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“I’ve made dinner,” Kirigiri says, setting the full bowl of broth and noodles in front of Hina. The small house, cracks in the drywall and moths eating at the curtains, is less than ideal for supper, but the kitchen worked. They had managed to be thrown off course from their mission by a bunch of gang members, at least that was what they looked like. A group of strong men had found them walking together, away from the car they had taken to the Future Foundation camp. They had led them into an abandoned city, with few resources left. It was fine, it always was fine.
“Eat,” Kirigiri adds when Hina just stares down at it, her lips wavering. “Please eat. I made this just for you,”
“Aren’t you going to eat with me?” Hina asks, tired blue eyes flickering upwards to watch the other girl’s face.
“I will.” She grabs her own bowl off the counter, barely filled, and sits at the small round table across from the 13th division member. She isn’t supposed to be here, she knows that, and when she returns to headquarters she would surely earn a scolding from Togami, but that didn’t matter. Hina mattered more than anything else right now. Worry had been chipping away at Kyoko’s resolve the past month, all caused by Aoi, her infrequent smiles, deflated voice, and slight tremors. The way she would stare off at the wall, eyes going cloudy with thoughts of the past. Kyoko had always been able to rely on Hina for a smile, laugh, or just a burst of energy in the room. She had always been an optimist, even more than Makoto. Thinking of Makoto, she knew he was the one for this job, not her. Kyoko couldn’t rouse a quick laugh from Hina, or a smile. Makoto had a much less intimidating presence, and Hina always seemed calm, hopeful around him. Figures. Naegi was the Ultimate Hope among them, and she wasn’t.
Scooping up some of the noodles, she takes them in her mouth, the lukewarm broth doing nothing to ease the buzz of her nerves. “Ooo, yummy,” she comments after she swallows, only to see the girl opposite her staring down at her bowl glumly. “It’s good, eat up,”
“You’ve given me too much,” she responds, propping up a hand to set her head on. “I can’t eat this all. Why don’t you take some?”
Kyoko’s eyes widen. The sudden lack of appetite, it was another thing unbecoming of the ray of sunshine. She usually was ready to eat until she dropped, but now, she would just...drift off and decline most of the food offered to her. Even at the Future Foundation headquarters, where the food was always steaming and fresh, her mood appeared dampened. “I have enough. Please eat now, don’t worry about me,”
“Not hungry right now,” she sighs, pushing her bowl away until it clinks with Kyoko’s. “I think I’ll just head to bed,”
“Head to bed? But, your dinner-” Kyoko stands, the legs of her chair scraping the battered wooden floor beneath their feet.
She waves her hand dismissively. “Save it for me in the morning, I’m just tired. I’ll need the energy for when we head back to camp tomorrow.”
“I’d like it if you ate it now, while it's warm.” She sighs, hands fiddling at the tight fabric of her gloves. It brings Hina’s attention down to them, a thin brow cocking upward. “What is it?
“You still keep your hands hidden…”
“Yeah,” she tugs at the cuffs of them, pulling them closer around her hands, looking away towards the dark world outside the window. “Aren’t you heading to bed?”
“Oh, yeah, you’re right,” Hina forces her lips to curl slightly, in a skewed smile. “Night. Will you come to sleep soon?”
“Depends. The bed should be clean.”
“Thanks,” She heads to one of the doors in the hallway out of the condensed kitchen and dining room, where their supplies are held. The bags they had clutched to their back, holding some clothes and some food. Luckily, Kirigiri had made sure to overpack their bags, just so nothing bad would happen to them. The sharp creak of the bed, which Kirigiri had beat the dust out of earlier, shrieks through the air, causing Kyoko to wince as she puts some plastic covering over Hina’s bowl. It won’t trap any of the heat, it will barely do anything to ensure its quality. But just the sight of it will make Aoi feel more assured that she is being looked after...hopefully. Opening her files, she starts to skim through them. They don’t look too bad, just suggestions for future plans for the 14th division. When she arrives back to the base, there will certainly be a pile of work, but it's nothing to stress over. Hina’s wellbeing is more worthy of her time. Leaning against the kitchen wall, her legs pulled upward to hold the files against, she reads them, her vision going blurry, words fading together, sleep calling out to her. No, she has to finish this, so she can show Hina that even though she came she isn’t being irresponsible.
