A/N: Thank you so much for the support and feedback on the last chapter! Everyone seems to be in agreement that the fluff is sugar-sweet~
Conejo-sama, special thanks for giving me feedback on Kinuhana! The hardest part about introducing OC's into a story is making them feel like they belong, so it means a lot to hear that she's likeable and interesting.
* I've written two more chapters of "The Ribbon" covering Christmas at U.A. High. I may end up adding two or three more after that. After which, I'll publish a separate fic for more mature content. So, if you're interested in that, stay tuned!
* Additionally! I will be publishing a companion-fic featuring Mina Ashido and her own OC called "The Contract." You'll see some overlap in the next two chapters where the plot for Ashido's story will come through. I'll be following the same formula for that fic. It will be a few chapters of fluff and drama. Stay tuned for that as well!
How to Choose a Present
It was the first week of December. The trees in the forest surrounding U.A. High were barren, having already shed their brilliant orange and yellow hues, in exchange for the skeletal structures that held up the gray sky of encroaching winter. The first snow had yet to fall, but the sky seemed heavy with the prospect. It was getting colder too, a fact enunciated by the puffs of air released from the mouths of shivering students, buttoned-up tightly in their winter uniforms and coats. While it wasn't as frigid as it would be two months from now, it was still far too cold for the student body to be amassed on the crunchy grass at 7:00 AM for an assembly.
Class 1-A was among the gathered students, shivering and bouncing on their toes as they waited for someone, anyone, to make an announcement and let them leave.
"Hey, why doesn't Tsu have to be out here with us?" Ashido complained as she rubbed her arms for warmth.
"She got a medical permission slip to skip," Yaoyorozu said. "You know she can't handle cold well."
"Do you have any idea why we're here, Deku?" Uraraka whispered.
The boy took the question seriously. He touched his chin as he considered the most reasonable answer. "If I had to guess, I'd say it has to do with the holiday season. Christmas and New Year's are at the end of the month, and the faculty have yet to address what the plans are for releasing us."
"Man, I can't wait to go home!" Kaminari hopped up and down. "I'm gonna stay home, sleep, and eat until I'm fat."
"Ew, please don't," Jiro commented, adjusting her earmuffs.
"What are your plans, Kirishima?" Ashido asked.
Eijiro grinned. "My folks are super traditional, so for New Year we'll for sure go to a shrine, get Omijuki fortunes, and my mom loves all the store discounts, so she'll probably drag me around with her to go shopping for a couple of days."
"Your parents still use you as a pack mule?" Ashido giggled.
"Well, yeah!" He lifted his arm and flexed, even though his bicep was not visible beneath his long-sleeved uniform. "I'm strong, so I'm good for it!"
"Listen up, everyone!" Iida's voice interrupted. "The principal is about to speak!"
The little mouse, dog principal of UA climbed onstage and up the steps to his pedestal. "Good morning, students! Isn't the weather lovely! My fur makes wonderful insulation for the cold, and it's the best season for drinking tea!"
The shivering students looked far less enthused about the weather.
"I'll cut to the chase now," he said. "I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that, due to the uprise in criminal activity since All Might's retirement, we will not be allowing students to return home for winter break."
The crowd erupted in muttering and groans of disbelief and surprise.
"Unfortunately, we also cannot allow family members to enter the campus at this time."
"What?!" Yaoyorozu frowned. "But New Year's is supposed to be when families stay home and spend time with each other!"
"All you losers do is complain," Katsuki growled. "Who cares?"
"Dude, literally everyone except you," Eijiro said, elbowing him in the side. "Just because you don't care about your parents doesn't mean the rest of us don't."
"Who said I don't care about my parents!" He snapped back. "I'm just not going to whine about not seeing their annoying-ass faces!"
"Settle down!" Mr. Aizawa chided.
"We understand that this is very upsetting for many of you," Principal Nezu continued. "Which is why we have decided to hold our own holiday festivities! I know it cannot make up for lost time with your families. However, I do hope you can find comfort and enjoyment in what the school has decided to offer."
