Author's note: Holy crap, she lives! Much love to Lina, for whom this fic was written. I hope it's satisfactory to you, hon. Obviously, it was started before Christmas, and ended...now. It was the only idea I could come up with, though! It's only four pages long, and there's no real point to it (nor plot, for that matter). Oh well. Now, on to my only note: I know that most Japanese don't celebrate Christmas. I do realize this, and it is addressed at the very beginning of the story. I also know, however, that in Japan it is a holiday for couples (thanks to Chikuma-sensei for that tidbit) and thus highly commercialized. And I also know that "sensei" should technically be spelled "sensee" in roomanji, but old habits die hard. : p
"I didn't ask you to get me anything, idiot."
Tsuzuki pouted at his teenage partner, noting how the boy was shivering in the cold winter weather. Perhaps Meifu was perpetually sunny, but Earth was quite a different matter. The chilled breeze swept over them mercilessly, Hisoka's modest blue sweater not nearly enough to stave off the cold.
"Well, you could at least let me get you a jacket," Tsuzuki offered.
The boy frowned deeply, wrapping his arms around himself all the more tightly.
"I'm fine," he said tersely.
It was a week until Christmas, and although they were in Japan, the elder Shinigami never passed up a chance to have fun...or to bake seasonal cookies. And why should he? The fact that most Japanese who did celebrate Christmas did so as couples certainly didn't cross his mind, and even if it had, Tsuzuki would have paid no heed. He had somehow managed to drag Hisoka down to Earth to–of all things–go shopping. He suspected that Watari had something to do with it, especially after having seen a suspicious vial of liquid sitting near Hisoka's desk.
"Come on, 'Soka...let me get you a jacket, at least."
The green-eyed boy shot him a piercing glare.
"No, Tsuzuki." He turned away to avoid seeing the puppy eyes he knew he was being given. He startled when he felt a heavy, warm weight settle over his shoulders, recognizing it by touch and scent as Tsuzuki's trench coat.
"I don't know why you didn't wear a jacket," the older man murmured as he adjusted the coat so it wouldn't slip off the boy's frail shoulders.
"Maybe because I didn't plan on being dragged all over Japan looking for Christmas gifts, of all things!"
Tsuzuki shrugged. "But it'll be fun! Don't you want to surprise everyone?"
"Not really..." Hisoka muttered, pulling the coat around him to trap his body heat. Truth be told, he didn't actually mind the thought, except it involved a level of social intimacy that he still felt uncomfortable with. How could he tell his partner that, though? Despite all they'd been through, Hisoka remained less than demonstrative with his emotions. He watched as Tsuzuki peered through the frosty glass window of a small shop, surveying the goods inside. The man's childlike glee both irritated and endeared the boy, perhaps because it was a state of mind he secretly longed for, one he had been denied as a child. Of course, it wasn't as if Tsuzuki's childhood was much better than his own...yet their personalities contrasted so sharply. Why? Why couldn't he have even a tiny measure of that stupid innocence?
"...'Soka?"
He turned his head to look at Tsuzuki with annoyance. The man smiled apologetically, his eyes tinged with worry.
"You were spacing out there. Are you okay?" He straightened up. "Is it too cold? We can go back if you want..."
From his tone alone, it was clear that Tsuzuki wanted to stay, but was willing to leave for Hisoka's sake. The boy almost smiled at the thought.
"It's fine...we can stay a little longer. But," he added before Tsuzuki's eyes could light up too much, "we shouldn't need to visit more than three shops. If you can't get your shopping done after that many, you're just wasting time."
The older Shinigami just grinned and grabbed his partner's hand, surprising the boy.
"Come on, then! Let's go!"
What Hisoka described as "a little longer" turned into three hours, by the end of which he was less than thrilled with his partner. In fact, in all that time, Tsuzuki had only bought two gifts! Throughout the day, the weather had worsened, the wind turning almost violent as it beat against them furiously. Taking shelter in the nearby mall, the two Shinigami felt oddly out of place amongst the hurried mortals. They sat on a bench, watching the masses move past them.
