Being Festive
Christmas Eve was on a Saturday that year, and because of that, all three members of the Kirishima household were home. Yes, all three, because Kirishima had made it clear that Yokozawa was counted in that number.
"Papa, four!" Hiyo had pointed out when Sorata glanced up from where he'd been taking a nap on the couch.
"Ah, yes, of course," Kirishima conceded, and Hiyo had gone back to brushing Sorata's fur and humming to herself.
The problem with being in the Kirishima apartment, Yokozawa had found over the past week or so, was that Kirishima adored Christmas carols. Specifically English Christmas carols. Yokozawa was by no means ignorant of the English language, but walking in late at night to some singer with a strange accent bellowing Jingle Bells at him was jarring, to say the least. December was always a hard month, what with how many days off they got between Christmas and New Year's. He just wanted to relax after getting paperwork done in double time.
On Christmas Eve, Hiyo had insisted that she and Yokozawa bake cookies before they went out to get fried chicken. Yokozawa couldn't say he remembered the last time he'd had fried chicken on Christmas Eve with someone else. It certainly hadn't been the previous year, when the only person he could've shared it with was Takano, and Takano had disappeared, not even answering his calls.
"Would you turn that music down?" Yokozawa said gruffly as he rolled up his sleeves, getting ready to throw the batter on the table so he and Hiyo could use cookie cutters on it.
"What's wrong with the music?" Kirishima asked innocently. He was sitting at the table, but because both Hiyo and Yokozawa knew how useless he was in the kitchen, he'd been banned from touching the cookies until they were done.
"I don't see how you can't be tired of the same songs playing over and over for days is all," Yokozawa said.
"I like them, Oniichan!" Hiyo said, and Yokozawa just shook his head. Apparently that was that.
A new song came up, one Yokozawa hadn't heard yet. His ears perked up when he realized it was I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus. Yokozawa just shook his head and went back to work. He'd never understand those silly little songs.
"Hmm, I wonder if I still have that Santa suit from a few years ago," Kirishima said, looking contemplative as the song continued.
Yokozawa stopped cold at that. Hiyo didn't seem to understand the implications and said, "Papa, I'm too old for that. Besides, you're too thin to be Santa Claus." She poked one powdered sugar-covered finger at Kirishima's belly before picking up a cookie cutter in the shape of a snowman.
"You wouldn't," Yokozawa hissed when Hiyo wasn't paying attention.
Kirishima considered this, pulling free a tiny bit of the cookie dough and chewing on it thoughtfully. Then he said, "I guess you'll have to see."