Secret Santa
For Aoife-Hime: A Secret Santa Request that turned into a Valentines Day request.
Title: A Pitiful Man
Fandom: CCS
Characters: Sonomi Daidouji, Fujitaka Kinomoto
Rating:
Setting: Post canon
****
They strolled together down the brick sidewalk of downtown Tomoeda, braving the lingering February chill on a mellow Sunday afternoon. Half an hour ago, Sonomi was tucked away on her sofa with a book and quilt when the phone on the coffee table rang; Fujitaka was in the neighborhood, and he was wondering whether she would like to have tea.
She's noticed that he happened to be in her neighborhood a lot lately, and he has noticed that she's found more time to stay home and read on weekend afternoons.
"Wasn't Valentines Days last week?"
Sonomi stiffened. "Was it? I hardly noticed."
The grownups shared a short chuckle, followed by a long uncomfortable silence as they passed by a row of stores decked out in heart-shapes and numerous shades of pink. "Anyways, I realized it was St. Valentines Day when Touya came home with a bag full of chocolates."
"Still popular with the girls?"
"Apparently so. He's received a chocolate form his former middle school teacher, two from former high school classmates, one from Sakura, another from Tomoyo, and..." He managed to contain the emotion in his voice. "Oh yes, one from his aunt as well."
Sonomi wished that a hole would appear in the ground and swallow her up. She nudged a twig with the tip of her shoes. "I hope Touya-kun enjoyed it."
"Well, I didn't get to sample any, but judging by his reaction I'd say the dark-chocolate raspberry bar was quite the hit." Fujitaka felt like a heel--he thought his self esteem hit rock bottom then, but now found himself sinking to new record depths. "I did not know you made chocolates."
She laughed nervously. "I saw the girls in the kitchen and decided to lend a hand. I ended up being more of a hindrance than help." This was a lie; she arranged for the chocolate making to be at her home this year, and during tasting everyone agreed hers was the best.
"I see." Weighed down by feelings of guilt and pitifulness from harboring envy against his own son for all the past week, he was unable to contain his despondency any longer. Stopping in front of a bargain bin outside a convenience store, he picked up one of the chocolates from the pile with a blank look on his face. He stared at the pile of leftovers, pathetic and unwanted, perfectly befitting a man like himself. He made a move towards the register.
Just as he was about to commit the unthinkable, a slender hand clasped his wrist and pulled him back from the figurative brink. The chocolate with the half-off sticker fell back into the bin.
Sonomi could bear to watch no more. "I... I just remembered!"
She reached into her bag and thrust into his hands a ornately wrapped-and-bowed box. Fujitaka looked at the red and silver box, then looked back at the woman who was intensely preoccupied with the traffic sign across the street. "For me?"
By now her face was redder than warranted by the weather. "Yes! No! I mean I had some left after I made Sakura and Tomoyo and Touya's. So it's not like I made them especially for you or anything! You got that?"
As if on signal, a black limo sped around the corner and pulled to a stop. Sonomi hopped in and the car sped away, leaving a dumbfounded Fujitaka standing on the curb.
Five minutes later he was still there when a mother and child passed by. "Mommy, why is that man giggling at the tree?"
"Shh. Don't look."
****
Tomoyo watched her mother rest her face in her hands from across the passenger compartment. "How did it go?"
"It was a disaster! He definitely thinks I like him now."
Tomoyo smiled and said nothing.
***
Title: A Pitiful Man
Fandom: CCS
Characters: Sonomi Daidouji, Fujitaka Kinomoto
Rating:
Setting: Post canon
****
They strolled together down the brick sidewalk of downtown Tomoeda, braving the lingering February chill on a mellow Sunday afternoon. Half an hour ago, Sonomi was tucked away on her sofa with a book and quilt when the phone on the coffee table rang; Fujitaka was in the neighborhood, and he was wondering whether she would like to have tea.
She's noticed that he happened to be in her neighborhood a lot lately, and he has noticed that she's found more time to stay home and read on weekend afternoons.
"Wasn't Valentines Days last week?"
Sonomi stiffened. "Was it? I hardly noticed."
The grownups shared a short chuckle, followed by a long uncomfortable silence as they passed by a row of stores decked out in heart-shapes and numerous shades of pink. "Anyways, I realized it was St. Valentines Day when Touya came home with a bag full of chocolates."
"Still popular with the girls?"
"Apparently so. He's received a chocolate form his former middle school teacher, two from former high school classmates, one from Sakura, another from Tomoyo, and..." He managed to contain the emotion in his voice. "Oh yes, one from his aunt as well."
Sonomi wished that a hole would appear in the ground and swallow her up. She nudged a twig with the tip of her shoes. "I hope Touya-kun enjoyed it."
"Well, I didn't get to sample any, but judging by his reaction I'd say the dark-chocolate raspberry bar was quite the hit." Fujitaka felt like a heel--he thought his self esteem hit rock bottom then, but now found himself sinking to new record depths. "I did not know you made chocolates."
She laughed nervously. "I saw the girls in the kitchen and decided to lend a hand. I ended up being more of a hindrance than help." This was a lie; she arranged for the chocolate making to be at her home this year, and during tasting everyone agreed hers was the best.
"I see." Weighed down by feelings of guilt and pitifulness from harboring envy against his own son for all the past week, he was unable to contain his despondency any longer. Stopping in front of a bargain bin outside a convenience store, he picked up one of the chocolates from the pile with a blank look on his face. He stared at the pile of leftovers, pathetic and unwanted, perfectly befitting a man like himself. He made a move towards the register.
Just as he was about to commit the unthinkable, a slender hand clasped his wrist and pulled him back from the figurative brink. The chocolate with the half-off sticker fell back into the bin.
Sonomi could bear to watch no more. "I... I just remembered!"
She reached into her bag and thrust into his hands a ornately wrapped-and-bowed box. Fujitaka looked at the red and silver box, then looked back at the woman who was intensely preoccupied with the traffic sign across the street. "For me?"
By now her face was redder than warranted by the weather. "Yes! No! I mean I had some left after I made Sakura and Tomoyo and Touya's. So it's not like I made them especially for you or anything! You got that?"
As if on signal, a black limo sped around the corner and pulled to a stop. Sonomi hopped in and the car sped away, leaving a dumbfounded Fujitaka standing on the curb.
Five minutes later he was still there when a mother and child passed by. "Mommy, why is that man giggling at the tree?"
"Shh. Don't look."
****
Tomoyo watched her mother rest her face in her hands from across the passenger compartment. "How did it go?"
"It was a disaster! He definitely thinks I like him now."
Tomoyo smiled and said nothing.
***