Chapter Text
By all standards, their party was relatively calm. All that was left after that and their aimless conversations was to clean up.
Karin finally got to the end of a string of tinsel before noticing the absence of a certain girl. She saw that certain someone's continuous staring at the table centerpiece. Her green daisy studded earring was bigger than she took it for initially.
"Emma? Aren't you going to help out? I still can't find the ceiling under all these decorations."
She snapped to attention. "I-I am! But, your snow globe is so pretty!" Emma's eyes returned to said snow globe.
It wasn't really a snow globe as it exchanged the traditional winter wonderland for space itself in a dark indigo. What would have been snowflakes now took on the image of stars in the setting. It didn't seem right for stars to move around as they did within the globe all things considered, but it was a pleasant sight nonetheless.
"I-It's not that great of a gift. At least, I didn't intend for everyone to get so hypnotized by it."
Karin thought more highly of Emma's. She adjusted her necklace every few minutes just to admire the blue hydrangea. It wasn't real, obviously. She more so admired the effort Emma took to paint it; to have unique accessories, flowers and colors for everyone.
An arm looped around her neck suddenly. "Give Emmachi some slack! No better time than the present to enjoy yourself, am I right?" She exclaimed, still on her pun high. The orange lily adorning her hair tie bounced about with her energy.
Karin sighed. "How forced…"
"No need for that resting Grinch face now, eh?" At that moment, from across the room, Yuu promptly burst out laughing and fell to the floor.
"Ai-senpai. You're actually killing her."
"Kasukasu, don't you mean I'm sleighing her?"
Her broom flailed wildly. Any more violently and both her sunflower and starry hairpin would fall off. "Arggh! It's Kasumin! And she is begging you to stooop! Your show is already over."
"Show's over but the party doesn't stop here!"
Setsuna slid up to the two discreetly. "The party is also over. Please help clean up, both of you."
Karin silently stepped away from the back and forth they were having and continued taking down the decorations with Emma doing the same. Kasumi and Ai resumed sweeping alongside Setsuna. Ayumu, Kanata and Yuu were cleaning up the dishes while Rina and Shizuku took care of the chairs and rearranging the room.
A year ago, even two years ago, Karin couldn't imagine a Christmas like this.
"Does anyone have room for one more bread roll?" Yuu asked everyone.
Emma was the first to raise her hand, once again leaving Karin to do the work. If Karin didn't know any better, she'd assume Emma was trying to get out of clean-up duty entirely. In truth, Emma was really that easily distracted by hanging out with her friends.
Karin never got seriously mad over it, though it made her work right now heavier than it should have been.
"Mmm, buono! Karin-chan! Try it, try it!"
She offered a mirthful smile. "Well, since it got the seal of approval…" Karin squinted at the roll. The puzzling dark purple filling sent her stomach into doing backflips. Karin darted her eyes about, finding Setsuna fixated on her snow globe as well. "Was this, a Setsuna original?" She whispered, to be safe.
Emma did the same, "Kanata-chan told me she and Kasumi-chan adjusted it during Ai-chan's pun roulette and Shizuku-chan's movie. It tastes good to me too, so I think we're okay."
Karin now sighed from relief. "Excuse me then," she mumbled. It was only when she bit down that Karin noticed the indirect kiss that they share. The roll was surprisingly good but Karin almost spit it out right then and there. She quietly choked it down, trying her best to restrict her facial expressions.
"Ah, you have some of it here," Emma pointed to her own cheek to indicate where. Karin wiped at it and licked her finger.
She must have missed some or it smeared her skin as Emma pulled out her newly received handkerchief. The pale green was a good choice by Ayumu, who then embroidered it with a loaf of bread in a more saturated green. Similarly designed was Karin's gifted handkerchief as well with a dark blue scheme and a single heel instead of bread.
"Did you like it?" Emma asked.
Karin nodded thoughtfully. "A bit sweet, but my compliments to Kanata."
Before Karin could go into Emma tunnel vision, Kanata's voice rang out clearly in the large club room. "Heey, don't let the food keep you two from cleaning. Don't wanna let your juniors do all the work, do you?"
They both jumped at that and noticed both the confused and the mischievous looks everyone was giving them. She cleared her throat loudly and continued to clear the ceiling the best she could alongside Emma.
It was a little saddening to have to put it all away, but she was more than satisfied with their party today. What kind of killed the sentiment was the sheer volume of what had to be removed. When Karin took down a streamer, she had to make a whole lap around the room before finding it crossed over with a group of precariously hanging ornaments. If there was anything the first years were good at, it was being over-the-top.
"Karin-chan?"
