Author note: I don't own Bravely Default/Second, or any of the characters!
This is a fanfic for Day 2 of Bravely Ship Week, Winter 2016, using the prompt of "Gift!"
Warning: References to other fanfics such as "Things We Cannot Undo," KamiizumixGeist, MagnoliaxYew, takes place post-Bravely Second therefore spoilers.
The Gift-Giving Problem
Ship: GeistxKamiizumi, MagnoliaxYew
Summary: Geist has no idea what to get for Kamiizumi, so he asks Magnolia for help. Magnolia has no idea what to get for Yew, so she goes to Kamiizumi for help. Kamiizumi has no idea what to get to Geist, so he ends up going to Yew, who has no idea what to get for Magnolia and so runs to Geist for help…
"I need your help."
Magnolia hadn't expected Geist Grace to show up at her door and ask her for help regarding what to get for Kamiizumi's Christmas gift.
"Why don't you just make him a really elaborate breakfast with pancakes involved?" Magnolia suggested, recalling the one time when she and the others fought Angelo and Aimee while Kamiizumi ate all the pancakes.
"I could, but…" The Exorcist shook his head. "I'm not an expert cook, I'm an Exorcist. And I don't think robbing Angelo of his asterisk for one day is legal."
"I'm not saying you have to rob him in order to make great pancakes! Why don't you just ask Angelo for the recipes?" Magnolia could easily recall asking Alfred and others for the recipes that Yew seemed to like the most as she suggested it. Oh geez….looking back on it now, she did a lot of asking about recipes back then.
"But then," Geist frowned, "He would recognize the recipe. The Swordmaster can discern tastes better than people think." The other stated, groaning as he shook his head. "Who knows what Angelo has in those pancakes that make them taste so good, after all? I don't want to break the bank over perfecting one recipe…"
"You have a point there." She thought, "Maybe…"
"You need to ask him for me." The Exorcist finally concluded, looking her in the eyes. "I promise I'll pay you back later."
"Huh?" What did he just sign her up for? "Why don't you just ask him yourself?"
The Exorcist hissed, shaking his head. "Because then he'd know what exactly I'm getting for him! I want it to be a surprise!"
She sighed. Geist wasn't giving up, was he? "Alright, I can ask him when I see him."
The Exorcist grinned slightly. "Thank you so much. I should get back to work…"
"Of course!" She nodded, smiling back. "I'll let you know when I found out what he wants!"
As Geist left, a thought came to mind and she clapped a hand over her own mouth at the realization.
Oh no…a la vache, I don't know what to get for Yew! Maybe…maybe I'll ask Kamiizumi while I'm at it. He might know.
"Master Kamiizumi, you don't know what to get for Geist?"
Yew still found it baffling that the Exorcist and the Swordmaster were together, despite them being together for more than half a year now. It seemed like such an odd pairing. Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, one of the most honoured swordsmen in arguably all of Luxendarc, dating Geist Grace, the sadistic torturer and ex-member of the Crystal Orthodoxy? No matter how nice it was to see the two being happy with each other, it always seemed a bit strange for those two of all people to be with each other in that way.
Kamiizumi nodded sheepishly, a sigh escaping him.
"I doubt buying him new weapons would do the trick." He managed. "And also, that's too expensive. I do want to get him something nice, though. Unfortunately, all I know of his interests are that they mostly consist of fighting in battle, if not trying to improve his cooking."
"O-okay…" Yew took a deep breath, trying to steel himself as he spoke up. "W-well…if Geist is so into fighting…why don't you let him have a free spar against you?"
"…I've already done that numerous times."
"Against Alternis?"
"Him, too. Geist won that fight, too."
"Uhhhhh…Meee-" Yew immediately blanched at the idea of Geist fighting against him alone, "I mean, Minette!?"
Kamiizumi gave him a scathing look. "I know perfectly well that Geist would not hurt my daughter, Yew, so don't you suggest it again!"
"Oh. Sorry." The other sighed, shaking his head. "He's just so unpredictable…why don't you just ask him what he wants, then? Surely he'll answer you."
