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Alban has been in plenty of high-stress situations before, but nothing could have prepared him for the noisy chaos of the department store a day before Christmas Eve.
In his defense, Alban usually plans ahead. This is why he ordered a present for his little sister weeks in advance. Yet, logistic issues and low inventory led to the seller canceling his order at the very last minute.
So now Alban is here. According to the internet, this is the very last store in the city that still stocks the specific easy bake oven Yotsuha requested for Christmas. He knows Mama and Luca already got Yotsuha the other gifts on her list, so it’s truly up to him now to obtain the cursed oven.
Determined, Alban speedwalks through the store. He sidesteps a woman with a cart filled with dolls and a harried employee price checking a giant teddy bear. Alban knows exactly which aisle he needs to be on and rushes there with single minded focus. “Come on Santa, I deserve this. I’ve been nice all year.”
Well, maybe Alban was a little naughty. Still, he’s relieved to spot the telltale pink box sitting on the middle shelf. In fact, it appears to be the very last one.
“Gotcha,” Alban says, reaching for the box the same time a slender hand touches the other side. He follows up the path of the arm until his eyes land on a tall man standing a few feet away. They must have come from opposite ends of the aisle.
The newcomer has stunningly blonde hair and pretty eyes. His face looks flushed, as if he ran here in a hurry. He is also painfully Alban’s type.
“Uhh,” Alban says lamely. He must be possessed by the ghost of Christmas, because Alban slowly retracts his hand and says, “You can have it.”
“Ah… It’s okay.” The man has a nice voice too, damnit! “You should take it.”
Okay, two can play this game. Alban takes a step back. “No, I insist,” he says, just to see the other man’s blush deepen.
As if to mimic Alban’s movements and show he doesn’t possess a threat, the other man does the same. He gestures for Alban to take the box. “No, you-”
A middle aged lady appears out of nowhere, snatches the box, and hurries out of the aisle like a woman possessed. She leaves behind the telltale headache inducing scent of Bath & Body Works perfume and disappears all before Mariah finishes her chorus of All I want for Christmas is you, baby on the store’s overhead speakers.
“Wow,” Alban says after a beat. “I should’ve just taken it”
“Yeah,” the stranger chuckles, his voice low and attractive. “You should have.”
“Well,” Alban mumbles, almost to himself. “It’s not the one my sister wanted, but maybe I’ll just get her this other-” He freezes at the sight of the price tag. What the hell?! $150 for an easy bake oven?! He’s better off getting her an air fryer!
The blonde bursts out laughing, which is when Alban realizes he said the second half out loud. “You’re right. It is just an expensive plastic box with a lightbulb.”
Alban knows he should probably end the small talk here, pray to some unknown deity, and continue his search in another store. Yet, he really wants the conversation to last longer. “Hey, you can get really creative with it. My favorite cooking streamer did a whole challenge making dishes with an easy bake oven.”
To be honest, Alban expects his companion to reply with a polite but unengaged response before walking away.
Instead, the stranger says: “You watch Enna’s Kitchen too?”
They stare at each other, and Alban is pretty sure this is fate. It’s hard not to feel a little special with the chorus of christmas music echoing overhead.
The moment is broken when someone behind Alban bumps into him with a shopping cart. He’s pushed forward and loses his balance until a large hand settles around his arm. Alban looks up and gulps.
“Let’s move out of the way.”
And suddenly Alban is being gently tugged out of the aisle, where an unapologetic man is messing up the already disheveled displays. The rest of the floor is equally packed, and they somehow move half across the store before finding a relatively empty spot
“Thank you,” Alban says, his face warm. “Um. I’m Alban, by the way. Can I buy you a coffee as thanks for saving me from…” He waves his hand in the general direction of the madness.
“Ah… Okay. I’ll take you up on that. I’m Sonny.”
Alban beams and is glad when Sonny returns his smile.
The two coffee shops in the building are both crowded, with lines spilling out of the door. Alban feels embarrassed at this flaw in his plan, but Sonny points to a vending machine instead. Sonny graciously accepts a can of UCC coffee and doesn’t comment on Alban’s choice of a warm vitamin c drink. Dammit it, this is a really lame start to a date!
Sonny nearly chokes on his drink. “Is-Is this a date?”
Ok, Alban really needs to work on not saying everything he thinks out loud. He starts a chorus of “uh…” and “I mean..”
“Thank god because I wasn’t sure,” Sonny adds quickly, his ears red.
They stare at each other for a moment. Then Alban slowly takes a seat on the bench. He can’t stop smiling like a fool. “So…. Do you really watch Enna’s Kitchen?”
If anything, Sonny looks grateful that Alban doesn’t pursue their previous conversation topic. “Yeah, of course. I even bought a fancy toaster oven after she reviewed it.”
“Shut up! You have the Balmuda steam toaster? That’s been on backorder for months!”
“I ordered it as soon as the preview sale went up.”
Alban sees now that Sonny is also a man of culture. “I waited too long. I’m booboo the fool.”
Talking with Sonny is surprisingly effortless. They chat about their favorite modified recipes from Enna’s streams, their shared trauma of trying to trackdown this damn children’s toy, and about the shopping bag under Sonny’s arm which turns out to be the newest Guilty Gear game. Alban also learns that Sonny wanted to get the oven for his niece and that he hates crowds.
“Come with me,” Alban insists after learning the last part. He leads Sonny outside to the area decked out in holiday lights. Together, they enjoy the illuminations while making silly guesses at the more obscure animal lights. There is a group of teenage girls taking selfies next to a misshapen cat bush, and Alban vehemently denies his interest when Sonny asks if he wants a picture too.
When Alban starts huffing into his hands, Sonny offers him a pig shaped hand warmer from his own pocket. He’s surprisingly cute. “It-uh, belongs to my niece,” Sonny explains unconvincingly.
They stay like that for a while, standing close enough to feel each other’s body heat. Alban pretends he’s leading Sonny away from the crowded areas, but really he just likes putting his hand on Sonny’s arm.
Slowly, they meander around the shopping district. It’s late enough that most of the shops are closing, with the department store being the only one still busy. Alban wants the night to last forever, but he can feel his phone buzzing with notifications. It’s probably Mama, asking why he’s late to family dinner. He’s really risking his life out here in more ways than one.
“So… Can I get your number?” Alban asks, faking shyness. They quickly trade contact info. Alban sends a cursory text and breathes a sigh of relief when he hears the telltale ping from Sonny’s phone. He’s not taking any chances after seeing Luca give out 1-800-deez-nuts hotline digits so many times. “You know, it’s too bad neither of us got the easy bake oven.”
Sonny just smiles. “I think I got something even better.”
They grin at each other until an unexpected voice says, “You guys looking for easy bake ovens?”
Alban jolts and turns to find a small blonde girl in a big Santa hat standing near them. She seems to be in the process of closing up a shop. Alban looks up and is amazed to realize they’ve somehow ended up outside of a small toy store. “Do... Do you have them?”
The girl shrugs. “We just got some in stock yesterday. I was gonna sell them with a markup online, but I guess you kids can have them.”
“The Lazubro one?” Sonny asks slowly. Neither of them address the “kids'' comment from a girl half their height.
In response, she just shouts into the store. “Yo Fuu-chan! We still have the pink easy bake ovens, right?!”
A deep voice responds from inside. “Millie! I told you not to yell in front of customers!”
“You’re yelling too! So do we have them or not?!”
A silver-haired man appears at the door. “We have two left and we are closing in…” He looks at his watch. “Ten minutes ago. Do you want them?”
Alban and Sonny share a look. Maybe holiday miracles do happen, after all.