A silent night, with a black sky filled with falling, fluffy snowflakes. Truly, this is that most wonderful time of the year, where most of the world rests at home, warmly embracing friends and family under snug blankets, listening to maritime songs, and stuffing their bellies with cookies.
That's what normal people do though. You might be asking, "How does our favorite crew of lovable, awkward idiots handle this time of year?"
Well, I won't keep you waiting. This is a magical night for some, a first-time experience for others, and a wonderful gift-giving opportunity for the rest. This is...
Chapter 61: Christmas Nights
With a winter shroud falling over his warm home, the hibernating Mew pulls open his wooden barricade and strolls out onto the crunchy layer of snow laid before his doorstep.
He cranes his head back towards the sky and watches the snowflakes glide down from a pitch black sky. Holding a hand over his brows like an umbrella, he cracked a smile.
"Talk about a rare sight..." He said fondly while stepping further out onto the snow, hands tucked neatly in his pockets.
He glanced at his garden and saw his bountiful sprouts wilted and buried halfway under the snow. He stretched his hand out towards them only to curl the fingers inward and sigh.
"I'll let 'em rest until Spring."
He then looked back up and felt stoked to go flying through the snow-filled skies, "I haven't enjoyed a good flight in a while. Weather's perfect to keep me hidden too."
He kicked off the ground and took to the skies quietly like a speeding bullet due North. The snowflakes battered against his face but they felt soft like little icy cotton balls.
He kept low to the ground at first cause he wanted to check on a certain someone nearby. A glance down found him passing over a manor with all the windows lit up and some Christmas lights strung up on the bushes beside the road.
"Oh good, they got the decorations up in time,"He cracked a smile and chuckled, "Bet it was all Julius' doing. Joe's still working on that lazy streak of his..."
He reflected on something that happened a couple days ago with his lips puckered, "And Alura, well..."
He spread a grin from cheek-to-cheek, "I hope I didn't overwhelm her too bad by dropping the concept of Christmas on her at the last second..."
He then looked up to the right, at the big, full moon hanging above. The snow emphasized its fullness, turning it into a true white diamond in the sky. It couldn't get any more beautiful than this, it was scientifically impossible.
Mew used his fingers to make a "box" around the moon, then clicked his tongue and smiled. He then faced forward and hung his head in a sigh.
He was thinking of his other brother and what he must be up to tonight, "Riku's never had a Christmas before either. I wish he came with me but...he insisted on spending his night on the moon."
He then shook his head with a sigh, "Can't imagine it going smoothly with Lunis and Solaris up there too..."
He continued to fly without pause, enjoying a conversation with himself. The snow slowly got colder, and thicker, but it didn't affect him any.
"Like I'm one to throw stones about first Christmas' though..." He whispered. Why? Not even he could tell.
"We're all enjoying Christmas apart from one another in our own ways. I hope though that someday, all of us can enjoy Christmas under one roof."
He perked his brows up and gasped, "Oops! Was about to fly right past it!"
He wore a chipper smile and swerved to the right, heading towards the floating city of Sancturia. The snowstorm didn't get inside at all, but not in a way that'd expose the city to satellite gazers refusing to take the night off.
As he landed in the city he stretched his arms out and looked at the view around him with laughter, "Ha ha! Its like I'm in an inverse snow globe!"
He took a stroll through the city and caught a few carolers wandering around. He whistled along with their tunes but kept to his destination. There were lights strewn over the huts and little props at the doors.
But he couldn't imagine there were any trees in these homes. Finally, something this city couldn't rip-off from Earth.
"Oh!" He perked up and snapped his fingers, "THAT reminds me!"
Right before he arrived at the Aurora household he curled an arm above his shoulder and performed a little "Christmas magic" to create a pine tree in his grasp.
He then knocked a couple times on the side of the door and peeled back the curtain door to announce, "Hey guys, I'm here!"
He walked in to find the furniture rearranged to provide more room to move around. And standing in the center of all this empty space was Gabriel in his regular clothes, arms stretched out, and a bunch of Christmas lights and tinsel wrapped around his arms and legs.
He creaked his head back with an exhausted frown and sighed, while Maria floated up before him and placed a golden star decoration atop his head.
"There, all done!" She said all bright and cheerful.
Shina then popped up behind him, wearing a thick blue-green polo Christmas shirt while holding a light switch, "You were born for this, Gabriel!"
"Truly, this was my destiny..." He replied, barely moving a muscle when he sighed.
Shina flicked the light switch and Gabriel was light up with red and green lights. Maria landed and clapped her hands quietly, with Shina diving down to scoop her up in a celebratory hug.
"We did it!" Shina rubbed cheeks with her and Maria fought against it the whole way, giggling all the while.
