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The World Ends With You, "A Very Serious Gift" (Shiki and Rhyme)
Something draws Shiki into the candy shop, and once she's in there she realizes that she's thinking a little too seriously about Valentine's Day gifts.
Contains girls being cute together and ambiguously romantic feelings about whoever you would like them to be about. Future fic. Warning for graphic descriptions of a chocolate shop. Written for a![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fic_promptly photo prompt here.
.a very serious gift.
The store display caught Shiki's eye, and she paused to look at it, prying a gloved hand from holding her collar closed so that she could shield her eyes from the heavy fall of snow. The window was full of gift boxes and everything was decorated in red and pink, but what really drew her attention was the elegant lettering on the window advertising their Valentine's Day chocolate, and the block print on the stairs leading up to the door that read Sweets make you sweet.
"It's a candy shop," Rhyme observed from behind her. When Shiki turned to look at her, she was met with a serene smile. "Do you want to go in?"
Shiki returned the smile gratefully.
The bell above the door jingled as they entered, and the staff called out a greeting reflexively.
"Look what cute uniforms they have here," Shiki gasped.
Rhyme shook her bulky coat to dislodge the snow. "I thought maybe you wanted to look at the chocolate for Valentine's gifts. Do you want to work here?"
She said it as if it were something perfectly reasonable and she could form no judgments about Shiki's decision to become a chocolatier based on the uniforms of a shop she'd just entered. Shiki huffed out a breath and said, "You are really too casual about that idea, you know? No, I don't want to work here!"
"There's nothing wrong with retail," Rhyme disagreed, looking around the store.
Shiki cast her an uncertain glance. Sometimes she couldn't quite tell if Rhyme was simply supremely accepting or if she had lost something irreplaceable in the Game, but by mutual agreement, no one had ever suggested any such thing to the younger girl.
"I suppose not. It's just -- not what I want to do, that's all. Call it professional curiosity. I'd much rather be on the production side than the sales side." She skimmed over the rows of chocolate quickly and then pointed. "Look at those beautiful pink truffles!"
Rhyme joined her. "Oh, I love them!" she said warmly. "They'd be just perfect for a Valentine's gift."
"You think?" Shiki bit her lip. "They're beautiful, but... Maybe they're a bit silly."
"How are they silly?"
"I guess -- to really be a serious gift, chocolate just seems like it should be chocolate-colored!" Shiki threw her hands up in the air.
Rhyme laughed at her and stood up on the toes of her steel-tipped boots, leaning shamelessly over the glass barrier. "Excuse me!" She said, waving a hand to catch someone's attention.
"Ohmigod, stop!" Shiki clapped her gloved hands over her face. "What are you even doing?"
"I'm getting some silly pink truffles," Rhyme said. She smiled at the saleswoman who came over. "Thank you so much. Can I get ten of those?"
When she lifted her head her glasses had been smeared with melted snow, so Shiki sighed and pulled off the offending gloves so that she could reach into her pocket for a cloth. Every now and again the inconvenience made Shiki regret her decision not to get contact lenses, but she'd promised herself that she was going to own every moment of being herself when the Game ended and she had a second chance at life, and in her opinion, glasses was part of the whole Shiki thing.
Rhyme had managed to charm the woman behind the counter, who wore a wide grin and was waiting expectantly for more requests. Shiki hadn't yet met the person who didn't turn to putty in Rhyme's hands.
"Are those for Beat?" Shiki asked her.
Rhyme smiled, a little mischief dancing in her eyes. "Don't you think he'd enjoy a thoughtful gift of pink chocolate on Valentine's Day?"
"You're evil," Shiki said, flipping a hand at her and laughing.
"I'm going to get something for you and Neku and Eri, too," Rhyme continued. She tilted her head to the side, measuring. "What about you? Is there someone you're looking to get a serious Valentine's gift for?"
