#serumina

[pickalilywrites]

Marcel x Mina Valentines date.

saw this amazing rare pair pop up in my inbox and thought "anon, you know exactly what you're doing"

like-minded

serumina. high school au. 3359 words. read on ao3.

Mina stands in front of the mirror unhappily, turning this way and that to examine her outfit at all angles. She’s picked out several different outfits for this date a week ago and had enlisted Annie’s help last night to make the final selection, but she’s still worried that Marcel will think her outfit is childish which is ridiculous because Marcel would never think that. He’s too nice, and Mina is clearly overthinking things. She knows all this, and yet she can’t help but frown at her reflection — the pigtails she had tied and untied several dozen times before deciding to keep them, the knitted pastel pink sweater studded with pearls, the black knee-length skirt, the tights decorated with hearts, and the shiny Mary Jane heels. Although she knows she’s bothered Annie more than Annie deserves over these past few days, Mina picks up her phone and calls her best friend for the fifth time that morning.  

“What?” Annie asks. She’s forgone pleasantries after Mina called the second time. To others, Annie might sound disgruntled, but Mina knows this is Annie’s usual tone. In the background, Mina can hear a movie playing — probably Legally Blonde or 13 Going on 30 knowing Annie’s preference for watching romcoms in bed while clearing out a box of chocolates by herself on Valentine’s Day instead of going on a date. 

“I don’t know about this,” Mina says, and she hears Annie sigh on the other end. Mina bites her lip and paces back and forth in front of her mirror, trying hard not to glance at her reflection. With her other hand, she plays with the hem of her skirt. “What if Marcel hates it? What if he regrets going out with me? What if he never speaks to me again?” 

The sound of rustling can be heard on the other end as Annie adjusts herself on her bed to a sitting position. The movie stops playing and Mina feels a bit guilty about interrupting her friend’s movie marathon once more. 

“Mina, you should give yourself and Marcel more credit,” Annie says. Despite her rough exterior, she’s incredibly patient as she speaks to Mina. “He asked you out because he likes you, and you’re an amazing person. The only way to make him regret a date with you is to be the complete opposite of who you are, and I don’t see that happening. And it’s clear that Marcel took a lot of time and effort to prepare this date. Didn’t you tell me that he was asking you what your favorite places were and what your ideal date would be just so he could curate the perfect Valentine’s Day date?”  

Mina flushes at the reminder. It’s true that Marcel had asked her about her date preferences prior to Valentine’s Day. She had asked him earlier if she could take a glimpse of the itinerary but he had refused, telling her he wanted it to be a surprise. She trusts Marcel enough to know that she’ll love it, and she’s touched at how much care he had taken to ensure she’d have a good time. She really should stop letting herself be consumed with worry and just enjoy today.  

“Anyway, you should just have fun. Marcel should be there soon,” Annie says. 

Mina glances at the clock on her wall and realizes that it’s almost 11. She swears under her breath and mumbles a hasty goodbye to Annie. Sure enough, Mina finds a text from Marcel on her screen letting her know that he’s waiting for her outside.  

Mina grabs her heart-shaped pouch hanging from the back of her chair and is about to bolt out of her room and down the stairs to meet Marcel, but she hesitates when the couple’s keychains sitting on her dresser catch her eye. She had bought them the other day impulsively thinking they were cute, but she’s hesitant to give them to Marcel now. Do people give each other couple’s keychains anymore? It’s something that had been popular in middle school, but they’re in high school now and she’s afraid that Marcel will find it childish. The design is simple — matching plush bears  a little larger than her thumb except one has a pink heart stitched on its chest while the other has a blue heart. Mina picks them up and examines them, biting her lip as she debates on whether she should take them. In the end, she shoves them into her pouch, not wanting to keep Marcel waiting any longer.  

She nearly trips over her own foot as she flies down the stairs. Maybe she should have taken a little more time instead of running down to see Marcel as soon as possible, but the thought of keeping him waiting for one second longer than necessary would kill her. She’s breathless when she throws open the door and runs out to meet him. Her cheeks are probably flushed right now, most definitely a deeper shade of pink than her sweater, but Marcel doesn’t notice or is too polite to say anything about it.  