"Pffft, ha!" Mew chuckled and ducked down to pull his tree in.
"Papa!" Proclaimed Maria, who slipped out of Shina's incredible grip to run over and hug him at the legs.
"Hey honey, having fun?" He could only pat her head for now, but she rustled up a smile for him.
"Mmm hmm!"
"Well, I guess if Gabriel's volunteered we don't need my tree after all." Mew slowly concentrated on dematerializing it when the stoic samurai let out a mildly frantic grunt.
"Please reconsider, Mew, I'm feeling tingles where there shouldn't be any..." He said.
Mew paused to "think" but in reality was moving to put the tree down behind Gabriel while telling Maria, "Alright honey, get the lights off and we'll decorate this one."
She pouted and moaned but followed along obediently in time. As they began to set up the decorations on the tree Kairi walked down from upstairs wearing her usual green and blue clothes, just this time replacing her shirt with a sweater.
"Sis, you're not wearing the Christmas shirt I got you..." Shina said with a pout.
"No." Kairi bluntly replied, squirming while trying to block thoughts of that childish thing out of her mind.
"Oh hey, Kairi!" Mew looked over his shoulder with a smile.
"Mew..." Kairi paused at the bottom of the stairs with her heart fluttering a bit, then pounded her chest twice and continued to walk towards him, "I'm glad you made it."
"Course! Wasn't going to miss Maria's first Christmas!" He said, rubbing her fondly on the head. He then let her ride his shoulder to put the star atop the tree and complete it.
"Perfect!" He shouted.
"I dunno papa, I think Gabriel made a better tree."
"His beard is definitely as prickly as pine that's for sure."
Gabriel stood beside them rubbing his beard for a long while. Kairi walked up to Mew and planted a hand on his shoulder saying, "Trying to start a fight before Christmas there, Mew?"
"N-Not at all!" He replied with a shaky smile.
She smiled back, albeit more twisted, then removed her grip on him saying, "Good. We're gonna have a nice, quiet evening with NO shenanigans involved. Got it?"
Mew put Maria down as he replied, "You got it!"
Kairi crossed her arms in suspicion and remarked, "Do you?"
He nodded and looked her square in the eyes, "Yes!"
She squinted her eyes and curled her lower lip, then began to stutter, "G-Good! I'm glad you understand..."
He then crossed his arms and remarked, "Sorry I couldn't make dinner though. I bet the ham was good!"
"Oh it simply MELTED on my TONGUE, Mew!" Shouted Shina in almost orgasmic bliss. As she stretched her head up high and shook with a grin, her pregnant belly became partially exposed, much to her embarrassment.
"Heh, I see the bread's rising well in the oven," Mew chuckled, "How far are you in now? Six months? Seven?"
Shina rubbed her belly and stated proudly, "Six months indeed!"
She then hunched over slightly and grumbled, "Still gotta tow this impatient kicker for three more months, god...!"
Her head suddenly lurched down and she shouted, "Settle down already, not even your father kicked this much!"
She then slowly walked off to poke her head in the kitchen, leaving Mew blinking rapidly in place.
"Haaaa..." Kairi sighed, "I've had to learn to live with her mood swings."
"Why DO women get like that like they're pregnant?" Mew innocently remarked.
"Is that REALLY what you want to ask in this household, Mew?" Came Auris' soothing voice from out of the kitchen, as she carried with her two large bowls filled with chocolate-covered popcorn and peppermint covered pretzels.
"Hah, I guess not." Mew quietly rubbed the back of his head and chuckled.
Auris raised her brows and then brought the bowls to the table. They then dimmed the lights and sat down on the couches in front of the TV. Gabriel, Auris and Shina were on one, Kairi, Maria and Mew on the other. Maria was wedged between them paddling her legs against the table as they started into a Christmas movie.
A few minutes into the movie they watched as Santa Claus fell off a roof top and his body vanished, leaving his robes behind.
Gabriel rubbed his chin and uttered in shock, "He just killed Santa Claus."
"No he didn't, Gabriel," Mew remarked with a chuckle, "It was an accident."
"Perhaps..."
Not even a few seconds later Gabriel voiced some more disbelief, "Now he's putting on his robe and stealing his sled!"
"I mean, someone's got to deliver the presents." Shina remarked, patting him on the back.
"This is supposed to be a holiday classic?" Gabriel gestured his arm out towards the TV, "This is teaching kids how to be criminals!"
"Shhh!" Auris and Kairi hushed at him.
Gabriel grumpily folded his arms against his chest and huffed out a sigh, "You're right, you're right...I'm over-analyzing this."
"Yeah really, this isn't even the part where he's in jail." Mew casually dropped, earning a slap on the back of the head from Kairi and a reprimanding remark from Shina.
