Work Text:
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 ,
The festive chaos of Christmas morning had mellowed into a cozy warmth by the time the sun rose higher in the sky. The living room was still a mess—wrapping paper scattered across the floor, ribbons tangled in odd places, and empty mugs and plates scattered among the mess.
Seiko had wandered into the kitchen, muttering something about cooking a proper holiday lunch, while Aira and Jiji were sprawled out on the couch, too full of cookies and hot chocolate to move.
Turbo Granny had retreated to her spot by the window, nursing her bottle of liquor and occasionally cackling at some private joke only she seemed to understand.
Okarun and Momo, meanwhile, were tasked with cleaning up the aftermath, a decision Seiko had made with a tone that left no room for argument.
“This is all your fault, you know,” Okarun muttered as he bent down to pick up a crumpled piece of wrapping paper, his glasses slipping slightly down his nose.
“My fault?” Momo shot back, raising an eyebrow as she grabbed a stray ribbon. “How is this my fault?”
“You’re the one who said we should take turns opening presents,” he said, straightening up. “If we’d done it all at once, we’d have been done ages ago.”
“And missed all the fun? No way,” Momo said, grinning as she stuffed the ribbon into a trash bag. “You’re just mad because you got stuck with cleanup duty.”
“I’m not mad,” Okarun said quickly, though the slight flush on his cheeks suggested otherwise.
“Sure, you’re not.”
They worked in relative silence for a few minutes, the sound of rustling paper and the faint hum of a Christmas song playing softly in the background filling the room.
It wasn’t until Momo moved toward the tree to pick up another stray piece of ribbon that Okarun noticed something strange.
“Wait,” he said, his voice cutting through the quiet.
Momo paused, looking over her shoulder. “What?”
“Uh…” Okarun pointed upward, his face already turning red. “Look.”
Momo followed his gaze, and her eyes widened slightly as she realized what he was pointing at.
Above them, hanging from one of the lower branches of the tree, was a small sprig of mistletoe. It was tied with a red ribbon, dangling innocently right over their heads.
“Oh,” Momo said, her voice soft as she turned back to him. Her cheeks were faintly pink, but her expression was hard to read.
“Yeah,” Okarun said, laughing nervously as he adjusted his glasses. “That’s, uh… that’s mistletoe.”
“I can see that,” Momo said, tilting her head slightly as if studying him.
Neither of them moved, the moment stretching between them like a taut wire. Okarun’s heart was pounding so loudly he was sure she could hear it, and his mind raced with half-formed thoughts and panicked what-ifs.
“We don’t… have to, uh…” he started, trailing off as he gestured vaguely at the mistletoe.
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 ,
“Why not?” Momo said, her tone light but her eyes focused on him in a way that made his breath catch.
“Why… not?” he repeated, blinking at her.
“It’s tradition,” she said with a small shrug, though the faint smile tugging at her lips suggested there was more to it than that.
Okarun swallowed hard, his palms suddenly clammy. “I guess it is,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Momo stepped closer, and suddenly she was right there in front of him, close enough that he could see the faint freckles on her nose, the way her eyelashes curled just slightly at the ends. Her hands hung at her sides, relaxed, but her eyes never left his.
“Okay,” she said softly, her smile widening just a fraction.
Okarun didn’t trust himself to speak, so he nodded instead, his heart hammering in his chest as she leaned in.
The kiss was soft, tentative—a fleeting brush of her lips against his that left him breathless. For a moment, the world seemed to fall away, the noise of the house and the mess of the morning fading into the background as all he could focus on was her.
When she pulled back, her cheeks were flushed, but her smile was warm and genuine. “Merry Christmas, Okarun,” she said, her voice quiet but steady.
He blinked, his mind struggling to catch up, and then he smiled back, the corners of his mouth tugging upward almost of their own accord. “Merry Christmas, Momo.”
From across the room, Turbo Granny let out a loud, triumphant cackle, shattering the fragile bubble of the moment. “Finally!” she crowed, pointing at them with one skeletal finger. “Took you long enough!”
Momo groaned, burying her face in her hands as Okarun turned an even brighter shade of red.
“Shut up, Turbo Granny,” Momo muttered, though there was no real heat in her voice.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” Turbo Granny said, waving them off. “Just enjoying the show.”
Aira, now fully awake and looking far too interested in what had just happened, propped her chin on her hands. “Did I miss something?”
“Nothing!” Okarun and Momo said in unison, their voices overlapping in a way that only made Aira laugh harder.
Seiko poked her head in from the kitchen, her expression flat but her eyes glinting with amusement. “If you’re done embarrassing yourselves, lunch will be ready soon. Try not to knock over the tree in the meantime.”
Momo sighed, shaking her head as she grabbed the trash bag again. “Come on,” she said, nudging Okarun lightly with her elbow. “Let’s finish this before someone else decides to comment.”
Okarun nodded, still too flustered to speak, but as they worked side by side to clean up the last of the mess, he couldn’t stop the small, shy smile that lingered on his face. For once, the chaos around him didn’t seem so overwhelming.
After all, it wasn’t every day you got your first kiss under the mistletoe.
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 ,