#38 – Gift
He tossed the box towards her with a grin, and the girl had to use all her will to prevent herself from giving away her happiness.
CT : Gift
The hearty fire crackled with a warming mixture of auburn and maple. Before the gentle flames, there rested a snoozing Mightyena. At her side, an equally sleep-tranced Delcatty was snuggled close. I observed the complimentary shades of bright golden against calm silver. Relaxing yuletide music chorused from the hazel radio positioned atop the mantelshelf. 'Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way-' sang the sea of voices. I knew the lyrics of everything by heart; they were the only songs I got to hear, after all.
Six knitted socks adorned the mantel, each corresponding to the pelts, furs or skin tones wherever applicable, of the boy's current team of Pokémon. I observed granite black, beaming yellow, pale white, soft pink, pine green and deep blue hanging peacefully side by side. Another fruitful year was finally nearing its end, and the boy was still as close as ever to his faithful companions. The teenager had even brought back a female friend to visit and admire me. As she stared with awe and drank in my astounding beauty, I recognized her from last Christmas, and the year before that. Her ocean eyes blinked as she took one of my arms into her bare hands and stroked me with a childish inquisition.
"Oh! I remember you!" she said with a rough, almost mocking chuckle.
Yes, I knew I wasn't the real deal; she didn't need to rub it in. But hey, I had a general similarity and even an advantage above my 'authentic' peers – after all, I was sturdy and I could last longer than any other. Before long, her thorough examination was finished when she concluded that I had not been procured from the snow-covered forest. "At least you did something right," she quipped at the boy standing beside her.
As he produced an insulted grunt, she placed a golden gift-wrapped box at my feet. A second later, she was already walking over to the dining table stocked with cookies and cakes and other mouth-watering confectionaries the mother of the family had recently baked. The boy trailed after her with one hectic hand outstretched.
"Please don't make a mess of things like last year!" he called after her as she grabbed a handful of sugar biscuits with one hand, the other reaching outwards with ravenous fingers, aiming for what seemed like the traditional log cake. The boy enclosed a firm grip around her wrist before the beautifully crafted cake could be destroyed. He tried to tug her away from the well laden table, and as the two brawled in front of the table, I noticed a small child outside through the partially frosted window overlooking the room. The short boy was clad in a hooded green jacket and a thick scarf emblazed with small yellow stars. The gem planted on his head shimmered softly in the afternoon sun as he tossed a well-aimed snowball at his Sceptile.
The green-scaled and sizable lizard vaulted out of the way with deft ease, a smirk playing its features as the short male swung his fists in the air, throwing a tantrum. I could barely hear his enraged shouts from outside. The boy and girl stopped fighting and gazed out through the glass upon hearing the faintly audible screams of their frustrated small friend. The couple then shared a bout of amused laughter, his hand clamped around her wrist, her fingers digging into his shoulder blade.
"That Emerald's really cute," she sighed with a slight smile.
"Agreed," he concurred.
And when they realised that they were still touching, they abruptly leapt apart, hands dangling comically over their respective heads. The boy was the first to regain his composure as he cleared his throat, a fist to his mouth. He gestured in my direction, causing the female to arch an eyebrow.
"The blue coloured one, it's for you," he promptly informed her.
The girl bounded over to me, raw curiosity reflected in her sapphire eyes. She lowered herself into a squat, her hands cupping her kneecaps and wrinkling the red cardigan she wore. She stared intently, but refused to extend an arm to claim the present. The boy walked over and bended down next to her, tucking his feet neatly under himself to maintain the crisp shape of his blue sweater and dark pants. He reached out a hand and took up a palm-sized gift before throwing it into her arms. The girl hastily caught it with an upturned mouth and frantic eyes.
"Thanks," she said, starting to stuff the box into the pocket of her thick black trousers. I knew of several ways one could say in reply, like 'welcome' or 'not a problem'. Instead the boy went 'tsk, tsk', eliciting a confused grimace from the girl.
"Don't keep it yet, open it," he told her.
"Why would I do that? I don't need to listen to you." She stuck out a pink tongue.
An unhappy expression etched itself onto the boy's countenance. "Because I said so, I want to know if you like it," he explained with a controlled voice.
The girl bit her lip and told him with a stiffly nonchalant voice, "'Course I'll like it."
A large, silly smile graced the male's lips and his scarlet eyes brightened considerably at her words. She furrowed her eyebrows, "What's wrong with you? You look goofy," she informed him, arms akimbo.
