After she finished eating the cake he paid for it and they left. It got darker as they walked through the crowded streets of the city. The buildings were decorated with garlands and lights. The streets were shiny that it seemed like a dream and everywhere was the sweet smell of cinnamon and pastries. Everything gave off a very warm aura and everyone really felt that it was Christmas Eve, a special day they spend with their family or friends. Everyone seemed happy and cheerful. Everyone except for Gokudera Hayato. He didn't like the crowd. Too many people and too much hassle about something so unnecessary. But his grumpy mood was lifted by the cheerful cosplay-girl who was walking next to him. Only for her did he go through all this hassle, no one else. And she seemed very happy about being here even though it was with him. Well, after all she was the one who made him go with her. She should be thankful he thought. And she was.
"Thank you so much for accompanying me today Gokudera-kun." She smiled happily rubbing her hands because they felt somewhat cold. "Should I really not pay my share of the cake for you?"
"As if I'd let a girl pay. I am a gentleman after all." He declared making Haru burst out in laugher.
"Since when?" She asked trying to calm herself down.
"Just think of it as a Christmas present." He brushed it off slightly scratching his red nose.
"Thank you..." She almost whispered in a kind tone. "And thank you for protecting me..." She still felt embarrassed and shy about what happened. She wasn't used to him being so kind but it made her so happy she could just grin all the time like an idiot.
"About what you said in the cafe... I know you just meant it as friends... So... You don't need to feel too embarrassed about anything..." Haru looked up to him with a surprised expression. Did he just say that to cheer her up? Did he think she was upset about her outburst in the cafe? How sweet, she thought and giggled. But that earlier it was not for a friend because she really meant what she said. Should she tell him? She wondered what kind of expression he'd make if she told him and what he'd say as reply. No not yet Haru. You must be patient. She covered her mouth and cheeks with her scarf and just nodded to him as a reply. "So... What was it that we came here for?"
"I want to buy a present!" Haru answered cheerfully when she remembered what she actually wanted to do in the city.
"And why did you drag me with you? Couldn't you have gone alone as well?" He asked when he saw her delighted face. That present was surely for Juudaime. She looked so sweet when she walked next to him wondering what would be a good present, he thought. Though it was his beloved Juudaime he envied him. He wanted all that what he had. Her sweet smile, her cute laughing, her love and her everything should belong to only him.
"No!" She said determined and grinned so cheekily that it made his heart thump. "I absolutely need you!"
"Then I'll give my best to pick out the best present ever." He grinned back and poked her nose. He is gonna make her and Juudaime happy he thought even if he must neglect his own happiness. After all these two were the people he loved the most.
"Then let's get in there." She pointed at a boutique for men's clothing and grabbed his hand to drag him in there. It was also fancily decorated and gave off a very nice Christmas mood. There were a few people and also couples.
"What do you intend to buy here?" Gokudera asked as he looked over the shelves of the store. There were mostly clothes but also a few accessories like hats, gloves, scarfs and others.
"I wanted to buy a pullover." She said while she looked over the clothing as she grinned happily. Her face clearly showed that she thought very hard about what the person that gift was for would like the most. For the person she liked the most. He suddenly had the urge to clench his fists but he grabbed the first pullover lying next to him and showed it to Haru.
"How about that?" He asked before taking only one look at it.
"Do you really think that's good?" She wondered looking at it with doubting eyes. He held a pastel yellow pullover with an imprint that showed a lion baby which says 'I bark but I don't bite'. Haru though that it was really cute but it didn't fit Gokudera's image at all. Did he really like that stuff? She wondered.
"Y-yeah!" When he took a brief look at it he was kinda shocked about what he had picked. Why was such a cheesy thing sold in a boutique for men's clothing? He asked himself. "I think it's kinda… special!? Though it looks like this it's somehow…. special!"
"I see." Haru giggled silently. He might like that because it reminds him of his beloved Tsuna. She thought. She was a little envious of Tsuna. He was really loved and respected by Gokudera. Whenever he spoke to Tsuna his eyes were shining like those of a little child's when it looked at something it loved. "What is your size?" She asked while looking into the pullover to see its size.
"M. Why you ask?" He stared confusedly at her. Wasn't that for Tsuna. He was surely a lot bigger than him. When she saw it was not M she searched through the pile from the shelf that Gokudera took it from.
"Here!" She only answered holding that pullover towards him. "Try it on!"
"Eh? Why? My size-" He wanted to confirm with her that his size was too big for Tsuna but she just pushed him into the fitting room and threw the pullover onto him.
"Show me when you wear it!" She grinned closing the cabin and leaving a perplexed Gokuders alone in there.
"Geez." He sighed but still gave in and changed into the pullover. Why did she pick his size and why did he had to try it on for her? He was obviously bigger than Tsuna that thing will never fit him. When he saw himself in the mirror he sighed at how awful it looked on him. Totally out of character though the size and fit was perfect the image itself was just weird. "Hey, I'm done!" He said opening the cabin seeing Haru's smiling face.
