SUBMIT

you seem happier this time. good.

Apologies for the really, really late special that celebrates 400+ hearts on Quotev!

I wasn't too into writing this, but I thought the idea was good at time time since this was supposed to be posted late December - early January. But here we are . . . late February instead :)

『 You are my hearth. My home. 』

She hated the cold for as long as she could remember, but her father told her she used to love the winter as a child.

He would tell her about how she looked upon the falling snowflakes like they were angels descending from the heavens, and compared the snow to a collection of shaved ice that she tried to stuff in her mouth on numerous occasions. He always cooed about how cute she was when her cheeks were tinted pink, and sometimes grimaced whenever he remembered how her snot hung from her nose after she sneezed.

Truly, it was an embarrassing story to listen to, especially when he recalled those memories to her close friends.

"I didn't know you hated snow," Uraume hummed as they turned towards her, eyelashes fluttering as they blinked upon her. Their eyes were scanning her, almost as if they didn't understand how she could dislike the fluttering snowflakes that dusted the ground in the winter. But there was a hint of a smile on their face filled with amusement as if they had found out about some big, hidden secret that she kept in the dark for so long.

Menreiki huffed at their words, looking down at the rippling brown liquid in her white porcelain cup. Steam wafted from it, brushing the tip of her nose delicately as if urging her to speak her true feelings. Instead, she took a sip of her hot chocolate, letting the balmy temperature sooth her before correcting Uraume's words, "I don't hate the snow. I dislike the cold."

"Why?" They asked with a chuckle, putting down their own mug of the warm, sweet drink on the coffee table before them. "It allows you to wear such cute clothes and you can enjoy warm drinks like these too. It also brings in the snow that sets the mood for a white christmas."

"I don't like how my fingers get numb," She answered simply, but the excuse she gave was weak. Her father, who sat across from the two, chuckled heartily at her response. Everyone had their favorite and least favorite seasons, and there was nothing wrong with her disliking winter. He even thought that the season of spring suited her better as she always seemed to blossom more as a woman once winter melted away.

Uraume tilted their head, a fake frown playing on their face, "That's a little disappointing. I wanted to take you out somewhere."

"Where?"

"An ice rink."

Menreiki's father let out a surprised "ooo" escape him as he started to gather himself up from where he sat. He noticed his daughter's inquisitive look to which he exclaimed, "It sounds like fun!"

"Would you like to go instead, Father?" Uraume questioned lightly, their pitch just slightly higher to show their curiosity. The patriarch guffawed from where he stood in the kitchen, washing his empty mug of hot chocolate before calling out in reply, "No, no, go ahead. Menreiki might actually enjoy it if she's with you."

The young woman could only quietly groan at her father's words and the light, teasing quip that was hidden beneath it.

Ever since Menreiki had met Uraume a year ago in college, and her father saw them studying in the living room, he wasn't exactly subtle in where he stood in relation to Uraume. He always encouraged Menreiki to invite them to their house for dinner since they might be lonely. Menreiki would always tell her father that Uraume was never lonely because they were usually with their roommate, Sukuna.