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He doesn’t see it but Fuuka’s gazing at him silently now. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He says automatically. They’re at the Paulownia mall to look at the lights. Minato didn’t get the appeal at first, coming down right after school to just see something that’s been around all month and he’s been down here nearly every day the past week distracting himself, but it is pretty. Pretty in the way that he’s zoning out, not quite feeling present in his body, partly on purpose.
“You don’t have to do that, you know,” she says, nudging his shoulder with hers, “hide from us. You can show how you’re feeling to SEES… to me.”
Minato looks at her, nods a little. “I was thinking... about my family.”
“Your parents?”
“Yeah, my sister too. I was only six when they died.” He toes the ground, anything to not look her in the eye. “I didn’t really know ‘em, but I wish there were here. This-” he gestures to the twinkling lights around them now, dizzying rainbows above their heads. “It’s supposed to be about family, isn’t it?”
“It is.” Fuuka says, and Minato can tell now she’s looking at him, but he won’t look back. He wishes he brought a scarf to hide in, but he settles on the curtain of his bangs. “But I think… family can mean a lot of things. I’m not with my parents either, even though they’re alive. I’d rather be with you guys, at the dorm. You guys are more like family than my actual one.” She laughs a little, covering her teeth with he hand. She always does that. Nervous habit maybe.
“That’s… nice. It’s a nice thought.”
“You don’t believe me? Or it doesn’t change anything?”
Minato shrugs. “Bit of both. I wish I had the option to choose like you.”
“That’s fair.” Fuuka nods. “Not many of our teammates have the same luxury as me. I hope it doesn’t reflect badly on me.”
“Oh, no.” Minato says, finally facing her and thank god she’s not crying. “I didn’t mean that. I guess… argh.”
Fuuka laughs, actually laughs instead of just a self conscious giggle. “Argh? It’s alright, it’s a heavy topic, huh? Oh! I have something for you.”
She reaches for her school bag and pulls out a tiny tupperware. She cracks is open to reveal a substantial mountain of small, round sugar cookies. “I wanted to test out the recipe before I made them at the dorm for everyone, and I thought you’d like them.”
“Oh? They don’t count as my present then if I’m just the guinea pig.” He says this as he takes a cookie and, okay, he’s being a little bit of a jackass, but Fuuka already knows Minato trusts he cooking these days, and that she’s been talking about a present for him for weeks now, enough that it kicked Minato’s ass into gear to find Fuuka something really special, personal and unique, and maybe even useful all at the same time.
“No, of course not!” She giggles again, partly at the obviously pretend thinking faces Minato is making while chewing her cookie. “I’m saving that for later.” She bumps his shoulder playfully.
Minato hums, still pretending to savor the cookie, which truly was just a simple sugar cookie but it was pretty good. “Hmm… well, I’ve got your present with me right now, if you want it. It’s not wrapped or anything but…”
“Oh! Well, if you want to give it to me now.” And she trails off, partly like it’s a question and partly like it’s not a question at all and she’d love to be given a present by him under the twinkling lights of the mall, shivering and breathing out white clouds in the cool December air.
“Okay then, close your eyes and put your hands out.” Fuuka does, sitting primly with a curious smile as Minato places her gift in her hands.
“Oooh, it’s light.” She says, weighing it in her hands, turning is around a bit and squeezing it, “and soft? Interesting…” When she opens her eyes, she sees a custom-made laptop case, soft teal fabric adorned with tiny embroidered flowers blooming out from one corner. Minato had brought it to school to pass it by Bebe to see if it met his standards of craftsmanship but now that it had, there was no reason to pass up on their opportunity. Fuuka’s eyes shine happily. “Oh, Minato, it’s beautiful! How thoughtful. And, hey, I’ve got your present too, so you don’t have to wait.”
Minato barely has time to agree before he’s ushered to shut his eyes just the same as Fuuka had and his own gift is placed in his hands. It, too, is light and plushy, but has an entirely different shape than the laptop sleeve. He thinks he knows what it is. “Are you sure you can’t read our minds outside of Tartarus?” He chuckles as he opens his eyes to a soft grey scarf, wide and plush and pretty short, with a tiny metal pin with a star and moon motif. “I was just thinking I wish I’d had one.”
“Oh, I’m glad then! Here, let me put it on you.” She grabs it from his open palms and flips it over his neck. The two ends of it hardly cross over but where they do, she weaves in the stick part of the pin and slides the other half onto it, locking the scarf in place, the star shining delicately. “There, I think that looks very nice.”
Minato laughs, little puffs of air between them and they both realize how close they’d gotten for this to happen and the laugh turns sheepish and Fuuka bounces away quickly. “Thanks… I love it. Hey, you wanna get a coffee and Chagall? That’ll warm us both up.”
Fuuka nods, nervously fiddling with her hands. “Yes, that sounds nice.”
And they walk the short distance there, neither sure whether to grab the other’s hand and not able to make up their mind till the soft warmth of indoors hits them and they’re greeted by one of the only waitresses in a nearly empty cafe and the coffee is good and toasty and the company is even better.