"What is all this Genji?" Satya asked while looking at her boyfriend quizzically as he stood in front of several boxes of new decorations.
"It's christmas time! We should decorate together!" Genji boasted as he took her hands and gently swayed them like an excited child.
"Oh? I didn't realize, I've never celebrated before… I didn't realize you were christian Genji" Satya said in slight confusion
Genji chuckled a bit "In Japan christmas isn't really a religious thing. Because of that schools and businesses are still open. It's more like how Valentine's Day is celebrated in the United States! It's more of a couple's holiday celebrated with a big christmas cake, and with families we celebrate with being together...and eating fried chicken! You even have to order buckets of chicken from restaurants way in advance if you want to get any!" Genji chuckled again at how silly his home's traditions sounded when explaining them. The confused look on Satya's face was so cute but he continued to explain "I figured we're a couple sooooo we could celebrate together…?"
Satya smiled "Of course we can Genji, who am I to deny the celebration of your cultural traditions?". Genji excitedly gave her a quick kiss before letting go of her hands and going to pick up a box of decorations. "would you rather I make our decorations Genji? This looks like it was expensive".
"Not at all! The fun is decorating together! I don't want you to do all the work, in fact i don't want you to work at all, I just want you to have fun. This is your first time celebrating christmas after all right?" Genji assured "Come let's do the christmas tree first!". He excitedly grabbed her hand and carried her over to the living room where he already had set up a small fake pine tree.
Satya touched one of the branches and felt the synthetic plastic materials "Oh this is a fake tree?"
"Yeah, not much sense in buying a real one since it's only for a few days after all, and it's more environmentally conscious, we can reuse this for years to come!"
Satya smiled "What a responsible way of thinking Genji. So, how do we do this? I've never decorated any kind of tree before…" she asked as she tilted her head examining the rest of the plastic tree.
"First we do the lights by putting them on in a spiral fashion, then the ornaments and decorations, and lastly the star! ….or angel, whichever you prefer" Genji explained as he unboxed a set of multicolored LED string lights. "Here i will hold this end at the top of the tree and secure it, you can go ahead and put the rest on, just slowly go around in a circle to place them" he gave her the rest of the bundle of lights while he secured the top lights then she carefully walked around the tree in a circle making sure every row was evenly spaced so the lights would look nice and even instead of wobbly and uneven when it was done.
"That's perfect" Genji went to slide his hands around her waist but as soon as he touched her sides she flinched "ah sorry my little lotus, i forget how ticklish you are." he placed a kiss on top of her head then started to gently tickle her sides "but you're also so cute when you're being tickled" he said with a tone of mischief in his voice as he tickled and held her in place by her sides as she giggled and protested against him
"Genji stop!" she spoke through laughs "y-you know how ticklish and sensitive my sides are! Genji please-" she fell into him as she got carried away by laughter. Genji was laughing with her as he now held her in his arms, keeping her upright as she calmed down.
"Do you know how cute you are when you're laughing?" he asked as he kissed her on the cheek.
"Oh hush…" Satya said through a slight blush "that is no means for tickling me!"
"You're right I'm sorry my love, forgive me" Genji gave Satya puppy eyes, he knew she could never resist his puppy look.
"Of course I forgive you" She smiled and caressed his cheek, he took the chance to steal a kiss from her.
"One more for good luck!" he said cheekily before stealing another slightly longer kiss. "Okay now back to the tree, this is the best part, the decorations! Just take whatever you want and place it wherever you would like it to go! But be careful, some of them are glass."
Satya picked up a glass bulb and examined it before placing it on one of the tree branches "You know… the few times i have seen christmas trees they always look so beautiful and delicate, as if you're never suppose to touch it. It's interesting seeing one before it is finished with all of these decorations separated from it."
Genji smiled "yeah, they are very delicate. Once when me and Hanzo were children we were playing and rough-housing around the castle...as little boys do, and while we were running around we kinda...accidentally bumped into our Christmas tree. The entire thing fell and there was glass everywhere from the ornaments. We were okay but we were definitely punished for our carelessness. To this day I'm extra careful and never run near a christmas tree after that punishment"
Satya smiled at the image of a young baby Genji getting into mischief "Aww you poor thing" she said as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before placing a few more ornaments on the tree. "The price to pay for mischief making I suppose" she said as she glanced up to him from the tree.