"What kind of festivities?" Shoji muttered, tone curious.
"We will be hosting a Christmas party, as well as a New Year's festival. Curfew will also be pushed back an extra hour for that week, and there will be no curfew at all on New Year's Eve. We'll have a sunrise viewing event, and no homework projects assigned over the vacation."
"Sounds pretty sweet to me," Sero commented.
"Yeah right," Katsuki snapped. "They're just trying to bribe us so our parents don't sue the school."
Eijiro elbowed him again. "What's your deal, man? You extra bitter today or something?"
"WHAT AM I, COFFEE?! I'M NOT BITTER."
"You should be thrilled about this, Bakugo," Kaminari said with a smirk. "If everyone's stuck at school, then you get to spend New Year's Eve with Aisla~"
Katsuki tensed. The aforementioned small blonde girl was standing behind him, her cheeks now pink from more than the cold. "Do you… want to watch the sunrise together, Katsuki?" she asked, timidly.
The boy looked ready to explode. Eijiro clasped his hand on his shoulder to contain the fumes.
"Didn't I tell you not to talk to me in public?!" he snarled back at her, not turning around to see her rejected expression.
"Bakugo…" Eijiro raised an eyebrow at him. "We talked about this."
Katsuki's body quivered with rage. "Who says I'm going to be awake at sunrise?" he snapped. "Don't ask me stupid questions!"
Eijiro beamed over his shoulder at the girl. "That wasn't a 'no,'" he pointed out with a wink. Then he patted his friend on the spiky, blond head. "Good boy, that was almost nice!"
"Kirishima…" Katsuki seethed. "If you ever pet me again, I'll blast you so hard that your skin will be so permanently damaged that you'll never be able to use your quirk again."
"Sure man, whatever you say!" He laughed.
"Watching the sunrise with someone sounds so fun!" Ashido grinned, then gave Eijiro's arm a playful tug. "How about it, Kirishima? You wanna stay up with me on New Year's Eve?"
"Huh? Well, if I can't hang out with my parents, then…"
New Year's… It was a holiday that was supposed to be spent with family or people special to you. He'd never considered being apart from his parents during that time. It felt… wrong somehow, to think about spending that time without eating mochi and drinking matcha tea with his mom and listening to cringey dad jokes until the sun came up. If he couldn't spend it with them, then did he want to celebrate at all?
Festivals and parties sounded fun and everything, but the actual night of New Year's Eve, when prayers are sent for the upcoming year, for peace and longevity… He thought of his parents leaning against each other and whispering their wishes. Hand-in-hand, soft kisses on the cheeks and laughter and shivering together on the balcony.
It was sudden and unwarranted. The memories in his mind of his parents snuggling and watching the sunrise were replaced with images of himself and Kinuhana Kanzashi. He imagined her whispering warmly into his ear, their finger's interlaced, and a gentle kiss in the light of the rising sun. The daydream made him blush, and he had to shake his head to remember Ashido's question.
"Maybe," he gave a non-committal answer. "If Kanzashi doesn't want to hang out with me."
"Wowww," Ashido laughed. "So, I'm your backup if your girlfriend stands you up? I think you just broke my heart, Kirishima!"
"Let's just hope she doesn't stand me up," he chuckled. It tended to be a toss-up with Hana. She had her moments when she was too embarrassed to do anything romantic with him. Though, he was learning that it had a lot to do with how he presented the question to her.
"Yeah," Ashido agreed, her voice strangely quiet. "Let's hope she doesn't."
He looked at her, about to ask what was wrong when the principal spoke again.
"I encourage all of you with concerns to speak to your homeroom teachers. We would like to be accommodating and allow for scheduled times when your parents can visit the school. We believe that staggered appointments such as these will be the best means to protect our students and staff."
He continued to make more announcements about testing, the enforcement of school rules, and a bunch of other stuff that everyone was either too cold or too bored to pay any attention to. At last, he dismissed everyone to eat breakfast before their first class of the day.
