| Zero Hour | 172732014

The Christmas Spirit

"Man, why is it so hard to find a gift for less than twenty dollars?" You questioned exasperatedly while eyeing the gift-wrapped boxes that sat in the less than colourful gift bags Bakugou carried.

"Because you can't," spat Bakugou with a huff. "We agreed to ignore the rule, remember?"

"Yeah, but... up to what price threshold?"

Bakugou glanced towards you sceptically, exasperated himself over your concerns for a decision already made a week prior. You nervously chuckled, taking your question as nothing but rhetorical before Bakugou returned his sights back onto the road.

After a long hard year with so many ups and downs, the oddest encounters, and threatening experiences in your line of work, Bakugou and yourself trudged through the thick powdered snow that layered atop what once was pavement. Every year the roads would close due to the amount of snowfall, finding more people travelling by foot and finding the paths littered with footprints from the city's citizens. The crunch of it beneath your feet was always an exciting sound, knowing that your weights on your ankles were responsible for it. Still you hugged your arm around Bakugou's while he led you through the streets, the route familiar in your mind.

"Can't believe twenty dollars was the price," mumbled Bakugou after a moment of contemplation. "Doesn't that extra know that we're not in high school anymore?"

"You can't blame them for setting the bar," you commented, excusing the idea. "Like you said, we agreed to ignore that, but I'm curious who you got from the raffle to make that call." All you were met with was that signature stare, silent and judging, yet it did not faze you. Much.

"Come on, one hint? Anything?" You asked with an attempt at persuasion.

"What's the point of Secret Santa if you're asking me for the secret?" Snapped Bakugou with a sneer, still with his red eyes set on you.

You eyed him back, staring into his gaze as if you could read his thoughts, gauging him with very little to draw from those eyes of his. "It's either me or Kirishima," you inferred, still peering at him. The silence in between was comical while you kept your ground patiently. Not one blink from Bakugou made for a response to your guess, but the slight chuckle that almost caught in your throat soon bubbled over through your nostrils before you laughed.

"What?" Uttered Bakugou, staring down at your laughter.

"It's like drawing blood from a stone," you answered in between your chuckles. "You have the best poker face when you're not angry." No matter how much you tried to keep your amusement in check, it continued to spill over, only held by your palms that covered your smile.

Bakugou still watched you, his lips curling into a smirk at the sight of his happiness bubbling over. After the trouble both of you had gotten yourselves into after the Charity Ball, it was a refreshing end of the year to see you filled with joy, no longer weighed down by whatever insecurities held you back. He still held you close, with your arm still linked in his before the familiar shape of someone's home caught his eye ahead, its lights shining brightly through the packed snow along the quiet street.

"I'd be surprised what you got for Soy Face," he commented gruffly in the cold, halting your laughing fit momentarily.

"... how did... when... how do you know I'm Sero's Secret Santa?" You questioned flabbergasted.

"Your choice of gift wrapping is as loud as Racoon Eyes."

One look into the gift bags and upon seeing the differences between his gift and yours, you realised the folly in your decision. Surely enough, you colour-coordinated the gift wrap to match what you thought were Sero's colour schemes, more so his Hero outfit if anything. It was a simple choice, but you also thought it was visually appealing and that Sero would immediately recognize which of the presents was his.