route_1065 | Holiday Gift-Exchange

Finally meeting him face to face for this present... Miyako really wasn't sure how this was supposed to go, but she had been fearing the worst when she began getting ready. What if he hated it? What if she got him something creepy? (Well, she knew she didn't - she had checked it later to be sure and re-wrapped it.) But she still worried. He was probably going to hate it.

She just had to stop panicking about it. Pacing around in her hotel room holding the present at arms' length wasn't going to help. Neither was rolling on her bed trying not to scream. Apparently the wait itself was enough of an overkill that she had pretty much run to the pokécenter, a good fifteen or so minutes early. That wouldn't look bad, would it? Well, better early than late. And still with the present, trying very hard not to panic by staring deep holes into the ground. "Just stay calm, he's not going to hate it," she whispered to herself. It wasn't just the present she was worried about, but meeting him in general. Seeing him face-to-face, getting to talk about her lack of remembering what he remembered.

And most importantly: getting to know he wasn't the Kaiser anymore. That was probably the only thing more worrisome than the present, getting to see this nice, sweet Ken Ichijouji before her. She had spoken to him a good dozen times on the gears, but getting to see him in the flesh was definitely a different story.

What if she did something stupid?! She was probably going to do something stupid. Heck, she was already dirtying her sneakers by digging into the ground so much. With a soft groan, Miyako kneeled down and began to brush them off. She just had to fidget... Maybe while down here, she could pretend to tie her shoes and buy more time.

Edited 2012-03-22 00:38 (UTC)

She was already there? Ken could have sworn he was ten minutes early....

That didn't mean he was late, he reminded himself. Maybe she'd needed to visit the Center and her Pokémon had been finished their check-ups earlier than expected. Timing could be such a shaky thing.

Either way, he was looking forward to seeing Miyako in person. It'd been too long, really, and what were the odds they'd all be able to meet up so soon after his arrival? Ken felt incredibly fortunate for this chance.

Not to mention, they'd touched on matters earlier that had him - curious, that's what he'd call it. But he was focusing on the positive for now.

"Sorry I'm late," he remarked, jogging up - despite all self-lectures to the contrary. "Were you waiting long?"

When she heard him arrive, she was quick to look up in surprise. "Late? Y-you're not late, I'm just early!" With a nervous laugh, Miyako stood and grinned. She brushed off her knee... Something was missing--

Oh yes, the present she forgot on the ground.

Already failing? Gasping softly, she scoops it up quickly, giving it a quick glance-over to make sure it hadn't gotten too dirty before holding it out. "Y-yes! So, um... This is for you."

Though even as she tried to give him a bright smile, her cheeks glowed red and she found herself looking away. She was far too embarrassed about this.

"For Valentine's?" Ken asked, accepting the gift with a smile. "Thanks...."

He didn't have anything for her, but that was all right, wasn't it? The girls gave presents on Valentine's Day, then the boys returned the favor. He turned the gift over in his hands, looking rather taken with it already. A gift for him. A gift for him, from a friend.

He had friends he was close enough with to exchange gifts. Even if there was always more to learn about each other.

"Should I open it now?" he asked finally, glancing about. Right here felt odd, but so did just holding it without seeing what was inside.

She nodded. "You're welcome! It's not that big a thing, just... a present, yeah... B-but you don't owe me anything for it!"

And already, Miyako was trying to fidget again. Once the present left her hands, she ended up wringing her fingers, trying to decide what to do next. Look at the floor? Look at him? Him, definitely. And since they weren't really sure...

Well, he could open it there. But didn't she also owe him ice cream? A distraction!

"I have an idea! Let's go get the ice cream I promised you. And you can open it there."

"Ah, good idea." Ken nodded his agreement, and looked around slightly, unsure where the nearest ice-cream parlor was in town. That wasn't the kind of thing he usually looked for.

He cleared his throat, shifting his present to his other hand (a present for him, just for him!). "After you..."

With a nod, she grinned and pointed to the left.

"It's this way. Follow me!" And with that, she began walking, but only a few steps. She'd fall in time with walking next to him once they started.

If allowed to set the pace, Ken was a pretty fast walker. He didn't look much to the left or right as they traveled, focused on both the path ahead and the gift in his hands. Sure, he'd exchanged presents with the other Chosen for Valentine's back in their world, but somehow this felt - different. She'd singled him out across the network. Ken wasn't sure why she'd been so thoughtful, but he must have done something right.

"Was the flight smooth?" he asked finally (and out of the blue). Smalltalk still didn't come naturally, but both across the network and in person, he'd been making a concerted effort to be more social with everyone.

The speed didn't bother Miyako. After all, she wasn't a particularly calm person, so getting to the ice cream place quickly seemed perfectly alright to her. It was enough to distract her in making sure she remembered where it was, but the question surprised her a little. Flight? Smooth?

Oh right! Getting to the city. She laughed.

"Yeah, it was okay. We walked for a good part of it, though," she answered. "Could have been better if certain goggle-wearing dorks weren't being so pouty, but nobody lost any limbs!" And as long as everyone returned alive, all was well, right?