Karin was taking down another star as she heard a faint call for her name. She looked around and heard it again, louder this time.
"Hey, Karin-chan?"
It was Emma. She waved her hand discreetly. Karin put away her decorations into a box and offered her ear.
"Is it alright if I stay in your room later?"
"Hm? You cleaned up already."
"I know," Emma smiled. "...So, can I?"
Then it hit her. Karin wasn't actually sure what 'it' was, but something definitely 'hit' at that second. Her heart palpitated at unhealthy rates. She had more than enough experience to reign herself in for these specific scenarios.
"Well uh, do as you please," Karin coughed into her fist, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. She realized doing that ironically worked against that front but no one was really paying attention. "Let's hurry and finish cleaning then."
Honestly, she had no idea why Emma wanted to come over. Karin knew of the cliches, of course. Whether that was actually what Emma was intending or not was a mystery. She knew when Emma was feeling down. She knew if Emma enjoyed something. In the same beat, however, the reason for either could catch her off guard.
To ease her anticipation, she stood up on a chair and took down the nearby ornaments and a set LED light strings. Upon pulling one of the strings, all the decorations in that spot fell from the ceiling. Karin scrambled to catch as many as she could in her arms. Emma was back to her side with another cardboard box and caught what Karin couldn't with it.
"...How many boxes is this now?"
Emma opened her mouth to answer. Karin never got one.
"Aaaaah no! Karin-senpai! Emma-senpai!" Kasumi cried out suddenly, then covered her mouth. Everyone stopped in their clean up to see what she was screaming about. Realizing the position she was in, Kasumi dropped her hands. "Th-Th-That's-" She pointed a shaky finger above Karin's head.
"Hm? What are you screaming… at…" Karin's eyes followed the imaginary arrow and she just about fell off the chair and catapulted her present across the room.
Right there hidden by the cacophony of tinsel was a mistletoe of all things.
Karin felt the heat rise from her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. Her legs wobbled with the chair as she tried to get down. Emma was in a similar situation herself as the contents of the box subtly jostled about in her grip.
"Alright. Who's joke is this?" She demanded .
Without hesitation, Rina and Shizuku nonchalantly pushed Kasumi forward. Karin glared at her, which would have been far more effective had she not become a tomato.
"Listen, we had a bunch of decorations. It would be a waste to not use all of it, would it not? Everyone should behold Kasumin's taste in interior design… decorating. Whatever it is!"
"No one else would've known it was there except for the person who put it there in the first place." Karin searched her expression for underlying intentions. Kasumi's eyes darted left and right trying to escape her judgement. "And I must say, that was a very elaborate set-up for the big reveal. I wonder how you were gonna pull that off?"
Kasumi whistled to herself. "D-Details, details. Anyways, since you took my kiss away from, uh- I mean, anyways. You gotta kiss a certain someone now!"
Before Karin could respond, Ai and Kanata decided to chime in. "Kiss her, kiss her, kiss her!" Kasumi joined them, much to her dismay.
"You three…" Karin rubbed her temples. "Someone, please say something."
No one said anything. At least, not directly to her.
The mumblings of Setsuna were incomprehensible from where she was in the room. All that was audible were the rises in tones followed by a sudden drop in them. Ayumu and Yuu were too busy trying to calm her down.
"Rina-chan board… ah, I don't have one for it yet." Rina held up a blank board.
Shizuku was dead silent. The smile on her face painted the illusion of composure which had shattered as her cheeks were as red as her bow adorned with a cornflower.
"...Emma?" Karin turned to her. She'd been quiet this entire time, silently fiddling with her fingers. Karin reached out to Emma. "We don't have to-"
"Whatever Karin wants to do," Emma faced her with a huge grin, "I'm okay with."
She retracted her hand. "Seriously?"
There Karin stood as the centerpiece of the situation. Stuck between her word to Emma and her desires, Karin had a hard time deciding what to do right now. All eyes in the room were on her and Emma alone. Emma, who she only had a date with recently. Emma, who was willing to do whatever Karin wanted to do right now.
Simply put, there was no smooth way out of this. If Karin was blunt, kissing Emma would be everything she could ever want.
She steeled herself, standing up straighter as if tied to a metal pole. "Fine," Karin resigned herself and timidly put her hand on the back of Emma's head. The earrings Emma made for herself suited her well. She imagined how adorable Emma would look with that and her red locks flowing freely over her shoulders.
Before anyone in the room could make a sound, she planted a kiss on Emma's forehead.
"Oh, come on! You- mffh!" Ai promptly covered Kasumi's mouth with her bicep.
