the one with the spoiler

"Get up!"

He falls out the bed. "Mimi — !"

She throws the curtains of his old bedroom open, beams at him. "You're wasting the whole day away sleeping while we — why are you naked?"

His forearm presses over his tired eyes, still exhausted from the long day getting to his parents' apartment amid the busiest travel corridor. Had been promised he'd be allowed to gather his strength before evening festivities began, and yet. "I'm not naked."

"Practically." She hasn't blinked yet, lingering gaze. He yanks a pillow onto his lap, shivering in grey boxers. This seems to break her concentration. Beams even brighter. "Do you want to get un-naked?" Throws open his closet next. "Where's the red sweater Hikari knit you?"

"I don't — my sister knit me a sweater?"

Flinches so hard her neck bends in half, shoulders pinched in regret for spoiling the surprise. "Oops…."

Climbs back into bed, head pounding for a completely different reason now, as it usually did eventually, around her. "Get out of my room, Mimi."

"But it's the holiday!"

"Then get out of my holiday, too."

the one with the ugly tree

Nearly spits out his coffee. His fault for answering the door mid-sip, after she'd announced her "surprise" arrival, stopping by his on the way uptown to his parents' place. "Absolutely not."

"It was on sale! In the discount bins!"

"That's not surprising."

"But you never decorate your place," like she invented whining. Hoists the monstrosity around for a better grip, bouncing on her heels in his doorway. "Your parents are always complaining about it in our group chat."

"I am not putting up a pink LED tree just beca — wait, why are you in a group chat with my parents?"

Her eyes are wide as saucers, a deer in headlights. "I'm not! I just — I make them with everyone's parents! It's how I keep up with everyone's news! And you would know that if you called home more ofte — ,"

Shuts the door in her face before she can complete the transformation into his parents, trapping a branch in the frame. She shrieks and yanks at it from the other side, an impossible tug-o-war. "Your mother and I did not raise you to treat nature like this!"

"That's not from nature — and you didn't raise me!"

the one with the family photo

Arrived on time for once, having been summoned in advance for the family holiday card photo shoot. But no sooner is he through the door than he's attacked. An antler headband snaps around behind his ears, a festive garland is slung over his shoulders, and her fist, holding a fluffy red puff ball attached to a nose clip, collides with his face in a tragic miscalculation of aim she'd never possessed to begin with. "You're Rudolph!"

He's yelling, but then so is everyone.

"Okay, is everyone ready?"

"No!"

"Get your marks now! Hold positions!"

"And smile in three, two — ,"

"I taste blood."

" — one!"

"Oh, that's a lovely holiday picture."

"Well, most of it."

"Yikes."

"Taichi, please try smiling next time."

"I think she broke my nose."

the one with the bird

"It's too big."

"It'll fit."

"It won't."

"Go slow, then."

"Won't last if we go slow."

"We'll go inch by inch."

"It's not going to fit."

Someone clears their throat loudly, and the pair look up to see his mother enter first, hands over her eyes, followed by his father, covering his ears. Hikari rounds the trio out, both palms pressed to her mouth before she sighs with relief upon seeing them, Mimi crouched on the floor before the open oven with Taichi standing over her, baster in a gloved hand.

"Oh, thank God," gasps his sister, tugging Yuuko's elbow and poking Susumu's arm. "They're just talking about the bird."

Mimi acts out the engineering challenge they'd been working through. "Taichi nearly got all eight inches in before — ,"

Yuuko shrieks and Susumu's yanking both his wife and daughter from the room, yelling about family decency. Miserable, Taichi simply turns away to open the refrigerator and puts his entire head face-first into the coldest drawer.

Mimi, puzzled, goes back to finagling the roasting pan. "Your family's really weird about big — ,"

"Stop talking."

the one with the girlfriend

"So I don't quite understand. She's a family friend?"

"Not exactly."

"Cousin?"

"Nope, no relation."

"Ex — ?"

"Please don't even will that thought into existence."

"Neighbor."

"Um, not really? Or at least, her parents haven't lived here in a few years."

"But she does?"

"Oh, no. She just stays with us on the holiday. Well, not us. My parents."

"In your room?"

"For the last few years, yeah. I mean, not like I use it."

"And she's been doing this since — ,"

"We were kids? I think? She'd come visit everyone, right, after she moved, once a year, and this sort of became home base, I guess."

