How to Party on Christmas

At long last, it was December 25th. Christmas Day at U.A. High. Miraculously, the day also landed on Friday, which meant that winter break would be starting immediately. The halls were bright and full of laughter, the outside of the school decorated in lights and streamers. When the bell rang, releasing everyone for the last time, students sprinted off in all directions. Some of them had to go to the gym to set up for the Christmas party. Others were more concerned with their appearances, and getting their outfits and makeup just right.

Hana would have liked to get ready for the party. In fact, her makeup-case was out in front of her mirror, a tube of mascara still open and brushes strewn on the desk. She also had four dresses hanging up, signifying her dilemma in choosing one for the occasion. She wanted to be dolling herself up and twirling in front of her friends, gauging their reactions to determine how Eijiro might react later on...

However, Kinuhana Kanzashi had made a name for herself at U.A. What had started off as a favor here and there had turned into this. A line of girls outside her bedroom door, all looking at her as if they were starving in the cold and she had hot soup to offer. The hot soup, of course, being her ability to create things with her hair.

She'd already made a dress for one girl, bows for two others, and met the odd request to create an apron for someone else. It was getting late and her hair was getting shorter, but still the damsels in distress kept knocking on her door. She glanced in the mirror and frowned at her shoulder-length hair. It wouldn't even be long enough for a braid now…

I have to start turning them away, she thought with a sigh. If I don't, I'll go to the party bald and in my uniform.

"Okay, everyone back off!" A small but mighty voice bellowed in the hallway. "Commissions are over! If you want outfits made by New Year's, then please fill out a time-slot on the sheet I have right here! The price is—"

"Tondi!" Hana threw her door open and scowled at the four-foot tall spider girl. "Don't you dare charge them!"

"What?" She gave a nervous chuckle. "Just trying to help a girl out!"

"Listen…" Hana stepped into the hall and bowed low. "I am humbled that all of you came to me seeking help, but I'm afraid I'm at my limit today. I apologize."

There were sighs of disappointment followed by murmuring as the girls began to disperse.

"Aw man!" A familiar voice called out. "Can't you do one more?"

Hana turned and was surprised to see a friend of Eijiro walking up to her. Mina Ashido, her mind supplied. The two didn't talk much on their own, but she knew a lot about her through her boyfriend, who often spoke of her in tones of awe. She was one of the deciding factors that made him want to be a hero, after all.

"Ashido," Hana smiled. "What is it that you're looking for?"

"A dress," the girl said with a smile. "Something really cute."

This was a surprise. Hana blinked at her. "I didn't take you as someone who normally wears dresses," she commented. "Your style is so unique and punk-inspired. Skirts and crop tops, maybe. Dresses, not so much."

Ashido gave her a strange look, but didn't stop smiling. "It has to be a dress! The prettiest thing you can imagine!"

Hana played with the short strands of her hair and looked inside at her clock. "I… I don't know."

"Please?" Ashido clasped her hands together. "You have to help me, Kanzashi! I have a date tonight!"

She inspected her face, shocked by this announcement. "A date?"

"Yeah, with this guy from the business class! I have to look cute, I've never had a date before!" Her eyes shone with sincerity and she clasped her hands to her chest. "Please?"

Hana sighed before pushing her door open farther. "Okay." She couldn't turn her down. She was one of Eijiro's closest friends, after all. "Do you have something in mind?" she asked, as she shut the door and grabbed her scissors. She hoped it would be something short and simple.

"A gown!" Ashido said, gesturing down her leg. "With one of the slits on the side. And it has to be cute and sexy and red."

"Red?" Hana raised an eyebrow. "I don't think that's a good idea." She scanned her over. "It would clash a lot with your pink color palette. You'd look best in black or gold."

"Red," she insisted. "It has to be red."

Hana sighed. "Okay. Is that your date's favorite color or something?"

"Something," came the short reply.

Hana grabbed her measuring tape and started sizing her. "How'd you meet him?" she asked, conversationally. "I've never seen you with a guy before, besides Kirishima, I mean."

"We just met this month," she said, and Hana detected smugness in her tone. "We're totally in love."

"Oh, well… um, that's really good! I'm happy for you!" She grabbed her scissors and tried to visualize the dress that she wanted to create in her mind. Finally, she looked in the mirror, said a silent goodbye to her hair, and cut it at jaw length.

