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If anyone were to ask Nene Yashiro how she ended up being friends with Amane Yugi, she’d honestly say she didn’t know either.
They met in a prerequisite class they had together, one where they had to collaborate as designated partners to finish assignments.
But they didn’t get along very well. They disagreed on everything. Trying to hold casual conversations with him just turned into opportunities for him to relentlessly tease her, especially when it came to her legs.
Not once had he ever given her an earnest answer.
It wasn’t until a mishap involving forgotten homework and an act of good faith on her part that their rocky dynamic took a significant turn for the better.
For the first time, he thanked her. And even though he still teased her, he had also started responding to her genuinely with much less sarcasm and sass.
She was, frankly, a little wary of this change of heart. Until he brought her a couple of strawberry-filled rice cakes when she once happened to be having a bad day.
“You mentioned that these were your favorite, right?” he had asked her, surprising her.
It was such a small detail she had shared just to have a topic of discussion. But she had never felt so touched that he’d remember it.
One could say that that was the moment their friendship truly began, the forging of a bond that both of them would come to cherish immensely.
And now, with three years behind them, neither could imagine their lives without the other in it.
Which led Nene to her current predicament.
She couldn’t explain the apprehension coiling in her gut as she stared at the carefully wrapped parcel sitting in her lap. Why the thought of giving a present to Amane this year felt so… scary compared to previous Christmases.
It wasn’t anything extravagant either. Just a scarf she had stitched with his favorite constellations. A feat she was quite proud to accomplish as a result of her vast improvement in knitting.
But that also made it a handmade gift. And handmade gifts were considered more personal, weren’t they?
Not to mention that this would be her first handmade gift to him.
The thought made Nene feel inexplicably flustered as she pressed her palms to her gradually warming cheeks.
Why was she stressing out so much over this anyway? It was just Amane! And the party would have the fun and carefree atmosphere to give him the scarf without any fuss.
Like usual. Like always.
Her gaze shifted to the dress Aoi had helped her pick out for the party hanging alone on her hook rack. The hem cut off just above her knees when she had tried it on, but Aoi had been insistent that she buy it. Explaining that they should be going all out since they were attending a celebration.
And yet, it was almost as if the garment was mocking her.
Wasn’t she supposed to be looking forward to a momentous and joyous time? Why was she only growing more worried and anxious?
With a sigh, Nene could only hope that the cause of her nerves was just from picturing her legs exposed to many random people in the dress rather than anything she wasn’t too keen on contemplating yet.
Amane was fiddling with a small, crudely wrapped box before his face suddenly seized up and unleashed three consecutive sneezes.
“Wow! Amane, you picked the worst time to get sick!”
He sent a flat look over his shoulder at his younger twin brother. “Not sick, Tsu.”
A surprised grunt escaped him as Tsukasa Yugi suddenly slumped himself over his side.
The younger twin's gaze landed on the box in his brother’s hand. “That’s the gift you’re giving to Nene-neechan tomorrow at the party, right?”
“Yup.” Amane’s fingers clutched the edges of the box almost instinctively, protectively. “It’s not much, but I somehow managed to collect all the parts to make it.”
“You’ve put a lot of thought and effort into it this year,” Tsukasa remarked, poking his twin’s cheek with a snicker. “I get the feeling that you're actually trying to impress her!”
Amane ignored the traitorous way his heart skipped a beat and poked his brother’s cheek in turn. “Don’t say such silly things. It’s nothing like that.”
“Uh-huh. Sure. When you two stop being so dense, let me know when I should be expecting the wedding date, ‘kay?”
“Tsukasa!”
He was so screwed.
And he only just realized that as he saw Nene stride through the door like a celestial being descended from the cosmos.
Amane was truly grateful that not a lot of people had arrived at the party yet. He was certain he would have died of embarrassment right there and then if a huge crowd had been present to witness the expression he must have had on his face.
But who knew that such a seemingly simple dress could leave him breathless? The color of the fabric was dark to accent the subtle sparkles, allowing them to complement the ombré pattern along the hem.
It reminded him of the starry night sky he loved to gaze up at so often.
