DRABBLES INCLUDED:

FOUNTAIN

JUNIPER

PUDDLE

RIBBON

Import Message (A/N): Hey you! Yes, that's right, you! The desperate TakuxMegu fan reading this story! You can scroll through and read the chapter first, but make sure to come back and read this author's note for a life-changing offer!

Have you recently fallen down the rabbit hole of the beautiful curse that is Takumi Aldini and Megumi Tadokoro as a "thing"? Have you tried suppressing your ridiculous fangirling/fanboying, due to the limited amount of folks jumping aboard your ship of choice?

Do you want to help the fandom, but your crippling lack of time to dedicate to a full project stifles your ability to contribute? Could you care less about coherent plot lines as long as you get a sweet hit of the drug that is Totsuki's two most adorable Cinna-muffins, interacting in any way possible?

If so...

THEN DO I HAVE A DEAL FOR YOU!

This story is a collection of TakuxMegu drabbles of various lengths and context. None of these are bound by canon, timeline, time, space or even your imagination. Follow these easy steps to participate:

1. Give me a one word prompt in a review that you'd like me to make a drabble about.

2. I take on the challenge and write said drabble.

3. I post said drabble request, among others, in chapter updates.

4. We all get our fix. Everyone wins!

Here are some examples of the length and type of drabbles I will do in future chapters. Not all of them have to follow a canon plotline, and some can be longer than others. Let me know any prompts or scenarios you'd like.

Fountain

Megumi had an ornate fountain near one of the campus buildings she liked to rest at in between classes. It was nice for moments that weren't spent trailing after Souma. She'd never complain about that time in the slightest, but time to rest in her own thoughts was nice too. She caught Takumi sitting near the same spot one day, just staring deeply into the water. He could have been waiting for his brother since the two were rarely seen apart.

Megumi took a seat a few feet away from him on the wide fountain edge, but even at that distance, his concentration broke and he nodded toward her, acknowledging her with a faint smile. They didn't say anything, which was nice. Megumi didn't have to waste nervous energy coming up with just the right words. She could simply enjoy the moment.

Juniper

Whenever Tadokoro-san was around, Takumi could swear he caught the faintest scent of sea salt, crisp winter air, and juniper trees from the mountains. These were far from identical to the citrus-laced seascapes he was used to in the Mediterranean, but for some bizarre reason, it still evoked in him a sense of home.

Puddle

Megumi kept a brave face most of the time, but years of self-doubt, peer scrutiny and their aftermath, could not be cured in one semester.

Today was one of those days she couldn't escape her own sense of inadequacy. It had been triggered by a comment of a classmate who still revered her as a parasite of Yukihira Soma's success. As much as she knew they were wrong, that didn't stop her from retreating to a hallway corner after class and dissolving into a puddle of tears that she felt foolish for crying in the first place.

This was how Aldini Takumi had come across her, and she was mortified that such a prestigious classmate and friend had witnessed her looking so pathetic.

"Tadokoro-san?" Takumi asked. His eyes were wide as he crouched down to inspect her, a chivalrous fire behind them.

"T-T-Takumi-kun?" Megumi sputtered, pulling herself together rapidly and removing the evidence of tear stains on her cheeks. "No, I-I'm fine! I-I was just-"

She struggled to put together a proper sentence, but all Takumi did was produce a handkerchief from his blazer pocket, proudly embroidered with the name of his family restaurant. He offered it to her silently, his face full of concern. She took it, apologizing profusely for inconveniencing him as he helped her to her feet.

"Come on, Tadokoro-san," Takumi said softly, ushering his classmate somewhere brighter with a comforting hand on her shoulder. "It's a crime for a remarkable young lady to waste precious tears. I hope whoever caused them, knows they'll have an Aldini to answer to."

He didn't press her for any details, he sat next to her on a bench as she put herself together, and he even escorted her to her next class after break. She tried thanking him for his kindness, like a broken record, but he only smiled softly and insisted that she keep the handkerchief.

It left her with a feeling of warmth that seemed to dry up every puddle waiting spring forth from her soul.

Ribbon

Takumi may have been fluent in Japanese due to his father, but he was still learning when it came to cultural references. There was one he had recently come to know as the "red string of fate," and he found it rather interesting.

In legend, it was an ethereal crimson ribbon tied around the pinkie finger that bound you to someone you were destined to create an important story with, preordained by the hand of the gods. It certainly appealed to his natural Italian romanticism, but fate and destiny was never something Takumi put too much stock in. He would always let his natural passion and talent drive him in the direction he wanted to go, but that had curved slightly when he came to Totsuki Academy. At first, if he had to, he would have attributed his "red string of fate" to his rivalry with Yukihira Soma.

Every time he was around that redhead, there was a tug of deja vu. A subtle warming sense of inspiration, as if he was exactly where he needed to be. Certainly, the red string was signaling that his life would revolve around his pursuit of battle with such a worthy opponent. However, every food battle and place he took stock of that feeling, he began to notice one more factor he had overlooked. Every instance he felt that odd tug, someone else had been present.

A shy bluenette, sporting hands folded anxiously and a supportive smile that took all the courage she had to muster, had been there too.

Tadokoro Megumi had always been behind Yukihira, acting as an infinite well of encouragement. She was always following his crazy plans and was behind the scenes of every battle and endeavor, doing what she could to help. As much as Takumi had first believed it to be a singular devotion she had to Yukihira, he knew now that wasn't true. Her devotion encompassed every single person she met, every person who was willing to accept her compassion and invitation of friendship.

Every class they had together, she would go out of her way to greet him and relentlessly praise any of his creations. She made a point to personally invite Isami and him to any Polar Star gatherings or celebrations, even when he publicly declared his intentions to crush her best friend in a Food War on a regular basis. She had been waiting in the wings during his match against Subaru in the Autumn Selection tournament. After his failure, the loss of his precious mezzaluna and the strike to his twin's pride, Megumi had sent dozens of calls, texts and delivered treats through his brother to verify his well being. All that, when all he had wanted was to be forgotten by the world.

Every time he was around her, he could feel that same sense of devotion emanating in his direction as she stood, hidden behind the antics of Yukihira Soma. And through every new encounter, Takumi couldn't deny, that somewhere a tug on that invisible string, grew just a little bit stronger.

A/N: I hope you all liked this sample platter of TakuxMegu one was your favorite? Please leave the drabble prompt words you want in the review section, and I'll do my best to take on the challenge.

This is a great relief when I'm currently trying to catch up on my existing fics and an original fiction project at the moment. It's also nice to make the existing TakumixMegumi fan pool just a tiny bit bigger! ;)

Until next time, Ciao!

Tasia'sEndlessDreams