One more day to go! Almost there guys!
December 24th: Wednesday
Theme: 1. Presents
"Is there something the matter?"
Hiro looked up at Tadashi. He rubbed his cheek smearing flour across it. Tadashi had offered to teach him how to bake cookies if Hiro didn't mind helping to make small presents for the regulars at the Lucky Cat Cafe. Cass always gave cookies as a gift of thanks for all those years of support to the few that came in the morning before they closed early. Hiro and Tadashi had been up since 5am baking cookies. It was now 6am and the cafe would be opening in thirty minutes.
"What?" Hiro asked.
Tadashi pointed to the very thin rolled out dough and the rolling pin in Hiro's hands. "You appear to be taking out some aggression on our cookie dough."
Hiro paused, silently reflecting on why he was so angry. A day later and the rage he felt at his father was still boiling just under the surface. A secondary thought process ran through his head, evaluating why now of all times did Hiro lose his patience with his father and why his emotional moods had been so out of whack.
Taking the present shaped cookie cutter, Hiro began to cut into the dough. "I had a talk with my father yesterday," Hiro said.
"You don't sound very happy about it," Tadashi said slowly. He took the cookies Hiro had cut out and placed them on the cookie sheet. The first sheet had quickly been filled and had been tossed into the oven as Hiro continued cutting for the next tray.
Hiro fell silent. "My mom died when I was five, cancer. I barely remember her. My dad fell apart once she was gone. Actually, I think he was fading away with her. Threw himself into his work. I would go days without seeing him. As I got older, it would be months. Yesterday was the first time I spoke to him in ten months. It's probably closer to a year since I last saw him," Hiro said bitterly.
Tadashi didn't say anything, unsure what could be said.
"He wanted to know why I wasn't home in New Yosaka for Christmas which, considering last year I had spent it by myself is fairly hypocritical of him," Hiro continued on. "I had after a month into arriving in San Fransokyo decided I wouldn't be returning home for Christmas this year because I didn't see the point of where I decided to spend it. I would be spending it alone anyways. Might as well do it in a city where I didn't feel Abigail's ghost following me."
Hiro stopped cutting dough; his shoulders shaking. He tried hard to let go of the grief.
Tadashi rested a steady hand on Hiro's shoulder. "Do you want to celebrate Christmas here?" he offered.
Hiro turned to look at Tadashi. His emotions were a bundled mess of confusion and curiosity. "Wha-?"
A light blush colored Tadashi's face. He coughed, clearing his throat. "You said you were planning on spending Christmas alone. That sounds horrible. No one should spend Christmas alone. You're welcome to spend it here with me and Aunt Cass. It'll be like that other sleepover. Aunt Cass makes chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast and we spend the entire day watching movies. Once the cookies are done, you can grab a change of clothes and we'll stay up all night waiting for Santa."
Hiro had to look away; his cheeks burning a bright red. "Are you sure?" he asked softly. His feelings aside for Tadashi, having someone to spend Christmas with was the best present Tadashi could have given him. It had been something Hiro had wished for ever since his mother died.
"Yeah. Aunt Cass adores you and… and I like having you around," Tadashi said. The last part had been whispered so softly that Hiro had to strain his ears to hear it.
The timer went off, signaling the first tray of cookies were done. Hiro watched with wide eyes as Tadashi scrambled to pull the sheet out.
Did that mean…? Was Jack right?