Ken nodded and "mm"ed his acknowledgment of the issue. He didn't want to bring up too much, if anything at all, of what he and Daisuke had discussed; Daisuke had confided to him between friends, and Ken intended to keep that trust, even among other friends.

"He's been doing - better, I think," he ventured, staring ahead instead of at Miyako. "Time helps."

"Maybe... I'm glad he's doing better, at least." She sighed. Miyako was pretty sure she knew enough of the details, and for the rest she didn't really want to ask about. She really just wanted everyone to go back to normal.

But soon her eyes landed on the ice cream parlor, and she reached over to nudge Ken's arm. "Look, Ken! There it is."

Ken had gotten lost in thought himself, so his head jerked up upon the nudge. "Eh....?

"Oh." He smiled. "That's right....Order me the best, please. I'm counting on you."

Was he teasing? Even he didn't know. But he felt like he'd grown a little closer to Miyako since arriving in Johto, even if they hadn't spent much time together in person. They were fighting an enemy they couldn't see, and one they probably couldn't defeat, by trying to help Daisuke. It unified them somehow as friends.

Besides, she'd bought him a gift. If that wasn't a sign, he didn't know what was.

Miyako smiled back, trying to fight back heat from rushing to her cheeks. His smiles were just so cute! That and he was entrusting her to pick out an ice cream flavor for him-- this was big news to her fangirl side.

She would take this job with honor! "I won't let you down! Trust me on this one," she replied with a mock salute. "I'm pretty good with picking out ice cream flavors."

Now, time to think of something... She could probably pick some going off his own interests. "What sort of flavors do you normally like? Fruits, chocolates, candies...?"

The question gave Ken reason to pause, fiddling with his present slightly. Food preferences...? He normally just ate without considering that, but...

Well, his mother made enough sweets for him to get a general idea of his preferences in dessert.

"Fruit, I - guess," he admitted, looking over the ice cream shop. "Though..."

Oh, why not? He was here with a friend. It was a chance.

"I like chocolate, too."

"Chocolate and fruit, huh?"

She tapped her chin with her finger, trying to think of the flavors. "Well, that opens us up to a lot of different things. There's chocolate chocolate-chip. You might like that, but it's super sweet. Or you could try the chocolate-raspberry swirl. That one might be fun too!"

Well, if they had it. As the automatic doors slid open, Miyako reached for Ken's hand so she could tug him in. Merely out of eagerness, and not because she wanted to hold his hand or anything... Nope nope.

Ken blinked as his hand was held, lost in serious contemplation of which ice cream flavor would indeed be best, and as such did indeed end up tugged.

He stumbled a few paces before righting himself. "Anything's - fine," he reassured her, despite the purpose of the expedition. "That second one...or whatever's best...."

He made no move to withdraw his hand.

The Pokémon hat he'd ordered had come in time! Ken'd have to find some way of thanking the gentleman he'd commissioned it from.

He'd packaged it up in a little white box, alongside a small box of white chocolate - flowers had, unfortunately, been in short supply. He'd looked. On second thought, however, this was probably all right. He didn't want to be accused of overshadowing the gift she'd given him.

Joltik perched on his shoulder for support, chirping encouragement. Ken smiled and shrugged as he started looking for Miyako. It was important to deliver the gift in person, he'd heard. That way, there could be no misunderstandings.

Miyako didn't waste any time running over. She was actually rather surprised that he had asked to meet up with her, but there was no way she was going to say no. After all, she knew what day it was, but she was pretty sure there was no way Ken would have gone out of his way to get her a white day present.

He totally couldn't have... Or did he? Maybe...

She hadn't meant to run, but excitement got the better of her and she definitely couldn't just walk over like a normal person. A little out of breath by the time she reached him, she grinned anyway.

"H-hi, Ken-kun!"

Ken turned and smiled, unsure whether he should hide the presents to reveal them later (behind his back?) or just keep holding them. So while he made a move to put them off to one side, they never quite made it out of view.

"Thanks for meeting me, Miyako-san," he greeted her, coming across more solemnly than intended. But how did one preface getting someone a gift? He'd only ever distributed them to family before, or to large groups (as was the case on previous White Days).

Still, there were so many people rooting for him, who'd helped him decide what to select. For their sake and Miyako's, he couldn't mess this up.

She definitely noticed the presents. She tried not to, but it was a little difficult to miss the fact that he was holding something when she arrived. However, she tried to focus just on him - and his wonderful face, oh Ken you are definitely thirteen-year-old marriage material.

"No problem," she replied with a grin. Miyako couldn't have said no anyway. "What's up?" That... was a pretty horrible topic starter, wasn't it? Sheesh, self, already screwing this up! She just had to stay calm, continue looking at him... But she couldn't get her heart to stop beating as fast as it was at all.

All right, nothing for it. Ken held out the present almost stiffly, trying not to be nervous and failing. He had a good feeling about this gift, however. He'd been very impressed upon receiving the little white hat, just the right size for her starter Pokémon to wear.