"Mew! SPOILERS!"
Mew leaned back into the couch and the rest of the movie played out without much further fuss. Then they went on to the second movie.
Maria was quietly stuffing her cheeks full of pretzels like she was a squirrel preparing for hibernation, staring wide-eyed in awe at what was going on in this film.
"Pow!" She muttered, thrusting a fist and knocking some pretzels to the floor.
"Now there's more violence? Over an action figure of all things?" Gabriel was thoroughly exasperated as he turned and glanced at Mew, "This...this isn't what Christmas is really like on Earth, is it?"
"Oh no not at all," Mew peppered his response with mild sarcasm, "Nobody's dying here for starters."
Gabriel's face turned minty green.
"Heh heh heh!" Auris giggled, leaving him aghast. She looked him in the eyes and said, "Oh its harmless, Gabriel. Like anyone would take this movie seriously."
Gabriel crossed his arms and glanced aside at Maria, who was mimicking finger guns towards the TV, "Children are very impressionable..."
As the credits rolled for this movie Maria tugged on Mew's sleeve and whispered, "Papa I'm confused, is the true meaning of Christmas meant to be about the kind of gifts you give to each other?"
"Well-"
"No Maria, its not," Kairi firmly interrupted and looked Mew square in the eyes, "I'm really starting to questioning 'papa's' choice of movies here."
Mew raised his hands like a guilty man and then brushed them outward with a smile, gently rising and stepping sideways towards the TV, keeping Kairi in his sights.
"I think I can redeem myself on the third." He switched out movies in a flash and then sat back down as the last movie began, and Kairi crossed her arms and rested her heels on the table.
Thus began "A Christmas Carol"...
Their movie experience was a quiet one this go around. Maria's moods shifted from fright, to joy, to wonder as the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge unfolded.
And when the final line was sung "God bless us, everyone", she looked straight up at her papa's eyes and whispered, "I get it now, papa."
She grabbed him and Kairi on their backs and managed to pull them all closer to together wearing a big, giant smile, "Christmas is about being together with the people you care about!"
Mew and Kairi blushed as their cheeks were pressed together, but neither couldn't help but smile. Meanwhile, Shina ruined the mood by snickering.
Not long after the movie's end all the food in Maria's stomach drifted her off to sleep. She tried to resist cause she wanted to meet Santa. Auris carried her up to bed, leaving the others to clean up.
Gabriel though, was on his way out. As he had to explain, "I promised Catherine to meet up with her and the others at the Pyramid for celebration. She's had a rough month so..."
"Tell her Merry Christmas from all of us!" Mew remarked.
Gabriel smiled with a nod, "I will. And Mew?"
"Hmm?"
"I misjudged you again."
Mew smiled and flicked a couple fingers up from his arms, "No bad beef on Christmas, right?"
"Heh." Gabriel turned and left through the front door.
During this Kairi was staring at Mew from behind with a shocked look. But the moment he turned around she looked straight at the ground with red in her cheeks.
Shina stared at them from aside and raised her fingers to her lips with a hearty chuckle. She then waved at them and said, "Well, I'm gonna head off to bed myself! You two lovebirds don't be kissin' under the mistletoe or nuthin'!"
Kairi made a loud peep and then turned around to throw a stray pretzel at Shina, who ran forward and ducked under it, then made her way right up the stairs, another pretzel bouncing off the back of her head.
"Ugh, the nerve of her!" Kairi threw her hands down in a huff while Mew chuckled behind her. She thrust her head back and he turned away whistling innocently.
"I sincerely hope that wasn't your plan." She said, her face a mix of squirming and anger.
"What to get you alone and kiss your under the mistletoe?" Mew closed his eyes and grinned, "You should just kiss me as a Christmas gift!"
Her face stretched up in a panic and she jabbed him right in the chest squeaking, "S-Shut up!"
He faked a recoil and then backed away slowly, looking at the base of the Christmas tree, "Maria's sure got a lot of gifts to wake up to in the morning."
"No kidding," Kairi settled down slightly, "Us, mom, Shina, Gabriel. Even her two new friends and Saturn got her something."
Kairi slumped over and groaned, "Me? I can look forward to another weird gift from Shina and mom...?"
She sighed very loud. Mew raised his brows and said "No comment?" to which she went "Noooo comment."
The two crossed their arms against their chest and looked at the gifts wrapped neatly under the tree. He then cracked a smile at her and suggested, "Since we're so close to the big day, are we gonna say what we got for our daughter?"
Kairi faced him and said with some reluctance, "I-I got her a book. Its a story about cowboys, again."
"Heh, nice! She gobbles those up like she does her food!"
"And you?"
"Oh, I made her a pair of gloves so we can have our first snowball fight in the morning."
