Requested by Asiram- thank you
Shinji x Hiyori
Lift
When Shinji suggested that they go hiking, Hiyori had pulled a face and moaned about how the idiot always picked the worst things to do. High pressure and an unseasonable north-westerly front had blown a great amount of Russian snow onto Karakura that no one had been expecting, and Shinji had decided that it would be a great chance to get up onto the hills, where everything would be covered in thigh-deep snow and a thick layer of ice.
Secretly though, as much as she complained about the trip, she knew that it would be beautiful up there. They had rented crampons so they could get better purchase on the slopes, and she tried them on the day before, fastening them on over her boots and clunking awkwardly around her room in her pyjamas. She banged her calf against the side of the bed, and nearly tripped, turning her ankle as she went. She regretted that the next day, when they started walking, and it began to feel like her ankle was on fire. She could feel the scrape of moving tendons in her heel, painfully sensitive, and soon she began to lag behind, even after they were only walking for only twenty minutes.
Shinji turned around when he realised, and sighed at her.
"What's wrong?"
She glared, offended.
"Nothing, idiot. Just got a stiff ankle."
He sighed again, and pushed her down onto the dividing wall between two fields. He pulled his gloves off with his teeth and undid her crampons and boots, ignoring the cold biting into his fingers. He eased it off her foot, not slowing despite her hiss of pain, and pulled down her thick socks, rolling his eyes at her red and swelling heel.
"Idiot. What made you think you could get up a mountain on that?"
"Shut up, bastard."
Her eyes flickered closed as he pushed the boot back on. He slipped the other crampon off and undid his rucksack to find the tough fabric bag to hold them. By this point Hiyori was attempting to do her boot up again in gloves, and his knuckles had turned sore and red in the cold.
"Give it here."
She scowled at him and lifted her foot up for him to loosely tie it, so it wasn't too tight against the swelling. She stared down at his bowed head, and at the flakes of snow that had settled on his hair, and resisted the urge to stroke it.
He rolled his eyes at her again- she hated that- and handed her the rucksack.
"Hold this."
"Why should I hold it?"
He hooked an arm under her knees, and another under her arms, and lifted her up. The rented car they had driven out here was almost a mile away, and he knew that she would not be able to get the rest of the way back. She hugged the bag to herself, a part that she was trying to ignore feeling very guilty, and let her head rest against his chest.
"Idiot. You'll break your back."
"Shut up, bitch."
He carried her all the way back to the car, not stopping despite the ache in his arms and the thickening snow that was blurring his vision. He dropped her in the passenger seat, taking off her boots again to throw in the back of the car. She was shivering as he slipped in next to her, and turned the engine on to get the heating working.
"I'm sorry."
He glanced at her, surprised by the rare apology. She was staring down at her knees, blushing.
"What?"
She worried her bottom lip, chapped and dry from the cold wind. The snow was piling up on the windows: soon it was like a small cave inside.
"I did want to go up with you. I thought it would be… I… I'm sorry I ruined your plan."
He reached out, and took her hand, and pressed his lips to her palm. She glared sulkily at him, the tinge of a blush showing her embarrassment and pleasure. She looked cute like that, he thought- wind blown, bundled up in jumpers, red-cheeked.
He reached over, and kissed her.
"We'll just do it next week, okay?"
She smiled at him then- a rare, genuine smile- and settled down in her seat, his hand still in hers.
"Deal."