Work Text:
“Oh, Minori, your hands—are they cold?”
“Eh? Oh, ah…” An embarrassed laugh leaves her as she fits her hands into her coat pockets for warmth. “I may have forgotten my mittens at home today…”
Haruka’s eyes follow the girl’s hands as they hide away from the chilling wind, flicking back up to Minori’s own as the soft mist of her breath leaves her lips. Her nose has gotten a little red, though it’s hard to tell in the dim light of being between lamp posts, but that doesn’t stop Haruka from noticing the signs of cold. She hums softly, looking ahead again as her gaze scans the path ahead.
“I thought I reminded you to make sure you’re warm, I told you ahead of time we’d be out late, no?”
“You did! You did, I was just in a bit of a hurry to get ready… I got so excited when my parents said they already talked to you about it that I must have forgotten everything I needed.”
“Here—give me your hand.”
“Huh?”
When Minori looks over to Haruka again, her gloved hand is held out to her, the purpose of it all not clicking in her head for a second as she stops walking from the confusion. Haruka stops herself, tilting her head as she keeps her eyes on Minori before her lips curl into a gentle smile. She turns to more properly face the other, guiding Minori’s hand out of her pocket as she presses their palms together, lacing her fingers between each other. “My hands are warm, it’ll help you warm up,” she says once she’s finished, dropping their hands limp beside them and looking once again into Minori’s eyes. She attempts to say something—a thank-you, an insistence she doesn’t need to, an expression of her fantasies coming true, anything!—but all she can manage is a few sputtered sounds of embarrassment, prompting a quiet giggle from Haruka. “Don’t worry, it’s not that far now until we can stop. I have a spot in mind.”
“O… Okay.” Minori closes her eyes and tries to continue walking again, doing everything she can to get the fact she’s holding Haruka’s hand out of her head. Which isn’t helped at all by the fact Haruka squeezes her hand, making her eyes snap open and look over to her. Looking straight ahead, once again scanning the environment for whatever place in the park she has planned. Her hand is getting warmed up by Haruka’s, though; whether it’s what she said about her hands being warm that’s doing it or the fact it’s Haruka’s hand making her body warm up like this remains up for debate. She’s not doing a good job at forgetting she’s holding her hand…
“Um—Thank you.” Finally, she can actually say words. “Your hand is really warm…”
“You’re welcome.” Haruka pauses for a moment, giving her hand another squeeze. “Your hand is really soft. Have you been talking to Shizuku?”
“Oh! Not Shizuku-chan; Saki-chan actually recommended this new moisturiser to me while we were out shopping together a few weeks ago. She said Shiho-chan’s been using it and it makes her hands suuuper soft, so she wanted to give it a try too. I got myself a bottle to try out.”
“Well, she was right. It’s certainly working.”
Haruka breathes a quiet huff of air when she spots the tree she’d scouted out earlier that day, gently tugging Minori’s hand to indicate a change of direction before guiding her off the beaten path. The layer of snow on the grass crunches under their boots as they walk through the low light to stand under the branches of the tree. She looks over to Minori once they’ve stopped, the even lower light making it hard to spot the flushed cheeks that have doubtlessly coloured her face from the fact she’s been holding her hand. She positions herself in front of Minori, holding out her other hand toward the one still in her pocket, which takes a few heartbeats of silence for the brunette to notice what Haruka is asking for to pull her hand out and take her hand. She brings them together in front of her chest, pulling the two of them closer by a half-step as she does so, clasping Minori’s hands together between her own.
“Next time, try to remember your gloves,” Haruka says with a quiet tease, cocking her head as she watches Minori’s eyes stay trained on their hands held together.
“Sorry about that, Haruka-chan…” Her eyes dip down, and Haruka shakes her head while pulling their hands to her chest.
“You’re okay, don’t worry. I don’t mind warming you up like this.”
