Year: 6
Season: Winter
Ib: Age 14
Garry looked at the clock, hanging on his wall next to the painting that reminded him so much of his mother. It was almost four o'clock, and his guests should be arriving any time now. He took note of the time, and looked at the painting real quick, forming a small smile seeing the violet painted over where the blonde hair had once been. It didn't look exceptionally good, but it was special to him nonetheless, since Ib had did it for him from the goodness of her heart, and he had no doubt that she slaved over it for quite some time, trying to make it look just right.
He lifted himself from the couch, and wandered around for a bit, making sure his house was nice and tidy, which fortunately was one of the benefits of such a small place, he could pick everything up and throw it in his room within a short time period.
It was then that the doorbell rang, and he quickly made his way over to answer the door.
"Hello." He said, opening it to see who had come.
"Hey Garry!" Aiko shouted her greeting, and jumped towards him, wrapping her arms around him, "Happy Christmas Eve!"
Garry laughed, patting her on the back, "It's good to see you Aiko, it's been quite a while."
"Only four months or so," Aiko said in a deep voice, doing her best to imitate Garry, "It's not that long!"
He laughed and moved aside so the girl could come in, "Well, you went to a different high school than Ib did, so it's rare for me to see you anymore."
"And that's such a shame!" She cried, "I can't believe she managed to pass the test to get accepted there! It makes me so jealous! I wanted to go to an art school like that one too!"
"It still has general education," Garry pointed out, "And if you really want, you can still go to an art college."
"Yeah, I know, but Ib has such a head start now, and an art college will be more likely to accept her over me!"
Garry shrugged, "That's life I guess."
She sighed, "Oh, I forgot," She looked down towards her recently remembered back, "I brought some food for the party!"
"Party is stretching the term a little far."
"You're always a kill joy," She glared at him.
"Sorry, It's an adults job to give you younger crowd a hard time."
She pouted, but wasn't able to keep a straight face before cracking up and hugging him again, "I missed you so much!"
It was then that the doorbell rang again, and she quickly hopped off him, "Oh! I wonder who this could be!"
Garry took her bag to the kitchen table he had cleared off, and looked back to see who Aiko had let into the apartment.
"Rin!" I'm so happy to see you!" Aiko cheered, wrapping her arms around her smaller friend, "I don't see you as often as I'd like!"
Rin nodded, "Hello Aiko, are you the only one here so far?"
"Other than Garry, yeah." She confirmed, turning towards Garry, "Garry, it's Rin! Hasn't it been a while!"
"Hey Rin, I haven't seen you for a whole week." Garry said.
Rin nodded, "Hello, Garry."
"A week!" Aiko gasped, "How could this be?"
"She doesn't live in a dorm." Garry said.
"I also don't go to a school so far away from town." Rin added.
Aiko folded her arms, and huffed, "It seems you both are against me."
Garry shrugged sympathetically, and went to grab Rin's bag, "I'll take this to the kitchen."
Rin allowed him to grab hold of the bag, and she took off her coat, hanging in where Aiko had put hers shortly after.
"Oh boy, I know what we can play!" Aiko pulled out a bottle from the bag Garry was currently holding, "We can play Truth or Dare with this!"
"No." Rin said, not even looking at her, "The last time we played that, you attempted to get me to run around naked in the house, if you recall."
"You were supposed to do it, you did say dare." Aikop reminded.
"I don't disagree with that, but my modesty, rationale, and common sense wouldn't allow me to do it, so I didn't." Rin said, listing off with her fingers, "It also taught me a valuable lesson."
"What's that?" Aiko asked.
"Aiko senpai is a pervert."
"What?!" Aiko shouted, "Why?!"
"You wanted me to run around the house naked."
"So?! It was a dare!"
"A perverted one."
Aiko looked towards Garry for help, but he just shrugged, "I'm glad I wasn't there for that." He finally decided to say.
"Thanks for the back up." Aiko grumbled, sitting on the couch and ignoring Rin and Garry for the time being.
Garry shrugged, and went into the kitchen setting up the table with the supplies they currently had, with Rin helping him out by rearranging things to look nicer. Aiko had eventually come over to help too, creating small talk while they waited for the rest to arrive.
The door bell rang again, and Aiko went to check it out again, "Sorry Garry, your date's not here yet."
"Huh?" Garry looked up, "date?"
"She means Ib." Rin supplied helpfully.
"You're very funny, Aiko." Garry deadpanned.
"Hehe, it's so cute how she confessed to you! I'm going to be rooting for her the whole way." Aiko said, opening the door, and allowing Junichi to walk in.
"And I can't believe she told you all about it." Garry said.
