Was she a little nervous? Maybe.

Excited? Definitely!

She had an idea of what his reaction would be, but no real desire to be there to actually see it, if it meant being slightly embarrassed at the thought of what giving him a gift could mean.

Like... friends gave each other gifts all the time, right? It was normal right...?

Why did it feel so strange then?!

Maybe it was the niggling thought that he might not like it, however absurd that idea was. 

She knew she felt like a damn gremlin hunkered down in front of his door like she was, squatting while she tried to arrange the decorative bag she had put the gift into in a way that kept it upright while it was leaning against his door. She wasn't sure if he was in, and she sure as hell wasn't going to check and blow the whole idea of not getting caught. She already had plans to stay away for the weekend, because she was literally the biggest coward in the world. 

It just felt weird trying to surprise him with the fact that she was going to his school now. With a class schedule of all things too! There... there just hadn't been any other way and she was too anxious to try and tell him to his face.

She righted the package as it feel over again, cursing under her breath slightly at not being able to get it to stand up on it's own. 

Friday day mornings were the best. Honestly, he felt that way about every morning. Mornings were the best. So were nights. Oh, afternoons were pretty cool too! Pretty much every time was alright with Xavier. At this moment he was brushing his teeth with vigor as he walked around his apartment, throwing on his clothes. Oh! He had to check the mail; he'd been so tired after patrol that he'd forgotten yesterday. As he got on his pants and continued brushing, his mind sort of wandered to his neighbor. You know, it had been a couple of days since he'd seen or heard from her.

So, imagine his surprise when he opened his front door and found that Juniper was right there... On her knees. Fiddling with a baggy. The giant kid slowly pulled out the toothbrush from his mouth and stared down at her."You, uh, aren't about to light that on fire, are you?" Was she getting into pranks? He hoped not, he liked these shoes.

The tall wannabe X crouched down slowly and looked at the little package she'd been leaving. A little smile came to his face. "What's this?"

She froze like her cat when she caught him chomping on pieces of plastic. @#$%! He'd been home the whole time!

"Ya caught me. It's filled with Clyde's poop."

She was unable to get herself to move until he started crouching down to her level, and panic flared to life.

"Oh this? Haha, nothing! Just poop in sack. Lookit that, forgot my lighter!"

She snatched the decorative sack, with it's bow and name tag, back up and hid it behind her back as quick as she could.

"You look busy, so i'm just gonna... go." Was she tucking tail and running? You effing bet she was.

Leaving a gift to be found while she was gone was one thing. Giving it to him face to face? She'd rather die.

He blinked a few times as she told him it was full of Clyde's poop. "Psh, like you'd touch clyde's poop. You throw out his litter box whole when its full..." He was wise to her.

As a finger went out to poke the bag, she snatched it away, saying it was nothing. "Hey, wait!"

Oh god, she was frazzled. Wait, did that mean he'd caught her doing something nice?! Holy crap! She was gonna run! He bolted forward quickly, aiming to wrap his arms around her to grab the bag. "Too late now! No running!"

The jig was up!

She lunged away as he lunged forward, but he unfortunately had a longer arm span than she did. Whatever game of keep away she had intended to play really wouldn't last long at this rate.

"I can run if I want to!"

And yet, she didn't. She could have easily phased out of his grip, but that would either lead to him harassing her for longer, or getting sad that she had taken the very obvious gift back. She wasn't sure which of those two options were worse, really. So... get it over quickly!

... sorta!

She might have snorted a little, the kind that usually came with a giggle, as she flailed the gift around for a second before ultimately caving and letting him have it.

Unbeknownst to him though, when she had initially turned to run and he had lunged for her, she had slipped the gifts right of out the bag and hidden them away inside herself.

"Fiiiiine, you can have it. Stupid cheating long arms."

Once she had been released she turned away and fished the items back out, waiting for the telltale sound of the empty paper bag being opened, before she pressed the mask back onto her face where it had once sat, and turned with the green, signed, domino mask on to grin at him... although a bit nervously.

She may have also had her class scheduled gripped in the other hand, but she still wasn't quite sure how exactly to bring that up.

