Work Text:
The snow was billowing against the windows, the wind violently whipping the glass, but even so, it was as warm as ever in Ann's house. Warm... Yes, that was one of the best words to describe how it felt to be cuddled up with Shiho in her recliner.
Her caretaker was on Christmas vacation, so it was just the two of them in the house. Ann was playing a Christmas radio station on her phone, but that was just background noise to the blonde; she was fully focused on the way her girlfriend hummed along to the tune as she sketched out flowers.
The doctors had suggested doing "relaxing" things such as drawing/nature-watching/etc.; Shiho hadn't enjoyed much of it, but she had found a new artistic side of herself. However, there was still a problem; Shiho usually lost motivation in whatever she was drawing about halfway through unless she was extremely interested in whatever it was.
About a week ago, the two had gone Christmas shopping, where they had both learned something new about themselves; they weren't all that good at buying presents. They'd scoured stores for gifts and had been completely unable to decide on one for... anyone. "This isn't good enough for him," and, "I can't be totally sure she doesn't already have this," were almost repeated as often as the lyrics to the Christmas songs playing in every single store. The most eventful thing was when they'd browsed the Christmas cards, and Shiho had looked through them all, every single one, admiring the various style changes for each card, some of them simple and cutesy, others elaborate and detailed, some with short sayings and others with horribly cringey quotes. Ann had loved seeing her get so excited, her dark eyes glimmering with every new candy cane or reindeer.
"Why don't we buy some of these?" She'd suggested.
Shiho had arched an eyebrow like she'd just said something completely ridiculous. "We can't do that. It's the easy way out of gift-giving. Who wants a random card that they know is cheap and meaningless? The buyer didn't put any effort into it. A candy bar is a more thoughtful gift." She'd looked so sad even as she ranted, but not as sad as Ann became from her words.
"Is that how you felt with the cards I got you, too?" Tears were already swelling up in those perfect teal eyes.
Shiho had quickly put her hands up and assured, "No, not at all! You took time to pick a card with a design I would like and wrote something sweet in each one." It had been sweet, but Shiho really didn't want to think about all that time spent in the hospital... "It's just, most people don't like them like I do. It's just... considered lazy to pick a random, mass-produced piece of paper up, stuff it an envelope and- you see what I'm saying right?"
"Y-Yeah!" She was already starting to get an idea. "Oh, Shiho, look at this one- LOOK AT THESE CUTE LITTLE PENGUINS!!!"
The next day, Ann had texted Yusuke: You know any big, good art supply stores?
Why, hello to you as well.
:/ Sorry, how are you doing, Yusuke?
I'm doing fine. I'm really craving something salty.
She'd waited a minute, figuring there was more... After about five minutes, she'd realized that wasn't going to happen and tried, That's... great?
What if you were to give directions to a nice, cheap store with salty food? In exchange, I'll give you directions to the most splendid art supply store there is.
Um... I'm sorry, I don't eat salty food much. A few seconds later, Hey, what about an awesome, cheap sweets bakery? THEY HAVE THE MOST AMAZING TRIPLE CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY CAKE WITH RASPBERRY ICING AND CHERRY FILLING!!!!
His response had been immediate: Please do.
And within half an hour, she'd found exactly what she'd been hoping would exist in the store Yusuke had reccomeneded. (Okay, she had had to ask the manager for help locating it, but she'd done it! And from the staggering amount of photos of cake Yusuke sent her, each with various amounts of cake already eaten, he'd been happy with their deal, too.)
She'd invited Shiho to her house today to show her the card making kit. She'd stared at Ann as she had blabbered on and on, "I just thought it'd be so cute, y'know? It has stuff you can use to make a watermark on the design, so whoever gets it'll know you made it! It's Christmas cards like you like, but with that personal touch! And it has all these cards and all this, uh, art stuff you can use on it and I know you have a hard time keeping motivation when you're just drawing for yourself, and so I thought, maybe, y'know, if you can't draw for yourself without losing patience maybe-"
She'd shut her up with a kiss. They’d spent the last two hours cuddling on this recliner, and Shiho found it funny, how Ann honestly believed the reason why she was putting so much effort into these cards was becuase she was doing it for her parents or new friends at school. No, what was keeping her so attentive was the fact that, while everyone else would be fucking around on their phone or watching TV or something right now, Ann's sole focus was on Shiho's drawing, a completely unconscious smile on the blonde's face. Ann was a model- all of her smiles were gorgeous- but Shiho's favorites were when Ann hadn't the slightest idea that anyone was watching, when she didn't try to make herself look picture perfect. She'd occasionally make soft little comments of approval, her voice sweeter than all of her favorite sweets, and oh, she'd lit a bunch of candles with "Christmas scents" on the edge of the table but Shiho was too busy drowning in the intoxicating scent of Ann's rich perfume to notice.
