Strawberries and Rosy Cheeks
a Tobianne oneshot I wrote for @amus2110 I finally finished it! Sorry it took so long😅 I hope you enjoy it❤️
Strawberries and Rosy Cheeks
Maryanne had always loved pink.
It had been her favorite color for as long as she could remember. Pink bags, pink toys, pink dresses—her room was proof enough.
Anyone who assumed purple was her favorite just because of her hair would immediately change their mind after stepping inside.
Recently, though, pink had started meaning something a little different.
Because of a certain boy.
Tobias Ardis. Everyone called him Tobi.
He had completely stolen her heart.
He was everything she had ever imagined liking in someone. Kind, funny, endlessly cheerful. Talking to him always made her laugh, something that had always been rare for her growing up.
And then there was the pink hair.
As if he wasn’t already perfect enough.
She had liked him for a long time. Since first year, actually. Over the years, they had talked plenty—during lessons, in the corridors, during breaks. She wasn’t a stranger to him.
Just recently, he had even called her one of his friends.
She had been so happy that she’d needed to excuse herself before he noticed how much it affected her.
Today was the start of the strawberry harvest on the outskirts of Hogsmeade. Maryanne had always loved helping the farmers pick strawberries, and this year she wanted to invite Tobi.
She knew he liked strawberries.
She also knew there was no chance she would manage to ask him in person without completely embarrassing herself.
So she sent him a letter instead.
Now she stood in the field, already picking strawberries while she waited. If he didn’t come, at least she wouldn’t be standing around doing nothing.
She hoped he came.
She hadn’t mentioned it in the letter, but she had prepared something else too. A picnic.
She had baked his favorites: treacle tarts, shortbread cookies, and a few strawberry treats. She had spent the last few days making them, adjusting the recipes until she was sure they were good enough.
She wanted everything to be perfect.
But now that the moment was actually here, doubt started creeping in.
“What if he doesn’t like them?” she whispered, picking another strawberry and placing it into her wicker basket.
“Like what?”
She startled and turned around.
Tobi was standing in front of the next bush, smiling at her like he always did.
Bright. Warm. Effortlessly kind.
“If you mean the strawberries,” he continued, picking one himself, “I love them. They’re my favorite fruit.”
He bit into it, and Maryanne immediately looked away before he could notice her staring.
“Hi, Tobi,” she said quietly.
“Nice to meet up with you, Maryanne!” he replied happily. “You picked a great place. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before.”
She glanced at him before looking away again, her cheeks warming.
“I remembered you liked strawberries, so I thought you might like it here.”
“You guessed right!” he said with a laugh. “I’ll definitely be coming back.”
He tossed a strawberry into the air and tilted his head, trying to catch it.
It bounced off his nose.
For a second, he just stared in disbelief.
Maryanne tried to hold it in.
She really did.
But a giggle slipped out before she covered her mouth.
She immediately felt guilty.
It wasn’t polite to laugh at someone.
“You can laugh,” Tobi said, already laughing himself. “It was funny.”
He picked up another strawberry.
“I’ll get this one.”
He tossed it.
Failed again.
This time, Maryanne laughed properly.
The smile on his face grew when he realized he had been successful in his real goal.
Another strawberry.
Another attempt.
It missed.
And another.
Soon they were both laughing, tossing strawberries into the air and completely forgetting they were supposed to be picking them.
“Oi! You two! Stop wasting the strawberries!” one of the nearby farmers called.
“Sorry, sir—”
Maryanne turned back toward Tobi just as he threw another strawberry into the air.
He leaned forward to catch it.
She turned at the same time.
Their foreheads collided.
“Gah!”
“Oof!”
Maryanne recovered quickly, but Tobi stumbled backward.
Without thinking, she reached out and grabbed his hand.
She steadied him.
And suddenly everything else disappeared. The only thing she noticed was his hand in hers.
It was warm.
“Thanks for the help, violet,” he said with a smile.
The nickname snapped her back.
She looked down.
They were still holding hands.
Her face immediately heated.
“Eep!”
She quickly let go and looked anywhere except at him.
“S-sorry!”
“Sorry?” Tobi blinked. “For catching me?”
“N-no! For— for holding your hand!”
“You don’t like holding my hand?”
He seemed to pout slightly as he tilted his head in confusion.
Her face got even warmer.
“No! That’s not what I meant! I-I like holding your hand..!”
The words came out before she could stop them.
Tobi froze.
Then his face lit up.
“You do?”
That smile ruined the last bit of her composure.
“Why don’t we go for a picnic?” she blurted.
“Picnic?”
Before he could ask anything else, she hurried away, gripping her basket tightly and trying not to run.
Tobi followed behind her, clearly amused.
Eventually they reached the spot beneath the cherry tree.
She had prepared everything carefully.
A checkered blanket.
Delicate teaware.
Pink petals scattered across the fabric.
Tobi stopped.
His eyes widened.
“Wow.”
He looked around with a smile.
“This is really nice.”
Maryanne’s heart fluttered.
“Thank you. I thought we could eat a bit after picking strawberries.”
She noticed his basket was almost empty from all their failed attempts.
A small laugh escaped her and she pushed her own full basket toward him. “We can share.”
“Yes!”
His eyes immediately lit up as he reached for the strawberries.
Maryanne looked away as his lips closed around the juicy fruit.
She really shouldn’t be thinking about things like that.
Especially not when he was sitting right in front of her.
But then the thought appeared anyway.
‘I wish I could kiss him.’
She quickly pushed it away.
“Don’t you want any?”
She looked back.
Tobi was watching her with an amused smile.
“Me?”
She brushed a strand of purple hair away. “Oh. No, that’s alright. I made it for you.”
“Doesn’t mean you can’t have any.”
He picked up a strawberry and held it out.
“Go on.”
Maryanne hesitated.
Then she leaned forward and took the strawberry from his hand.
The sweetness filled her mouth immediately.
She noticed he was still watching her. He had a soft look on his face.
She became more aware of how close they were.
When she reached the stem, she quickly pulled away, her face burning.
“Thank you,” she started.
Then she stopped.
A small bit of strawberry juice had dripped onto her lip.
Tobi laughed, amused.
“Here.”
He grabbed one of the napkins she had prepared and leaned closer.
He gently wiped it away.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
They just watched each other.
Then, both of them blushed and looked away again.
“Thank you,” Maryanne said again, quieter this time.
“No problem.”
Tobi looked just as embarrassed now. His face looked the shade of his hair. It was cute.
Before either of them could say anything else, he noticed the plate beside her.
“Is that treacle tart?”
Maryanne smiled, relieved for the subject change.
“Yes. I remembered you liked them, so I made some.”
She watched carefully as he took a bite.
She hoped he liked them.
His face brightened as the sweetness filled his mouth.
“Sweet Merlin, this is amazing!”
Relief washed over her.
“It is?”
“Yeah!”
He happily took another bite.
A little frosting ended up on his cheek.
Maryanne laughed softly.
He looked so pleased.
“We should do this again,” he said after finishing it. “Tomorrow?”
Her heart skipped.
Her cheeks turned rosy again.
But this time, she didn’t feel embarrassed.
She felt happy.
“I’d love to.”