A/N: This is a cute, fluffy story about Houjou and Hamaguchi. I started it because I need to give my favourite characters some romantic fluff. I also want to show that I can write fluff! I hope that you agree and enjoy! Just note that there will be a movie spoiler or two in this one.
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Christmas in Tonosho Town is always a special occasion. The town is renowned for putting up their festive lights and Christmas trees before anyone else in Japan. Visitors eager to have a taste of Angel Beach and the town's many shrines will find themselves tickled pink by the vivid colours that gleamed from the decorations. How the town's governance could afford the ornaments and trinkets, no one bothered to ask. The town's residents were too busy greeting one another as they put up the town's holiday-themed flora in their homes and shops.
Houjou's family was no exception. As busy as her parents were when they worked for the government, they were afforded a four-day week every time December rolled around. It was a nice change of pace for Houjou. She didn't get many chances to see her parents at home with their busy workweeks. But for the first two long weekends of December, her parents took her out to her favourite ramen noodle place and on a ferry trip to Okayama.
For the last Friday of December before Christmas, Houjou had other ideas. In the bedroom of her humble two-floor home, the sun shone a gleaming light that alone was enough to illuminate the room. In it, she was putting on the finishing touches to her makeup. She adorned a red dress that went down to her kneecaps. Underneath her dress were black leggings that would keep her warm against the frigid air of winter. She topped off her outfit with a red beret decorated with rhinestones that formed a flowery pattern.
Looking at herself in the mirror of her dresser, she giggled at her festive appearance. She was sure that her look would leave her new boyfriend effusive with giddiness and excitement. It was the least she could do to express her gratitude for his confession a few months ago.
And how could she forget the manner in which he confessed at summer's end? She had just gotten back from her summer camp in Toronto when she saw him donning a red T-shirt and black jeans. He was standing by at the airport's exit and greeted her with a flustered hand wave. The moment she stopped to greet him back, he extended his hand to invite her to visit Angel Road.
She had to admit, it was quite the mature gesture. It was usually she who left him flustered with her declarations of liking mature guys. But before she knew it, he had turned the tables on her and swept her off her feet. Her beating heart thumped so hard that she could feel her chest growing tighter by the second. A most eager "yes" then passed her lips without a second thought.
The rest was history. Lying on her dresser was a lone white seashell painted with black ink. A series of kanji scripts had been written on that particular shell with the ink. The words inscribed on the shell served to her a daily reminder of the words he uttered to her on Angel Road:
I'm in love with you, Hoshi. I hope we can be together dancing in the stars forever. Signed, Hamaguchi.
It wasn't just the declaration of love that stunned her to silence that day. He had used a nickname that her late grandmother bestowed upon her. The word itself meant "star", a term with which she placed great endearment. His oration that day was uncharacteristically poetic. They had represented the signs of maturity that coursed through her beating heart without fail each day.
When she began junior high, she had but one wish for the past handful of Christmases: to see her childhood friend muster up the courage to admit his feelings to her. She knew he had them. He had expended every chance to spend time with her. He never grew bored of seeing her even as they constantly saw each other throughout their childhoods. He even gave her a Meiji white chocolate bar for White Day - her favourite brand.
The day he confessed on Angel Road felt like a very early Christmas gift for her. It was as if Santa had come to town four months early, just for her. After all, it was her boyfriend's confession that left her humming along a medley of Christmas-themed songs as she patted her cheeks with makeup blush.
His failed confessions over the years were worth anguishing over. And now, she found her heart lilting about well after his confession. "Just a few more finishing touches to my make-up, and I'll be ready for my date!" Houjou declared cheerily as she gripped her dark brown eyeliner pencil against her hand. She was careful to place gentle eyeliner strokes around her eyes. It would have been quite unbecoming for a mature lady like her to not know how to place her eyeliner properly.
But just as she put her eyeliner pencil down, she heard a firm knock on her white bedroom door.
"Houjou! Hamaguchi was waiting at the door out in the cold, so I let him in. He's waiting for you downstairs right now!" her mother spoke from the other side. Her voice grew more ebullient when she called out his name.