"Surpriiiise!"

Were jazz hands lame? Meh, she didn't care. It felt like this moment called for jazz hands.

"I support your right to run if you really want!" He said as she didn't phase, but did try to play keep away a bit. He giggled like a wee school girl as he tried to get the package from her. Before long she gave up and let him have the bag!

"Hah! You cannot get one past me, the world's greatest hero-the bags empty!" He was opening the bag and looking down into it with a confused expression, even turning it upside down and shaking it when he looked up to see her in a green domino mask... His eyes squinted for a moment as recognition started to set in... that was sorta like the one Valkyrie used as a back up when- wait.

Wait the #@$^ up. that was the mask that Valkyrie used as a back up! Like... it was signed, it was the same in every way. "Is.... is that? No way! Wow! No way! For me?!" His eyes, normally beady, were the size of dinner plates as he leaned in to get a closer look and then started freaking out. 

Out of pure excitement he jumped up a few times in place like some sort of small child jumping too much while playing video games while he reached out to receive it while restraining himself from grabbing them off her face.

Haaah! Okay, all of the awkwardness and anxiety had been worth it. Both watching him confusedly shake the empty package, and then absolutely lose it over the mask were priceless.

"It is. Yes way! I know, right?! Yes way! For you!"

Jesus Christ it was like giving a kid candy. She laughed loudly at his antics while peeling the mask gently from her face and presenting it to him. "I got it signed for you and everything."

She fidgeted from one foot to the other, watching as he did his thing with his newest super hero trinket, while reflecting on how much she had hyped the moment up in the wrong direction.

So sue her though, she was still getting used to having an actual, genuine friend and what all of that meant.

"I take it you like it, then, from all of that excited bouncing."

He was PSYCHED! He was barely able to contain himself as she handed the mask over gingerly, and he carefully accepted it, looking at it closely, inspecting the signature. It was real. This... was cool! He looked up from his admiring to eye her again. 

"Where did you... how did you? And you got it signed?! Jees, Juni, this must have cost  a fortune! I know guys who would pay thousands of dollars for something like this! And it's mine! Wow!" He knew just where it was going to go. You see, he had a custom made action figure of Valkyrie he'd chickened out on getting signed for fear of being awkward and embarrassing one of his teachers. But this? Affixed to the base? Gold. It would look so cool! The guys on the message board would FREAK.

He realized he was starting up at the ceiling. He turned his attention back to Juni, and smiled widely. "Juni, this is one of the coolest things anyone has ever gotten me!" He paused, looking at the paper in her other hand. "Oh! A certificate of authenticity? Even better!" He reached for it and plucked it out of her hands, looking down at it. At first he seemed confused, but then he did some mental acrobatics.

"Wait, this is... huh?" He looked down at her, smiling wide. "Juni... I'm proud of you."

"Yeah, but people like that wouldn't cherish it like you do. If you're gonna have something, you should at least enjoy it... not just have it so that nobody else can. I knew the second I got my hands on it that you were it's perfect owner."

Was... was this what it was like watching someone enjoy something and not getting anything out of it for selfish reasons? Like, she had no attachment to that mask, but she could have kept it and added it to her collection of interesting stolen-ish items.... She'd considered it briefly, even.

But watching Xavier lose his @#$% over it was waaaay more satisfying.

She wasn't about to answer his questions truthfully, though. She'd end up admitting that she'd helped the hero out and never hear the end of it and then when it was eventually time to leave it... it would be harder.

A sense of somberness started to creep back in and kill the contact joy she was experiencing from the tall blonde. She would still have to leave in a while... wouldn't she? That was the pattern that worked. Stay somewhere a while, live a little, and then move on before anyone could catch onto her.

Why did that make her feel distinctly sad now?

She was overtly aware of his focus ended up back on her, but wasn't fast enough to process what he was saying to prevent him from snagging the paper in her hand from her.

Cold washed over her for a second, because... it was real now. He knew. The guy who had put the idea in her head knew, and if she didn't show up now he'd be... disappointment, right?

