Of Tinsel and Paper Cutouts
Although it had been over a month since the holidays ended, the Christmas tree-tumbler, as Caligosto had affectionately called it, was still up in the Main Lodge. The broken Brain Tumbler still contained the bells and colorful tinsel that had been neatly woven around its fake pine branches and intricate slabs of rusted metal. It remained in the corner of the room with the angel perched on top. The winter session PSI cadets had long returned home, leaving only Morceau and Caligosto to visit the camp with a cursory check-up to ensure security was still tight.
Across the tables in the lodge were only a few hints of the leftover Christmas decorations. A wreath was hung above the stage. A lonely line of red tinsel drooped from the rafters. There were leftover scraps of wrapping paper courtesy of the counselors' private gift exchange, in which Morceau received the ugliest Christmas sweater he had ever seen in his life from the grinning Caligosto. With cartoonish reindeer and white sequins as the snow and the almost persistent itch from the fake wool, he still wore it in the private comfort of Whispering Rock, knowing it made Caligosto happy.
And considering Caligosto, Morceau found him gallivanting over to the Christmas tree-tumbler. He hummed, his delighted tone bouncing off the walls. "My, my! I guess the cleaning people never bothered to take care of this spot."
Morceau shrugged. "Yeah, well, they only work for Sasha. He pays them out of his own pocket."
Caligosto drummed his claw on his chin. "Is that right? Well, better for me. I'd rather not have anyone besmirching the hard work we put into decorating."
He chuckled. Caligosto made a good point. They had been the ones to set up the Christmas tree-tumbler in the lodge. Convincing Sasha to part with the broken machine was easier said than done as he had continued insisting it could be fixed until Milla assured him the Psychonauts would provide him with a new one. Morceau had been the one to telekinetically haul it to the lodge with Caligosto making no show of assisting but providing good cheer It had been a good holiday, one where Morceau was happy to observe the campers tearing open presents bought by the agents, sitting by the fireside and sipping hot cocoa with Caligosto and their friends.
But as he reminisced, Caligosto snapped his fingers. The noise startled Morceau out of his memories, and he glanced around as if an enemy had appeared. Before Morceau could ask, Caligosto was already strutting over to the supply closet. Morceau watched him yank the door wide open and dive inside. He rifled through musty camp uniforms, empty buckets of paint, and half-broken stationery before uttering a sharp bark of laughter.
He pulled himself out and slammed something onto the nearest table. It was a Tupperware box filled with red and pink items that seemed to mesh together. He threw off the top, his smile stretching into his cheeks while he poured the contents on the table.
"Uh, Cal? What are you doing?" Morceau asked, and his question stopped Caligosto in his tracks.
A wrinkle formed in his brow. "Because it's February, Morry! Specifically, the fourteenth! And I'm sure you know what day falls on the fourteenth of February," Caligosto teased, and he snatched a particular decoration from the red and pink sea.
Morceau's eyes shot wide open. The implications were certainly not lost on him. His mouth dropped for the briefest of seconds, but it was enough for Caligosto to roll his lenses at him. A hot flush of embarrassment burned his cheeks, his body hot, realizing that he had forgotten about the holiday.
"Hey, little army man, tell me you didn't shirk off your romantic duties," he huffed, "and here I was planning on a lovely dinner date after we checked up on the camp, but I suppose that's off the table."
Morceau shook his gloved hands, surprise still written on his face. "No, no, that's not it at all. Y'know, when it comes to the upkeep of the camp, that becomes my priority. I swear I didn't forget, Cal. I, uh, today just happened to be the date scheduled for us to inspect Whispering Rock for any security breaches or potential threats."
The corner of Caligosto's lip twitched upward. "I'd say otherwise, Morry, but I'm a very generous lover. You have ways of making it up to me."
Instead of giving Morceau time to defend himself, Caligosto flicked his wrist and tossed the decoration at him. Morceau stumbled for a second before snatching the ribbons, three of them in different hues of scarlet. Caligosto beamed and selected a long string with paper cutouts of hearts, quickly sashaying over to the Christmas tree-tumbler. With his back turned, he tossed it over his shoulder and spun around on his heels in time to watch it land perfectly within the sparse tree branches.
"We're making this Christmas tree-tumbler a Valentine tree-tumbler," he proclaimed, his giddiness palpable, "but let's keep the bells and tinsel on to stay festive for the winter! So, I suppose it's just a holiday tree-tumbler with an emphasis on Valentine's Day!"