"I don't get it," Hisoka announced, his chin resting in his hand. "What's the big deal about some stupid holiday? And you," he said, looking accusingly at his partner, "you insist on celebrating it like a foreigner!"
Tsuzuki shrugged, scratching the back of his neck in discomfort.
"It's more fun that way, though. I mean...I want everyone to know how important they are to me." He looked at his younger (though decidedly more pessimistic) partner. "What do you want for Christmas, anyway? I know I keep asking, but–"
"I want you to do your paperwork for once and stop wasting your money on stupid gifts!" Hisoka snapped, drawing the attention of several nearby patrons. He flushed and glared at the ground.
"Oh...is that all? Nothing else?"
There was a tense silence for several minutes after that, during which Tsuzuki kept his eyes on Hisoka, waiting expectantly for a reply. Finally, the boy spoke in a soft, strained voice.
"I need to get out of here, Tsuzuki. Now."
Not needing to be told twice, the older man grasped the boy's arm, pulling him up gently and ignoring the venomous look he received for his efforts. Jerking his arm away as soon as he was on his feet, Hisoka made his way to the nearest exit, not bothering to see if his partner was following him. He took the lack of protest as a sign that perhaps Tsuzuki was ready to drop the whole Christmas idea, if even for the day. Any reprieve was fine with Hisoka; the whole idea of holiday joy disgusted him anyway...at least, that's what he kept telling himself as he walked, shoving his hands in his pockets. When he finally reached the glass doors leading out of the mall, he turned to say something to Tsuzuki, only to be met with thin air, his partner nowhere in sight.
"On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...laa la la laa..."
Tatsumi growled, setting his pen on his desk with a loud thud.
"Watari, will you stop that and get back to work?!"
The man in question paused from where he was standing atop a chair, pinning up Christmas decorations in the secretary's office. Tatsumi winced at the thought of his expensive, polished chair getting scuffed, but his co-worker's singing voice was even more painful to experience.
"Oh? You want me to go and come up with a new experimental substance to test, then?"
The Kagetsukai's eyes widened slightly.
"N-no...just...would you at least stop interrupting my work? I can't concentrate with you banging around in here like a housewife."
"A housewife? Hmm...I wonder if I could create a potion to chemically alter a per–"
"No. No, you cannot. And furthermore, you cannot continue standing on my chair and doing what I suppose I should consider "singing," either. With Tsuzuki and Kurosaki-kun gone, no paperwork is getting done. And no paperwork equals..."
"No money. Yeah, yeah. Well, I guess I could offer my services for the day and do some of it, if it would make you happy."
Tatsumi paused to consider the offer. He could just picture it–a stack of half-crumpled papers being dropped on his desk, each host to an awful scribble of a bunny that came to life when he tried to erase it. Or worse, a grasshopper... He still shuddered at the thought of that incident.
"No, Watari, I think I'll handle it myself. Just...leave me be and don't blow anything up. Or spike anyone's coffee. Or experiment on anything whatsoever."
"Aww, you're such a scrooge! You should get into the spirit of things! Besides, doesn't this banner make your office look more cheerful?"
The secretary warily raised his eyes to the paper banner Watari had taped above his office doorway. It spelled out "Merry Chrismas" in crooked letters, with what appeared to be a tree off to the side. He sighed and turned his attention back to the budget papers. Watari pouted and stepped down from the chair, brushing it off quickly with his hands and opening the door to leave.
"And Watari?"
He paused, looking back with raised eyebrows.
"The word Christmas is spelled with a "t" in it."
"...Oops."
Hisoka sighed deeply, retracing his steps. He had to find the idiot and get out of there, before everything started to overwhelm him. His first thought was to look in the candy store, but he was disappointed to find only little children occupying the isles. He then made his way to the food court, arms wrapped defensively around himself the entire time, sidestepping anyone who threatened to brush against him as they passed. 'When I find him, he's going to regret even thinking of Christmas!' the boy thought angrily, furious at having been abandoned in the middle of a crowded mall. What was Tsuzuki thinking?! He should have known how much it would upset Hisoka. Yes, he would regret it...
