Work Text:
it was a foggy afternoon when kanade noticed that her housekeeper was acting off.
normally, while kanade composed, she could hear honami humming the songs her band composed with her signature sweet smile on her face.
today, however, the kitchen was silent. while that normally wasn’t something that made kanade antsy, with honami around, it definitely felt off to her. she took her headphones off, setting them to the side, and made her way to the kitchen.
“mochizuki-san? are you alright?”
the taller girl let out a startled noise, turning around quickly before letting out a sigh of relief upon seeing kanade.
“ah, yoisaki-san, you scared me. i’m alright, why do you ask?”
“your music isn’t playing today… and you seemed dull, so i was wondering if something was wrong. if something is troubling you, i could try and offer some advice…?”
honami’s expression seemed to falter, but only for a moment.
“ah, i’m alright! i just have a headache, so i didn’t play anything today.”
somehow, kanade didn’t believe that excuse, and gave her brown haired companion a frown.
“are you sure? you don’t have to pretend like you’re okay, mochizuki-san…”
honami froze for just a second, before sighing.
“well, if you’re sure it won’t trouble you…”
she averted her gaze downwards, her smile slowly dropping before she began to speak again.
“recently, i got two tickets to go to the ice sculpture festival in town, but it seems that no matter who i ask, they’re busy somehow. it would be a shame to go by myself, but it seems like that’s my only choice…”
“when is the festival?”
kanade was internally just as surprised as honami had looked at the statement. she hadn’t meant to ask this so suddenly, but somehow, she felt comforted knowing that there was a possibility that she could help her friend out, just as she had helped her out many times before.
“umm… it’s on monday.”
“i’m free that day, if you’d like me to come.”
honami’s eyes widened yet again in surprise, and she quickly shook her head.
“o-oh, it’s okay, really! i wouldn’t want you to exhaust yourself, yoisaki-san, you know you’re very quick to become tired…”
kanade shook her head, unrelenting.
“but… i don’t want you to go alone. you’re my friend, mochizuki-san.”
a pause.
“i promise i’ll take care of myself while i’m there. so… please?”
honami looked at her for a moment, as if pondering her decision, before reluctantly nodding.
“alright, you can come with… but you have to promise to let me know if you feel too tired, okay?”
“of course. i’ll bring lots of water.”
though she could tell it took some effort for honami to agree, the bright smile that returned to her face was enough for attending the festival to be worth it to kanade. that smile of hers could light up an entire stadium.
“ah… it’s getting late, so i should return home. i’ve prepared everything for you, so i’ll see you next week at the festival! i’ll let you know where we should meet up, so be sure your phone is charged.”
“got it. have a safe trip home, mochizuki-san. i’ll see you then.”
despite the freezing temperatures outside, kanade felt warmer than before at the thought of attending the festival with her friend.
-
the clock ticked silently in the background, as it always did while kanade was working. tonight, however, instead of serving as motivation to get her work out to her waiting followers, it was only distracting her further.
she was confused. she’d usually never be able to focus on anything but her composing, including basic self care needs. what was so different about today…?
she frowned. it had always been hard for her to understand things like this, so maybe it would be better to voice her concerns.
tabbing out of her composing software, she clicked on the night cord icon, looking to see who was in call. tonight, it seemed it was only her and ena, and the two of them were both muted. praying that she wouldn’t be an interruption to ena’s drawing, she hesitantly unmuted her mic.
“ena…? are you awake?”
kanade was answered by the sound of ena’s mic unmuting, followed by a familiar voice.
“yeah. something wrong, kanade?”
“mhm. but it’s not with composing.”
there was a pause on the other end of the line before ena began speaking again.
“you don’t usually come to me for things other than our music. is everything alright?”
“yes, everything’s fine. it’s just that i can’t focus on composing today… usually, the sound of the clock helps me focus, but today it’s only keeping me off task…”
“hmm. maybe it’s bothering you that the time is passing? it could be related to sleep, have you slept recently?”
“i slept a couple hours ago, during the day.”
“hmm… is there a deadline for school coming up, then? i know it’s always hard for me to focus on my art when i have a big project or test that’s coming up.”
“no… i’ve finished all my work that i know of.”
there’s a shared beat of silence between the two of them, before ena perked up with another suggestion.
“is there something you’re looking forward to?”
kanade went quiet, remembering the festival.
remembering how warm and secretly excited she’d been to see honami again.
and then it hit her. that her excitement to go somewhere alone with honami is what’s distracting her. she’s sure of it.
“kanade? oi, kanade! are you alright?”