Kairi pulled back her hair in one sweep and remarked, "Made?! Ugh...!"
She turned away sounding frustrated and Mew remarked, "What's the matter?"
She turned sideways with her arms firmly crossed under her chest and exclaimed, "How am I supposed to compete with someone who can make anything he puts his mind to?"
Mew raised his brows and dully chuckled, "We...were competing?"
She puffed her cheeks and groaned. Mew then raised one hand and sighed, "Alright alright, next time I'll hold back a bit then."
She noticed that his hands looked roughed up with minor wounds healed up on his palm. He quickly put his hand down and smiled, seemingly unaware that he'd been caught.
Kairi fell into a minor slump following a not-so-minor sigh, "I-I swear, you..."
Mew turned his head and she shot upright with her fists by her hips to say, "I-I'm getting tired! I'm gonna go to bed now!"
"Alright. Guess it's off to the couch for me then."
As Mew bent towards the couch and Kairi climbed the stairs, she paused and then looked down at him to say, "Come upstairs, Mew."
"Eh?" He muttered.
She turned with a pout and told him, "I-I got a spare sleeping bag so just, come upstairs and sleep with your..."
She squeezed her eyes shut and muttered, "D-Daughter."
Mew blinked a few times and then rolled his shoulders as he went to join her upstairs. So ended their night, the night before Christmas...
But they were but one story needing to be told. And though the tales aren't as long, they are important in their own ways...
Solaris' Christmas...
On this eve of the 25th, our ever-so blunt firecracker was NOT spending this holiday in the comforting presence of family. Rather, the day before this Samantha came up to him before quitting the bar for the night with a mysterious message:
"Come to my place on Christmas eve. There's something I want to show you."
Ever the enigma to him, he decided to unquestionably follow her request to see what she's got. He walked through the snow-lined streets with the snowflakes melting on his skin.
The lights were dimly lit overhead, and the streets were oddly quiet.
"This place is usually bustlin' with humans, what's the deal?" He grabbed his arms and rubbed them a little to get the water off.
"Christmas eve...What's so special about that? Lunis was getting really excited about it too...Is this just another dumb girl thing?" He grit his teeth and shivered a little.
But Samantha wasn't like other girls to him. He saw plenty of them just wearing pretty clothes and looking stupid with a bunch of make-up on. Samantha defied the norm. She wore whatever she wants, wherever she goes, didn't care if there was nacho cheese on her lips, and really loved to eat pizza.
You'd never get it out of him but, he thought she was the coolest girl. Perhaps the coolest human too.
"Where's her place again?" He started to pay attention to the buildings until he wound up in front of her rundown apartment complex.
"This one, right." He unfolded his arms and walked towards the door. When he began to try knocking the door swung open and Samantha stood there, bundled up in a red ribbed jacket, scarf, and winter pants.
"You're late!" She said with a joking smile, wagging towards herself while pulling the door further open, "Come on!"
He squeezed his hulking body through the rickety frame and followed her up the stairs. The floor boards creaked under his weight, but there was no worry of him falling...Maybe.
Rounding the corner she led him to her door and opened the way inside. The broken vibe of this building didn't really go away in her place. There was damage in her wall above the stove, the stove itself was missing a grate, and the lights barely worked half the time.
But she gave it her own personal touch, having a few beer bottles on the counter, a military jacket hung up over her bedroom door, and a few pictures of herself on a drawer near her small plasma screen TV.
"It ain't paradise but," She turned around and proudly gestured her arms out while taking a partial bow, "Whaddya expect on a bartender's budget?"
"Heh!" Solaris crossed his arms and smiled, "I kinda like it!"
"You do?" He caught her in a rare moment of surprise.
"Yeah. Our place is too goddamn bright. This place's got grit. Its cool!"
Samantha leaned to her right with a hand on her hip and snickered, "Heh! Yeah, its got grit! That's what I'd say too!"
Solaris looked her in the eyes and asked, "So what'd you want me to come here for again?"
"Impatient much?" She chuckled and began to turn, "Gimme a moment, I left it in my room."
She hurried into her room and Solaris took this chance to wander around. He kicked an empty pizza box on the ground on his way towards the pictures.
He saw her grouped up with a few other people in army clothes in front of a big, bulky plane, each of them armed with a gun. She looked a little younger then but still had that same grit in her smile.
Beside that was a picture of her and Zeke in front of the bar posing back-to-back with their arms crossed.
Then the third picture showed a much younger Samantha with braces on her teeth sitting on the lap of a woman with long, braided red hair, leaning in towards the camera. A man with short brown hair and a normal white buttoned suit and plaid tie stood beside them with a hand on the woman's shoulder.
