at Yuki anxiously. She didn't notice anything other than his agape mouth, ready to respond, before she averted his gaze and determinedly forced herself to stare at the notes on the board Mayu had just completed. Absorbing none of the words, Tohru waited nervously with a crimson face for Yuki to say something, but before he could, Mayu called for everyone's attention, relieving her yet disappointing her at once.
But after five seconds, Tohru realized she couldn't concentrate at all. Her mind was warping around possible scenarios, imagining just what Yuki could possibly be thinking. Was he thinking of ways to turn her down nicely? Did he just want to be friends? Or could she possibly, just maybe, be the one he liked? She shook her head, banishing the thought as soon as it arrived. She whittled away at her hope, turning her dreams into a pile of fine dust the wind could whisk away any second. Sighing, she stared blankly at her notebook, mindlessly jotting down notes.
Yuki watched her, in what he hoped was a discreet manner, wondering what could have upset her so. Was she so appalled by the idea that he was in love with her? He gazed at her fearfully, his worries increasing as the day progressed. Tohru refused to look his way or even acknowledge him during break, and she only reluctantly sat beside him during lunch because Uo and Hana had practically shoved her there. She still wouldn't even glance in his direction as she dug through her bag for her lunch. Thinking back to the morning, Tohru suddenly cried out when she recalled her lunchbox sitting on the counter in the kitchen as she ran out.
Her three friends surrounding her instantly looked at her with alarmed expressions.
"I forgot my lunch," Tohru admitted meekly.
A wad of money poked her arm, coming from her left. Tohru didn't need to look up to see who it was from.
"Why don't you buy yourself some lunch?" Yuki offered after Tohru made no move to take the money or even to peer up at him.
Tohru vehemently shook her head in refusal, "I c-couldn't do that! I have nothing to pay you back with!"
"You don't have to-" Yuki started, only to get cut off by Uo.
"I'm sure a kiss would suffice, Tohru," Uo teased the two, puckering her lips in an exaggerated manner.
"Uo-chan!" Tohru wailed, covering her cheeks in embarrassment.
"Um… You can share with me… if you want," Yuki breathed shyly, trying to ignore what Uo had said, "I mean, you made it and all, and it wouldn't be right if you didn't eat."
"No, no! I couldn't! That's your lunch, Y-Yuki-kun!" Tohru stuttered, hardly able to even say his name coherently.
Uo was about to offer Tohru her lunch, but Hana stopped her, grasping her hand tightly as she titled her head slightly to indicate how Tohru was beginning to waver as Yuki pestered her about eating. After a couple more minutes, she finally caved in and took one of the rice balls she had made for him. She nibbled on it sadly. She had worked so hard on his lunch, making all of his favorites for Valentine's day, and here she was, eating it for him. He hadn't even started eating yet, simply watching her instead. She would know, since she too was peering at him, though through the corner of her eye.
"So, Prince, how many chocolates have you received so far?" Uo asked, trying to relieve the awkward tension in the air for Tohru's sake.
"No one has handed me any personally yet, and my locker was empty this morning. So none so far," Yuki replied.
"Actually," Hana said while pulling out her full backpack, "You received this many."
She lifted her backpack to show him all the neatly wrapped chocolates that filled her bag.
"And I ate a few already," she added.
Tohru cringed at the chocolates. They looked so nice perfectly wrapped in shiny paper and ribbons. She wondered if he'd like hers compared to those. She hadn't had time to buy decorative paper, let alone wrap her chocolates. She hadn't even had the time to mold them adequately. Hers probably looked more like lumps than delicious edible spheres. Hanging her head in shame, Tohru scolded herself for forgetting to go shopping. She wondered what she'd have to give him to convince him to try her chocolates or what she'd have to say to make him believe that she wasn't trying to poison him.
Yuki just smiled awkwardly, still a bit disappointed that he hadn't gotten chocolates from the one girl that mattered, even though he knew that he himself had forbidden her from doing so. That, however, disappeared when he glanced down at his lunch and noticed what Tohru had made him.
"Thank you, Honda-san," he smiled.
"It was my pleasure, Y-Yuki-kun!" Tohru squeaked.
He glanced endearingly at her.
"You know… I love y- the food!" he rashly corrected himself.