Morceau made a quiet grunt of befuddlement, but Caligosto didn't wait for his approval. He already grabbed another string of hearts and draped it over the metal exterior. As he tied it around the base of the machine, Morceau puffed out a chuckle, unable to suppress a smile.
There were colorful paper cutouts of candy hearts, ceramic gnomes wearing decorative hats, and countless plastic hearts ready to be hung up on the tree-tumbler. While the variety wasn't as impressive as Morceau would have liked, possibly because the campers had swiped the ornaments over the years, Caligosto eagerly examined each one. He held a gnome, noticing a few cracks through its hat and wondering aloud why a company would ever make a Valentine's Day gnome.
"Probably because Santa already took the elves," Morceau quipped, and Caligost belted out a hearty laugh.
Caligosto crammed the gnomes through the deep cracks in the machine. He tied the loose, dead wires around their feet to pin them in place. Morceau tossed the paper cutouts around the gnomes' necks, Caligosto commenting that they reminded him of leis and reading aloud the sweet sayings written on them.
"You're my cuddle-pie," he remarked, then flashed Morceau a bright grin. "Oh, that suits you so well with how tiny you are!"
He scowled. He still had his prominent dislike towards those of a taller variety, Caligosto and a few special agents excluded. "Don't even go there, Cal."
"But your short frame makes hugging you so nice!" He slung his arm around Morceau's shoulder and squeezed. "See? Just like this!"
Morceau pursed his lips and tightened his grip on the last remaining gnome. He supposed Caligosto made a valid point, but he didn't want to accept it as the truth. Though the quick kiss Caligosto placed on Morceau's cheek further supported the former dentist's theory, the sheer delight blooming on Morceau's face was all the proof he needed to be right.
They returned to the last of their decorations. The plastic hearts were rather cheap and flimsy. A pinch in the wrong direction would tear one in half. But they gathered as many as they could and placed them wherever they saw fit. Through the fissures of the machine, in the branches jutting out at random, or, much to Morceau's surprise, in the collar of his sweater when Caligosto slipped it in with a wry grin on his face.
"There! All finished! Our, er, festive tree-tumbler!" Caligosto exclaimed, gripping his hips. "Yeah, that's it. That's what we're calling it."
Before them was a mishmash of purples, pinks, reds, greens, and whites. Bells and tinsel complimented ceramic and plastic. Gnomes mingled with angel figurines. And on the very top was the unlit star covered in hearts. The sight of its messy, uncoordinated features brought a strange feeling of delight washing over Morceau. It was by no means perfect nor was it in any way pleasing to the eye for normal people, but for them, it was their festive tree-tumbler bedecked with what made them happy.
Caligosto fished in his pocket and retrieved an oversized camera. Tossing it down, he asked, "So, Valentine, how about a celebratory photo?"
Morceau caught it in both hands, then he levitated it up to his eye level. Together, they huddled around the festive tree-tumbler. Caligosto wasted no time making himself comfortable. He jumped into Morceau's arms with a giggle akin to a hyena's howl. As Morceau yelped, his telekinesis went off, clicking the button. A white flash blinded him, leaving him with spots dancing in the corners of his vision.
The camera tumbled to the floorboards. Caligosto vaulted off Morceau and snatched it. He pulled the photo out and blew on it, gasping when the picture appeared.
"Oh, how wonderful! Morry, give it a gander!" he cheered, shoving the photo in his face.
There was Morceau gaping, standing on one leg as if he was falling into the festive tree-tumbler. Caligosto, during Morceau's confusion, had kicked out his legs, arm, and claw. He looked happier than he had ever seen him. Even if Morceau looked frankly ridiculous, he wholeheartedly agreed and cracked a smile at Caligosto.
"Yeah, it does look wonderful, Cal," he replies, and Caligosto beamed, hugging the photograph to his chest when Morceau gently placed it in his palm.
But before Morceau could join in on his bliss, Caligosto suddenly frowned. "By the way, you're paying for dinner since you forgot. It might be my reservation, but I deserve a little romance and monetary reprieve after your absentminded play."
"Wh-? Can't we split it?"
"I'll consider it when we get the paycheck."
Hearing the amused inflection in Caligosto's voice, Morceau decided that was fair.