This one is really crappy I'm sorry
After what felt like an hour of looking, Makoto finally found the only quiet place in Hope's Peak Academy. Sure, he was excited for his class's Christmas party to start- inspired by the senior class- and he would usually enjoy listening to everyone shouting and laughing, but something about today felt off.
This particular hallway was completely deserted- all except for one person, the last person he thought he would see. Sitting against a wall, Kyoko was flipping through the pages of a book, completely oblivious to his appearance. If anything, he would've thought that she would be working and would be unable to come to their party later, but there she was.
He hesitated for a second, not wanting to disturb her if she came looking for quiet as well. Truth be told, he brought a book with him, too, one he'd been meaning to finish for the last week or so. He would've gone to the library, but he had a distinct feeling that Byakuya and Toko were in there, Byakuya so he could read and Toko so she could find more examples of how manga was not literature to show Komaru. While those activities seemed quiet enough, Makoto knew from experience that they never stayed that way.
He sat a little ways down from Kyoko, opening his own book. He was only about fifty pages from the end, so he could finish it before their party started in a couple of hours. A small feeling told him that Kyoko's eyes shifted over to him for a second, but he kept himself from looking up at her, too. After a moment, he looked out of the corner of his eye to see that her attention was back on her book.
Even as he read, his thoughts kept distracting him from the words on the page. He'd been meaning to muster up his courage and ask Kyoko out on a date for a while, but he either chickened out at the last second or someone else interrupted. It was a little pathetic that he'd been trying for a couple of months, but had gotten approximately nowhere.
He kept checking his phone periodically to make sure he wouldn't miss the party. He knew his classmates would have his head if he was late, or forgot altogether.
"Makoto." Surprised, he glanced up and over at Kyoko, his book nearly slipping through his hands. She was staring at him for no apparent reason, but it was somewhat unnerving. "What time is it?"
Jeez, he almost had a heart attack for that one question? He glanced down at his phone. "One twenty-five."
Kyoko nodded, pausing for a moment. "And what time does our class party start?"
"One thirty." Oh. He hastily shoved his bookmark into his book- he only read about ten pages that entire time. Kind of hard to believe. "We should probably get going."
He stood, holding a hand out to her to help her up. She accepted it gratefully, their hands lingering for a second before she dropped her grip, her hand returning to her side. They started walking back towards their classroom, the closer they got, the louder everything became. "Did you enjoy your book?"
"I didn't get through much of it," Makoto sighed, fidgeting with it. "You?"
"It was alright." She didn't say any more on the subject, the rest of their walk spent in a somewhat awkward silence.
They arrived at their classroom just on time, but before they could enter, Sayaka shouted, "Hold up!" Naturally, Makoto froze in place, and Kyoko did as well, both of them looking at her expectantly. She grinned, pointing up over their heads. "Mistletoe."
Makoto felt a blush rise in his cheeks immediately as Sayaka and most of the rest of their class looked at the two of them in amusement. He had the distinct thought that Sayaka somehow set that up. A few of their classmates were laughing, especially Mondo and Junko.
"Well, then," he started, turning to Kyoko. Before he could back down, he kissed her quickly on the cheek, sure she could tell how embarrassed he was. He retreated into the classroom as fast as he could, avoiding all of the cheering.
Kyoko caught up with him quickly enough, though. "Makoto, was that your first time being under mistletoe?"
What a strange question. "Yeah, I guess," he said, still a bit confused. "Why?"
"Because you're supposed to kiss the person on the lips." A line like that, delivered in her deadpan way, caught him way too off-guard. And, of course, she knew that.
"Why not have a do-over sometime?" It was a bold move, but he might as well act on adrenaline while he still felt it.
Kyoko's eyes widened a touch. "Are you… asking me out?"
"I am." And Kyoko smiled, just a small bit, but it was there.
"I would love to."
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