A/N: A Christmas fic in August? Look you can just pretend you didn't see this and wait a few months to read this (Y). Anon Jesse on AO3 read my old-ass 2011 fic, When Darkness Falls and wanted something sweet and nice for the Kaiohan pair. Something with a happy end. They suggested Christmas so here we are. I hope you enjoy it, Jesse, I tried ."
Can't Stop the Jingle Bells
The balcony of Capsule Corp was surprisingly warm considering it was snowing. Bulma had put out large parasols with heaters under them, keeping everyone toasty despite the cold weather. There was tinsel everywhere it could go whilst not appearing too tatty, and bits of holly littered between the dishes on the table. As for the dishes, they were all in excess. Mountains of potatoes, turkeys bigger than average, and more vegetables and sides than any roast dinner could need. Beerus was loving every moment.
"How often is 'Christmas'?" Beerus asked.
"Just once a year," Goku said.
"Why don't you have it more often?"
"Uh… Oh! It's that guy's birthday, so birthdays are only once a year."
Beerus nodded, quite understandable then. "Who's birthday?"
"Jesse? No…uh, James?"
"Jesus!" Vegeta face-palmed.
Goku laughed. "Oh yeah, of course! It's Jesus' birthday."
"I ask again, who?" Beerus didn't remember anyone with such a name.
"I've never met him, but everyone gets presents on his birthday. Don't you, Lord Beerus?"
"No?" He was rather offended this Jesus guy hadn't given him a present personally yet. "What did he get you?"
"Oh no, it's not Christmas day yet," Goku said. "Bulma's just doing it early so we'll all turn up. But Jesus doesn't get you a present – Santa does! Sometimes more than one!"
Vegeta cocked his head. "Kakarot…" Actually, it didn't matter; Goku would believe anything, after all. "It's all a crock of shit, Lord Beerus, don't pay any attention. The Earthlings believe in some bullshit and for some reason that means eating a lot of food and buying each other gifts."
"Well, if it involves copious amounts of food, it's something I can get behind. Whis, you should get me a gift. I'll get you one too and we can learn something about human culture."
"As you wish." He looked up from his staff. "There's quite a lot to this Christmas thing. I'll tell you some stories on the way home."
"I look forward to it." Beerus stabbed a potato and began to load his plate.
As the night wore on Beerus learned a great deal of things about the festive season. For once he thought of someone other than himself. Someone who would probably very much like the positive atmosphere…maybe even benefitting from the loving feeling in the air. Hadn't he just been saying the other day how he had this empty feeling in his chest? Maybe this Christmas thing could fill it?
Beerus tapped Gohan on the shoulder as he passed, on his way to rest on the bannister, looking out at the well-lit city.
"Did you need something, Lord Beerus?" Gohan asked, keeping a few feet away just in case.
Beerus patted the bannister, inviting Gohan to come almost shoulder-to-shoulder with him. "Do you think Shin would like this?"
"Shin? Oh…Supreme Kai?" With the slightest nod from Beerus, Gohan continued, "Well, maybe?"
"Come on, surely you know him better than that? Better than just 'maybe'?"
"I, uh, not really. We've only really talked about world-ending problems…He's not as sociable as you."
Beerus nodded. "Yeah, I guess."
"Did you want to invite him? I'm sure Bulma won't mind – you should just go ahead."
"I don't want to invite him. I want you to invite him!"
"Eh? Me?" Gohan became flustered. "Why me?"
"Shh, don't draw attention to yourself," Beerus said, knowing Gohan could become a lot more animated as he lost his cool. "I can't exactly teach him about Christmas if I don't know much about it myself. So, I'm asking an Earthling to do it for me. Your father can't even remember the name 'Jesus' and Vegeta isn't the kind of guy I'd want hanging around my other half –" he cursed himself internally for that "- for a day. So you were my next choice."
"So you just want me to explain Christmas?"
"No, I want you to help him experience Christmas. Sounds like there's a lot more than just eating your body weight in potatoes and turkey. I heard there's a tree and presents and stuff. Show him all of that."
"Alright then."
"Huh? That's it?" Beerus peered at the boy. "Where's the bargaining? The demand for training at my place or something?"
"Oh… I…I'm not like Dad. I don't need anything, not when you're asking me to do something nice for someone you care about."
Beerus balked. "I don't care!" He tried to keep his voice low, but he knew that anyone looking their way would have seen the way his tail moved in alarm at the insinuation.
