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“Alright, the time has come!” Suzu called out as he entered the break room, holding out a small bag wrapped in a light blue bow, the inside full of chocolates. “We should all compare what we got.”
No one had to guess who the sweets were from. Suzu had been practically glowing all week over the plans his boyfriend had made with him for Valentine’s Day. The chocolates were clearly handmade too, shaped into stars and hearts.
Ten tapped a finger to his chin, considering the question as he got dressed for his shift. “Do any chocolates we got count? Or do they have to be from a romantic interest?”
“Hmm...romance chocolates only,” Suzu clarified.
“Then I’m out of the running,” Ten said with an exaggerated sigh, a tear welling up in one eye. “I’ve been so busy lately, no girls are giving me the time of day...”
The two cafe lovebirds looked at each other, and grabbed something out of their bags, proffering them for examination. “Look at what Tetsu got me!!” Mogumo exclaimed, beaming with happiness for the gift they had received. Their boyfriend looked equally giddy with his gift from Mogumo.
With a scrutinizing gaze, Suzu examined both before trying to smile. “Those are okay ...but they kind of look...store bought? Though the spirit is important, too, I suppose.”
Face falling, Mogumo started to sulk, though that improved when Tetsu put a hand on their shoulder and told them, “You got me white chocolate, though. I’m happy you remembered my favorite.”
There was only one left in the room who had not participated, and soon all eyes were on her. Mei was pointedly looking at her phone, blushing under the scrutiny.
With no tact whatsoever, Ten just walked over and started looking through Mei’s bag. “What treasures shall I find...”
“Ahh!” Mei snatched the bag into her hands, holding it possessively away from Ten. “Stop it!” When Ten reached over anyway, Mei took something out and held it up for everyone to see. “Okay, fine, I got chocolate too!”
Everyone crowded closer to look at the chocolates. After all, Mei had gone out of her way to hide them. There had to be something interesting about them.
That hypothesis turned out to be correct. It was obvious these hadn’t come out of a store, with several designs mixed together, none of them simple. They were in a peach bag, and there was a tag on the pink ribbon, reading simply, “Happy Valentine’s Day, Mei <3”
“Wait, Mei, do you have a boyfriend?”
“Or a girlfriend?”
“It could be a partner.”
They all started talking, with the exception of Mogumo, who was staring at the label with a look of concentration on their face. While everyone bombarded Mei with questions, making her increasingly uncomfortable, Mogumo finally placed where they had seen that handwriting before. Gasping, they asked, “Mei! Did Kotone give you these?!”
Everyone went silent, waiting for the answer. Rather than saying anything, Mei just nodded. Starting to grin, Ten asked, “Are you two dating ?” Another nod. “Spill the beans, girl!”
And so Mei began her story.
It was a month before, and Mei had been getting groceries when she ran into Kotone. The dark haired girl was perusing the produce, and hadn’t noticed Mei was there. Looking down at herself, Mei considered if that was because she wasn’t at work, or if it was because she looked too boyish.
She was in girlmode, wearing cute clothes, and she’d gotten a few gender euphoria sparking comments from strangers while out today, so her make-up must have looked good. She fidgeted with her pigtails, took a deep breath, and approached. “Kotone?”
Turning to look at her, Kotone took a moment to realize who she was before smiling. “Oh, hi Mei. Are you shopping too?” A small amount of tension had come into her body language, but Mei tried not to focus on that.
Honestly, it was hard to focus on anything except how cute Kotone was. While she would never have admitted it to her friends, Mei had a crush on the girl since they first met. Though her attitude to the cafe and its employees had been a stumbling block at first, Kotone had warmed up to them all, at least a little, in the few other times she’d stopped by.
“Yeah, I am,” Mei said, holding up her shopping bag. For a second, it looked like Kotone might turn around and just get back to what she was doing, so in a moment of panic Mei asked, “Do you want to shop together?”
The question clearly surprised Kotone, but she didn’t object. “That works for me.” They started looking at produce together, before she cut the silence again with another query. “How are all the other boys at the cafe?”
