Author's Note:
Updating is hard, aka I'm lazy, aka I got super super busy during November. But here's number 81 (so close to the end!), and it's a Christmas special — just in case I don't update again before Christmas. Happy holiday to everyone!
Kaleidoscope
a Bleach (© Kubo Tite) fanfiction
Theme #81
mistletoe
Opening Song: "I'll Be Home for Christmas" - Michael Bublé
The bar is awfully crowded for a Christmas Eve night, Gin thinks as he walks in. Shinigami are lined up at the counter demanding for more drinks, while others crowd the tables and corners of the room. He can recognize almost every one of them, which is impressive since he rarely goes to the bar at all. Honestly, it's a little reassuring to know that he's not the only one confiding in alcohol for the holidays.
He isn't the least bit surprised when he spots Rangiku in the center of the room downing sake bombs with her ring of drinking friends. "One more, one more!" she says as she holds up a cup in one hand and raises a finger with the other. "Gin!" He grins when she addresses him and waves him over. "C'mon, you made it just in time! We're counting down until Christmas."
"It's barely eight," he says.
She scoffs. "Obviously, you don't know how to celebrate Christmas." When he finally reaches the table, he sees that she's already poured him a full cup of sake. She raises her own cup to her lips in demonstration until he finally picks his up. "Alright, on the count of three…" Gin looks around, sees that most of them look like they're about to fall over or pass out (How long have they been here? he can't help but wonder), and quickly downs the alcohol. Rangiku swallows hers with a wince, quickly follows by a contented sigh. "That hit the spot. Whoo! Ready for another?"
Kira slumps forward so that his head collides with the surface of the table, while Shuuhei and a couple others quietly dismiss themselves. Gin tries not to laugh too hard when she calls them all weaklings. "Ya just gotta find friends with better alcohol tolerance," he says. He's mostly joking because everyone in Seireitei knows that no one can keep up with Rangiku when it comes to drinking. "But until then, I guess I'll have to keep ya company."
"Boo, that does sound like a bummer." She flashes him a teasing smile as she starts on his second round. "But I guess I'll have to make do with that I have."
"Speakin' o' what ya have… How many have ya had already?" he asks, eyeing the nearly empty bottle of sake.
She waves him off. "Unimportant questions. C'mon, have another."
So he takes the second, and the third, and the fourth. Rangiku starts to sway, but she still insists on buying another bottle. Gin literally has to pry the empty bottle out of her hands, stacks the cups, and gives her wrist a light tug. "I think you've had enough for tonight, hmm?"
"You definitely haven't," she says, her words slurring. Her body doesn't protest, though, and it falls against his with only the slightest insistence. He eases her out of the bar, which has become a bit more rowdy since the countdown to midnight decreased. "Where are you taking me?" She squints at the bright lights and the tacky Christmas decorations, then wrinkles her nose in distaste. "I like the bar better…"
Gin pats her shoulder. "You need a break." She whines, but walks (or stumbles) with him anyway.
"This is kinda romantic," she says as they head down the road, side by side, with her leaning against him for support. "A stroll through the snow in the middle of winter, just before Christmas… It's like one of those novels Nanao lets me borrow sometimes."
Gin quirks an eyebrow. "What kind of books does Ise-fukutaichou read?"
Rangiku shrugs. "Mostly boring ones. Some of them are fun, though." She flashes him a grin as she wraps her arms around one of his, pulling him more fully against her. "We can be just like one of those couples in the popular romances."
The corner of his lips twitches in amusement. "You're drunk."
"Duh."
Gin has no idea what romance novels Rangiku is talking about, but he does admit that the situation could be romantic. They could be two lovers spending the night of Christmas Eve together. They could be one of those ideal couples in the stories that have happy endings. He knows that "could be"s are never good enough substitutes for reality, but it's almost Christmas and he figures there's no point in dragging down the holiday spirit with technicalities.
"Hey." She stops walking and gives his sleeve a light pull.
He glances down at her. "What?" Rangiku wordlessly points upwards, which has him craning his neck back — and he sees the mistletoe. It's an ugly little plant, he thinks, even with the red ribbon tied festively around it. "Mistletoe," he says tonelessly.
"Mistletoe," she repeats. He catches the cheerful hitch in her voice, but he can't quite bring himself to turn his eyes to her. Rangiku groans and yanks on his sleeve roughly, throwing him off balance. As he teeters on his feet, she catches his lips with hers with incredible precision for someone so drunk; he can feel her smiling against his mouth.
His eyes open wide, but by then she's already pulled away. She bears a large, if not slightly guilty grin. "What was—?"
"It's Christmas tradition, Gin," she replies with faux exasperation. "You can't just mess with tradition. Geez, you're hopeless." With a dramatic sigh, she clutches his arm once more and drags him down the road, pointing out the holiday displays and expensive restaurants. Gin just allows her to pull him around, smiling and chuckling, feeling a little lightheaded and drunk himself.
Closing Song: "All I Want for Christmas is You" - Mariah Carey
Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope you all enjoy your breaks (and this drabble)!
xx, der kapitan