"Your room did."

"Right. But only for two days, three at most. Then we can move our stuff there, after she's gone."

"Well, if she's only going to be here a couple of days in the first place, I'm not sure why we've been relegated to the living room."

"We'll get a hotel next year."

"But it's your room, and you're the one who's family."

"I mean, yeah. But…," can't really put it into precise words, how his is hers, and has been, "…it's Mimi."

the one without her

They finish the pleasantly normal dinner with an equally pleasantly normal gift exchange, then settle into a pleasantly normal night in the living room. A round of cards, then turn the match on. His sister plays a game on her phone, while his mother sorts through the holiday mail. At the commercial break, he looks up to see his father gazing blissfully through the open balcony doors.

"This is nice," tries Taichi.

"It's boring," answers Hikari.

"Could be nicer," agrees Yuuko.

"Have never been more bored," mutters Susumu.

Takes out his phone to give up, because he agrees. Leave instructions next time.

She replies almost at once, despite the time difference. How to have a family holiday? Don't be silly! You're already a family!

Not without you.

Realizes his mistake when his mother pops into the thread to like his response, followed by Hikari adding an animated gif of a large heart bursting into smaller hearts, and his father flooding the chat with weepy joyful emoticons.

FUCK

Don't swear in the family chat, Taichi.

the one with the gift

Turns the envelope over, puzzled. "I don't understand."

"It's inside."

"It's a card?"

"It's inside the card."

"Anyone can get anyone a card, Taichi." Yuuko makes her disappointment very clear, and he raises his voice.

"It's in — Mimi, just open the card."

"Well, I suppose it's always the thought that — ," and stops, having lost all words.

Even Hikari's aghast. "What thought were you possibly thinking to count, Taichi?"

"But," whimpers Mimi, looking up at him with wide, teary eyes, his stomach dropping at the sight of it, "I just got here."

Susumu's clinging to her, "And you're always welcome!"

He's gaping at the both of them. "No, what — they're just — ?"

"Throwing her out with the rubbish, are you?"

"Honestly, Taichi — ,"

"We've failed as parents, Yuuko."

"The tickets are for her parents!" Jabs a frantic finger to the top line of the airline voucher. "So they can come next time! Because," and he stammers, flustered with the way she's gazing at him now, still wet-eyed, "family should be together at the holiday. So you — ow!" because she's hurled the both of them to the ground in a bear hug, wailing.

"We've succeeded as parents, Yuuko."

the one with both sides

"Hey, so, your dad just kissed me."

"Mistletoe?"

"Um, no. We were out on the balcony, and I offered to get him a beer, and then he just…held my face in his hands for, like, five minutes?"

"And kissed you."

"I think he was aiming for my cheek. Or maybe my nose?"

"That sounds nice to me."

"It was nice. And also weird?"

She quickly dismisses it. "He's just very emotional around their anniversary."

"Ah, that explains why you rarely want to spend the holiday with them, then."

"I mean, would you?" They look around the corridor, where Keisuke and Satoe are tightly wrapped up around each other, no care in the world. Even so, at the sight of them, Mimi melts again, cupping her cheeks with her hands. "It's still so romantic."

"I was gonna say parasitic, but okay."

"That's the same thing!"

Taichi sighs. "Suddenly, Jou's suggestion of a translation dictionary's not such a bad gift idea."

"All we are is what we make of each other." Looks up at him, smile so soft, and kind, an open book. Just when he thought he'd read it all. "Don't you want to be made out of each other?"

the one with the boyfriend

Finds him sulking on the balcony, nursing a lukewarm beer. "You have to come inside and say hello."

"You say hello."

"I have," laughs Hikari. "He's really nice."

Mimes kicking her. "Traitor."

She's grinning, annoyingly perceptive. "It's a big step, introducing your partner to the not-family you spend the family holiday with every year."

He turns his back to the railing, frowning into the living room. Sees his reflection, tries to fix his face. "At least agree with me that his hair is stupid."

"If it'll get you to stop giving him the stink eye, sure."

A failed compromise from the start, because they both know it's damn good hair. Hikari's even gazing at it again with more attention than he thinks is fair, but she'd always known how to push his buttons. Kicks her for real that time. He scoffs, "She can do better."

