Work Text:
Kyoko’s phone rang.
What was the time?
10 AM.
Too early. But, she picked up anyway upon seeing the caller ID.
“Yes, Makoto?”
“Ah! Kirigiri! I’m sorry, I just wanted to say good morning since I didn’t see you this morning at the meeting!”
“It’s been long enough, you can just call me Kyoko, you know.”
“Haha, it still feels a bit odd to say..” Kyoko sighed.
“Was there anything else you needed, Makoto?”
“Um…nope! Have a great day Kirigiri!”
She could practically hear him smiling on the other end.
“Thank you, you too.” She hung up promptly.
Makoto had a habit of doing this every single day, including weekends. Days where she was supposed to be away from Hope’s Peak, she was still brought back by this overly-joyous man calling her, whether it was to say good morning, good night, or to say “Hello!” and nothing else.
She specifically gave him her cell number so he could text her if there were any issues that arose. It was slightly frustrating, especially since the substance of each call was limited to basic greetings.
She couldn’t truly be upset though.
As annoying as it could be, it wasn’t as though anyone else was greeting her every morning and night, making sure she was wished a “good day.” And, even if she didn’t exactly show any appreciation for it, his energy was infectious; even Kyoko would crack a bit of a smile at his enthusiasm.
She’d have to ask why, though. Not that it bothered her in any manner above the usual, but…
No matter.
She’d worry about this later, after getting her work done for the day.
—
“Kirigiri!!!”
Makoto practically raced to greet her as she was gathering her things to go home. He hunched over a bit as he tried to catch his breath, Kyoko standing a bit awkwardly as she noted other people looking over expectantly.
“Yes, Makoto? Is there something you need?”
“Nope!” Huff puff. “Just wanted to walk you to the bus stop!”
Sigh.
Sometimes he was truly like a clingy puppy that followed her on occasion.
“Fine.” She grabbed her purse, coat, and keys. “Let’s go then, shall we?”
Makoto hurried behind her, clasping his hands behind his back.
“Sooo…how was work today? I know I don’t get to look into the office very often being headmaster now.”
“It was fine. Very usual.”
“Did you happen to see Togami today? I heard he came in!”
“I did not.”
“Aw. I got to see him for a few minutes before having to look over some things, but it seems like he’s doing well!”
“Glad to hear it.”
She wasn’t usually this dry. (She was.)
“Makoto, we’re here.”
“Oh, right.”
Kyoko waved, getting onto the bus. She sat down, placing her keys in her pocket before pulling out a small book from her purse.
—
It was about thirty minutes before she reached her stop, and she finally got off the bus.
As she neared her apartment, she reached for her keys.
Upon pulling them out of her pocket, they fell…into a grate.
Kyoko was able to grab them before they got too far, but the issue was now…getting her hand back out of the grate.
It felt silly to be kneeling over a grate with her hand stuck in-between the slats, but she couldn’t quite get it out. She was able to pass her keys from one hand to the next, but…that left her other hand occupied.
It had to be the damn glove.
She took a deep breath, hoping it would slip off and she’d have enough time to respond fast enough to grab it.
She was wrong.
The glove fell down the to the bottom of the not-so-shallow grate.
“Damn it.”
—
She searched her apartment for another pair of gloves, ones she swore she had purchased some time ago, but the more she searched, the more it seemed she had not, in fact, purchased another pair of gloves.
It wasn’t as though anyone at the office would be staring at her hands, but it would be…rather inconvenient.
Giving up on finding a nonexistent pair of gloves, she instead went for the first aid kit.
A wrap would be better than nothing, even if it drew attention.
“This should be fine.”
—
It was around 10 PM now.
She went to lay in bed, placing her phone beside her. She expected the call any minute now...
Ah, there it was.
"Hello?"
"Hi, Kirigiri!"
"Yes, Makoto?"
"How was your day today?"
"It was okay. How was yours?"
"It was great!"
"I'm glad to hear it."
...
"Was there anything else you needed, Makoto?"
"Nope! I just wanted to wish you a goodnight!"
"I see. Thank you, Makoto. Goodnight."
"Thanks! Bye!"
"Goodbye."
Time for bed. Tomorrow would be just fine.
—
It was, in fact, fine. Up until she got her usual phone call from Makoto.
She attempted to pick up with her wrapped hand, the other being busy with writing notes off of her screen. It should be able to react through bandage, right?
“Damn you.”
One Missed Call from – Makoto Naegi
Oh well.
Kyoko continued working, not bothering to call back.
This was a mistake.
“Oh my God, Kyoko, you’re okay! I got worried, since you didn’t answer my call!”
Makoto had burst into the office, loudly announcing himself as he did so.
“Oh good god…” Kyoko could only look away and mutter to herself as Makoto approached her desk.
“Kirigiri! Are you alright? Your hand is bandaged today.” He looked at her with concern.
“Yes…Thank you for broadcasting my hand being bandaged to the entire office, Naegi. I’m fine. I tried to pick up earlier and it didn’t allow me to. I didn’t think it was a big deal. If it was this urgent, you could have texted me.”
His face fell a bit, concern turning into a small frown.
“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking, I-“
“I’m well aware that you weren’t. And aren’t. I’m going to leave for the day now. Excuse me.”
She pushed past him, completely embarrassed by his overexaggerated concern for her in front of their entire office.
He’s very easy to be angry at right now.