God, she loved this girl.
She'd gone through everyone she and Ann both knew so fast; now she was making them for acquaintances of Shiho's that were also Ann's closest friends. This elaborate garden with Christmas-themed flowers was for... Haru, she was pretty sure; while she kind of knew Ryuji, Makoto, and Akira, she got the rest of them mixed up sometimes.
Ann watched her so intently with every card she made, helping her with ideas for everyone, and God, Ann didn't realize how artistic she truly was. She might not be able to make her own art (though Ann's modeling was definitely art in Shiho's humble opinion), but she still had such an aesthete's tastes; that Yusuke boy had obviously recognized this in her as well. God, how could someone as perfect as Ann ever care about her so much...?
"Hey, Ann?" Ann glanced up from the last card she was making, (this one was for Akira, and Shiho remembered how nice he was- they'd both been sad that he couldn't come back to Tokyo for the holidays, but apparently Ryuji had gone to him and both boys were also apparently very, very happy about that) her eyes as strikingly beautiful as ever. "Would you mind... going out and buying me some stuff?"
"I don't mind!" She said hastily, scrambling out of the seat. Ann was always so eager to please and impress her, it honestly kind of hurt.
"Oh, thank you so much." Shiho quickly fished a sheet of paper out of her art supplies and scribbled down some irrelevant things, all found in different stores so she’d be gone for awhile.
Ann didn’t even blink at the long list of crap on it. “Anything else?”
”No. Take as long as you need, okay? It’s cold out there- don’t rush or you’ll get hurt.”
Ann laughed. “You’re adorable.” She kissed her on the cheek before she left, blowing another kiss good-bye.
Oh, Shiho’s heart couldn’t take it.
Immediately, she started her design for the card she would make Ann. The girl more than deserved a piece in her honor- and Shiho would be damned if Yusuke ever drew her the way Ann had once mentioned he wanted to- which left it her job to create one. Shiho knew it wouldn't be good enough for her, couldn't even begin to convey how perfect Ann was nor how much she cared for the blonde, but hey, it was something.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Something was on Ann's shoe. Upon realizing it was someone's nasty-ass mucus-colored gum, she proceded to curse like Ryuji as she rubbed it on the snow-covered sidewalk. Someone muttered something about how disgraceful she was; once, she'd have been offended, hurt, but now she just flipped her hair and strutted through the violent snowstorm to the store like the ex-Phantom Thief she was.
The first thing Shiho wanted was a chocolate cake with raspberry icing and strawberries with cherry glaze on them. Thank God for malls; she went to a bakery and made a request, though she was told to come back in an hour. Shit.
She called Shiho, who picked up after the third ring: "Everything okay, Ann?"
"Yeah, but it's gonna take over an hour for me to get back."
"That's fine. What else?"
"Uhhh... That's it?"
"Pffft. You could have texted that."
"But I wanted to hear your voice~!"
Shiho chortled. "You hear my voice all the time."
"And? I like hearing it~!"
"Girl, you're crazy."
"Wh- am not!... Well, maybe a little- 'cuz I'm crazy in love with you~!"
"I'm hanging up."
Ann whined, "Nooooooooooo-"
"Love you, you ridiculous foreigner." She hung up.
Ann giggled as she slid her phone back in her pocket, glancing at the store decorations with a carefree smile. The only thing that could have made her feel better was if Shiho were here to enjoy the pretty lights and glowing penguins and polar bears with her.