"But why would you ask me if you didn't?" It was an innocent question. Gohan didn't realise how much of a touchy subject Shin was for Beerus.
"Look, you've agreed to this, and agreed to work for free, and that's the end of it. No more questions, just do what I've asked."
"Y-yeah, of course." He didn't wish to annoy the destroyer.
"Trust me, boy, I can make this more awkward for you than you can for me."
Gohan was confused by that sentiment, but he had no wish to find out what it meant. "So, uh, can I get a ride there at some point? Can't instant transmission my way there like Dad."
"We'll drop you off on the way home."
"Tonight? But everything will be closed if you want us to come back to Earth."
Beerus sighed, but then realised this was better. "I'll send Whis for you in the morning." This way he wouldn't be anywhere near the kai's world and hopefully Shin would be none the wiser about his involvement. "And don't tell him I sent you!"
Ooo
"Whis, Gohan, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Gohan fumbled with words, as if he hadn't been replaying how this scene would unfold in his head since last night. Whis stepped in. "Gohan asked me to drop him off so he could speak with you. Now, if you don't need anything else, and if you're happy to ferry him home, sir, then I should get going. Lord Beerus will be wondering what's taken me so long to pick up his lunch."
Whis was a natural, Gohan thought. He admired the way the angel delivered his lines so nonchalantly, as if he wasn't wise to Beerus's ploy. Shin sent Whis on his way before turning on Gohan.
"Is something wrong?" Gohan hadn't visited once of his own accord like this. He resisted the temptation to read the young man's mind and find out immediately.
"No – not at all! I came to wish you a merry Christmas!" Gohan beamed.
"Merry Christmas? I'm sorry, I don't understand."
"Oh, right, you're just like Lord Beerus," Gohan laughed nervously. He hadn't been intending to mention Beerus at all and he'd already slipped up. It didn't matter, Shin would have probably heard about it eventually at some point. Gohan caught the cocked brow, Shin not impressed at the comparison evidently. "Sorry, I just meant he didn't understand Christmas either! He came by for Christmas dinner and we had a lot of explaining to do and yeah, then I was thinking it would have been nice for you to be there – you should come to more of our gatherings, don't you think?" Gohan realised he was beginning to ramble a bit. "Uh, anyway, I asked Whis to bring me and here I am, so merry Christmas again!"
"Thank you?" Shin dipped into Gohan's thoughts. Ah, so Beerus had sent him. Well, it seemed like a nice gesture. "Should I say it back?"
"You don't have to. I guess people on Earth say it to each other because we all know what it is, but I guess if you don't then it loses its meaning."
"Then teach me. It sounds like a festival greeting – is it a drinking festival? Is that why you say 'merry' instead of the usual 'happy'?" Shin was interested to learn more. Elder Kai was always saying he should learn more about the universe, and here was an opportunity! And to learn from a native no less.
"Yeah, it's a festival kind of. But it celebrates the birth of…" Gohan realised how stupid this was going to sound given who he was speaking to, "The birth of the supposed son of God. I don't know why so many people say 'merry' though. I guess a lot of people drink to the birth of a child? Isn't there a phrase about wetting a baby's head?"
Shin shrugged. "You're asking the wrong person. I'm no expert in human phrases, nor important children it seems. Son of God, you say?"
Gohan laughed. "Yeah. Why didn't you tell me about your kid?"
"Please tell me more about this person. I'm so intrigued how he rose to such fame that there's a holiday dedicated to him."
Gohan recalled to Shin what he could about the Christmas story, but he wasn't an expert. Certainly he hadn't been brought up to believe in Jesus, so the stories surrounding him hadn't been repeated through his childhood unlike other people he'd met. "But lots of people celebrate whether they believe or not. Like kids believe in Santa until they grow up and realise it's their parents."
"Santa?"
"Oh, right, yeah…" Gohan explained about the old man who was said to visit every house on Earth in a night.
"Well, I suppose it could be possible. Our Universe Seven team might be able to do it. Maybe you should try it one Christmas!" Shin wondered if there really was anything real about the Santa story. It was a lot more plausible that a gang of red-clad do-gooders went around giving gifts than the man claiming to be a god. Shin surely would know about him if it were true.
"Maybe… But anyway, I thought that we could go and experience Christmas on Earth. There's a lot of stuff that's become traditional that's better to just show you."
"That sounds fun." What a thrilling day this was turning out to be! "Kibito! I'm going to Earth, I'll be back later!" he called. "Where should we go?"
