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Four times Hakupo makes Yukari blush...and one time she makes him.

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She has never liked Hakupo Tsukishiro much.

Loud, clumsy and with an obnoxiously big mouth that never fails to get him into trouble, Hakupo is the kind of person Yukari doesn't like to be associated with, mostly out of fear of embarrassment.

He eats too much, dresses too sloppily, and for the life of her, Yukari can never understand why he finds his so-called "jokes" to be even remotely funny.

But there is this one thing about Hakupo Tsukishiro, one minute detail that makes Yukari's ears warm undeniably and jaw tense ever-so-slightly whenever it crosses her mind.

Hakupo Tsukishiro never fails to make her blush.

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i.

She usually avoids eating sweets. Sure they taste good, and there is definitely something delightful about glass jars filled with colorful licorice sticks and marble-patterned humbugs, but for the sake of her teeth and her growing distaste for anything she deems to be "too fattening", Yukari never really lets herself indulge in sticky confections.

Hakupo does.

It infuriates her to see how he can devour chocolate after chocolate, candy bar after candy bar, and still maintain the same tall, lanky build.

Secretly, Yukari wishes she could do that.

They are in the Confectionery one breezy summer day, the sun glowing almost absurdly bright and the white powdered mochi in the shop even brighter, if possible.

Yukari chews her lip as she watches the others fawn over marshmallows and spun sugar and lemon drops with child-like enthusiasm, Hakupo especially.

In fact, when they finally leave the store over half an hour later, the sheer amount of candy the infuriating boy has managed to buy the shopkeeper out of has Yukari sincerely worried for Hakupo's future state of health.

When she tells him this, chastising his enormous appetite for sweet foods and leveling a disapproving stare in his direction, Hakupo merely chuckles and plunges his hand into his paper bag of confectionery, pulling out a chocolate bar covered in vividly-printed, crinkly plastic wrapping.

He holds it out to her, waggling his hand slightly in encouragement.

Yukari looks away. "No, thanks."

Then something unexpected happens. Hakupo lets his hand drop partially, and Yukari turns to look at him in surprise as he gently nudges her hand out of the way to slip the chocolate bar into the pocket of her coat.

He winks at her, eyes alight with nothing but mischief and a hint of boyish playfulness. "Save it, then. You'll thank me for it later, Bunny-chan~"

She doesn't quite know why, but this is the first time that Yukari realizes that Hakupo Tsukishiro is all too capable of making her blush.

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ii.

If she is to be honest with herself, Yukari would probably say that her little sister Miki is a fundamentally better person than she is.

Miki is sweet, cute and optimistic, loud and fearless.

She, on the other hand, is skittish and a realist, vain and all too concerned with the superficial.

Her little sister Miki is also, Yukari has come to notice, quite fond of Hakupo Tsukishiro.

She often sees the two of them together, laughing and joking around, Miki's tiny frame a comical contrast against Hakupo's gangly height.

She doesn't know why, but the sight of this slightly unsettles her.

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She finds herself sitting with the two of them one day at the park, after Dell, Gumi and Yuuma leave to talk to a potential client. Yuuma calls the three of them the 'Dream Team'; with Dell's smooth charm, Gumi's gushing enthusiasm, and Yuuma's own sensibility and tactfulness, the three are what Yuuma describes as the 'perfect' combination to impress people interesting in hiring The Vocaloids and UTAU Army for a performance. Or any other sort of odd job.

Being left with Hakupo and Miki is, quite frankly, a bore. Miki does her stretches against the trunk of a large maple tree, whilst Hakupo predictably whips out his sketchpad and doodles away, chewing in the rubber end of his pencil every now and then.

For the most part, Yukari carefully examines her nails for any new chips in the manicure, and meticulously fluffs out and smooths down her short hair.

And then, out of things to do, she fidgets. Her eyes flicker aimlessly from the trees to the wild flowers dotting the grass, to Miki twisting her body into painful-looking positions and Hakupo, his brow furrowed in concentration, pencil flying over the smooth ivory page of his sketchpad.

She shuffles over to him, peering over his shoulder more out of boredom than genuine curiosity.