"It suits you well!" She cheerfully commented with her thump up. "I think I will choose this then."
"Don't you think it's a little too big?" He asked confused. The pullover might go wel with Tsuna but the size will not go. He scratched the back of his head thinking if he might have underestimated Tsuna's size.
"It seems to fit perfectly to me." Haru said sonfidently.
"If you think so." She was the cosplay-freak after all. She might know better than him about sizes and whatever. He closed the cabin to change back to his own clothes again sighing for a third time.
After they finished Haru's Christmas shopping they finally met up with the others at the ice skating ground. The whole family was already there eagerly waiting for the two of them.
"Sorry! It's my fault that we're late." Haru apologized and bowed lightly to greet them all. Gokudera just lifted his hand to greet everyone and walked to Tsuna.
"I'm sorry too, Juudaime. It's partly my fault." He apologized and bowed.
"No problem." Tsuna said with his shy smile. How unusual for him to apologize, he thought. He wondered what happened to those two to come so late. What were they even doing together? They were always quarrelling about every single thing. It's a miracle that he apologized and that he didn't blame her. "We weren't waiting for too long."
"Yeah, it's no problem at all." Kyoko who stood beside said cheerfully. She put a hand on his shoulder and giggled. She could guess what he was thinking because of his confused expression. Of course she knew what was going on. She was very close friends with Haru after all.
"Okay…" Gokudera sighed. "Then I'm glad…" He was relieved when he glanced at Haru and saw her still smiling. He asked himself how Haru felt when she saw the two of them like that. Was it the same like when he saw her only watching Tsuna or was it different?
"Well then, shall we go?" Kyoko asked pointing with her fingers at the ice skating place.
"Yes!" Haru shouted excitedly. She was the first to walk towards the boot where they lend the shoes. Everyone followed and got their shoes to get on the ice.
Haru's legs were shaking so much as if the ice under her could break any moment. She tried real hard to control these tools on her feet when she tightly held onto the barrier which divided the iced area to the normal one. Like she said it was obviously her first time and she behaved very much like it. But she wasn't the only beginner.
"It's harder than it looks like, right Takeshi-kun?" Yamamoto who also had his problems handling the magic devices to move on the slippery ice joined Haru by wobbling behind her and trying to master the skates.
"Hahaha. Yeah!" He said with his usual grin. "But it's still kinda fun."
"Yes." Haru giggled. She was glad that she wasn't the only one who couldn't properly skate. Luckily Takeshi was there to keep her company. So it was still fun. She took a break and looked around to see how the others were doing. Lambo and I-Pin couldn't find shoes that fit their little feet therefore they had to stay with Reborn and Bianchi who sat in a pretty café and enjoyed their hot chocolate and cake. Tsuna, surprisingly, and Kyoko were doing pretty fine. They slowly skated next to each other while having a nice conversation. Ryohei and Gokudera were extremely good at skating and showed off their skills by racing each other with extremely high speed. But when Gokudera saw Haru and Yamamoto chatting so friendly with each other he stopped and rushed over to them.
"Let's see how the beginners are doing." He laughed at Ryohei and pointed with his thumb at the two of them. Ryohei only nodded and followed him while grinning excitedly like he always was.
"Hey, that looks extremely fun. What are you guys up to?" Ryohei asked Yamamoto and Haru when he and Gokudera arrived.
"It's not funny! Teach us how to skate, guys!" Haru demanded still holding onto the barrier barely standing on her shaking legs.
"I kinda expected that you couldn't skate but you Yamamoto?" Gokudera laughed as he felt superior to the baseball idiot.
"Well, I guess that's not my sport. Hahaha!" The rain guardian answered unimpressed with his usual cheerfulness. Somehow he was always immune to Gokudera's insults which irritated Gokudera. And it irritated him even more that Haru was supporting that brainless idiot. She even called him and Ryohei by their first names and only him not.
"Don't give up Takeshi-kun. We can learn from Ryohei and Gokudera how to properly skate." Haru said confidently. After all of them spend so much time together she got used calling everyone by their first names. But she felt too shy and too embarrassed to call Gokudera by his' though she could always call Tsuna's first name when she was in love with him. It seemed really weird to her but she couldn't help it. Her love for Gokudera felt different than her love for Tsuna but both never felt wrong. Love sure was complicated. When she looked at the angry grumpy cat Hayato she wondered how she could fell for him after she was in love with such a shy and sweet boy like Tsuna. They're totally different. But still she fell in love with him for who he is. Even though he was like this Gokudera Hayato was still very lovable.
"Tch! I don't want to teach you stupid woman. I'd be a pain in the ass." He grumbled crossing his arms in front of his chest. He was very frustrated about the fact that she still wouldn't call his first name. Well, he also didn't call her by her name but it was too embarrassing to him. His pride wouldn't allow that. It was too off character and too uncool.
