Work Text:
Fuuka waits on the rooftop for her boyfriend. It’s been a while since she sent him a text, but maybe he’s busy? Or maybe he already had other plans today, or maybe…!
Suddenly, the door to the roof opens, revealing a blue-haired boy, obviously dead tired, but seemingly no worse for wear. He turns to see his loving girlfriend, and his haggard face turns into a small smile.
“”Hey Fuuka,” he says, “Sorry for making you wait.”
“Oh, it’s alright, Mako!” the teal-haired girl assures him, “I wasn’t waiting that long!”
“So, why’d you call me up here?”
“I.. umm… I wanted to give you these.” Fuuka hands over a small heart-shaped box. “I… umm… wanted to make you something mechanical for today, to show you how much I’ve grown, but I didn’t think doing something with my hobby was enough to convey how I felt… So I went with something a little more traditional. I think it turned out okay. Well, Yukari-chan said they tasted fine, at least.”
Makoto just looks at the small girl and smiles again, “Fuuka, I’d be happy with anything you’d give me. But thanks for the chocolates… I almost forgot that it’s Valentine’s today. Can I eat them now?”
Fuuka nods nervously as Makoto opens the box and sees disorganized rows of chocolate pieces. The pieces themselves are a little misshapen and some seem to be a little runny, but Makoto doesn’t mind and pops one in his mouth. He smiles.
“These taste great, Fuuka. Good job.”
Fuuka’s expression brightens. “Really? I’m so happy you like them, Mako!” Fuuka says, “To be honest, I was worried about today. But seeing you like my work makes all the effort worthwhile.”
The two sit next to each other on a bench. Fuuka leans her head on Makoto’s shoulder and contently sighs.
“You know, Mako… this reminds me of our first real conversation together. Remember? We talked about me wanting to thank everyone for helping me… Huh?” Fuuka suddenly snaps out of her reminiscing, “Helping me…? With what…?”
Makoto, his neutral face unchanging, asks, “Is something wrong, Fuuka?”
Not wanting to worry him on a special day like this, Fuuka shakes her head. “No, it’s nothing, Mako. Anyway, what I wanted to say was… I sometimes wonder… what would have happened if I never had the courage to ask for your help then. Would I have been the same as I was before?”
Makoto looks at the girl, then gently grabs hold of her hand. “You’ve grown so much over this year Fuuka, and that’s not because of me. You found the strength in yourself to change for the better. I’m so proud of you. I know that, no matter what happens, you’ll always find the right path.”
Fuuka giggles. “Thank you, Mako… Umm, I know we tell each other this every day, so it might sound a little strange hearing me be a little nervous to say it, but I really want it to mean something today,” Fuuka takes a deep breath, “I love you, Mako. So very much. I can’t imagine my life without you.”
Makoto simply smiles. “I love you too, Fuuka. I’ll get you something nice for White Day, I promise.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that, Mako… Still, it makes me happy that you want to do something for me.”
“I know I don’t have to, but I still want to.”
“Then… I want to spend the day with you, Mako. Just the two of us,” Fuuka says with a blush creeping up on her face.
Makoto's face seems to fall before returning to a smile. “I’ll spend as much time with you as you want. Although, I’d probably want to do that anyway.”
Not noticing Makoto’s split second reaction, Fuuka smiles back. “It’s a promise, okay, Mako? We’ll spend every day together!”
Makoto smiles again before going into a coughing fit. Surprised and concerned, Fuuka asks, “What’s wrong, Mako?”
“It’s nothing, Fuuka. Just… haven’t been sleeping well.”
Worried, Fuuka stares at him before an idea strikes her and another blush creeps up on her face. “W-Well, umm… H-Here.” Fuuka pats her lap with both her hands. “Rest your head here for a while.”
Makoto’s tired eyes widen in surprise, before he decides to answer her courage. He shifts so that his head lays on top of her lap, which he finds surprisingly soft, despite her small and thin build.
“Sleep well, Mako.
I’ll always love you…”
One year later…
A young woman sits by a gravestone. She’s holding a box, opened to reveal neatly prepared rows of chocolate, much better in appearance from her attempt the previous year.
“Hi Mako… It’s me, Fuuka,” The woman says, “Happy Valentine’s day… It’s our second one since we started going out… although it’s the first one I’ve had without you… Then again, we only went out for a year.” Fuuka laughs a little sadly.
“You know, that was our first and last Valentine’s together… But thinking about it again makes me happy… But It also makes me a bit sad…
You knew, didn’t you? You knew what would happen to you… All this time, You knew that you would…” Fuuka’s breath hitches and she wipes tears from her eyes, “And yet, you promised me that we’d always be together… Although, I guess it’s been proving true all this time.”
Fuuka looks down. “It… still hurts, you know? Knowing that you’re not here… Knowing we won’t spend any more Valentine’s together… No matter how much I move on, no matter what I experience, I just feel… so sad, not being able to spend time with you anymore,” Fuuka pauses, closes her eyes, then continues, “But I know I have to be strong. For the future you gave your life for, I have to be. And, you know what? Sometimes, when I feel like I can’t go on by myself, I think about you, and how much you supported me… And it gives me strength.”
Fuuka looks up to the sky and smiles. “I love you, Mako. Even if you’re not here with us — with me — anymore, I still love you. And I know you love me. I’ll keep that in my heart forever.
Oh yeah, I almost forgot! I made chocolates again this year! …Though you can’t eat them. Umm… Well, Yukari-chan said that they taste pretty good this time too… And they’ve set much better! Now they actually look like hearts instead of some sort of semi-solid goop!”
Fuuka pops one into her mouth and chews. She didn’t do anything special with it, but the rich taste permeates through her mouth. “It’s sweet, just the flavor I was looking for. I think you’d like it.”
Fuuka spends a long time reminiscing about her time with Makoto by his grave. Someday , she thinks to herself, I’ll be able to meet him again. Until then, I’ll live my life to the fullest, with no regrets, just as he wanted me to.