Work Text:
“Ughh..” Zira groaned.
Her legs hurt so bad.
She had been walking through all types of stores yesterday. Carefully observing, thinking thoroughly about, and deciding on things to get. She had no idea if Aika was going to like any of this stuff.
”Aika, hypothetically, if you were to want any gift for your birthday, what would it be? I mean.. like, it's not like I.. heh— know when your birthday is. I definitely.. Huh. Um. Anyways.. What would you want? Or wanna do.”
“Anything? Hmm.. Cheese. Luna Cheese. No, to go to space.. Have a normal birthday. What do you do for your birthday? You're the most normal person I know. Loser.”
It didn't hurt to be called a loser by Aika for some reason.
“For my birthday? I usually.. have themed parties. I don't really do them anymore, now that I’m a little older..”
”So you do.. Nothing?”
”No! I still go places. To a place. And eat cake.”
”Sounds about right. Sounds normal. Maybe you can take me with you one day?”
”.. I don't think you’d like it. All I do is just have my parents take me there so I can sit and think about stuff.”
”I’d still wanna go there, just no magical girl stuff. Never magical girl stuff.. ever..”
Her voice dropped scarily deep.
”Okay, okay! No magical girl stuff..”
She was hoping she could give Aika her gifts, and hang out.
Aika usually listens to her rants, so she was hoping to return the favor.
She was so lost, she hadn't even heard her mother calling her name.
“Zira? We're at your friend's house.”
“Oh— Whuh? Oh, yeah. Thanks, ma.”
She said, getting out of the car.
Just knock.
Say hi?
Or say happy birthday first?
Hold up the gifts first?
Aika doesn't even know she’s coming. It would make sense to say surprise.
She was already at the door.
“Okay.. okay.. don't be weird, don't freak out.” She repeated to herself, before slowly knocking on the door.
..
No answer.
What if Aika isn't home?
So they’re just embarrassing themselves, wasting their mom’s time, and they won't be able to give Aika her gifts.
Maybe they should've just-
The door creaked open.
..
So all that thinking went to waste.
Because they forgot what they decided on saying in the first place. Now they're just standing there, looking stupid.
“Uhh.. Ha–”
They were pulled into a bone crushing hug before they could even finish.
“Ziraa… I didn't.. I didn't think you.. Why..”
“Uh.. Happy birthday. I came to um..”
She was already dragging Zira into the house. Looking back at the car, her mother seemed to look a little proud.
“Aika, I wanted to-”
“Yea! I know, that suspicious bag in your hand. But that can wait! Put it down, we need to go to that place you were talking about a few days ago. Remember? The place that seems really boring.”
Aika slipped on her shoes,
“But-”
“We have tooo!! It seems soo nice. Where is it? We can go! Ask your mom to bring us. Just no Hoshi. I don't want them to come.”
Speaking of Hoshi..
“.. Yeah, where even is Hoshi?”
Aika paused awkwardly.
“Well… They're around…”
“Oh, okayy..”
“Yeah.”
“Okayy..”
“I was originally planning on going somewhere, and I didn't want them coming, soo.. I did what I had to do. But now that you're here, we can go to that place! Is your mom still here? You can ask her to take us!”
“Oh, yeah. I think she is.”
“Yay! I’m so happy I can go to this totally normal place with you.. If it really is as boring as I’m expecting, no one could find us! Just us two!”
She was pulled into another tight hug.
Aika’s hugs always felt great.
“Oh, okay! I’ll ask her.. But like, Aika, I need to give you your gifts—”
“You can keep the suspicious bag! I’ve already got the greatest gift.”
That soft tone caught Zira all the way off guard.
“But, uh, Heh! Let's go ask your mom.”
“Yeah.. Let's go.”
Their brain was short circuiting again.
The greatest gift?