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Kohaku Weinburg sighed for what had to be the fourth time in the last twenty minutes, using the back of one arm to wipe the sweat from her brow, immediately regretting her decision when she felt the sticky and semi-warm chocolate against her forehead.
“Ugh...” she said with defeat as she took a taste of her gloopy mess, cringing at the uneven sweetness and realizing that, for the second time, she had messed up her flavor and consistency.
Cleaning her bowl of the failed attempt into the trash, she groaned again as she leaned back against a clear counter. “Why am I so insistent on making chocolate from scratch this year? He doesn't even like sweets like this either... why did I think that this was a good idea?” she muttered to herself, berating her choices that led up to this moment.
It is February 13th, with Valentine's Day only hours away, with several hours still before she would have to be finished with this little project of hers, having it wrapped and ready to deliver to its recipient in order to properly celebrate the holiday. Her choice was made to create her own handmade sweets merely three hours ago, after a week of waffling back and forth over the idea, coming to the conclusion to give it a shot after watching several online videos about the subject. It looked so easy to do, she told herself with glee as she used funds saved from her allowance to buy the materials needed as well as some pre-made chocolates for her closest friends and family, getting to work almost instantly once she was back home.
Those online videos were absolute crap, she now thought with another defeated noise, struggling with herself as she debated if she had enough ingredients for a third batch. As well as, once again, questioning why she was putting in the effort when she knew very well that the one she was making it for would probably not even eat it.
A very faint tug at her pinky brought her out of her dark march, crystal blue eyes looking down at the appendage and seeing what only she could see – the tie of her red thread of fate tightly surrounding the skin and tapering off several inches as it traveled away from her form – and the sight bringing her to a more somber place of thinking. She brought that hand up closer to her face, staring at the finger and string with a shaky gaze, before she sighed softly and steeled her jumbled nerves, cleaning her face and hands again of all of the messy ingredients stuck to her before she went at it again, knowing that this would have to be her last attempt.
That was why she was going through this. Because she wanted to do something special for the one that she was, just a little bit more every day, believing to be her fated partner. A young man that was a fellow high school student, one that she met for the first time shortly after the start of their second year. A highly intelligent young man named Senku Ishigami.
In the months since their – quite literal – collision in a neighboring park, the two had slowly worked their way into becoming good friends. It wasn't long before she would be brought into one another's circles, learning more and more about the scientific processes that Senku was a proven genius in, or hearing him subtly cheering her on during a kendo exhibition along with her other friends, or just time spent with one another hanging out and discussing the small things about their lives. However, for Kohaku, that time spent was starting to become something a bit more powerful than just friends. She knew it in the way that her heart would speed up a fraction when he would flash her a classic smirk over something she said, or how he would congratulate her on solving a difficult problem on her homework during a joint study session, or how he would be the first to pat her shoulder after a successful practice. It's why she felt this desire to make chocolate from scratch just for him, wanting to make a few little squares with etchings of scientific objects in them that she was sure he would get some joy out of seeing.
But within that, she knew, was a problem. Two problems, actually. Both of them being huge. The first was related to that pesky power of hers: she couldn't see the end of her thread. Meaning that she had no idea if, for sure, she was meant to be with Senku in any sort of way beyond the friendly rapport they had now. What if she was fated to someone else? She had tried many times to see if she could see an end to Senku's thread, wondering if it was connected to hers in some way, but try as she might, she couldn't see the end of it either, no matter how close they were. While she wanted to take that as a sign that, perhaps, the reason she couldn't see it was because he was her fate, it was something she couldn't guarantee for her own certainty. How cruel would it be that she could be falling for someone she wouldn't be able to be with, because of her power and its ties to fate? It was a thought she hated to have.