What she sees surprises her. Hakupo has drawn the park in its current state, Miki hanging upside-down from a tree, and her, Yukari, sitting against a nearby log. What surprises her most, however, is that Hakupo has not drawn her comically in any way; his sketch is one in realism style, with no hint of caricature in the lines.

She is not aware Miki has made her way over to them until Hakupo smiles at something behind her and Yukari sighs to herself in annoyance. She dawdles back to her spot at nearby log, rolling her eyes at Hakupo and Miki who are laughing and joking and overall being far too cheerful than her current mood allowed for.

If it hadn't been for Gumi commanding them all to stay put so they could iron out the technicalities of their potential job afterwards, Yukari would by no doubt have left by now. In fact, she decides to leave anyway, regardless of what Gumi had insisted.

"Kari?" She hears Miki call after her as she walks from the park, away from her and Hakupo. Rifling in her pocket, Yukari finds some change, and counts out enough for a hot chocolate.

"I'm going to the Top Cat," she calls to Miki over her shoulder, "Just tell Ppoiyo to call me about the job later once Dell tells him. In fact, tell him to meet me at the cafe when he gets the chance."

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Matsudappoiyo arrives thirty minutes after she'd sat down and ordered her hot chocolate, but not alone. Hakupo is slouching behind him, and Yukari turns to him confusedly as he sits down opposite her. "What are you doing here, Hakupo?"

Hakupo looks at her and raises his eyebrows. "I want a coffee."

"You don't drink coffee."

"I might."

"You don't."

"Yeah, but I might."

"Guys, shut up," Ppoiyo grumbles irritably. "Tsukishiro, why did you follow me to this cafe?"

"Why, Chicky, I just couldn't stand to be apart from y–" At Ppoiyo's poisonous glare, Hakupo skilfully retracts, raising his palms in surrender. "Okay, okay. I don't want to go home, see. Taya's there and he's keen to go over my history essay with me. The history essay I haven't written."

Ppoiyo rolls his eyes heavenwards. "Well anyway, Yukari, the new client doesn't require our talents and instead wants her three dogs walked every weekday and her cat taken to the groomer's once a week on Tuesdays. Yuuma's offered to do that because, as we all know, he adores cats. As for the dogs, we all get one day a week, minus Yuuma because of his cat duties. You're on Thursdays."

Yukari grimaces, but nods. She is not fond of dog-walking jobs.

Hakupo is staring around the cafe at people's food and sighing wistfully. This annoys Yukari to no end, and she eventually snaps at him, "Stop it, Hakupo. It's bad enough you came here because you didn't do your homework. You don't need to sigh every two seconds and annoy me and Ppoiyo, too."

"But I'm hungry," Hakupo whines pathetically. "I haven't eaten since–"

"Oh shut up, will you?" Ppoiyo growls, flagging down a waiter. "I'm getting a blueberry soda. Do you want anything, Yukari?"

Yukari looks at Hakupo, who is looking at Ppoiyo crestfallen, probably annoyed that he has money to buy food when Hakupo doesn't.

She makes up her mind. "A plate of biscotti, please."

When their orders arrive, Yukari tugs on Ppoiyo's arm. "Let's go for a walk down the Hachiken, I want to see the new clothing boutique that's opened up." She smiles hopefully up at him and bats her eyelashes.

Ppoiyo merely shrugs, but she has known him long enough to notice the way his eyes soften. "Sure." He grapples in his pocket for a ten dollar bill which he leaves on the table, before allowing Yukari to slip her arm through his and they leave the restaurant together.

"Oh! Hang on; I've forgotten something back there." Yukari unhooks her arm from Ppoiyo's, flashing him an apologetic smile as she slips quickly back into the cafe.

As she expected, she finds Hakupo devouring her untouched plate of biscotti. He looks up sheepishly as she crosses her arms, staring pointedly at him.

"I, uh, didn't want to let it go to waste?" he mumbles through a mouthful of the delicate almond biscuits, hastily making to wipe at his mouth with a napkin.

Yukari raises her eyebrows at him. "Are you going to thank me?"

