The warmth of Lenalee and Komui's home was unlike anything Lavi had felt in years. It wasn't just the crackling fireplace or the comforting glow of soft, yellow lamps—it was the atmosphere. This house wasn't just a place to live; it was a sanctuary, filled with the echoes of laughter, whispered secrets, and shared stories.
Lavi stood at the threshold of it all, feeling oddly out of place. For so long, his existence had been transient, a series of fleeting moments with no roots to tether him. Yet here he was, welcomed into a family's home during the holidays—a concept so foreign it felt almost surreal.
Lenalee wasted no time pulling him into the holiday preparations, her boundless enthusiasm refusing to let him linger in the shadows of his thoughts for too long.
The tree was a mismatched, slightly lopsided fir that Komui had wrangled inside earlier, its bare branches patiently awaiting transformation. Boxes of ornaments and strings of tangled lights lay scattered around the living room, evidence of the cheerful chaos about to ensue.
"Think you can handle untangling this?" Lenalee teased, handing Lavi a knotted mess of lights.
Lavi stared at the string in mock horror. "You sure this isn't some elaborate trap?"
Her laughter was light, infectious, and genuine, drawing a small smile from him despite himself. As he started to work on the mess of lights, he couldn't help but notice the contrast. Lenalee's laughter wasn't forced, her joy wasn't masked. It wasn't like his—carefully constructed to hide the cracks.
For a moment, he let himself bask in it, grateful for her ability to keep the room bright even as Komui fussed over which decorations should go where.
The tree gradually came to life, each ornament and strand of tinsel transforming it from a bare, scraggly thing to a sparkling centerpiece. At one point, Lenalee handed Lavi a small, crystalline star.
"Be careful with this one," she said softly. "It's Komui's favorite."
Lavi held the ornament gingerly, turning it in his hands. The glass was cool to the touch, and the light refracted through it, casting tiny rainbows on his fingers. Something about it made his chest tighten.
He realized he couldn't recall ever doing this with his own family. The memory simply didn't exist. No shared traditions, no stringing lights, no warm holiday evenings. His parents had been long gone, their faces blurred by time and the weight of what he had become.
Had they ever celebrated anything like this? Had they ever sat together by a fire, laughing over tangled lights and mismatched ornaments?
He placed the ornament carefully on the tree, the fragility of it a stark reminder of how easily things could shatter.
As the evening progressed, Lavi found himself pulled further into the lightheartedness of it all. Komui's endless fussing, Lenalee's playful teasing—it was like stepping into a world he had only ever observed from the outside.
"Do you remember doing this as a kid?" Lenalee asked suddenly, her voice soft as they hung the last of the ornaments.
Lavi hesitated, his fingers brushing against a strand of tinsel. "Not really," he said finally, his tone casual, but the words left an ache in his chest.
Lenalee glanced at him, her brow furrowing slightly, but she didn't press. "Well, then I guess this is your first time," she said brightly, giving him a warm smile. "That makes it special, right?"
He nodded, forcing a smile. "Yeah. Special."
But as he watched her turn back to the tree, something inside him twisted. For her, this was tradition—something she'd done year after year, memories layered like ornaments on the branches of her life. For him, it was a stark reminder of everything he'd lost, or perhaps never had in the first place.
Dinner followed, filled with playful arguments between Komui and Lenalee over who had done the most work. Lavi joined in the laughter, his responses quick and teasing, but there was a hollowness to it that he couldn't quite shake.
Later, they settled in the living room, the fire casting a warm glow over the room. Lenalee curled up in an armchair, flipping through an old photo album, while Komui dozed off on the couch.
Lavi leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on the flames. His thoughts wandered, unbidden, to the faces of his parents—faces he could no longer clearly picture. The details had faded over time, blurred by the centuries and the weight of his transformation. But the loss, the emptiness, was still there, a wound that hadn't healed.
He envied Lenalee and Komui, their bond so strong and unbroken. They had each other. They had a history. And they had a future.
He wondered, not for the first time, if he would ever have that again.
"You okay?" Lenalee's voice was soft, drawing him from his thoughts.
He glanced at her, her expression open and concerned. He forced a smile. "Yeah," he said. "I'm good."
She studied him for a moment, as if sensing there was more beneath the surface, but she didn't push. She simply returned his smile and went back to her photo album.
Lavi let out a quiet breath, his gaze returning to the fire. He couldn't shake the feeling of being an outsider, someone watching from the edges of a world he didn't belong to.
But for now, surrounded by warmth and light, he allowed himself to feel a small measure of peace. It wasn't much, and it wouldn't last, but it was enough.
For tonight, it was enough.