Kamiizumi shook his head. "I can't just do that. I could, but then Geist would know exactly what I'm getting him for Christmas! I want it to be a surprise. Perhaps…" He looked to Yew. "Could you ask him? For me?"
"What?" Yew's head shot up at him. "Me!?"
"Yes. It's not like he's trying to kill anyone again, let alone you. It should be perfectly fine."
"…Okay. I-I can do it! I think…"
In his mind, Yew prayed to the Crystals that the Exorcist wouldn't kill him.
"Monsieur Kamiizumi!"
"Hm?" Kamiizumi had just parted ways with Yew when Magnolia came rushing up to him. "Oh, Magnolia…what is it?"
"I...well…" She looked around, as if trying to makes sure that no one was listening in, before taking a deep breath and blurting it all out. "I have no idea what to get for Yew for Christmas!"
"You…you don't?" Kamiizumi was a bit surprised at that. "He seems to enjoy all your cooking…why not just give him a huge feast?"
Magnolia sighed, thinking of the numerous times she'd cooked for Yew and others. "To be honest, I'm actually running out of recipes I haven't tried making for him yet, and I haven't the time to go get new ones."
"Oh." That was awkward, though not surprising. He'd heard of the many attempts Magnolia had cooked for Edea, Tiz and Yew in the past. "I'm not exactly someone you'd want to go to for cooking advice. I have yet to expand my repertoire, myself…"
"Oh."
The two went silent, before Magnolia took a deep breath. Maybe…
"Can you ask Yew what he wants for Christmas for me? Please?"
Kamiizumi blanched at the request. He was already occupied with getting Yew to ask Geist what he wanted! "What I don't understand is…why don't you just ask him yourself?" He managed. "Surely
"Because," The Ba'al Buster fidgeted, "If I asked him directly and he answered, he'd know exactly what I'm getting him for Christmas! I want it to be a surprise."
Oh crap. The Swordmaster figured she would've used the same excuse he did for Yew. Well, then…
"I suppose I can ask him." Kamiizumi finally answered. "I promise to report my findings to you as soon as I can."
She beamed at his words, chuckling. "Thank you, Monsieur Kamiizumi! I do appreciate it!" She nearly rushed off, but then turned to him again. "Ah, wait…What do you want for Christmas, if someone were to give you a gift?"
"I…Me?" He blinked. That was sudden. "I…haven't exactly thought of that, what I want for Christmas is. Though…" He paused, the memory of his and Geist's kiss at the pancake shop appearing in mind. "If there's anything I want, it's something thoughtful. Like time."
Magnolia looked confused. "Time?"
"Yes." The Swordmaster managed. "Time. Geist and I both have busy work lives, and we both also have family to care for. As much as both of us enjoy our work and spending time with our family, it often results in us not having much time off for just the two of us. And then on top of that I would love to get together with Braev, Mahzer and Edea of course…"
"Oh, I see…" Magnolia paused, thinking, before snapping her fingers. "I think I have an idea."
"Hm?" Kamiizumi looked to her. "What is it?"
"It's—"
Distant shrieking interrupted the Swordmaster before he could continue. Neither of them said anything, but instead ran to the source of the noise, identifying it as Yew Geneolgia screaming in terror.
"You have no idea what to get for Magnolia?"
Yew chuckled nervously as he nodded, giving the Exorcist a grimace. "Yeah. I…I didn't exactly think it through. And…I can't just ask her, can I?"
"You could." Geist managed, raising an eyebrow at the young man. "Given that you two are from different places and cultures, it would be important to know if certain objects are considered offensive or good to give. I don't think you want to give her something that she wouldn't like."
"Right…" The Soaring Falcon paused, before looking to Geist. "I know this is going to sound weird, and I know that we used to be enemies and all, but…could you ask her what she wants for Christmas and report it back to me? Please?"
"What!?"
What the hell!?
"Why me?" The Exorcist managed. He was already occupied with getting Magnolia to ask Kamiizumi what he wanted for Christmas! "I…You know I barely know her! Wouldn't it be better to get Edea Lee or someone you do know that knows her to ask?"