“Kirigiri...Kirigiri…” a soft, slightly hoarse voice brushes against her ear, lulling her out of her slumber. The light of the sun now shines through the window, illuminating the dust floating through the air. Next to her, Hina is seated, bowl of noodles in hand. “You made a lot. Let’s share.”
“Share?” Wiping at the sleep still in her eyes, she peers over at Hina, at the blue eyes illuminated by the early sun. But the light also shows how deep the bags beneath her eyes have gotten, her brown skin paling into a sickly kind of color, so unusual for the girl. “No, have it yourself, I’d rather a granola bar.”
“Granola bar? Nothing like some protein to get you ready in the morning.” Hina says, wincing over the word that used to bring her so much happiness. It’s a brief glimpse into their past, all the mornings that Hina would arrive in the dining hall with Sakura to rejoice in their shared love of protein. Kyoko had never been able to relate to their enthusiasm, but also made a little effort to eat more protein, seeing how upbeat it made the other two. She always seemed to bring the mood down, so it couldn’t hurt to try to change… “Let me have a bite, okay?”
“Oh, sure,” Kyoko grabs one of the thick bars out of her bag, the plastic packaging a slight struggle to tear open with the layer of cloth between it and her fingers. She doesn’t want to ask Hina for help, so she bears the extra time it takes for the satisfying rip. She takes a small bite, chewing on it as she passes it to Hina, who stares at the granola bar, the bright packaging advertising all the health benefits it has. The gleam in her eyes turns more watery as she just holds it, fingers tightening its grip on it. “Hina,”
The sound of her name snaps her gaze back to Kyoko, a couple rivulets of water falling down her soft face. “Ah, sorry, here, you can have it back,” She holds out her hand to Kyoko, but she denies it.
“Aren’t you going to take a bite?”
“Oh, yeah, I’m just being forgetful,” Aoi takes it back, but her mouth doesn’t move closer to the bar, she just holds it still. Her thick lips purse together into a line, her nose scrunching upwards as she tries to calm herself down. For a long while, the two just sit there, Kyoko patient as Hina hesitates to bite into it. “I’m just having difficulty,”
She nods, eyes intently staring at Hina’s face. “I can help,”
“Help?” The other girl turns to look at her, face inching closer, eyebrows tilting up. It’s a look she recognizes. A fizz of excitement, of hope, lighting her beautiful face up.
“Yes, I’ll help you,”
“How?” One eyebrow furrows, almost playfully, the somber mood lifting, before clamping right back down on them. “How could you help me?”
“Close your eyes,” she instructs, placing a hand over the one holding the bar, plastic folding. Before, the few times that they had brushed hands, she could always feel her warm skin on the other side of her glove. It isn’t warm beneath her hand, so it’s almost like she’s just holding the hand of a corpse. “Open your mouth,” She slips the bar from Hina’s hand, raising it up to her own lips. She’s tempted to take a bite for herself and then give it to-no, she just places the bar in Hina’s mouth, instructing her to bite down, her other hand tracing the underside of her jaw carefully. One hard press could ruin the delicacy they have created. She bites off, her lips holding a couple crumbs of the bar, and she continues to chew. “Was that okay?”
She swallows, her neck twitching. “I guess…”
Kyoko is quick to remove her hands, to press them back to her chest, embarrassed. The shape of her bite is left in the bar, and Kyoko is quick to bite down on it, wanting to have something to keep her busy. “Will you have your noodles now? I don’t want them to go sour,”
“Okay,” Hina picks back up her bowl of noodles, stirring around the yellow broth absently. “Noodles aren’t ever good the day after,” she says after a while, setting the bowl back down. Following her movements, Kyoko sighs.
“They are fine. I tried them myself.”
“Maybe to you-”
“Do you not trust me?” Kyoko glares out the window, at the sun beaming back in her eyes.
“I trust you, but…”
“Then why won’t you let me help you,” She asks, squinting harder at the sun, the ball of light that is always so far away, but so warm and bright, so hard not to pay attention to.