"I was gonna tell y-" She had been so primed to defend herself for a barb or a joke, she missed what he had said all together and had to trail off mid-sentence and replay that.

...Proud?

OF HER?

Had... Had anyone ever said that to her before?

She became away at that she was staring at the mask still in his hands, and that her eyes felt itchy. Was something in her eyes? Dust? She reached up to rub one with the sleeve of one of her trophy hoodies, and blinked stupidly at the fabric when it came away a bit wet.

...the @$%#?

"Something in my eye..."

She didn't explain any further. Just... skirted around him and walked straight through her locked door. She wasn't about to cry in front of someone she'd just given a gift and ruin the whole thing, even if she didn't know why the hell her eyes were leaking in the first place.

His eyes widened a little bit as her eyes suddenly started to water. Uh oh. Had he said something wrong? What had he said? No, wait, happy tears? 

She bolted, and he blinked a few times, letting her go. He stood there for a second, and then looked at the piece of paper, blinking as something caught his attention.

Seconds later he was banging on her door. "Juniiii! You have a class in FIVE MINUTES!" Heh... intro to math started early in the day, something about not wanting to do anything heavy before coffee.

"Wanna fling ourselves for a head start?!" At this rate she would be late. He, on the other hand, had an hour before anything started for him. Maybe they could beat the buzzer, though with the two of them.

The pounding on her door started and she paused while rummaging through her kitchen cupboards to turn and blink in that direction.

A second later she physically threw her door open, wide eyed and panicked. "I HAVE A WHAT!?"

She had never before experienced the terror that being late to a class could inflict on a person, until that very moment. She may have lapsed into a silent screaming session while trying to figure out the fastest possible route to the school, until Xavier spoke up. Bold, beautiful Xavier with his big glorious brain.

"@#$% Yes!"

She slammed her door shut again, reaching through in order to lock it from the inside.

Did she care that she had slept in the hoodie she had on, and that she hadn't eaten anything for breakfast yet? Nope! She didn't want to get kicked out of her class on the first day for being a no-show, especially after Xavier had just told her he was proud of her.

@$%& @$#%@*&$# @#$@!

"How quickly can you be ready!?"

Wait, was she supposed to have a backpack and stuff? She hadn't even bought her supplies yet!

After a bit of a fuss, and a few super jumps, they managed to get her to school on time. Luckily, he remembered knee pads this time, so no scrapes!

___

Some time later, February 13th to be exact, It was arts and crafts time! You see, Juni had done something really nice for him recently. Xavier looked to his mantle, where a Valkyrie action figure stood with a signed Domino mask on its base. He smiled, and got back to his work. You see, his dad always had him hand make valentines cards when he was a kid. He used to make one for his mom every year, and bring some to class as well.

It had been a while since he'd made one... But it was like riding a bike. He had all of his supplies set out, and had already cut out a few hearts. You know, a big red one, a smaller purple one, and then an even smaller pink one, all to sit inside each other in order from largest to smallest. He was presently working on what to write.

This is where it got a little more difficult. "To the best neighbor ever!" Maybe, that one was solid. "To my friend next door!" Sure, sure. Hmm... didn't feel right. Why didn't it feel right?

He leaned back from his work, looking at the time. It was late. Valentines day was tomorrow, though! He had to think of something!

Juniper. Was. Drunk.

Normally she restrained herself to that nice little place where she was tipsy but still able to make mostly rational decisions, like not sleeping outside or going home with strangers. Safety was key, after all, and she tended to prioritize it a little more than other kids her age.

But!

The nice bunny man who has helped her get into that event had wormed his way into her head when it came to dancing and wanting to have fun, and here she was!

Giddy and giggling while she rushed haphazardly up the stairs to her floor, because she'd temporarily forgotten that the elevator existed and wanted to see if she could run up a few flights of stairs in one go.

She couldn't. She tripped half way and gave herself a slightly bloody nose, which she couldn't feel much, and then rested there on the steps for a half an hour for a quick nap.

Stair naps were a mistake by the way! All angles. Very uncomfortable! 

"I believe in a thing called love~" Thankfully that was over, and she was on her way back up the stairs. Home wasn't far away! And then bed!