The second problem was Senku himself, the young man saying – with his ten billion percent clarity and sardonic wit – that he had no interest at all in romance. “A brain filled with love is nothing but trouble”, he had stated once when pressed about the future of him finding a girlfriend before the holiday came up. Kohaku denied the upsetting feeling that filled her chest when she heard those words, not wanting to believe that it was he that would put an end to what has yet to begun, rolling her eyes once it was said and trying to push the conversation towards something else so it wouldn't linger on any longer than necessary.
Those two problems were why she was filled with the doubt she had, but it also provided her with the fuel to continue on as well, taking a few seconds to wipe her brow of sweat as she continued to work over her double boiler, making sure the chocolate didn't seize up. Despite the reservations coming from her worries, she also felt more determination as she worked on her third batch, feeling more and more confident as everything was turning out like the videos and images she had seen, the taste of her sampling telling her she was getting the right flavor. Not too sweet, not too bitter... just like him.
Once the chocolate was at the perfect consistency, she poured it into the molds she had bought, happy that she was finally at the step to allow it to sit and cool, giving her the chance to finally breathe that sigh of relief before she attempted to clean up the kitchen, wanting to make sure it wouldn't look like the disaster zone that it was now whenever her father would come home. As she cleaned up all of the trash and moved dishes into the sink, there was a mantra of words going through her head. Words that was filling her with confidence as she smiled.
Screw fate and destiny. Screw Senku's words. She was falling in love, and for tomorrow, to be able to present him with her handmade sweets – and hoping that he'd enjoy the thought, even if he doesn't quite like the treats – was more than enough for now.
A short tug came to her pinky that went ignored as she put all of her energy into cleaning the chocolate from her second attempt, the sticky mess proving to be a bit extra sticky as she regretted her choice not to soak it before.
~ * ~ * ~ * ~
Senku Ishigami waited outside of school a little bit earlier than usual, at the request of Kohaku the night before. He yawned, tired from spending a late night on an experiment, but he was nevertheless prepared to face the day. Somewhat. He wasn't particularly thrilled about the day, knowing full well it was Valentine's Day. He had a heavy loathing for this holiday. A day for romantic gestures, flowers, and sickening sweets, things that had no real rhyme or reason in his opinion, finding it all to be quite bothersome.
He watched and felt his thumb jerk ever so slightly against his phone, looking at the tied ribbon of red around it and the string itself fading as the distance grew, and his brows furrowed in increased irritation. Yes, bothersome indeed, knowing full well that he had some sort of uncanny ability to see the red threads of fate. Another thing that went against the logical aspects of his scientific-driven life.
Fate, destiny, red threads, Valentine's Day... he yawned again as he looked at the clock on his phone. Kohaku was certainly taking her sweet time today, he remarked to himself, tapping an impatient foot against the concrete as he looked up from his phone to look for any sign of her familiar wild blonde locks on the horizon.
The impatience he had was causing a strange bout of anxiety in his chest. Not because he just wanted this to be over with so he could go inside – because that was part of it; it was chilly standing outside as he was, even wrapped up in his scarf and heavy coat – but because he actually wanted to see her. Just as she was the night before, Senku has been wrestling a bit with his own feelings. Despite all of his calls and spite towards romantic intentions and his pursuits of science, it hasn't stopped him from thinking about the fierce girl in such lights. Compared to the other ladies that had tried to make their way into his life – not including one of his best friends, Yuzuriha, given how attached she was to his other best friend, Taiju – only Kohaku had managed to take hold of him enough to convince him to consider silly notions.
If only this pesky power of his could let him know if this was a path worth pursuing. Not knowing if it was her at the end of his red thread, not knowing if she was the one he was meant to be anchored to one day, was driving him crazy nowadays. What if she wasn't meant to be the one? Should he even bother to pursue this path with her if it meant that one day they'll part ways? All of that work and effort seemed too cumbersome – and too painful – to want to put up, especially for something so illogical.
Another tug at his thumb, but this time it was quickly followed by a loud and familiar “Senku!”, attention turning from his phone and inner monologue to catch the sight of Kohaku running towards him at nearly full speed. She panted as she came to a stop, hands placed just above her knees as she caught her breath, quickly straightening out with a flushed smile on her face.
