*Note – Info of my character can be found on my Deviant Art account, (link is on my bio page).
Going Pro for the Holidays
As dawn's light gave the day a bright start, its warmth melted away the sparkling snow that had frozen the roads. The chirping of a flock of small birds echoed, seeming pleased to be given a sunny morning after several days of chilling cloudy sunrises.
Finally ready to leave for work, Matti locked up her apartment and walked to her car.
Suddenly, a tan blur came near her head. She winced and ducked, turning her head to see what almost hit her.
A puffy Redstart landed on the gutter on the roof of her home. She leered at it as it sang briefly before flying away.
'Little crazy bastard,' she growled to herself, 'They're like sparrows!'
She opened her car and tossed her bag in the passenger seat. She shoved the key in the ignition and turned it with her wrist.
Her mind continued to think about the little Redstart and its clownish escapade. It reminded her of the Cardinals in North America, another bird with a peculiar choice to nest during the cold months. She was always puzzled by the way the two birds, with such colorful plumage, would want to display themselves in full view around white snow.
A tired sigh escaped. She wondered if the gunnery training Saito had given her became a second part of her subconscious.
Feeling good about the thought of her growth as a sniper, she flicked a switch to turn up the heat, and started driving to headquarters.
The day came and went. During the late afternoon, a man with a sawed-off had taken several hostages at a train station, but was swiftly apprehended by Section 9.
Before heading home, Matti drove to a recreation park, which was one town away from New Port City. There were few cars in the parking area and hardly anybody around, aside from a few teens loitering here and there.
She entered the ice rink. She rented a pair of skates and sat down to put them on. Looking around, she noticed the lack of visitors. Usually, there were shrieks of laugher from children and the adult's gossiping echoing off the tall ceiling. Today, there was only about a dozen young kids with their parents. It was a week night, which most likely explained the lack of noise.
As she stepped on to the ice, anyone who saw her could see she was a seasoned skater. Her balance never faltered and she slid smoothly, her knees bending slightly as she moved inward when a turn came. When she had to stop, her body twisted swiftly and her skating ceased abruptly.
When she continued on her second round along the rink, a person sitting in the penalty box caught the corner of her eye. She turned, looking over her shoulder to get a better look. Then, she whirled around and stopped. The man waved at her.
"What are you doing here?" Matti asked after she went over to him. She held the board.
Saito answered, "Batou said you spend your free time here. I figured I'd see what you were up to."
"Why?"
He shrugged.
"I have nothing better to do. I found it interesting when he told me that you used to play hockey. He said you were really good."
"I was." She walked onto the platform and sat next to him. "I played when I was in high school and played a lot of street hockey with the boys."
"Batou said you were notorious for penalties."
Matti laughed a little, clearly embarrassed.
"That's why they had me on defense…I was a little…too aggressive when I was center…"
"Why don't you join the local hockey group?" he suggested, "They must play on weekends, right? You could come on your days off."
She shrugged, saying, "I just play around. I don't want to have to commit to a team or anything. Besides, if I end up getting called in, they'd be down a player. I'm not looking into it."
She turned to him after adjusting the laces of her right skate.
"I hadn't planned on leaving so soon," she told him, "Why don't you join me? Then we can go out."
"No thanks," he answered, "Skating isn't my thing…"
"What, do you not know how…?" She scoffed, smirking. "I can teach you. It's really fun. You'll get the hang of it."
"I'd rather not…"
"Don't be afraid to look like a jackass, everyone does the first time!"
Saito wanted to protest that it was different when a child learns to ice skate compared to a grown man. He was the type who cherished his pride and dignity.
Knowing he would not change his mind, Matti sighed.
"Alright, ok. Anyway, do you just want to go out for a few hours? We haven't in awhile."
"I thought you didn't want to leave?"
"Eh, it's ok. I can always come back, it's only December."
Saito took her offer and they left the rink. There were a string of restaurants close by, and because it was not as chilly out, they decided to walk to one.
By the time they finished, it was dark. The temperature had dropped and the wind had become sharp. Matti tightened her hood against her head as they headed back to their cars.
Saito noticed how tackily decorated the park was as they headed to his apartment. There were small wreaths adorn with red bows and garland wrapped around light poles like green snakes.
He started to feel pity for Matti. This was her first year away from home for the holiday season. She mentioned it only once, saying that she was a little homesick, but he figured she felt more lonely now that the special day was a short time away.
"Thanks for hanging around with me," Matti said, when they reached the parking lot.
"We should do it more often," he told her.
"Things happen. At least we work together." She turned and unlocked her car.
Before she could get in the driver's seat, Saito moved in front of her, leaning against the door.