“You—” Minori stops herself from saying anything more, darting her expression away with a swift turn of her head to look at the tree they’re standing under. “Haruka-chan, are you teasing me…?!”
She can’t stop the laugh from leaving her, shuffling herself just a little closer while Minori isn’t looking. “I’m sorry, but I can see why Airi finds this so much fun. You’re just so cute, Minori.”
“If you say that…!” Minori’s voice turns into a whine as she looks back at Haruka, a pout just visible on her face. It’s answered only with a smile, looking back down at Minori’s hands again. She joins her gaze, a silence falling between them for a second before Minori speaks again. Her voice has fallen into a whisper. “Have your hands always been this warm? Or is it just the gloves?”
“I think I’ve always run warm. Why, is it more than just your hands that’s cold?”
“No no, that’s not—” She stops herself again, Haruka catching the white puff of air that leaves her as she cycles a deep breath. “It feels really nice. Part of me wants to see what it’s like without gloves…”
Her hands squeeze Minori’s again, eyes trailing up to meet with the blue-grey of the other’s. The distant light of the lamp posts along the path give them a shimmer that makes it hard to look away as she lowers their hands between them before letting go. Starting to take off one of her gloves. “Then how about I provide?”
“But wouldn’t you be cold, then?”
“Not if we keep each other warm.”
A staggered breath slips from her lips as Haruka’s now bare hand once again slips into hers so effortlessly, their palms facing each other and her fingers lacing into her own, Minori slowly closing her fingers to reciprocate the decision as she tries to keep her racing heartbeat and panicking flurry of thoughts under control. The way she holds her is so gentle, the feeling of her skin against her own sends a stampede of spiders running just under her skin down her arm, disappearing into her elbow without a trace. It’s far better than she’d ever imagined, in all the years these fantasies ran rampant through her head. She’s tried, since meeting Haruka, to subdue her expectations for fear of the truth disappointing her, but somehow it’s so much better than she’d pictured even at the height of this fixation. Is it the fact the dreams are coming true making it feel even better? Is it how close she’s gotten to Haruka, the way Minori can look beyond the idol she’s always been to her and at the person she’s always been?
“I don’t think I ever want to let go…”
“Don’t worry, you won’t have to for a while.”
Her heart tries to leap out through her throat as she looks up at Haruka, at the twinkling stars captured in her blue eyes, at the way her face looks so gentle up close with the soft smile. The way the skin just under her eyes wrinkles a little bit when she smiles like this, something Minori’s only recently started to pick up. She could never get close enough looks at her on TV or in magazines, but even then this feels like such a new detail to her face. Like it’s a piece of Haruka she never allowed to show as a member of ASRUN. For a moment, it makes her forget about what it was she said, simply hovering in the reality of what was happening around her, of what was spoken. She won’t have to let go. Does that mean that Haruka…?
“Do… Do you mean that?”
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t.” Her voice is so quiet, yet each word echoes through her entire body more than she’d experienced while watching Haruka on that stage.
“Haruka-chan, I…” Minori finally pulls her gaze away, looking down at their hands again, drawing her thumb along the back of the other’s hand. Haruka reciprocates the motion, and they both squeeze the other’s hand at the same time. She doesn’t want to let go, either. Her heart is racing even faster now; was this always Haruka’s plan?
She looks up to try and see the sky through the branches of the tree, noticing something hanging just above them. She furrows her brow as her head cocks to the side, reaching up with her other hand to see what it could be. But she recognises it before even getting to touch it, her hand stopping midair and her chest tightening. A mistletoe. Swinging slowly from the chilling breeze, hanging just above them. Haruka’s voice cuts through the screaming silence that’s filled her head.
“Oh, when did that get there?” Despite the words, she doesn’t sound surprised. This almost feels like a game to her.
“I just noticed it, I don’t… Um…”
“It’s alright, Minori. We don’t have to if you don’t want to.”