"Yeah, but…" Yew was fidgeting on the spot, now. "Edea's busy being the Grand Marshal, Tiz and Agnes are busy trying to make sure Norende is all restored, and Janne and Nikolai are busy with the Crystalguard so…that doesn't exactly leave anyone else."
The older man sighed. "Fine. I'll do it."
The younger man's face brightened immediately. "That's great! Thank you!"
"You are welcome. I'll be back." Geist nearly stalked off, but then he felt Yew grab him and pull him back.
"Wait!"
Geist gave him a look. "What?"
"Just wondering, um," The Soaring Falcon took a deep breath. "What do you want for Christmas?"
The Exorcist stared back. "Me?"
"Yeah."
"Why would you want to know?"
"Um….because…" Yew had to figure out something, and fast. "Because why not?"
The other man looked to him skeptically, saying nothing at first, but then finally spoke. "To be honest," Geist managed, "I never really had any Christmas presents except from Rev. I never expected any from anyone else. As long as it's something from the heart with thought put into it, I would appreciate it very much."
"Something from the heart…" Yew paused, before snapping his fingers. "I got it! Kamiizumi should propose to you!"
…Silence. Yew hesitated, then looked up at the Exorcist's face to see the man's face flushing red.
"Wh-what!? No!"
What!?
"Y-you mean you don't want to marry him?" Yew blurted out before he could stop himself.
The Exorcist growled, looking away as he took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. "No, it's not that I don't want to marry him…alright, it is that." Geist sighed, tried to think things through before continuing. "Although the two of us are mutually domestic and we're happy being together, if either of us tried to propose now, it'll be rushing things!"
The Soaring Falcon stared. "And…having sex the night before you two started dating isn't rushing things?"
"Why you—that's it!" He took out his sword. "How dare you!"
"Whoa!" Yew stepped back as the other pointed said sword at him, seeing the anger on the other's face. "I-I didn't mean to anger you! I…uh…
The Soaring Falcon knew it was bad enough to face Geist even with the help of Tiz, Edea and Magnolia. But by himself? Impossible.
"HELP ME!"
Before Geist could even take a step towards Yew, Kamiizumi and Magnolia both came rushing.
"Yew!"
"Geist!"
Kamiizumi gave Geist a glare as Magnolia went over to Yew's side. "Are you alright?" The Ba'al buster asked.
Yew swallowed, looking to Magnolia. "Uh, Magnolia, uh…yeah. Yeah, I think I'm fine now. Sorry."
"Geist Grace," Kamiizumi started, looking to him, "How many times have we discussed not cutting down people just because they piss you off?"
The Exorcist audibly groaned, looking to him. "He mentioned our sex life in public. Can I cut him down a little bit?"
Kamiizumi sighed, shaking his head. "No."
"I'll bring him back afterwards."
"Still, no. As embarrassing as it is, we have to let it go."
"Fine." Geist sheathed his sword as Magnolia and Yew looked to them, gazing at them with weird looks. "What?"
Magnolia looked to the older man, then to Yew, then to Kamiizumi.
"Hold on." She managed, thinking. "Geist, you were with me just now…and then..."
"Yes, I was with you just earlier." Geist managed, looking to her. "What are you doing with Kamiizumi…?"
"Wait a moment." The Swordmaster looked to Yew. "You were just with me earlier before I found Magnolia…."
Everyone went awkwardly silent, looking to each other as they slowly put the pieces of the situation together. It was Yew that finally broke the silence.
"We all asked each other's significant others to ask our own significant others about what they wanted for Christmas, didn't we?"
Kamiizumi nodded, grimly.
"I believe we all did, yes." He looked to Yew as he spoke. "I asked you first about asking Geist what he wanted for Christmas."
"That explains the suggestion of proposing." Geist muttered.
The Swordmaster stared. "You want me to propose to you—?"
"Nobutsuna," Geist gave him a look, "That can come later."
"Alright." Kamiizumi looked to Yew. "And then after I asked you about asking Geist, I'm guessing you decided to ask Geist about asking Magnolia what she wanted for Christmas while you were at it."
"Yeah," Yew scratched the back of his head, "That's what happened."