Not to mention her legs. Her bare legs—
“A-Amane-kun?”
He quickly snapped out of his stupor only to register Nene standing right in front of him. Waiting expectantly, patiently.
Her hair had been neatly tucked into a French bun, leaving a few delicate locks to frame her cheeks.
Up close, she really looked like that of an otherworldly entity, effectively trapping him under a spell without having to lift a finger.
The weight of his gift for her in his pocket suddenly felt heavier.
“...Heya, Yashiro,” he finally managed to respond, his voice coming out croaky when he tried to keep it even. “Got all dolled up, huh?”
“Actually, this is the first time I’ve done something like this in a while,” she admitted, wringing her hands nervously. Almost shyly. “How do I look? Does it… look okay?”
…Was she kidding? Okay?
“Well, the design’s nice,” was what he replied instead. Unable to take the fuzzy sensation in his chest, his gaze flickered to the medium-sized gift bag hanging off her arm. Perfect— a distraction. “That for me?”
“Oh! …Yeah.” Nene gradually turned herself until the bag was out of his view. “But you’ll have to wait until later to find out what it is. We should enjoy the party first. The night’s just getting started, after all.”
The grin he gave her in return was automatic. “Can’t argue with logic.”
And just like that, they easily fell into their regular dynamic. Engaging in mindless chatter like they normally would.
Like usual. Like always.
As the party grew livelier, the two agreed to exchange gifts before either of them left. They then set out separately to mingle with classmates and friends.
But Nene found her gaze wandering until it settled on Amane.
In truth, she had wanted to delay giving him his gift for a little while longer. It just didn’t feel right since she still had that strange anxiety that she couldn’t shake, and she hoped that the party would raise her spirits enough to quash it.
It also didn’t help that she only felt her tension spike when his eyes caught hers, making her flush as he winked.
Nene quickly turned away with a small squeak and busied herself with the refreshments, popping open a soda can and downing a few gulps.
She managed to cool down slightly before hearing footsteps approach her from behind.
“Wow, who invited a radish to this party?”
And she instantly heated up again. Now in exasperation and defiance.
She whirled around to face the instigator, taking in wavy hair and a chiseled face that smirked down at her. She probably would have swooned if he hadn’t immediately outed himself as a gigantic turd.
“Do you have a habit of insulting people you’ve just met?” she seethed.
“Only the really bizarre ones,” he replied easily, even shrugging like what he said was normal.
Nene internally grimaced in disgust.
His smirk came back as he leaned in, and she resisted the urge to recoil from the reek of his breath. “I’ll take it back if you make it worth my while…”
The guy’s hand then shot out and grabbed the edge of her gift bag.
Her gift for Amane.
She instinctively tugged back but didn’t want to risk ripping the bag open. “What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Aw, don’t be like that. I just wanna take a little peek,” he sneered, pulling the bag further toward himself. “With how much you’re resisting, it’s gotta be important.”
She yelped as he gripped her free wrist tightly with his other hand, his nails digging sharply and painfully into her skin.
“Let go—!”
A fist suddenly smashed into the guy’s cheek, sending him crashing to the floor.
“Yashiro! Are you okay?”
Wide-eyed and slightly trembling, Nene turned to see Amane shaking off his hand before stepping toward her. She met him halfway, reaching for him. “Amane-kun—”
She winced as he gently took ahold of her hand, and it was then she saw the faint splotches of a bruise forming around her wrist as well as small scratches from the guy’s nails.
The slight squeeze of Amane’s fingers around hers caused her to look up, and her breath hitched at the deep concern glistening in his eyes.
“Tch! You’ll pay for that, you prick!”
Their attention was drawn back to the guy as he staggered to his feet, cheek swollen and eyes ablaze with rage. His gaze flickered between them like a wild animal before he lunged at Amane—
—only to end up flat on the floor again.
Tsukasa looked up at them with a wide grin, his knee planted on the guy’s back while simultaneously keeping the guy’s arms pinned.
“Hey, Amane! Nene-neechan!” He saluted them casually, unperturbed and unmoving even as his captive thrashed about and shouted obscenities. “I thought I was hearing a commotion over here. Good thing I listened! By the way, Nene-neechan, you look great in that dress!”
