"RYU-CHAN!! TAIGA-CHAN!! IT'S CHRISTMAS MORNING~!!!"
Yasuko had somehow defied expectations and awoken before anyone else, in spite of her late work the previous night. In truth, she'd returned home exhausted (and more than a little tipsy), but not so exhausted that she hadn't noticed the black dress Taiga had worn to the school Christmas party the night before. She'd believed that her son was trying to take advantage of her late work hours that night and had gotten busy with the little neighbor girl who had quickly become a part of their little family, and, being the less than typical mother she was, she'd simply gone to bed. She was probably thinking something like, "It's about time~!"
Ryuji and Taiga groggily sat up from bed, wondering how they'd ended up wrapped around eachother when they remembered the events of the previous night and began to grow again embarrassed and avoided each other's gaze.
It was Taiga who first broke the stalemate.
"Did you hit your head last night or something?"
"...What?" he answered, annoyed. Could she really doubt his feelings after the way they'd awoken?
"You seemed so much cooler than usual. Like something out of a ronance movie or something..."
Ryuji finally looked at her, rather confused.
"Hmmm... I guess it was like someone else had taken the reigns, and they were helping me say the right things..." he paused, then grumbled, "I wouldn't get used to it if I were you."
"That's a real shame... I was just thinking maybe you'd earned a better title than mongrel, or mutt..."
"I haven't earned boyfriend? Or are you going to stand me up and pretend it never happened?"
"I... I never said that..."
Ryuji Takasu smiled. It was already turning out to be a good Christmas, if an unexpected one.