“God…”
She frantically removed the bandages, throwing them away on her way to the exit. If it was going to be this big a deal, she’d just have her hand in her pocket.
—
She got home, and upon checking her phone, noticed several missed calls and unread text messages from none other than Makoto.
I can’t be bothered to read these at the moment…
She flopped down on her bed, removing her other glove and taking a moment to study her hands.
They’re not…so bad? Maybe she’d just gotten used to them over the years, but the scarring wasn’t truly as bad as she made it out to be in her head. It was just…other people. Explaining the details of her scars and why she covered them would be too much. Especially when her only daily interactions with people were at work. It wasn’t necessary.
Oh well…she’d have to buy a new pair tomorrow. At least it was the weekend.
Her doorbell rang.
“Kirigiri! Kirigiriii!”
She knew immediately who was at the door, and upon opening it, saw a very-drenched, very-winded, Makoto there before her.
“Wh..Why are you here? Why are you wet? And why are you carrying a bag?”
“Can I come in please? It’s a bit cold out here..”
She sighed.
“I can’t possibly imagine why.”
—
“These are for you, Kirigiri. I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t realize that you were just missing a glove…so I figured this might be able to make it up to you.”
She looked a little confused as he handed her a small, rectangular box.
“What..is this?”
“It’s a new pair of gloves! I thought they would suit you.”
She looked down at the box, carefully opening it and reviewing the contents.
It was gloves.
A very dainty, pretty pair of gloves. They seemed well-fitted for her size, featuring lace details over them. They were black satin, with little pads on the finger tips.
“I made sure that you’re able to wear them while using technology, since it would be a bit impractical not to be able to, you know?”
“You made sure of this?”
“Yeah!”
“…I just lost my glove yesterday. How would you have planned for this so far in advance? I’ve had these gloves for years with no problems.”
“Um…”
He blushed a bit as he turned away.
“I originally meant for these to be a birthday gift…I saw you when you left, though, and saw there was nothing wrong with your hand when you took the bandage off. Then, I may have followed you to the bus stop and noticed you were just trying to cover your hand by putting it in your pocket. I figured now would be more convenient, I guess!”
She couldn’t help smiling at his awkward kindness. He was very thoughtful when he wanted to be.
“I see…Thank you. These are very nice.” He turned, his eyes brightening at her sudden appreciation for his gift. “I have to wonder, though, Makoto. Why are you drenched? Did it suddenly start pouring outside when you got off work?”
“Hahaha…turns out my luck can run out sometimes. I was on my way here, and someone drove through a pretty big puddle, so I ended up…”
“I think I get the picture.” Kyoko placed the gloves down in the box, standing up. “Wait here, please.”
Makoto sat patiently on the couch, looking around at her apartment.
“Here.”
She handed him a towel.
“I’m afraid I don’t have any extra dress-clothing for you, but I do have some shorts and oversized shirts if you need. In the meantime, I’ll make some tea.”
“Really?”
Her face contorted in confusion.
“Yes…?”
“I just thought you might want me to go, especially since I just showed up and invaded your personal space, and I figured you might still be upset from earlier, and—”
“Please just go wash up and change.” She smiled a bit. “It’s okay.”
He grinned, nodding as he headed to her bathroom.
Kyoko set off to make some tea, waiting in front of the stove as the water heated up. As she did so, she remembered that she hadn’t set out any clothing for the man that was now in her bathroom.
Upon realizing this, she gathered some clothing and set it down on the counter quietly. She then heard the curtain opening.
“Oh!”
Kyoko promptly left, slamming the door behind her.
“…Thank you!”
“Ahem…No problem.”
—
“I assume you’re warmer now?”
“Yes, very much so, thank you!” Kyoko nodded.
“Um…I’m sorry, again, for earlier. I really want to properly apologize for that. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you, and I was just concerned that you hadn’t answered since you always do, but…you’re right, I should have just texted you.”
“I mean…I was upset for a little while, of course, but it’s fine now. However, why didn’t you just text me?”
“Um- I’m not really sure, I-“
“Actually…why don’t you text me normally? You always call, and as much as I can’t be bothered to chastise you for it normally, I really hate phone calls.”
“Oh…I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.” He looked sheepishly at his cup of tea. “I think I just wanted to be able to hear your voice, Kyoko. I don’t get to see you as often anymore, and whenever I can I try to go see you in the office, but…lately it hasn’t felt so much like a partnership, you know? I wish I could get you an office next to mine, or something so you aren’t isolated…”
“You call me just to…hear my voice?”
Makoto looked up at Kyoko to see her looking a bit shocked, slightly flushed.
“Oh! U-Um, I didn’t mean to say that! I..”
Kyoko smiled, placing a bare hand over his.
“Makoto. It’s okay. I just wish you’d told me sooner.”
“It felt a little awkward to request-“
“Not that. Just how you felt overall.”
Makoto turned bright red, looking directly at her.
“You have noticed, in all this time, that I like you too…right?”
He vehemently shook his head.
“Maybe you really do need my guidance more often.” She gave him a light peck on the cheek. “You can spend the night here, don’t want you getting splashed again.” She smiled. “Thank you, again. I’ll be heading to bed now.”
“Oh, okay…! Goodnight, Kyoko!”
“Good god Makoto, do you need an invitation?”
She firmly grabbed him by the arm, shutting the door behind her.
~The End~