That was a question she couldn't bring herself to answer. Was there someone...? She had only fleeting daydreams never given voice, and scattered, hopeful what-ifs based on little real evidence. It wasn't exactly something she should invest in expensive fine chocolate for.
But an impulse had certainly brought her into this store at this time of year. She stepped slowly along the counter instead, looking at the assortment of candies. There were dipped pretzels and caramel apples coated in decorative chocolate shells, fudge and nuggets and countless little squares of flavored chocolate that ranged from mint to orange to coffee.
She paused in front of the chocolate-covered strawberries helplessly. Her bare fingertips touched the glass, traced lightly.
"It would be, like, the most cliched thing anyone's ever done," she said to the air.
The selection was so cute, though. The strawberries were coated in chocolate, some colored white or pink and some drizzled with other colorful chocolates; some were covered in nuts or cookie crumbles or coconut shavings or tiny candies. They were all perfectly elegant and delicious-looking.
Rhyme had joined her once again, but this time she didn't respond to Shiki's observation. Shiki was compelled to say something else.
"I shouldn't do it, right? Tell me I shouldn't do it."
She didn't take her eyes off the strawberries.
They were, after all, a very serious, romantic sort of thing to give someone. They represented love, sweetness, delicacy. They were the sort of thing that might serve as a declaration of one's feelings to the object of their affection.
Shiki wasn't sure if she felt judged or supported by Rhyme's silence (although of course she wasn't being judged, because it was Rhyme) but she finally blurted out, "I'll take a dozen strawberries! A variety, please!"
Rhyme leaned against the glass again and said, smiling, "And I'd like some of the chocolate popsicles in there afterward, if that's okay."
They left the store laden with gifts, Shiki clutching the box containing the strawberries to her chest anxiously. The snow had lightened up some while they were shopping.
"I can't believe I'm really doing this," she said. "I'm probably just going to break down when I get home and shove all of them in my mouth in a fit of self-loathing."
Rhyme tossed her a smile. "I believe in you," was her only response.
I believe in me, too.
That was when she knew she was really going to do it.
((And now, some visual aids.))
Contains girls being cute together and ambiguously romantic feelings about whoever you would like them to be about. Future fic. Warning for graphic descriptions of a chocolate shop. Written for a
fic_promptly photo prompt here..a very serious gift.
The store display caught Shiki's eye, and she paused to look at it, prying a gloved hand from holding her collar closed so that she could shield her eyes from the heavy fall of snow. The window was full of gift boxes and everything was decorated in red and pink, but what really drew her attention was the elegant lettering on the window advertising their Valentine's Day chocolate, and the block print on the stairs leading up to the door that read Sweets make you sweet.
"It's a candy shop," Rhyme observed from behind her. When Shiki turned to look at her, she was met with a serene smile. "Do you want to go in?"
Shiki returned the smile gratefully.
The bell above the door jingled as they entered, and the staff called out a greeting reflexively.
"Look what cute uniforms they have here," Shiki gasped.
Rhyme shook her bulky coat to dislodge the snow. "I thought maybe you wanted to look at the chocolate for Valentine's gifts. Do you want to work here?"
She said it as if it were something perfectly reasonable and she could form no judgments about Shiki's decision to become a chocolatier based on the uniforms of a shop she'd just entered. Shiki huffed out a breath and said, "You are really too casual about that idea, you know? No, I don't want to work here!"
"There's nothing wrong with retail," Rhyme disagreed, looking around the store.
Shiki cast her an uncertain glance. Sometimes she couldn't quite tell if Rhyme was simply supremely accepting or if she had lost something irreplaceable in the Game, but by mutual agreement, no one had ever suggested any such thing to the younger girl.
"I suppose not. It's just -- not what I want to do, that's all. Call it professional curiosity. I'd much rather be on the production side than the sales side." She skimmed over the rows of chocolate quickly and then pointed. "Look at those beautiful pink truffles!"