It was easy enough to knock the rest of the items off her list; Ann was pretty well-trained on the art of shopping. She sighed, considering if she should wait until the cake was finished, or...she had just got paid for a modeling gig and maybe- holy shit.
Ann rushed to the clothing section, picking up the sweater that had caught her eye- yes, there were two of them! They were both a soft pink, with the most adorable chibi gingerbread men surrounded by tiny white frosting hearts on them. Surely Shiho would think matching sweaters were cute...? She bought one for her size and one for Shiho's, then continued to browse the store, quickly losing herself in Christmas advertising.
Four bags of Shiho's favorite candy. Several bottles of nail polish in colors Shiho liked. A bottle of perfume that made Ann think of her, another that Shiho frequently spoke of wanting, and one that smelled really festive Ann couldn't help but purchase. A shitton of makeup. And oh, she found the cutest pair of boots before she ventured into the plushie section, where her wallet really started to suffer. The most adorable teddy bear, except it was a polar bear holding a Christmas tree with a heart on the top. So cute! And the final nail in the coffin- A GIGANTIC KITTEN PLUSHIE THAT WAS TWICE HER HEIGHT! (She had to get an employee to help her carry it all.)
As she was checking out, she noticed the time on the register screen and fought the urge to punch herself. The cake had been ready for five minutes; when she had paid for everything, she speed-walked to the bakery, carrying so many bags many people stared, particularly at the kitten. Hopefully Shiho liked what she'd gotten her, given how embarrassing it was to put everything in a seat next to her on a bus... and have a kind stranger help her get everything out of said bus... And of course during the few steps to her house, she had to just pick up a few things, drop them by the door, and repeat the process, praying the snow wouldn't ruin anything.
She held only the kitten plush bag when she quietly entered, hoping to surprise Shiho- but the moment she entered she heard loud sobbing. In a flash, worst case scenarios raced through her head. Someone had broken in and hurt her- Kamoshida had somehow came back- or Shiho had tried... it... again- oh God no-
The bag hit the floor, her heart dangerously close to exploding from how fast it was beating as she bolted, her mind going blank to everything except finding Shiho. She heard frantic movements- someone was here, oh no no no she was not that stupid, weak little girl anymore and no one was ever going to hurt her again and sure as fuck no one would EVER lay a finger on Shiho again, she'd kick their fucking ass, she'd kill his fucking ass-
These thoughts all happened in such a short amount of time. When she reached the room they'd been in before, she saw no signs of damage, but the shadows behind that chair were far too long- she dove behind it, only to see her girlfriend curled up in a ball, holding her breath and being as still as possible, in an effort not to be seen.
"Sh-Shiho? Are you alright?!?"
The girl glanced up, tears caught in her perfect lashes. "A-Ann?"
"Is someone here?!?"
Shiho slowly shook her head, her eyes wide and distant; Ann yanked her into her arms, her own chest heaving as her panic from the last few moments attempted to drive her insane. "Wh-What happened?"
"I j-just... I didn't hear the door open and I heard running and I g-got scared...." Shiho sobbed into her shoulder and Ann held her closer, rubbing her back and trying to calm her as she simultaneously tried to calm herself. That was fine, though- she was sure she could help Shiho and ignore her own silly problems...
"It's okay, Shiho...I'm here now, love, I'll never let anyone hurt you again... I'll protect you, I promise." Ann whispered reassuringly as she stroked her dark hair, so soft beneath her fingers.
Ann didn't know how long it went on like that, but eventually the ravenette had pulled away, abruptly grabbing one of Ann's pigtails and caressing it in her hand. "Are you okay, Ann?"
"H-Huh? Oh, y-yeah... G-Got scared-" And then her composure was gone and she was crying as horribly as Shiho had been.
Gradually, they comforted each other. Even about a year after everything with Kamoshida had went down, the pain from the events was still there- neither of them were confident this... trauma would ever fully leave them. But, as sappy as it was, the love they'd shared had only got more intense. Even after eveything, or maybe because of everything, they knew it would all work out if the two had each other, no matter what happened.
Finally, Ann managed to ask, "But why were you crying when I first came in here?"
"Oh. That's... stupid." Shiho gazed at the floor self-consciously as she cleaned her face with her sleeve.
