Work Text:
Valentine's Day
Love was in the air with everyone busy giving chocolates to their crushes, and the one or two popular kids were showing off their shoe lockers stuffed with chocolates and love letters, pretending to be annoyed by all the attention.
...The world of Youkyas really was foreign to him.
Shin glanced at his own empty desk and smiled bitterly. It wasn't like he'd been expecting anything anyway.
Just then, something dropped gently into his palm.
"...?"
"Here. Valentine's Day chocolate. I made it myself."
Hiyori's warm breath brushed against his ear as he whispered, his voice low.
Shin looked down. It was a small plastic bag tied with a pink ribbon, and inside lay a heart-shaped chocolate.
...What the... Compared to the obligatory giri choco guys give each other, this is clearly honmei choco, isn't it...?
His throat felt dry. His voice came out strained. "You didn't have to do this, Hiyori-kun... I don't really care about this kind of thing..."
Hiyori immediately pouted and let out an indignant "Hmph."
"It's not like I did it because I felt sorry for you, Shin."
"!"
Shin's head snapped up, meeting those bright eyes.
"R-Really?"
"Questioning my good intentions like that really hurts my feelings....Shin." Hiyori blinked, putting on a pitiful expression.
"Ah... That's not what I meant... Sorry..."
Shin apologized hastily, then looked back down at the chocolate in his hands, his fingers unconsciously tracing the ribbon. He took a deep breath, as if trying to convince himself. "I appreciate your kindness, Hiyori-kun... I'll take it. Even if it's just 'friendship chocolate,' it means a lot to me-"
"'Friendship chocolate'?"
Hiyori cut him off, tilting his head, a sly smile curling at the corner of his lips.
"I never said it was 'friendship,' you know."
"?!"
"Awww..." Hiyori drew out the word playfully, grinning even wider. "It is Valentine's Day, after all. So of course it's... Valentine's chocolate.”
Shin was completely stunned.
The afternoon sunlight streamed through the window, enveloping them both in a soft glow. He looked at Hiyori's smiling face, his heart pounding like a drum.
"You know, Shin? Valentine's Day wasn't originally created just to celebrate romantic love. That's just... a lie later generations made up."
Shin froze again.
The chocolate in his hand suddenly felt scorching hot.
"Huh...? It's not... for love?"
"Mhm." Hiyori nodded, sitting down in the empty seat next to him, resting his chin on his hand as he looked out the window. "The idea of February 14th as Valentine's Day was actually something later commercial interests and literature created. There are several theories about its origins - some say it came from the ancient Roman festival of Lupercalia, others say it was to honor a priest named Valentine..."
He turned his head, meeting Shin's bewildered eyes, and smiled.
"So that means Hiyori-kun isn't doing this because of love-"
Hiyori immediately cut him off.
"So that means the feelings Valentine's Day is supposed to express aren't just platonic nor romantic..."
"...... you really like saying things that are hard to understand, don't you, Hiyori-kun?"
"Ahaha..." Hiyori didn't answer, just tilted his head slightly, his gaze dropping back to the chocolate in Shin's hand.
Shin felt his throat tighten.
"It's because I-" Hiyori paused, averting his gaze. "Never mind. Why don't you give it a try?"
He lifted his chin, indicating the chocolate.
Shin looked down at the little plastic bag with its pink ribbon. The heart-shaped chocolate lay quietly inside, wrapped with such care that you could tell how much effort the person who made it had put in.
He carefully opened it and broke off a small piece, putting it in his mouth.
The first second was sweetness. The rich flavor of milk chocolate melted on his tongue, softly spreading through his mouth. Shin's eyes unconsciously narrowed.
Then, a hint of bitterness rose from the depths of the sweetness.
The distinctive, slightly bitter aftertaste of cocoa powder lingered quietly at the back of his tongue. Not overpowering, but definitely there.
Shin was momentarily stunned.
He looked up at Hiyori beside him.
Hiyori was watching him silently, without a word.
Ah.
Suddenly, Shin understood.
It wasn't because of Valentine's Day. It wasn't because of pity. It wasn't because of any reason that could be neatly categorized.
It was just that Hiyori wanted to give it. He just wanted to put something he'd made with his own hands into Shin's.
Just like this chocolate. The sweetness was real, and so was the bitterness.
Both of them were real.
Hiyori quietly observed him, as if thinking about something.
"...Is it good?" he finally asked.
Shin looked down at the remaining half of the chocolate in his hand.
Outside the window, someone ran past laughing. From the hallway came the sounds of playful commotion - Valentine's Day festivities continuing all around them. But in this small pocket of quiet air, there were only the two of them.
"...Yeah."
His voice was very soft.
"It's really good."
Hiyori turned to say something, but stopped when he saw Shin’s head bowed, the tips of his ears tinged with the faintest shade of pink.
In the slanting sunlight, that hint of color was impossible to hide.
Hiyori blinked, then the corners of his mouth quietly curled up.
He didn't say anything more.
Just quietly moved his chair a little closer to him, and sat down by his side.
Sharing the afternoon sunlight, in silence.