She'd love to kiss Emma for real. But not like this. Not when they said they would take it slow; it had to be a proper one, at the right time.
Slowly she pulled away and watched Emma's reaction. Karin hadn't noticed that her eyes were closed from the sudden contact. When Emma opened her eyes, she blinked rapidly as if waking herself up before hiding her face behind her hair.
Tame as that was, Karin still felt her cheeks glow up like a Christmas tree. "Ahem!" She pushed herself upward on the chair once more, ripped the mistletoe off the ceiling and threw it into the box. "I think I've done enough cleaning then."
"Wait Karin-senpai! That-"
"-was a kiss. End of story." Karin huffed and collected her belongings. "It was a great time, really. But I'm gonna head out now. So uh, I'll see you all later." With a flair of her coat flaps and a pull of her scarf all the way up to her nose, Karin left the room.
"Karin-chan! Wait up for me!" She slowed her pace until Emma was at her side. Immediately her arm was taken into an embrace. "Hey, you aren't upset, are you?" Emma's sudden question didn't surprise one bit. "You didn't have to if you didn't want to… no one wanted to make you mad."
How could Karin ever be mad when Emma pulled out the puppy dog eyes?
As they stepped outside, Karin patted Emma's head with her other hand. "I'm not mad. A little annoyed if anything, but I'll properly apologize to them."
Emma said nothing more and simply hummed in response. In such an instance, Karin knew better than to force any conversation. The snowfall was minimal at best that evening with the occasional snowflake landing before their feet and melting soon after.
The silence stretched longer than she anticipated, however, as they made it to the dorms without another word.
Emma hadn't let go of her until Karin rested her hand on her door handle. "You'll be coming over, you said?"
"Mhm. I'll drop off everything first."
"Alright then." Just as she pressed down on the handle, Karin heard her name.
Again, it was Emma, who only shook her head and headed to her room. "Later then!"
Karin could do nothing but watch Emma's back retreat down the hall.
It didn't take long for Karin to hear the rhythmic knocking on her door and let Emma in. Karin had assumed that Emma would only be staying for until night time like always yet there she stood in her sleepwear like herself. She still had her earrings on like how Karin still wore her necklace.
"Y-You're gonna be spending the night here?" she stuttered out.
"I can't?" Emma was sleeping in her room then.
Calm and collected Karin sat on her bed and shuffled to the side. She patted the space next to her and Emma quickly snuggled up to her.
"Did you get to talk to your family?"
"We got on a video call before the party. I told them they'd get a present and some hints but nothing else."
"I see."
Once again, nothing was said. As Karin racked her brain for something adequate to put into words, her phone buzzed to life.
Karin had assumed it was another overly kind response to her apology message. Seeing it was Kasumi, Karin sighed through her nose. "That girl…"
"Hm? What did she say?" She tilted her phone for Emma to read it.
heeey super sorry about earlier didnt mean to make u mad it wasnt meant for u☆⌒(≧▽°)
ok off topic so dont u DARE tell anyone this
but I was wondering if like
have you kissed anyone before
"Eh? Is this…"
"Little Kasumin sure likes to make things complicated for herself." Karin closed her phone without another thought. "I'll respond tomorrow."
"Aah, so you are mad then!" Emma laughed and poked at Karin's cheeks.
"Not particularly," she hummed with a grin.
As Emma's laughter echoed in her room, Karin was reminded of the quiet walk. Emma bordered on asking her something and then turned on her heels in an instant. To still not understand Emma enough to support her; that left Karin feeling sick. She racked her head, but frustration could only be so productive.
"Karin-san, I look up to you so much I think my posture is getting better!" A muffled Rina suddenly rang out. Karin snapped to attention, meeting with Emma hugging her grey penguin.
"What's that for so suddenly?"
"Because you were staring at it!" She hadn't realized how deep in thought she was. Karin twirled a lock of her hair. "Isn't it cute? Mines said she couldn't bear to imagine the club without me! Rina-chan's such a sweetheart."
There she went, trying to cheer Karin up from herself. It usually did wonders to bring her to peace. Not now; not when Emma was the one who needed it more.
"How did you find Shizuku-chan's movie?"
"Hm? Oh, I had some trouble trying to read the subtitles at the same time. Still interesting though."
"It was tricky for me too because I couldn't read some of the words. But I liked when they sang in the rain! And Shizuku-chan explained everything really well afterwards."
She was listening to Emma, but she couldn't respond to her at all. If she wanted to support Emma, Karin had to say something. "E-Emma-"
Emma jumped to her feet and ran to the window before she could get another word out. "Karin-chan! It's snowing! It's really snowing!" Without a second to spare, Emma opened her window widely. Thankfully for the both of them, there was no breeze to speak of that would invite any snow into Karin's room. The cold air still nipped at their skin.