"Hey, Kirishima?" Ashido called out to him as he started to push through the crowd to get to breakfast. Her hand gripped onto his collar and she pulled him back slightly. He turned to face her, surprised to find that her normally vibrant, black and gold eyes seemed unusually serious. "Can I talk to you for a minute?"
He looked back over his shoulder. He could see the second-year support class heading through the cafeteria doors. He caught sight of blonde hair and the glint of silver eyes as a girl paused by the door to scan her eyes over the crowd.
"Sorry, Ashido, can it wait until after school?" He nearly sprinted when he watched Hana walk inside. "It's just, I promised Kanzashi I'd have breakfast with her, and I don't want her to think I bailed."
Ashido's expression seemed to darken, but only for a moment. Then, she grinned again. "Yeah, no problem! Don't be a stranger, kay?"
He nodded, then eagerly made his way to the cafeteria.
Hana was waiting for him at the table they liked to share, when they weren't eating with their classmates, that is. She'd already gotten her breakfast, and a second tray of food was waiting next to her. Her eyes lit up the moment she saw him approaching.
"Hey, Hana!" He sat immediately beside her. "Did you really pick up my food, too?"
She blushed, a bit of pink tinging her bright hair. "Of course," she said, shyly. "I know what you like."
"I like you," he said with a grin, knowing all-too-well what kind of reaction this statement would produce.
"Eijiro!" she chided, face burning brighter and several more strands of hair turning pink. "You're so embarrassing…"
"Sorry," he laughed, before picking up his chopsticks. "So, how do you feel about Principal Nezu's announcement?"
"About the holidays?" she asked.
He nodded. "I'm pretty bummed. I do a lot of stuff with my parents this time of year."
Hana shrugged. "My parents aren't talking to each other, so it's better for me like this. I don't have to choose one over the other."
She didn't usually talk about her home life, so Eijiro felt exceptionally sympathetic when he looked at her. Instinctively, he placed his hand on the back of hers and gave a comforting squeeze. "How about… since we can't go home, you and I spend the holidays together? It could be fun!"
She gripped his fingers softly, then let go so that they wouldn't be yelled at for PDA. "That… sounds kind of nice. Especially since you haven't taken me on a date since the School Festival." Her tone was accusatory.
"H-How am I supposed to take you on dates when we're not allowed to leave campus?!"
She shrugged. "It's your job to figure that out as the man in the relationship. I can't do everything for you, you know." While there was sass in her tone, her eyes were soft and she was smiling.
"Alright then, challenge accepted!" He beamed brightly. "I'm gonna take you on a date every single day of winter break and give you the best Christmas and New Year's Eve you've ever had!"
"Please don't go over the top," she groaned. "No loud declarations of love or anything embarrassing like that or I'll break up with you."
"I was thinking of singing you a song from outside your window," he teased. "I'm a great singer! I could serenade you for sure!"
"That's not what your friends say," she deadpanned. "Apparently you offered to sing in the School Festival and they shot you down pretty hard."
He pouted. "Hey, they just didn't get my unique style! You'd totally dig it, Hana! We have the same tastes!"
"In literally nothing," she giggled. "You're a hero jock and I'm a support-class nerd. We have virtually nothing in common."
"Don't say it like that, it sounds bad," he complained.
"I didn't mean…" she looked away, eyelashes batting slightly as she stared at her tray. "I actually think… we're really good contrasts for each other. It works out. Or I… I think it's working out."
Joy thrashed around in his chest. "I know I'm happy! I wouldn't want to be with someone who's like me! We'd clash too much."
"And you'd be the loudest, most embarrassing couple alive."
"Yeah, that would be like…" he thought about it. "Like if me and Ashido were dating." He laughed and shook his head. "The thought of that is too weird!"
"You know, I actually thought you guys were dating," Hana said, passively as she stirred her rice. "Before I met you for tutoring, I mean. Just from seeing you around with her. You seemed close."
"We are close," he agreed, exuberantly. "We went to the same middle school, she's a friend of mine. She's pretty cool, but she's like… my sister or something. Definitely not my type."
