Do you wanna build a Maki-chan?
Summary: Snow, sexual tension and a tsundere spider, sho~
Makishima Yuusuke hated the winter. For him this was a stagnant season; temperatures decreased and the roads would ice up, making his cycling impossible. Training on rollers for months on end was not an enjoyable task for someone who lived for the climb; the open-air and the company of a certain climber. It didn't help that he was one of these constantly-cold types; meaning bitter nights bundled in bed adorning multiple layers and thermal socks was his seasonal aesthetic. How he prayed that red gushing noses were in this season.
"It's the most wonderful time of the year~"
The rich male voice exploded obnoxiously from every speaker in the Mall; its' visitors mostly lovey-dovey couples beaming in agreement.
Ah, Christmas~!
Surely Christmas would warm the heart of our bleached beauty; being a time to spend with loved ones, roasting chestnuts on an open fire and listening to festive jingles?
#NOPE, Makishima was as green as the Grinch.
Fuck Santa and his creepy-ass unregulated monitoring of the underage population. Furthermore, who was he to judge? Makishima knew for sure that he was hiring unpaid workers…I mean, if Santa gives presents away for free, he can't be generating any profit. On the same note, what was Santa eating in such a cut-off location as the North Pole and with no income? One can only guess that he is either poaching protected species for meat, or cannibalising his workforce.
Hypercommercialism of problematic festive figures came hand-in-hand with exponential increase in the prices of items; whilst Makishima had no worries when it came to money (being a wealthy heir), he was a keen observer of the markets. How foodstuffs that he used for everyday nutrition would hike in price during the festive period; rises in meat, dry fruit and nut prices were particularly shocking. Another quam of being a rich kid was that you were expected to maintain positive social networks. TL;DR: depending on your status in the hierarchy…kiss ass or get your ass kissed.
Kissing ass was an exhausting process in more ways than one. He hated how he was expected to find and spend money, buying presents for people he didn't particularly care for, when all he really wanted to do was throw these people down a tall staircase.
(Ssssh… don't worry. It's ok. One of them is sure to have a child who studied Medicine at Oxford University)
And that's where we find our green grump today; in the previously mentioned mall, fishing for ass-kissing material.
"Blast this Christmas music. It's joyful and triumphant."
(See what I mean about being a Grinch?)
"Makiii-chan! You look so great…like a beautiful Christmas tree!"
(Ah yes, I should probably mention that "Maki-chan" was not alone on his shopping trip. Well, it was supposed to be his shopping trip, but Toudou Jinpachi never likes to be anything but the centre of attention.)
You may be wondering how someone could be described as looking like a "Christmas tree", but if you saw the get-up our Maki-chan had donned this evening, you'd see that there was no other possible way of describing his appearance.
He hardly looked like Maki-chan anymore, his signature mass of green locks and his chin- mole obscured by a glaringly-red beanie a red and green-striped scarf. The Christmas tree metaphor used by our Mountain Prince referred to his choice of winter coat; a green shaggy coat that swaddled his tiny frame like a tacky baby Jesus. To finish off the horrendous festive colour scheme, he wore green skinny jeans tucked into fire truck-red Doc Martens.
Toudou on the other hand looked like he'd just walked out of a Korean boy-band photo shoot; a black double-breasted coat was accompanied by well-fit distressed jeans, which were covered from the knee down by zip-up, matt black cowboy boots. Being less affected by the cold, he opted for a simple grey scarf; no hat, just the usual headband.
"You look like a member of Super Junior."
"Uwwaaah! THANK YOU MAKI-CHAAAN~! That's the first time anyone has said that to me…you're so nice Maki-chan!"
A small hidden smile.
"It's not meant to be a compliment, sho~"
"Aah, but I think that everything that Maki-chan says about me is a compliment, because if he says it, it means that he thought of me. The wonderful Maki-chan thought of meee…"
A not-so-small hidden blush. Such an honest boy has no idea how much damage his words cause.
The green one could never grasp why he was seen as wonderful, when all he did was ride bicycles and read gravure magazines most of the time. It wasn't like he was one of these people who could stimulate change through their words, or possessed great reserves of strength and willpower; surely people like Kinjou and Tadokoro should be the ones that should be receiving this praise? However, these peculiar affections of the bandhead in question had brought him here, by a bus journey over an hour long; so Maki-chan couldn't complain.
Lost in this train of thought, the green one only just noticed the expectant vibes the other boy was broadcasting; his mouth slightly agape as he seemed to search the little area of Makishima's visible face.
"Sony store?"
Toudou smiled; his question had obviously been answered. He held out his hand, but greenie shook his head. He didn't want him to touch his frozen mitts, it would be so incredibly embarrassing…
"We're not a couple, I can easily spot your headband from anywhere, sho."
The usually cocky expression faltered for an instant, a photo-shot instant, before the bearer turned gracefully on his heel to survey his environment.