Even though Mei knew Kotone didn’t mean anything by that, she still winced a little. It was strange how by accepting she could really just be a girl, liberating as that was, she made the dysphoria of other people’s comments worse. “Oh, they’re all fine. But, um...” and then she tried to say something, but was far too quiet for Kotone to hear her.
That got her full attention. “What was that?” She seemed a little annoyed by the sudden timidity, but also obviously curious.
“I’m not a boy?” The words felt hard to say, even after months of claiming ‘trans girl’ as her identity, and it seemed by the narrowing of Kotone’s eyes that she was skeptical. “N-not like Mogumo, I’m not nonbinary, I’m just a girl.” She fidgeted a little under the other girl’s scrutiny.
Of all things, Mei was not expecting Kotone to slowly nod her head. “...that makes sense. When I first met everyone, they all made me uncomfortable, but you were fine.” Now looking a little off-footed herself, she struggled to ask, “Are you...have you just changed your clothes, or...?”
With a sigh, Mei shook her head. “Just a social transition, at least so far. I’m out to my parents, and they’re actually really supportive, but the most I can do right now are hormone blockers. It’s...really hard to do more than that, since I’m a minor, but I’m trying.” She didn’t like to put a negative spin on it. It would all work out.
After that, they moved throughout the store in silence, the conversation seemingly dropped, before Kotone spoke up again. “You look cute.” The comment turned Mei into a blushing mess, and even Kotone looked a little flushed as she clarified, “I mean, your clothes. They look good on you.”
Unable to stop herself, Mei did a little spin, enjoying how her skirt twirled with the motion. Giggling, she agreed. “They do! Ten actually helped me pick them out, he has a great eye for women’s fashion.” Heart still beating fast from that comment, she threw out, “You’re cute too.” She did not clarify what part of Kotone she was referring to.
Kotone opened her mouth a few times to say something, but no words came out. Finally, she managed to ask, “Are you...um, do you...are you a girl who likes other girls?”
Still red-faced, Mei nodded. “Yep. Guys too, but I think I prefer girls.” She kneeled down to look at the different brands of rice, before picking one to add to her bag. “Going to school as Mei has earned me a lot more female friends, but none of them...” She shrugged, standing up and continuing down the aisle. “...not a lot of girls are interested.”
A sudden pull stopped Mei in her tracks, and she realized numbly that Kotone had grabbed her by the arm, looking at her with tears in her eyes. “I...I get that. It’s really hard, everyone being so into boys, trying to find someone else who...” She left the thought unfinished, but Mei understood anyway.
Mouth suddenly feeling far too dry, Mei thought about what to say, then took a step closer. “Well...I found you. And you found me.” Kotone nodded, smiling even while her tears ran down her cheeks. “Did you want to...go and see a movie? Maybe tomorrow, after school?”
“You asked her out...in a grocery store?” Ten asked, clearly disappointed.
Mei fidgeted. “Well, it just kind of happened...”
“I think it’s beautiful!” Mogumo exclaimed. “Kotone’s been wanting a girlfriend for a long time now, and you’re perfect for her.” They gasped, then turned to their boyfriend. “Tetsu!! We should go on a double date with them!”
“Are you all finished changing in there?” The very girl they’d been speaking of was talking from outside the room.
Suddenly smiling radiantly, Mei called out, “Yep!” Her girlfriend entered, eyes going to Mei immediately, before looking down at Mogumo. Kotone looked a little more guarded than usual, sparked by the way everyone had their attention on her. Sighing, Mei explained, “They found out...sorry.”
Crossing the distance between them, Kotone took Mei’s hand in hers, holding it firmly and facing everyone else. “It’s fine, I was going to tell Mogumo today anyway.” Throwing out a glare more like the ones she used on her first visit, she told everyone but Mogumo, “If any of you boys makes Mei upset, I’m going to make you regret being born.” Then, as if marking her territory, she kissed Mei on the cheek.
Kotone started showing up at the cafe more often, doting on Mei in a way that frequently left the girl a blushing mess. When Mogumo did finally ask about a double date, Kotone said she’d consider it.
Any attempt to actually plan the double date got pushed back, further and further, through high school and into college.