Hana raised an eyebrow at him. "Did you even have a type before you crushed on me, little first-year?"
"Y-Yeah!" he stuttered. "I mean… I liked… pretty girls."
Hana rolled her eyes and laughed out loud. "Shut up and eat your breakfast before it gets cold. You're ridiculous."
He grinned before finally digging into his meal.
He and Hana had been dating for about two months now, and Eijiro lived for this early morning banter with her. And now, his mind was alive with thoughts of festivities and New Year's Eve, and stepping into a brand new year with his girlfriend at his side. Would that be a sign of good fortune? An indicator that he'd spend the next New Years with her as well? If that was the case, then he had to make sure this year was perfect.
Hana's dorm room might as well have doubled as a complete sewing studio. She had organized drawers with spools of various colors and types of thread. A collection of needles of practically every size and shape. Her actual desk was a sewing machine table, and her walls were decorated with multicolored quilts and cross-stitch decorations (some featuring adorable art of her favorite heroes). She was organized and neat, but her room was so colorful and so full of clash that it did sort of look like rainbows and unicorns had exploded inside of it.
She was currently sitting cross-legged on the floor staring seriously at something while Amaya Shibuya sprawled out on her bed.
"Has anyone told you that your room looks like an old lady's house?" Shibuya asked, as she poked at a knit pillowcase. "Not just one room of an old lady's house, but like the whole house. Like, all it's missing are the thirteen white cats named 'Mittens.'"
Hana sighed, but not at the comment. She wasn't paying attention to her friend. "I don't know what to do…" she muttered.
"You've been saying that for the past hour," Shibuya pointed out, "but I still don't know what's wrong with what you're doing now."
"I just… It's almost Christmas, and that's such a couple's holiday and I…" Her hair took on some pink hues. "I've never gotten him a present before. I've never had a boyfriend to get presents for."
"You're overthinking it!" Her friend slid off the bed to join her on the floor. "I think that your idea to make something for Kirishima is way better than buying him something!"
She blushed. "I-I don't know. He's a boy. He probably wants guy stuff, not some 'old lady' decorations."
"Hana-chan, listen…" Shibuya sat next to her and took her hand. "A wise lover values not so much the gift of the lover as the love of the giver." Her dark eyes were serious.
Hana deadpanned. "That's a book quote, isn't it?"
"So, what if it is?" Her friend huffed. "It's poetic and beautiful and true. Aaand, also written by Thomas Kempis in 'The Imitation of Christ.'"
Hana couldn't help but giggle. "You're so weird." Between books and poetry, she was sure her friend had memorized every single line about love that had ever been written. "What does that even mean?"
"It means that it's not about what you give him, as long as you put your heart into it." Her pale face lit in a smile. "Kirishima likes you a lot. He'd probably be happy if you gave him a pebble, honestly."
Hana frowned. "Maybe…"
"And don't forget!" Shibuya's eyes glittered like stars in a moonless sky. "You could always give him a less… tangible gift." She winked.
Hana felt her blush deepen, even though she had no idea what she was implying. "What's that supposed to mean?"
"The sunlight claps the earth, and the moonbeams kiss the sea: what are all these kissings worth, if thou kiss not me?" Shibuya quoted, arms outstretched with dramatic flair. "Percy Shelley."
"Don't start!" Hana snapped, purposely turning her back on her friend.
"Oh, come on!" Shibuya laid out on the masterpiece Hana was working on, granting her a swat with a square of fabric. "When's the last time you kissed him?"
"We kiss all the time, thank you very much," Hana tried to roll her off of her workspace, but the girl wouldn't budge. She had the thought that she wished she was in her mouse form so she could trap her under a cup or something.
"Oh, really? More than just the occasional kiss on his cheek after he walks you home in the afternoon?"
Hana gave her braid a nervous tug in response. "I-I kissed him on the lips… once…"
"You poor, hopeless novice!" Shibuya put the back of her hand to her forehead and let out an exasperated sigh. "This boy is your lover, your inspiration, and your muse! And you've been dating for two months already, so you need to get serious with the smooches!"
