Sequel to Thanksgiving, part two to my Holiday shots
"Fuck, it's coooooooooooold!" wailed Angi, trying to bury herself into her already oversized marshmallow coat. She, Tasha, Matt, and Tai were outside in the snow-covered city, window-shopping or actually buying something. Holiday lights were blinking about on streetlamps and buildings, signaling that Christmas was very well near.
Actually, to be quite frank, it was literally tomorrow.
"Stop complaining. At least Christmas is tomorrow and you can get everything you want," Tai told her. "And plus, why didn't you wear your gloves? You freeze faster than anyone I ever known!"
"Shut up, Goggles!" Angi snapped back, her cheeks already red from the cold air.
Tasha laughed and glomped Angi. "Oh come on, he does have a point!"
"You-of all people-taking Goggles' side in his logic? The world is ending," Angi muttered.
"Don't be such a drama queen, Angi," Matt chided.
"Mattie boy, I will break your pretty face into pieces if you chide me one more time," she retorted, flexing her already frozen fingers toward Matt before flexing them at the sky. "Anyone notice that the sun is out and it's thirty degrees out here?"
"I did!" Tasha said, enthusiastically. "But that's to be expected in the Windy City, right?"
"Exacta!" Angi replied, a grin on her face before speaking to the boys. "When do you guys go back to Odaiba?"
"Day after Christmas," Tai answered. "We're planning on getting back there before New Year."
"Ugh, it's gonna be so lame without you two here to tolerate us," Tasha groaned before walking little ways ahead, glancing at the window of two different stores.
"What do you mean by tolerate?" Tai asked. "You weren't the one getting tackled to the floor over a piece of pie!"
"I apologized for that!" Angi exclaimed indignantly. "And it was literally a month ago!"
"That doesn't matter! You're violent when it comes to pie!"
"…You just NOW realize that?"
"And you're the supposed oldest," laughed Matt.
"Only by a year!"
"Aren't you supposed to be mature and ladylike?"
"Sweetie, I am no such thing and you both love me for it."
"Imagine her being mature and ladylike," Tasha said with a laugh.
Matt and Tai shuddered at the very idea.
"That's just scary," Matt commented.
"Ditto," added Tai with a leftover shudder.
Angi pouted. "Thanks a lot, you two. I'm taking your presents back!"
"You got us something?" Tai asked her.
"I'm taking them back!"
"Don't do it!"
Tai glomped Angi into a pile of snow, causing her to scream. Matt and Tasha stared.
"Tai, I don't think jumping her like that will guarantee you weren't about to bang her," Tasha said.
"TASHA!" Angi threw a handful of snow at the younger girl, who promptly pulled Matt to shield her so the snow hit the blonde instead.
Angi shoved Tai off of her and he landed in the snow pile next to her. "DAMMIT, TASHA! YOU USED MATT AS A SHIELD!"
"I sure did!" Tasha stuck out her tongue until Matt shoved her into the snow.
"Revenge shove, Matt? Really?" laughed Tasha, wiping some of the snow out of her hair.
"You deserved it, using me as a shield," Matt replied with a smirk before getting another face-full of snow.
Angi and Tasha doubled over laughing as Matt glared toward a smug-looking Tai. "Got another face-full, Mattie!" Angi choked out before falling onto her back.
"I'm dying!" Tasha gasped, clutching her side from the laughing.
"Ha-ha, real mature, the three of you," Matt replied, wiping the wet snow from his face.
"Be thankful it wasn't yellow, Mattie," Angi said with another laugh.
"Right."
"Look, it's snowing!" Tai said right as a snowflake fell. Not so long after, more began to fall.
"Damn, I have to head over to my aunt's. It's tradition that we sleep over there," Angi mumbled.
"The same one?" asked Tasha.
Angi stood up. "Mhmm. She asked me to invite you guys, but I figure you got your own stuff to do and whatnot."
"I do. What about you two?" Tasha asked Tai and Matt.
"We have to finish packing," Matt answered.
"So then," Angi dug into her coat pockets before, with some effort, pulling out two small presents. She handed one to Tai and one to Matt. "Here are your presents! Don't open them until Christmas!"
"Can't you cut us a break and let us open them now?" asked Tai. "It is Christmas Eve, after all."
"I don't care if it's your mother's birthday! Open it at Christmas!" Angi flailed her arms before grabbing at Tai's goggles, pulled, and let them smack his forehead.
"Ow! The hell was THAT for?!" he yelled.
"It's a sign of my love," Angi laughed before waving at her friends. "Until I see you next, my good sirs and gentle lady!"
Tasha snorted.
With a smile, Angi headed across the street and up the stairs leading to the train platforms.
Matt, Tai, and Tasha waved as their numbers shrunk.
"I really wanna open this," Tai muttered, looking at the box in his hand.
Matt put his in his pocket. "She said to wait."
"Let's get some hot chocolate before splitting ways, yeah?" Tasha suggested.
The guys nodded.
Long after the lazy, snow-filled afternoon, Matt and Tai were packing up the last of their stuff. It was nearly down to the wire on Christmas Eve.
"We go back to Odaiba in practically a day," Tai muttered, flopping on his bed.
"Missing your friendly neighborhood Lolita already, Tai?" teased Matt.
"Sure, you judge me! What about you and Tasha, eh?"
"What about us?"
"Don't tell me you don't like her!"
"I'm dating Sora, remember?"
"Don't give me that! Ever since they came to Odaiba to study abroad that one year, you've always liked her!"
"Shut up, Tai."
"So I was right."
"No, you're an idiot."
Silence hung between them before Matt spoke again.
"So what about you and our loli?"
"What about her?"
"You like the abuse she gives you?"
"You're not gonna let that pie thing go, are you?"
"No. Everyone back home is going to know how the great Tai Kamiya got beaten up by a girl."
"You suck, you know that?"
The two boys shared a laugh. Tai looked at the clock on the nightstand.
12:00 AM was blinking.
"Oy, it's Christmas," Tai said.
"Time to open the presents," replied Matt.
They both held the small boxes Angi had given them hours before. They both pulled the bow off and unwrapped the brightly colored paper. They both had little velvet boxes in their hands. They looked at each other.
"The hell did she buy us? Expensive watches?" Tai asked.
"We'll know when we open them," Matt answered.
At the same time, they opened the boxes.
On silver chains were their respective Crests—Tai's Crest of Courage, Matt's Crest of Friendship. In Tai's box was a folded paper.
"Matt, look at this," Tai said, picking up the paper and unfolding it. Matt came to Tai's side so they both were to read what it said.
Tasha and I decided to get these for you both. No give backs.
-Angi
"…Genius," Matt said. "And no give backs."
"I ain't giving this back!" Tai exclaimed, already putting his on. He had a huge grin. "We owe them a huge thank-you in a few hours."
"You're probably gonna give them a hell-load of Christmas hugs, aren't you?" Matt asked.
Tai grinned. "Hell yes."