Tohru beamed obliviously while Uo and Hana exchanged faint smirks.
"But you haven't even tried any," Tohru pointed out meekly.
He quickly grabbed the first thing he saw in the box, bit into it, chewed, and swallowed.
"As good as it looks," he told her with a smile, making her blush.
"Hey, lovebirds, don't forget about us," Uo teased.
"W-We're n-not!" Tohru stuttered, her heart pounding wildly in her chest.
"Uh-huh, sure you're not," Uo agreed halfheartedly.
Tohru turned down to her food embarrassedly, trying to drone out her friend's teasing in vain. She hardly peeked up at her friends the whole lunch period, but the one time she did, she was glad. She noticed the most surprising thing ever. Yuki's face was turned away from her, but she could swear that his pale face was ever so slightly tinted a faint pink color. It suited him perfectly, though she couldn't imagine why he was blushing. Before she could inquire about it or before she could check for a fever, the bell rung, signaling the end of lunch. Yuki was in an unusual hurry to get back to class, quickly tossing away his trash and impatiently waiting for her.
Bewildered, she let him practically drag her back to class, following his long strides as best as she could. Uo and Hana watched with amusement from the position about ten paces behind the blushing couple ahead. They also noticed a couple of fan girls peeking at Yuki and Tohru suspiciously from behind a wall, but with a little wave of a blood stained pipe and a touch of some electric waves, the obsessive girls were sent scattering; their screams lingering long after they had vanished much to the Yankee and Goth's entertainment. Upon returning to the classroom, they weren't shocked, though a bit disappointed, to find Yuki and Tohru seated silently in their seats, faced away from each other with faint blushes across their cheeks.
Exasperated, Uo sat down beside Tohru, looking over at her friend with a frown on her face.
"Hey, Prince, the one you love is Tohru, right?"
He had just opened his mouth to respond when the door swung open, crashing into the wall loudly as Motoko ran in, holding a basket of chocolates in her arms.
"Yuuuuuuuuki!" she sang jubilantly as she skipped towards his desk, "I made these for you!"
Yuki glanced at the overflowing, shimmering basket and cringed ever so slightly before forcing his lips to curve upward as the gift was thrust into his face. Reluctantly, he accepted it, glancing around the room awkwardly. He noticed Tohru had her back to him in a stiff hunched over pose, practically shaking. She seemed so sad. He could only wonder why. It nearly broke his heart. He pondered this over until it was practically too late to even thank his gift bearer, Motoko, who was practically hyperventilating before him.
"Thanks," he finally told Motoko briefly.
As she fluttered away in a daze over accomplishing her task of giving Yuki the chocolates, Yuki peered at the basket with a disappointed gaze. The first chocolates presented to him today and not from the girl he wanted them from. He stared at them awkwardly for a moment, not sure what to do with them when Hanajima suddenly swiped the basket from his desk, giving him a stoic expression to which he responded with a grateful smile.
Meanwhile, Tohru was scribbling in her notebook with a sorrowful sigh. How could her meager chocolates compare with Motoko's refined basket full?
Her head once again found solace on top of her sprawled out arms on the desk, and Yuki's gaze was once again worriedly glued to her, and his eyes stayed focused on her, disregarding the lecture for what he deemed more important. He wished to comfort her, to question her for the reason behind her pain, and to gain vengeance for her agony, but unbeknownst to him, he himself was part of the cause. His shyness and reluctance to confess his feelings to her, along with her self doubt, had left her wallowing in a sea of sorrow. But alas, his inquiries were put off by the subsequent classes, and he couldn't even spare her a minute during his break. His fan girls had harassed him over his crush for the whole five minutes and hadn't stopped until Mayu had started the lecture.
Staring at the back of her head as she lifelessly took notes, Yuki impatiently waited for school to end, and as soon as the bell rang, he bolted up and was immediately at her side. She peered up at him with a weak smile before she began to pack her things up.
"Honda-san, what's the matter?" he gently pried.
"Matter? Nothing is wrong with me! I'm perfectly fine! Don't worry about me!" she exclaimed.
"But I am worried," Yuki told her.
"Really! I am fine! Yuki-kun does not need to waste his energy over me," she smiled as reassuringly as she could.