Hakupo looks at her in mild confusion. "Wait, you left me this on purpose? Biscotti are my favorite, too."

She nods absentmindedly, "I know."

Hakupo is looking at her with something almost akin to admiration in his gaze; she meets his eyes steadfast, unblinking and resolute.

After a moment, she looks away, "I should get going. Ppoiyo's waiting outside." And then Hakupo is looking back down at his food and she is turning her back on him, hands self-consciously smoothing down her hair and clothes as she walks away.

"Thank you," she hears Hakupo call after her. The corner of her mouth lifts in an almost-smile, and she chances a glance back over her shoulder. Hakupo is happily eating the rest of his biscotti, but grins to her and waves.

Blushing slightly, she makes her way back outside, to Ppoiyo who is still waiting.

"Sorry about that."

He looks at her, puzzled. "Are you blushing, Yukari?"

"No," she says, "It's just the cold."

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iii.

They may have been best friends since kindergarten, but these days Yukari finds herself having less and less in common with Gumi Megpoid more and more.

For example, Gumi is obsessed with pleasing other people, if relinquishing her slice of carrot cake to Hakupo is of any indication.

Sure, Yukari wants other people to be happy too, but first and foremost, shouldn't she put her own happiness before theirs?

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One day they get a job for a neighbor of Aria's, and the gangs are handed rubber gloves and smocks and sponges and set to work cleaning a previously unused loft.

It's dusty and dirty and everything Yukari hates in a job. She complains and sneezes, but it is clear even to her that nobody could care less about her discomfort.

She perches on the edge of the windowsill, the only clean spot she can find, and picks at the lint on her rabbit-eared sweater whilst the others scrub and sweep and mop and dust. They all shoot her annoyed glares, and Aria keeps sniffing disapprovingly, which almost drives Yukari insane.

Finally, Hakupo looks up from where he is knelt on the floor, soapy sponge in hand, and says irritably, "Yukari, aren't you going to help us out?" He holds the sponge out to her.

She starts to say no, of course not, I don't want to get myself all sweaty and dirty, but the words die in her throat when she happens to notice the tired lines on Hakupo's face, the perspiration dotting his hairline. And she cannot seem to look in his eyes without feeling the slightest bit guilty.

She struggles with words, the simple 'no' not quite able to slip from her lips.

So she looks at Hakupo hesitantly, her resolve wavering, and even when he clasps his palms together and blinks up at her in a mock beseeching manner, she rolls her eyes but can't quite deny him.

Sighing, she reaches back and ties her long lavender bangs into a ponytail, before reluctantly slipping on some rubber gloves and a smock. Finally, with a loud, unhappy sigh, she reaches down and takes the soapy yellow sponge from Hakupo. She grimaces, but doesn't complain.

The rest of the gang watch the exchange in bewilderment.

"Hakupo, what kind of power do you have over her?" Ppoiyo asks incredulously. Yukari blushes furiously, glaring at Hakupo when he winks at her and shoots her a mischievous smile.

Hakupo brushes his arm over his forehead. "Nothing that I know of, Chicky," he says, beginning to get to work again. "But perhaps she is infatuated with my natural charm and devastatingly good looks."

Ppoiyo spins around and chucks his sponge at him.

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iv.

"Well, well, look what the cat dragged in." Ppoiyo's heavy drawl directs her attention towards the front of the cafe, and Yukari turns in her seat to watch as Hakupo Tsukishiro shuffles through the doorway, covered head-to-toe in dirt and grime.

She wrinkles her nose.

Hakupo doesn't bother with a greeting—just pulls out a chair at the table she and Ppoiyo are occupying and tries (fails) to discreetly steal a piece of her muffin. And by piece she means the entire thing.

Upon closer inspection, Yukari realizes that his temple is bruised an ugly purple, and dried blood crusts at the corner of his mouth, where his lip is split. His arms are peppered with scratches and cuts, and a long, nasty-looking graze adorns his neck, stretching to the collar of his shirt.

Ppoiyo notices too, and even his face falls a bit at Hakupo's battered state.