The broth in Hina’s bowl sloshes around, falling over the edge and onto Kirigri’s lap as Hina stands up abruptly. “Don’t act like you know better than me,” Is all she says as she departs, dropping the bowl on the table, leaving Kirigiri to clean up the mess, to pack up their things.
The big stain on Kirigiri’s button up top and skirt are uncomfortable, pasting the cloth to her skin. When they get back to the Future Foundation camp that’s been set up, she’ll have a chance to wash it. She peels off her clothes in the tight bathroom, shuffling out of the tight skirt and pulling out a backup outfit. In the mirror, her hair is messy, so she starts to brush through it, trying to tame the fly aways. She hasn’t gotten back into her clothes yet, wearing only her underthings as she relaxes.
“Kyoko,” Hina’s voice is meek outside the door, almost like a small plea.
Kirigiri isn’t one to refuse her. “What is it?”
“I’ll wash your clothes when we get back, sorry,” There’s a small thump on the other side of the door, the wood bending as Hina slumps against it. “I didn’t mean to make such a mess,”
“Don’t worry about my clothes. Have you had a proper breakfast?”
There’s a pause. Kyoko recognizes the sound as her fumbling for an excuse. “I’ll wait until we get back to camp.”
“You’ll need energy for the trek back, Aoi. Please eat something before we leave. Take care of yourself.”
“I’ve been trying to.” The muffled sound of her sweet voice is weak, weaker than the frail state it’s been set in recently. “I’ve been trying to. Will you let me in?”
“Come in,” she accepts without thinking, not wanting to delay Hina from the vulnerability they’ve reached. The door creaks open, the lock hasn’t worked no matter how much Kyoko jangled it, and Hina steps inside, her tank and shorts dirtied. When she sees Kyoko in her underthings, her face brightens, eyes widening. “Oh, I apologize for my indecency-“
“Don’t apologize, it’s fine,” Hina chuckles, wiping at one of her crystalline eyes. Kyoko is half enchanted by the sound, her hands pausing in mid air from where they were moving to cover her stomach. “Have you been doing well?”
“I’m fine.”
“Good. Has it gotten worse for you?”
“Worse for me?” She repeats, tilting her head to the side, her long hair tickling her skin. “What do you mean?”
Almost embarrassed, Hina looks down to the floor, eyebrows dipping. “One year. It’s been one year.”
“One year,” It seems all she’s good for is repeating the other girl’s words. Her eyebrows have lifted from their usual stern press downwards. Thinking back, it has been around one year since they had left the Academy, since they faced their last class trial. Since they had fought the Ultimate Despair, and faced the deaths of their friends. An entire year, and none of their memories of their schooldays had returned. One year since Hina had lost her closest friend… “We’ve grown so much since then, haven’t we? You’ve grown so much,”
“Hmm?” Hina looks up, inching closer towards her. “I’ve grown?”
“You’ve surpassed my greatest expectations. And you’ve accomplished so much since we’ve left. Are you still waiting to open that donut shop?” Kyoko’s lips quirk upward at the passing comment the girl had made so long ago, when the door to Hope's Peak had opened, revealing them to the harsh world.
Hina laughs again. “The donut shop is on indefinite hold.”
“When the time comes, will you let me help you? Sweets aren’t my thing, but in moderation I can enjoy them…”
“Don’t be silly, sweets are a girl's best friend!” The laughter is so melodic in her ears, the sound that had come to be rare and forced from her smooth lips a welcome addition to the stale air.
Kirigiri nods, her gloved fingers brushing some hair out of Aoi’s face. The warmth of her cheeks bleeds past the fabric of her gloves. It bleeds into Kyoko's veins, hastening the pace of her heart.
“I’m glad you saw through my lies all that time ago. And I’m glad that we were able to heal you with that medicine. I don’t know how I could carry on without you. I’m glad we can be together now, helping to rebuild the world.”
Kyoko smiles, her hand pausing against Hina’s smooth cheek. “I’m happy we are together too. Makoto has told me about how brave you were after I was gone, and while we weren’t together.”