"Ah yes, if anyone knows the price of mischief making it is me, I definitely was a little trouble maker in my younger days" he said while placing a snowman ornament on the tree
"Who says you still aren't a trouble maker?" Satya teased as she looked for a few more decorations
Genji grinned and pulled her into him while nuzzling into her neck "I like to think I've calmed down a bit since then~" he said while placing a few kisses on to the crook of her neck
She smiled as she turned around to face him "That's exactly what i mean by trouble" she teased as she booped him on the nose before turning around and picking up another ornament, one shaped as a gingerbread man.
Genji looked surprised for a split second after she booped his nose and smiled. He grabbed her hand after she placed the ornament on the tree and held it above his lips as he gazed into her eyes "The only trouble I'm in is how deeply in love I am for you my little lotus blossom" he said softly as he kissed her hand.
She smiled as she was blushing and slowly withdrew her hand from his and held his cheek. "And I you dearest, you know how much I love you too". Genji returned her smile and gave her loving kiss.
After their moment together they looked at the tree to examine it. It looked nice with the cute snowman and gingerbread man ornaments and the glass bulbs were arranged in such a way it almost looked like a pattern thanks to Satya's eye for color coordination and patterns.
"The tree looks good! We just need to put something on top now!" Genji stated
"Hmm...no it feels like it's missing something...hold on one second" Satya then started to make something out of hardlight as Genji watched. It was a little snowflake, but then with a flick of her wrist it became an entire string of hardlight snowflakes. She then took one end and tied it to the top of the tree and wrapped the rest around like she did the christmas lights. It looked beautiful as they glowed softly around the tree, just like real snow fall reflecting light.
"Wow that looks beautiful Satya! They even have a soft glow like how the sun reflects off of real snow. The tree looks amazing" Genji looked at the tree in astonishment. He always loved when she made things out of hardlight, to him it was almost like magic. He looked over at her and saw she was making something else. He watched silently as she worked her magic. He couldn't help but smile at the end results that she was holding. It was a tree topper but it wasn't just an angel or star, it was a figure of a man and a woman in gowns with wings holding hands and facing each other and they were inside a heart. It also had the same soft glow as the snowflakes. "It's beautiful Satya. Would you do the honors of putting it on top of the tree?"
"Of course Genji" she stood on her tiptoes to put the figure on top of the tree but was a bit too short to properly balance it on top. She heard Genji chuckle then felt his hands grab her sides and lift her up so she could fix the figure properly. She placed it so it stood perfectly even on top of the tree. When Genji put her down the figure started slowly rotating, it looked like the couple was dancing inside the heart.
Genji stared in agasp as he watched the figure dance in a harmonized state. "you made them dance?"
Satya smiled at his reaction while he stared at the dancing figure. "Yes i made it rotate like those little ballerinas in those old music boxes. Do you like it?"
Genji hugged her tight "I love it. It's beautiful, the tree is beautiful and perfect Satya i love it and i love you so much. I can tell this is going to be the best christmas ever."
After they decorated the tree they finished the rest of the house, putting more lights around the living room, stockings on the fireplace, a couple of kadomatsu arrangements on their dining table, and snowflakes on the window.
"Oh Genji look it's snowing! It looks like it's been snowing for a while too everything's covered in a blanket of snow" Satya stared outside the window at the calming stillness that snow always seemed to do, as if it could make time itself stop.
"Let's go play in it!" Genji said excitedly and went to go get their coats.
"But Genji it's cold! Let's just stay inside where it's warm" Satya protested. She didn't like being cold at all especially since she was from India where it was always hot.
"Come on Satya it will be fun! Have you ever played in snow before?"
"Well...no...but-"
"Then come on! Today is a day of firsts for you! First christmas decorating and now we get to play in the snow! Just for a little bit I promise we can go back inside if you get too cold" Genji insisted as he brought her her scarf, coat, and earmuffs.