“You look amazing,” he says to Mina with a broad smile on his face.  

“Oh, this? Thank you. I just threw it together this morning,” Mina says, giving her outfit a casual glance. She’s trying to play it cool even as she’s catching her breath.  

“I’m a lucky guy,” Marcel laughs, and Mina can feel herself turn an even deeper shade of pink. He fiddles with something in his pocket for a bit. At first Mina thinks he’s going to fish something out, but his hands remain in his pockets and he gives Mina rueful grin. “Shall we get going? Our schedule is kind of packed today.”  

“Sure,” Mina says. She walks side-by-side with Marcel, their footsteps in tandem with Marcel only slightly ahead of her so that he can take the lead. She tries not to stare too wistfully at the hands Marcel still has stuffed in his pockets. She imagines his hands swinging freely at his sides and the backs of their hands brushing as they walked alongside each other. She’s so lost in her daydream that she almost doesn’t realize Marcel is speaking. 

“... take care of everything,” Marcel is saying. He glances at Mina and she quickly diverts her gaze to stare at her shoes. “If you happen to dislike it midway, just let me know. I planned alternatives just in case.”  

“Wow, you really prepared for this,” Mina says. 

“Of course,” Marcel laughs. Mina might be imagining it, but he seems to be blushing slightly. “I want you to enjoy it.”  

Mina knows she’ll love it, and she’s only more certain of it when Marcel leads her to Charming Confections, a cute baroque-themed café with flowers and sparkling chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, that she’s always meant to go to but had never gone because it was so crowded. She had mentioned wanting to visit months ago, but she had never thought Marcel would remember and take her here. He probably had to make a reservation weeks in advanced.  

She peers over the top of the menu to gaze at Marcel who’s busy deciding on what to order. She’s well aware of the stares he’s receiving from other girls, some of which are with their own boyfriends but are unable to tear their eyes away from the good-looking, dark-haired boy that’s accompanying her. Mina doesn’t blame them. Marcel is ridiculously handsome, but she’s the only one who knows how thoughtful and kind he is. The thought that he’s decided to go out with her on Valentine’s Day instead of anyone else fills her with warmth.  

Marcel’s eyes flit upward at Mina, surprising her. “Did you decide what you wanted to order yet?” he asks.  

Mina pretends to have been looking at the menu all along even though she’s memorized all the dishes and beverages after spending so much time imagining her perfect date here. She purses her lips. “The breakfast croissant looks good, but so does the salmon penne pasta.”  

“Oh, that’s great. I was looking at those two, too,” Marcel says. His eyes crinkle so adorably when he smiles. Mina wonders if he knows. “If you’re okay with it, we can order those and split it so we can both try it.”  

“I’d like that a lot,” Mina says.  

Despite the crowd, service is quick and they’re soon presented with the breakfast croissant and salmon penne pasta. The breakfast croissant is divine: a buttery, flaky croissant served with an egg cooked sunny side up, seasoned with salt and pepper and garnished with green onions that have been slightly scorched in the pan. On the side are pineapple sausages cut into slices and served along with a small salad drizzled with vinaigrette. The salmon penne pasta is plated in a stylish pan and covered in a creamy alfredo sauce, topped with fragrant thyme leaves as a garnish.  

Mina thought she wouldn’t be able to get any food down eating in front of Marcel, but he makes her so comfortable by leading the conversation that she forgets why she was nervous in the first place. They trade stories about their respective middle schools — Mina had gone to Shiganshina Middle School while Marcel had attended Liberio Middle School with Annie — and Mina laughs at all the shenanigans Marcel had gotten into with his brother and their friends as preteens. Every once and a while he’ll ask Mina how she’s enjoying the food and share a forkful of his pasta with her. Just as they’re about to finish their plates, a waitress comes out with a small chocolate cake. It’s one that Mina had always had her eye on because it looked so decadent and rich, but she could never justify the cost of buying a slice of cake for herself at a café when she could just go to the grocery store and buy a whole cake for the same price.  

Mina looks at Marcel with surprise.  

