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It’s almost Christmas.
If you couldn’t tell with the freezing weather in this time of the year, you’ll sure notice once you go out and find everything decorated, perfect for the occasion. Those days, the streets were crowded with people, despite the weather. People needed to do last minute shopping, mostly for gifts, or going back to their homes to spend Christmas with family.
He liked to go out when it was this crowded. Sure, you never knew who could you find between all those people, but that also meant it was harder to be found. Actually, August came there today for a reason. He found something he didn’t expect to find.
---
August still remembered that day clearly, everything happened way too fast, and at the same time, way too slow. The bullet that shot him, how he and December got cornered in that cliff. How he pushed December and begged for him to live. Somehow, the enemy must have thought that they both jumped off, and backed off. August ran away, in panic. He’ll try to contact April and December the next day, when his wounds got healed.
The thing is, he was never able to get back in contact with them. He tried everything, to no avail. He also tried to think of all the possibilities. Maybe December did die back then. Maybe he fell too hard, or didn’t survive trying to get to the shore. April got completely out of range, there was no way to try to send him a message or call him. August had really tried anything. Eventually, he gave up, and decided to live in hiding, hoping that someday, he’ll bump into them. He liked to believe the both of them were okay, happily living a normal life, how he always wanted them to at some point on their lives, without depending on the Organization.
It was just a few days ago he gained the courage to go back to the spot where he saw December for the last time. That one cliff. It wasn’t that far away from where he lived now, but he couldn’t bring himself to visit it, not until today. As he approached the spot, he noticed there was something there. There were flowers placed down, along with a small note.
August crouched down, taking a closer look at the flowers. They were sweet peas. His job back then was information gathering, but honestly, once he just googled flower meanings with April and December at 3AM and kept laughing trying to find one with a funny meaning. He smiled at the memory. Apparently, they could mean many things, but the one he liked the most was “thank you for the lovely time”. He thought someone must have died here.
… It couldn’t be, right?
Anxiously, he read the note, expecting the worse. But it turned out to be a completely different thing. He couldn’t believe what it said.
“I hope we see you again. - December”
No way. December was… Alive? December was alive… The flowers didn’t look wittered at all, they must have been placed down not long ago. December was alive, and he was still close to where he was. And if December was alive, there was a high probability that April was alive too.
Without thinking it twice, August walked again, going towards the city. According to his calendar, Christmas was just around the corner. Good, the people passing will give him a decent cover to look around the area and to find his family again.
---
That’s how he ended up in Veludo Way. His research told him that this was a street famous for its theaters and acting overall. It was common there to see troupes practicing outside with street acts, whether it was just for fun or to promote their next play. He was actually on his way to another place where he thought it’ll be most likely to find April and December, but he found out about this street and he wanted to check it out, because it looked interesting.
He was just strolling around, stopping to see some street acts. One of them caught his attention, because of the crowd around them.
“Look, Mankai Company is rehearsing for their Christmas play” he heard the passersby’ say
“It looks like it’s going to be a mixed troupe play this time! I think it’s… Spring Troupe and Winter Troupe?”
Spring and Winter… Sounded just like the seasons the months for his family’s codenames were. Interested he decided to come closer. If people were anticipating it, it must be good, right?
There were two people acting out a scene, and a woman watching from the other side. Probably the director of the troupe, supervising everything was okay.
“Big bro… You were joking, right?” one of them was a short, red-headed boy. August guessed he was a teenager. He looked pure. “What you said about Haruo not returning home…”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true” the other one had blue hair, and he looked older than the other boy. He had a calmer presence.
“But.. why? It’s Christmas… And also, he didn’t come last year, nor the other, nor-”
“Stop! And you think we don’t know?”
“I-I…”
“... Sorry, Look, just go downstairs with Shizuo, okay? I’ll figure this out”
“Okay…”
The both actors now turned around, completely facing the public and bowing. The crowd applauded to them. August joined in too, he was impressed. It was an intense scene, but it was also calm, like matching the atmosphere of winter and Christmas in general.
“Thank you so much!” the small boy said
“We hope you come to Mankai Company’s Christmas Play: Back Home!”