“He has, huh?” She looks away bashfully. “Are you impressed?”
“Very. I always am.”
When they embrace, arms pressing as tight as they can, Kyoko doesn’t need the sun from outside the window to keep her warm.
Once Hina has eaten something, they leave the house, passing through the maze of the city, retracing their path from yesterday. They are careful, acutely listening for any footsteps that could signal the return of danger to the area. But the world is just still, no suspicious rustling, no ghostly pattering, just the two of them together. When they get back to camp, the rest of their team members heave a sigh of relief, and they set out to continue to hand out the supplies they brought to the people trying to repair the area. Kirigiri has to file a report on what had happened, why the resource management had slowed, and she knows it will be another thing Togami will bring up with her to prove her incompetence.
“Kyoko was pretty brave out there!” A muffled voice says from outside the tent Kirigiri is seated inside. She recognizes the jovial sound of it, the usual tone that she puts on around coworkers. “I wouldn’t have survived without her!”
“Pretty nice that the 14th division head came out here with you,” A deeper tone replies.
“Yeah, she’s always looking out for me it seems,” Her trademark laughter is tagged on to the end of her sentiment, drawing Kyoko’s eyes away from her small laptop, to the shadows on the orange walls around her. The curvy frame of Hina’s starts to move closer to the shut flaps at the entryway of the tent. “So I’m bringing her a little something as a thanks,” Kyoko turns her eyes away before the flap opens and Hina walks inside, two steaming mugs in hand. “Kyoookoooo,” she coos, leaning over her shoulder to set down the mug. “I got something for ya!”
“You’re energetic.” She remarks, noting that while her enthusiasm has been toned down a notch, it doesn’t sound as false as it has been recently.
“I got a donut,” she waves the pastry in the air. “I’m going to make a list of flavors we need to have when we open shop.”
“Are you feeling better?”
Hina takes a small bite of the pink-frosted donut, some of the frosting smearing across her lip. “Yeah. It’s just...Makoto is there for me to talk to about all this...one year stuff, but it’s nice to tell someone else. I miss them all the time, but now...it’s been one year, a whole year that we haven’t gotten to spend with them! And then we were put into that other killing game, which just made whatever progress I’ve made since then seem like crap! We’re still in danger, and I couldn’t save anybody that time either. I couldn’t even save you.”
“Asahina, you’re mistaken. You saved Makoto more than once, and my death was my own choice. I was the one to make the decision to do my forbidden action. I could have killed him if I wanted.” Taking a long sip of her coffee, she feels the bitter taste of it slide down her throat, giving her a buzz of adrenaline.
“You wouldn’t kill Makoto,” Hina huffs, puffing out her cheeks. “You don’t have to act tough around me, ya know.”
Chuckling, Kyoko sets down her mug. “I’m not, ‘acting tough.’”
“Yeah you are,” Hina points out a finger, shoving it closer to Kyoko’s reddened face. For a moment, she lets it stay there until she wraps a hand around it, moving it out of her view.
“Let’s get back to this, one year thing.”
“Mhm,” Hina takes another bite of her donut, her fingers pressing the soft doughy part of it until it deflates in her hands.
Kyoko takes a moment to think of a way to continue the conversation, studying the soft pink, sugary frosting on the donut. It reminds her of something. “Why don’t we talk about Sakura?”
“Sakura,” Aoi repeats, fingers holding tighter on the donut as she bites it again, this time ripping off a good chunk to stuff her mouth. At least she’s eating. “I didn’t even know her that well at the end, right? I completely misinterpreted her actions,”
Kirigiri watches her carefully. “You knew her the best out of everyone, I assure you. Monokuma was the one to forge that note, that made you misinterpret her death. Even in her final moments, she was thinking of you, remember? You were her darling.”
“Her darling?” A soft smile wrenches at her lips as she turns the words over in her mouth. “Her darling,”
“Yes. Right now, she would want you to be able to feel that sadness, but also be happy about all the times you had together.”