The Sohoku Mall had gone all out with the decorations this year. It had gone from 2014 baseline spray-the-area-with-disinfectant tacky, to 2015 vomit-in-your-mouth hella jazzy. Stretching beyond the plague of blinding lights, every banister; walkway and elevator exterior was adorned in golden tinsel. The concrete pillars masqueraded as candy canes and children huddled at shop windows with displays about as subtle as Maki-chan's fashion sense.
On the ground floor, painfully artificial fir trees were dotted about, connected together by a line of green fairy lights. The spider climber didn't know what was more depressing…the fact that there were no presents under the trees this year (due to their strange disappearance the previous year), or the fact that a proportion of their taxes had actually gone towards this monstrosity.
"Maki-chan, come on! Race me!"
He had been so invested in his mental decoration dissing that he hadn't even acknowledged Toudou gesticulating in the direction of the Sony Store. Seconds later the Mountain Prince was away like a swan, initially gliding into the crowd in a silent sweep, before swerving left and right to dodge the gaggles of hand-holding lovers.
After a few seconds of exasperated protest and surreptitious admiration Maki-chan gave in, setting out on what was destined to be one of the toughest climbs of his existence.
Although it was painful for Maki to admit, Christmas shopping with Toudou wasn't half-bad. Yes, the Christmas songs were still playing non-stop and the shops sardine tins, like every year, but the talkative personality that usually irked Maki on the other end of the phone, shined in this setting. Mediocre-qualities of the Christmas displays, pained looks on older sibling's faces and the unfortunate misplacement of an embellished Christmas stocking calling into question just exactly who was "coming to town" on Christmas Eve. Many of the Mountain Prince's scathing observations even had him struggling behind a hand to constrain his laughter, or burying his head a mass of scarf. This of course, did not go all un-noticed by the Prince himself, who marvelled in all the attention.
How fast time went! Before he knew it his arms were decked with shopping bags filled with presents, weighed down heavily by false intentions. Screw it, it was done!
With all his relief to have accomplished his task, came a pang of regret. He felt guilty that the whole trip had seemed to revolve around purchasing things, but he hadn't given anything to the person he wanted to reward the most…even if he would never fully admit to wanting to reward them.
To "reward" a rival…that would count as a loss against him!
"Got everything you needed?"
The voice awoke Maki from his contemplation.
"Just about all I can carry back, sho."
Toudou looked down at the bags, as if seeing them for the first time.
"The noble Mountain Prince will help the damsel carry her wares until he reaches his bus stop. Would Maki-chan like that?"
A reasonable question, you'd think, as it was quite normal for friends to carry each other's bags…but their relationship was a little bit more complicated than just "friends".
"Are you making fun of me?"
"No, I just need my rival in best shape. I can't count it as a win when I beat you due to an injury you sustained in my care!"
A quick up-and-down glance and a sigh.
"Fine. Just don't ask to swap if you can't handle, sho"
The Mountain Prince winked and relieved him of an armful of bags; before setting off in the direction of the mall exit.
Plunging out into the bitter snow-swept streets, he felt his contented mood instantly drop a couple of degrees. You see for him, snow was an evil thing; a relentless force. Short-term qualms being that it was a literal ball of wintery-pain, whilst in the long-term its wetness made any defence you had to the cold obsolete.
His defences had already been compromised due to snowfall he experienced on his trip to the mall; he now pulled his semi-soggy red beanie (which he had removed whilst in the shops), from his handbag and pulled it over the top of his head. Toudou followed the movement of this action, his eyes tracing lines about his face.
Dear Readers, if our Maki-chan was to look at him now I don't think that he would ever curse the snow again.
"Why did the shepherds in the Christmas story cringe and hide when approached by the host of heavenly beings? How were so-called "hardy" men who would fight off lions to defend their flock, so affected by a fairy with a growth-spurt? He would never act that way in the situation; nothing could exceed the beauty of his own face!"
#LOL Young foolish Toudou had been a fucking riot.
Present day Toudou was having a truly religious experience right now; enjoying how thick black eyelashes threw shadows on rosy-cheeks. The Christmas lights causing his rival to glow almost ethereally and in that moment he wondered how he had ever thought that angels were all women. Shock turned to exasperation, exasperation to…well.
"You're amazing Maki-chan."
The Peak Spider finally turned to look at him; still stunned by the cold.
"What? I didn't do anything, sho?"
(Isn't it so fucking neato when two characters are so disgustingly obvious?!)
"I won't lose to you though, Maki-chan!"
It only took ten minutes from the Sodoku Mall to reach the bus stop to Hakone, which was situated outside one of many temples in the town. Although temples can be found in every Japanese town, this had to be one of Toudou's favourites (in what he found to be a rather plain and uneventful area, being himself a man of the mountains). What really set this place apart was the vibrancy of the crimson red paint; looking freshly-done at every visit and the gold rims that seemed to never age. It was a miracle how the same colours that made the Mall look so horrific could make one gaze in awe here.
