it’s wrapped in newspaper she couldn’t find wrapping paper suitable enough
for use. it was either too crumpled or too childish or not enough, and in the end
she’d settled for newspaper tied off with a clean looking red ribbon. it had to do,
as there weren’t shops in the alien apocalypse that would provide her with the
materials she’d needed. in truth, her gift to him was a stroke of luck ; stumbling
upon a shop that hadn’t been as ransacked as all the others, she’d found what
was necessary for a gift … of sorts.
( thank god her mother had taught her how to crochet. )
admittedly, it’s not spectacular. but there was a desire to give something, and it
was christmas. perhaps the mediocrity of her skills could be overlooked, just
this once. it came from the heart, after all. took a while to do, but it was worth it.
it’s always going to be worth it if it’s for him.
when she hands it to him, it’s with pink cheeks, a bashful smile, and a quiet
voice. she’s not quite sure if he expected something from her today. if not, well,
she’s happy to prove him otherwise.
” merry christmas, hal. “
He looks up when he hears her footsteps come closer and closer to where he
is bent over reports and maps, trying to see if there was anything to be done
that might improve their security and resistance against the aliens. As usual,
a smile is plastered to his lips, a normal reaction to her by now because she
brings him joy no matter what’s going on, no matter how bad the situation is
or how terrible the world around them gets. She’s his personal beacon of light.
He is surprised to see the small package that she hands him and he looks at
her in confusion because he doesn’t know what to expect. Ever since the early
steps of the invasion, he had stopped counting the time that passed, so he never
knew what day it would be if things were still normal. It is only when she wishes
him a merry Christmas that he realizes that it must be close to that same holiday,
if not right on the same date. He should have known she likes to keep track of
time and various important dates.
He opens the present carefully, making sure he doesn’t destroy the wrapping
because even if it was just a sheet of paper, he can see how much care she
put into wrapping it and he knows it’s because it was for him. So this is his way
of showing appreciation and gratitude for what she’s done. Once the sheet is
gone, he’s left holding a pair of new gloves, probably handmade and most definitely
made by Kira herself and he looks at them in detail, admiring the result of her
work and deciding that he loves them so much more than the previous ones.
So he takes the current ones off and puts the new ones on, flexing his fingers to
see how they feel around them. They are perfect, just like her.
”They are amazing! Thank you.
But I didn’t get you anything. I wasn’t aware that it was Christmas and that’s not
a valid excuse, I know. But I’ll find a way to make it up to you, I promise.”