Ashido watched in fascination as the dress began to materialize from Hana's hair. She focused, imagining the texture, every seam, every stitch. And after several long moments, she finally held up the finished product. "I know you said you wanted red, but I decided to also use gold trim and sparkles, to bring out your eyes."

"Wow…" Ashido took it from her hands and modeled in front of the mirror with it. "Thanks, Kanzashi! Sorry about your hair."

"It's okay." She smiled. "I hope your date appreciates you in it."

"I hope so too." She gave a wave before exiting the room, finally leaving Hana alone to get herself ready.

She looked at her reflection with a sigh. She had really wanted her hair to be long enough to curl tonight, but this would have to do. It was short, but might look okay with a cute clip and earrings. At least that helped narrow down her dress selection. She picked up the dark blue one with white lace trim and a pink bow in the back. It came with a matching cardigan, rimmed in white fur. A pair of pearl earrings, and her favorite pink ribbon tied around her neck completed the ensemble.

She got dressed, then set to work doing some basic make-up since she didn't have time for a full makeover. By the time she'd finished donning the glossy pink lipstick, it was already 6:00, which meant that the Christmas party had started.

"Hana-chan! What's keeping you?"

Shibuya and Tondi opened her door, both of them dressed up, too. Shibuya had taken her advice and decided to not overdo it with black. Instead, she was in a red and white Christmas dress with tall boots. Tondi had gone with an overbearingly bright hot-pink skirt and top, but at least she looked excited to be seen in it.

"Sorry, I was making clothes for people." Hana started to follow them into the hall.

"Wait!" Shibuya held her hand up. "What about your present? The one for Kirishima?"

"Oh!" Hana blushed. "R-Right. Let me just…" She went back into her room and grabbed the bag at the end of her bed. For a long moment, she didn't move. He's going to hate it, she thought. This was a horrible idea.

"Chop, chop!" Tondi snapped her fingers. "Some of us have boys to dance with!"

"Tondi, the only way Mineta's going to touch your waist is if you spiderweb his hand to it."

"Hey! Why didn't I think of that?!"

Hana giggled, then finally joined them in the hallway.

This is it. The Christmas party. I hope he likes my dress. I hope he likes my present. I hope… that he wants to kiss me again.

The school gym was over-decorated, to say the least. Garland, twinkling lights, Christmas trees, candles, the air heavy with the scents of cinnamon and apple and pine, Christmas cakes and other snacks—red and green punch bowls, hanging snowflakes, and… All Might dressed as Santa?

The skeleton of a man stood on the bleachers in an oversized red suit, cleared his throat, then transformed into his strong state, muscles nearly tearing the suit. "HO HO HO, STUDENTS! SANTA IS HERE!" He bellowed. "Welcome to U.A. High's FIRST EVER Christmas party! Dance and be merry! Make this winter break PLUS ULTRA!"

That was as long as his strong form could last. He poofed back into his weakened state a second later, coughing up blood.

With that, the festivities were underway.

Eijiro and Katsuki came to the party together. It had taken everything in Eijiro's power to get the blond to come along.

"I'M TIRED!" he'd yelled.

"I HAVE A HEADACHE!" he'd roared.

"I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING TO WEAR!" he'd snarled.

"You know, one day Aisla's gonna use the same kind of excuses and you're not gonna like it."

"The hell is that supposed to mean?!"

"Just saying you're like a chick."

"You wanna die?!"

He'd finally relented, and now the two of them were dressed in the same matching suits they wore during their summer break visit to I-Island.

"This is bullshit…" Katsuki mumbled as they made their way to the big Christmas tree in the back of the room.

"Don't be like that, man! Just relax and enjoy the scenery." He winked. "Lots of cute girls in dresses around here."

Katsuki gritted his teeth and scoffed. "I don't give a shit about any of these girls."

Eijiro looked over at him and saw the way he was gazing out of his periphery, eyes occasionally flicking to girls with blonde hair, his pout getting more pronounced with each second.

He'd never admit to it, but he's looking for Aisla. I get it though… Eijiro didn't have eyes for any of the girls either. He was too busy looking for a blonde braid and silver eyes. He gripped the gift-bag in his hand a little tighter. I hope she likes it.