The ends of his mouth lowered and his toothy grin became discreet, but no less joyful, I realised. "Nothing's wrong; but I'd like you to tell me what you think about that present though," he said to his friend. The girl exhaled a heavy sigh and held the present in her outstretched arms, scrutinizing it with diligent eyes.
"Fine, fine, if it'll get you off my back." She gave into his request and began to scratch the sheen of wrapping paper with her sharp nails, creating minor tears in the present. The boy held his hands to his alarmed face and made an indiscernible, high pitched shriek at that moment. He immediately dashed over to her side, arms flailing wildly about. The soft ears of the Mightyena and Decatty twitched slightly at the sound, but the two remained firm in their resting stance.
"Be gentle with it!" he ordered her with a shrill tone. The girl positioned the present over her head and backed away from the frantic boy, keeping the partially torn gift well out of his reach. She planted one hand squarely over his nose to prevent him from closing in. "Not my face! Your hands are filthy!" the boy cried through her palm, the only thing discernable on his head being the red-green Christmas-themed band of his weird hat.
Through the ruckus, the gift accidentally toppled out of the girl's hand and thumped onto the floor, its rectangular cover dropping open in the process. A green something spilled out from the open box and the boy swept up the gift in his hands, demonstrating deft agility unbecoming of his usual demeanour. He wiped it with the edge of his jumper and brushed away any lingering carpet dust before pointing an accusing finger at the girl.
"Be more careful!" he said.
"You were the one who knocked the damn thing outta' my hand!" she roared.
The boy ignored her and briskly inserted the gift into her messy hair. The girl raised her eyes as he fastened it down and combed her brown hair into a neat fashion. As his hand left her forehead, I realised that he had placed a green leaf-shaped clip upon her crown. The tiny clip seemed so modest from the lone spot where it clung from, keeping her fringe in place. The girl probed the clip with one finger as she walked over to the window to catch her faint reflection. He followed behind her, a hand resting on his waist, the other on his chin. The only word I could use to describe the boy was probably 'accomplished'.
"I wanted to get something that would make you seem more like a girl, but since you're so picky over dresses –" He stuck out a tongue before continuing, "a small clip would do, I supposed. And it even looks like a leaf! Beautiful!" he sang.
The girl frowned at that singular word, her cheeks instantaneously heating in shade. She sneaked a glance over her shoulder to see the mesmerised boy, before returning to the window to squint and run her fingers through her hair; contemplatively across the green clip. She then straightened her posture and departed the window side, a blank expression on her face. She seemed to be choosing, deciding what reaction would be best in a time like this.
"Thanks," she said, lowering her chin.
"So, do you like it?"
"I already told you I would like it, didn't I?" She frowned and looked away from him.
The boy smiled widely as he placed a hand on her head, his body language perfectly resonating 'You're very welcome'. She jolted noticeably at the touch and instinctively elbowed him away. And as the boy fell back onto the lush carpet of the floor, he knocked into the sleeping Mightyena and Delcatty, startling them awake. And as the noisy yelps filled the room, a smile blossomed on the girl's face. She traced the outline of her hairclip with a gentle finger as the boy stroked his two Pokémon apologetically before jumping onto his feet. He started yelling at her for her barbaric behaviour and she began to retort with a high shout. The two young teenagers hurled quips back and forth in front of the dancing fire, blocking my view of the majestic flames. And their voices began to drown out the cheerful Christmas music. But despite all of that; I could still feel the warm, inviting Christmas spirit. The tension between the boy and girl had unmistakably vanished, replaced with only with a habitual practice of arguing.
And Christmas was essentially there in the flesh, in the room with the drowsy Delcatty and Mightyena; with the dining table of few overturned bowls and stray crumbs; with the hearty fireplace; and from the duo in the centre of it all. From that half smile the boy had on his face to the leaf on the girl's head which shined with a glow of the rich tenor that had descended upon the comfy room.
Trust me: I'm an expert on Christmas.
And just so you know, if I had a mouth, I would be smiling along too.
a/n:
Merry Christmas guys! I've sidetracked from the intended 'Sky' prompt to present you with this Christmas fic. I hope that you've enjoyed it and that Sapphire's present was well-suited. Tell me what you think :3 Oh, and by the way, this chapter was not written from the POV of a Pokémon, but I sincerely hope you loved it anyway. Have a great holiday, guys.