EFFLORESCING EDELWEISS ( s. todoroki )

21; moss

HANAKO SEES THE DAY LILY OF THE TODOROKI FAMILY.

It's the day before New Year and the people are clamoring to their deities in their shrines made of wood, the world is still cold and blind faith is going to send it into a spiral of more pain and hatred, Hanako believes. ( But maybe blind faith is better than having no faith at all and in that circumspect, maybe Hanako is actually the worst. )

Todoroki Rei smiles amiably at her as Fuyumi introduces her as Shouto's friend and Hanako-chan, this is our mom. The woman with beautiful white hair that barely reaches past her shoulder extends a pale hand and Hanako shakes it lamely. Nice to meet you, Hanako-chan, thank you for being there for Shouto. Hanako smiles. It's fine, he takes care of me too.

Todoroki Rei has a beautiful smile, Hanako thinks, and I'm glad Shouto has friends.

They invite Hanako to join them in visiting the shrine, but she declines with the excuse of having to attend to her part time job. The other convenience store employees are all at home with their families and since Hanako's absences have multiplied again (and she has no family), she tries to make it up by manning the store for the entire day.

Night falls and New Year is ready to descend like an angel at the reckoning, its clutches tangible by the people going to the convenience store and purchasing cans of coffee, chips and dips and pastel colored mochi packets.

The automatic glass door opens yet again and a shadow paints the tiled floor.

"Happy New Year," the person says and that voice is unmistakeably Todoroki's.

"You too."

A small smile graces his lips. He looks (as much as Hanako hates to admit it, because her ego deflates a little when she hands out compliments to boys) better with that smile.

"Where did you spend the thirtieth?" she asks.

"I was with my friends," he answers, and he's standing right in front of her. "We played card games in the dorm."

Hanako drums her fingertips on the countertop. Card games, huh? She's pretty good at solitaire, and poker but those probably don't count. "So, what brings you here? Convenience stores do not sell cold soba, you know."

"It's not the only thing I eat, you know," Todoroki informs her, almost mocking her earlier statement with his usual stoic expression, but his voice is more in the lighter, teasing tone.

Hanako sends him a plastic smile. "It isn't?"

Todoroki simply shakes his head and Hanako (wipe that smile off your face darling, that act is over) sighs. "What do you want?"

"Kale flakes and prawn crackers." Hanako chooses not to comment at the disgusting choice of comestible and instead guides him to the aisle overflowing with junk foods. When she comes back, a middle-aged man is already in search of the cashier and tells her that you shouldn't be flirting during your job. Hanako mutters an apology, her fingers itching for revenge, but she chooses not to and remains in a steady bow until the customer is out of sight.

Hanako clenches her knuckles, this is for Papa. Everything is for his sake. Hanako managed to wait more than a thousand days for her revenge, a couple of minutes of shoving her pride down her throat shouldn't chaf at her soul with the intent of splintering it into fragments.

"I got you in trouble, sorry," Todoroki says and Hanako didn't notice his presence there and she clenches her fists tighter. What if he saw the sinister shadow that loomed in her face just as the customer completely vanished? What if he peeked into her soul and saw the monster that lie underneath? Hanako should be careful, because her slip ups are increasing in number as days pass and it could lead her into jeopardy.

"I'm okay, just drop it," Hanako says, back to putting up her uncaring, catatonic visage. She's suddenly lost interest in beguiling Todoroki for today. It's almost the New Year, this is all costing on her limited energy.

But Todoroki Shouto wouldn't drop it because when Hanako looked up, his eyes were burning, fervid as if something important was at stake. He threw an annoyed look at where the earlier customer passed through and turned back to Hanako who is still processing at how this came to be. "Do you want flowers?"

Hanako's almost non-existent eyebrows furrow. "What?"

"Flowers to make you feel better," Todoroki says. "I'm responsible for what you encountered earlier and I think it's appropriate that I make it up to you somehow. You shouldn't be ending your year like this— why are you crying, Hanako?"

"Huh?" Hanako wipes the tears immediately, because it's wrong wrong wrong ( but it felt sugary sweet, summer sunlight shining on droopy eyelids, past the crown of leaves of trees with chocolate barks and crisp grass that tickles your skin as it makes contact and there are no flowers and it doesn't hurt) wrong wrong to feel this way. To feel even a single shred of happiness when Papa is dead and Hanako still hasn't succeeded. "I—I got a... little surprised."

"You shouldn't be," he says, averting his gaze from her. "We're friends."

The year ends with fireworks and firecrackers, with stolen moments and looking up at the sky blooming with flowers and it isn't as bad as Matsushima Hanako thought it was.

° ° °
m o s s ;
maternal love