"It's been a month," he pointed out unnecessarily. "Happy White Day."

Miyako's eyes lit up at the presents. Really? He didn't! Speechless and surprised, she spent a good moment just staring at them, hands carefully reaching out for them. She just couldn't believe it.

"Whoa... Thank you!"

She looked at them curiously, then back at Ken... and then just started trying to peek into the hat's box. Could she see what it was...?

"You can - open it," Ken reassured Miyako, uncertain she'd be able to tell exactly what was in the box this way beyond "white cloth". "It's not much, but...go on."

He laid the box in her hands, unable to keep from smiling. She looked pleased. His breath caught in his throat. Hopefully her Pokémon would like the hat, as well.

With a nod, she quickly tore through the seal to get it open. Something white, fairly small, but what was it...? Once she managed to pull it out, though, she gasped.

"It's a little hat!"

Judging by the size, she knew for a fact that she wouldn't be able to wear it. But he probably knew that when he got it for her... She figured it out almost instantly. Looking back up at Ken, she beamed. "You got a hat for my pokémon? Ken, that's the cutest thing, thank you! CheepCheep's gonna love it!"

And without wasting any time, she rushed over to hug him. As friends, this was totally okay.

"You li---" Ken was in the middle of beginning to ask when all of a sudden he found his breath otherwise occupied. As when Daisuke had hugged him, he froze up, but relaxed somewhat after a beat. This was - okay. Yes. Among friends. In fact, he should...

"I'm - glad you like it," he ventured around her head, raising his hands as if he intended to hug her back (or at least pat her). He could feel his cheeks prickling with a blush, and attempts to beat it back only reddened him more. "It's - commissioned, so it should fit...."

Right, he couldn't just leave his arms out here after all. Ken attempted to rest them lightly against her back. His friends were physical people. He had to get used to hugs.

With a grin, Miyako just took a few long seconds keeping him in a hug. Just the fact that he had gotten her something warranted a hug, but it wasn't until she planned on letting go that she realized who she was hugging. ...but that's okay. They're friends, she can hug friends, it was totally not awkward.

Letting go, she beamed. "Thank you so much!" After eyeing the hat again, she called out her Xatu, kneeling next to the pokémon. The bird cooed over at Ken, then at Miyako, trying to figure out why he was called out. A battle? "You've got a hat!" she told the little creature, and she spent a good minute or so placing it on his head and adjusting it so it looked perfect.

And then she spun the little creature around so Ken could see. "How does he look?" she asked. "Positively charming, wouldn't you say?"

Ken exhaled once the hug ended, encouraged he'd gotten that enthusiastic a response. If he ever saw the hatmaker (Kanji, wasn't it?) posting to the network again, he'd have to thank him...

He stood patiently while Miyako tried the hat on her Xatu, pleased she'd decided to use it right away. When the bird was finally presented, he grinned. Not that he was any sort of expert on these things - but -

"Very nice, Miyako-san!" he exclaimed, with an extra smile for Xatu. "And you too, of course. Do you like it?"

The Xatu cooed happily, taking a few bouncy steps over. With a flap of his wings, he seemed to be doing a little victory dance for the hat.

Miyako laughed. "Silly CheepCheep. But I'm glad you like your hat. Tell Ken-kun thank you!" she told the bird. And he did, bouncing right over to give Ken's hand a friendly peck.

Ken looked startled at first, but quickly laughed. Thank goodness...in retrospect, he probably had worried too much about this, hadn't he? (Though he didn't like the idea of considering fretting over a friend worrying "too" much.) But either way, he was glad. It'd led to picking a good present.

"You're welcome...." he told CheepCheep, still chuckling. "And the - chocolate's for you, Miyako-san. Pokémon probably shouldn't..."

Her eyes widened. "THERE'S CHOCOLATE IN HERE TOO?!"

She had honestly been giddy enough about the hat that the chocolate was just icing on the cake. Peering in, she opened the bag again, reaching in for a piece. Couldn't let good chocolate sit in her presence for five minutes without tasting it! So, as CheepCheep squawked happily, completely content with being ignored by his hyper trainer, Miyako bit into the chocolate and turned to Ken almost immediately.

"These are amazing!"

"Ah....thank you."

Ken shrank back a little, not prepared for that aspect of his gift to get such a huge response. It was - traditional, wasn't it? White Day chocolate to return the favor from Valentine's....

Still, he couldn't help but chuckle. Miyako was - easily pleased? No, that wasn't it. She appreciated even the simplest gifts. He admired the part of her that could make the smallest things so important.

But just chuckling was weird. So he put on his best smile and tried to recover. "I'm - glad you like it, Miyako-san."

Holiday Gift-Exchange

VALENTINE'S DAY AFTER-ISH

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WHITE DAY

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FETCHIE I'M SO SORRY THESE ARE SO LATE ;A;

It's okayyy~ i am not the paragon of timeliness lately myself

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