This is the last day of 2012.  Taking a break from the NSFW challenge to write something for the final day of 2012.  

Also, many thanks to everyone who likes these little writing tidbits of mine, this is my way of saying “Happy New Year,” let’s enjoy a great 2013!

Warnings:  Short drabble like thing, Kanji and Naoto cuteness, spoilers for December (game and anime)

He never stands close to her.

The team is standing together outside, the air so cold that they can see each other’s breaths when they speak.  There’s only a few minutes left before the year comes to an end and there’s light conversation among them – light meaning “Teddie has said something to piss Yosuke off again, resulting in a shouting match that Chie has somehow become a part of.  Meanwhile, Yukiko can’t stop laughing, Souji can’t stop smiling, and Rise is doing everything in her power to make Naoto blush – and it’s working.”

But Kanji isn’t really paying attention to that.  He’s too busy realizing that he never stands close to her.

That’s not exactly true, if he takes a moment to think about it.  He stood next to her while they faced their greatest challenge, held her up as they worked together to face a fully loaded persona created by the demented antics of a police officer.  It was one of the few times he hadn’t been lost for words around her, the other being when Nanako was in the hospital.

Why is it that there has to be a tragedy or crisis for him to be able to speak sentences around her?

So as the last minute disappears and officially begins the new year he makes a silent resolution to himself.  Taking a deep breath, he walks over and stands next to her.  The light antics of the others have calmed down, everyone looking up at the sky to marvel at the colors that burst from it as the fireworks go off.  

“It is beautiful, is it not?”  She asks.

The colors manage to reflect in her eyes, a dazzling display of reds, yellows, and purples that make his heart skip a beat.  He rubs the back of his head, fighting the urge to blush but he’s sure he fails, “Ah, um… y-yeah,” he says, “Kinda nice that we got to this point, yeah?”  

He’s not entirely sure what this point means.  Does it mean the point at which they got to be teenage heroes who saved worlds with magical monsters, or does it mean the point at which he’s able to stand next to her without looking like an overly tall moron.  He’s not sure how she interprets it, but when he looks at her she’s smiling.  There seems to be a glint in her eyes that isn’t from the fireworks, a gentle whisper towards the double meaning of his words.

“Yes, it is,” she says.  She reaches up, actually removing her hat as she smiles at him again.  It’s the kind of smile that you hear people falling in love over, the smile that’s seen across the room to make the lead character stop and take notice.  Kanji’s fairly certain that in the whole scheme of things Souji has the lead role, but he can’t help but notice that her smile is directed at him as she speaks again,   “Happy New Year, Tatsumi-kun.”

And Kanji falls victim to it, granting her with a gentle smile of his own, “Happy New Year, Naoto.”