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Whenever one thinks of Christmas, what usually comes to mind is a season of family, joy and generosity as well as a time for nostalgia amongst them. People gathering with their loved ones, enjoying the winter weather as they all prepared to celebrate the holiday.
However it was not always the case for most people. In fact, for some it was a time they would rather not think about especially if it involved family. It could be a rather somber time of year for them. Especially those who escaped a toxic household where Christmas was a time for holding up appearance, for playing favorites, for gaslighting, guilt tripping, manipulation...some wounds just reopened for them this time of year...
Rui sighed as he pulled the covers over his head trying hard to close his eyes and maybe hopefully sleep this horrid day away. Even three years after escaping that house he just...couldn't shake that old feeling of dread as the Christmas lights flicker on the houses outside and the sound of singing filling the air as young kids go around to sing. He...he honestly wasn't sure how to feel except the familiar anxiety that swells inside of him.
Even if he knew his husband would never do anything to make him feel upset or uncomfortable or unwanted...he just couldn't shake it no matter how hard he tried to remind himself he wasn't in that house anymore. He wasn't with that man anymore.
A sigh leaves him when he can hear the footsteps coming up the stairs to their room and approaching the door. When his husband was awake that meant there was no chance of sleeping through the day. He sighed as the door opened and immediately he rolled himself in a cocoon of weighted that had little spiders sewn into the fabric. It helped somewhat keep him calm however he hears his husband chuckling before there's the feeling of another body pressing against his.
"Mmmm..."
"Good morning," Tanjiro smiled as he tugged the blanket down enough to kiss the top of his head, "What's got you grumpy on such a fine winter's morning hmm?"
Slowly Rui cracked one of his pewter eyes opened and peeked out from under the blankets, half lidded, "...It Christmas Tanjiro..."
Tanjiro's own eyes soften before he slowly wrapped his arms around Rui and kissed his temple, "I know...I know..."
"Mmm...can't I just skip this year and sleep through the day?" He whined a bit.
"I'm afraid not this year, spider," Tanjiro gently held his hand in his own two ones, "Because this year, I plan to help you feel jolly even if it takes the entire day."
Rui now sits up slowly and looked him in the eye, his sharp looking hair askew as he wore his red spider web pajamas. He opened his mouth to ask warily what Tanjiro means by that when he blinks at the sight of a wrapped gift. It's been what not...three years since they were married? Now it was pretty normal for the two of them to exchange gifts. However this gift was a bit...big. And while Rui didn't mind giving Tanjiro his gifts the ones he always received well...they made him smile but not enough to not want to curl up on the couch and binge watch movies this holiday.
Though as he looked at the gift he noticed little holes along the sides that has Rui tilting his head.
"..Tanjiro what is this?" Rui raised a brow at him.
"You'll see. Then once you open that I have another gift for you love. Go on, go on..."
Now that makes Rui tilt his head a bit curiously. Another gift? Why would Tanjiro get him two when they both usually agreed to one for each other...Rui sighed before he started to untie the ribbon. However instead of the usual anxiety he would feel when his foster father Muzan would watch him he felt..relaxed under Tanjiro's gentle gaze.
He slowly tugged the ribbon-a cute spider web pattern-and carefully he untied the ribbon to carefully pull the lid off.
...hisssssssssss
Rui's blinked his eyes at what greets him. For a moment he is just completely stunned as he looked down into it, feeling something inside of him become rather...light. What greets him in the gift box was a gorgeous ten inch tarantula. The beauty was looking at her surroundings with those gorgeously shimmering eyes of her, hissing in a cautious sense but she wasn't jumping at him so that was good.
The tarantula was a beautiful cobalt blue that had Rui covering his mouth in shock.
"...You actually...Tanjiro you actually...!"
He smiled, "That's why I was up so early today and let you sleep. I was setting up her home downstairs. In fact I basically made her a room within a room...with everything she needs to live here. I spent the last couple months trying to prepare for her without you finding out..."
Rui's lip started to wobble. His dream was always to have a beautiful tarantula; it was always what he wanted but his foster family just...never seemed to care. They either said he was unfit to care for it, that it would be too much or that there was nowhere to put one without risking the others...even though Rui had spent years of college studying these misunderstood creatures...and as he waited for her to calm, Rui then very calmly extended his hand for her to crawl on to.
Tanjiro seems to grow a bit nervous when his husband still doesn't speak...but then he smiles as he stands up slow and careful so not to startle her.
"Tanjiro...she's...she's perfect..." he sniffed as he looked at her, "...Can...can you show me where we're putting her?"
His husband smiles as he took Rui's hand and walked him out slow and careful down the stairs as the tarantula begins to slowly calm down. They soon are in their living room...where a large glass walk in case was set up beside the couch under the stairs. In it was the exact habitat; with trees for her to climb and the temperature just right for the forests of Vietnam that she was native to.
Rui slowly opened the case and held her inside of it, waiting for her to make the move to skitter off. She seemed to remain on his hand a moment before slowly she crawled towards the log that had been set on the floor and made her way inside.
"...Oh..Anata..." Rui stands up slowly to carefully close the case, "You didn't have to go through all this for me..."
"Yes I did," Tanjiro huffed as he takes his hands in his, "Because i know it would make you happy to have this beauty around...and as for my other surprise..."
Tanjiro then pulled out a hand knitted sweater; one that was red with a white spider web on it. On said web design, were little candy cane striped spiders with little gift boxes on it like the spiders had caught them in it.
"I...had to ask help from Nezuko with the sewing but...we made it together for you...my family even pitched in with the little things added to the web...they really wanted to show how much they love having you be apart of our fami-"
He didn't finish the sentence as a happy Rui wrapped his arms around his neck and kissed him deeply. He can't remember the last time this holiday made him feel...giddy. Knowing that Tanjiro and his family went above and beyond to make this day special though...something his foster family had never really done for him after he lost his parents...
Rui sniffed and wiped his eyes as he started to laugh from all the overwhelming joy that floods through him.
Perhaps...Christmas wasn't going to be so bad...