And that's when Toudou Jinpachi decided that he was going to put his plan into action... "OPERATION: WOO THE CHRISTMAS ANGEL."
PREPARATIONS: COMPLETE
LOCATION: FOUND
PLEASE PROCEED
"Heeey Maaakiii-chaaaan… do you wanna build a snowman?"
He let out an involuntary shiver at the Frozen reference. Maki-chan severely regretted ever taking him to see it; if he'd have known what it would do to his rival he would have located every copy of the film and ritually burnt them on a bonfire along with every cardboard cut-out of Hans. After seeing that film Toudou was utterly convinced that he was destined to be the Queen of Arundel. Not only that, but every time Toudou spotted something slightly related to Frozen in a store he would send a cheesy snapchat to Maki-chan; his eyes glistening at the potential of wiping his face with a Frozen napkin, or his sweaty body with an Elsa towel. Needless to say, the green one was perplexed.
Back to the time at present, their contrasting eyes locked; enthusiastic and resigned. To be honest, that was a good summary of their relationship dynamic.
"Fine…but not for too long, sho. I'm getting cold."
Still high from what he felt was a well-executed reference and not fully taking in what Maki had said, Toudou shot off to find the patch with the highest abundance of snow. Maki-chan simply stood in wonder at his energy; his efforts sending snakes of steam from his mouth, a mouth that glistened as it caught stray snowflakes upon its surface. The same snowflakes were slowly congregating on his black hair, causing it to shine as they melted. Makishima hasn't seen him this wet since the summer inter-high.
Teeth chattering to the point that he was worried that he would be creating permanent damage, he secretly cursed his sensitivity to cold, which stopped him from seeing this glorious sight more often. The Prince shining in the snow. Our Prince continued to run around like that for a few minutes, before stopping dead; seemingly getting light of an idea.
His gaze fell on a pale-faced Maki-chan and the bulb flicked to ON.
"You're really are sensitive to the cold aren't you? I'm so sorry Maki-chan, I totally forgot!"
The mission was failing badly and he feared that he might have to carry out an emergency abort.
"It's ff-fine really. Just make your snowman quick, sho!"
After a last desperate surveillance of the area, his eyes lit up on a rather rotund pile of snow deposited on the concrete paving beneath the temple stairs. Pulling Maki-chan by the cuffs of his shaggy coat, he selected that spot as the base of operation.
"Ok, ok I'm ready now…I'm gonna build it here. You go stand and face the temple. B-but…you have to turn around Maki-chan! A-and you have to promise that you won't take a look until I've finished! O-otherwise I win by default, ok?"
The green one raised an eyebrow. He scarcely heard him stutter and it was cute?
"M-maki-chan?!"
"Yeah, yeah…fine fine!"
Turning to face the temple, he muttered to himself with a smirk.
"It's not a race if I don't join in you know…"
"You can turn around now."
Amused at the child-like excitement in his partner's voice, he turned silently on the spot, bracing himself for what he was sure would be the horrors of an awkwardly assembled snowman. Or God forbid, an Olaf replica.
He did not expect THAT.
"Behold, my masterpiece~"
"It…it's ME?!"
Toudou beamed, his cheeks like plump cherry-plums.
"Do you like it? Look…it's even got your moles!"
Makishima Yuusuke was not alright. He couldn't stop looking at his iced doppelganger; the way it's chin pointed, the mass of white curly hair, the green and yellow scarf similar to his own…it captured his likeness all the way down to the two currant moles on the left side of its face. How had he managed to pinpoint every facial detail in under five minutes, when Makishima himself wasn't aware of all these things? And how long had he been planning this assassination on his person? How long had he been thinking about him for? Did he know that he had been thinking of him too? It felt as if his whole body was on fire, enveloped in warmth that seemed to exude from every point on his body in embarrassment and exaltation…so much that he thought for a moment that he must have somehow developed the flu in the last few minutes, because WHAT THE HELL?!
"When did you…?"
He didn't even have time to complete the sentence, because at once his mouth was no longer his.
"It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.
The Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.
Maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store.
Maybe Christmas...
He thought...means a little bit more."
Notes:
Hello friends, I hope you enjoyed my first fanfic!
I roleplayed on forums when I was a pre-teen, but I haven't written an actual story for four years, so I'm really out of practice (gomen gomen)!
I would be really grateful for any feedback that you have on my work and ways that I can improve. I'm still getting to grips with staying in third-person narrative, so I'm sorry if it is a bit sloppy and disjointed. I just felt that I had to write about this subject as soon as I saw the official art with Toudou building a Makishima snowman!
I'm submitting this as a one-shot, but I think that I might do more works with TouMaki in the future! :3