"He's not my lover," she argued. "And two months isn't a long time. We're still… getting to know each other and everything. Now, please get out of my workspace."
Shibuya sighed loudly again before finally relenting. She sat back on the edge of the bed. "Fine! But there's nothing more romantic than a New Year's kiss shared at sunrise to bring in the new year and all its blessings. In fact, I think I'll have to find a boyfriend just so that I can take part in the tradition, too!"
"Shibuya, you can't just randomly pick some guy to have a New Year's kiss with."
"Why can't I? It would be a mutually beneficial business arrangement."
They both broke out into giggles.
"Think about it, Hana," her friend smiled. "It doesn't have to be complicated."
Hana did think about it. In fact, she'd been thinking about it since long before Shibuya brought it up. The prospect of sharing that intimate, special moment in time with Eijiro… It made her heart beat so fast that it was almost painful. But… Hana was too shy to initiate something like that. Every time she so much as thought about her brief kiss with Eijiro after the school festival, she wanted to crawl under her quilts and never face him again. It was embarrassing, and filled her with so much anxiety that she was sure her hair would start falling out.
She had just been hoping this entire time that he would kiss her next. She knew he wanted to. She could see it sometimes in the dim light, after she pressed her lips to his cheek and whispered goodbye. Occasionally, she even waited for him to do it, just a couple of extra seconds spent looking at his red irises, burning in the fiery hues of the setting sun. He always looked like he wanted to, like it was right there in the forefront of his thoughts, waiting for the trigger impulse. But… then, he would grin, scratch the back of his head, and bid her farewell. Just to text her later with a string of kissy-face emojis, as if to make up for the fact that they hadn't kissed for real.
Was he trying to be respectful? He did highly value his own version of "manliness," which included chivalry, among other things. If that was the case and his values were preventing him from taking that leap, and her self-consciousness was preventing her, then how could they hope to overcome this obstacle?
It doesn't have to be complicated.
It was the two weeks before winter break and Eijiro couldn't take it anymore. He'd paced in his room, lifted weights, gone for midday jogs, and sparred with Katsuki for the past week, all while trying to come up with a solution to his dilemma, but it was useless. When nothing else worked, he got desperate and started asking his classmates for help.
"Dude, how would I know?" Kaminari shrugged. "Get her flowers or something, don't chicks like that?"
"No," Jiro interrupted. "Some girls think they're useless and tacky, so don't get her flowers unless you know that she likes them, and what kind of flowers she likes."
No help there.
"I-I don't really know," Midoriya said later on. "I'm not an expert on anything except heroes, but um… if it was me and I was getting a present for someone special, I-I… I would pick something that I know they like! Something that aligns with her hobbies or interests. Yeah, something like that."
"It would be pretty easy to please Deku," Uraraka teased. "Just get him another All Might figurine."
He'd even thrown caution to the wind and asked Katsuki for help, since he was the only other person in their class who had a girlfriend. Or… well sort of girlfriend.
"I don't buy presents," Katsuki growled.
"But you gave me cash to replace my night-vision goggles that one time," Eijiro pointed out.
"THAT WASN'T A PRESENT! That was just so we'd be even!"
"You've never gotten Aisla anything? Seriously?"
He'd slammed the door in his face before giving a solid answer, so Eijiro went to the girl herself.
"I don't expect presents from Kacchan," Aisla said, quietly. "With some people… it's more about little acts of appreciation that make them feel special."
"So, my boy Bakugo makes you feel appreciated, huh?" He grinned at her. "Looks like he's learning after all."
But, after all of that, Eijrio was no better off. He still didn't know what to get Hana. He and his parents usually exchanged surprise baskets from their favorite stores, rather than present special gifts. This was different though. He wanted to get Hana something to show how happy he was that they were dating, and how much he cared about her.
But what?
This question had brought him to another one of his classmates. She'd given him sound advice when it came to Hana before, and she seemed to have a good perspective on girl things, so he decided to put his faith in her. Plus, Ashido was one of his closest friends.