“If I—” She finally looks down to meet Haruka’s eyes again, but this time she can’t read what they’re supposed to tell her. Of course she wants to, she’s wanted to since forever. But should she? They’re both idols, it could cause problems for them, even if they are in the same group. And that isn’t even mentioning the fact she doesn’t want to make Haruka uncomfortable with any advances on what might not be reciprocated feelings. Of course she wants to. She wants nothing more in the world. But is it what Haruka wants? What if—
“Does that mean…” she hesitates before continuing, biting at her lips and looking down at their hands. Haruka gives her hand another squeeze in response, before she can continue, drawing Minori’s attention back up to her expression. That same smile. What is the expression in those eyes? What’s so special about that look that makes it something Minori’s never gotten to see before truly meeting Haruka?
Haruka’s watch beeps quietly from under her sleeve, making them both look down at their hands. A quiet laugh lifts up from her chest as their eyes meet once more. “Merry Christmas, Minori. This can be your first present of the day.”
Watching the implication of her words register behind Minori’s eyes makes her cheeks tug at her lips even more, Haruka needing to keep herself from giggling when a gasp leaves the other girl and she stares at her with wide-eyed disbelief. She tilts her head, pushing one of her feet through the snow to more comfortably lean a little bit closer, once again rubbing her thumb along the back of Minori’s hand. Her other hand, still free and having had the glove removed as well, finds its way up to Minori’s face, brushing a stray hair from her face. It’s so clear in her face that she wants it. They’ve always been clear, Minori’s feelings for her, but Haruka’d always been concerned that they were directed at the idol, not the person. It wasn’t until Minori started to get used to being with her every day, when the overwhelming excitement a fan experiences in the presence of her idol turned into the joy of seeing a friend, that doubt on her own worries began to be cast. Even now, having spent most of the evening together and it now hitting midnight, Minori’s not acted like a fan. Whatever feelings Haruka is picking up aren’t directed at who she is on stage anymore.
She brushes her thumb along Minori’s cheekbone, rests the palm of her hand on her cheek, and a warmth fills her stomach as Minori finally relaxes and leans into her hand. Closes her eyes, speaks in a soft whisper, “Your hands are so warm.” Haruka slides her hand down Minori’s face until her fingers carefully hold the shape of her chin, the other’s eyes opening once again to watch her as she holds for just a moment. She gives a silent nod, Minori returning it, before leaning in a little closer. And watching Minori lean as well, she closes her eyes. Releases the tension and tingling anxieties built up in her shoulders through her lips as they touch. What should be seconds stretch on for a perceivable eternity, the chill of the winter breeze only making her move her hand from Minori’s chin to her shoulder and pull her a little closer. A hand finds its way to the back of hers, fingertips dancing through her hair as it finds her neck and settles on the exposed skin her scarf doesn’t reach.
Reluctantly on both sides, they pull their heads away to once again find each other’s eyes in the darkness. Her lips are left with a tickling dance of anticipation as her heartbeat echoes through her ears, as if asking for even more of what they just tasted. Haruka ended up the first one to break eye contact, looking down at their locked hands with a blink and pulling them up to her lips, gently placing a kiss on Minori’s knuckles. The sound of the other’s voice catching in her throat as she gasps makes Haruka have to keep down a chuckle as she looks back up to her and the panic setting in on her face to mix with the euphoria of what just happened.
“I can’t believe I just… I kissed…”
Haruka giggles, looking again at their locked hands. “We could always kiss again.”
The stammered attempt at a response tells her everything about Minori’s reaction, making Haruka laugh again. She reaches her free hand into her pocket, fingering through the pair of gloves she put in it to pull out a small box she’d brought with her. A ribbon was tied around it, Haruka having done her best to tie it in the shape of a clover. She looks back up at Minori as she stares at the box with a curious wonder in her eyes, holding it between them for Minori to take. Rubbing her thumb over the girl’s hand before finally letting go so she can use both to open the box. “First, I’d like you to take this. A Christmas present. It’s a little early, but… I’d like to see you open it.”