“ah… i’m sorry, ena. i think… you were right. about me not being able to focus because i’m looking forward to something.”
“oh? are you going out somewhere?”
“yes. i’m going to the ice sculpture festival with a friend of mine.”
“i’m excited for you! you don’t get out super often, i hope you have fun!”
“thank you. but… i’m still not able to focus.”
“well, when is the festival?”
“later in the evening tomorrow.”
“why don’t you go to bed now, then?”
“but–”
“no buts! you’ll feel more well rested and you can work when you get home.”
kanade went silent again.
“c’mon, kanade. please? you’ll be able to focus better after the festival!”
she pondered the idea for a bit, before giving in and realizing that ena is, in fact, right.
“alright. in that case, i’ll log off for the night. thank you, ena.”
“of course! it’s no trouble. feel free to come to me if you need anything else.”
“alright. goodnight, ena. make sure to rest soon.”
“see you tomorrow, then, kanade. have fun with your friend!”
she hung up, powering off her computer and getting into bed. admittedly, it’s been a long time since she actually went to bed, considering most nights she would just pass out at her computer.
ignoring these thoughts, she slowly managed to fall into a dreamless sleep.
-
kanade awoke a couple hours later, quickly checking the clock. squinting at the red letters of her alarm clock, she made out that it was around 4. this was good, as honami had wanted to meet at 6.
she stood up, avoiding the littered cup noodle containers across her room as she made her way to her closet. she’d have to clean that up at some point.
it was only then she realized that there wasn’t a huge variety of options in her closet.
there were lots of jerseys, that’s for sure. kanade wanted to impress honami, though even if only just a little bit. she searched her closet, but all she could find were the aforementioned jerseys, shorts, comfortable sweats for when it was colder outside, and some old clothes in the very back of her closet from when she was younger. they’ve all outgrown her by now.
disappointed, she changed into a new jersey and sweats. she headed to the bathroom to wash her face, and while doing so, she noticed something hanging up.
her mother’s old necklace.
she thought back to when she was much younger, and her mom had offered her this necklace when she was sick again.
“is this for me, mom?”
her mother gave her a soft smile. the same one that never failed to make her feel like everything would be alright.
“it is. my time with it is about up, so i want you to have it.”
“when would i use it? it’s so pretty… i don’t want to ruin it.”
“this is the necklace i used to wear whenever i went out somewhere special. so i want you to use it when you’re out with a special one, kanade.”
she had tried to honor her mother’s wish, she really had. it was just that she’d never considered going out with someone special after her father became hospitalized, so she’d never worn it once.
but, now… somehow, kanade felt that it was the right time. she took the necklace from where it was hanging, gently putting it around her neck.
i hope you’re happy, mom.
the snowflake charm on the necklace seemed to glimmer in the light, as if responding to her.
with newfound confidence, she finished getting ready, locking the door behind her and pocketing her keys before walking towards the festival.
-
kanade stood by a lamppost near their arranged meetup area, listening to music quietly before she heard the familiar voice she’d missed so much.
“yoisaki-san!”
she turned, and honami waved as she walked over.
“hello, mochizuki-san. your outfit looks very nice.”
kanade couldn’t tell if it was the cold or something else that made honami’s cheeks appear flushed.
“a-ah, it’s nothing too special, really…”
honami’s gaze fixed on her necklace.
“is that new?”
kanade shook her head.
“no. this is an old necklace that my mother used to wear. the snowflake charm seemed fitting for an ice sculpture festival.”
“oh, i see! well, it suits you.”
“ah… thank you, mochizuki-san.”
the two briefly made eye contact, before honami pulled up her phone and checked a guide.
“it looks like the festival’s down this road a bit more. let’s walk there, shall we?”
kanade nodded, adjusting the zipper on her jacket to prepare for the cold.
“yes, we wouldn’t want to be late.”
the two set off to the festival together. kanade got a look around the area, noticing for the first time just how many people were there. murmurs of excited festival goers filled her ears, along with the sound of children’s laughter upon getting closer to the source of their excitement. as the two approached the sculptures, honami’s eyes were quick to light up when she began to finally make out the animalistic shapes of the ice.