Satya sighed "Okay, but only for a little bit, you know I don't like being cold, especially for long periods of time"
Genji gave her a kiss on her forehead as he wrapped her scarf around her neck "I promise". He helped her into her coat and gave her her boots then put on his own winter clothes, even with most of his body being cybernetic he still felt the cold, and his metal parts did not help staying warm at all.
When they went outside it was silent as if time was standing still. It was late in the evening so it was also dark out with only the street lights and their reflection off the snow was giving them the light to see.
"Let's build a snowman together, Satya!" Genji said excitedly and started to push a bunch of snow together into a round pile.
Satya smiled at her boyfriend playing in the snow like a happy kid. She helped him make the base of the snowman rounder and bigger so it would be more stable. The couple happily built the perfect snowman through giggles and mini snowball fights. It was the most perfect snowman Genji's ever helped build, having an architect girlfriend definitely had its perks. They gave him stick arms, rocks for eyes, a smile on his face and Genji wrapped his scarf around the neck. It was perfect.
"Why did you give him your scarf Genji? He cannot get cold he is made of snow." Satya questioned with her head tilted
Genji laughed "You are right….but it makes him look cute". He admired their work for a second before he heard a light chattering noise, he looked over at Satya to see her shivering. He took her into his arms "You should have told me you were getting too cold. Let's go inside" He started walking them both inside, they had enough fun in the snow for one night.
"We were having fun, i didn't want to ruin it" Satya said through chattering teeth as she clung to him for extra warmth.
Genji grinned as he brought her inside and closed the door behind them. "You are never ruining the fun Satya, I like spending time with you no matter What we are doing. Come, give me your wet clothes and go change in some pajamas, I'll put these in the dryer and make some tea for us." Satya nodded as she gave him her coat, scarf, and earmuffs. She slipped off her boots before going off to her bedroom to change. Genji took off his boots then went to the laundry room and put all of their wet clothes into the dryer then went to the kitchen to start the kettle, the living room to start the fire, then lastly their bedroom to change. He knocked on the door before entering to give her a warning that he was coming in. "My love I'm coming in okay?" he opened the door to see Satya standing in fluffy light blue pajama pants and a bra, looking for a shirt to wear, she turned to face him.
"Genji have y- ahh stop that tickles!" She started giggling because Genji kneeled down in front of her, wrapped around her legs and started kissing her belly ring "I'll never understand why you are so obsessed with my naval piercing" she said through light giggles while she combed her fingers through his hair.
"I love your piercings it's so cute. I need to kiss it every time I see it….for good luck!" Genji chuckled at his own cheekiness. He loved her naval piercing, she never seemed like the type to have body piercings so when he found out she had one he made it a habit to give it plenty of attention whenever he saw it. When he finally got up he went and changed into some pajamas himself, dark blue plaid ones. Satya had found her matching pajama top and they went back downstairs to the kitchen.
"Look up my love" Genji said while looking at the kitchen ceiling
"What is that?" Satya asked then Genji immediately stole a kiss from her, she looked at him confused
"It is a mistletoe! You're supposed to kiss under it!" Genji informed her
"That is a odd tradition..."
"Yes but now I am guaranteed a kiss every time we're in the kitchen" he said proudly. Satya scoffed before smiling at him while shaking her head. She loved him but sometimes he could be very silly.
Genji took the hot kettle and made spiced chai for the both of them. He carried the two mugs down to the living room for her, she layed down on the couch and he gave her her mug, he then layed down on top of her, using her stomach as a pillow and legs folded over the arm of the couch. Together they were cuddled up in front of the fireplace, definitely feeling much warmer after being outside in the snow.
"Are you feeling better my love? Warming up yet?" Genji asked as he put his mug down on the floor and turned around to face her, scooching up a bit to see her face.
"Yes I am much warmer now, thank you" she confirmed while she tangled her fingers in his hair.
"Good, i don't ever want you to be uncomfortable when you're with me. Always say when something's wrong okay" he said in a concerned tone.
"I will, I promise Genji. You worry too much" she smiled as she caressed his cheek. He simply laid down into her and held her tight, his face buried in her chest as he sighed. She smiled as she played with his hair and took a sip of her tea.
