Christmas "Meme"

[snakewithbaggage]

Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Suzu ga naru
Suzu no rizumu ni hikari no wa ga mau
Jingle Bells! Jingle Bells!
Suzu ga naru
Mori ni hayashi ni hibikinagara

Welcome to the Dinohouse Christmas "meme"! This is going to work a bit differently from most memes, but still free free to do what you want here!

The idea:
Following this post I will be making an assortment of Universe/Location "thread" comments. These will define the specific scene and universe being worked in. Comments by applicable characters will follow under that comment.

Example:
Mushverse; Shiba Mansion; open to Shinkengers

Comments following that would all be set in the Mushverse universe, be by any Shinkengers that want to participate, and take place at the Shiba Mansion Christmas party. Think of it sort of like every "top level" comment is its own post to the community.

Following that example, if your desired AU/Canon/etc isn't there, feel free to make a "thread" for it! Say there's already a Mushverse Go-busters "thread", and you want to do something in Aibouverse, or something more canon, maybe just between two characters? Make one!

Comments following the "thread" headings can be group setting free for all, or between individuals. Say it's a canon GokaiGalleon party, and Gai and Luka want to go off alone, or are on their way to the Galleon together? Their thread can be a separate second level comment thread beneath the main Canon Gokaiger thread.

I know that's a lot of information/qualifiers, but don't let it make you nervous to post, "rules" are fluid, and mainly set for added organization.

HAVE FUN. And enjoy the season!

Comments

[redgreeed]

Mushverse; Cous Coussier; Open to all of Mushverse

[keijisan]

I am just sitting at a table with a cup of cocoa and watching the party, looking deeply content.

[izumihina]

I didn't even tell oniichan I was coming home.

I hope he's surprised.

[keijisan]

It takes me a minute before I catch sight of her, and I jump a little when I do, nearly slamming my knee on the underside of the table and upsetting my cocoa before I gather the presence of mind to stand up, my whole face lighting up.

"Hina?"

[izumihina]

He's near the door, so it's not too awkward. But I still have bags flapping about me as I fly into his arms, squeezing him tightly, happily, as I nestle into him. "Oniichan!"

Oops. Not too tightly. I don't want to hurt him!

[keijisan]

"Oof!" I wheeze, laughing and hugging her back as hard as I can, breathing in against her arms compressing my ribs. "How are you!"

[izumihina]

"Good, really good," I pull back, hands still on his slim hips, so I can smile up into his face. He looks happy, I think.

I think.

"I had an excellent flight. I talked the whole way to a lady who's opening a dress shop in Tokyo. She has such great ideas! But tell me about you, oniichan."

I wave to Chiyoko-san. I'll go see her properly soon, but for now I'll put my bags down and pull oniichan back into a seat with me.

[keijisan]

"I'm fine," I say, mussing her hair gently. "Trying to settle in here. ...a lot of things have been happening."

[izumihina]

I try to give him a reproving look as I smooth my hair with my hands, but I can't, I'm too happy to see him.

"What is it? What's been happening?"

[hinooo]

I'm humming absently under my breath as I refill everyone's drinks. It'll be a fun night. It's started well already.

I'm not looking for anyone in particular.

[redgreeed]

I haven't been back since... since that night, since I left early that morning and wandered. It hasn't been that long, not in regular time, but it feels like it's been months. Maybe longer.

Comparable to the time I spent as a a broken medal in Eiji's pocket.

Clutched tightly in his warm hand.

Date drags me to Cous Coussier's Christmas event. He doesn't say anything specific, just that 'it's time'. But he gives me this look that says it's high time I confront this demon.

I agree, because I... I miss him. I miss Eiji. I miss my idiot and how whole he makes me feel.

Date nudges me inside first, then wanders off immediately, leaving me standing there, arms crossed and staring at the floor.

[hinooo]

I'm bustling past the doorway with a trayful of dirty dishes when I nearly trip over nothing.

I turn, wide-eyed.

He's here. I break into a smile, but he's... staring at the floor. My smile wobbles, a little, but I force it back up on both sides of my mouth. "Ankh," I say softly.

[redgreeed]

Even if I was blind, I would have still seen him, sensed him, bustling past. Nearly tripping, and then turning his eyes on me. I can sense his presence in pitch darkness, can feel his gestures and cues as if they're my own.

At the sound of my name from him I draw in a shaky, unsuccessfully steadying breath. I look up, at his face, at the forced nature of his smile.

Is he putting on an act? Is he pretending to be happy to see me?

"Eiji," I sway slightly, torn between rushing at him, gathering him up in my arms and never letting him go, and turning around, leaving his life free and peaceful without me in it.

I remember Date's words, that I help him in ways I don't even know about, that we can learn together what we can be for each other now. How to be Eiji and Ankh in our new lives together.

There aren't tears in my eyes, but they sting like there will be any moment. "Eiji... I'm sorry. So sorry."

[hinooo]

He looks so small.

So lost.

I stare at him for a long moment, helpless, poised on a knife edge, not sure what to do...