“Good morning! Hopefully you hadn't waited long.”
“Seven minutes, 37 seconds.”
“Of course you'd be counting. You could've just said that you hadn't been here long.”
“That depends on your definition of “long”, lioness,” Senku teased her, twirling one finger in his ear as she snapped back her “I'm not a lioness!” quip, putting his phone into his pocket, “So... Happy Valentine's Day, I guess?”
“Y-yeah, Happy Valentine's Day!”
Now things were about to get awkward for them both, but they knew that was the next part of their day. Kohaku had made clear she had something for him related to the holiday, which is why she wanted him to arrive early, but she was very nervous as she fidgeted on her heels and shakily shifted through her school bag for the gift. Meanwhile, Senku was filled with anxiety over what she could even have. He hoped it wasn't something huge or boisterous, or something too intimate that would hint at some bigger feelings at play. This is both the perfect and worst day for such things, not knowing how exactly things stood between them--
“Um... I know you're not big on sweets and all that, but...” Kohaku broke the ice as she finally pulled out her gift – a small green box wrapped with a white ribbon – and held it out to the awaiting scientist, “I made you some chocolates. I tried not to make them too sweet, but if you end up not liking them, it's okay if you throw them away.”
Gingerly, Senku took the box from her hands, untying the ribbon and removing the lid, eyes widening as he saw the four little squares of chocolate nestled into a divider. Each piece had a shaky etching into the top, with the first row showing a decently-done Saturn and a rocket shape – they were both small and messy, but he was able to figure out what they were – with the second row having one of the most recognizable formulas in science – Albert Einstein's theory of relativity – split in half on the chocolate but read together upon glance.
“... I thought you might like the designs. Sorry if they aren't very good, though. Ruri is a better artist than I am, but she's still off at school, so...” Kohaku explained, feeling very sheepish over Senku's analyzing eyes going over in detail over her work, waiting with worry over what he might say, holding back her surprise as he picked up the rocket-etched design and taking a bite out of it.
She shouldn't have made them, she was berating herself. He's just going to throw them out! He's going to point out how inaccurate her designs were! Why the hell did she thought this was a good idea--
“Ten billion points for you. This really isn't bad. Could've been tempered just a bit more, but you got the right balance of flavor,” Senku complimented her, finishing the piece before closing the box up again, flashing her a bright smile, “Thank you for this.”
All of the tension in Kohaku's body turned into feathers, and she felt like she was going to float up into the air. “Oh yay, I'm so glad you liked it, Senku!” she exclaimed, clapping her hands in front of her face, feeling ever so delighted that all of her work paid off for the best.
Senku chuckled as she did her own little victory dance, although his staring came at the cost of his heart racing once again when he realized how long he had been watching her. He cleared his throat to get his head back into the right space, putting the gift into his bag, making sure to keep it where it couldn't get damage.
“We have about five minutes before the first bell will ring. Think we should try and head inside?”
“Oh crap, yes! I still have to find Chrome and Amaryllis! I have some chocolate for them too. Store-bought, though. I didn't dare try to make a huge batch for everyone. Making chocolates is so hard!”
“Heh... it's not all that difficult once you have the right ratios of ingredients and heat.”
The two began their walk onto the school campus, with Senku giving a scientific lecture on the creation progress, with Kohaku listening and commenting on what she had watched and done, the awkward and embarrassing moments of the gift-giving long melted away and leaving them enjoying one another as they always have. Comfortably and friendly.
As they walked, however, Senku subtly moved his left hand towards her right hand. At first, the backs of them tapped against one another, no more than a whisper of a touch, but soon their hands twisted around the other in a very slow and casual dance, fingers wrapping around one another's palms. Their threads, visible once again with the swaying valley showing their connection, went on ignored, much as they ignored the blushes on their cheeks once they realized what they had done.
But that wasn't enough to make them pull away.
- end -