Cultural note: In Japan, Christmas is not so much a religious holiday as it is a commercialized romantic event, similar to Valentine's Day. Having a date on Christmas is important to Japanese adolescents.
Mistletoe
By Midnyte Wolf and Oroko
"You…can't be serious."
Rei smiled brightly. "Of course I am. Don't you think it's a good idea?"
Sho wasn't really sure how to answer her.
"Uh…"
She frowned irritably. "Look, the only reason I'm telling you is because you're his best friend, and I need you to help me set things up."
He scratched the back of his head, his eyes wandering around the room uncertainly. "I'm…not so sure about this."
She jutted her hip to the side, placing her arms akimbo. "What's not to be sure about? My plan is genius!"
"Well…" He cast a sideways glance towards the white and crimson article sprawled over the bottom bunk. "For starters…I mean, I don't think Aniki is…you know…into that sort of thing."
She pouted. "Don't be stupid. This is sure to win him over," she told him, grinning a cocky grin. "Honestly, don't you think I know what turns my man on?"
No, Sho answered mentally, blushing slightly at her blunt language. Well…at least she was sure of herself. He bent over the bunk and ran a hand over the elaborate costume Rei had left there. It was an impossibly short red dress with a fluffy trim of white fur lining every seam, and its straps rested just off the shoulders. Its inappropriate length was redeemed a bit by the black spandex shorts that went with it (but not by much), and was accessorized by matching red gloves, also decorated with white fur trim, as well as a corresponding Santa hat.
It was…interesting, if anything.
"Where'd you get this thing?" he asked her. She raised an eyebrow, cocking her head.
"What are you talking about? I made it."
He blinked. "You sewed this?" he asked, impressed.
"Of course I did. What sort of wife will I be for Juudai-sama if I can't even sew?"
His feeling of awe was quickly replaced by one of annoyance, and his eyebrow twitched. "That so…?"
Rei gave him an irritated look, eager to get back on topic.
"Look, all I need you to do is get Juudai-sama to stand there," she pointed, indicating the door that had been booby trapped with a cluster of faux mistletoe hung from the top of the frame. "You gotta find a way to make him stay put while you leave; say something like 'stay there; I forgot something and have to go get it,' or something like that. Got it?"
Sho gave her nothing but a blank stare in response.
"After you leave us alone, I'll show up wearing my special outfit," she gestured towards the dress on the bed, "and then…" a faint blush crossed her face, as well as a smug expression. "Well, you don't need to know the rest, do you?"
Sho huffed. He still wasn't really sure how much he liked this girl. She was…strange, to say the least.
"One question."
"Yeah?"
"Why should I help you with this ridiculous scheme of yours?"
Rei looked indignant. "Well, why not? I mean, he's your Aniki, right?"
"So?"
"So, Christmas Eve is tomorrow. Only losers don't have a date on Christmas Eve. You don't want your Aniki to look like a loser, do you?"
"Yeah, but this seems kind of…"
"Saotome-kun!" called a new voice, cutting through their conversation. The room's inhabitants looked towards the door, where a young, meek-looking teacher in Obelisk Blue garb was standing. Rei quickly changed faces, putting on a sugary, girlish expression.
"Yes?" she asked sweetly.
"Chronos-sensei wants to see you right away. He said something about stolen supplies from the kitchen…"
A vague memory of Rei proudly proclaiming to have made Juudai's lunch for him crossed Sho's mind.
Rei huffed. "I'm coming." She moved towards the door, glancing over her shoulder at Sho. "I'm counting on you, Sempai!" she cooed, then vanished.
Sho stared blankly at the door for a long moment, then sighed. Crazy girl…of course he wasn't going to help her with something so stupid. His eyes darted to the dress on the bed. Honestly. What kind of idiot would believe that Juudai would go for something like that?
He lifted the ensemble by its straps to better examine it. Well…Rei's handiwork was impressive, he had to hand her that. She seemed to be good at doing all of the things a girlfriend was supposed to do, like cooking lunches for him—something that Juudai could appreciate, considering that his love for food was second only to Duel Monsters.
He sighed. Was he really so useless that he couldn't even compete with Rei?
He looked with a crestfallen expression towards the tall mirror propped against the wall, still holding Rei's costume. He wasn't nearly good enough for Juudai…lanky and awkward and mediocre at best. He couldn't cook like Rei, and no matter how hard he tried or how long he practiced, he couldn't duel spectacularly enough to impress him—not like Johan could. The most he could ever do for him was to let him copy the answers from his homework, which usually ended up being wrong, anyway. He didn't have any means for winning Juudai's heart.
He heaved another sigh, glaring at his reflection. The dress rested across his front, as though he meant to test how it looked on him. He blinked as a thought crossed his mind, then mentally kicked himself.
Idiot! he scolded himself. As if that would ever work! You're a boy, for gods' sake!
Still, he didn't put the dress down. Maybe…just maybe…
He looked warily towards the door, making sure that there was no one nearby, and, just for good measure, swiftly locked it.