He knocked on her door, bouncing nervously on his toes until she opened it.
"Kirishima?" Her eyes were wide. "You… actually came?"
"Yeah," he grinned. "I wanted to talk to you!"
She smiled, then opened the door to let him in. "Make yourself at home! What's mine is yours, buddy!"
He did just that. He flopped onto her pink and black bed and stared up at the ceiling. She sat down on her striped floor chair and faced him. "I'm really glad you're here, Kirishima."
He sat up, smiling. "I'm happy to see you too, Ashido!"
He thought she might have blushed, but it was always hard to tell with her already pink skin.
"There's something I want to talk to you about!"
They both spoke at the exact same time, leaning forward with desperation in their eyes.
Eijiro scratched his neck, awkwardly. "You first!"
Ashido twirled pink hair in her fingers, then shook her head. "No, you should go."
"Why?"
"What I have to talk about might take a long time," she gave a sheepish smile. "So… seriously, I want to hear what you're going to say."
He nodded, considering that enough of an answer. He put his hands on his thighs and gripped the fabric of his uniform pants, swallowing hard before speaking. "You're a girl…" he started.
"Yeah, glad you finally noticed." She grinned before scooting her chair closer to the bed.
"And I was wondering…" he let out a quiet sigh. "If someone wanted to show you how much they care about you… how would you want them to do it?"
Her eyes widened. "Kirishima…"
"Would you want a present? Or maybe some kind of act of service? Maybe a…" he felt heat touch his cheeks. "...a kiss, or something?"
She blushed too, this time he could tell. Maybe it was embarrassing for her to talk about this stuff?
"Never mind…" He looked away. He didn't want to make her feel awkward talking about his relationship. Hana had told him a billion times now that being overly honest with too much self-disclosure could make people antsy. Especially people like her. He didn't think Ashido was shy or anything, but he was still trying to learn how to read the room.
"Kirishima!" she said quickly. "I would want you to be honest about your feelings and say them out loud! That would mean… so much to me…"
"Yeah, I don't know about that…" he sighed. "It's more complicated than that." Sure, maybe most girls would like to have verbal expressions of affection, but not Hana. She wouldn't like it if he wrote her cute notes or poems, or whatever else people do to be romantic like that.
"Seriously, E-Eijiro," Ashido said, surprising him with the use of his first name. He guessed it was okay, though. They had been friends forever. "If you care about someone, you have to tell them." She reached up and grabbed his hands. "It's important."
"I get what you're saying, but…" he averted his gaze. "I mean, I tell Kanzashi that I like her and think she's pretty basically every day."
"Kanzashi…?" Ashido suddenly released his hands. "O-Oh."
"I want to do something more than that for Christmas! I was thinking of getting her a present, but I don't know what to get her, so I asked everyone for help and it was useless. But I thought you'd know the answer. You understand this stuff!"
"You're wrong." She sat back in her chair. "I don't understand this at all…"
"Come on!Yes, you do! You helped me before!"
"Kirishima…" she sighed. "Yeah, but…"
"I thought flowers would be nice, but I don't know if she's the kind of girl who likes flowers or what her favorite kind is. I know most girls like chocolates, but Kanzashi doesn't have much of a sweet tooth. I don't know what she likes besides sewing and pretty clothes, and I can't buy her clothes for at least five reasons."
"You're taking this too seriously," Ashido said, her voice curt.
Eijiro groaned and picked up the stuffed rabbit on her bed, tugging on its ears as he thought about what to do. "Of course, I'm taking it seriously. She's my girlfriend. I like her. I care about her more every day. I have to make her feel special, you know?"
Ashido stood up, suddenly. She turned her back on him and walked over to her desk, idly smoothing out a stack of papers there. "You've only been dating for two months, Kirishima."
He poked the bunny's cheeks. "So, what does that have to do with anything?"