Subdued, Yukari gingerly pushes the rest of her half-eaten muffin towards Hakupo who devours it eagerly, mumbling a 'thank you' through a mouthful of apple and cinnamon.

"Hakupo, what happened to you?" Ppoiyo asks warily, wincing slightly as his eyes follow a trickle of blood running down the other boy's hairline.

Hakupo takes another huge bite of the muffin before answering. Yukari cringes at his lack of manners, but she is too shaken by his bloodied appearance to focus too much on his unmannerly eating habits.

"It was Kizaito Shion and his gang. I ran into them on the way here and—"

Ppoiyo's phone beeps shrilly, startling Hakupo into silence. Glancing at the text message, Ppoiyo curses rather loudly and reluctantly scrapes back his chair, digging out his wallet to throw a few coins onto the table.

"Sorry Yukari, I have to go. Ron needs some help at home." He shrugs into his jacket and fishes in his jeans pocket for his car keys, before leaning down to kiss Yukari quickly on the cheek. "I'll see you tomorrow," he promises, "And you, Hakupo, will tell me all about your beating another time. Bye."

Yukari watches as Ppoiyo leaves, smiling when he turns back and she cheekily blows him a kiss.

"Wow. Ppoiyo sure does like you. No wonder you can put up with him. He acts positively tame when you're around."

Yukari narrows her eyes at Hakupo, annoyed, and even reaches out an elbow to nudge him—but stops herself just in time when she is met once more with the ghastly sight of his injuries. Instead she just sighs, and gives Hakupo a stern stare.

He merely shrugs back. "It's true."

"Hakupo, what did Kizaito and his gang do to you?" Reaching for a clean napkin, she unscrews the cap of her bottled water, pouring some onto the tissue. "Don't move."

Hakupo watches warily as she gently begins to dab at his various ailments, wincing now and again.

"Well, I may have gotten into a bit of an argument with Kizaito after he tripped me up and called the UTAU Army a bunch of names. And I may have hit him. And gotten into a fight with him and the rest of his gang."

"They did all this to you? Hakupo, we need to tell somebody."

"No, no, Kizaito did this," Hakupo points to the ugly bruise marring his temple, "And his gang managed to do nothing more serious than this," he gestures to his bloodied mouth.

Yukari glances up at him briefly, still focused on gently dabbing clean his many cuts and scratches. "But how did you get all these then?" She gestures to his arms, covered in little red abrasions.

"Uh, I may have taken a shortcut through the park to get here. And I may have, uhm, slipped in the mud and fallen into a gorse bush," Hakupo mumbles sheepishly. Of course.

Shaking her head, Yukari discards the bloodied napkin and dampens another, this time gently cleaning away the blood from his temple and mouth. She can feel Hakupo's gaze upon her as her fingers dab carefully at his split lip, and hears him exhale shakily through his nose when her thumb accidentally brushes against the corner of his mouth.

She pulls away. "I think you're good now. Might want to get some antiseptic for that graze on your neck though."

Hakupo is still looking at her, and she keeps her gaze focused resolutely downwards as he murmurs, "Thank you."

It is silent for a moment then, and Yukari doesn't know how, but as she shifts her gaze awkwardly around, her eyes land on her wrist, circled loosely by fingers larger than her own. As she watches, Hakupo's fingers hover gently over her pulse point, and she swallows as they press down lightly. The gesture feels oddly intimate.

Her phone buzzes, and the moment is broken. Yukari clears her throat awkwardly before bending down to retrieve her handbag from the floor, hiding the brilliant pink flush that has spread across her cheeks.

Hakupo's expression is strange; perhaps slightly confused and a little dazed, along with some other emotion Yukari cannot quite place.

She pushes back her chair, and feels his eyes release her.

"You know, Ppoiyo really does like you. You should probably put him out of his misery and just go out with him."

Yukari's heart is beating erratically, and her mouth is dry. She shakes her head slowly, one hand reaching back absentmindedly to smooth down her hair.

"I don't know, Hakupo," she has turned to leave the cafe, but her eyes find his again, as if drawn by a magnetic force. "I'd say that Ppoiyo has some pretty tough competition when it comes to my affections." And she cannot stop her eyes from lingering on his, a deliberate, silent message in their depths.