He only responded with a dubious frown as she stood and faked another smile for him. Slinging her backpack neatly over her shoulders, she trotted out of the room with Yuki trailing closely behind her. They quietly walked out of the school together, both too shy to say anything as they headed home, minus a vocal redhead who had left without them and had basically disappeared. They had walked a whole block before Tohru summoned the guts to speak. She reached forward to tug at his sleeve to capture his attention, but cowered away a second later and tapped his shoulder hesitantly instead. He peered at her quizzically.
"Yuki-kun? I'm your friend, right?"
"Of course, Honda-san. One of my closest, if not my closest," he admitted softly.
"And you trust me?"
"With my deepest and darkest secrets," he confirmed.
"Then would you mind- er- consider- Um… Do you mind telling me who you like?" she finally inquired, her face heating up in the process.
He froze, faltering for a moment, before recomposing himself when he realized she was asking him seriously. Her intent gaze bored through him until he had to look away. Yuki couldn't help staring at the pebbles lining the street until Tohru began to regret asking such a personal question. By then, Tohru immersed herself in fretting that Yuki would hate her now for prying into his private life. Readying herself to spurt out repeated apologies, Tohru was shocked into silence when he suddenly turned to her, startling her with the most mysterious swirling gray pools filling his eyes.
"Guess," he finally replied.
"Guess?" she repeated in a stunned voice.
He nodded.
"But- But I wouldn't know where to begin!" she exclaimed.
"She's in our class, which reduces the amount to about fifteen. She's the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes upon, and the sweetest person that has ever crossed this earth," he told her.
"She- She sounds wonderful," Tohru breathed in jealous awe, unable to believe that she even stood a chance now.
"She is amazing," he agreed.
"Um… Is it Motoko-san?" Tohru asked.
Yuki almost fell over coughing at her first guess. Tohru jumped in alarm, frantically patting his back.
"She's not in our class," he finally mustered.
"Oh! Then it must be Minami-san! She's very pretty," Tohru mused.
Yuki shook his head, keeping his fist in front of his mouth to prevent another coughing fit. Tohru seemed dismayed for a second before eagerly piping the name of every girl in their class, but carefully avoided the name of his beloved, unaware that her own very name that rested on the tip of her tongue was the very one he was waiting to hear. They were already in the woods that led to their home when she finally got to the bottom of her list and started to repeat names. Exasperated, Yuki clenched his fists tightly, self consciously pondering what reasons she could have for avoiding offering her own name.
"You already guessed Minami-san," Yuki calmly reminded her for the second time.
"But I already guessed everyone in our class!" Tohru cried.
"You're missing one."
"I only haven't guessed myself!" Tohru wailed in frustration, unintentionally aloud.
"And the girl I'm in love with is the only one you haven't guessed yet," he hinted.
"M-Me?" she finally guessed.
He peered at her uneasily before nodding timidly. Her eyes bulged out in shock as she pointed a shaky finger at herself. Frozen, she ceased walking altogether, gaping at him in shock. Noting her pause, Yuki stopped, hesitating before he turned around. Embarrassed, he peered at her shoes for a moment, afraid of what he'd read in her expression, before lifting his gaze to her eyes. Unfortunately, he could see nothing but shock radiating off of her. He raised his eyebrows, wordlessly questioning her silence. She lowered her hand, stammering unintelligibly for a minute before she took a deep breath and steadied herself, only to lose her composure again when she saw him again.
"Me?!" she squeaked again.
"Yes."
"You love me?!" she cried.
"Yes? Is that bad?" he inquired, unsure now.
"No-NO! I-I love you too!" Tohru blurted out rashly before covering her mouth shyly.
"Really?" he queried nervously.
She nodded vehemently with tears glistening in her eyes. Her heart thumped loudly against her chest, thrashing harshly against her ribs as he stepped towards her and took both her hands in his. Clasping his hands over hers, he drew as near as he dared too. He wanted to hold her desperately. He couldn't believe how those two inches separating them could extend out for miles, yet, Tohru could feel all the blood in her body rush up to her cheeks as she felt his breath caress her skin.
"Can we be a couple then?" he asked, hesitantly placing his hand on her cheek.
"Could we?" she breathed hopefully.
"Only if you want."
"I do… I do…" she admitted with a wide smile.
