Day 1: Mistletoe
Lisa shouldn't be surprised, no.
Twelve isn't the kind of guy who waits for the perfect moment to just arrive. He doesn't rely on happy coincidences or luck to get what he wants. He is the kind of person that fabricates unforgettable memories with the confidence and expertise of somebody who stopped believing in the machinations of fate a long time ago.
She realizes a moment too late why he had pulled her back as they were passing the big Christmas tree standing tall in the middle of Shinjuku park, and why he had let Nine and Five go ahead without warning them that they were stopping.
"Look, isn't it pretty?"
She looks away from the two figures still walking ahead of them and turns towards Twelve as he tilts his head back to stare in awe at the green giant before him, decorated with several colored lights and comically large baubles. Her lips curve, taking in the unadulterated joy on his features and feeling him lightly squeeze her hand with enthusiasm. She doesn't care about the tree, the decorations or the pretty lights, there is nothing like seeing Twelve's face light up with excitement, brown eyes wide and glowing.
They stand there for a couple of minutes, with Twelve admiring the display of lights and with Lisa enjoying his almost child-like fascination as he names all the different decorations, oblivious to the fact that she's looking at him and not at the tree.
A giggling couple walks by them and Lisa snaps out of her reverie, suddenly aware that Nine and Five have long disappeared from sight.
"Twelve," she tugs on his hand to catch his attention "I think Nine and Five left us behind,"
He turns to her and then looks dramatically around for several seconds before grinning "Uh-oh, seems like it,"
She blinks at him, wondering why he seems so happy about that.
He lets go of her hand and unzips the top of his jacket, reaching inside and quickly producing a familiar Christmas ornament that makes Lisa's eyes go wide.
He laughs at the way her stare is now glued to the green vine as he slowly lifts it above their heads.
"I take it you know what this is?"
Lisa manages to pry her eyes from the leafy sprig to look at him, heat rushing to her cheeks as he slowly starts closing the distance between them.
Twelve reaches up with his other hand to pluck a berry from the small bush, mouth curving at Lisa's baffled look before he wraps an arm around her waist and leans down to press his lips gently against hers.
Lisa closes her eyes, hands instinctively holding onto his arms for support in case her legs decide to give out underneath her. It would be a little bit embarrassing if she crumbled to the floor mid-kiss… not that she doesn't trust him to catch her. He always does.
But she wants the extra touch and her body happily obliges when he pulls her closer as the kiss deepens. She feels herself smile when he starts running his tongue teasingly over her bottom lip, and she takes reward in his surprised hesitation when she parts her lips to return the gesture. There is no need to be fearful anymore. Shy, guarded, paranoid Lisa disappears when he is with her and she's more than happy to wave her goodbye, even if it's temporary, even if she creeps back in when she least expects it.
Twelve pulls back after a minute, much to Lisa's disappointment. "You need to breathe, Lisa"
Her eyes widen, unaware of how winded she is until he points it out.
He takes her hand again and turns to face the tree one more time, committing to memory every detail on it, promising himself that no matter what, he will never forget this moment "Happy holidays, Lisa,"
"Happy holidays, Twelve," she returns softly, finally taking a moment to consider their surroundings.
Happy couples are brushing past them and the squeal of children fills the air as they tug on their parents' hands in an attempt to quicken their pace so they can get as close as possible to the stunning centerpiece of the park.
Not long ago she would have given everything to trade places with any of them, with the kid swinging between his parents' arms to the overly cute couples, holding hands and sneaking forehead kisses.
She didn't believe she'd ever get to experience even a fraction of that kind of undiluted happiness.
She beams at Twelve as his phone rings and he cringes. She takes the mistletoe from his hand and he hesitantly slides his thumb over the screen, knowing full well he is about to get an earful from Nine. She listens in, giggling when Five's angry shouting cuts off Nine mid-sentence and they start arguing with each other, forgetting about Twelve for a full minute before they both start lecturing him again.
Lisa glances at the people around her one more time and then stares at the small plant in her hand, looking fresh even though she was sure Twelve had been carrying it around inside his jacket for most of the day. He had done this for her. Just for her.
She clutches the mistletoe to her chest–which still has a couple more berries on it—and smiles up at the Christmas tree. She wouldn't dream of trading places with anyone in the world.
Lisa plucks another berry as Twelve ends the call and then looks up at him with a glint in her eye. Maybe she should learn from him and start taking control of the special moments in her life.
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Dolce S.- So this is the first on a series of Christmasy one-shots that I intend to write during the month. Once again work is interfering with my Hisalisa time...(or is it the other way around? priorities, man) and I ended up writing this at 2 am and it's almost 4 now. I had originally planned to write one drabble/one-shot each day for the entire month (as a personal challenge) but alas, work refuses to leave me alone. I'll probably be able to update more often after the 8th but I can't promise anything. I suck, I'm sorry.
Oh, btw, prompts are more than welcome, I already have a short list but your ideas are probably better than mine so don't hesitate to share.