Bonbon Bonanza [Dan/Shibani]

Dan let out a heavy sigh as he was finishing up making his treats for the day. His eyes kept gazing over at the small note on his counter.

Hey, Dan! 
I'll be out for the day, but I promise I'll be back later, so don't worry if you don't see me in the back.
See you later!
-Shibani  <3

Honestly, what does he think he's doing, slipping out before I'm even awake, Dan thought, skillfully drizzling the soy glaze over some mitarashi dango. Even when he was unfocused his skills were never matched by any other at what he does, but he just couldn't help his mind from running free at what Shibani could possibly be up to. The bun was incredibly lazy- it was strange for him to get up at all, let alone get up early. It must have been something very important, thus it worried Dan, even if it didn't show on his near scowling face.

Dan gently picked the dango plates up and began setting them up in his shop, ready for customers to flow in for them. For now he'll just have to wait and see if Shibani comes back. "If," simply because he wasn't sure if the guy would pass out wherever he went. Somehow, this only made Dan worry more, and the first poor bun that walked into his shop was met with quite the intense stare, nearly spooking the fur right off of them.

"Daaan...I'm baaack..." Shibani dragged out sleepily as he pulled himself into the shop. The day was almost over and the guy looked like he was about to collapse at any given moment.

Dan gazed at Shibani, lifting a brow slightly in question. It was all that was needed for the albino to understand.

With a sleepy smile and a sheepish laugh, Shibani lazed his way over to the counter and held out a medium sized, dark pink box with a white bow on it. "Here. I hope you.."- the bun's words were interrupted by a yawn- "...mm..I hope you like them. It took me all day to make."

Dan stared at the box held out to him for a long moment. It was almost comical; the white bun slowly leaned himself farther and farther over the counter until his entire upper body was resting on it, elbows on the surface, the box still being held carefully in his hands, while Dan just stared at it as if it would pop open some catastrophe at any given moment. It was like debating Pandora's Box.

"Daaan..." Shibani whined tiredly, his face planting onto the counter in exhaustion. "Take it already, my arms are gonna fall off.."

With a small sigh Dan finally took the box from his companion, glancing over it carefully. The box itself was bought, but the bow was definitely Shibani's work. It tucked itself neatly into the sides of the lid so it could be removed without the bow getting completely untied. Dan wondered for a moment if it was tacked on with hot glue. Still, the bun was usually lazy at making things, so there was a -morbid- curiosity. The larger man set the box carefully on the counter before lifting the lid straight off, leaning over to see what he had just revealed. 

....

Paper. The waxed kind you find in pastry boxes. Now Dan really didn't know what he was getting into.

Dan lifted the paper up from the box and looked inside. Chocolates. About a dozen of them. His blue eyes gazed over the scene before him and there was a deep part of his confectioner soul that died at that moment. While the chocolate looked like they were used with proper molds, there were drizzles and lumps, fingerprints and little bits of the filling seeping out of some, and others that looked as if they had gave up on life on the way back to the dango shop. To most it wouldn't look too bad. To a professional, it was what a battlefield looked like on the losing side. Dan's gaze trailed up to meet Shibani's.

"So? Are you gonna try one?" the white bun asked him. His eyes were nearly closed but he still had that sweet smile on his face, his arms folded over the counter and his mochi-soft cheek squished against one of them as it rested there. "I've never made chocolate before." The bun let out a soft yawn, little tears pricking at the corners of his eyes. "It was..really difficult."

There was a silence that filled the room for the moment. Dan's quiet stare didn't cause Shibani any discomfort. He was used to the way the large bun was, anyway, and could tell what he was thinking.

"'Why?' I wanted to make you something. That's all." He gave Dan a gentle smile, yawning out once again. He was barely keeping his eyes open, but he wanted to see what his companion thought of his effort. "You're always making stuff. I wanted to try something, too."

Those eyes, that smile, his words. There was no way that Dan could resist it. With a sigh he gave in, carefully reaching into the box and taking out a more stable looking chocolate. He could tell this one was full of some kind of cream. It smelled vaguely like vanilla, so that's what he assumed. Without waiting any longer- otherwise he'd regret staring at it too long- Dan placed it in his mouth and bit in.

How would he describe such a thing?

The texture for chocolate candies wasn't great. It felt very melted and didn't have that bite that most people would want, plus at times it almost felt grainy. The flavor, however, was decent enough, though there was some strange things added in. He tasted more salt than necessary, but going by the box, he assumed the one next to this one was salted caramel, and that one looked like it came out of a tar pit. He could feel the happiness roll off Shibani in waves as he reached in for another to test that one as well. Once again, the texture was off, and it had a life-sapping grip to the bottom of the box, but the flavor wasn't bad at all. Dan was a bit impressed even, since this was something Shibani worked hard to make.

"Hehe. Surprised?" The smaller man was smiling with sleepy glee. "I did have some help, but I couldn't get the chocolate to work right. I hope you...like it." Shibani smiled through another yawn, finally closing his eyes. He started slipping off the counter, his cheek getting squished more into his arm as his body started to relax.

Within seconds Dan was around the counter grabbing Shibani before the man collapsed onto the floor- for a brief moment his mind thought about the bun's white color being akin to a mop- and scooping him up into his strong arms.

"Seriously.." Dan quietly mumbled as he turned and began carrying the limp man towards the back room where his pillow piled beckoned for his dreams. "At least wait for a response." With gentle movements the confectioner carefully placed Shibani among the pillows, throwing a few over him just the way he liked it when he burrowed. Quiet, sleepy murmurs followed after a soft smile as Shibani nuzzled his face into his pile and drifted farther off into his slumber, if that was even possible.

Dan shook his head slightly and stood up, turning to go back into the kitchen where the chocolates waited for him. It wasn't something he expected, and he wasn't sure how to approach receiving such a gift, but the gesture made his chest feel warm and his fondness grow for the lazy man. He carefully put the lid back on the box, moving it over towards the fridge to store it. Perhaps cooling it off would strengthen the structure of them a bit. Regardless of how they looked, Dan wouldn't let the chocolates go to waste. His eye may be critical, but any gesture of effort from Shibani meant a lot coming from him. In a way it wasn't the product that showed his care, but the work he put into anything he did.

The box was nestled among the rest of Dan's ingredients and treats that he stored, looking almost like it belonged there. His gaze softened for just a moment before he quietly closed the door.

Perhaps the two of them were rubbing off on each other.