He wondered, "Hey, do you have plans for Christmas?"
Taken aback, she stared at him.
"But…you don't do Christmas," she replied, "I know that Japan doesn't do it like the Americans. I didn't plan on doing anything, really, just spend the day with Batou."
He told her, "Well, I wasn't talking about getting a tree or doing that type of thing. I meant, do you want to do a gift exchange."
He was surprised she laughed a little.
"Saito, we're adults. I'm not worrying about it," she told him, "If anything, I'll buy myself something. I didn't bring it up because I figured you didn't want to."
"I know how much you'd like to be home," he explained, "You said you used to love Christmas so, I figured you'd like to have some Christmas here."
Matti said nothing, knowing he was right. She loved this time of year not only because she could play hockey, but because it was an opportunity to be with family.
She looked at him.
"Ok, I think I know what I want…" She leaned closer to him. She held his sides and laid her cheek on his collar. "Let's you and me spend a day together. It doesn't have to be on Christmas."
Saito wrapped his arms around her and put his cheek against hers.
"That's not what I had in mind…" he muttered.
"So what, it's what I want," she answered, "I don't give a crap about presents anymore."
She moved away from him. He let her go. She opened the car door.
"You have to tell me what you want," she said, "It can be anything, alright?"
"I'll think about it." He slid his hands in his jacket pockets. "Call me when you get home."
As she drove off, he went to his car and got in. He started it up and turned the heat on. While he waited to be warmed up, he thought about what she asked from him.
Her request sounded difficult to him. She knew as well as he did that they had little time to spend together due to their hours devoted to working for Section 9. She wanted a full day for them to share? He could hardly get her out of bed in the morning on a day off.
He sighed inwardly, wondering why she could not simply asked for something material, like a bracelet, instead.
Also, he had to think about what to tell her to get him. He had nothing in mind at all that could equal what she wanted. Although, the way he felt when they had moments together, that was enough of a gift to him. She did not have to kiss him or hold him, not even touch him. All she had to do was have her presence near him and he felt…he did not really have a word for it.
Matti told him once that he seemed so cold to her at first that she was so petrified to even look at him. Now that they were close, she said that she felt the warmth he hid from everyone. He did not even know he had warmth to share with someone and was glad that she found it.
Then, he shook his head, feeling a little stupid. They both had to spend the day with each other, so it was a gift for both of them.
Saito unlocked the break and looked behind him as he backed up. He noticed an old man, the skating rink's security guard, locking up the large double doors for the night.
A scenario began to form in the sniper's head.
A week past with one incident for Section 9 to handle. A young man had strapped a home made bomb to himself under his jacket. He threatened to blow himself up at the airport. After the local swat could not talk him out of it, Section 9 had been called in. They used their usual tactics to bring him down and put him in a police van.
Batou had been irritated that the day had been wasted on a foolish act of harmless violence when Broma told him that the bomb was so poorly made that it would never have detonated by a cord switch, like it had been set up to.
The team made it back to headquarters. With a few hours left until check out, everyone went their separate ways to kill some time.
Matti chose her time to do some practice with her rifle at the basement range with Saito. She had been caught up with other work and Saito had bought a new scope for his gun that he wanted to test out.
They talked about the two rifles and how they were fairing as they shot and what had happened during the day. By the time they were finished, they were ready to head home.
"Got plans for tonight?" Saito asked.
Matti shrugged, answering, "I'm tired. I was going to go home. Why?"
"Well, I wanted to take you somewhere tonight. Do you think you'll be up for it?"
"Of course, if it's something like that," she told him, "What did you have in mind?"
"I want it to be a surprise," he said with a smirk, "I'll pick you up at your place at seven."
"Oh…alright. I'll see you then."
Saito packed his rifle and headed out the door. Matti was still breaking down her weapon. She frowned.
He knew how she hated surprises.
Like they planned, Saito picked up Matti on time. He could tell she was trying to figure out where they were headed, but he was taking a route she was unfamiliar with.
Finally, she asked, "Where are we going?"
"You'll see," he laughed, "Just relax."
A few minutes later, Matti recognized the recreational park. He pulled into the empty lot.
"Why are we here?" she wondered.
"Man, you must have been so annoying as a kid at Christmas," he joked, "You must have opened the corner of every wrapped gift to see what you got before you were suppose to!"
"No I was-" She paused. "This is my Christmas present?"
Saito only smiled and left he car. Matti quickly followed suit and tailed him to the side of the building.
"This place is closed on Mondays," she said, watching as he knocked on a single wooden door, "What're you doing?"