“Oh! Tsukasa-kun! Thank you!” she replied sincerely. For both the compliment and making quick work of the creep.
The younger twin then trained his bright eyes on his brother. “Say, Amane… Shouldn’t you be tending to Nene-neechan? She’s hurt, isn’t she? I’ll tell Yamabuki what’s happened, so you go on ahead.”
She watched as something unspoken seemed to pass between them before Amane grinned and nodded.
“Thanks, Tsu. I owe you one.”
“Pay me back in donuts!”
Nene tried opening her mouth to protest that she was fine, but all the words died on her tongue as Amane gave her a peculiar look and squeezed her fingers tenderly again. Rendering her compliant as he whisked her away from there.
At least she was no longer anxious. In fact, she was utterly drained.
She never thought she’d find solace locked up in a friend’s guest bathroom, much less with Amane.
Using a first-aid kit found under the sink, he wasted no time in cleaning the scratches on the inside of her wrist regardless of her initial insistence on doing it herself. He then wrapped an ice pack Aoi had delivered earlier around the reddening area, holding it in place with a grip much more considerate than the creep’s.
Not once did he say a word, the silence deafening in that small space despite the faint buzz of the party outside of it. It unnerved her, reminding her of the early days when they were nothing more than reluctant seatmates.
“Hey, Amane-kun?” she finally began. To her dismay, he didn’t look up or answer. “...Thank you. For helping me back there.”
Still nothing. She tried lightening the mood. “You know, you have one heck of a left hook.”
His lips quirked up into a ghost of a smile this time, and Nene triumphantly counted that as a win.
“…I acted without thinking,” he murmured at last as he shifted the ice pack to better cover her wrist. “That creep was acting sketchy, so I was keeping an eye on him. But when he targeted you and grabbed you, my body just moved on its own. I probably would have been in jail right now if he had hurt you any worse.”
She had the most unusual urge to lean over and kiss his hair. Instead, she lightly patted his head. “Well, no need to worry! I would have gladly bailed you out. Provided that you repay me with a lifetime supply of strawberry rice cakes, that is.”
To her surprise, he didn’t quip back or tease her like she expected. Rather, he raised his head until his eyes met hers, something foreign swirling in those amber depths.
“A lifetime of rice cakes, then,” he promised, his voice coming out as no more than a whisper.
Nene swallowed thickly, the air suddenly feeling heavy between them.
“W-well, glad we could work something out,” she stammered as she quickly reached over for the gift bag that had been set on the countertop with her free hand. To distract herself. “Anyway! I know this isn’t an ideal place to hold a gift exchange, but I’m probably just gonna head home after this. So…”
She rummaged through the bag, locking the parcel firmly within her grasp before pulling it out and offering it to him.
“Merry Christmas, Amane-kun.”
He blinked at it, almost as if he had forgotten what they agreed on regarding their gifts. He then took it slowly in his free hand, and she replaced his grip on the ice pack with her own so that he could unwrap it easier.
She waited in torturous anticipation. And as he held up the scarf, eyes wide with awe, she found herself letting out a breath she had been unaware of holding.
“Yashiro, this is…” He trailed off as he brushed his fingers over the fabric, over the woven arrangements of stars. “Are these…?”
“I-I, uh, wanted to try something different this year,” she explained, a deep shade of red coloring her cheeks. “I know it’s not exactly a professional’s work, but I did my best. Does it… Do you… like it?”
He focused those moon-like eyes on her wordlessly, and she couldn’t help but fidget under his intense stare.
He then hastily shoved a hand into his pocket before producing a wrapped box of his own.
“Guess we both had similar ideas,” he chuckled, his small smile sheepish. “Merry Christmas, Yashiro.”
Nene let the ice pack fall onto her lap as she took the box with such care, as if it were made of glass. She then proceeded to unwrap the gift gently, gasping when she opened the lid.
“Amane-kun, is this… a necklace?” she asked as she lifted the chain. The charm hanging on it was heart-shaped, but the design made her eyes glimmer with fascination.