The warmth of Haruka’s hands lingers on her skin after they’ve already moved away while Minori takes the present and holds it between her fingers, looking over the clover shape the ribbon’s taken to. She feels somewhat guilty, needing to undo the knot to open the box, something Haruka seems to notice and pulls at one of the loops with a quiet, “I can show you how to tie it later.” Minori laughs quietly, returning her gaze to the box in her hands as she undoes the ribbon and putting it in her pocket for safekeeping. She runs her finger along the seam of the box, anticipation crawling just under her skin and bubbling up from her stomach into her chest at what could be in it. They’d gotten each other gifts already, there was a holiday stream before they agreed to take a break from idol activities for a few days to spend time with their families where they had done a Secret Santa for each other. The Virtual Singers assigned who gives presents to who, but after the stream was finished it turned out that everyone had the same idea to get everyone gifts to hand out when they turned off the camera. What could Haruka be giving her that wasn’t given then? What would need them to come out here in the middle of the night, so she could give it to her just as it hits midnight?
With a silent cycle of slow breaths, Minori pushes open the lid of the box slowly. Attached to the bottom of the lid was a small picture of Haruka and Minori that Kohane had taken from their trip to Phoenix Wonderland with her and An, one that Minori had completely forgotten about in all the time that’s passed since then. It was them copying the pose that An and Kohane made in one of their own photos, with Haruka’s arm around Minori’s shoulder and holding them close, her other arm making a little V with her fingers while Minori tried to put her arm around Haruka’s waist while being actively pulled toward her. It’s difficult to see clearly in the darkness of just the night sky above them and the lamp posts being so far away, but she can tell just how much Haruka seemed to enjoy that picture. A time when Haruka was able to be herself, the same day Minori expressed how much she wanted to know the Haruka that wasn’t on stage. Was this day that important to her? This picture, of them simply trying to emulate An and Kohane, really that special?
But that wasn’t the only thing in the box, Minori’s eyes finally settling on what she assumes is meant to be the actual gift. She hooks her finger through the bracelet inside, and the breath leaves her lungs without warning as everything clicks together for what this is. An old ASRUN accessory that was supposed to release as part of a promotional campaign, but the entire line got cancelled and they were never sent to stores. Minori always assumed they’d just been destroyed or gotten rid of in some way, yet…
“An old group member reached out to me a few days ago telling me that the agency found a whole box of them sitting in storage,” Haruka says after a few seconds of Minori’s silence, making her snap her eyes up before looking back at it. She moves it between her fingers to better look at the whole thing. “She asked if I wanted any, since they were just going to dispose of any leftovers. I immediately thought of you.” She can’t think of anything to say, taken completely by the fact she’s holding something that should have been impossible for her to obtain. She can still vividly remember the way she was distraught when the promotion was cancelled and she’d never be able to get her hands on it. Just going off the look of it, too, this was specifically the one for Haruka during the campaign. She wanted to match with her so badly back then…
“I did change something about it, though.”
“Huh? You did?”
“Look at what’s written on it.”
Minori tilts her head and twists it through her fingers again to try and find the words, eventually finding them but the low light was making it next to impossible to read. She furrows her brow in concentration to try and figure it out, but Haruka stops her by taking her hand and closing the box it was in. A silent message for her to follow, and they walk through the snow once again to leave the cover of the tree and find the light of the nearest lamp post. Once they stopped, Minori looks down at it again, turning it until the words were facing the right way to read—
“I love you, Minori.”
She looks at Haruka with a slightly open mouth, the light above them letting her clearly see the flush as it spreads across her cheeks before she looks down at the bracelet again. Moving her hand and fingers so that she can slide it down to her wrist before looking back at her with the light glimmering off the tears now lining her eyes.
“I love you too, Haruka-chan!”