"He's here already?" she gasped in reply. She looked up to the clock that hung above her dresser. 9:30 am. Oh, how time flied. Reminiscing about her new relationship and perfecting her makeup had taken a big chunk of her time after waking up an hour prior. Thankfully, preparing her eyeliner was the last step in her makeup procedure. Now with her festive outfit and her makeup completed, it was time for her to meet her boyfriend.
Houjou got up from her chair and walked to her room's door. She opened the door, her eyes meeting with her mother's gaze at the other side. "Hoshi, you're looking so gorgeous today! You look so ready for you date today!" her mother gushed, placing her hands just below her cheeks.
"Thanks mom. It may not be our first date, but it's our first Christmas one," Houjou giggled back. "Just thinking about it is making my heart race. It's quite unbecoming at times to be honest. And right now, I wish I could control my excitement more," she continued, placing her hand on her chest.
"I know you care a lot about how people see you, dear. But you're with someone who wants to love you with all his heart," her mother assured. She then placed her hand on Houjou's shoulder and continued into her monologue,
"You two managed to get together even after you spent your summer holiday in Canada! Honestly, I thought he'd give up confessing to you when you told him the news. When you told me how you explained it to him, I was shocked because I thought you did it too harshly then. He may not be the most astute person on the block, but I know he has a big heart. Quite frankly, I think he'd love to see you just being yourself. You don't have to make yourself appear more mature than you have to."
Houjou felt her heart warm up as she spoke, as if she were sitting around a fireplace with a cup of hot chocolate on her hand. Her mother had a point. She always felt like she had to become more refined to get Hamaguchi's attention. The J-pop idols on television told her so. Having to maintain an unapproachable image around her classmates didn't help matters much either. But as much as she appreciated being lauded as the prettiest girl in her grade, she knew that it probably scared Hamaguchi to an extent.
She nodded repeatedly as her mother finished her explanation. She couldn't object to her advice. Her explanation left her recalling their last day of school before summer break. That day, Hamaguchi had invited her to a balcony that overlooked the Sea of Japan beyond the island. She remembered how badly he wanted to invite her to see Angel Road as soon as the summer holidays began. She remembered her response like the encounter happened yesterday.
No, that's impossible. I'll be off to Canada, and I won't be seeing you at all over the summer.
Her response to his invitation was far colder than she wanted it to be. Even as she boarded the Air Canada flight to Toronto, she couldn't shrug off the feeling of guilt that weighed her chest down. That was even after she agreed to set up video calls so the pair could catch up while she was away.
With that in mind, she responded with a contrite tone, "I know you're right, but I can't help it. I like looking suave and self-assured. It makes me look good." Houjou gently pushed her hair behind her neck. She slid her toes back and forth along the hardwood floor and drooped her head. As she did so, she continued with a shier tone, "Especially if it's in front of Hamaguchi."
Her mother gave her an empathetic look. Her mother's smile beamed like the sunlight shining through the window at the end of the hallway. Houjou allowed herself to be wrapped around her mother's arms. The warmth of her mother's embrace left her heart slowing to a gentler, calmer pace. Houjou hugged her mother back, forming a serene smile with her lips.
As her forehead felt the gentle nuzzles of her mother's chin, her mother's voice soothed her nerves further, "It's okay to be nervous, Hoshi. I was like you when I went on my first date with your father. And that was in my 20s. Knowing how you and Hamaguchi have always been growing up, I'm sure you're going to have a great time even if you don't always look your best."
Houjou released her arms, allowing her mother to release her embrace around her. With a nod, her mother placed her hands on her hips and duly noted, "Well, I think now's a good time as any to meet your boyfriend, don't you agree?"
With an eager nod, Houjou raced down the stairs to the first floor. In the middle of her descent, her eyes widened with a gleam unmatched even by the sun in the sky. It was Hamaguchi waiting at the bottom, wearing a crimson red dress shirt tucked in his black jeans. His scruffy hair wasn't anywhere to be seen, but that was because he was wearing a Santa hat over his head.
The absence of his hair mattered little to her; she just wanted to jump down and greet him! "Hey, Hamaguchi! You're here quite early," Houjou waved as she made her way to the bottom of the stairs. A light blush grew atop the blush she applied to her cheeks.
"Houjou! Fancy seeing you looking so cheery, but I'm here on time. You told me to meet you here at 9:30 am sharp, remember?" Hamaguchi replied, pointing to the clock hanging in the kitchen. It read 9:35 am.