He leaned over her, ready to kiss her with his hands trailing through her soft tresses when he suddenly pulled her too close and a poof sounded, and he became a small gray mouse. Tohru anxiously caught him, holding her against her chest happily. She pecked his furry head before bending over to gather his clothes. Carrying the blushing rodent, Tohru practically skipped back to the house. Once inside, she set him on the table with his clothes neatly folded beside him, stroked his head with her index finger, and hurried to the kitchen to let him transform back alone.
Although she tried to distract herself by putting away the dried dishes, she couldn't help flushing when she heard a poof and the rustle of clothes being put back on. Her blush only seemed to deepen as she found she couldn't vanquish it by the time she heard his footsteps nearing, and her situation only seemed to get worse as she heard his attempt to muffle his laughter. Hanging her head, she tried to keep her flaming cheeks less blatantly exposed, but as soon as he approached her, he wrapped his arms loosely around her waist and pressed his cheek against hers, which felt surprisingly cool against hers.
With a shy smile, he grasped her chin with the tips of his fingers, turning her face towards his gingerly. Just as he was about to press his lips against hers, she turned away abruptly in a timid manner, jerking out of his hold shyly. Noting his rejected expression, Tohru quickly peered around before remembering the chocolates. She bounced up jubilantly and threw open the refrigerator, oblivious to the fact that she nearly smacked him with the door. She pulled out the platter and presented it to him with a warm smile.
"I made you chocolates!" Tohru exclaimed.
He couldn't help smiling at the dessert but couldn't withhold the tinge of guilt in his chest.
"I thought we told you that you weren't allowed to make chocolates for everyone this year," he reminded her softly.
"I didn't! They're just for you," she breathed shyly.
"For me?"
"Yes… Because I-I wanted to tell you that I l-love you," she stuttered out with a blush.
He beamed at her, fingering a chocolate delicately.
"Try one… Please," she coaxed him hopefully.
She watched carefully as he slid one into his mouth.
"I didn't follow a recipe this time, so I don't know how they turned out. I mean I should have tasted them before, but you see I didn't have time this morning. I was almost late, and really, I should have tried them before giving them to you, but it slipped my mind. I'm completely sorry-if-they-don't-taste-good. Pleasedon'tforceyourselftoeatthem-" Tohru babbled with her eyes shut in humiliation.
Her rambling was cut off when something soft was pressed against her lips. Her eyes shot open and widened further in shock when she realized that those were Yuki's lips pressed against hers. With gentle caresses across her eyelids, he cajoled her eyes shut and got her to return the kiss. When he parted, Tohru blinked as a warm smile spread across her face, matching his. Quickly, she ran her tongue across her lips, half shocked to taste chocolate. She tilted her head to the side and peered at him, cheeks inflaming as she realized what had just transpired.
"Mmm… I'm happy. The chocolates came out just right…" she laughed out of relief.
"Really? Let me try," he whispered.
He had grabbed another piece of chocolate and was about to place it in her mouth before she practically shoved him away.
"Wait! Wait!" she cried.
Baffled, he stared at her as she tore the chocolate away from him and stared at it with wide eyes. Looking up at him, she bade him closer with a gentle wave of her hand.
"See? It looks just like a little rat," she commented with a grin.
"And you know what? Right beside the rat looks like a shy little rice ball," he added.
She flushed vividly at his comment, averting his eyes as she gingerly cradled the piece of chocolate in the semblance of a rat next to a rice ball. Fidgeting in her spot, Tohru threw him a sideways glance, quickly, trying to avoid drawing his attention to no avail. Within seconds, slender fingers rested across her cheek and jaw bone. Warm as they were, she was still sure heat seeped into them from her cheeks, which now rivaled the red of the ribbons on his chocolates from his fan club. He turned her face back towards his and soon his lips covered hers again. A sweet taste filled her mouth. A taste not purely from the chocolate still coating their mouths.
Surely, they both could agree that this would be the most memorable Valentine's Day for either of them. A Valentine's day filled with more than enough scarlet faces, hugs, pink smoke, and kisses to last every Valentine's Day of eternity.
And perhaps, Yuki would thank his fan club for asking him such a question that brought him the girl he loved, even if they didn't mean to. But just maybe.
Happy Valentine's Day/ Chinese New Year. Thank you for reading and please point out any mistakes. c: