Been a minute, but I managed to get a little something else done before 08. I honestly didn't mean for this to end up as long as it ended up being. I figured a thousand words or so, something to share Christmas cheer. But it ended up being a nice deal more. Not that I'm complaining. Anyway, Merry Christmas, hope you enjoyed your other holidays if you celebrate something different, and let's get to it, and hope you enjoy this as well.

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Christmas Lights

When you take into account the cost of Christmas, it really becomes overwhelming if you want to do it 'right', especially your first year on your own. You've got the tree, colored lights that always burn out at inopportune times, ornaments to dress up the tree and presents, as well as the money that a young man has to spend on wooing a young woman. Of course, this does not take into account the aspect of time which cannot be given a distinct value, as well as that of one's own pride. Taichi Yagami was finding out, the hard way, just how expensive his first Christmas was going to cost him, but at the same time, there's much more to Christmas than just buying. Sometimes, if you just dig a little deeper, you'll be able to find what you're really looking for.

"Taichi… Taichi…"

There it was again, that faraway but strangely familiar voice that pierced through his sleep addled mind and attempted to rouse him from the most delicious dream starring himself in the state of soccer superstardom that he so richly deserved, with his girlfriend, Tachikawa Mimi, hanging all over him and peppering his neck with the kisses she'd managed to perfect god knows when. All that really mattered was that the two of them were together; he was rich, renowned around the world and able to give her whatever she wanted. Too bad reality wasn't as kind.

"Yagami!" Mimi snapped finally, bringing the pillow down hard across her boyfriend's face, smirking as he sputtered and attempted to crawl out of the mess of blankets that had managed to bind his limbs to the bed. "It's about time… your mother wasn't kidding when she said she had to go all out waking you up when you were younger. I swear, give the boys an extra day or two off and they just start slacking off right away." Taichi could only glare up at her from his still compromised position, wrestling the bedclothes off his body and climbing to his feet, Mimi's smirk turning to that adorable smile of hers. "I don't know how you do it Taichi, but your hair looks tamer when you just wake up than it does after you step out of the shower."

"Yeah well, at least I can get done in ten minutes rather than the forty-five it takes you to get ready," he grumbled back, half-heartedly making his way to the bathroom. "What's up with waking me at… eight anyway?"

"Well I'm headed to work silly," she smiled, moving with him to the bathroom mirror and working on getting her earrings into place as Tai brushed his teeth, looking obviously uninterested, the brush moving back and forth rhythmically. "And I wanted to be sure to tell you, face to face, that the lights need to go up, today. I left you a note too, but I figure that this way you can't weasel out of it, hmm?" Finishing up, she touched her earrings experimentally and then bumped her hip against his with a laugh. "Don't waste too much time okay?"

Too tired to mumble around the toothbrush, he waved his hand tiredly and closed his eyes, hand moving back and forth mechanically as Mimi headed out. Well, no need to worry about getting it done right away, he still had all day after all…

"And try to get it done soon, okay? That way you can spend the rest of the day napping and you won't have to worry about it hanging over your head."

Spitting, he whipped the excess mixture of slobber and toothpaste from around his mouth, sighing heavily before calling over his shoulder, "Yes mother…"

"Well, you obviously can't take care of yourself yet, so it falls to me, hmm?" Mimi laughed, taking it all in stride and closing the door behind her. Tai chuckled, washing his hands and feeling a little more alert at least. Truth be told, he had been planning for Christmas Eve since about August, managing to get them a table at one of the classiest restaurants in town. On top of that, he managed to have her Christmas gifts before the holiday rush went into full swing, and even went so far as to get his suit and tie prepared the week before, just so their Christmas Eve date could go off without a hitch. He had done everything right, and it was shaping up to be a perfect first Christmas together in the same house, all that was left were the lights.

"And they were working just fine last week," he smirked, washing his face as he tried to look presentable to the outside world, though it would take more than just a washcloth and some warm water. Shower, fix up his hair, put the lights into place, maybe go around town a little, then back to bed, sounded like a great way to spend a day off. Then again, reality is rarely ever as kind as the ideals we have, even if we do plan ahead, because no matter how precise we are, something can always go wrong.

Plugging in the lights a handful of minutes later, Taichi was more than a little surprised to find out that the entire strand had, somehow, burnt itself out in the week since he had gone out with Mimi. In fact, for the past week she'd been casually reminding him to try and get the lights up, but he hadn't paid attention, and now he was in trouble. "…Crap."

Rushing back into the small house, he scrambled about in an attempt to find the receipt that he had so vehemently expressed was 'unnecessary' and 'a waste of time to hold onto'. Course, he hadn't planned on this happening. "Crap, crap, crap!" he hissed through his teeth as he realized that the tiny slip of paper was long since gone, gone with the weekly trash pick-up, and so were his hopes of getting his money back for the defective lights. Only one thing to do, and it was something he was dreading. Pulling on his coat, he stuffed the lights back into the box and lifted it under his arm. Going out to be around the people was one thing, but shopping, the day before Christmas Eve, well that was just asking for trouble. He could only hope that customer service would be willing to listen to his story.

"Forty dollars for Christmas lights?" he snapped, slamming his hand down on the counter and narrowing his eyes at the clerk. The listening to the story was not going well at all. Especially considering that this was the fourth store he had gone to today, and none of them wanted to listen. He had been 'escorted' out of the other three, and seemed to be headed in the same direction now. "I just bought these last week and none of them work, and now you're going to charge me for an entirely new set? What kind of business are you trying to run here?"

The clerk, a pretty young thing of about eighteen glanced up and shook her head as she tucked a few hairs back behind her ear. The smile, horribly fake and strained, was probably only supported by the fact that she was taking some pleasure in making Tai's life utterly miserable. That had to be it, why else would she be so difficult? "I'm sorry sir, but without a receipt, the best I can do is give you half credit in our store. If you don't like that, I'm certain that you could replace some of the bulbs and…"

"I don't think you understand," Taichi laughed a little before putting his face inches from hers, expression cold and serious, like street asphalt after a good icing. "I, must, have, these lights, my girlfriend is counting on our first Christmas together to be the best one possible, and I can't do that without Christmas lights!"

"Well, maybe you should have thought of that a week ago instead of two days before Christmas, now shouldn't you?" she smiled sweetly before pushing the page button, a large security guard appearing from the shadows behind Taichi and dragging him, kicking and screaming, out of the store. His busted lights quickly followed, landing hard on his lap as he jumped to his feet, stuffing the box under his arm and grumbling as he stomped back to the bus stop. The wind howled and cars screeched and honked as everyone tried to get their hands on the remaining deals before the sales ended, and he had to wonder, when had he started to hate Christmas?

Sitting down hard on the bench he prepared for the long wait, drumming his thumbs against the box of Christmas lights. He could make it, no problem, all he had to do was just wait. In silence. With absolutely nothing to occupy his mind except how badly he was screwing up his first Christmas with her. His fingers flipped open the cell, pushing the speed dial and waiting, tapping his foot impatiently. Once, twice, th- "Ishida residence, Yamato here, what can I do for you?"

"Matt, jeez, what took you so long, I'm losing my mind out here, they wouldn't let me return the lights!" Tai said, the frustration obvious in his voice, his blond friend smiling a little as he turned back to setting the table, secretly grateful for Taichi's call, as it saved him from the absolute boredom of setting a table for two. "I just don't get it, they worked perfectly the first time I plugged them in, but then when I went to put them on our place, none of them would light up. It, ugh, Matt, help!"

"Would if I could Tai, but I've got to get ready for tomorrow, I'm cooking for my wife you know, and that's a chore in and of itself." Even though he knew Tai couldn't see, Matt winked and shook his head as he went back to find the silverware. "What with the pregnancy and all, she's become incredibly difficult to satisfy, but she's been away, celebrating with her family for a week, and I want to surprise her. My lights are stretched thin enough as it is, I barely got around the house and the tree."

"Not even for poor me?"

"Not even for you Taichi, why can't you just shell out the money and buy some new lights?"

"I'm taking Mimi out for dinner, and the money's tight enough as it is, there's no way that I can afford forty dollar lights and dinner on top of that."

"Just go somewhere a little cheaper then, I'm sure Mimi won't mind. She's a bit of a princess, sure, but I bet she'll be happy just to be able to spend time with you."

"…" Taichi was silent for a long moment, then sighed, shaking his head. "You just don't get it Matt…"

"Tai, what…" the phone disconnected, leaving the line quiet save for a gentle hum in the background, Matt obviously confused while Taichi buried his face in his hands as the bus pulled up.

"You don't get that everything has to be perfect…"

The bus ride felt like an age, and was only made worse by the constant starts and stops, passengers getting on and off like it was nothing, the world whizzing by as he just stared at the windows. Children clinging to the hands and arms of their parents, pointing excitedly at gifts that had either already been bought for them, or would be circumvented by saying that it would be there next year. Course, they'd probably forget, both children and parents, but that was part of the season, getting so caught up and then tossing it aside. It never stuck around, it seemed, and it was really beginning to irritate poor Taichi. Lovers walking hand in hand, or arm in arm, huddling close to each other for warmth, smiles and surprises waiting for the women come the next evening and, if the men played their cards right, a welcome surprise for them as well.

"Christmas," Tai snorted, fogging up the window, keeping his eyes on the people walking outside the bus as he wrote a rather shaky looking 'Sucks' into the freshly fogged pane. Okay, truth be told, Tai loved Christmas, always had, it was an exciting time, but recently life had become a lot more for him to deal with. After moving in with Mimi once they started dating, he began to realize what it meant to be an adult, having bills to pay, putting food on the table, fixing things when they went wrong or calling in a professional. He would have been in over his head if Mimi hadn't taken the time to teach him how to budget his money, and he'd been sticking to it as best he could, but thanks to Christmas he was already in over his head, and would be working for weeks to try and get back on it.

"Why does Christmas have to be so frustrating?" he hissed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes. "I never thought it would be this bad when I was growing up."

"That's part of the magic when you're growing up, isn't it?" a voice chuckled, the slick imitation leather shifting under him as someone sat down, rather large considering the heat he gave off. "Everything just looks so simple, or at least doable, but then when you finally get there, it just seems impossible."

Grunting, Tai laid an arm over his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh of agreement. "No kidding, I've stretched myself as far as I can and I still can't get the lights up in time for Christmas, I just can't afford it, but if I don't then I'll never be able to make Mimi happy."

"You're looking at this all wrong," the man chuckled, the seat shaking. "You see, it's not about what you get them, it's about how you give it to them. Right now you're at a crossroads my young friend, if you shoot for perfection then you'll never be satisfied, but if you try to make this young lady of yours happy, well then, I don't see any reason why you still can't enjoy the season."

"But I just want to be able to show her that I can provide for her, that she doesn't need to worry about the future, that we can things can work."

"Sounds like a bit more than wanting just Christmas to go off without a hitch. Could it be that you're convinced this girl is the one for you?"

"…Maybe," Taichi grunted, moving his arm to rub at his eyes with his palms. "It's just that Mimi is this incredible woman, and whenever I try to do something special it blows up in my face, like when I tried to cook for her for her birthday. I ended up burning everything, and needing to get taken to the emergency room for burns myself."

"You're aiming too high m'boy, it's not about going as big as you can, it's about putting your heart and soul into whatever you do, and giving them that, to let them know how much you care. And you shouldn't be afraid to ask them what they want; sometimes you don't know the person as well as you might think. After all, it can only help." With another chuckle, he laid a hand on Taichi's shoulder giving a friendly squeeze. "Take it from an old man, women know better than their men what they want."

Grunting again, Tai cracked an eye open, smiling a little at the large man, full white beard and bald head. He raised an eyebrow, and the old man winked, squeezing his shoulder again as he got to his feet and heading down the aisle. "Have a Merry Christmas, Taichi, I'm sure that Mimi won't mind in the least, regardless of what happens, as long as you two are together."

"Thanks old man," he smirked, frowning as his companion stepped off the bus and disappeared into the crowd. "But… how'd you know who I was?" The bus shook and groaned as it began to head back down the street again, once more leaving Taichi with his thoughts as he headed home.

And, so here he was, struggling with several strings of working Christmas lights in the chilly air as the sun disappeared behind the skyline of Odaiba, Mimi standing behind him and frowning a little bit. "I thought we agreed that you were going to put these up today, why did you wait so long to get started? You always do this Taichi…"

Biting his tongue, he held back a rather scathing response, attempting to remember the old man's words from a few hours ago. "I tried but turns out the lights didn't feel like working this year. I ran around town today, trying to get some replacements, but no one seemed interested. So I bought some new ones."

"…Where are the old lights then?" Mimi asked, walking up behind him and standing on her toes to look over his shoulder, then ducking down to look under his upraised arm. "You didn't throw them out did you?"

"Nope, I'm going to try and return them after Christmas, it's not like we can really use them anyway." He glanced back at her, his girlfriend smiling cheerfully and prodding his back slightly, egging him on, so he quickly added, "I put them in the newer light box that I bought; it should still be on the table."

"Okay!" And in a flash she was gone. Shaking his head, he smirked and went back to his work, finding it easier as he went along. Forty dollars, plus tax, more over budget, but the smile on her face was well worth it, though she seemed really excited about the busted strings of lights. Shrugging, he continued, until he heard a slight pop from inside the house. "I think I've got it!" she called from within.

And there, right in the entrance, an explosion of colored lights littered the floor, greens, blues, whites, reds, and Mimi, grinning madly and holding part of it up over her head. "Never doubt the power of a woman Taichi, for we are smart, strong, and utterly ruthless in our desires to overcome obstacles!" Winking at her boyfriend, she tossed another strand around his neck and pulled him close to her, planning a light kiss on his lips. "Also, try replacing the bulbs next time, it's much cheaper than going out and buying an entire new box of lights."

"…How…?"

"Tai honey, I spent nearly half a dozen Christmases in the States, and my family loved to go big for the holidays. You think I honestly wouldn't know how to string up lights?" Pinching his cheek, she laughed. "I just like to see you struggle from time to time, it's cute." With another kiss, she gave him a slight shove and placed the lights in his hands. "Now, hurry up and put these lights up too, tomorrow's Christmas Eve and I want you to tell me where we're going so that I know what dress to wear."

With a little laugh, Tai turned and went back outside, determined, finally, to finish getting the lights up on the small house of theirs. She was worth it, pushing a little bit further beyond what he was comfortable with, breaking the rules, just so that he could see the smile on her face, hear her laugh and even hold her just one more time. Maybe Christmas wasn't all that bad after all, maybe he could get used to it, even as difficult as it was now. Besides, they had lights and a decked out tree now, so next year would be easier right?

He could only hope, as one of the lights towards the beginning of the strand made a strangled pop, the rest of the lights going dark in sync with the first. A wail of frustration followed shortly after.

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Love? Hate? Drop me a review and let me know, huh? Peace, enjoy your new year.