"Ugh, how long are we gonna stand here?" Katsuki complained.

"You can leave whenever you want, dude. I told Kanzashi I'd wait here for her."

"This is bullshit," he repeated. "They could have at least had an all-out Christmas brawl."

"Why is it always violence with you?"

"I hate this. I'm going to bed."

He had just started to walk away when he stopped dead in his tracks, eyes going wide. Eijiro followed his line of sight and couldn't help the knowing smirk that lit his features.

There was Aisla, in a white dress that made her look like the Angel tree-topper on the Christmas tree. Her pale blue eyes met Katsuki's and she smiled as if she'd just gotten the best present of her entire life. She skipped over to them, blonde waves bouncing and eyes twinkling.

"Katsuki!" she sang. "You look so handsome!"

He scoffed, but didn't have anything mean to say. He just looked away with a pout.

"Do you want to dance with me?" she asked, extending her hand.

"HELL NO." He shoved his hands into his pockets and strode away. "I'm getting food."

"I'll dance with you, Aisla," Eijiro said with a wink.

"THE HELL YOU WILL!" Katsuki turned around and yanked Aisla by the hand. "DANCE WITH YOUR OWN GIRLFRIEND DAMMIT!"

Eijiro laughed as the girl was dragged unceremoniously toward the snack tables.

There was still no sign of Hana, which was starting to make him antsy. He kept thinking about what Ashido had said about the likelihood of them breaking up eventually. Did Hana feel the same way? Was she standing him up? Maybe she didn't feel as strongly about seeing him as he felt toward her. Was that why she hadn't kissed him on the lips since their first date? Maybe this was just a sort of fun game to her or something. Eijiro knew there was nothing special about him in the first place. He wasn't as cool or skilled as Katsuki or Midoriya. He wasn't all that smart or romantic, either. Maybe she viewed him as a kid, after all.

"Hey, whatcha thinking about?"

He perked up, hoping that it was Hana talking to him, even though he knew it wasn't her voice. He was met with the sight of Ashido, approaching with a wide smile on her face.

"Oh, hey, Ashido." He smiled back. "You look really nice!" He'd known her for a long time and wasn't sure he'd ever seen her in a dress. Or at least, not a dress like that. It looked perfectly fitted and expensive, if he had to guess. He passively noted that the gold trim made her eyes seem to sparkle, or maybe that was the reflection of the Christmas lights in the blacks of her eyes.

"Thanks! Thought you'd be a fan~"

It was at that moment that he realized she wasn't alone. She was dragging someone behind her.

Eijiro was sure he'd never seen him before, which was crazy because he looked to be around their age, and guests weren't allowed on campus, so he had to be another student. He was also tall. He had at least a few inches on Eijiro and looked a solid foot taller than Ashido. Still, he couldn't remember ever seeing this guy around school.

He was dressed in a black suit, his face downcast as Ashido introduced him. His messy, dark-blue hair was so long that it completely obscured Eijiro's ability to see his eyes.

"Kirishima, this is my date~ Roan Fujinari. He's from the business course!"

"Date?" His eyes widened in surprise. When had Ashido met this guy? He didn't think he'd ever seen them hang out, or seen her run off with anyone. Nor had he heard the girls gossiping about anything like that. It seemed totally random.

"Yup! He's super hot, right? And reeeallly smart. He's top of his class."

"That's… cool." Eijiro scratched his neck, awkwardly. "Nice to meet you, man. My name's Eijiro Kirishima." He bowed in greeting.

Fujinari neither introduced himself, nor bowed in response, which was… pretty rude actually. He never once even looked up from behind his dark hair. Well, whatever you're into, Ashido, Eijiro thought to himself. Personally, I think he's kind of a freak.

"Wouldn't it be rad if all of us went on a double date? It would be like the perfect dynamic! You and me and our shy little cuties!"

Roan Fujinari was neither little nor cute from Eijiro's perspective. He also gave off an aura that suggested to Eijiro that he was in no way interested in a double date.

"Uh, sure," Eijiro said, uncomfortably. "If the shy cuties are for it."

Ashido started to speak again, but Eijiro was ignoring her now. His eyes had finally caught on his shy cutie.

"Hana!" He called out, waving frantically at her. "Over here!"