“Be happy...I can try,” Hina nods, her eyes going from misty to clear azure. They continue the conversation, reminiscing in the times they can remember with their now deceased members of Class 78. The majority of it hurts to think about, but there are times, bright and shining, like tiny diamonds, they can file out of their memory and laugh over. The real, genuine smiles taking over Aoi’s face becomes another crystal of a memory that Kirigiri assorts gently next to the rest.
“Togami is asking for you,” A small voice at her door says, and Kyoko stands up, dismissing her assistant for a break. Her lecture from the Future Foundation Head will probably be long enough that they can scurry off and have a good time for themself. At the grand door leading to his office, Kirigiri eyes Makoto as he walks out, hands stuffed into his pockets.
“Good luck,” he says, which seems appropriate.
Inside, the head of Future Foundation sits at his desk, mulling over the papers in front of him. The imposing, grand window behind him cloaks his face in shadow. Unbothered, Kirigiri steps forward to take the seat across from him, her hands in her lap.
“Kirigiri. I’ve heard of what you’ve done.” He starts, his tone as steely as usual.
“I’m not sorry for it.”
He shakes his head firmly. “I wasn’t expecting you to be. In fact, I am slightly relieved because of your actions recently. Your role as the head of the 14th division is indeed important, and you haven’t abandoned your duties, but you have taken on an extra task, one that I know is more close to your heart.”
“My heart?” Kyoko cocks her head to the side, eyes widening to stare into his. “You’ve never been friendly with matters close to the heart, Togami.”
His thin lips curl downwards. “If you say so. I was referring to Hina’s condition. She isn’t as bright as usual...she used to be more annoying and peppy, but I believe her happiness has lowered. You are aware of this, and have taken it upon yourself to help her in this state.”
“Wouldn’t you be glad she isn’t as bothersome to you?”
“My brief flashes of irritation are minor compared to what she is experiencing. I am not one you should be worrying yourself over. But you know that. I want to offer my thankfulness. I am grateful that you are helping Asahina. Losing a member like her would be...”
Kyoko finishes for him. “Devastating.”
“Devastating,” he repeats, nodding. “We don’t need another round of devastation, not while on the cusp of rebuilding what has been lost. I believe in you, Kyoko. I’m sure you won’t mind if I take some of your responsibilities on while you help Hina. That is all.”
“Togami,” she can’t form words yet, a rare occasion. “I will see to it that Aoi gets better. Are you doing well yourself?”
“My mental state is more steady than most. I already am receiving whatever care I need. Now, you are dismissed.”
Bowing, Kirigiri departs from the room, down the hall and past her office. If she is being excused from the majority of her work, then she can focus on the more pressing matters. Etched into a gold plate reads the name, ‘Asahina Aoi,’ and Kirigiri knocks on the door gently, once, twice. Faintly, she hears a response, “ Come in,”
The small office isn’t neat. It appears worse than usual, papers strewn around randomly, the blinds blocking any light from peeking through the windows. The door clicks shut behind her, and the two women are alone inside, the air brittle.
“Asahina, I have something to tell you,”
The brunette’s head cranes upward from where it was clasped in her hands, her blue eyes dimmed in the dark room. “Kyoko? What is it?”
“I trust you.” Kirigiri shrugs, attempting to hide her trepidation. “I care for you. So I came to check in. As survivors, we need to stick together, and help each other through times like this. And as friends, I will do anything for you.”
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
“Will you bring me a glass of water? My throat hurts.” Hina requests, wiping a palm down her tank. Unlike usual while in her office, she is in casual clothes. Shorts and a tank, like she used to wear before joining Future Foundation. While on work hours, they are required to wear suits, so the amount of skin showing, the informalness of it all shook Kyoko. She felt too dressed up for this.
“Yes. I will be right back. Is there anything else you want?”
“Fruit, maybe? We need to get a pool installed here ASAP by the way.” Hina chuckles.
“I’ll put in a word with Togami when I see him next. I’ll write him an email too. I always wanted to have a chance to take a dip with the Ultimate Swimming Pro.”
