Blame It On the Mistletoe -- Gravitation (Hiro/Ayaka)
Title: Blame It on the Mistletoe
Fandom: Gravitation
Pairing: Hiro x Ayaka
Rating: PG
Christmas Prompt: Mistletoe
Word Count: 439
Disclaimer: Gravitation and its characters do not belong to me.
The Christmas decorations of the shopping center are plentiful and extravagant, the lights twinkling and bright. Hiro thinks Tokyo has never looked more beautiful, though he wonders if it’s the presence of the girl beside him, rather than the lights and ribbons and baubles.
The mass of shoppers around them are dwindling as the night grows darker, but Hiro still finds it hard to resist the urge to place a hand on Ayaka’s back, to keep her close and guide her through the crowd. (He still can’t erase the memory of the damsel-in-distress situation she was in when they first met.) But he refrains. They’ve only been on one date, officially, and he isn’t sure if such familiar contact would be welcome or not.
But God knows how badly he wants to touch.
“Thanks again for escorting me, Nakano-san,” Ayaka says, turning her head to offer him a smile that makes him weak in the knees. “I’ve never done my own Christmas shopping before.”
“Well, it’s my pleasure. And you do remember that you can call me ‘Hiro’ now, right?”
“Oh, yes, of course, Nakano-san.”
Her hesitance-refusal, even-to call him by his first name worries him. It’s an act of such formality that Hiro can’t imagine her regarding him as anything but a friendly acquaintance. She seems to sense his disappointment, because she stops suddenly beside a lamppost. The light casts a glow on her face and hair, and she looks as radiant as a Christmas tree angel.
“Does it bother you?” She asks, and he tries to formulate an answer that’s both sincere and tactful. She continues before he can, shyly glancing down at the ground. “I’m sorry, really. I’ve never done this before, so I suppose I’m bound to get some things wrong.”
“You’ve never done what before?” Hiro asks, momentarily distracted by the way the night breeze ruffled her blouse and skirt.
“Well, I mean,” she says softly, “I’ve never had a boyfriend before.”
Something strange and wonderful swells in Hiro’s chest at the word, the timid confession, and this he can’t resist the urge that hits him. Throwing all caution to the wind, he bends down and presses his lips to hers. She gasps audibly but then she tilts her head slightly and deepens the kiss. When he pulls away, her eyes are glazed and glittering, and for a moment her lips remain prettily parted. Hiro’s face reddens and he nods at the decorated lamppost.
“There’s, uh, m-mistletoe there.”
And with that, he turns and continues walking along the shops. She blinks, focusing, and looks up at the lamppost.
“But Nakano-san, that’s holly!”