Houjou felt her jubilation being mixed with embarrassment. Her face grew hot by the second, and her shoulders grew tenser. She curled her toes and looked down towards the floor. Already she felt herself making a misstep by taking too much time being consoled by her mother. It was only on a rare occasion that she would be late for anything. Punctuality was an essential trait for being mature in her eyes. The matter of how she could have been late for something so important caused her eyes to droop.
"Houjou, is everything alright? I'm not sure if you need another moment to finish what you need to do, but if you do it's completely okay. If it helps, I think you're pretty as you are if that's what you're worried about," Hamaguchi rambled on, scratching his head with an awkward chuckle.
His question snapped her out of her spiral. She shook her head, doubly bashful at her own insecurities potentially being picked up by the boy standing with her. But she couldn't help but notice the kindness in his words. Each of his syllables tapped into her weary thoughts, even if they sounded clumsy. His voice allowed her mother's words to ring back her mind. Her mother was probably right. He didn't seem too bothered by her perceived faux pas.
"Thank you, Hamaguchi. Everything's okay, but I'm sorry for being late," responded a meek Houjou. Turning her head back up towards him, she massaged her left shoulder with her hand. "I had assumed you were going to be a few minutes late and accounted for that by preparing some extra makeup for you."
Just the thought of appearing demure and vulnerable to anyone stood against everything she learned from her idols. She had to be independent, truculent, and self-sufficient. Betraying her vulnerability so easily would gnaw away at the popularity she worked so hard to build in the two years she was at Tonosho Junior High.
But perhaps none of that should have mattered. At this very moment, she found herself wanting to be open. To be vulnerable. To have her struggles validated.
She could see the signature look of surprise that she knew so well growing on his face. Hamaguchi held his hand close to his gaping mouth. The pupils of his widened eyes stopped still. His body followed suit, still as a statue. The idea of feeling helpless appeared to be just as much of a shock to him as it was for her.
Hamaguchi closed his eyes and shook his head. Houjou flinched back with a gasp, his hat almost flinging off his head. After he regained his composure, he replied, struggling to maintain the warmth he applied in his voice without stuttering, "No, it's okay Houjou. I really like that you worked so hard to look extra pretty. And that you succeeded really well."
She couldn't help but hide a sheepish giggle behind her lips. Even as they were growing up, the moments he spoke such sappy words were few in number and far in between. "Thank you, Hamaguchi. I really appreciate the compliment, especially since it came from you," Houjou responded with a lightly pitched voice.
But before she could have a chance to contain her timidity, a female voice rang from the stairs, "Oh, you two look so adorable together!" Houjou's mom stood from the staircase, gushing at the spectacle she was witnessing from above.
"You and Hamaguchi remind me of us when we first started dating, you know that?" her father commented. He made his appearance from above, wrapping his arm around his wife on the stairs.
"Mom! Dad! Did you listen to all of that?!" Houjou shouted back, her heart skipping a beat. The way she poured her heart in front of not only Hamaguchi, but her parents, left her light-headed to say the least.
"Well, we should get going Houjou! We've got a whole day ahead!" Hamaguchi interjected, motioning her to take a step forward with a pat of her back. She turned her head towards him, grateful for his efforts to diffuse the feeling of discomfiture that grew inside.
"Sure thing, Hamaguchi. Just be sure to bring her home before it gets too late, okay?" Houjou's father chuckled in reply.
"Will do! We'll see you later!" Hamaguchi saluted back to wave goodbye.
The couple walked to the door and put on their winter gear. Once the pair were comfortably snug in their winter coverings and shoes, Hamaguchi opened the door. He motioned Houjou to walk out of her home with him with a hand wave. Responding with a gentle bow, she stepped out of the house with him beside her.
As the door closed shut behind them, the pair turned towards each other. With growing blushes on their faces, Houjou remained acutely aware of the novelty of the situation. Their first Christmas date had begun.
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A/N: This was something I totally improvised after listening to some Christmas songs today. I got so into the mood for Christmas that I had the fanfic idea swirling in my head. I started writing it today and now it's here. I'll be writing more chapters like this once I start my holiday next week! Here's hoping I can see this through to the end before the end of December!