"You're treating this like it's a marriage proposal. It's kind of ridiculous, actually." She shrugged. "It's not like you guys are going to be together forever. I mean, this is high school. People don't stay with their high school sweethearts after graduation. And she's a year older than you, so you have like at most one year to be together? And it's your first time dating?"
Eijiro frowned, feeling something unsettling stir in his stomach.
"I'm just saying, it's not gonna last, so why are you trying so hard to impress her?"
He stared hard at the stuffed animal's nose, suddenly feeling sick. "Even if that stuff's true, it's messed up to say it. What you're telling me is that… just because my chances of success are low, I should put in half-assed effort?" He stood up. "Sorry, but I don't work like that. Not as a hero and not as a boyfriend. I've never expected to amount to much, you know? But I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to let that stop me. So, even if you're right and Hana wants to break up with me after she graduates, I'm still going to put my everything into making her feel loved now, when she's mine."
Ashido made a sound, something like a groan of frustration. "You're so perfect, Kirishima, do you realize that? It's so annoying."
"Since I can't tell if you're complimenting or insulting me, I'll just leave." He sighed before giving one last anguished look at her stuffed animal, as if expecting it to feel sorry for him. "Sorry for bugging you."
"Wait!" She turned to face him, and he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. "There's something I need to get off my chest."
He paused, waiting awkwardly with his hands in his pockets. "What's up?"
"I know that it doesn't matter now," she said, as she wiped the corner of her eye with her sleeve. "And I didn't realize it before because… well, I guess I kind of took you for granted. Then, you came to me and asked for advice on Kanzashi and I… I kept thinking about it, and the truth is, Kirishima—"
She was interrupted by a sound from his back pocket. The chime of a text message.
"Sorry!" He plucked the phone out. "Let me just silence this, one second." He was about to turn the ringer off when he saw that it was Hana who texted him. Automatically, he read her text, and was unable to stop the grin that spread across his cheeks when he saw her message. She'd sent a picture of a rabbit that she'd taken in the forest, with the question: Do you think it would wear a cute sweater if I knit one for it?
"It's her, isn't it?" Ashido asked.
"Yeah, let me tell her I'm busy real quick, then you can tell me what you wanted to say." He started to type a quick reply to Hana. If it's a smart bunny it will be honored! I know I'd wear anything you knit for me.
"Forget it," Ashido snapped, startling him up from his phone screen. "Clearly your girlfriend is more important than the girl who's been your friend for years."
"Ashido…" he put his phone back in his pocket. "It's not like that. I wasn't trying to be rude, I just—"
"Want to show your girlfriend that she's special and you care about her and she's loved. I know. I get it." She sighed. "Just leave."
"But you were about to tell me something!"
"I said forget it!" Her voice was far louder and far sharper than he'd ever heard it. But then… she forced a smile and laughed. "It was nothing important anyway. I'm just being moody. Go on, get out of here and find a present for Kanzashi like a good boy."
"Are you sure…?" He frowned. He'd never seen Ashido act like this. "If there's something bothering you, you can talk to me about it. We're buds, right?"
"Right." Her smile stretched wider, but didn't reach her eyes. "Buds."
He didn't really want to leave like this, but there was finality in her tone. He had the sudden realization that not only did he still not have a gift idea for Hana, but he'd also done something to make a friend mad.
She ushered him to the door. He glanced back behind him to check on her again. He was sure she was holding back tears. But why? What had she wanted to tell him?
It was while he was looking back that his eyes rested on the stuffed rabbit on her bed again. He remembered the text Hana had sent him and that was it. The idea clicked.
"I've got it!" He beamed brightly at Ashido. "I know what I'm gonna give her!"
Ashido closed her eyes for a long moment, then smiled softly at him. "Okay. Then go do it." With these final words, she pushed him out the door and locked it behind him.
Eijiro had already forgotten about what Ashido had wanted to talk about. He was already on his phone, searching up information in his web browser as he trudged to his room, eyes bright and smile wide.
She'll love it! But I only have a week before winter break… I have to get the stuff for it and figure out how to do it, so…
His mind wandered, buzzing with thoughts of Hana, winter break, presents, and kisses.