He told her, "Just be quiet, alright? I have everything set up."
Five minutes of silence past before an old man opened the door. He looked to be in his sixties and wore an ancient pair of jeans, a faded black jacket, and a seemingly brand new black beanie.
"You're early," he said to Saito.
"I thought it would be harder to convince her to come out tonight," he answered.
The old man looked at Matti for a moment, then chuckled and stepped aside for them to go inside.
"She does looks pretty enough to be worth it, buddy. Everything is open, so help yourself."
He lead the two down a corridor and out another door, which opened up to the sitting area of the rink. The lights were on and the room was empty.
Matti turned when the door closed behind them due to the security guard leaving them alone. She then followed Saito to the desk where skates were rented from. He walked through the open door, where she could see him in the backroom on the other side. He started looking through the different sizes from the racks against the wall.
"What size are you?"
She just looked at him with mild surprise.
"What size…? Saito, what the hell? How did you set this up? This place is closed!"
A little annoyed, he answered, "Just tell me what size you are."
Matti told him and took the pair of skates. She sat on a bench across from him as she put them on.
"I know we can't spend an entire day together like you wanted," he finally explained, "So I came up with this instead. The old man agreed that we have two hours to stay here. We won't be interrupted, but we have to leave when he says."
"But…" She stopped, unsure what to say. "You don't…"
"I figured I'd give it a try." He smirked. "You said you'd teach me."
Matti finished tying the laces of her skates and made a busy time doing so. She had not expected him to do such a thing for her. She figured he would take her shopping and dinner once they got the time.
"…you haven't said what you wanted."
"Hmm?" He had not heard what he said as he tried to make sure his left skate was tight enough. He was starting to feel anxious.
Louder, she repeated, "You haven't told me what you wanted."
"This is what I want."
"What?" She was confused.
"Being with you, making you happy is what I want," he said, "So this is a joint gift for both of us."
Matti stood. She folded her arms to feel a little more comfortable in the chilly room.
"This is like a cliché movie," she noticed with a laugh.
"Don't ruin this," he muttered. He wobbled slightly when he got up. He looked at Matti when she grabbed his arm. She grinned.
"Oh, this is going to be fun."
"See, wasn't that fun?" Matti giggled, "Learning something new isn't so bad!"
Saito remained silent, inwardly not agreeing with her. His backside ached as they walked back to his car in the dark. He had his arm around her back as she held his arm.
"You weren't that bad," she commented, seeing how bothered he was, "You fell, what, just four times? That's not bad at all! You should have seen me when I first skated as a kid."
"Look at you now," he said, "You were doing laps around me…"
"I was showing you how to control your speed," she explained defensively.
Saito felt a dull pulse on his temple, above his left eye. At one point, she was holding his hands while trying to help him, when he slipped backwards. She tried to pull him forward, but used too much force and knocked heads. She laughed hysterically while he fumed at the stupidity in their actions when he finally gained his balance back. He lightly ran his finger over the area and nearly groaned at the coming bruise he was sure he was feeling.
"I really did like this," she told him quietly, "It was what I wanted and I didn't know it."
"I knew you would." He laughed a little. "But…I don't think I will ever skate again."
"Heh, I figured as much," she said, "Don't worry about it."
He lead her to the passenger side of the car, however, she stopped him before he could open the door for her.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Matti asked worriedly, "I don't mind buying you something."
He sighed tiredly and sat his arm on the roof of the car. He noticed snow started to drizzle down, seeing some of the crystals fall on the dark parts of her hair as she gazed at him. He felt a little awkward as she waited for an answer. He was not sure what to say.
"This is what I want." To her surprise, he leaned down and kissed her. "It's really what I wanted tonight."
Matti laid her hands on his chest as he kissed her again. Within a few passing seconds, she felt breathless. They had not been dating for long; each time he made the move she was moved by it. She hugged him after he pulled away. She leaned her cheek on his shoulder. A sigh left her, causing a brief thin cloud hovering over her face.
It had taken her a long time to be comfortable with him and she was glad she took the steps to be with him. At first, she did not even know how well they clicked, but after a year or so, it hit her; He made her speak up when she was too afraid to and she removed the stoic mask he had on for the world.
Saito held her close. Despite the sharp chill and the steadily gathering snow, he was not cold. The pain in his backside had changed to a dull ache and the bruise on his face hardly made itself known.
He realized that she had taken him away from the world and all he could feel was her warmth. Knowing how she felt around him, finally, caused him to never want to let her go.
Hope you enjoyed, even though this was something quick I wanted to post with a holiday/winter theme! R&R here or on Deviant Art where this is also posted! Merry Christmas!