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The moment it registered, another squeal somersaulted into the air and her hands unlocked. She jumped upward and forward just barely, throwing her arms around his neck. Their chests collided, exacerbating the exhilaration filling her body. Lavender flooded her nose as the air between them fled, just before she could smell a hint of clean, invigorating earthen mint… and it calmed her immediately. Short tufts of sandy blond hair mixed with hers as she overly closed the gap, enveloping him in a tight embrace. Toes no longer touched that soft carpet as she clung to him, forgetting to consider he might not have wanted such bold contact.
Instead of instinctively pulling away or even laughing it off with some suave and ironic comment, strong arms threaded around her thin waist and steady hands rested on her back. Bare bones where vermilion feathers were once situated twitched to and fro under the skin of his back, beneath the warmth of his shirt. The movements of their twisting and curling sent shock waves into his spine for another displeased reminder that they were no longer there. Secretly, the man was thankful for this- there was no obvious indicator that he was more than simply content with her and the proposal, that he was more than relieved by the way their bodies collided in such innocence. Just as his focused on that feeling, nervousness took over in the form of that damn chuckle…
His muscles were tensing now, hidden beneath the short squeezing of her small body before they each began to pull away and disconnect. The spreading warmth burned through him and pulsated harder in the remnants of the burns against his skin of neck and cheek. Deep and loud flutters took over the few other sounds of the apartment as both a hint of pain and a wisp of joy clashed in the middle of his chest. His hands had not wanted to leave her side, suddenly feeling heavy and immovable mere seconds before her feet settled back onto the floor and she gracefully stepped backward before anything twirl of her body left a mass of glossy red hair floating up behind her and into his view.
And while it reminded him of the wings he had so begrudgingly lost, it did not sadden him to see it. The tips of his fingers longed to run through the strands, softly combing away whatever worries still hid there. It was a strangely comforting urge and all he could do was softly grin while those hurricane eyes were turned away from him. A quiet gleam, the irrefutable proof that this was something he could settle into- this life of seeing her light up at the thought of simple things. It was an unequivocal staple, a testament to him wanting something for himself. For once, it was something attainable, something tangible… something he could grasp without the shock of anxiety trying to reverse the decisions his heart tried to make over his brain.
“Hmm,” Hinaka’s hum only kept him further hypnotized but his eyes still managed to move against the current of the moment. She bent over to help pull the calves of her boots up her legs and, oh, how he did trace each inch of those legs. Dark fabric encased them, form fitting yet thick, but they still captured each curve just perfectly. “I didn’t bring-”
“I have an extra,” The man wasn’t sure she what she was going to say, but the urge to speak hit him and he went with it while moving to put his own boots on. If it were a different time, with a different person, he could only imagine he would not have had such nervousness in interjecting, but he did his best to shrug it off now in hopes that she would not catch onto him. “Besides, a bigger coat over yours might keep you warmer.”
A pause, a second where she glanced up and saw a hint of his grin, sent her heart into a flutter. It was refreshing to see such a stoic, suave person be so… light and genuine in a moments no one else could see. She wanted to wrap those few seconds of his smile up, seal it with a bow, and tuck it far behind the rest of the memories she would never want to leave her. Without a second thought, she nodded and thanked him as she pulled on gloves and settled them onto her fingers, just before threading arms through her hoodie. The zipper teeth matching with each other kept the silence at bay for another few seconds, just before she pulled her hair from the neck of her jacket and nodded to him.
“Woah, I gotta be careful around you-” He winked as he reached into the closet by the door and retrieved two coats. He had her a light brown leather jacket that barely showed signs of wear. The other was a darker brown with stretch marks and scratches on various parts of the sleeves and sides. Before throwing his on, he held onto the shoulders of the one meant for her and waited- no doubt a moment where he was no longer a hero, no thing of legend or of superhuman stories. Suddenly, he was just a young man who was trying to be a gentleman for a young lady. ”I might have to forfeit my place as the fastest person on Earth.”
The rolling of her eyes came all too naturally, sending her lips back into that cheek-stretching smile. Maneuvering around, she backed into the coat in his outstretched arms- a quick whiff of his scent caught her off guard. It was sweet yet earthy, like mahogany and lavender mixing together between the cool WHISH of a pine forest in the middle of winter. It was fresh and coupled perfectly with the sudden warmth of weighted leather lined with fleece against her back and arms. Her cheeks felt warmer suddenly, probably slowly burning a shade of pink.
“C’mon now,” The man had to laugh, just to ease the tension; he found himself constantly worried about making her uncomfortable. The more he thought about things, the more he realized he was more concerned with her than he could care to admit to anyone.- even to himself. But it was there, the harsh truth… It was in the way he found honey eyes lingering on her for a second too long. It lingered between her graceful steps and the way her hips gently swayed when she would walk down the hallway. It was even in the way she would musically sigh even in the face of disagreement or irritation. She was so angelic, even when she was red-faced and bitten by rage. “It’s a compliment!”
Once both settled in their coats, the man opened the door and outstretched his open hand to her, with a glove-less hand. There had not been any sort of established line they could not cross with each other, but there also had never been an attempt from either of them, to journey into the unknown of wherever these little moments might take them. Everything flowed so easily when they were together and, even though he sure as Hell did not know how to whatever this was, he felt compelled to try.