Solaris picked this up and after staring at it for a while he turned and said, "Are these your parents?"
Samantha poked her head up from around the corner and then slowly walked out with a smile, "Ah, you found that."
She tucked a hand behind her back and pointed at the figures with the other, "That's my mom, Annabelle. And that's my dad, Judas Jeremiah."
Solaris stared at them longer and then looked at the side of Samantha's face. He put the picture down and laughed, "You don't look like these people at all."
"Hah!" Samantha stood up with a chuckle, "Well people said I got my mom's hair and my dad's rough face but I don't see it either."
"You've never talked about your mother before, now that I think about it." Solaris remarked.
"Not much to say," She shrugged, "I knew she was a kind mother but she died when I was pretty young. Fell ill to a pandemic that was going on at the time, if I recall."
"It was just me and dad most our lives." She turned to stare at the picture, and Solaris felt that heavy weight in his chest again.
She then backed away, waving her sole hand towards herself while wearing a mischievous smile, "Well enough about that, c'mon! I got a gift for you!"
"A gift?" Solaris had heard of gifts before but he had yet to receive one, "Sweet! Free stuff!"
He approached her with a smile and she hyped him up with a simple enough remark, "You ready?"
"Hell yeah, bring it on!" He clapped his hands and she drew a piece of paper right out from behind cover, pinched between her fingers.
Solaris stared and gawked at the paper, slowly taking it into his hand. It was titled "Employee Contract", prompting him to look at her and say, "I...don't get it."
"I pulled some strings with Zeke's help to work up a starting contract for you to work at the Bombbrew Bar once the beginning of the year rolls around."
"Wait wait wait!" Solaris started laughing excitedly, "You're giving me a job at the bar?"
"Hell yeah! You've shown good taste in beers, you've really improved in your conversational skills. I think this'll work out great for you!"
"Wow. Holy shit..." Solaris grinned from cheek-to-cheek and stared at the contract. Samantha bent the top edge down and leaned in to point at the bottom.
"All you've got to do is sign on the bottom line and we're good to go!"
"Damn like...I don't know what to say!" Solaris grit his teeth and then pumped his fist up by his chest, "Except I totally do! I'm going to rub this in Riku and Lunis' faces when I get back! HA!"
"Pffft, ha ha ha!" Samantha hunched over in snickers.
"What? What?!"
"Y'know, when I first met you I thought you were just another limp-dick over-masculine douchebag who thought he was god's gift to mankind," She raised her head and closed her eyes to smile, "But turns out you're a pretty honest guy who isn't afraid to show his true feelings, even if he winds up looking like a dumbass."
Solaris slumped forward and moaned, "Heeeey."
He stared back at the contract and his joy began to wane. There was something about that word "honest" that hurt him deep down. And that pain only increased when he looked at her teeth grit in a smile, not a care on her mind.
"..." He closed his eyes and then pressed the paper against her chest, "I...I can't do it."
"What why not?"
She planted the paper against her chest and he folded his arms, turning away from her with a frown.
"I...haven't been entirely honest with you."
She went silent as he grit his teeth and forced the words between them, "My real name...is Solaris Arcavira."
He looked her square in the eyes and raised his voice, "I'm not a human like you. I'm a god. One of the toughest of them with dominion over the sun. I've only lived on this planet for six months."
Samantha started to blink, showing no emotion whatsoever.
He raised his hand and summoned a small flame over his palm that glowed in her eyes. He then squeezed out the ember and swung his fist down, "You see that? I'm not blowing smoke here. I could burn down the whole world if I wanted to...almost did at one point."
She continued to stare, and he impatiently yelled at her, "Well aren't you going to say something?!"
She was silent for a little while longer, then started laughing. Not in anger, not in joy. Just pure, unfiltered laughter.
And Solaris slacked his jaw and uttered "HUH?" while the tears started to fall from her face.
She rubbed her eyes and her laughter settled down to a fine point, "I KNEW it!"
Solaris dropped his hands to his hips and went "HUH?!" again for good measure.
She stood up and crossed her arms proudly, "I knew there was something weird going on with you!"
"How? How could you POSSIBLY have known?!" He replied all flabbergasted.
"Oh please, Mr. Subtle," Samantha cocked her head back and scoffed, "What kind of normal person goes around saying 'How can a human like you be so strong'?"
Her tone was dripping with mockery and left Solaris gripping the side of his head and grumbling curse words to himself.
She leaned in with her fists on her hips and squinted, "You were exposed from the start buster!"
Solaris crossed his arms and shouted, "If you knew something was up why didn't you say anything?!"
"Feh! I figured you must have had a good reason for keeping your lips shut!"
Solaris spat wind to his side while she just kept going at it, "Ha ha! Wow, to think that I'm so cool that a god wants to hang out with me!"