Then he apologises, his voice breaks, and suddenly it's very easy. I dump my armful on the nearest table and stride towards him, enfolding him in my arms.

"Stop apologising, I'm fine," I tell him with fierce love. I'm shaking, but I'm holding him tightly, safely, with me, and anyone who tries to take him away will have a fight on their hands.

[redgreeed]

He drops off his armful of dishes and then launches himself at me, arms wrapped tight around me. I tremble, my knees going weak for a moment as I lean into him, breathing him in.

My arms hesitantly wrap around him in return, and I turn my head to press my face to his neck, a violent shudder of emotion running through me. "I'm still sorry. I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, and I'm sorry I left after. I just. I needed to."

A trembly breath, a shaky exhale.

I don't deserve him, and maybe that's okay. Maybe it's not about deserving him. Maybe I should just be happy that someone such as him can have so much love in their heart for someone such as me.

Maybe no one ever 'deserves' the people that love them.

[hinooo]

He presses his face against my neck. He fits so perfectly against me, but he feels so fragile...

"Oi," I say firmly, putting aside my anxieties for now. "I need to talk to you about that. And most importantly I need to listen to you. But don't apologise because you think I'm angry, or because you think I don't want you around."

I turn my head and press my lips against his hair, aching, rejoicing, exulting at the feel of it against my lips. "You can do whatever you need to, any time, as long as you come back to me, okay? Because what I need is you."

[redgreeed]

"That's not why I'm apologizing." I shake my head, sniffling, even though I'm not really crying. Not really. "I'm apologizing just because I need to."

He kisses my hair, and speaks against me, warm and soft, but firm. And then he says he needs me and I very nearly break right there.

I still don't know how he needs me, how he could possibly need me now. But I'm not about to protest. I selfishly want to be near him. Always. Even I'm never actually needed, if I can never help him.

He's Eiji. My idiot. My heart and soul.

[catcameback]

I manage to escape the house before Jou sets it on fire, or Yuusuke knocks us all out with fumes from his handy dandy best friend fire extinguisher.

But that doesn't really leave me with anywhere to go.

Why I keep ending up back at this stupid restaurant, I'll never know.

[keepitreal]

So I might have been a hermiting beetle for the past while. Maybe. That doesn't mean I won't make at least a small appearance, poking my head in at the Cous Coussier.

What a place, right? I make a grumpy sort of face, but I slide inside anyway, shrugging my coat a little closer anyway.

[catcameback]

I'm still standing right in the doorway, trying to avoid any emotional shrapnel from any of the sundry and assorted angles. This place is even more riddled with landmines than home, what with Ankh and Eiji skirting around each other over there, both Births doing something else in another corner, and the not-Ankh detective whose name I have already forgotten with his sister right in the middle of the restaurant.

Sigh.

I'm just turning around to leave when I walk right into green leather and and a lingering cloud of grumpiness.

"Uva!"

[keepitreal]

I hardly notice when a yellow bundle of not-so-cat bumps into me, but it shocks me out of my fugue. I step back a little, "Oi, watch out. Don't know what you'll hit when you're rocketing around like that."

I swear I wanted to sound more mad and less gently chiding and concerned when I said that, but oh well. Cat's out of the bag so to speak. "Kazari."

[catcameback]

"I'm glad you're not dead again!"

Oh, come on, even I know that's pathetic. I don't even care about him that much, I'm sure I don't, but. Damn it.

Why do I care if I care about him anyway? That's what humans do, is make fools of themselves in front of people they're interested in, and the ones worth keeping are they ones you don't scare away. That's what I've learned from my human parents.

"I just mean. You... well, I don't know where you were for a while there. I guess we've all been busy, though. Um. Hi."

[keepitreal]

"Shut up," I grumble for a second, before I correct myself, rubbing the back of my neck. "Sorry. Nah, it's my fault. I'll be around more often, all right? I sleep more when it's cold, that's all." It's a piss-poor excuse and I know it, but I felt like I couldn't just... not say anything. I felt bad about it.

Stupid human body with its stupid squishy inclinations.

"But hi."

[catcameback]

Well, he hasn't changed much, has he. I bet he's not having massive crises of whether he's human, or Greeed, or Zodiarts or. Whatever. Whether his family is in danger or dying or dead or...

I hiss a little, mostly at myself, and then take a step back, back into the restaurant.

"You're here, though. So I guess you wanted to see us, huh?" I smirk, then glance around, trying to find a table that is equidistant from the most annoying people in the restaurant. "Wanna get something to eat? While we're here?"

[keepitreal]

"'Us' is a broad term, but I guess." Really, I wanted to see Kazari, as weird as it was. That's what I felt the worst for--skipping out on the others... I'm not sure; Mezool and Gamel had each other. Ankh was... Ankh. Who did Kazari really have that was close and familiar?

But that's too pitying for both his tastes and mine, isn't it. Gross. At the very least he needs someone to make sure he doesn't get in over his head.

"You pick something; I'm not too sure on the menu here. How, uh. How have things been?"

Smooth. Yeah. Smooth like sandpaper. Or a bag of rocks.