Gohan thought of the city, its rows of shops done-up with glittering decorations, lots of green and red, gold and silver. He offered for the kai to see what he was seeing. Shin took Gohan's hand and in an instant they were in that street for real, the sounds of people talking and seasonal tunes filling the air.
Gohan zipped up his jacket. "Aren't you going to get cold?"
"Earth is very mild all year round in my opinion," Shin said, distracted by everything. This was a part of Earth he'd never really seen.
"Well if you get cold, I'll lend you my jacket for a bit."
"Don't worry, I can just make my own." Wait…that had been an opportunity to share something of Gohan's. And he'd just cast it aside in his stupidity. The lights and sounds and smells of this street were distracting him from the fact he was spending some time alone with his favourite human.
"What would you like to do first?"
"I don't know…it's all so overwhelming!"
Gohan took Shin's hand and led him over to a stall. While Gohan was making his purchases, Shin was staring at all the things on offer – so many different kinds of pastries, and pies, and breads, and cakes. Everything looked like it would fill a grown man's stomach in an instant. Shin barely had time to sweep his eyes over everything before Gohan was leading him away again, Shin having completely missed what the merchant had sold him. They sat on a bench and Gohan handed him what had been bought.
"What's this?" Shin looked at the tiny pie in his hand. It fit neatly into his palm and had a star on top.
"A mince pie. One of the most traditional snacks at Christmas."
Shin was not a big meat-eater. In fact he rather avoided it altogether, but Gohan had bought this for him, and he wasn't going to refuse. "Oh…it's not meat?" It wasn't a savoury pie at all, but sweet and fruity.
Gohan laughed at the fact he hadn't even thought to explain that one. It was such a well-known Earth fact it didn't even occur to him that Shin wouldn't know the name and contents didn't match. "Yeah, I don't know why they called it that either. Maybe it refers to minced fruit? But do you like it?"
"It's… Well, it's strange. Maybe because I wasn't expecting it to taste like it does based on the name. It's not bad, but I'm not sure I'd have another."
"Mum's not keen either. I take after Dad and eat most things though." Gohan began to point out things about the street. "This is the main place to go at Christmas. All these stalls in the middle are selling edibles whether for eating now or as gifts. Oh – maybe you can try some mulled wine next. You'll see lots of candy when we walk by. Like I said earlier, Christmas is very much about gift-giving, and I need to pick up something for Pan, so I thought you could help me choose."
Shin followed Gohan back into the crowd, holding onto his hand once more so they didn't get separated. "Christmas is in six days and this place is already this busy?" Shin asked as he noticed a sign in a window counting down the 'sleeps.'
"Well, yeah. Now's the perfect time to go gift-shopping! On the actual day this place will be empty because everyone will be at home with their families."
"Oh…" That must be nice, Shin thought.
"Did you want to try the wine?" Gohan asked as they passed by a stall and the aroma of the warm drink filled their nostrils.
"The queue's a bit long, let's come back later."
They pressed on and Gohan led Shin into a shop. Rows and rows of toys lined the walls. Wooden trains, dolls in dresses, miniature animals – the shop was full of traditional gifts for children.
"What should I get for Pan?" Gohan asked.
"What does she like?"
Gohan hummed. "Flying. Hiding. Being a little troublemaker."
"You could appeal to that side, or you could get her something to keep her more grounded."
"Ah! You're a genius! Of course you'd know exactly what to get her." Gohan drew his attention away from the planes he was sure Pan would enjoy. "Maybe something like a car or a train. Something she can speed along the floor with…and up the walls…and across the ceiling…"
"Would a stationary toy be better?" Shin picked up a stuffed cat, enjoying the softness of the fur.
"I don't think she'd like that much. She's too active for her own good."
"Perhaps a real animal then?"
Gohan took the cat from Shin, imagining what life with a real cat would be like. "I don't know… A pet could be nice, but… Pan might terrorise the poor thing." He put the cat down. "I think that's an idea to store for a few years' time. I should definitely get a pet at some point – Mum never let me have one. Do Supreme Kais keep pets?"
Shin almost sarcastically said that all mortals were his pets, but that was a joke to be shared with fellow gods. "No, I spend too much time looking after the universe as a whole to devote myself to one creature in particular. Besides, I have enough with this over-sized cat that keeps following me."
Gohan laughed awkwardly, wondering if Shin had figured out it was Beerus who sent him, but also not sure if laughing at Shin's portrayal of Beerus would get him a slap later on. "Well, I think I'll get her a little tractor, just like her granddad drives." Gohan picked out an orange one and got the shop keeper to put it in a fancy box.