It is a brisk walk from her office to the cafeteria, where a couple members are wandering around, or talking with their coworkers. It’s relaxed in the room, and Kyoko makes sure to take an extra serving for herself so Aoi doesn’t feel isolated while eating. She also drops off her jacket in her own office, unbuttoning the top three buttons of her white shirt and taking off her tie. It is a much more relaxed look, perhaps it will further put Aoi at ease. When she goes back inside her office, Hina is standing by the window, pulling up the blinds, her shorts hiked up on her thick, muscular legs. The papers that had been lying around the room are now stacked in neat piles, and a chair is perked out for Kyoko to sit on. The room is flooded with light, and Hina’s face has brightened. It’s a marvelous sight to see.
“I just tried to make it nicer,” Hina chuckles as she sits back down, taking a bowl of fruit from the other’s hands, then the glass of water. She drinks half of it in one go, sighing happily afterward. Apparently, the sight of food and tidying up a little was enough to raise the spirits. She grabs one of the grapes, ripe and purple, in her fingers, then plops it between her lips, taking it inside her mouth before squishing it between her teeth. Intently, Kirigiri watches for her reaction to the grape bursting, the small moment of surprise that takes over Aoi’s face is funny. She takes another grape, soft and round, chewing it just as happily. Kyoko takes a strawberry for herself, taking off small bites. It’s sweet and malleable in her mouth, the cloying juices from it tickling her throat.
“Tell me what’s on your mind,” Kyoko finally says, and Hina’s full lips part slightly.
“Oh,” She starts to talk again about their Killing School Life, the turmoil she still feels, the guilt that hangs over her head. Patiently, Kyoko listens, catching every word from the lips that have turned sticky from the juice of the fruits. When she finishes her rambling, the spilling of every thought that enters her head, her chest appears not to be weighed down on as much, her shoulders lifting. “Sorry if all that was burdensome, I should probably see one of those counselors they have here.”
“You should. The one I see is very good with this stuff.” Kyoko shakes her head, “But you aren’t burdensome. If I didn’t want to hear anything, I would have stopped you. Are you feeling a bit better? I find that it helps sometimes to just...talk it all out.”
“Yeah. Thanks, Kyoko. I like talking to you...is there anything you want to talk about? I have all day. My workload has gotten much lighter these past days for some reason, so that’s been nice.” Hina leans forward, elbows on her desk and chest resting on the top of it. Flushing, Kyoko takes another strawberry in her mouth to chew on it.
“I don’t have much to say...I like talking to you though. I’ve just been getting stuff done, trying to run the 14th division. I’ll be having more time to spend doing whatever soon. We should spend it together.”
Hina smiles, “We should, huh? Doing what?” She leans forward, unfolding her arms to reach out to Kirigiri’s hands that are placed on the table. Her gloves are still on, and Aoi takes her hands, intertwining their fingers and lolling them side to side.
“Doing…” Kyoko’s pale cheeks pinken to the color of a sweet rose. “Things...I won’t mind whatever.”
“Then you wouldn’t mind if I…” Hina pauses, looking to the side, a sly smile curling over her lips, her tongue flickering over the bottom one.
“Oh…” Unconsciously, she has leaned forward, close enough to see the speckles of gold in Aoi’s deep blue eyes, a color that always puts her in some kind of trance, that twists her gut.
The door creaks out loudly behind them, causing Kyoko to whip back to look behind her at Naegi, who is paused, hand over the knob. “Hina! You’re looking better!” His eyes flicker over to their interlocked hands, and he flushes, realizing the moment he had broken. “I just wanted to check in on you, it seems you’re doing fine! Nice view out the windows too, right? Anyway, I have the photos you requested,” In his other hand is a manilla folder, and Kyoko looks to Hina, whose cheeks have darkened. She still hasn’t let go of her hands, the warmth pressed to the fabric of her gloves comforting.