"Speaking of that," Magnolia looked to Kamiizumi, "Geist asked me to ask you about what you wanted for Christmas."
"And at the same time," Kamiizumi managed, "You decided to ask me about asking Yew what he wanted for Christmas…"
"Meaning," The Exorcist finished, "This nearly went in full-circle, and could've been avoided if we all just straight-up asked each other what we wanted for Christmas instead of asking someone else to do it."
"Oh, Crystals." Yew grimaced. This is awkward.
"Well…" Magnolia sighed, looking to Kamiizumi, Yew, and Geist, "If we told each other what we wanted now, it would ruin the surprise for all of us. Maybe we can just finish this cycle of suggestions so we have some idea of what we can get for each other for Christmas, without ruining said surprises?"
The other three were silent, contemplating the idea, before quickly agreeing to it. No one wanted surprises to be ruined, after all.
The time for gift-exchanging came. Geist and Kamiizumi got Revenant and Minette to open their gifts first, and while the children were getting ready to sleep, the Swordmaster took a deep breath as he looked to Geist, the two sitting on one of their makeshift mattresses in their room.
"You're probably wondering what my gift is for you, aren't you?"
Geist nodded. "Yes." He admitted. "I am."
There was a noticeable lack of an actual package or gift bag. Did Kamiizumi have something hidden away? He had no idea.
Kamiizumi was silent, dark eyes gently surveying Geist's confused expression, and he chuckled.
"The gift isn't physical." He explained. "And no, I'm not proposing to you. As Magnolia and I overheard you and Yew from earlier, I agree it would be going a bit too fast, even if we did have sex the night before we started dating."
Geist couldn't help but laugh. "So you heard that, hm? I'm glad to hear you agree."
The Swordmaster smiled, before taking the Exorcist's hands in his. "I.." He took a deep breath. "I know you've been busy lately, so I rearranged your schedule so you can have the day after Christmas off work. If there's any good time to just relax, I thought Christmas would be good timing."
"You…" Geist squeezed his hands, gazing up at him. "That's exactly the same thing I did for you."
The Exorcist couldn't help but smile as Kamiizumi also did, before leaning forwards to kiss him, wrapping his arms around the other man's neck.
"Merry Christmas, meu amor."
"Yew? You can open your eyes now!"
The Soaring Falcon opened his eyes, his hands also uncovering them. Before him lay a feast of various foods. Magnolia's face reddened noticeably as she looked to the banquet and then to Yew.
"I-I wasn't sure which dish was your most favourite, so I ended up cooking all of them." The Ba'al Buster admitted.
"Magnolia…" Yew gaped at the sight, then looked to her, "Y-you made all of this by yourself!?"
Her face reddened significantly. "W-well, I had some help from Alfred, but I prepared a lot of this beforehand myself…" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself before speaking. "I was thinking of what you mentioned, back when we were trying to find your brother, that your family never really had a wonderful meal with camaraderie and all. So, I wanted to make a great one for you."
Yew smiled, turning to fully face her before pulling her into a hug. "Magnolia," He started, "I really appreciate this. All of this. Thank you." He paused, before remembering, "Oh, wait!" Yew pulled out a small gift bag from behind his back, offering it to her, "I-I have a gift for you, too!"
"For me?" Magnolia took the bag from Yew, looking at it and then up at him. "What is it?"
The Soaring Falcon grinned. "You'll see when you open it."
She nodded, opening up the bag, and…
"Oh!"
It was a plush wool Chompette, pink and red and absolutely adorable all at once.
Yew chuckled as Magnolia's eyes lit up at the sight. "I remember you saying how cute they were, so I was going to get you an actual one as a pet. They kept running away, though, so I figured I could sew a plush version. The Chompcraft supplies we had helped."
"Oh, Yew!" Magnolia hugged him, the plush Chompette squished between them. "Thank you! I love this so much!" She planted a kiss on his cheek, before pulling back, smiling. "Ready to enjoy the feast?"
Yew smiled, nodding. "Definitely!"
With that, the two went to go share a Christmas meal together, full of camaraderie and joy.