Rin nodded, "I wouldn't have told Aiko either."
"Told Aiko what?" Junichi said, handing his bag to Garry when he came to pick it up.
"About Ib and Garry." Aiko supplied, grabbing Junichi's hand and dragging him into the living room.
"Oh, that." Junichi said, "I think it's kind of weird."
Garry sighed, "Thank you."
"But I'm cheering for Ib."
Garry face palmed, "Of course you are." He said dryly.
Junichi went and sat on the couch next to Rin, who blushed a little and looked anywhere but at him. If the boy noticed, he didn't show any sign.
"Now we're just waiting for Ib and Yuki," Aiko said, "I'm excited to see Yuki again! The last time I saw her was at the culture festival over a year ago!"
Junichi nodded, "She moved so far away and is busy all the time. It must suck being a genius sometimes."
"Yeah, I would hate to go to an uppity school where if your GPA gets below a three point ninety nine, they kick you out because they think you're so stupid." Aiko complained.
"I don't think they are quite that extreme." Garry chuckled.
It was then that the doorbell rang, and Garry, being the only person standing up, went to answer it. He wax surprised to see both Yuki and Ib standing there, but the most surprising thing was that Ib had on some makeup, something he didn't recall her ever really wearing, or at least not being quite as noticeable. He also noted that she was wearing a dress which hugged her developing figure in a very provocative way.
"How do I look?" Ib asked, looking somewhat nervous.
"You look very cute." He said.
Her lip thinned at that, and she looked mildly disappointed.
"May we come in?" Yuki asked.
"Oh, of course." Garry stood aside, and let them inside.
"Yuki!" Aiko cried, and rushed up to give the girl a hug.
"Ib?" Junichi said, seeing the girl as he hadn't seen her before, he looked away, feeling a little flushed at seeing her look like that. Rin too was surprised by Ib's appearance, and just stared for a bit before looking towards Yuki.
"It's been a while, Aiko." Yuki said, prying the girl off her with ease, "I hope you're all doing well."
"I'm doing fantastic! And Ib I-" She finally took note of the makeup, "Ib!" She gushed, "You look amazing!"
Garry took hold of the two bags they had brought in, and added them to the kitchen.
While he was doing that, Aiko leaned forward and whispered, "So, did he like it?"
"He said it was cute." Ib grumbled.
"Just cute? Not beautiful, or even pretty?"
"Nope." Ib sighed.
Aiko crossed her arms and chewed on her tongue as she tried to think of another way for Ib to woo Garry.
"Oh, I know! It's Christmas eve, right?" Aiko said excitedly.
"Yeah?" Ib answered, wondering where she was going with this.
"Well, I heard that tradition is that if you stand under this," She pulled out a mistletoe from her pocket, "You have to kiss whoever is standing under it with you!"
"How do I get it above him though?" Ib asked, I'm wearing heels, and he's still taller than me."
"Well..." Aiko muttered, "Forget about being subtle then, just reach your hand up as far as possible with this in it, and tell him to kiss you!"
"Do you really think that will work?" Ib asked skeptically.
"Sure!"
The two parted, noticing that the rest of the group had gone to the kitchen and began to pick the food they wanted to eat. Garry, had supplied quite a bit himself, but with their additions, it was quite a buffet to choose from.
"It looks great," Junichi said to Garry, "Even without the things we brought, you still would've provided more than enough."
"That's why I kept insisting you guys didn't need to bring anything." Garry sighed, "But since it's here, might as well enjoy it! Eat as much as you can."
Junichi didn't need to be told twice, and began to fill his plate.
"You have a very western styled household." Yuki noted.
"I prefer it that way," He shrugged.
Yuki nodded, having nothing more to add, and pulled out a chair and began to eat her food, as did Rin besides her. Junichi decided to sit at the head of the table next to Rin, while Aiko sat at the other end of the table next to Yuki. The only two spots open were across from Rin and Yuki, meaning that Ib and Garry were going to have to sit together.
Aiko gave everyone a thumbs up, causing Garry to look at her in confusion.
"What's that about?"
"Nothing!" Aiko said quickly.
Garry, knowing better than to try and get reasonable answers out of her, just decided to sit down. Ib sat right next to him, glancing his way every other second. The Dinner was a rather quiet affair, Aiko herself was even pretty quiet, which was unusual. Regardless, they enjoyed their company and continued to eat.
"Alright! Dinner's over!" Aiko cheered, once they had put their dishes into the sink, and gathered into the living room, sitting on the couch, or in some cases, on the floor, "Since it's Christmas, we have to do a gift exchange!"
"Um," Rin mumbled, "I didn't bring any gifts."
