A/N: My second M/Q fanfic, not as good as the first one, imo. The concept of the story is strange as well, LOL. But, uh, enjoy! :D English is not my first language, so grammar mistakes may be visible. And my Japanese is terrible. Also based on Utada Hikaru's song, "Can't Wait 'Til Christmas".
The Unexpected Christmas
His pockets were full of leaflets and brochures and maps of the city he was in. He knew he was in Miyagino, Sendai, but that was all he knew. He was definitely at a mall and there was a huge ferris wheel outside.
It was snowing lightly and Christmas decorations were everywhere, lights sparkled on the trees at the sidewalk and the ferris wheel was glowing with colours. It was a beautiful sight, but Mike Chang was still lost. He wanted to find the nearest Starbucks so he could get something familiar. The day was nearly setting, the purple skies tinted with the golden tinge of the sun light.
He looked at the flyers in his hands again and he tried to pick out the Chinese characters that he knew, wishing now more than ever that he actually took his parents advice and revised his Chinese language. They were foreign to his eyes, mixed with the Japanese letterings and the Chinese characters, they made it all confusing for him.
Mike gave up with a frustrated sigh, stuffed the brochures in his coat pockets and decided to ask random passersby. There was a blonde girl walking by and she looked like she knew where she was going. Mike assumed she has been living in Japan for quite a while. The girl was wearing a white fluffy coat, her blonde hair had a pink clip at the side and her eyes were obstructed with shades. If it wasn't for her, he would have to try his luck at random Japanese people with his pathetic knowledge of the Japanese language
"Um, excuse me," He called out to her.
The girl turned her head and stopped walking. Then, she stepped back in surprise, "…MIKE?"
The teenage boy's eyes widened when the girl took off her shades. Standing in front of him was Quinn Fabray. They stood staring at each other. Japan was the last place where he would find the head cheerleader for Christmas.
"Chang, what in the world are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same thing, Fabray."
"My sister's an exchange student in one of the universities here in Sendai, I came to visit her for Christmas," she said casually, then added, "My mom's here as well with me. So what's your story?"
"My father works here and apparently he sent us tickets to Japan. He said he didn't have time to fly back to Lima and insists us to go here instead," replied Mike, digging his hands into his coat pockets. "So here I am."
She let out a laugh, "This will become a farfetched story to tell to the others."
"Totally," said Mike. "I've been trying to find Starbucks. Do you know this place well?"
"My god, no. I was about to go back to the hotel. I tried shopping, but everything is expensive. So, Starbucks? I think I know where it is."
From there, she lead him inside the shopping mall and told him the details of how that particular mall they were in is the biggest in the Tohoku region. It really was impressive, the inside was decorated accordingly with the Christmas theme and they a lot of Japanese people doing last minute shopping.
There was a huge fountain in the middle of the shopping center and immediately to the side, a huge space was dedicated to a stage full of girls in tight Santa outfits and in the middle of the area was a large red armchair with Santa Claus.
And he was Asian.
"Tina would be so proud," quipped Quinn, looking slyly at Mike.
His cheeks turned pink, which surprised the girl. She giggled.
"Well, don't you look cute when you get embarrassed?"
Mike sighed and shook his head. The loud speaker next to them suddenly boomed as a man's voice spoke which greatly surprised both of them. Quinn, with reflex, moved closer to the teenage boy and grabbed onto his arm.
The man on stage spoke through a microphone, his excited tone was infectious as both of them stood rooted in their places. It was only when the emcee gestured his hand above the stage, did they notice mistletoes hanging innocently above the stage where Santa and his attractive little helpers stood.
After much more talking, a crowd began to gather around the stage, peering curiously at the man on stage.
"What's happening?" Mike asked Quinn, but she shrugged at him, looking just as puzzled.
"You do know that I'm not Japanese, right?" she did her signature eyebrow-raising, which always amused him.
The guy on stage kept speaking and finally there was a drum roll, accompanied by spotlights that were moving around erratically across the crowd area. Eventually, the lights stopped moving and shined upon what looked like a couple; a guy and a girl, in the middle of the crowded area. They looked local and they were dragged onto the stage.
This process of highlighting couples continued until the mistletoes above the stage were occupied by a couple. That was when Mike and Quinn finally realized what was going on. And it was that moment when Mike felt an instant sense of foreboding when he saw that there was only one spot left under the many mistletoes.
The illumination of the lights circled the audience for the tenth time, supported by the drumroll. It was Quinn that let out a gasp when their eyes were blinded by the brightness.
"Asoko no kappuru, suteeji no ue ni kite kudasai!" the host called out from the platform.
Everyone turned to stare at them. Quinn looked at Mike, while he blinked back at her.
"Wh-What should we do?" he stammered, glancing at the girl next to him. It was rare to see her looking so uneasy and if his eyes weren't deceiving him, her cheeks flushing a shade of pink.
It was the fact that a lot of people were staring at them that Quinn started pulling his arm and tugging him with her.
As they stood on stage together, a sea of faces looked up at them, making Mike feel giddy. The emcee approached them, microphone in hand.
"Nihongo hanasemasu?"
"Ch… Chotto dake," muttered the Asian teenager.
"Doko kara kimashita?" The man with the red bow tie asked.
"Uh… um… Amerika kara kitandesu."
Quinn stared at him in amazement, she hissed, "I thought you didn't understand Japanese!"
"I don't," he whispered back. "Well… not the difficult ones anyway. I just learned them from a phrasebook this morning." He smiled at her sheepishly.
The host then tried to speak in English when they didn't understand him. He gave them instructions on what they should do when the clock strikes eight in the evening. It was choppy English, but Mike and Quinn could make sense out of it.
A lump formed at Mike's throat, as there were only a few minutes left until eight o'clock. He avoided looking at Quinn. Before they knew it, there was a loud pop and confetti flurried towards the ground.
The other couples that were on stage with them started kissing. There were a lot of "Oohs" and "Awws" from the spectators.
Only Mike and Quinn stood still.
The young man finally turned to the cheerleader. If it was possible, he could feel his pupils in his eyes dilating. He wasn't surprised to see her face redder than before and their eyes simply could not meet each other.
"Kissu shite!" urged the emcee.
Oh, dear lord! Quinn thought, This can't be happening, but it is!
Quinn sensed he was terrified, she was as well. Her heart was pounding so fast, she could not tell whether it was from nervousness or from something else…
Her ears picked up the chant coming from the crowd, "Kissu! Kissu! Kissu!"
She saw Mike trying to calm himself, shutting his eyes tightly and breathing deeply; the sight tickled her funny bone. It was too adorable. Despite feeling so panicked about the situation, she somehow felt the urge to kiss him. He was good-looking, kind, intelligent (something Finn and Sam lacked) and actually funny without even trying so hard, which much to her frustration, Sam had to rack his brain to make her laugh…
Mike Chang had the whole package.
The thought hit her like a sledgehammer. Tina is one lucky girl, she thought enviously.
They finally kissed. She didn't know who made the first move, but she was glad it was finally done. The crowd roared with applause and Quinn experienced something even more thrilling - internal fireworks.
She knew she had to deal with this strange feeling sooner or later, but at that moment, she wanted to enjoy it. It could be the first and last time for her.
And that was how Mike Chang and Quinn Fabray spent their Christmas Eve, unbeknownst to the other Glee club members.