A/N: A tiny little ficlet for Taylor (akihito on tumblr) for her birthday! Happy Birthday, Taylor!

Disclaimer: I don't own KNK or I'll Be Here.


Akihito thrust the rectangular velvet box in front of her face suddenly, trying to pretend that he couldn't feel the furious blush spreading across his cheeks.

Mirai looked up from her reading and stared at the offending object that just happened to be centimeters from her nose. She put down the Literary Club material, careful to place a bookmark inside to mark her page, and looked up at Akihito with questioning eyes.

"Senpai?"

She had taken to calling him that again. The weeks that she had called him "Kanbara" had been excruciating. With his old honorific falling from her lips once more, he could almost pretend everything was normal. But the confused look on her face told him otherwise.

"It's for you," he told her, as if practically shoving the box in her face wasn't obvious enough.

"What's it for?" she asked curiously.

Akihito looked away so she couldn't see the sadness in his eyes.

"It's your birthday, dummy. People are supposed to get you presents on your birthday."

"Oh!"

She made a little breath of surprise. Her birthday seemed trivial compared to the other things she had forgotten, but this was important to Mirai, who wouldn't have known better.

Her hands reached for the box, holding it with just her fingertips as she studied it. For some reason she felt the need to inspect every inch of the blue velvet rectangle before she got around to opening it, and the wait was almost painful. He didn't know what her response would be. He knew how the old Mirai would act, but the girl in front of him was still shrouded in mystery.

Finally, she opened the box, peering inside to see the pristine pair of spectacles nestled inside the white satin. He had chosen this pair for her long ago, practically in another lifetime. The frames were a simple maroon color, and in the corner of the left lens there was a tiny bow attached to the frame, somehow making the glasses look more feminine and dainty. He knew they would look perfect on Mirai, were she to accept them.

Mirai was silent as she looked at them, and Akihito suddenly felt the need to explain himself.

"You look beautiful in all glasses, Kuriyama-san, but I think you would look exceptionally beautiful in these frames. I picked them up from the optometrist this morning. I made sure they were the correct prescription for your eye-sight."

He sounded so formal and nervous, he was sure he was making a fool out of himself. Just as he considered taking them back and telling her he was stupid, Mirai let out a small laugh.

"You're such a pervert, Senpai," she said, though she was smiling. She took off her bright red glasses and set them on the table, then plucked the new ones from their satin bed. Slowly she unfolded them and slide them on, taking care to push up the corner of one of the frames with her index finger.

"How do I look?" she asked, humoring him.

Akihito felt like he was the one receiving a present. "Like a bespectacled beauty."

She shook her head and rolled her eyes, but the small grin never left her face.

"You're seriously unpleasant."

Akihito could only smile in return, feeling happier than he had in a long time.

"That's my line."