Chapter Text
They spotted each other almost simultaneously, just as he and Moegi rounded a corner, and Hanabi waved happily at them.
“Oh, Hi! Hah, did Mitsuki-kun give you two a lollipop, too?” she asked as they approached and she noticed one mirroring her own in Moegi’s mouth.
“Hi! Yes, he’s walking around with that giant bucket, trying to find out everyone’s favourite!” Moegi grinned as Konohamaru gave a smile and a lifted hand in greeting, and Hanabi looked at him curiously.
“Why don’t you have one then, Konohamaru-senpai?”
Before he could answer, Moegi tossed her arm around his shoulder as her grin widened, “Eh don’t mind him, he’s just sulking because his favourite doesn’t sell anymore.”
“Funny, very funny. I was not sulking, and I remember someone whining for weeks when her favourite brand of chocolate got pulled off the market,” he bit back, trying not to show his irritation with her teasing, but Moegi just laughed, not taking his jab to heart.
“Oh, what’s your favourite then?” Hanabi interrupted, asking around her lollipop, and he couldn’t help feeling a little bit distracted watching the stick bop up and down as she spoke.
Moegi answered in his stead, again, and this time he didn’t mind. His mouth had gone dry and he felt pretty sure the day had gone hotter in the last five minutes, at least he was beginning to feel sweaty and a bit uncomfortable.
He knew he was staring, but he couldn’t seem to tear his eyes away from her lips. It was so innocent, just a piece of candy, and yet he…oh, man, was he going to hell.
She twirled the lollipop around in her mouth with nothing but her tongue–he could see it spinning slowly–and smiled innocently. “Oh, Orange! Yes, I like that one too, and Tutti Frutti, eh?” she addressed Konohamaru, though she didn’t wait for his reply before continuing. “Vanilla is my favourite!” she explained and pulled it out to show them before sucking it back in again.
Konohamaru gulped.
Moegi, to his left, shoved her elbow in his side and snickered, completely unperturbed by the withering glare he sent her way. “Yes, Konohamaru-chan, didn’t you tell me you like vanilla too?”
“Oh, do you? Would you like to try it?” Hanabi asked in glee before pulling the pale piece of candy out of her mouth with a small ‘pop,’ and Konohamaru swallowed nervously. Leaning in closer she pushed the lollipop towards him to offer him to try it, seemingly without a care in the world.
“Ah, uh. Na, I’m good, kore,” he answered and tried very hard not to think about how she was so close that he could feel her breath fanning him, with the faint scent of vanilla on her lips. Intoxicating. She was just so…Wow, he needed to get his mind out of the gutter, ASAP.
She pulled back with a slight frown, “Is there something wrong, Konohamaru-senpai? You look a little bit warm?”
“You really do look a little bit hot. Maybe you should remove your scarf, Konohamaru-chan?” Moegi sniggered next to him, and sometimes he wished he could disown his friends. Or at least somehow get them to just shut up.
He stammered something unintelligible, he honestly couldn’t tell what–and made a strategic retreat, pretending not to hear the women laughing behind him.
Later that day when picking up some groceries for dinner, he spotted a tray with lollipops next to the cashier. He stared at it for a moment before snatching a vanilla flavoured Chupa Chups and adding it to the small pile, telling himself he was just curious of how it would taste.
After all, since his favourite was just a limited edition, he needed a new one.