"I like Christmas; it's everyone freaking out over mistletoe that drives me nuts. Why is it such a big deal who kisses who?"
Souda smiled and shrugged. It was indeed Christmas time, and almost every student was giggling and gossiping about who got caught with who under the mistletoe. Hinata had just walked out of the headmaster's office to see the mechanic kissing a 1st year guy under the plant sprig. The other had then run off while Souda stayed.
"Who was that guy, anyways?" Hinata asked him.
"Um, Kuwata Leon."
"The punk rock baseball guy in the class below us? I didn't know you were into those kinds of guys… Or guys for that matter."
"First of all," Souda poked him in the shoulder as they walked down the stairs, "I'm not into Kuwata, and second, I told you a while ago I'm bisexual."
"Well the closest I've seen you flirt with a guy is the 3rd year racer you hang out with. What's his name again? Aisani Ryo?"
"His name's Aoshima Ryuu, and I do not flirt with him! Anyways, what did the headmaster want?"
"Oh, just the usual. Making sure the reserve student isn't going crazy in the class of SHSL talents," Hinata answered with a wry laugh. Midway through his first year, the school had decided to put a reserve student in one of the SHSL classes and see what would happen. A year later, Hinata was still in the SHSL class, still sane, and hoping that they let him stay there.
Souda shot him a teasing grin. "Did they say anything about your SHSL Relationship Expert skills?"
Hinata groaned in exasperation. "I give advice to one person and suddenly I'm the go-to guy if you're having issues with your boyfriend or girlfriend! I've never even been in a relationship myself."
"But you are good at it."
"Souda, I just listen to people, and the 'advice'-" Hinata motioned air quotes, making the mechanic chuckle- "I give is just common sense!"
"Exactly! It's your talent because it comes naturally to you! That's pretty much the definition of talent!" Souda jumped down the last flight of stairs as Hinata followed at a more reasonable pace.
Even as he rolled his eyes, the brunette couldn't help the small smile painting his lips. He didn't often hear that he might have talent.
"Hey Hinata," Souda stopped and turned to face him outside Ibuki's dorm,
"Why haven't you asked you-know-who to the Christmas Eve dance? I mean, you've had that crush forever, you should follow your own advice and 'fess up!"
Hinata sighed. "It's just… Well, I don't think he feels the same, and I'm not sure I should anyways. It's complicated."
"If you say so. I still think you should ask him." Suddenly, a voice sounded behind Hinata.
"Ask who to the dance?"
The brunette whipped around to find Nagito Komaeda, standing with a curious smile on his face.
"O-oh, hey Komaeda. It doesn't matter. What are you doing here?"
"Oh, Ibuki-san wanted me to come to her room, although I can't fathom why," the white-haired boy responded, motioning to the door. "I heard the two of you talking as I came. Are you going to the Christmas Eve dance at all, Hinata-kun?"
Hinata gave a small smile. "Well, Souda's probably going to drag me along even if I say no, so yea, I'll be there. Are you going?"
"I am," Komaeda confirmed, then tilted his head to the side. "Speaking of whom, where did Souda-kun go?"
"Huh?" Surely enough, when Hinata looked around for the mechanic, he was gone, but he saw that the door to Ibuki's door was slightly open and something akin to a stick running from the top over his and Komaeda's heads. Everything clicked at once.
Hinata turned back to the luckster, whose gaze was locked above them. "Is that..?"
"Yes," the bruntte responded without looking up, already knowing what he would see, "I think Souda and Ibuki set us up."
Giggling behind the door confirmed his suspicions.
"Souda, you are so dead when I get my hands on you."
"Oh my…" Komaeda gave an embarrassed smile. "I can't imagine why they'd want to set me up with anyone."
Hinata groaned. "How many times do we have to tell you, you're not useless or trash or whatever."
"But Hinata-kun, even you, the former reserve student, have a wonderful talent, while my own is useless. I wouldn't be surprised if you simply walked away; you'd never kiss someone like me…" As he spoke, the white-haired boy's eyes trailed to the ground and his his voice was low as he said the last part, almost as if he was speaking to himself.
Hinata bit the familiar retort, knowing it was useless to pursue that path. It was the same argument he'd heard over and over, but here, now, Hinata had the ammo he needed to break the other boy's argument.
"You've got that wrong."
Komaeda's head snapped up. "What?"
In a sudden and bold move, Hinata grabbed the luckster's jacket and, drawing out a gasp, pulled him so close the tips of their noses touched. "You've got that wrong."
Later, Hinata wouldn't be able to tell who had kissed who first, but before he knew it he had his hands tangled in wild white hair while a pair of arms wrapped themselves tightly around him as if he were a life preserver in a stormy ocean. The kiss was clumsy and their teeth clacked together but it was a taste of heaven to Hinata. Still, they had to pull away for air, and they stood there, panting and red-faced and tangled up in one another.
Then a muffled voice sounded behind the door.
"Yea! Go Hinata!"
At that the two boys sprang apart. Hinata shouted a quick "ByeKomaedaseeyoulater!" over his shoulder as he sprinted back to his room as fast as his legs could carry him and slammed the door behind himself. He sank to the floor, cheeks blazing and lips tingling.
"Okay… I guess I can see why people like mistletoe…"