"Nor did I." Junichi added.
Yuki and Ib both claimed the same.
"Garry?" Aiko looked towards him.
"Eh, sorry."
Aiko smiled, "Alright! You know what that means?"
"No." Rin said.
"Well, it means-"
"No, I mean, I know what you're going to say, and I am saying No to that."
"But you haven't even heard what I was about to say!" Aiko whined.
"Let me guess," Rin sighed, "It involves that bottle you're now holding?"
Aiko looked down at the bottom she was indeed holding, "Maybe."
"I assume that we're going to be spinning the bottle."
"Maaaybe."
"Then no." Rin said, concluding her argument.
"Alright fine, yeah, I was gonna suggest truth or dare." She huffed, "I thought maybe we could get people to kiss or something, but if you're against it..."
Ib blushed thinking of it, "M- Maybe we could try it?"
Junichi rolled his eyes, "Figured she'd go for it when Aiko says it like that."
"Yuki! Are you for it?" Aiko turned to her.
"I don't care."
"Yes! Three for it, one against!" She turned to Junichi and Garry, "How about you two?"
"I don't know if it's such a good idea." Garry said, laughing nervously, "Not if what Rin said earlier was true."
"It'll be interesting." Junichi said, "Why not give it a go?"
"Alright! Four for it! That means we're going to play Truth or Dare! Does everyone know the rules?" Aiko cheered, putting a bottom down in front of the couch, "Try to get in some sort of circle." She said, watching the group shuffle around a bit and getting into position.
"I'll spin it, and I'll ask whoever it lands on truth or dare. You must pick one or the other, and must do what I say!" Aiko said, spinning the bottle, "Here we go!"
The bottle spun, and landed on Junichi first, "Alright," He mumbled, "I'll go with truth."
Aiko grinned like a mad woman, "Hehe, Alright then! Do you have feelings for Rin?"
The boy blinked, and then turned to look at the girl who was now blushing a deep crimson, "Wha, well, um..." He coughed into his hand, feeling his face burning, "A little, maybe..."
The girl next to him, blinked once, and then twice, and looked towards him.
"That's it, right?" He said quickly, reaching for the bottle, "I'm spinning it now."
The bottle spun and landed on Yuki, she took one almost bored look at it, and said, "Truth."
"Have you been wearing glasses your entire life?"
"What?" Aiko cried, "That's so boring! You're supposed to go for the really meaty topics!"
Yuki ignored Aiko and shrugged, "I remember getting them in first grade, and I've worn them ever since."
Junichi nodded, his blush finally getting under control, and Yuki spun the bottle around, and it landed on Rin.
"Truth." She said, looking somewhat nervous.
Yuki nodded, while Aiko groaned and wondered aloud about why everyone was picking truth. After a little bit, Yuki nodded, and asked, "If given the chance, would you want to switch places with any of us?"
"Eh?" Rin said aloud, and looked around the room at all her friends, "Well..." She thought long and hard about it, and finally shook her head, "No."
Yuki nodded, satisfied with the answer, and allowed Rin to reach forward and spin the bottle herself, the bottle landed on Junichi again, and she quickly blushed, not expecting that outcome. Junichi, seeing her doing that, blushed himself, looking away from her.
"Truth or dare?" She asked.
"Um, dare."
"Oh! Here we go!" Aiko cheered, "Let's get some action going on here."
"Um..." Rin thought about it, and was shaking when she looked towards him, "W- would you... Eh... I mean... K- K- K- K..." She stuttered, unable to complete her thought.
"Junichi, she wants you to kiss her." Yuki finished for the poor girl, who nodded quickly.
Garry looked away, "I feel too old to be watching this."
Ib similarly looked uncomfortable, glancing away from her friends.
"Go for it!" Aiko cheered, Junichi on, as he turned towards Rin and leaned forward. Yuki was also watching, but wasn't saying very much. Junichi reached forward, touching Rin's burning cheek, and turned her head towards him. She looked scared as hell, but quickly closed her eyes as Junichi leaned in closer to her. It was quick, but he gave her a quick peck on the lips, and returned to where he was sitting.
"Alright, that's good, right?" He said, his voice sounding rather high pitch.
"It wasn't a very good kiss." Aiko grumbled.
Rin on the other hand, touched her lip, and a smile crossed her face.
"Someone might want to help Rin though, poor girl looks like she's about to pass out." Aiko muttered. Garry stood up and picked the girl up, laying her down on the couch, where she promptly passed out.
The game pretty much stopped there, much to Ib's disappointment, and Garry's pleasure. Rin woke up within a short time, and was too bashful to even look in Junichi's direction for the rest of the night. Soon it was almost nine, and the crowd was leaving one at a time.