Juudai wasn't really sure what to make of it when he opened the door to his room. He stared mindlessly, his keys left forgotten in the lock, watching as his bizarrely-clad companion adjusted the fur-lined hat to fit his head.
Sho stared back, mortified.
No way…there's no way…!
Juudai scratched his head uncertainly, searching his brain for the right words. "Sho…?" he said, the name rolling uneasily off his tongue. "Um…what are you wearing?"
Sho's face flushed a brilliant crimson, matching the shade of the dress.
Oh…this was…awkward.
"I-I…uh…" he stammered, his words failing him. "This…it's not…!"
Silence followed. A long, terrible silence. Then, a small sound, followed by another, and another…laughter. Juudai was laughing. Sho desperately wanted to crawl under a rock and die.
Within moments, Juudai's maddening bout of laughter had driven Sho to the verge of tears. He knew he deserved it; he had done something incredibly stupid, and he deserved to be laughed at.
Still…
"S-stop it," he choked out. He looked down at the rotting wood of the Osiris Red floor, blushing violently. He clutched the velvet fabric of the risqué skirt in his fists. "P-please…stop laughing."
Surprisingly, Juudai obeyed his request. "S-sorry Sho," he coughed out, recovering from his fit. "It's just…you…!"
But he saw his friend's hurt face, and his expression quickly changed.
"Sho…?"
Sho's eyes remained glued to the floorboards.
"Why are you dressed like that?" he asked him, hoping to get to the bottom of the matter, but Sho couldn't bring himself to answer. What was he supposed to say?
"Hey…"
No response. He turned to a different tactic.
"You know…you look pretty good like that."
"Sh-shut up, Aniki!" Sho blurted out, blushing again. "It's not funny!"
"I'm not kidding," said Juudai, folding his arms and leaning against the doorframe. He grinned widely. "It suits you."
Sho gaped, dumbfounded.
"C'mere."
His eyes widened. "What?"
Juudai's smile broadened. "Just come here. I promise I won't do anything bad."
Sho looked at him uncertainly, but inched closer all the same. Once he had entered his range, Juudai reached out and clasped a hand around his velvet-lined arm, yanking him into place.
"A-Aniki!"
He bumped against Juudai's chest, but wasn't given time to react before Juudai swooped down. His kiss was a chaste one; soft lips closed over Sho's. There was such an unusual naturalness about it, in the strength of the arms around him and his presence in their embrace. Sho quivered all over.
His lips parted slightly and his mouth opened in surprise, but Juudai didn't press his advantage. His hand glided over the cloth, feeling it, fascinated. His hand roamed down Sho's side to his trembling thigh. His fingers curled and barely smoothed against the curve of Sho's back.
Sho's eyes widened. His heart thundered, relentlessly hammering as the muscles in his throat constricted. Juudai's fingers unwound and gently cupped his face. Sho felt faint from the heat and the shock.
The kiss eased to an end and Juudai took a step back, releasing Sho from both his arms and his spell.
Sho blinked, out of breath and lost for words.
"Wha…what was…?"
Juudai chuckled lightly, jerking his thumb in the direction of the ceiling. "Mistletoe," he said simply. "S'what you're supposed to do, right?"
A rosy tint returned to Sho's cheeks. "W-well…I guess…but…" He hesitated, then quickly added: "I-I didn't put it there! It was Rei's idea! S-so…"
Juudai just laughed, playfully tugging on the furry tip of Sho's Santa cap.
"It was fun, wasn't it?" he said. "Kissing, I mean. I've never done it before, so I guess I didn't know how much fun it could be." He laughed again, scratching the back of his head and smiling that same, stupid smile. Sho remained utterly speechless.
"It's time for dinner," said Juudai suddenly, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I'm gonna go ahead and head to the dining hall. You coming?"
"Um…I should probably change first…" Sho mumbled, tugging at his skirt. Juudai chuckled again.
"Oh, right. Good idea." He backed out of the doorway with a cheerful wave. "I'll see you there, then." He turned to leave.
"Ano…Aniki!"
He stopped, looking over his shoulder. "Hm?"
"It's just…tomorrow is Christmas Eve, and, um…I was wondering if…if maybe you'd like to go to the mainland with me? Just to…you know…hang out and stuff."
Juudai blinked. "A date?"
Sho's blush deepened. "Um…y-yes."
Another grin stretched across Juudai's face. "It sounds like fun. I'd love to."
Sho's heart swelled. "O-okay!"
With that, Juudai disappeared in favor of dinner, leaving Sho by himself in his former dorm room. He sighed dazedly, floating back towards the bed while humming a gleeful tune. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt quite so happy.
He was so absorbed in his bliss that he failed to hear the footsteps on hollow wood approaching the room. Only a certain shrill, infuriated voice was enough to snap him out of his trance—
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY DRESS?"
Fin.
メリークリスマス!
An illustration for this story can be found on deviantART, deviation number 43731359.