“Here’s a flyer!” they both picked up some flyers from the ground, now giving them to everyone that had been watching.
“Here, take this” the older man gave handed out a flyer to August.
“Thank you” he answered, politely.
“You’re welcome! Please come see us”.
August left the crowded area to read the flyer. The title of the play, as the two actors said before, it was “Back Home”. Surprisingly, they weren’t the lead actors. August didn’t expect that, they were so good he assumed they would be the leads. Instead, there were two names before them.
“Hisoka Mikage, Chikage Utsuki, Sakuya Sakuma, Tsumugi Tsukioka”
No way. Hisoka Mikage, Chikage Utsuki… Weren’t those the names he gave them back them? No, it had to be a coincidence. It couldn’t be. They already found each other before he did, somehow? He had to find out. He read the date in the flyer
“From December 19th to December 23rd”
If it really was them , he had to go. He wasn’t going to let them go again.
August didn’t realize someone was staring at him.
“What’s wrong, director?” Sakuya asked, seeing Izumi’s gaze fixated in one direction.
“Ah, nothing! Something just felt… Familiar”
“It’s probably the smell of all the food they’re baking” Tsumugi added, looking at his surroundings “I think they’re baking gingerbread cookies over there!”
“That’s why it smells so good!” Sakuya exclaimed “I ate them not long ago with Hisoka, I don’t know how I forgot how they tasted if they were so good! Director, do you want to try them?”
“No, I think I’ll pass now” Izumi said, standing up. “We can eat them later, when we celebrate the Christmas party at the dorms”
“Okay!”
“We should probably head to the dorms now, it’s getting colder” Tsumugi said, trying to start walking.
“Yes, it sure is freezing… If it gets colder, my body will go numb…”
“Don’t worry, director! We’ll be here to pick you up if that happens!”
---
“We’re back!” Izumi said, opening the door to the dorms. There wasn’t many people there, as it was still early morning and most of the actors were students or had jobs to attend to.
“Welcome home” Azuma said, helping them with they coats and the remaining flyers “Wow, you sure gave out a lot today”
“Yep! There was a big crowd around us today at some point! We almost finished the whole pile”
“We need to ask Kazunari to make more. After all, it’s still December 3rd. There’s still time to promote”
“I think you can all rest for today. We have a birthday to celebrate, after all” Homare appeared from the hallway “I’ve been stocking up marshmallows for this moment..!”
December 3rd. Hisoka Mikage’s birthday. Birthdays at the dorms weren’t a big thing, since they were almost 30 people living under one roof, taking into account the staff. Most of the time, Omi baked a cake for the birthday person, and they all sung happy birthday waiting for the person to blow out the candles. It also depends on the person celebrating. Some of them wanted to be more loud, having parties with activities. Others just wanted to rest a little. Considering today was Hisoka’s birthday, it wouldn’t be too much.
Hisoka was laying down on the couch, marshmallow bag in hand. But surprisingly, it was almost full. Hisoka was staring at the window, watching how the snow fell.
“I think you should let the Sleepyhead rest” Chikage was also around there “We have a play approaching, after all”
“Shouldn’t you be at work, Chikage-san?” Izumi asked, confused at to why was Chikage here. He attended the same workplace as Itaru.
“I took the day off. You know…”
Izumi did know. She just remembered why Hisoka doesn’t particularly enjoys his birthdays. He still needed to recover himself from mourning.
“It’s been another year, has it...” Chikage added, turning away, heading towards the dorm rooms.
Izumi looked at him, sadly. She knew what happened. She actually got really sad reading the script for their next play. Tsuzuru didn’t know anything, but he hit right in the spot. It was a story about a family of four brothers. The eldest one, Haruo (played by Chikage) had been missing for years. The younger brother, Osuke (played by Sakuya) tried to convince the second oldest, Yukiya (played by Tsumugi) to go find him, thing he’s done since he disappeared. What they both don’t know is that Shizuo (played by Hisoka), the remaining brother, has been in contact with Haruo the whole time, also trying to convince him to come back, being himself the reason why he ran away. The play focused on family relationships and on Christmas miracles, perfect for the season.