"Eh? What have I done to you now?" Haru was confused. Why did he always get angry so easily? She doesn't know what she's supposed to do. Not talking would be a solution but that she didn't want to do. Their friends after all, right? And she really liked talking to him even though it often ended in a quarrel it was still fun.
"Why don't you want to teach them? I think it could be extremely fun." Ryohei asked also confused about why the grumpy cat was irritated again.
"Yeah, don't be a spoilsport and help us out, will ya?" Takeshi asked with his usual grinning face. Not noticing that the storm guardian's mood wasn't too good exactly because of him.
"Fine I'll do it okay? You happy?" They plainly nodded with a slight smile when he finally gave in.
"It's such an honor to be helped out by Gokudera. Hahaha!" The rain guardian laughed amused.
"Stop laughing like that all the time it's creping me out!"
"But I can't help but to laugh when I feel happy." Takeshi said without any care in the world not noticing what actually happened.
"Always smiling and laughing when you're happy is good! You should try to be more happy too, Gokudera-kun." Haru supported Takeshi. She wanted Gokudera to laugh more and happy. Live was too short to be grumpy all the time. He should enjoy every moment properly.
"How am I supposed to be happy being surrounded by idiots all the time?" The silver haired guy turned his head and crossed his arms.
"Idiots are happier than normal people right? Hahaha!" Takeshi said still too dense to understand the situation.
"Baseball-Idiot I'm gon-" The smoking bomb almost attacked Takeshi when Ryohei didn't stop him by holding his shoulder.
"Well, I'll take care of Yamamoto. You properly teach Haru, okay?" Ryohei said to finally stop the arguing and dragged Yamamoto with him somewhere far away.
"I am in your care. Please treat me well!" Haru said eagerly awaiting her special coaching by Gokudera-sensei.
"Can you stand without holding the barrier?" He first asked.
"Well... I wouldn't dare to let go of it..." Haru admitted.
"If you keep hanging onto the barrier you'll never properly learn how to skate." Gokudera sighed. Somehow Haru looked really cute when she clung onto the barrier like that.
"I see..."
"Now try to balance your feet and straighten your body and slowly let go of that thing." He positioned himself in front of her to catch her if it was needed.
"Yeah..." Haru was a little scared to fall but she still did as he said. She straightened her body and balanced her feet. The shaking decreased and she slowly lifted her hand from the barrier. "And now?"
"Turn your right foot to the two o'clock position and your left foot to the ten o'clock position. Keep your weight evenly distributed and glide, keeping both skates on the ice. Shift your weight from one skate to the other once you feel more confident." He explained.
"I don't think I can master it that fast." Haru slowly said while she tried to perform what he explained. She hesitantly took a few steps forward but she couldn't keep her balance and fell. "Wahhh!"
"Har-!" Gokudera immediately tried to catch her. But the two of them landed on the iced floor after she pushed him down when he held her. When they were lying on the floor a moment of silence fell upon them. They slowly opened their eyes and were shocked to see how close their faces were. But more than that they were perplexed about the soft and warm sensation on their lips that they couldn't move an inch. Seriously? They screamed in their heads when they finally realized that they accidentally kissed each other. Pushing the other away as soon as they noticed that they were crawling a few steps back to take some distance.
"T-that! That was dangerous!" Haru didn't know what to say and mumbled some incoherent words that Gokudera did not understand. "I… big shock! …Gokudera-kun…"
"Hey…" When at least one of them got a grip he stood up and slid towards Haru to help her up. "Did you get hurt?" He stuttered with a face as red as the clothing of Santa Claus avoiding her glance.
"U-um… no…" After she stared at him for a while with a blank expression on her face she finally snapped too. "Thank you…" She lifted her arm to grab his hand with cheeks that seemed to compete with the facial color of his'.
"No problem…" He supported her while she tried to stand on her own feet again by holding her hand and her waist. Seeing her being bashful like that was too cute. His heart thumped up to his ears making them also go red. "You… You mustn't be embarrassed about it… It was an accident…" He tried to cheer her up. Guessing her first kiss was taken by such a guy like him she must be quiet shocked and shaken.
"Y-yes…" There it is again. Somehow she felt that such a kindness came from him. Again he tried to cheer her up. And again he didn't blame her for being such an idiot. He was so sweet being like that making her feel her heart beat in every inch of her body. It beat so fast, so strong. That it seemed like it was about to explode. Hiding her face in her scarf again she secretly smiled happily. Not yet, Haru. Not yet.
hey guys..
I unfortunately couldnt get it done for Christmas ...
my days were just too full with Family stuff even the days after were full of Events
but i hope you don't mind reading a Christmas ff without Christmas ...
then... hope you enjoyed and see you in the next chap !
Mido