"Say, why are there so many decorated trees in all these shops?" Shin asked.
"Ah! The tree!" Gohan seemed to panic at the thought. "I need to get us a tree! Thanks for reminding me."
"But why?" Shin asked as Gohan took off, not giving a hoot about the people around them; civilians around here were used to the occasional flying man.
Gohan explained on the way to the woods, about how there was a certain kind of tree and how there was always a star or an angel on top of it.
"I was thinking, as a joke, we should make a little Whis and put him on top!"
Shin laughed, imagining how amused Whis would be by that. "How come no one else is out here getting a tree?"
"Well, usually you just buy one from the shop, but it's free if I just chop one down…"
"Isn't your wife rich?" Shin had seen Gohan's house – they weren't struggling by any means.
"Yeah, but why buy a tree when you can just get one? Dad always used to take me with him, so it's like a tradition. I guess one day I'll start taking Pan with me, but for today I have you."
"Gohan…I have been a bother today?"
"What? No, I've enjoyed having you around."
"You're not just saying that, are you?"
Gohan put a hand on the kai's shoulder. "Of course not. I would have had a much more boring time without you, and I would have forgotten the tree too! But today's not over. I want you to come and help us decorate the tree. It's such a fun thing to do!"
"Really? I won't be in the way?"
"Nah, it'll be good fun. Hey, maybe we should buy a new decoration – one especially for you to put on the tree."
"Oh, no, you don't have to do that."
"Well, I'm going to! That's what Christmas is all about – getting involved. And in the years to come we'll put your decoration on our tree in the spot you pick out, and we'll always remember that time the Supreme Kai came to decorate our tree." Gohan smiled and turned back to the many trees in front of them. "So, I know everyone always wants a massive tree, but our ceiling is only so high. I think something around 6 feet tall will do."
They wandered around, sizing up trees until Shin pointed out one that was the right height and nicely balanced. Gohan sliced through the trunk with ki and threw it over his shoulder. "Alright, let's drop this off before we get your decoration."
Piccolo and Hercule were waiting to take the tree from Gohan and help Videl to set it up. Gohan made his excuses and headed towards the city once more with Shin.
"It's a real family event, isn't it? Will you go back to visit your parents too?" Shin asked.
"This is the first year we're going to have Christmas alone. Mum wasn't happy when I told her. Hercule isn't allowed to come round on Christmas day because Mum said that wouldn't be fair. So it'll just be the four of us."
"Four?"
"Piccolo counts as family. And I told Mum that she can't ban him from our house otherwise he'd have no one to celebrate with. Well, no one he'd want to celebrate with…"
Shin nodded. Would it be strange to adopt this custom on the Kai's planet? Himself, Kibito, and Elder Kai all sitting there with a decorated tree, trading gifts? Would he invite Beerus and Whis too? No, it would be so strange. Nothing like the Earth version where these family members loved each other and enjoyed each other's company so dearly. And yet an outsider like Piccolo could find himself included…perhaps so could Shin.
"Is something wrong?" Gohan asked, noticing the faraway look in Shin's eyes.
"No, I was just thinking… Earth Christmas sounds nice."
This time Gohan took him to a market which consisted of temporary wood lodges, all selling a variety of things – both edible and not. Some were filled with Christmas-themed items, others more general winter gifts. Gohan stopped in front of the lodge that sold nothing but small decorations, all designed to be hung from the branch of a tree. Shin wondered what the merchant did for the rest of the year. Or were there more festive trees Shin didn't know about?
"Pick whichever one you like," Gohan said.
Shin was spoilt for choice. There were many of this Santa guy Gohan had told him about, as well as dozens of snowflake designs. Angels, teddy bears, stars, balls. Lots of balls. Why were there so many? Balls of all sizes and colours and patterns.
"They're called baubles," Gohan explained. "I guess they just look really good on trees?"
Well, he certainly wasn't going to be that boring when there were so many others to choose from, or so he thought. As he stood there wondering which best represented him, he found there was too much choice. Actually, a bauble was a good idea. A golden bauble. One that looked just like a potara. It was simple, yet it was a perfect choice.
Shin slipped it over his ear. "What do you think?"
Gohan smiled, glad to see Shin was getting into the spirit more.
A/N: You wanna read the conversation between Beerus and Shin that is referred to near the start of this chapter? That'll be in Chapter 4 of Magnetic Today. I just can't stop writing spin-offs of that fic lmao.