Izumi wasn’t Chikage or Hisoka, but she also wished August could come back, somehow.
“Hey, who’s staying at the dorms this year? I might head down later to buy some cookies for the party, I need to know how many I should buy” Sakuya asked, probably continuing some conversation Izumi didn’t pay attention to.
“... A lot” Hisoka responded, from the couch
“I assume you and Chikage are staying, right?”
“... Yup” he answered again.
“I’ll also stay here” Azuma responded, calmly. “I had fun at last year’s party”
“Director, do you think Tenma’s parents will pick him up? I don’t know if he’ll stay…”
“I don’t know, you should probably ask him when he comes back from school”
“Okay! I’ll leave him in doubt… Hmm… Misumi is also staying here…” Sakuya noted down in one of his notebooks.
---
“Is everyone here yet? Gosh, I swear someone’s still missing…” Izumi muttered, counting everyone in the room. Chikage was now getting Hisoka out of his room to blow out his birthday cake’s candles, while everyone was getting ready to sing him Happy Birthday.
“Misumi, come down the roof! We’re waiting for Hisoka!” Tenma shouted from the courtyard.
“Okay!” Misumi answered, coming down the roof as Tenma asked
“Shut up, hack. He’ll hear you” Yuki said, dragging them both back inside the main hall.
“We do this all the time, but this is still fun,you know?” Taichi said, watching Omi light up the candles.
“Everyone, shut up” Sakyo said, and immediately everyone stopped what they were doing “I’m hearing footsteps” With everyone quiet, you could actually hear two pairs of footsteps approaching. Definitely Chikage and Hisoka.
The moment Chikage and Hisoka turned around the hallway’s corner, everyone started singing Happy Birthday. Hisoka didn’t show it, but he was happy everyone in the company did this for him. Well, not just for him, but you know what he meant. Homare then stood up, holding the cake.
“Happy Birthday, Hisoka! Come on, make a wish!” he said, getting the cake closer to Hisoka’s height.
“... Thank you”
Hisoka didn’t even had to think what he wanted to wish for. He wished the same last year. And the year before that. And so on.
‘I want August to come back’ he thought, blowing out the candles, leaving the main hall in the darkness for a while until someone found the lightswitch again.
“You wished for the same, right?”
“... Of course”
“I don’t like to say this, but I doubt it’ll happen, so don’t get your hopes up”
“... Who knows. They said miracles happen on Christmas. And I already found the troupe. Good things happen, Chikage” Hisoka said to him, before turning to where everyone was waiting for him. Chikage just stood there for a few seconds, before he answered, even if Hisoka couldn’t hear him now.
“Yes, good things happen” he said, now joining the rest.
---
August sighed, in victory. Who would have known getting tickets for the play was going to be such a troublesome event? He was there at the website the time the tickets went on sale, but before he know, almost everything was sold out. Mankai Company was that popular, huh. Thankfully, he was able to snatch one ticket for the closing day at the last minute. It was pretty back up, but he figured out he could still see the stage. He wasn’t as short as December.
December 23rd. Christmas was just in two days. It would have probably been more fitting to hold the play on Christmas, but actors had vacation too, and families to visit.
After passing the long line to enter the theater, he looked for his seat. It was further away from what he thought, but he still could see the stage clearly. He took out the flyer one of the actors gave him weeks ago, and double checked everything. The letters really spelt out “Chikage Utsuki” and “Hisoka Mikage” there was no doubt. But what if it wasn't them? What if he just got fooled again by his own delusions? Those are names he came up himself based on other names, someone could have been named the same and be an actor. Before he realized, time had passed and the announcer’s voice made clear that the play was about to start any moment now.
That’s when he saw. It was really them.
The first scene depicted a flashback of the four brothers, spending Christmas together. The two boys he saw street acting were there, of course. But there also were two other actors on stage with than. Who else than April and December themselves. August watched amazed, he never knew they were so good at acting.
---
“Haruo, please listen to me. Just once!”
“I already told you I won’t listen. Not after what you did to the family…”
“We’ve been having the same conversation for years, of course I know you never listen to me… But I must keep trying”
“Huh? Why so?”