“Sorry, I couldn’t resist. They just look so good,” Marcel laughs as he wipes his mouth with a napkin. He pushes the dessert plate towards Mina first. “I’ve always wanted to try one, and I thought now might be a good time since I could share it with you.”  

Mina bites back a smile and confesses, “I’ve always wanted to try this, too.”  

“It’s great that we came here together then,” Marcel says. He watches as Mina takes the first bite, but he waits for her to swallow before asking, “How is it?”  

Mina raises her hand to touch her cheek as she tries to recall the experience of eating the first bite. She can still taste the cake on her tongue, the rich, velvety cake and the decadent dark chocolate frosting with just the right amount of bittersweet. “Amazing,” she tells Marcel. 

Marcel grins and takes a bite of his own. He doesn’t even finish chewing when his mouth falls open and he has to cover his mouth with his hand in embarrassment. “Oh, wow, you weren’t kidding. This is incredible.”  

The two continue eating the chocolate cake, savoring every bit, and each agree that it’s the best cake that they’ve ever eaten. When they finally finish, Marcel tips the waitress generously and thanks her for the wonderful service. He leads Mina out the door of the café with an excited grin on his lips, but he doesn’t tell Mina where they’re going.  

“You’ll know when we get there,” he assures Mina. 

As they get closer and closer to the destination, Mina does find that the road is becoming more and more familiar. When she realizes where they are, she puts her hands over her mouth in surprise.  

“The arcade?” she asks. She had mentioned to Marcel once that she enjoyed going to the arcade in middle school but had fallen out of the habit once she went to high school because she needed more time to study. It’s been ages since she’s stepped foot here. “You really want to go?” 

“You made it sound so enticing, how could I not?” Marcel grins. He opens the door open for Mina and gestures for her to go in.  

With only one foot through the door, Mina is hit by a wave of nostalgia. The arcade pulses with brainless pop music that she knows she’ll forget as soon as she steps outside. She remembers the colorful carpet, the arcade games lining the aisles, and the claw machines that have taken far more of her money than she’s willing to admit. It takes her back to a simpler time and she can’t help but bounce on the heels of her toes in excitement. 

“You’re the expert, Carolina. Which one should we hit up first?” Marcel asks.  

“Oh, gosh, there are so many good ones,” Mina says and her eyes gaze over all the different arcade games they have. They don’t seem to have changed very much from when she had been there last although there are a lot more claw machines in the corner than she remembers.  

She ends up leading Marcel to a racing game she had probably wasted hours on as a middle schooler. He laughs when she shows him the high score she had gotten in the seventh grade that still hasn’t been beaten and jokingly tells her that he’ll get his name in the top ten. He doesn’t, but he put in a good effort and he claps when Mina manages to rank in the top five despite not playing in years.  

She shows him whack-a-mole next. It seems easy to those who haven’t played it before, but it’s much more difficult than one would think. Marcel gets frustrated after missing the first few and lets out an excited yell that makes Mina giggle. She advises him to relax a little bit, to just let his body react rather than acting first, and he soon begins to get the hang of it. He hits three in a row and lets out a victorious roar that causes Mina to bend over in a fit of giggles once more.  

They play DDR, which Marcel picks up quickly. Mina probably should have expected it from one of the school’s best athletes. They play all the trending pop songs and Marcel isn’t even breaking a sweat after the fifth round. Mina, however, is red-faced and breathless and begs for a break.  

“How come you haven’t taken me to the claw machines?” Marcel asks as he waits for Mina to catch her breath. He gestures towards the claw machines that are lining the side of the room. “Aren’t they popular with couples? I could win you something.”  

Mina shakes her head, although she’s delighted with Marcel referring to them as a couple. “Those things are money vacuums. They take all you have and give you nothing in return. I’m only keeping you away from your own good. I know how addicting they can be.” 

“Well, I won’t be addicted. I’ll win you something, and you’ll regret not having told me sooner,” Marcel says. Even as Mina rolls her eyes, Marcel struts confidently over to a claw machine. He picks one that has different Sanrio plushies and gives Mina a grin as he slides a dollar into the slot. “Just you wait, Mina. I’m going to get you a Pompompurin.” 