Her eyes lit up when she saw him, and for a moment, the whole world stopped spinning. He'd never seen her this dressed up before. He'd always thought she was cute and pretty, but tonight she was beautiful. Her blue dress and short hair, glossy pink lips and the ribbon he loved, tied around her neck. He had the loud, resounding thought that every guy here should be jealous because that beautiful girl was his.

"Eijiro!" She smiled sweetly as she made her way over. "I'm sorry I'm late, I was…" she trailed off when she realized Ashido and Fujinari were standing there. "Oh, good evening." She bowed her head politely at them.

Ashido puffed her chest out and smiled. "Hey, there! I was just introducing Kirishima to my date, Roan Fujinari."

Hana appraised the boy with a guarded expression. "It's very nice to meet you."

Fujinari, again, did not reply.

"H-Hana!" Eijiro tugged on his suit jacket, suddenly feeling incredibly hot in it. "You look… You're so…"

"Please, don't say it." She blushed and looked away. "Don't be embarrassing."

"I can't help it," he grinned. "You're so beautiful."

She groaned, some of her short hair turning pink.

"You decided to go short tonight!" He reached up and feathered his fingers lightly through the strands. "I love it."

Ashido cleared her throat, loudly. "Well, Roan and I are going outside now. See you guys later."

"Alright, later!" Eijiro waved. "Take care of her, Fujinari! She can be quite a handful!" He'd meant it as a joke, but Ashido huffed angrily as she stormed away.

"You have no idea…" the other boy said, speaking for the first time, his voice deep and hardly loud enough to be heard over the Christmas music.

With that, the two of them disappeared into the crowd.

Hana watched Ashido walk away, a strange expression on her face. Eijiro watched as her roots turned black.

"Hey," he touched her cheek. "You alright?"

The black instantly receded, replaced with pink and blonde. "I'm great," she said quietly. She shuffled on her feet, and he noticed for the first time that she was carrying a large gift bag. He wasn't sure how he missed it before. He supposed his attention had been on Hana and her dress, so he'd overlooked it entirely. "Eijiro… You look handsome tonight."

He felt heat flush to his cheeks. He looked away and nervously adjusted his collar. "Really? Does it make me look older? More manly?"

She giggled. "You were already manly before."

He had the ridiculous thought that he might actually swoon.

"O-Oh," he said, clearing his throat. "I have a present for you!" He lifted up the small bag he'd been holding in one hand.

"I have something for you, too," she said, gripping the handles of her bag tighter.

"Do you wanna exchange them here, or…?"

She shook her head, vigorously. "N-No, that's way too embarrassing. People will see what we got for each other and I don't want that kind of attention! W-We'll have to do it… somewhere else."

"We could go outside?" he suggested. "Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll catch the first snow of winter, too!"

Her eyelashes fluttered and she gave a tiny nod.

"Come on, then! Let's—"

"Hana-chan! There you are!" He was interrupted by Shibuya's voice as the girl pushed through the crowd. "You ditched me and Tondi and I was genuinely concerned for your safety." She looked Eijiro up and down. "And your chastity."

Hana pinched her side, roughly, to make her shut up.

"Okay, okay!" she laughed. "You guys have to help me put these good luck ornaments on the tree!" She rifled through her purse and produced a handful of charms. "If we do, we'll have a blessed New Year's for sure!"

Eijiro and Hana exchanged glances, each still holding the other's present. But Hana's eyes were glittering silver, and she smiled fondly before nodding at her friend. "Okay, Shibuya. We'll help you."

"Yay! Here, make sure you find a good spot on the tree!" She gave them each a charm. They looked to be handmade, each with a word on it. Peace, love, fortune. Then, she skipped around the Christmas tree, looking seriously for the best place to put her own charm.

"I've never heard of this tradition before," Eijiro commented, as he and Hana knelt down to find a good spot.

"She made it up," Hana said, her tone affectionate. "She's a romantic, and when she can't find a tradition that suits her fancy, she just creates one of her own."

"That's kind of cool," he said, as he hung his charm right next to hers. "It makes me want to make up traditions with you, too."

Her hair was completely devoid of blonde now. Full, bubblegum pink. "You know, it's only a tradition if you do it for more than two years in a row."

"Guess we'll have to keep dating for at least two more years, then!" he beamed.

"Yeah," she said, surprising him with the tenderness in her voice. "I guess so."