"Emma! At least wear something else," Karin scolded and draped the coat she wore earlier over her form. It fit around Emma quite well.
"Thank you!" She smiled brightly. Karin remained by Emma's side and watched the scenery with her. The sky was a dark blue, almost dark purple if she was gonna be specific. They couldn't see any stars in the city, but the snow falling resembled stars.
Emma began to hum a melody without warning. Karin quickly recognized it and joined her. She wasn't as good at harmonizing as Emma was. It was still fun to try anyways. All it took was some music for Karin to calm down.
"I want to sing it already~"
"We only heard it today. Yuu still has to work out the rest of it."
"I think she's almost done if she made it her present to us. She'll be able to finish in no time."
Karin found herself smiling at that. Had she not gotten to know Emma at all, she would call her blind faith and wishings to be too childish. Emma certainly had preserved her childish traits, but so had Karin to some extent.
With outstretched hands, a snowflake floated gently into Emma's open palms and she smiled wistfully at it. "It almost like I caught a star."
"How so?"
"Doesn't the sky look like your snow globe? If that's the case, these have to be stars!"
"Is that so?" Karin crossed her arms. She just about lost count of the amount of times Emma brought up her gift. And just like when that snow globe was shaken, the wind picked up which let the snowenter her room.
"Karin-chan. Come in closer," Emma asked and did just that on her own. With Karin having to put an arm around Emma to come as close as the smiling girl wanted, the coat managed to fit both of them. "Are you feeling warmer now?"
She matched Emma's grin with ease that took even herself off guard. "Of course I am."
The two fell quiet again and stared up at the sky. The pause in conversation didn't last long for Karin found her voice. "Is there something you want to tell me?" From up close, Karin felt Emma's sharp inhale. "I won't force you to say it or anything-"
"Do you want to kiss me, Karin-chan?" The snowflakes continued to fall.
Karin blinked once. Twice. A third time. Once more, firmly. She wasn't waking up. She wasn't hallucinating. "Eh?! Are you sure about this? Why are you asking me this?! Didn't you want to go slow?"
The gravity where Karin stood became ten times as heavy and she couldn't deal with the sudden pressure. Emma hadn't noticed or was amused by her predicament for she continued to smile. "I'm asking if you want to. You did it under the mistletoe and after our date, but what about a proper kiss?"
It was then that Karin decided to pull at least half of herself together. After taking some time to collect her breathing, she confessed, "I do. I've always wanted to. O-Only when you're ready though."
Emma hummed in response and nothing more. More snow piled up on the rooftops, yet it didn't feel any colder. She attributed that to having Emma basically in her arms with how close they were.
"...What if I said I'm ready right now?" Her hands turned Karin's head until she couldn't see anything else but Emma. Just as easily as she was the only one who could make her fall to pieces, Emma built Karin back up with one look. "What would you do?"
She froze and was brought back to the day of their date. Karin wanted to say everything at that moment. "Well… I, that is… something like, I-I don't know… I don't really know." Her mouth moved quickly but incoherently.
Unlike back then, none of her feelings could take form with words alone. They fell and melted the moment they hit the ground. Any amount that managed to pile up would eventually do the same under enough heat. Words could never be enough. She hadn't realized how tightly she balled her fists until she relaxed them.
Karin reached one of her hands up and rested on top of Emma's. She was pulled in by a weak magnet and concentrated on the girl before her getting closer and closer. Karin had never noticed how similar Emma's irises were to herself. They were still different. It was like a mix between the far blue skies and the green horizon she'd imagine when Emma talked about Switzerland.
Her heart was beating out of her chest and it never felt better.
The tip of their noses brushed against each other and Karin paused. Her thumb made half-circles over her skin. "Emma, you're shaking-"
The rest of Karin's sentence died in her throat as a pair of lips overlapped with her own. The faint scent of lemongrass clashed against the taste of peppermint but Karin didn't dwell on it for it left as quickly as it came. There was a hint of sweetness if she concentrated on it. She wanted another one.
Karin muted her desire as Emma buried herself into her shoulder. She shuddered from a slight breeze and circled her arms around her body.
"You smell like lavender."
"T-Thank you?"
"Do you remember what I said?" She whispered. "That I haven't felt this way about anyone else before?"
"Y-Yeah." Karin rubbed Emma's back. The coat had fallen off at some point but Karin had hardly noticed.