Without hesitation, she took his hand. Their fingers laced together so perfectly, comfortable and the perfect set of complements. Lightly, she gave it a little squeeze- a little hint that she was more than happy at the gesture, more than okay with it. Her cheeks were burning more now, while her eyes bounced between his own and the most random spots around him. The butterflies fluttered and flapped in her chest, but she did her best to keep them from pinning the corners of her lips onto her cheeks. Legs danced again, but much more tame than her jig around the living room, and she maneuvered around to begin tugging at him to follow her. “Let’s go!” Another giggle simply reinforced that she was more than content to be spending this time with him.
The world had become crystallized in less than an hour and, oh, how beautiful it was to see. So much was still only touched by the moonlight’s gaze, creating a sparkling and peaceful snowscape. The smallest sounds echoed through the streets, joining the crunching of snow beneath their boots as they pressed onward. The heat of their hands radiated up their arms and spread beneath the cover of their clothes. Only their noses and ears managed to feel the nip of the winter air. Words did not seem necessary, for the two of them managed to stay complacent in each other’s company.
The flakes were thinning out, their dance through the air peacefully coming to an end as their gait was slowing. Without realizing it, they had come to a park on the edge of the city. The few pieces of playground equipment had a good few inches of snow resting in different nooks and crannies where it would lie in wait for the children to come and paint it with their hands and feet come morning. He took in the view of the sky- dark and speckled with stars peeking through the snowstorm. Keigo managed to find the nerve to clear his throat. “This is nice.”
Hinaka looked up to the sky too, and then angled her face to take in the image of him. Those eyes were swallowing the sky, admiring it for everything she once did. A vast open expanse of possibilities and hope was there, offering comfort to those without it all. She was plagued with the memories of times when she would find comfort in stargazing and being outside, where her lungs could fill with the purest of air and her eyes could search until they were too tired to stay open. The remnants of her lonely escapes to a rooftop poked and prodded, trying their damnedest to induce panic. Golden eyes and locks of dirty blond hair anchored her now, his taller figure tethered her to the here and now and, for the first time in the longest time, she could admit that her soul was at peace. “Yeah,” Another warm, joyful nod of her head shook some of the free snowflakes out of their place. “It is beautiful, all of it.”
Eyebrows popped up onto his forehead as he turned to her, still holding her hand in his, and grabbed for the other. “So,” His suave and playful grin played on chilled, drying lips, but his eyes were soft and indicated true interest in hearing what she had to say next. “Since we are in the snow… and it is almost Christmas, it’s only appropriate that we make Christmas wishes, yeah? It’s the first snow of the year too, so… it has to mean something good, yeah?”
“Oh,” Those cheeks were burning again, she could feel them melting the smallest flakes upon impact. This was every girl’s dream, to be standing in the snow on a quiet night, with some handsome man who was far too busy to ever really notice someone like her. Hummingbird beats of her heart forced her to swallow a breath before she could continue. Now they were joined by both sets of hands and the warmth from him crawled up her arms as he tugged her slightly closer. “Christmas wish, hm?”
“Yep,” Half a step more and he could have easily snaked arms around her waist and pulled her to his chest without much energy. “But you only get one… so don’t be trying to be selfish.”
Another roll of her eyes at bat of his eye for a wink and her knees almost buckled. It was lovely how he was not pushy, but still had this way about him that demanded her attention and even her honesty. “Just one? Alright,” Hinaka gazed off, pondering just what she could have possibly wanted. There was not much to want, especially when they both had survived things they should have never encountered at an age when most were off playing with a group of neighborhood kids, without a care in the world. And, unfortunately, she was not so selfish as to wish for things she did not need. But still, she tried to search each space between the memories and thoughts for a sign of anything she could wish for, even when wishing always proved nothing more than a hope for magic. “I-” The girl’s head turned back to angle up at him once more. “Wish for more times like this- simple and quiet… with you.”
It was bold of her to say, but that was just another thing he enjoyed about her. She was never too nervous to say what she meant, even something as simple as the words he had just heard her perfect voice articulate. “Ooh, is that so?” Keigo pulled her arms around his waist and let them go before framing her face and gently holding it in his hands as he bent down slightly. “Well, lucky for you… my Christmas wish is that same thing.”
Her hands sat on his lower back as she stared up, in complete awe of his gentle and handsome face. He had spoken so calmly and low, a lullaby to the nerves spiking and rattling under her bones as he swept her up in his sweet, caring essence. “Oh?”
“Mmmhmm,” The man hummed in a whisper. “Stay with me on Christmas Eve? So we can enjoy the quiet then, and again on Christmas… together.”
Hinaka’s hands traveled under the leather of his jacket and found small bunches of his shirt to tug on, fighting the urge to pinch herself. She chewed on the inside of her cheek to protest an overly excited grin. Closing the gap between them, their bodies collided in a victimless crash. She raised herself up onto her tiptoes and nodded to him, accepting the invitation. Just as she found her balance, his lips connected with her forehead.