Oh. but wait, she had to hell Zaaaavier about her night! She was sure he would think going to a con was super cool, and she could tell him about dancing with they bunny guy, and that he had been an adorable lightweight and-! And-!


Wait, where had her sweater gone!? She glanced over the railing and spied it on the ground at the bottom. Dang. Oh well! She'd either find it in the morning or she wouldn't!

She didn't even knock before leaping through her neighbors door with a Sh*t eating grin on her face, and maybe a bit of blood on her upper lip still, in a t-shirt and leggings that might have had pink chocolate fondue on them at one point in a few places. Also, her shoes were missing. 

"ZAAAAVIER!"

She skipped all the way into his living room and there might have been one or two cheesy kung foo movie moves involved, until she tripped and fell on his couch.

"Have you ever been to a con!? Hey, where'd my shoes go?"

...Oh well! She had other pairs.


 

Xavier was crafting for a while. Then he was stretching. Then some yawning. Then some, maybe, unexpected sleeping. What? There was only so much arts and crafting he could do after a long day fighting petty crime and rescuing cats!

So, by the time he heard the loud, slurred announcement of his name it was the sound that jerked him out of a deep slumber. 

"I'm up!" Up he was, a puddle of drool had lightly glued a misshapen heart to his face, so it acted as an odd accessory as he looked around confused to see a very drunk Juniper stumbling around. "Uh, uh... yeah? Lots? Are you? You're drunk."

He stared at her she she fell onto his couch. He was still half asleep, so he almost forgot to hastily pull the heart from his face. His eyes widened as she spied the mess of scraps. Uh oh. The actual card was somewhere in this pile! And this pile was here! And Juni was here! Oh gosh, the surprise would be ruined!

He hastily started trying to clean up and dig through the pile for the card. "Uhhh, yeah! Um, Yeah, how was your night! Are... You covered in pink paint? Wait, are you BLEEDING?!" His hand landed on the card as he noticed her wound, and without much thought ran up to her to inspect her wound.

"Juni what happened?!"

Awww, that was so cute! He was sleeping on his homework or something. Was homework normally that pink? Huh. Strange. She didn't fixate on that though because he had a heart on his face! And then the uncontrollable giggling started.

"Heart face, heart face!" She was on her back on the couch, craning her head back and slightly upside down while kicking her legs in the air like a child. "If you had twoooo of those you'd look like you were blushing hearts!" That was a silly thought. Like something out of one of the Manga's Zaid and her had talked about.

"Yep! I'm suuuper drunk! That.. that would make a funny hero name." She managed to right herself for the most part before he came running over with like, a billion questions. Jeez! Didn't he know he was supposed to talk slow for drunk people!?

"Noooo, it's not paint! It's pink chocolate! Zaid and I, oh, Zaid is this reeeeeally cool dude with suuuper cool bunny ears and a fluffy tail!" She mimicked the ears with her hands, doing a fairly good impression of how his ears had flopped around while drunk.

"He-" She hiccuped, "-he helped me get into this couples event, and then we had punch, but he didn't know the punch was like, punch, you know? And then he showed me how to do a shuffle dance, and all the single ladies, and then there was chocolate, which was pink, but it was spiked! Who spikes fondue?!" She could barely contain herself. It was hard enough not hopping up and trying to show him all of the terrible dancing she had done.

"I'm so drunk! I don't normally get this drunk, because safety and all, but maaaan that was really good chocolate! OH! and Mr. Bunny was a total lightweight, so I had to make sure he drank water and ate food, but it was okay because it was a swingers event and one of the ladies had the hots for his ears."

She blinked, a bit slowly, and focused on her feet again.

"Where are my shoes?!" She gestured at her bare feet dramatically, before her mind about faced and focused on one of the other questions he had asked.

"Oh! I got in a fight with the stairs on the way up here, but it's okay because I think I won... Even though I lost my coat in the scuffle."

He still had a heart on his skin, where the color from the paper had bled out and stained him. "Haha! You're still a heart face." She boldly poked him right in the face, dead center in the heart, which was surprisingly good aim for a drunk.