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Adeline’s voice broke through the noise of the clamoring inn.
“Does everybody have their gifts ready?”
A bunch of hearty “yeah!”s echoed around her.
“Right.” She nodded approvingly. “You’ve had a week now since Eiland and I coordinated Secret Santa for you all; now it’s time to pass out the gifts!”
A slight mixture of queasiness and excitement swirled in your stomach over her words while you got out of your chair and rummaged through your bag. Lifting a container out, you pulled the lid off and grabbed the dish inside of it.
Feeling a smile naturally make its way onto your face, you spotted Reina over by the bar with Celine. It took no time at all to reach her and proudly hold the food out in front of her.
“Surprise! I’m your secret Santa!”
Reina gasped in delight at the sight in your hands. Eyes widening, she grabbed Celine’s arm and started to make small jumping motions.
“A sushi platter!” She exclaimed, smile splitting her face. “It’s not even in season!” She added, taking the plate from you and staring at it in awe. “I thought I’d have to wait until this Spring to get to have some!”
Feeling bashful at her excitement over it, you rubbed the back of your neck. You had bought the platter from Balor (who had gotten it from somewhere where the fish required weren’t out of season). “It was nothing, really.”
As Reina continued to look at her gift with jubilee, you couldn’t help but feel something slightly unpleasant.
You were so happy she was happy, and had no regrets in giving her the platter. But, in truth, you had been hoping to give it to March.
It’s the reason you bought it in the first place.
Last week when Adeline was passing around that hat with names in it, you had wished harder than anything you would pull March’s name. You had just bought the sushi platter, and the timing was perfect. After you gave it to him, you could picture that blushy grumpy face he never ceased to make whenever you did something that flustered him.
Reality can often be disappointing.
But of course, you were more than happy you could get Reina something she truly loved (and hopefully deepen your friendship with her), so you can’t say you regret it in the slightest.
Reina tackled you in a hug; pulling you out of your thoughts.
“Thank you so much!” She squealed, pecking you on the cheek in a friendly manner.
“Anytime.” You returned the small kiss and hugged her back.
After she pulled away, she went back to the bar counter and immediately started going at her meal with a metal fork. You wanted to watch her enjoy her present a little longer, but a throat being cleared pulled your attention away.
“Hello March.” You said, being reminded of the sushi platter, his sushi platter, that you had just given away.
“Hey.” He responded stiffly.
His eyes shifted back and forth, barely meeting yours. Behind his slightly hunched back hid both of his arms while his knees were pressed together. To top it all off, his face was still cold from the snowy weather outside. As you thought once again how much you wish you were his secret Santa, you remembered:
Someone was your secret Santa.
What exactly was he hiding behind his arms?
“Is that um…” you jut your chin out. “-for me?” You finish a bit timidly. March’s eyes widened slightly as they finally stopped racing and focused on you.
“Y-yeah!” He stammered, bringing his arms forward. Resting on his hands lay a smallish box. Blandly decorated, but that wasn’t important.
Your breath felt a bit tight as you realized your suspicion was true. Immediately your mind started flooding with questions of what he could have possibly gotten for you, but the answers all turned up blank.
Only one way to find out.
Feeling as though his eyes were glued to your every movement, you slowly raised your hand and took hold of the box. With a swallow, you almost felt like sweat was running down your temple as you took in March’s stare.
He was anxious, almost downright terrified. But there was also another aspect to it. In a strange way, he almost seemed eager; as if he was looking forward to seeing you open it.
March parted his lips and tilted his jaw up a tad.
“Are you gonna open it?” He asked uneasily, face still pink. You silently nodded.
Slow enough to torture March (though it was unintentional), you pried the lid off with your fingers; gently setting it on the table next to you. Lifting up the pale tissue paper, a gasp escaped you.
Inside the box were two gloves.
But not just any gloves, you noticed. These were slender, closer to the natural shape of the hand, unlike thick winter gloves with heavy padding. As you delicately felt the material, your touch revealed it to be a leather of some kind. Dipping your fingers into the wrist made it known unto you that despite the thinness of the gloves, there was a soft fur lining to help keep your hands warm.