They spent the rest of the evening cuddled up by the fire, mostly in a calm silence. Sometimes he would ask her questions for reassurance, like if she had fun today and liked decorating and playing in the snow with him. Simply enjoying each others company just as they did every other night.
A few weeks later on Christmas day Genji woke up as excited as a child, he even woke up Satya he couldn't wait for her to wake up to exchange gifts.
"My love, it's Christmas! Please wake up!" he whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek. She stirred as she heard his soft voice speaking to her. Her eyes fluttered open and she was greeted by an excited Genji by her side.
"Good morning sweetheart" she said in a tired but happy voice. She slowly sat up as her tired brain tried to process the world around her. "Is something happening…?"
"It's Christmas morning my dear lotus. Come let's go down stairs and celebrate!" Genji said in an excited but soft tone
Satya yawned and rubbed her eyes while stretching. "Ah alright...I'll follow you" she said still sleepy as she went to put her slippers on.
"How about i carry you?" Genji lifted her into her arms bridal style and smiled at her slightly confused sleepy face. He carried her downstairs and placed her on the living room couch. There were a few gifts under the tree from their friends as well as theirs to each other. "Can I open the one from Hanzo first? I'm excited to see what my brother got us!" he asked while sitting in front of the tree and holding his brother's present on his lap.
Satya nodded while yawning, she was still trying to wake up properly "Of course Genji, I've never celebrated this before remember? You make the calls" she smiled at him as he nodded and started opening the cardboard box. Inside there was a greeting card, a new tea set with dragons decorating the kettle and cups, and some Japanese tea and snacks.
"Aw this is so thoughtful. He gave us a new tea set and my favorite snacks and teas. I will have to call him later to thank him" Genji smiled, happy that he's reconnected with his older brother once again. "I know we have other gifts from our friends but I really want to exchange our gifts to each other!"
Satya nodded "Okay well then let me go first" she walked over to the tree and took out a small box wrapped in red with a gold bow "Here, i hope you like it" she handed him the gift and sat next to him on the floor.
"I'm sure i will no matter what " he assured her as he took the box and unwrapped it. When he opened it a small hardlight bird was hopping around inside chirping quietly. "Oh my gosh! A little sparrow! Thank you Satya I love it! I didn't know you could make animals that come to life too!" Genji beamed excitedly at his gift
"Yes well they aren't exactly alive per say but it functions just as a living breathing animal would" as she said that the bird flew out of the box and on top of Genji's head. She giggled at the cute sight in front of her "think of it as a robot I suppose, it's alive but not living." Genji took the bird off of his head to pet it as it chirped happily "So what will you name it?" Satya asked.
"Hm….how about Sora?" he looked at the bird for confirmation and it sung happily and flew in a circle around them "Sora it is then!" Satya smiled happily at the two, proud that they are getting along so easily. "Now it is my turn to give you your present" Genji smiled and stood up to get his gift. It was a small box wrapped in white paper with a blue bow on top. He handed the box to Satya and sat back down next to her. She opened the box and inside was a small jewelry case, she took the case from outside the box and opened it. Inside there was a silver ring with a sapphire in the middle and smaller diamonds around it.
Satya looked at it in shock "Genji….wh.."
Genji took her hand in his and gazed into her eyes "Satya Vaswani, my love...my lotus blossom, you make me so happy I want to spend the rest of our lives together side by side, will you marry me?". He was nervous and holding her hand tight, steam was even being released underneath his shirt from his shoulders. He hasn't been this nervous in a very long time.
After being in a state of shock from the ring and his question she finally came back to her senses. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tight "Yes of course I will! I love you Genji Shimada" she exclaimed while crying tears of joy. He hugged her tight and sighed relieved of his nervousness. Sora sung happily next to them as he hopped up and down. This really was the best christmas ever.
Genji went throughout his day showing everyone he knew a picture of the ring on her finger and excitedly telling them "She said yes!". Hanzo is happy his brother found someone and plans to take them out for dinner soon, no matter how much Genji protests that it isn't necessary. Everyone is happy for their engagement and sending their good wishes. For the rest of the day they celebrated together, eating christmas cake and cookies, watching old cheesy christmas movies, playing with Sora, and never leaving each other's side. They were truly ecstatic to start their new chapter together.
~The End~