He turned his burning eyes on her and yelled, "Oh can it, Sam! You're totally missing the point!"
"Oh shit!" She shouted with laughter, "That means your sister is a goddess! No wonder she's so pretty! Does Riku know? Then who's Gabriel?!"
"Sam!" Solaris raised his voice to get her to stop, "I can't..."
He settled down and crossed his arms tightly, "I can't...tell you anymore, cause like...We can't keep seeing each other after this."
"What? How come?" She took his words in stride.
"..." Solaris turned to his side and hid his face from her sight, "Six months ago I came here with my father to fight someone. We attacked the planet to lure him out and in the process I burned a bunch of cities in my path. I didn't care. I thought they were anthills for me to step on..."
He gripped the side of his face, "But I was fucking stupid, and wild...and..."
He tightly scowled and dug his fingernails along his skin, "You said your father was killed in a burning building? I...I think that was my fault."
He faced her and started to shout "And that's why we can't see-"
She delivered a swift kick to his balls that left him grabbing down there and hunching over in agony. She then leaned to her right with a scowl and bluntly remarked, "That sting, dumbass?"
"Y-Yes!" Solaris stood right up and his voice's pitch got higher, "What the actual HELL?"
She scoffed and lowered her brows, "Good! Cause I don't want to hear anything so asinine from your mouth ever again!"
"Did you not hear a single thing I just said?!" He roared.
"I get what you're trying to do. Thinking I'll feel better just cause I have a face to associate my dad's murderer with," Samantha clutched her hands on her hips and kicked the air, stamping the foot down hard, "I'm NOT that weak kinda gal...Nor am I stupid."
"Every great figure in history has their fair share of enemies, my dad wasn't any different. I saw him as invincible, unstoppable. But he was only human. If any bastard off the street took their chance, he'd bleed like the rest..." Her knuckles tightened and cracked, "That's what happened. The enemy won..."
Solaris clammed up and muttered, "I'm...I'm sorry..."
After a long break of silence Samantha smiled and nudged him in the chest with her fist, "But I appreciate it. Really."
She then looked down and set the contract aside for now, "Well that was tiring! I think we need to go burn off steam, don't you?"
Solaris blinked slowly as she approached him and crawled her fingers up his chest with a smile, "And I got JUST the idea in mind!"
"Really?" His heart started racing, letting out a loud "Thump!" when she tapped him on the nose.
"Oh yeah! We're gonna do something naughty, degenerate...If we get caught, its gonna get us banned from all fifty states!"
"Hell yeah! Lets do it!" Solaris shouted.
A few minutes later...
"WOOOOOO!" Samantha raised her fists high in the air as hundreds of snowflakes flew into her body.
"AWWW YEAH!" Her breath was thick and foggy, but it could've been worse if not for Solaris' body heat keeping her warm as she rode on his back.
Solaris stared blankly at the sparkling lights flying by miles below him and couldn't help but keep blinking.
She slapped her hands down atop his shoulder blades and exclaimed, "This is awesome! You see the world like this all the time?!"
"Y-Yeah?" He stuttered.
She leaned out and pointed ahead, "Keep going! I want to go visit Europe! Hey, maybe we can go prank North Korea while we're over there too!"
"This is exciting and all but I honestly thought we were about to have sex." Solaris stated plainly.
Samantha blinked a few times and then shrugged, "Eh sure, when we get back! Don't worry..."
She playfully ruffled his hair, "I promise to be gentle."
"Oh fuck off!" He lightly swatted back at her, the two laughing far beyond anyone's ears...
Joe Dark and Alura's Christmas...
The Dark manor was even whiter than usual thanks to the snow. It bundled the building in a nice warm coat, and the heat relaxed its owners as they sat in the living room.
Donning their striped pajamas, Joe Dark and Alura had a blanket covering their legs and a cup of hot chocolate on their laps. A Christmas tree stood before the fireplace, with Julius adding the last of the bulbs up top.
Joe Dark faced him and said, "Thanks again for doing this, Julius."
"Its my pleasure, Master Joseph," Julius turned away wearing a smile, "It almost feels...nostalgic."
He took to seating on the couch opposite theirs and let his body be soaked into the leather with a sigh of relaxation.
Alura took her lips off her cup and nodded, "And thank you for the good hot chocolate."
"Absolutely, Miss Alura."
"Julius didn't put in all the work, Alura." Joe Dark said, lightly coughing to draw attention upon himself.
Alura stared and then gave him his fair due, "You're right, Joe Dark. Thank you for not burning the Christmas turkey."
He spat up some of his hot chocolate and then, wiping it off onto his sleeve, glared at her and said, "Ease up will you? Its Christmas."