Placing the box down, you put the gloves on your hands; soothed in the fluffy texture they provided. You experimentally wagged your fingers up and down, then made a tight fist.
The were perfect.
Looking back at March, you realized he had been waiting so anxiously to know what you thought; if you liked them. Nails were digging into his palms as his eyebrows knit tightly in that all-too-familiar look.
“March?”
“Yeah?” He asked quietly, still standing awkwardly in front of you.
You smiled.
“I love them.”
Looking to the side, he tried to play it off. March was never one to let his feelings play out normally. He tilted his chin up.
“Yeah, you’d say that even if they were two sizes too big and made out of thistles.”
He tried to sound big and tough, but you knew that was far from the truth. As soon as you said you loved them, you saw his face relax, his composure lighten up; like a weight being taken off his shoulders. He was relieved.
“March.”
He looked back at you. Your grin only grew bigger as you poured genuinity out from between your lips.
“I love them, they’re perfect. Thank you so much.”
An inexplicable blush spread throughout his face like a flash fire while he tried to conceal it with the collar of his winter coat.
“Geez, warn me the next time you’re going to be so sappy.”
Trying not to giggle at the sight, you looked down again at your new gift.
“I better not catch you with cold hands again.” He chastised, but you couldn’t help but be endeared.
“Oh and that would be so awful.” You let the sarcasm drip through your amusement. “I’d need you to warm my hands up again, and we can’t have that now can we?”
March pulled his collar up further over his face while he refused to look at you. “Sh-shut up!”
Giggling lightly, you took the gloves off and set them back in the box before putting the lid back on. You didn’t need them until you were outside or working.
Tucking the box into your bag, you were surprised at the next words flowing out of March’s mouth.
“So uh…” he slightly mumbled. “Do I get a kiss too?”
Your mouth dropped open. Never in a million years did you expect to hear something like that from March of all people.
“Only because Reina gave you one… nevermind forget it, it was stupid-“
“Okay.” The words came out of you before you could fully think them. It took March a brief moment before he looked up at you, frozen.
Exhaling in hopes of dispelling the nerves that now freely swam through your entire body, you took a couple small steps forward to stand right in front of March. Your feet felt like they were barely touching the ground. His breathing was slightly uneven as he once again refused to look at you; face still partially concealed.
“March?”
“Hmm?”
“I need you to lower your collar.”
“R-right.” He did as you said.
Deciding to place one hand on his shoulder for support, you missed the way his fists tightened (but not the way his face squeezed), as you leaned in to the side. You hesitated a moment, your breath fanning his cheek, before finally closing the distance.
Your mind may have been playing tricks on you, but you were pretty sure you heard him gasp.
Kissing his cheek perhaps a bit longer than would be socially considered normal, you slowly pulled away; face feeling hot. March was no worse for wear, and as you looked at him you realized that maybe he wasn’t red earlier from the cold.
March placed his hand on yours -the one still on his shoulder- which you had forget entirely was still there. He lifted it up and lowered it to rest at your side.
This may be the last time you ever hold hands.
You squeezed his hand gently before he let go. Then, you tried pulling a wry smile.
“Maybe I’ll get you next year eh?”
Scoffing lightly at your humor with a smile, he responded.
“Maybe. But no matter what you get me it’ll never be as great as the gift I got you.”
Feeling your body ease a bit at the return to your normal routine of banter, you fully indulged in it.
“I think that’s on me to decide. Although I suppose it needs to be great or else I won’t get my kiss on the cheek.”
With his cheeks reddening again, March opened his mouth.
“Hey lovebirds.” Valen called teasingly with a wink while swirling the no doubt expensive drink that Juniper had gotten her. “Take it outside. You’re making me sick from all this sugar.”
You and March turned to look back at each other and exchanged awkward smiles; one of you rubbing the back of your neck while the other rubbed their arm up and down.
“Next year.” You said, glancing sideways at the table.
“Next year.” He echoed, looking the opposite direction. The tips of his fingers brushed his cheek.
You couldn’t wait for next year.