“You know, Yukiya and Osuke miss you a lot, and they have nothing to do with what I did. Please, just… Come back home once, for them”
“... And how would I know that?”
“Gosh, you really are suspicious. No wonder why I snapped at you that night”
August watched closely. Chikage and Hisoka were now the only ones standing on stage. It was one of the key scenes of the play, apparently. Haruo and Shizuo arguing again, over the same thing as they did before, family. August was really immersed in the play, mostly because of two things. One, it was really good. And two, it hit so close home… It didn’t help that the two leads were them, the family he missed the most.
---
“... Haruo? You’re staying, right?”
It was finally the last act of the play. Haruo and Shizuo settled aside their differences to make their brother’s wish come true. And who knows, maybe he’ll even end up staying at home again.
“Yes, I’m staying”
Chikage had to look at the public for this one line, and he made eye contact with August. August, aware of it, immediately look elsewhere. Suddenly, he was too nervous to meet them. Why, now of all times? Now that he finally found them, after so many years of searching.
‘What’s happening? Chikage forgot his line?’ Izumi thought, panicking behind the curtains. ‘Someone needs to act now..!’
“You don’t believe it either, right?” Tsumugi ad libbed, making Chikage snap back into the play
“... I guess not” Chikage answered, getting the play back to its normal pace.
“Please don’t run away anymore! We missed you, so much…”
“He’ll stay now. Right?” Hisoka said, now following the script and looking at Chikage.
“I’ll do”
“Yay, it’s a Christmas miracle!”
---
The curtain fell, and everyone started clapping, August included. He had to run away before they found him. He didn’t know why, but maybe they were with the Organization after all this time, and this was their new cover. What if they’re going to hunt him down afterwards and report him…? No, they would never do that, right?
But better safe than sorry.
It was curtain call time now. The actors thanked the public for coming, as always. It was closing day, so the applause was bigger and louder than usual.
Hisoka liked to look at the public. He recognized tons of faces. He knew the Mankai Company’s regulars, actors’ families and people who watched the show all the days it ran. He was scanning the background, when he noticed a man trying to come out of the theater already. He focused on him, before realizing. Izumi called them all back, now the play ending for good. Hisoka and Chikage ran into each other.
“I saw him” Chikage said “We must go after him”
“I saw him too. Director, we have to leave” Hisoka said, already running with Chikage.
“Wait! You’ll get lost, there’s so much public!” Izumi had no choice but to run after them, leaving a confused Sakuya and Tsumugi behind.
---
Hisoka and Chikage desperately searched between the public for the green haired man they saw, restless. They couldn’t lose him. Not again. They both saw the same, now they were both sure he was alive, and even if they still couldn’t believe it, they had to, or they’ll miss their chance.
August tried to run away, but got caught up on the sea of people, returning to their homes. He needed to get out of there. Maybe if he just stood in the crowd without moving they won’t notice him. But, unfortunately for him, the crowd seemed to have cleared just when he decided to stay in one place, leaving him exposed. He turned around, looking for somewhere to hide, but he ended up locking eyes with the two people he wanted to avoid.
On second thought, maybe he didn’t want to avoid them so much.
“A-August…?” Hisoka stuttered, eyes wide open. It was rare to see Hisoka this awake, specially considering it was also nighttime. “You’re alive…”
“You’re here, right?” Chikage asked, trying not to stutter like Hisoka did.
“Uhm…” August hesitated, but came closer to them “I’m home!” he said happily, out of the blue. Well, he wasn’t wrong, but-
He didn’t have more time to think, as he felt two pairs of arms, enveloping him into a hug.
“August… You’re really back…” Hisoka repeated over and over again, not even bothering to hold back the tears coming out of his eyes “You’re here… You’re alive…”
“... We all assumed you were dead, you know” Chikage said. August didn’t remember a time where he saw Chikage crying.
“... I guess I’m not!”
“You still talk like that, even now? You haven’t changed at all...”