Mina doesn’t reply. She just watches as Marcel takes the stick and guides the claw towards the Pompompurin plush in the corner. She can feel his excitement as the claw grasps the plush dog and pulls it free from the mountain of Sanrio plushies. Just as the claw is making its journey back, the Pompompurin slips from its grip and falls back into the pile of plushies.  

Mina leans against the claw machine and gives Marcel an “I told you so” look.  

“I have more money,” Marcel says and immediately starts for his wallet until Mina grabs him by the wrist and stops him.  

“No, I’m cutting you off,” she giggles and Marcel gives her a grin. She notices that she’s holding his wrist and lets go, clasping her hands together. Flustered, she asks, “Should we try out a different game?”  

“Sure,” Marcel says and follows Mina as she leads him to the bowling area.  

Once they’re finished with the arcade, Marcel takes Mina to a bookstore that specializes in stationery. A big fan of bullet journaling, Mina marvels at all the different notebooks and pens that are available. She spends more time than she probably should perusing the shelves. Occasionally, she glances over at Marcel to make sure he isn’t bored, but he always gives her a reassuring smile and continues to inspect the stationery selection himself.  

Although Mina insists against it, Marcel purchases a notebook for her. It’s a lined notebook with a soft cover and embossed with a flower in the front. He must have noticed how her gaze had lingered on it longer than the other notebooks in the store. She’s so touched that he had taken so much notice that she vows to never write in it, which makes Marcel chuckle.  

“I had a really great time,” Mina says, cheeks flushing as they walk home together. “I’m really happy you planned everything. It was perfect.”  

“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” Marcel says. “I had a fun time, too.”  

This time, Marcel’s hands hang by his sides as they walk together. Mina tries not to make it obvious that she’s glancing down at his hands, but maybe she’s not as inconspicuous as she thinks she is because Marcel reaches down to hold her hand. He does it casually as if it isn’t a big deal, but it still makes Mina’s heart jump into her throat. Somehow, it reminds her of the keychains that she has in her pouch. 

Should she give it to him? Should she pretend she doesn’t have anything at all and just bid him goodbye? She’s worried that the keychain is childish, but Marcel hadn’t ridiculed any of her likes today. In fact, he had catered everything today to her preferences and he had even enjoyed many of the same things she did. She needs to give him a little more credit. She needs to be a little braver.  

“Wait,” Mina says, letting Marcel’s hand go so that she can dig through her pouch. After a bit, she pulls out the teddy keychains and holds them out to Marcel. She can’t quite decipher the look on his face — something akin to surprise although that’s not quite it — but it’s too late for her to take it back now. “I ... I got these for us. I thought it would be nice ... to have couple’s keychains.”  

She begins to falter when she sees Marcel’s expression. He doesn’t seem excited to see them, and he doesn’t reach out to take any of the keychains either.  

“Only if you want. I can return them, too, if you think it’s too silly,” Mina says quickly. 

“No, no, wait!” Marcel fumbles for something in his pocket and then pulls out two of the same keychains from his pocket. They two bears in his hand look identical to the ones in Mina’s hand. He looks sheepishly at Mina. “I saw these the other day and thought it would be nice if we had them. I just wasn’t sure if you’d like them.”  

Mina is speechless. She doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “What are we going to do with two pairs?” she finally laughs.  

Marcel looks for a moment and then swaps his blue-hearted bear with hers. He grins as he looks down at her puzzled expression.  

“We can each have one of the other person’s. It might look strange to other people that we have a whole set, but we’ll know,” Marcel tells her. He tries to gauge her reaction, but he can’t quite read it. “What are you thinking?” 

Mina’s face breaks into a smile. “I’m thinking that I’m so lucky to have a guy that’s as kind and sweet as you,” she says before surprising him with a kiss on the cheek.  

[goofnuggetkarlaa]

oooohhhhh man apparently the new chapter of kiss him not me is out but i cant find it on my site yet!! Gods i need to see this thing because there’s no way the spoiler i saw is real

IS HE THE GAY??