“It’s… a locket, to be exact,” Amane clarified. He settled the pendant flat on his palm before gesturing at a small button on its side with his thumb. “You can even press this so you don’t have to struggle with opening it manually.”
He performed the action himself to demonstrate, and the locket slowly unfolded before her. Nene gaped in amazement, clasping her hands together as she took in the intricate engravings on the inside.
“Your favorite flowers.” He glanced at her to see her nodding along before continuing, “Even if you never use it for photos or anything… There’s still something nice to look at.”
Tears started to gather at the corners of her eyes as she scooped it into her own palms, cradling it like it was her last hope.
A thought suddenly came to her, and she whipped her head up at Amane so fast that he flinched in surprise. “Wait. When you mentioned similar ideas , does that mean… you made this?!”
He avoided her gaze, finding particular interest in continuously running his hands over his new scarf.
“…Yeah,” he answered meekly, giving her a mix between a grin and grimace. Simultaneously shy and terrified. A rare side to him she’s seen only a handful of times. “I mean, it’s like you said. I wanted to do something different for you this year. So. This was the result. I did my best and all that, right? What do you think? Not too bad, I hope?”
Oh. Oh.
Something settled within her rapidly beating heart. Clicked into place like the final piece of a puzzle.
Without warning, Nene placed the locket safely on the countertop before taking Amane’s face softly into her hands. Giving him no time to react as she drew him forward to press her lips to his cheek.
She felt him freeze, but she lingered a little longer before pulling back. The rosy color of his face practically mirrored her own.
“I love it,” she said earnestly. “So much. Thank you, Amane-kun.”
That foreign stare of his was back, but it didn’t last long. Laying the scarf out neatly beside the locket, it was his turn to caress her face, stroking the apples of her cheeks with his thumbs.
“Likewise,” he told her, fixing her with the warmest smile she had ever seen. “Actually, I think I got two presents this year: the scarf and getting to see you dressed up like this. Earlier, what I really wanted to tell you was that you look beautiful, Yashiro. Always have. Every part of you is, including your legs. Especially your legs.”
If Nene could feel any hotter, she’d be overheating. Boiling. Melting into goo.
“I’m so happy to hear that,” she whispered, covering his hands with hers. Nuzzling his palms. “So happy…”
Her words tapered off as their faces gradually inched closer and closer together, their breaths fanning the other’s skin.
His eyes were darting all over hers, searching. Imploring.
Then, with the slightest nod of her head, he closed the gap.
When their lips met, it was nothing at all like she imagined. No dramatic explosion of fireworks or grand revelations of passion. Nothing like the books she’s read or movies she’s watched.
No, this was even better. Slightly awkward and somewhat hesitant, but much deeper and more intimate. More right, more real.
And warm. So, so warm. Like sitting down with a steaming cup of cocoa after a day out in the freezing cold.
Any nagging fears, worries, or troubles she had leading up to this dissipated like seafoam amongst the waves.
Nene bunched parts of his shirt in her fingers as Amane wound his arms tightly around her, pulling her even closer. Growing more confident and certain.
They only stopped when they needed to breathe.
As they looked at one another, chests heaving, they began to laugh. Heartfelt, elated, and relieved. Mutually content.
A particularly loud thump from the rowdy partygoers on the second floor startled them out of their moment, causing them to peer upwards.
“Oh!” Nene couldn’t help the gasp she let out as they spotted the sprig of mistletoe hanging right over their heads by a short string taped to the ceiling. She giggled at the silliness of the placement. “Never noticed that.”
“Looks like Yamabuki’s prepared for anything,” Amane mused. “Especially stragglers like us who want some alone time.”
Abashed, Nene pushed back against him, attempting to pry herself out of his hold. “T-then maybe we should leave soon! We shouldn’t stay cooped up in here in case someone actually needs to use it!”
Amane remained steadfast, his hands entwined behind her waist as he hummed thoughtfully. “Well, if you say so~ But first… one for the road?”
He tugged her into another kiss before she could reply, but she shamelessly welcomed it.
And she hoped that from now on, this would become a part of their always as well.