“Well, I don’t think that’s bad…”
“It isn’t” Hisoka quickly replied, still not letting go of August “I’m not letting you go until we get home”
Izumi finally got able to get out of the theater, just to find Chikage, Hisoka and another man laughing and hugging. Izumi felt like she had seen the man before, but she couldn’t think of where. As if he felt a presence, Hisoka turned around, worriedly, only to relax when he saw it was just Izumi.
“Director” Chikage said, breaking the awkward silence Izumi just created “Take a guess as to who is this man”
“Um… Give me a hint…?” Izumi asked, having actually no idea of where Chikage was going with his games this time.
“Okay, fair… He just came back home for Christmas”
“Hmm... “ Izumi then came to the sudden realization, there was only one person Chikage could have been referring to. “Wait, that’s August…?”
“Hold on, who is she? Why does she know?” August said at the sudden mention of his name.
“It’s the director. Don’t worry” Hisoka answered
“It’s… A long story. We’ll tell you”
“Ah, well… It’s a pleasure to meet you”
“Same to you! Should I call you August, or…?”
“Only around those two. If there’s other people, then I’m Misha”
“Okay, got it”
“Director, please let him stay at our dorm. Please” Hisoka begged, staring at Izumi. It wasn’t a thread, but his gaze made it seem like one.
“Wow, calm down, Hisoka-kun! Of course he can stay at the dorms” Izumi said, trying to calm him down “Do you have your own place? Like, do you need to move in or…?”
“I’ll handle that later. Now I think we all need to head home, right?”
“You’re right” Izumi gasped, realizing she forgot something important “I left Sakuya-kun and Tsumugi-san waiting! I have to pick them up! Chikage-san, can you please lead these two home-”
“Will do” Chikage answered. “Let’s get going. We have a lot we have to catch up on”
---
By the time Izumi was back to the dorms with all of the actors, the other trio already got home a few minutes ago, and were now chatting on the main hall’s sofa. The moment the large group stepped in, they stopped talking, knowing they were about to swarmed with questions.
“Utsuki. Who in the world did you just bring into the dorm?” Tasuku asked, very confused.
“Is he a new recruit? Which troupe is he auditioning for?” Taichi asked now, enthusiastically.
“He’s my family” Chikage answered, calmly and smiling. It was weird to see Chikage genuinely smiling.
“Our family” Hisoka added, hugging August again.
The group of people now realized. Hisoka told some people about how he missed his family and that he wasn’t going to be able to see him again. And now, he just did.
“No way! Hisoka-kun told us about him having a family, but…” Homare said, amazed.
“And… What’s your name?” Tsumugi asked
“You can call me Misha” August answered, looking at all the new people.
“... And your last name?” Tsumugi continued, awkwardly.
“... You know what? I can’t remember!” August said, trying to brush it off. He actually came up with full names for Hisoka and Chikage, and couldn’t come up with one for himself.
“Jeez, Hisoka. Your family sure has issues with memory loss, you know...” Itaru added, gaining a few laughs from other people in the crowd, the “family” included.
“I-It’s nice to meet you!” Sakuya said, with a box in hand “You know… I was planning to save up the cookies I bought for the Christmas party, but… We can eat them now!”
“Thank you. I saw you acting, you were really good up there”
“I-I’m glad you liked it!”
“So… When do we get to eat cookies” Juza asked, trying to get closer to the boy with the box on his hands. He opened the box and took one.
“They’re gingerbread cookies…” August said
“They sell them at the store across the street! They’re very good”
“Look, Misha. Gingerbreak” Hisoka said, pointing. “It’s just like back then”
“It is. It seems like we’re finally able to eat gingerbread again together. In Christmas”
“... And I’m so glad it is that way” Hisoka finished, before he started eating the cookies by himself
“Watch out, Hisoka. You know, Sakuya bought this for everyone…” Chikage complained, taking the box far away from him.
“Aaand you’re as mean as always, Chikage”
“Oh, shut up. You should have known that already”
Izumi looked from the kitchen. She couldn’t believe it either, but she was glad August came back, and it seemed like he would stay. She also wondered if he could be a good actor with some training, and what kind of stories you could pull off with the three of them.
‘He’d look nice in Summer Troupe’ Izumi thought.