"Ha ha ha!" Julius chuckled.
The two goofballs looked at him and Joe Dark asked, "Hey Julius, do you have any Christmas tales involving my dad?"
Julius paused and tapped his chin deep in thought, "As a matter of fact there's one tale I'm particularly fond of."
He settled his glass on the table and gave it a couple taps as a call for silence. His onlookers watched with bated breath as his story began.
"Roughly two years before you came to us, your father had heard of a homeless shelter whose food delivery truck had been delayed thanks to a rough blizzard."
"He bought enough food to make a full meal for everyone. But that's not all. His wife took a dozen boxes of Jell-o and filled a pillow case with it, and made him a Santa Claus suit and beard. He then bought a snowplow, painted reindeer on the plow, and drove through the blizzard to deliver the food to the shelter."
"He was Mr. Claus, she was Ms. Claus," Julius grinned fondly and pulled his head back, "They brought smiles to hundreds of tired, weary faces, and spent their night and day celebrating Christmas."
It was a short tale, but it made Joe Dark think a little, "Dad was a really generous person. I wonder if I could ever hope to live up to what he accomplished."
Julius had another drop of wisdom to impart, "Every day's a step forward. Remember that."
"Yeah, you're right. Thanks for the story, Julius." Joe Dark returned to his hot chocolate in silence.
A cozy atmosphere, with all the people he could ever want surrounding him, and the snow gently falling outside. He had earned this. With his own hands, he finally knew what it was like to grasp happiness.
Though...
He stared down at his empty cup and felt a twinge of guilt in his chest, "I feel bad for not inviting Mew. I wonder if he's doing ok?"
"..." He put his cup down and then turned to Alura, "I may be getting ahead of myself here but..."
"Hmm?" She tilted her head and kept an eye on him as he reached behind the couch and pulled out a gift wrapped box that was almost as big as her.
Her eyes gave off this dim sense of wonder as he put the gift down on the table and told her, "Go ahead. Open it."
Her eyes wide like a bee near a flower, she dug her tiny fingers into the wrapping and tore and threw it off as quick as she could. Joe Dark had to put his hands up to keep it from flying into his face.
She eventually began to slow, and then came to a complete stop. Her normally stone-cold face was actually befitting for the surprise she was experiencing.
She lowered her arms and picked up the gifts' contents...a large guitar, refurbished with a shiny polish and coming complete with a pick strapped beneath the strings and a couple DVD tutorials.
"This...is..." She had no words, so he filled in the blanks.
"The guitar you've been playing at work," Joe Dark leaned in towards her and smiled, "I put away some of my paycheck, talked it over with Jeff and Stewart, and managed to get it for you at a discount."
Alura slowly drew back and put the guitar on her lap. She drew her fingertips along the string and it made a beautiful sound.
"Merry Christmas, Alura." He said, giving her a quick rub on the back.
Her cheeks began to redden, and she pulled herself in closer against the couch. She buried her face against the side of the guitar and looked sad.
"I...I..."
Joe Dark perked up and then awkwardly rubbed the back of his head, "Ah, shit...I just realized. You probably didn't get me anything, did you?"
She sat stiff and began to close her eyes.
He patted her on the back and said, "Oh who cares? This is your first Christmas, its my fault for not saying anything. I'm just glad to spend time with you."
Alura looked away from him with her face only getting redder. He had no idea that tucked away in her back pocket was a piece of paper with the words to a song written on it.
All she could do in the face of his kindness is press her mouth against the guitar and submit to all the hesitation and doubt swelling in her heart.
"Jerk Dark..." She mumbled to herself, her voice cracking.
Riku and Lunis' Christmas...
Compared to everyone else there was no flash or flare to these two's Christmas night. They were just doing what they always did at night: Sitting back, book in hand, casual clothes on, in the comfort of Lunis' bed.
Their gift to themselves was that Solaris wasn't around calling them both nerds for once.
But in keeping to the theme of the day, they decided to try out some Christmas novels. Lunis was reading "The Polar Express" while Riku enjoyed "Letters from Father Christmas"
"Mmrrr...!" But Lunis seemed restless. She was kicking her feet against the edge of the bed and was struggling to hold back her smile.
She laid her book down on her stomach and rolled towards Riku, "Is it midnight yet?!"
Riku chuckled and softly smiled back, "Still another ten minutes, Lunis."
"Ahh!" She screamed and flopped her head back down on the pillow with a pout.
Ten seconds later she started paddling her legs some more and then flattened the open book beside her, "Oh I can't wait any longer, Riku! Can we exchange gifts now, pleeeeeeease?!"
She had her fists curled under a puppy-dog pout and Riku's defenses crumbled immediately, "I guess there's no rule saying it HAS to be on the day..."