“Just set them on that table, ‘kay? That’d be great.” Hina nods her head to a small steel table in one corner of the room and Makoto nods, doing as she says before wishing them farewell awkwardly. “Now, what I wanted to do was-”
Kirigiri moves forward without warning, just shoving her face forward in hopes of it making the deep ache in her chest reside. Her lips land at the corner of Hina’s, who adjusts so they are properly pushed together. Quickly, Kyoko finds herself at a loss with what to do, and allows Hina to take the reins, pulling her up from her seat so her hips are knocked against the table. Slipping one hand from their locked position, she moves it to her neck, tracing the vulnerable skin there. Shivering, Kyoko squeezes the hands still holding together. Tilting her head to the side, Hina moves her hands to wrap them around Kyoko’s torso, before lifting her up on top of the desk, somewhat messily, having to break for air. But soon enough, they’re both on top of it, Hina leaning over the other woman. The bowls of fruit have been knocked off in their heated haste, spilling out what's left. Hand back on her neck, Hina pushes down insistently, finding a way to keep Kyoko tame under her touch. Kyoko’s hands are at her sides, before she lifts to hold Hina’s cheeks, but the touch isn’t enough. Hesitantly, she slips off one glove, opening her eyes and managing to cast one to the side. It isn’t the reveal she was hoping for by any means, but she had longed to feel Hina underneath her skin, she had longed to touch her for far too many days and weeks and months. One of her scarred, burned hands hesitantly presses to Hina’s cheek, the smooth skin beneath it. Gasping, the noise makes Hina pause, pulling away to ask what's wrong. Soon enough, she realizes that one of Kyoko’s gloves is on the floor, and she looks at the hand lingering an inch away from her cheek.
“ Kyoko, ” She murmurs, tenderly taking her wrist, rubbing a thumb up and down the sensitive skin there. “I’m...really happy right now. Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For showing me this part of yourself. I love it.” She bites down on her lip for a moment of hesitation. It doesn’t last long. “I love you.”
Kyoko’s breath is whipped out of her, the knot of emotion in her chest unwinding, and she’s able to clearly understand what the feeling that had been nestled into her heart is. “Aoi.”
“Yes?” her grip tightens on her hands. “What is it beautiful?”
Averting her eyes, Kirigiri feels her face blaze into the heat of a thousand suns. The way she is speaking to her is too much for her to comprehend, but it feels strangely perfect. “I want to continue this,”
“Me too.” she leans back down again, connecting their lips, and the sweet taste of Hina fills all of Kyoko’s senses, her hand rubbing her cheek the other supporting her position on the desk. Hina is trailing a hand down from her neck to her chest, pressing down softly.
When they’ve finished their business, Hina starts picking up the fruit that had spilled, and Kirigiri makes her way over to the manilla folder, the warm feeling of Hina’s lips against her mouth and jaw and neck still overwhelming her. Her gloves are back on, slipped over her hands gingerly by her love. She flips open the folder, only to see a picture of herself inside, looking slightly confused at a camera. It is kind of blurry, but she still looks pretty.
“Hey! What are you looking at that for!” Hina laughs, scurrying over to flip the folder shut. “That’s my stuff…”
“Then why am I in there?” she cocks a brow playfully.
“They’re to decorate my office. It’s all a bunch of pictures of you and me, and the others. To make it more lively in here.” Hina puts a hand on Kyoko’s shoulder, leaning against the taller woman casually.
“When did you take that picture?”
“A while ago, it was just some day that I thought you looked cool and pretty. If you really want to, I guess we can go over each of them together.”
Kyoko smiles, almost goofily. “You thought I looked pretty?”
“Well, when do you not?” She brushes it off, opening the folder and pointing to the next picture, the six of them who had survived Hope’s Peak all standing together, Hiro’s arm extended to the camera. Even on Togami’s face, there’s a hint of a smile. And between Kyoko and Makoto, Hina is staring at the light purple haired girl, smiling widely. The sweet look is enough to make the detective flush. Continuing to flip through, she questions Hina about some of the pictures, until they’ve been hunched over the table, melting into each other’s curves and dips for an hour.
“Well, I should be off. It’s late.” Kyoko sighs, flipping the folder shut. “If you need anything, feel free to come to me, or call me, or whatever you want.”
“Yup!” Hina opens the door and Kyoko crosses the doorway. “See you tomorrow lovely, good night” Leaning forward, she steals a quick peck on her lips before shutting the door. The flitting of Kyoko’s heartbeat doesn’t slow for the rest of the night. Everything is better than fine.