“oh-! yoisaki-san, look at them all!”
excitedly, honami reached to grab kanade’s hand, gently pulling her along. though caught off guard at first, she was quick to become used to the comforting feeling of honami’s hand, following her around as she went from sculpture to sculpture, taking her time examining each one.
honami seemed to be fixated on how gorgeous the sculptures were, but kanade couldn’t keep her eyes off of honami’s expression of awe. she was more precious than any ice sculpture, she thought.
the night seemed to fly by faster than expected. they had found a group of people along with a tour guide, and had decided to follow along. throughout the tour, honami had been more energetic than kanade had seen her, insisting that they had to see all of the sculptures in the park. they had stopped to purchase some heating packets, which kanade had been using throughout their trip until they had lost their warmth.
before kanade knew it, the two were resting on a bench much later into the night. it was only then that she noticed the snowflakes gently falling to the ground, and in turn noticed how cold she was.
honami must’ve picked up on her shivering at some point, because she frowned and spoke up about it.
“yoisaki-san, you’re shivering… here, take this.”
she took her scarf off her neck, gently wrapping it around kanade’s neck with a smile. the gesture alone immediately set the shorter’s face on fire.
“there. are you warmer now?”
it took kanade a moment to process her words.
“ah… y-yes, i am. thank you, mochizuki-san.”
her mind was whirling. all honami had done was put a scarf around her neck, so why was her heart beating so fast? she didn’t understand. all she could gather was that her face felt incredibly warm, despite the cold, and that honami’s presence was incredibly comforting.
her thoughts were put on pause when honami gently cupped her cheeks.
“m… mochizuki-san?”
“ah! i-i’m sorry! i thought it would help to warm you up, but if you don’t want me to, i understand!”
“no… it’s warm. i don’t mind if you keep your hands there.”
“o-oh… alright.”
the two sat in silence for what seemed like forever. it wasn’t awkward, as most silences are, but the perfect kind of silence. the two made eye contact, and for once, it wasn’t awkward. both of their gazes were filled with admiration, until kanade decided to speak up.
“mochizuki-san.”
“yes?”
“thank you for bringing me out here. i don’t usually attend festivals, so i’m grateful that i got to come here, especially with someone i cherish.”
honami shyly averted her gaze.
“eheh, it wasn’t that big of a deal, yoisaki-san, really…”
kanade, in that moment, could focus on nothing but honami. the way her cheeks were tinted a light pink, how a strand of hair had fallen from her ponytail and into her face, and how her eyes reflected the snowy scene before them - those were a few of the many things whirling around in her mind.
noticing all of this, she decided to take action.
“mochizuki-san. would it be alright if i tried something?”
“of course.”
though hesitant at first, kanade leaned up to gently press her lips against honami’s. honami tenses up upon contact, caught off guard, but she’s just as quick to melt into the kiss, shutting her eyes.
the kiss, though short, was sweet. it felt as though the heartfelt feelings of appreciation from both girls were put into it, making it emotionally impactful in the moment. it was almost magical, and despite the intense cold temperatures outside, kanade felt a soft, warm sensation throughout her body.
the sensation disappeared upon pulling away from the kiss.
“y-yoisaki-san…”
kanade could spot the growing flush spreading across honami’s cheeks.
“ah… i’m sorry if that was too much, i acted impulsively-”
honami shook her head.
“no, it wasn’t too much! i-i really enjoyed it…”
she hesitated for just a moment, seeming to fumble over her words before stopping on the right ones.
“i.. really cherish you. you’re precious to me, yoisaki-san.”
“as are you to me.”
the two exchanged loving smiles, before honami caught a glimpse at her watch.
“we should probably head for your house soon… my mother will get worried if i’m out too late.”
kanade nods silently in agreement, and the two head home. when honami shyly offers her hand to hold, kanade is more than happy to accept. the beautiful winter scenery is comparable to the beautifully warm feeling in their hearts, resonating together in the bitterly cold air. neither of the two can stop themselves from smiling, and they spend the walk as close to the other as possible. if asked, they’d both play it off as being too cold, but internally, they didn’t want to lose the warm feeling of joy the other brought with their company.
the walk home was all too short, and before kanade knew it, they’ve arrived at her house. they both pause at the entrance.
“i… should go inside.”
“you should.”
it took a moment for kanade to actually let go of honami’s hand and begin heading for her house. just as she’d stepped inside, looking to shut the door behind her, she heard a call from behind her.
“y-yoisaki-san!”
kanade turned to face honami.
“i… i love you!”
the shorter blinked, taking a minute to herself to process what she’d just been told. a minute seemed to be too long, however, because by the time she’d decided to look up and say it back, honami is no longer in view.
she shut her door, heading towards her computer, but before she booted it up to work, she opened her phone to send one last message.
to: mochizuki-san.
i love you too. ♡
kanade set down her phone, only to be greeted by the sound of her computer booting up. though she’s eager to make up for lost time, the day she’s had is still lingering in the back of her mind.
she didn’t think she could get away with saying it was just the clock was distracting her this time.