"Thank you for having us over." Yuki said, bowing to him.
"It was my pleasure. It was great to see you again too." Garry said, bowing back to her.
"At least we got SOME action going on." Aiko grumbled, "The bottle never landed on you or Ib though! I wanted you guys to kiss or something!"
"Right." Garry sighed, "She's a bit too young for me."
Ib frowned at that, but hid it away from Garry so he wouldn't see her expression.
"Aw! She's already fourteen! She's gonna be fifteen soon! That's old enough!"
Gary chuckled, "I'm going to be twenty-six this upcoming year."
"Meh, you're only eleven years apart, nothing -"
Yuki smacked her atop the head, "Quiet."
"Yuki!" Aiko cried over dramatically, "What was that for?"
"You're being annoying."
"Aw!" She acted like she was just punched in the gut, "That hurts Yuki!"
Garry chuckled, "Have a good night."
Aiko and Yuki waved, and soon the two were out the door.
"Are you two going to be ok?" Ib asked, Junichi and Rin.
"Yeah," Junichi mumbled, "I'll uh, walk her home."
Rin nodded, still blushing.
"Have a good time." Garry said, smiling as he saw both of them blush at the statement – in Rin's case it looked like she was going to faint again.
The two left shortly after, and it was just Garry and Ib left.
"Well, that was quite a night." Garry said, packing up the left over food, "Take some of this home, will you? It'll spoil before I ever get around to eating half of it."
Ib nodded absently, looking around the ceiling, before an idea crossed her mind, she pulled a chair from the table, and stood atop it. When Garry looked over, she was now a little above eye-level with him, able to see him clearly.
"Come here, Garry." She said, feeling her heart beating faster.
"What are you doing?"
When he walked over, she reached forward and grabbed the collar of his shirt, pulled it towards her, he quickly took the last few steps til they were only several inches apart.
"Ib..." He sighed.
"What's that above us?" She questioned, looking up.
Garry blinked in confusion, before looking up himself, seeing a mistletoe being held from Ib's other hand, "Huh?"
"Do you know what it means when this is hanging above two people?"
"What?"
Her voice started to get husky, "It means they have to kiss."
"I-" He tried to pull away, but at that instant she leaned forward and kissed him straight on the lips. Her first kiss with a man, but unfortunately for her, he pulled out of it rather quickly.
"Ib, you're too young."
"I'm going to be fifteen in two months," She said, her voice still hoarse, "please, just this once."
"And I'm going to be twenty-six in the summer, as I told Aiko." He reminded her, "You're too young for me."
She gritted her teeth, tears forming at the edge of her eyes "I need you to kiss me," She demanded, "When I'm away from you, the one thing I look forward to most is meeting with you again, I look forward to the day when you can see me as a woman, instead of a girl..."
"And we agreed that we'd wait until you were older." He said, feeling very uncomfortable.
She dropped the mistletoe, "You..." She sighed, "I'm sorry, I just..." She finally let go of him, and looked down, feeling ashamed, "I... I..."
He leaned down, and picked up the mistletoe, and brought it back above their heads, "Here." He leaned forward, and kissed her on the cheek for just a split second, "We don't want to mess up tradition, do we?" He said once he was looking in her eyes again.
She nodded, "Yeah..."
"Don't look so down."
She attempted to smile, and Garry smiled back, grabbing a napkin off the kitchen table, he leaned down slightly and wiped her eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"Your makeup got messed up."
She groaned, "Yuki spent so much time helping me get that on..."
"She did a great job." He said, "you looked fantastic."
"D- Did I look beautiful?"
He was silent for a bit before he finally nodded, "Yeah, I guess you did." He said sincerely.
She finally allowed a genuine smile to cross her face, "I'm sorry for trying to rush things. It's just..." She tried to think of something to blame, "hormones."
"We've all been there." He said as he laughed, "I remember when I was a teenager too."
"Well..." She went and grabbed her coat and scarf, "I better go."
"Do you want me to walk you back?" He asked.
"No. Don't worry about it." She still sounded a little dejected, but she was holding it in well enough.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, just... Don't worry about it." She insisted, "I'll be fine."
He looked at her for a little bit, before sighing, "if you insist. It's getting dark, so please, be careful."
She nodded, "Thank you."
Garry did feel bad for making her feel bad, but honestly, she should have known what would happen. Letting out a sigh, he watched Ib go out into the night, and closed the door behind her.
XxXxXxX
Note:
I know I said the OCs wouldn't get much focus, but they do focus a bit here, so I apologize for that. I DO promise that the next few chapters will have almost no OCs in them though, so there's that.