Rhyme joined her. "Oh, I love them!" she said warmly. "They'd be just perfect for a Valentine's gift."
"You think?" Shiki bit her lip. "They're beautiful, but... Maybe they're a bit silly."
"How are they silly?"
"I guess -- to really be a serious gift, chocolate just seems like it should be chocolate-colored!" Shiki threw her hands up in the air.
Rhyme laughed at her and stood up on the toes of her steel-tipped boots, leaning shamelessly over the glass barrier. "Excuse me!" She said, waving a hand to catch someone's attention.
"Ohmigod, stop!" Shiki clapped her gloved hands over her face. "What are you even doing?"
"I'm getting some silly pink truffles," Rhyme said. She smiled at the saleswoman who came over. "Thank you so much. Can I get ten of those?"
When she lifted her head her glasses had been smeared with melted snow, so Shiki sighed and pulled off the offending gloves so that she could reach into her pocket for a cloth. Every now and again the inconvenience made Shiki regret her decision not to get contact lenses, but she'd promised herself that she was going to own every moment of being herself when the Game ended and she had a second chance at life, and in her opinion, glasses was part of the whole Shiki thing.
Rhyme had managed to charm the woman behind the counter, who wore a wide grin and was waiting expectantly for more requests. Shiki hadn't yet met the person who didn't turn to putty in Rhyme's hands.
"Are those for Beat?" Shiki asked her.
Rhyme smiled, a little mischief dancing in her eyes. "Don't you think he'd enjoy a thoughtful gift of pink chocolate on Valentine's Day?"
"You're evil," Shiki said, flipping a hand at her and laughing.
"I'm going to get something for you and Neku and Eri, too," Rhyme continued. She tilted her head to the side, measuring. "What about you? Is there someone you're looking to get a serious Valentine's gift for?"
That was a question she couldn't bring herself to answer. Was there someone...? She had only fleeting daydreams never given voice, and scattered, hopeful what-ifs based on little real evidence. It wasn't exactly something she should invest in expensive fine chocolate for.
But an impulse had certainly brought her into this store at this time of year. She stepped slowly along the counter instead, looking at the assortment of candies. There were dipped pretzels and caramel apples coated in decorative chocolate shells, fudge and nuggets and countless little squares of flavored chocolate that ranged from mint to orange to coffee.
She paused in front of the chocolate-covered strawberries helplessly. Her bare fingertips touched the glass, traced lightly.
"It would be, like, the most cliched thing anyone's ever done," she said to the air.
The selection was so cute, though. The strawberries were coated in chocolate, some colored white or pink and some drizzled with other colorful chocolates; some were covered in nuts or cookie crumbles or coconut shavings or tiny candies. They were all perfectly elegant and delicious-looking.
Rhyme had joined her once again, but this time she didn't respond to Shiki's observation. Shiki was compelled to say something else.
"I shouldn't do it, right? Tell me I shouldn't do it."
She didn't take her eyes off the strawberries.
They were, after all, a very serious, romantic sort of thing to give someone. They represented love, sweetness, delicacy. They were the sort of thing that might serve as a declaration of one's feelings to the object of their affection.
Shiki wasn't sure if she felt judged or supported by Rhyme's silence (although of course she wasn't being judged, because it was Rhyme) but she finally blurted out, "I'll take a dozen strawberries! A variety, please!"
Rhyme leaned against the glass again and said, smiling, "And I'd like some of the chocolate popsicles in there afterward, if that's okay."
They left the store laden with gifts, Shiki clutching the box containing the strawberries to her chest anxiously. The snow had lightened up some while they were shopping.
"I can't believe I'm really doing this," she said. "I'm probably just going to break down when I get home and shove all of them in my mouth in a fit of self-loathing."
Rhyme tossed her a smile. "I believe in you," was her only response.
I believe in me, too.
That was when she knew she was really going to do it.
((And now, some visual aids.))