She drummed on the mattress with both hands and shouted in glee, "Yaaay!"
Then she flipped around and then started to bend over the bed. Meanwhile Riku closed his eyes and calmly pulled out a small rectangular wrapped box.
"Here you go." He said, his voice reeling her back up to receive her gift.
She pinched the box before her chest and slowly raised it to her ear while rattling it around. She then puckered her lips and began to slowly unwrap the gift.
Inside was a small oval ivory case with a hinge. She clicked it open and let out a gasp, dropping the case on her lap.
The case held a pair of tiny lens glasses that held great significance to her. She gently picked them up and turned them around. With her hands shaking her expression began to quiver, her smile going away.
"T-These are father's...glasses."
She set them on her face and they fit perfectly. She blinked a few times, her eyes clearly adjusting to this new level of vision.
Riku put one hand atop his raised knee and had trouble smiling, "I tried to fix them to the best of my memory but I'm not positive I got the lens' correct. I noticed you squint a lot when you read so I hope this helps with that. I'm...sorry I had to take this when you weren't looking though."
"Sniff...!" Lunis had taken her glasses off and was rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand, "Y-You didn't have to do this..."
"You like it?" He inquired wistfully.
She lowered her hand, closed her eyes, and a smile bridged her damp cheeks, "I love it!"
She carefully put the glasses in the case and set them down beside the bed. She then sat on her knees, took a deep breath, and tried to relax.
"R-Riku..." Lunis couldn't even open her eyes as she asked him, "Could you please...sit up for a moment?"
He got himself in the same position she was in while she looked away and tried to whisper to herself, "G-Gosh I thought I was ready for this, but then you had to go and do that..."
She curled up a smile and murmured, "Dummy..."
She rested her quivering hands on her knees and curled her fingers inward, digging into her pants. She forced her eyes open following one deep breath, and looked right at his face.
"All my life people were always telling me what to do. I was a slave, I was a tool, I was a daughter...I was never really...me. But that all changed when I met you. You saw past every layer, every label, and spoke to me as an individual."
"You didn't have to help your enemy, but you did. In more ways than one...You freed me from my doubts. You've shown me a whole new wonderful of possibilities. Now I know 'me', the 'me' I want to be..."
She laid a hand over her chest and didn't tremble in the slightest, "Whenever we read together, I feel calm. Whenever we go out together, I can smile without worry. When I touch your skin, my body gets all warm and fuzzy..."
She raised her head proudly with a grin, "I don't want these feelings to go away. And I'm not going to bury them any longer. I know what I want. And I know who I am..."
"Riku, I..." Lunis paused to take one last breath, her soothing voice exiting like a gentle breeze, "I love you."
Riku's eyes widened, a tension clenching his heart that dragged his gaze and smile downward. Lunis stared blankly towards him as he put his hands on his knees.
"I...don't know if I can accept this."
He lifted his fake hand up and stared at the palm, "I've gotten better, I know it, but...I still have a long way to go before I can say I'm fixed."
He looked Lunis in her beautiful, glistening eyes and softly shook his head, "I'm not denying or rejecting your feelings, Lunis, but I don't think you should fall in love with a broken-"
Her soft, cold hands clasped his cheeks and held him still as she pulled herself in and forced his lips upon his. She kissed him for ten long, quiet seconds, her heart beat hastening and her fingertips beginning to dig into his bony cheeks.
She pulled away with a whispering gasp and her cheeks were now rosy red. His eyes stayed wide-open, staring deep into glistening pupils as she smiled and shook her head.
"How did that feel, Riku?"
His heart was fluttering. His blood was rushing throughout his body like a raging river. Sweltering heat rose from his body as he felt a loss of control inside of him.
And he embraced it.
Every fiber of his being rejected the concept of "restraint" and grabbed Lunis by the waist, pulling her in closer to kiss her again. Their lips melded together in perfect harmony, dispersing the voices of doubt clouding their heads.
Two broken souls, now joined together, became a mended whole. One representing the dark side of the moon, the other its light.
Their passionate kissing was an ode to the beauty of the lunar surface they lived upon that would echo throughout history for eons to come.
They closed their eyes, embracing darkness, as romantic warmth weaved its magic around their young hearts. Their bodies were marionettes to the puppetry of wintery passion, Riku's hands being guided towards the loosening of her shirt, while Lunis mimicked the same.
Flicking shirts, undergarments and pants alike to the floor, they dropped upon the soft surface of their mattress, just as the clock struck Midnight. Lunis' moans began to echo throughout the chambers of their home, as the two were wrapped up neatly in a bow of ecstasy.
On this Christmas day, these two found the greatest gift of them all: Each other.
And they wouldn't exchange it for the world...
Next Time: A New Year's Fight