This is the last of the holiday-themed set of snippets (not to mention a slightly late post as well) – I kinda planned on this being posted on Christmas Eve for the near-daily set, but I had festivities with family to do that day and on Christmas Day as well.
The mistletoe: one of those holiday traditions that you often don't really think about above the usual stuff like presents, the winter weather, Santa Claus, trees, et cetera... unless you were either very romantic or very lonely.
Because history dictated that whenever lovers – or just two people standing around – stood beneath this little decoration, it meant they should kiss or risk bad luck.
Thankfully, the vast majority choose the 'kiss' option – and this was the story of a 'King of Fighters tournament'-ruled community that followed along with the tradition.
"Oh Aaaaandyyyy~"
Mai and Andy's love and respect (but mostly love on Mai's half) carried its way from Japan to Southtown, and even in the middle of wanting to meet up with Terry, something specifically caught the bouncy ninja's eyes.
Her significant other followed suit, glancing up to the lip-magnet plant... "I suppose there's no tip-toeing around the idea..." Andy said.
"Oh, there's definitely no excuses this time," Mai chimed, already wrapping her arms around the blond.
The two embraced and shared the lip-lock for a warming length of time – what better time than the cold but serene holidays to continue to keep that warmth alive?
France was no stranger to the concept of love, and was probably more known as 'the romantic type' equivalent of Earth's countries.
Being just one notorious example, Ash Crimson was the type of guy to flirt all he wants and somehow get nowhere in the romantic scene, and the pseudo-brother/sister aspect between him and didn't prevent him from continuing such antics with her.
"Oh, Betty; I think I found something~"
At Ash's call, Elisabeth looked back and upwards, seeing the mistletoe being loomed over her head by her companion.
She sighed and shook her head, more baffled than annoyed with him being so forward. "Oh Ash, for God's sake..."
Ash lowered it from above the gentlewoman's head, chuckling. "I'm such a tease, aren't I~?"
Elisabeth stifled a baffled chuckle, sitting a hand on Ash's shoulder as she shook her head. "No, you're not..."
"Yeah, I know, I know – I'm surprised even now, sometimes you don't expect this sort of stuff from me..."
At least, from his perspective, it seemed as though Elisabeth was just the normal kind of 'bothered' over these little hijinks, to which it was felt as harmless nudging...
…Until she pulled him in and gave a brief but effective kiss on the left of his face – though from how he reacted, freezing up on the spot, it felt like one on the lips.
"Were you expecting that?" she then retorted.
Ash was blushing almost as deep a red as his outfit. "You..." He cleared his throat, and from then on, his voice dropped an octave. "You do realize I was joking, right, Betty?"
Elisabeth chuckled, having successfully caught the Sneering Blaze off-guard.
"Don't act stupid. You got what you wanted."
"Oh my-my – looks like the gift came early this year..."
"Oh, just come here and have a taste, you little devil~"
As soon as Mature and Vice caught wind of the notorious floral decoration within the realm of the surface world, it became their excuse to wrap their bodies in one another's warm hugging grasp and just go to town on one another, no matter how deep into public they are.
This world had its interesting traditions throughout the year, but nothing as open to lip-service as this.
Open even within the close presence of the Orochi-cursed man they just simply couldn't leave alone – Iori stood and glared at the sight with a sort of disgust, but that of an unsurprised variant...
"Can't even trust these women to protect their virginity – why am I not surprised by this?"
Mature broke away for only a couple seconds...
"You're welcome to join in~"
Iori turned away, partway. "Don't even touch me."
He was long growing stale on the idea, having before experienced the sinful lust of the Hakkesshu secretaries too much before...
Lastly in the examples, the looming presence of the little mistletoe befell upon a certain 'Psycho Soldier' and her closest friend.
What were the odds that this would happen at such a populated public setting? Quite high in general, actually, but... not to these two personally.
"I-is this really happening, Athena?!"
At the moment, Kensou was almost in hysterics, in the inbetween of laughing and whimpering as his nerves were slowly getting to him.
However, something about the cute glint in Athena's eyes as she wrapped her arms around him, calmed him at a moment where it would've been otherwise pants-spunking.
"I guess, just this once, you can be my 'Psycho Soldier'," proclaimed Athena with all the cutie-charisma she could publicly muster. "Come here~"
With that, Athena tightened her arms around him...
…for a moment, until another force entered the fray, smashing into Kensou; he wound up grabbing onto Athena from the side, as he tried not to fall – but at the same time he pulled Athena towards where he stood moments ago...
Athena only had a moment to glance at her friend, before she felt a pair of lips smash against hers. Lips that very clearly weren't Kensou's.
"Mmmhhn—!"
She couldn't quite get a good glimpse beyond the eyes, due to the all-too-close sight – but as she broke away, only then did Athena realize just who that pink-haired intruder was.
"M-Mignon?!"
As it seemed, Athena just couldn't seem to get away from the pink witch – even in the the more personal realms of her life.
"No one's getting between you and Mignon while she's still around!" proclaimed the shrill girl, afterwards chortling with the successful kiss-steal tucked under her metaphorical belt.
By this point, Kensou was flat on his ass, flustered by the situation. "What the—how the—?!" However, he had enough of that 'Dragon Spirit' in him to pick himself up. "...What is wrong with you?!"
"Oh poor little Kensou… it's obvious you'll never know the way of the heart like this kitten..."
Tonight, Mignon was feeling accomplished, having inject herself in the midst of a relationship she had no right in interfering in. Worst of all of her unbudging attitude, was the swipe of her tongue across her lips, tasting her 'victory'.
"And it's surprising to admit; you have good taste, Asamiya – if you catch Mignon's drift~"
A smarmy wink twitched upon her quote-unquote 'clever' grin...
...seconds before getting a fist smashed into (and nearly THROUGH) her face, courtesy of her 'rival'.
On this day, it was the first time Athena punched someone in the face outside of the tournament setting, and didn't regret it.
It was also the first time Mignon felt what it was like to have a broken nose.
Sidenote 1: You're lucky I didn't have Athena call Kensou 'her little PogChamp'. I feel like that meme is already close to death by the time I post this.
Sidenote 2: Mignon is the Goro Majima to Athena's Kazuma Kiryu. Yes, I've played Yakuza.