They stood up straight. He was about to offer to carry her gift bag when they were distracted by a loud commotion on the other side of the Christmas tree.

"No! Are you CRAZY?!"

They peered around with the rest of the curious crowd to find Jiro and Kaminari standing there. Jiro's face was as red as the dress she was wearing, and her hands were trembling violently. Kaminari's expression was placating, but also embarrassed.

"You're just messing with me!" Jiro accused. "You think it's funny!"

"No, you've got the wrong idea!" Kaminari held his hands up. "I was being serious!"

"Yeah, right!" She turned her head. "As if you'd really want to… As if you'd want me to be your…"

"What's so bad about it?" Kaminari asked with a shrug. "Come on, Kyoka! Kirishima, Bakugo, even Mineta, all have girlfriends now! You gotta do me a solid!"

"THAT'S WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?!" She fumed, then gave him a violent shove. "You're so STUPID Kaminari!" Tears streaked her face as she shoved him again, and once more for good measure.

The last push made him stumble. She reached out, realizing her error, but it was too late. He was falling backward into the Christmas tree. His hands gripped blindly at branches, bulbs, and strings. In the space of an instant, he gripped a green lightbulb and popped it in his hand, accidentally. The small zap of electricity that followed immediately activated his quirk.

The Christmas tree exploded in a burst of light, bulbs popping as electricity shot through the cords. The lights in the room flickered, the music stopped, and then… the room was plunged into darkness.

A girl screamed. People started tripping all over each other. Eijiro found Hana's hand and pulled her snugly against him. "Hold onto me," he commanded.

"Everyone, remain calm!" Present Mic's voice boomed over the crowd. "We'll switch the fuses and get this party started again!"

People started to light the room up with their phones and quirks, which didn't do much but create a dizzying array of moving shadows.

"Eijiro," Hana said, her hands gripping onto his shirt. "Where's Shibuya? Do you see her?"

He looked around but there was no sign of the tall girl anywhere near the Christmas tree. "No, but she can't have gotten far away—"

"She transforms when she's scared!" Hana interrupted. She looked up at him with terror in her eyes. "If she's a mouse right now, she could get crushed!"

He suddenly understood the urgency of the situation. "We'll find her, okay?" He released her so they could crouch close to the floor.

"Shibuya!" Hana called. "If you can hear me, squeak!"

Eijiro felt around until his hand came into contact with something soft. For a moment, he thought he'd found her, but when he tugged he realized that it was fabric he felt. He lifted up Shibuya's fur-lined dress. "She definitely transformed, Hana! And she's not in her clothes!"

"Oh no…"

"Are you guys looking for Shibuya?" Tondi's voice called out to them. She was there in an instant, crouched between the two of them.

"Thank god, Tondi!" Hana wrapped her arms around her. "Tell me you can see her with your spider-vision."

"For the tenth time, Hana, spider's have horrible eyesight," Tondi sighed. "But I am trying to sense her. It's like impossible with everyone moving around throwing off my vibes, though."

Then, when they thought that things couldn't possibly get any worse, a roar echoed loudly through the gym. Eijiro tensed, recognizing the animalistic sound all too well.

"What was that?" Hana asked.

"Not what," he said. "Who. That's Dark Shadow."

More screams tore through the air. Students were suddenly rushing through the doors to get out.

"Todoroki!" Eijiro yelled. "Bakugo! Are either of you close to him?!"

"He's on the other side of the gym!" Todoroki's voice yelled from the north.

There was no response from Katsuki.

"Eijiro, what is that thing?!" Hana gasped as Dark Shadow's looming form filled the poorly-lit gym.

"He's Tokoyami's quirk," he explained. "He gets out of control in the darkness! You have to get out of here!"

"No! What about Shibuya?!"

"Hana, I promised to protect you!" Eijiro said. "I won't let anything hurt you, and I'll protect Shibuya too, but you have to get somewhere safe!"

"N-No, I…"

He could see that her hair was white, contrasting against the darkness in the room as fear sapped the color from it.

"It's gonna be okay, Hana," he touched her face. "Trust me, alright?"

She stared at him, lips parted with worry. Then, she gave a small nod. "Come on, Tondi, we need to—"

A new sound filled the air. A repeated, frantic, high-pitched squeaking.

"SHIBUYA!"

