A/N: 2013 As part of ZEcret Santa
Bearing Gifts.
The phone rung calling to the grumbling woman climbing down from the attic. It rung loudly in the quiet apartment, the caller trying to get the woman's attention by waiting longer than nine rings. In annoyance she tossed the tangled lights by plastic bags before jumping off the ladders.
"Hello, Hazuki Ka–"
"Lotus?" A rough voice beamed down the phone. It wasn't hard to recognise whom it belonged to. She had spent an unfavourable nine hours running for her life with the officer after all.
"What do you want, Seven?" Lotus huffed, replying with the alias he had not used for over a year.
"I was gonna' ask a favour from ya," He laughed which improved her attitudes towards very little.
"What favour?" Lotus asked warily. Despite having spending tribulations they had shared over a year ago, something always made her cringe when he asked for favours – especially the last time when he had abused her computer skills to hack into his friends' computer… "It better be quick. I'm trying to decorate my house before my daughters visit."
"Oh well, it sort of has something to do with them," Seven spoke. Lotus was about to hang up not bothering with him any longer. "Wait, before ya go thinking I'm involving them, I only need help at the orphanage. You got kids of your own so I thought you'd be good with them."
"I'll help out," Lotus spoke with no hesitation. "I don't know why an investigator would need to go to an orphanage though."
Seven chuckled. "It's not an official post just work-related. Anyway it'll be tomorrow."
"That's cutting it a bit short isn't it…? I mean I did just say daughters are coming from college and I want them to have a festive Christmas." She glared at the plain apartment. The green fern in the corner of the living room looked like an odd taste for indoor gardening. The decorations she had planned to hang the next day littered the area under the stairs.
"If you're that bothered, I guess I'll have to help the demon woman afterward," Seven laughed. "Oh, I have ya work outfit so just get changed when you get here."
Lotus sighed.
She could see the oaf waiting outside the entrance as she pulled up. Lotus shivered upon opening the car door. The cold stinging her naked cheeks. She walked up to the entrance and greeted the detective with a nod and never forgetting her usual glare. Seven shrugged off the icy greeting not bothering to hold the door when he entered the entrance – but then he had to carry two large sacks with him.
Not knowing the layout of the orphanage, Lotus followed Seven. Soon they were greeted by a woman adorned with lumps of glitter on her face and a paper hat decorated with Christmas decorations. "Hello, you must be the detective."
"Yup, and a demonic helper," Seven nodded but dropped one of the sacks thanks to the punch in his arm. "But she's alright with children and is a mother of two herself."
The woman looked warily at Lotus before leading them into a side room. "Well, you can get ready in here. I'll just tell the children and just come in when you're ready. It'll be more fun for it to be a surprise for them."
The two adults nodded to the woman before she left the room.
"We better get changed before we leave them all waiting," Seven handed a bag to his partner.
Lotus snatched the green cloth from him and, despite wearing revealing attire before in front of the man, pulled the screen as a partition to change into the green – a flattering colour for her.
"What're you looking at?" Lotus glared at the ogling look she received from the officer.
"Ha, I've just never seen so much clothes on ya," He chuckled rubbing his neck. Her clothes fitted snug to her body that it highlighted her curves and features of her body more than going bare skin. The dress she wore jingled with the slight movements she made from simply breathing. The hat sat on her head completed the look of a true helper of Christmas. Whilst she was clad in green Seven had fitted the familiar Christmas suit. Rather than the rough detective who would stay to the early hours looking into cases, he was fitting the persona of an old man who worried over the many children he would have to deliver presents to.
Lotus rolled her eyes. "It's time to go anyway, Santa… I mean Mr Claus."
The two avoided eye contact, their minds on a make-shift ship that they had escaped (barely). Rather than to talk about what they both were casting their minds back to they switched attention to the giddy children in the next room.
"Time to deliver some presents," Seven cleared his throat and picked two full bags of presents. Lotus held her hand on the door knob and nodded to Seven.
She swung the door open, entered and put on her brightest smiles. "Okay, who's ready for Mr Santa Claus?" Her heart ached as she saw the many children of different ages, statures, and faces, sat eagerly waiting for the bearded man to arrive. There were so many more children than she thought there would be. Quickly she flicked her eye contact to the women in the back of the room, their faces urging her to keep going.