Emma's hair tickled against her neck. "That was partially why I wanted to go out that day; to figure out if it really was like, that ." Karin let a laugh rumble in her throat. If it was that or cry, Karin would rather laugh. She was pretty sure both were out of happiness.
A finger traced the metal chain of her necklace.
"When you got lost, I started thinking about a lot of things. Would I get so scared that I'd start running around the district until I was out of breath for everyone? Why did I want to see you more than everyone else? I still didn't have answers yet, but you already had it figured out." Emma's voice grew quieter, like she was talking to her from a distance. "I wanted to know as soon as possible."
"I'm not sure if I even figured everything out yet. However," discreetly, Karin smoothed out Emma's hair. "I don't mind waiting. Not one bit."
"That part of you is exactly why…" Emma reeled her head back to show her flushed cheeks and longing eyes. Ever so slightly, she felt Emma's breathing on her nose. Karin had never seen Emma look at anything the way she did now. At her. "You've always done so much for me, and each time, I think about how much you like me."
"Eh? Was I that obvious?" She couldn't help but ask that burning question. Emma tilted her head back and forth before shrugging. Karin groaned at herself.
"Honestly, I'm glad you were. All this time you've been right there doing your best for the both of us, and I haven't been able to respond properly."
She swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Do… you have one now?"
"Mm, I think so. After a call with my siblings this morning, and then the party, I think so," Emma repeated. She fiddled with the plastic hydrangea. "Or maybe it's not everything I want to say, but it's what I want you to understand before anything else."
"I'm here to listen then."
Emma mumbled to herself before she spoke carefully, making sure she accentuated each syllable correctly. "Talking with my family, making presents for everyone, even being alone. No matter how busy I was, my thoughts lead back to you. You were always on my mind."
Asaka Karin almost squealed out loud.
"I wondered if you would like what I made for you. I wondered what kind of gift you got. I wondered if you would get along with my siblings, maybe the youngest sister. I wondered if you'd come over if I called you. Even if I was across an ocean, if you would make it."
She could die right now and still be the happiest person on the planet. It must have shown on her face with Emma's own beaming smile. "So, does that mean?..."
"Karin-chan, I love you!" In spectacular, innocent, Emma fashion, Karin was taken into an exuberant hug. "And, merry Christmas. Your present, is me."
This was her first experience with whiplash. With every fiber of her being, Karin pushed her shoulders and held her at an arm's length. "Emma, me too. Merry Christmas. But don't say things like that so casually."
"What do you mean?"
"I should be asking you that question."
She put a finger to her chin, contemplating her own words. "I mean I'll do whatever Karin-chan wants," Emma announced proudly with an unreadable smile. "Because I'm not leaving your side the whole night." Karin couldn't tell if Emma had deeper intentions or if it was really gonna be a regular sleep over. Regardless, her phrasing was still bad for her heart.
If it were any other day, Karin would have a multitude of ideas for the two of them. At worst, some borderline risque stuff all to see Emma turn as red as her hair before apologizing. If it were earlier in the day, perhaps a small lunch date. She also considered teaching Emma some poses since the girl often worried about her posture.
None of them felt right; not at that moment. The chill of the winter night caught up with both of them and Karin shut the window. "Come here then?" She guided Emma to her bed and laid down beside her; nothing more. Karin didn't even bother to pull the sheets up.
"This much is enough. You don't need to do anything else. We'll just, keep moving slowly."
Karin closed her eyes, but not to sleep. She was well awake as Emma undid her braids and turned to lay on her right side. "Not even another kiss?"
A smirk came to Karin once she realized her influence on the girl after so many months. Karin turned to face Emma and initiated the kiss this time. The sweetness wasn't the same but just as addictive. Lemongrass faded into lemon with a new smell of lavender. The second kiss wasn't much longer than the first yet her heart beated at the same quick pace.
"So? What are you going to tell Kasumi-chan?"
Karin scoffed. "Probably something along the lines of 'Sorry for the late response, too busy making out with Emma, thanks for the mistletoe, good luck with your kiss'. That should help."
"You'll send poor Kasumi-chan into shock!"
"I'm kidding, mostly."
Her sarcastic tone was enough to send Emma into a fit of contagious laughter. It felt good to laugh without thinking about much. She enjoyed it on their date, so doing it again in the comfort of her room was even better. When their laughs finally died down, Karin heard light snoring that wasn't her own.
"You can't sleep already, jeez," she said under her breath as she pulled up the sheets over their bodies. It was difficult to make out her form, but Karin managed to tell Emma what she wanted to tell her above else.
"Love you, Emma," she whispered. "Thanks for the present."