"Mmmm SNACK!" Dark Shadow howled.

They were met with the horrifying sight of dark shadow hoisting a small black and white mouse into the air, over his open mouth.

"Shibuya, you have to transform! Transform now!" Hana screamed.

Eijiro was already forcing his way through the last group of panicking students to where Tokoyami was crouched on the ground, trying desperately to call Dark Shadow back to him.

"I can help!" Tondi cast her hands out, shooting a sticky net from her fingers. It crashed into Tokoyami, pinning him to the wall just before Eijiro reached him.

Dark Shadow roared in anger, temporarily distracted by the attack on his host.

Eijiro gripped Tokoyami by the collar. "You have to control it, Tokoyami! That's a girl up there! He's gonna kill her!"

"I… I'm trying, but…"

"Shibuya! Please, transform now!"

The mouse squeaked, then pinched its eyes shut.

Everything happened all at once. Todoroki was suddenly there with his flames ignited. Katsuki's palms flickered with light. The gym lights came back on as someone reset the fuses. Shibuya poofed back into her normal body. Eraserhead's scarf was wrapped around Tokoyami, restraining him further.

Dark Shadow winced under the flourescent lights of the gym, automatically shrinking. Then, he seemed to become highly aware of the fact that he was still gripping onto a hostage. A now fully human, fully grown, fully naked teenage girl. The shadow blushed before instantly dropping her and fleeing back into Tokoyami's chest.

Hana was the one who caught her, softening the fall with cushions made from her remaining hair.

Eijiro let out a sigh of relief before helping to untangle Tokoyami out of spiderwebs and scarves. "That was close."

"I'm so sorry…" Tokoyami slumped to the floor. "What have I done? That girl…" He looked at the trembling girl who had just barely managed to get a dress back on her naked body.

"It's alright, man. Nothing happened. Chin up, okay?"

"Thanks to that absolute disaster," Mr. Aizawa said, "the rest of the party is now cancelled. Get out of the gym so we can assess the damage. If anyone was hurt, line up by All Might outside, he'll take you to Recovery Girl."

Eijiro reunited with Hana, both of them looking worse-for-wear. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" She squeezed her friend tightly. "Shibuya's safe, so I'm happy."

Shibuya trembled, her eyes unfocused.

"Shibuya?" Hana whispered. "Amaya Shibuya, are you okay? She might be in shock…"

"That was…" Shibuya breathed, her voice shaking. "He was… Oh god…"

"What?" They asked, simultaneously.

"Hana, that was… The most thrilling, sexy thing that has ever happened to me!" She grabbed her friend's shoulders and shook them. "That was better than the novels! When I felt that darkness encompass me, and I knew I would be swallowed into the void by such a powerful, tantalizing creature I…"

Hana deadpanned as Eijiro laughed out loud. "I should have known you'd be fine," she sighed.

"I knew the Christmas charms worked, Hana-chan! As soon as I put mine on the tree, the fates aligned! That was so romantic! Where is he? Where's my dark prince?"

"He's over there!" Tondi gestured to where Tokoyami was sitting, still staring at Shibuya.

"Oh, sweet bringer of darkness!" Shibuya cooed as she skipped over to him.

Hana groaned, then slumped forward, pressing her head against Eijiro's chest. "This is not how I wanted the night to go."

He chuckled, then comfortingly stroked her neck and her now stubble-covered head. So cute, he thought. Even like this.

"Hey, Tondi!" Mineta's lisp sounded from the gym doors. "If you come out here and carry me up to the roof so I can peep on the third-year girl's dorm, then I'll let you touch one of my balls!"

"Mineta, you absolute hunk!" Tondi sprinted for the door.

"We should go," Eijiro said. "We can exchange our gifts outside?"

She looked up at him and smiled. "Okay. I'd like that."

A few minutes later, after the commotion had died down and everyone was outside, Eijiro and Hana sat on a cold bench, their gift bags in their laps. They had expected that everyone would be running back to their dorms now, but, despite the night's crazy events, the students were carrying on with the festivities. A group of second-years had started to sing Christmas carols. Couples danced in the grass. The punch bowl had been rescued from the destruction, so icy-cold cups of punch were being passed out to laughing boys and girls.

"This is the weirdest Christmas ever," Hana giggled.