She leaves him like that, hurries from the cafe with her head down, hands fisted in her pockets. Her heart still flutters in her chest, her stomach still swoops.

Most of all, the pink stain still lingers on her cheeks.

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v.

There is something about Yukari Yuzuki, something that seeks to remind him of confection.

She calls him one day—a blustery, overcast day in mid-Autumn—and they meet up at the park and walk along the outskirts of town together. Hakupo gets the feeling that she suggests this route because she doesn't want any of the gang to see them together, and he wholeheartedly agrees. The questions that would arise if Gumi, Miki, or—God forbid—Ppoiyo saw them together, alone, well...Hakupo wouldn't hear the end of it for weeks.

The wind picks up as they stroll side-by-side, and Hakupo rubs his hands together as Yukari pulls her rabbit-eared hoodie down tighter over her head.

There is an amicable silence, but Yukari finds that she enjoys the presence that Hakupo brings, and the calming gait of his steps beside her. They walk for what seems like forever, hunched against the barreling wind, and Yukari slips her hands into the pockets of her coat, shielding them from the cold.

She finds something inside the left pocket—a vividly wrapped chocolate bar, courtesy of Hakupo a few weeks ago.

Unwrapping it, she holds it out to him. "Want a bite?"

Hakupo looks at the chocolate longingly, but shakes his head. "I gave it to you. You should have it."

"Okay," she mumbles, and against her better judgement, takes a bite of the candy. There is caramel inside, surprisingly gooey and sweet. It sticks to her lips, and she has to swipe it away with her finger.

Hakupo is still looking from her to the chocolate bar. "You know what, I've changed my mind. I do want some of that." So she holds the caramel-oozing confection out to him, and giggles when he tries to break off a small bit but ends up with most of the bar in his hand.

Hakupo laughs too, and holds the end of his piece out to her, gesturing her to take another bite. "Go on, have some more. You should eat sweets more often, you know. They're not that bad for you if you have them every once in a while."

She takes another bite as she watches him carefully, studies the lopsided, goofy smile that brightens his face, the way his eyes crinkle and his lips curl.

"You know, you kind of remind me of candy," Hakupo says thoughtfully.

Yukari stares at him quizzically. "How? Do I give you toothaches and sugar rushes?"

"Not quite." He doesn't elaborate, so Yukari presses him.

"How then? What makes you think of candy when you look at me?" Still, he doesn't answer. She frowns.

The wind chooses that moment to blow her hood off, and Yukari gasps as she frantically pulls it back over her head. Hakupo is laughing again, and when she turns back to glare at him, indignant, he takes her face between both his hands and leans down and kisses her, lips warm and with the sweet taste of caramel.

Yukari is momentarily stunned, but kisses him back readily, entwining her glove-clad hands behind his neck. She feels Hakupo smile into the kiss, and she smiles too, blinking shyly when they pull away.

"You remind me of a purple cashmere sweater," she says, much to Hakupo's confusion. "You're warm and you're comfortable and you bring out my best features."

Hakupo laughs, fingers still cradling the sides of her face, and what looks to be the hint of a faint pink blush tingeing his cheeks.

"And you remind me of confectionery. Sweet and indulgent and something I'm always craving."

And he kisses her once more.

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Author's Notes:

I'm back after an unintentionally long hiatus to write for Miss Ryuchu's Under-Appreciated Vocaloid Pairings Contest. This was originally supposed to be MatsudappoiyoxYukari Yuzuki (I've come to love that pairing now), but then somewhere in the middle of writing this, an old discussion that I had with Mii-chan (Mipiko here) popped in. It was about this UTAU (and an old prompt that she used against Miss Queen of Double Standards which was what kept this story going) she was trying to get me to like and, admittedly, I have grown fond of him. His voice is pretty unique. Unfortunately, that meant that I had to go back and re-write most of this.

Not that I'm disappointed or anything. - bricked -

Ah, and the Title is just a mash up of Confection and Affectionate = Confectionate.

Yeah, I know. I'm a dork. I don't even think that it's a real word. . . OTL