The boy paused as he reached the food court, leaning against the railing as he struggled to discern whether his partner was in the midst of the crowd. After several minutes of visually searching, he concluded that Tsuzuki was elsewhere and slumped against the railing in defeat.
"What did I do to deserve this?" he muttered, trying to ignore the panicked feeling that being alone invoked inside him. It wasn't like Tsuzuki to be this careless... Sure, he'd run off sometimes, but never without telling his partner where he was going!
"Hey!"
Hisoka jerked and spun around, hearing his partner's voice. The venomous glare he gave Tsuzuki stopped the man dead in his tracks, his grin wilting immediately.
"Where...were...you? Where did you go?! You left me there by myself, you asshole!"
The older Shinigami lowered his head as if it would hide him from the raw fury in his partner's voice. He hadn't even thought of the fact that he was, indeed, leaving the boy all alone amongst a large crowd of people.
"I...I didn't realize. I'm sorry, Hisoka," he said, his eyes pleading for forgiveness.
The empath's eyes narrowed.
"If you had bothered to stop and think about someone other than yourself for once...!" he started, but let it trail off. It was petty of him, and he knew it was entirely untrue. But it did exactly what he had intended it to, as Tsuzuki's face took on such a look of guilt that Hisoka couldn't even imagine feeling victorious. Although he had every right to be angry, he realized how childish he was being...and how cruel. Sighing, he gripped the railing tightly, welcoming the stinging sensation it brought to his dry hands.
"I didn't mean that. Just...I really don't want to be here any longer, and I had no idea where to find you."
"...I know. We'll leave now, okay? We'll go back, and I won't try to make you come here again, I promise."
He held out his hand tentatively, and Hisoka stared at it for a moment before accepting. They walked through the mall, toward the exit, Tsuzuki keeping his partner close to shield him from the other patrons. For once, Hisoka accepted the gesture gratefully and without complaint.
When they exited the building, Tsuzuki pulled him to a nearby bench and sat, tugging the boy down by their joined hands. It was only then that Hisoka realized his partner was carrying a shopping bag in his other hand.
"What's in there?" he asked suspiciously.
Tsuzuki gave him a weak smile, pulling a small box out of the bag and holding it out to him.
"Here, it's for you. You probably won't like it, but..."
Hisoka held his own hand out and waited until the box was dropped onto his palm before curling his fingers around it. He slowly opened it, setting the lid of the box on his lap as he stared at the contents. It was a simple, faux-gold pin in the shape of a Christmas tree, the ornaments colored in green and red.
"They didn't have many," Tsuzuki explained, "but I thought I'd get it for you, anyway."
The boy didn't respond, instead opting to regard it with an unreadable expression.
"You hate it," Tsuzuki said, his voice tinged with disappointment.
Hisoka shook his head slowly.
"No, it's just that...I haven't gotten many gifts..."
Tsuzuki smiled sadly in understanding. He reached into the plastic bag again.
"Well, then I guess I should give you your actual gift," he said, pulling out a long, rectangular box similar to the other one. Hisoka's eyes widened.
"W-what do you mean, my actual gift?" he asked, accepting the box nonetheless. He opened it and was stunned to find what appeared to be a rather expensive pen, black in color with gold designs. The body of the pen closest to the tip was covered in a rubbery material meant to cushion.
"Even I'm not tacky enough to get you a Christmas pin as your actual gift," Tsuzuki said, grinning. "And I know you've been complaining about the pen you've got at your desk hurting your hand, so I thought you might like this one." He paused. "Do you?"
"It's...lovely. Thank you, Tsuzuki." Hisoka examined the pen, then raised his head to look at his partner. "Just one question: how much did this cost?"
"Umm...well...about that..."
"Tatsumi's going to kill you, Tsuzuki."
"I know....especially after he sees what I got for him and Watari!"