"Ho ho ho!" Behind her the bearded man clad in red entered the room. Simply by hearing the overused little catchphrase, the children shouted with excitement identifying Seven as the fictional man of Christmas. Their faces bore smiles that reached their eyes and hands were clenched so tightly they were white. Lotus could even see one little boy who's face had gone red with excitement.
"Now has everyone here been a good girl and boy?" Seven bellowed, dumping the sacks of presents by the chair at the front of the room. Happy cheers earned his reply. "Ah, well that's good to hear! It's a good job I've got a present for each and every one of you!"
Surprised murmurs ran round the room.
"Okay, children why don't you all line up to come and speak to Santa?" One of the carers of the orphanage huddled the bubbly children. At that the Santa Claus sat at the tinsel covered chair with the children lining up patiently yet excitedly in front of him. Seven caught Lotus' eye contact the two sharing a wrinkle claws at the sides of their eyes – though Lotus would deny her skin homed such lines.
The first child was a small boy far bonier than a child of his age should be. He waited eagerly for the man to bellow a welcoming voice. Swiftly he was lifted and brought to sit on Santa Claus' lap. "Hello there, now what's your name?"
"Chin!" He grinned, looking from the white beard to the elf stood next to him.
"Now, my elf here says you've been a good boy," Seven gave out his loud laugh but quickly lowered his voice to a whisper. "But that little mess up the other day won't count."
Chin blushed at the wonder of Santa Claus knowing his every move.
"Now Chin, I've read your list that you sent me and loved the little drawings you did of me and the mrs," At that Chin's face shone and hung on every word the bearded man spoke. "So would you really like a make-your-own car kit?"
"Oh yes!" Chin smiled.
"Thank goodness," Santa Claus gave quick sigh of relief and looked to his elf. "Would you get Chin's present, please?"
"Of course!" The elf gave a bright smile and dug into one of the sacks finding the box with the tag with Chin's name. She handed the present after wishing him to have a good Christmas. Chin thanked the two giving Santa Claus a hug first then once off the lap he hugged the tall elf whom had crouched to his height.
One after the other, the children asked for gifts though all too timidly yet eased when they saw the smile of the tall elf and the jolly man. The elf handed the designated gift to each child with an easy grinning.
"Hey, aren't you pretty tall to be an elf?" A little girl tugged on Lotus' skirt. She looked just like her own daughters when they were her age: dark black hair tied into a ponytail and curious green eyes.
"Of course I am," Lotus laughed. "I'm the tallest elf there is. That's why Santa Claus asked me to help him when he makes visits."
"Did you bring the sleigh?" She asked eagerly.
"Of course, I even helped the reindeer fly all the way here," The elf put her hands on her hips and puffed her chest with accomplishment at a task she had not actually performed. It was worth the awed smile spreading on her face. "It's even parked up on the roof."
"Will we be able to watch you go?" Another boy joined into the conversation cuddling the wrapped present to his chest.
Lotus gave a hum as though she was in thought before she spoke again. "Hmm, I'd love to but as my job I have promised not to tell. Plus Rudolf is very shy."
The two children pouted with their brows burrowing down to their eyes. "We thought so…"
"Don't worry you can have this," Lotus took her hat off and placed it on top of the girl's head. "If you see Santa Claus on Christmas Eve just show him this hat. It'll tell him that you're a little helper and he'll show you."
Lotus winked at the two children whose eyes lit up with awe and excitement that there was the possibility that they would be able to see the one magical thing of Christmas.
With the children all having a gift of their own and many trying to guess what each other had gotten, the Christmas guests decided to take their leave. Waving their goodbyes to the children and Lotus receiving more hugs than her thumping heart could handle. Although she didn't get the tighter hugs that were given to Seven's persona.
"Lotus these're only for hire," Seven spoke noting the missing hat as he shoved their worn clothes into his now almost empty bag.
"Bah, just tell them that I gave it to the orphanage; they won't be able to deny such things," Lotus opened the front door. "You can't have their Santa spoiling Christmas."
"Woah, I'm not the bad guy!" Seven jumped defensively.
"Yeah, whatever," Lotus shrugged. "I need to cook dinner for my own girls now."
"Ha, you wouldn't mind an old man joining in would ya?" Seven blurted though his dry throat wanted to take the words back. In return he received the usual glare he always had the joy of seeing. However, the joyous smiles from the young children must have still latched onto Lotus for the glare dissipated into a lax look of simple annoyance.
"If you can finish the decorations as a return of favour."