Ann pouted. "It's not stupid if you were crying about it! I mean, if you don't want to you don't have to tell me, but..."
Shiho smiled, gently rubbing away Ann's tears. "I just... I was doing something and I started to think of how perfect you are and I just... started crying." She laughed wrily.
"Shiho..."
"I'm not making this up." Shiho insisted honestly. "Just... how can anyone be so kind and strong and brave and selfless and sweet and smart and beautiful all at once? You're..." Her eyes, usually so empty, shimmered. "You're everything."
Ann had to joke to keep from crying- "Okay, what is it you want me to buy you now?"
Shiho huffed, play-smacking her shoulder. "You know I meant that."
"Yeah, but... it's not true."
"Ann-"
"What was that thing you were working on?" Ann switched the subject... or so she thought.
"Oh..." Shiho blushed from her impending humiliation as she got up, wincing from the pain in her leg. That ghost of pain in her limbs was always there, just like the shadows of pain in her mind, but none of that was as real with Ann here. The blonde helped her stand and the two sat in the chair again, Shiho swiping the card off the table and keeping it turned so her girlfriend couldn't see. "D-Don't laugh, okay?"
Ann's brow creased. "You know I would never do that!"
Cheeks burning, Shiho showed her the card, watching Ann's face closely to see how she'd react.
Full, vivid pink lips slowly opened in surprise, teal eyes stretching wide in wonder. "Sh-Shiho..." Ann's hands trembled as she stared at the picture. She had gotten used to how pretty/cute/sexy she could look with effects and makeup long ago, but never in her life had she seen something like this.
She looked... ethereal. Wearing an elegant white dress that somehow radiated purity, her eyes somehow drawn to reflect so much kindness and depth and beauty, her hair down in curls that somehow seemed angelic, her lips pulled up in a smile that somehow spoke of selflessness and devotion, her posture one of confidence and... strength. It had the same striking effect on her that Sayuri had on Yusuke; looking at it made her think of that anime she had watched as a kid, made her feel all brave and ready to go out there and start a revolution or something. The way she'd felt when she'd first joined the Phantom Thieves...
By now, Shiho's whole face was burning. "I... I wrote something inside." Her voice was painfully squeaky and cute.
Ann flipped the card open as carefully as a devout preacher would a Bible, tears dripping down her face as she read: Ann. You are my hero... The best thing that's ever happened to me, my angel, my savior. You're the most amazing person in the entire world. Everyone that hated you at school was just jealous- you'll never believe me but it's true. I'm not just saying that or any of this because I'm your friend or because I'm in love with you, these are all genuine FACTS okay. You are one of the saints- remember when I helped you do that project on Japanese mythology? You are the reincarnation of every single god and goddess of love and heroism from those and every other culture imaginable. I never could have got through anything that happened back then without you. You are the strength that keeps me going, the light in my darkness. The person that I care for more than anything else in the world. I love you. Do you remember that day I went back on the rooftop and told you I love you? I was so worried, worried Akira had already realized how great you are and would make a move on you after I left. And while he did realize how perfect you are, he didn't take you from me... I think I owe him as much as I owe you for that. I'm so happy to be with you. I would have been happy to love you as a friend, but... it's my honor to love you like this. I hope our relationship never ends... I love you, so much, no matter what happens.
Love, Shiho.
Ann had to tilt her head back to prevent her tears from hitting the card. "Ohmygod, S-Shiho... I love you too, s-so much. Akira- don't ever worry about him, or anyone, you're everything to me!"
Shiho was so embarrassed she had to make a joke. "But... I mean, his messy hair is way better than mine-"
"And even if I was interested in him, Ryuji would kick my ass." Ann smirked through her tears.
"You think I would let him? The two of us would have a cripple fight."
"SH-SHIHO!" Ann cried, flabbergasted, as her girlfriend laughed at her own joke.
Finally, Ann gently laid the card down, holding her tightly. "You're so sweet. That was... the best g-gift I ever got."
"I expect something of equal or greater value."
"Really? Good. I have caaaake~!" At this, Shiho immediately went to the door, Ann following closely. An hour later, when the cake was gone and Shiho had adored all of her gifts, the two could both easily agree that this was the best Christmas they'd ever had.