"Kind of exciting though, right?" Eijiro laughed. "We'll remember it every Christmas we spend together from now on!"

She blushed, then cleared her throat. "Can we just give each other these stupid presents already? It's freezing without my hair!"

"Yeah! Who's going first?"

Hana shoved the bag into his hands. "Just get it over with. If… If you hate it, then don't tell me, okay? Just pretend you like it."

"Sorry," he winked at her. "I can't lie."

She bit her lip as he opened the present, pushed aside the tissue paper, and retrieved the gift. "Before you ask, I didn't make it with my hair! I used my hands and materials that I ordered."

He unfolded the heavy fabric, unveiling a handmade quilt. She'd used reds and blacks and… he gasped.

"I knew it. You hate it."

"Hana! Is that…? It is! You stitched Crimson Riot onto this!"

"W-Well yeah… You said he's your favorite hero, so…" She played with the ribbon around her neck. "I know that quilts are girly, but I… I don't know."

"Hana, I love it!" He squeezed the blanket against his chest, then sat it next to him so he could squeeze her against his chest. "It's so cool that you made this! You're seriously a master of your craft! No one else in the whole world has this cool quilt except for me! That's freaking awesome!"

She blushed, then nuzzled against his chest. "You really like it?"

"Yeah, what did you expect? I'm gonna put it on the end of my bed and use it when it gets cold at night!" His grin faltered. "But… well, now my gift is gonna seem so lame."

She sat up. "Don't say that. I haven't even judged it yet."

He winced. "It's not good. Not like the quilt."

She snatched the small bag from his hands and unceremoniously tossed the tissue paper out of it. He looked hopefully at her face, gauging every expression as she unwrapped it.

"Eijiro… is this…?"

"I know it looks stupid, but the ears were the hardest part! They're floppy and don't hold all the cotton right, and one is longer than the other but…"

"Oh my god, it's so cute!" She clutched his creation against her chest. It was a crochet bunny, brown, with a white patch above its eye, just like the one she'd sent him a picture of not long ago. "Did you actually make this?!"

"Yeah… I watched a lot of crochet videos… And I totally failed three others that I had to throw away." He gave an awkward chuckle. "It's just… you know… now you have a rabbit that you can dress up all you want, since you couldn't put clothes on the one in the forest."

She stared at him. For a second, he thought maybe he'd messed up and said the wrong thing. Maybe it was too sappy or childish. Then, her eyes started to get wet with tears and he knew he'd messed up.

"I'm sorry! I knew I should have gotten you flowers or something normal like that! I know it looks bad, but—"

His words were cut off by something soft and warm. Just as gentle as the first time, but not as fleeting. Instead of a feather, brushing across his lips and teasing of things to come, this was sturdy—absolute. He could feel the silky texture of her lip gloss and her body heat, warming him against the winter chill. The smallest movements, explorative, careful… And her arms wrapping around him, her body quivering.

A kiss.

He kissed her back, as equally careful. He didn't know how long he was supposed to do it, or how his lips should move. All he knew was that nothing in the world could feel silkier than her lips. Nothing could be as soft and delicate.

When they parted, she breathed against his skin and it made him shudder.

"Hana…" he reached up and stroked behind her ear.

"Don't say anything embarrassing, first-year," she warned. "It's bad enough that I had to be the one to finally make you kiss me. Don't humiliate me any further."

"I've wanted to kiss you every day for the past three months," he said.

"I said hush," she commanded. She leaned back, then grinned at him.

"What's so funny?" he asked, as she giggled.

"It's snowing," she said, as she brushed a snowflake away from his eyelashes.

He looked up at the sky, a flurry of white. "Yeah," he beamed. "Look at that. The first snow and the first kiss."

"I kissed you before!" she pushed his shoulder. "Or did you forget?"

"No, I didn't forget," he said seriously. "I could never forget the way your lips feel, Kinuhana."

Her face went beet red. "Okay, that's enough out of you! Get up! Take me to my dorm before I freeze!"

"We could snuggle right here with the quilt you made me!"

"No, you dummy, it's going to get soaked out here in the snow! Take me home, now!"

"Alright, but then can I get a kiss goodbye?"

"I already kissed you! I've met my quota for the next three months!"

He laughed and stood up, pulling her into an embrace.

Best. Christmas. Ever.