"According to you."

Watches Mimi win the fourth round of cards, squealing punch in the air. Their father high fives her, face swollen with pride. Date politely smiling next to her, losing by a wide margin. Smirks to himself, because it's not even close. "Yeah, me."

the one without him

His mother texts first, sending a picture of that year's holiday card. Koushiro'd taught her Photoshop, to everyone's great regret. She'd given him outlandishly pointy ears, transforming his elf into more of a threatening demon. He's under no false impression about the implications, her having made her displeasure at his being away from home very apparent. Even so, he likes the photo dutifully, promising to call later that night.

He repeats this promise with his sister, who sends a little while later a progress report of his present. It's still the size of a toddler's pair of socks, edges frayed. Turns out I've lost interest in knitting. Chuckles to himself, telling her to save her sanity and suggesting they give each other a couple of extra days for their sibling gift exchange. She responds with an appropriately grateful gif, instructs him to get himself home soon, and sends a selfie from the kitchen.

His father follows up the selfie with more images of Mimi's menu. The appetizer is some fuzzy green and pink thing. Odd, but not surprising. The soup is a congealed orange pudding, because why not. The main course is meatless, an offensive choice, all things considered. The dessert is meat-based. What?

He's about to inquire further on the latter especially when another notification pops up as a banner across his phone's screen, an incoming picture from her.

Here's your real dessert.

Oh, shit.

Grinning, he takes a quick snap of his own to answer, How's it taste?

I am not sure you meant this for me.

Oh —

And, poppet, that's hardly weather-appropriate attire.

— shit.

PAPA OH MY GOD

MIMI THIS IS WHY WE DON'T MAKE GROUP THREADS WITH PARENTS

Oh, hello, Taichi, sweetie! How are you? You look healthy!

MAMA DELETE THE THREAD

the one without privacy

"When's the last time you had a girl in your old bedroom?"

"You've been sleeping here for the last several holidays."

"Without you."

"Because I happen to be a gentleman."

"Mm. And are you always?"

Rolls her sharply onto her back, her squealing laugh pitching when he finds her most ticklish spot behind her left knee. Almost socks him in the stomach if he hadn't pressed her into the mattress, pinning both her hands above her. The first private moment they'd stolen for each other all day, and it's hard not to be too eager for it. "Need I remind you about the last time you tried to get frisky with me on the holiday?"

"Yes." Arches up into him, kissing his throat, soft on his quickening pulse. "Remind me."

The door slams open, and they leap apart and off his bed as Hikari strolls in, rolling her eyes. Her voice calls back into the apartment. "Oh, thank God. They were just — ,"

"Nothing!" he yells over her. "We were doing nothing!" Glares at his sister. "I want you to stop hanging out with Takeru."

"Too late," she grins. "He's almost here, so the parents want you to come help set the table."

"Of course," chirps Mimi, helpful and cheerful. Sweeps her hair back from her shoulders, and freezes when her fingers brush the slight swell of the hickey he'd made high on her neck. Claps a hand over it, gasping, "Taichi!"

"Here," Hikari continues giggling, albeit more sympathetic now. At least she'd always had the sense to smuggle Takeru out well before it got to this stage. Hands Mimi the red knit sweater from her brother's closet. "You can stretch the collar up."

She does, joining the rest in the dining room moments later. Yuuko immediately whispers to her husband, "They're sharing clothes now — ,"

"Oh, they're sharing more than — ,"

"Hikari!"

"Enough, Taichi," waves Susumu, arm slung around the back of his wife's chair at the table. "We've known what you'd get up to with the bedroom door closed even before Keisuke sent us the screenshot."

"And we're done."

the first one

"The tree's finished."

"Presents are all wrapped."

"I've got the timer counting down in the kitchen."

"Champagne's chilled as well."

"We have the fire going."

"Record's on."

"So then…that's it, right?" Mimi glances at him across their small table, furnished one bedroom decorated for their first holiday on their own.

Taichi nods, hands on the back of the chair he's lingering behind. "Right. Now we just have…new traditions."

"Yeah." Chews the inside of her cheek, takes a breath. "But…fuck new traditions, too?"

Grinning when he reaches for her, deep kiss. Tastes like all that they'd made out of each other, getting to here. "You grab the gifts, I'll start the car. We're going home."