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The night was already well underway by the time the group trudged back to Seiko’s house, their boots crunching through freshly fallen snow as their breath curled in clouds around them.
The karaoke session had left them all in varying states of hoarseness and hilarity, the buzz of alcohol and laughter lingering in the air as they made their way inside, shedding coats and scarves in a heap near the door.
Seiko was waiting for them in the kitchen, her ever-present thermos in hand. She arched an eyebrow as they filed in, looking half-frozen but thoroughly pleased with themselves.
“Well, you’re back in one piece,” she said, her voice as dry as the winter air. “No calls from the police, no one left in a ditch. I’ll admit, I’m impressed.”
“Don’t jinx it,” Turbo Granny said, floating in after them and immediately making a beeline for the couch. “The night’s still young.”
“Yeah,” Aira chimed in, plopping onto the floor and kicking off her boots with a sigh of relief. “What time is it, anyway?”
“Almost midnight,” Jiji answered, checking his phone as he leaned against the wall. “Guess that means it’s officially Christmas in a few minutes.”
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
Momo let out a contented sigh as she flopped onto the couch, her cheeks still rosy from the cold. “Christmas Day, huh? Feels weird to just… wait for it.”
“We could pass out and wake up like normal people,” Seiko suggested, though there was no real bite in her tone.
“No way!” Aira protested, sitting up straight. “We’re already up—we have to stay awake! It’s, like, a rule or something.”
“Is that a real rule?” Okarun asked, still fiddling with his scarf, which he hadn’t realized he was still wearing.
“Totally,” Aira said, waving a hand as if to dismiss any doubt. “We should, like, hang out. Watch something dumb. Play games. You know, real sleepover stuff.”
Seiko rolled her eyes, but instead of arguing, she grabbed a blanket from the back of her chair and tossed it onto the couch. “Fine. But if you wreck the place, you’re cleaning it up tomorrow.”
With that, the group sprawled out across the living room, creating a patchwork of blankets, pillows, and bodies that took up most of the floor space.
Turbo Granny claimed the armrest of the couch as her “throne,” while Jiji, already half-asleep, stretched out near the tree, one arm draped over his face.
Aira rummaged through the stack of DVDs Seiko had begrudgingly pulled out earlier, her tongue sticking out slightly as she read the titles. “Ugh, these are all so old. What even is this? Die Hard?”
“It’s a Christmas classic,” Seiko said, leaning back in her chair with a smug expression.
“It’s an action movie,” Aira countered, holding the case up like evidence in a trial.
“It’s both,” Jiji mumbled from the floor, his voice muffled by the pillow he was hugging. “Just put it on. I don’t care anymore.”
Aira eventually relented, and the movie began to play, the room lit by the glow of the TV and the soft twinkle of the Christmas tree lights. The action on-screen quickly dissolved into background noise as the group’s attention drifted elsewhere.
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
Momo sat cross-legged on the floor, a mug of hot chocolate in her hands as she glanced around the room. Turbo Granny was heckling the movie’s villain, Aira was making commentary on every explosion, and Jiji looked like he might pass out any second.
Okarun, sitting beside her, was noticeably quiet. His knees were drawn up to his chest, his hands wrapped around his own mug, which he hadn’t sipped from in a while.
“You okay?” Momo asked softly, nudging him with her elbow.
Okarun startled slightly, his glasses slipping down his nose as he turned to her. “Oh—yeah. I’m fine. Just… tired, I guess.”
“You’re always tired,” she teased, a small smile playing on her lips.
He chuckled nervously, adjusting his glasses. “Guess I’m not used to staying up like this.”
“Well, get used to it,” she said, leaning back on her hands. “It’s Christmas.”
Her words were simple, but something about the way she said them made his chest feel warm. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, the soft light from the tree catching in her hair, and found himself smiling despite his nerves.
Aira, bored of the movie, grabbed a deck of cards from the coffee table and started dealing them out. “Okay, we’re playing something,” she declared, ignoring Jiji’s groan of protest. “No one’s allowed to sleep until we’ve done at least one round.”
D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E , D O N ' T C O P Y , D O N ' T R E P O S T , D O N ' T P L A G I A R I Z E , D O N ' T T R A N S L A T E ,
“What are we even playing?” Momo asked, raising an eyebrow as Aira shoved a hand of cards at her.
“Doesn’t matter,” Aira said with a grin. “We’ll make up the rules as we go.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Seiko muttered, though she reached for her cards anyway.
As the game devolved into a mix of improvised rules and loud accusations of cheating, Okarun found himself relaxing, the earlier tension melting away. He even managed to win a round, though Turbo Granny claimed it was sheer luck.
By the time the game ended, the clock had ticked past 2 a.m., and the room was a mess of scattered cards, empty mugs, and half-asleep bodies.
Momo yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she glanced at the clock. “Think we can make it to morning without passing out?”
“No chance,” Jiji mumbled, already half-buried under a blanket.
“Speak for yourselves,” Turbo Granny said, though her words were punctuated by a loud yawn.
Okarun adjusted his blanket, his heart thudding as Momo shifted closer to him. Her head rested against his shoulder, her eyes drooping but still holding that spark of mischief he was starting to think was uniquely hers.
“Merry Christmas, Okarun,” she murmured, her voice soft and warm.
He swallowed, his face heating up, but managed a quiet, “Merry Christmas, Momo.”
As the room fell into a peaceful quiet, the glow of the tree casting gentle shadows across their faces, Okarun let himself relax.
It wasn’t the kind of Christmas he’d ever imagined, but as Momo’s breathing slowed beside him and the faint sound of laughter lingered in the air, he realized it was perfect all the same.