Work Text:
Mont Blanc
Soyo disliked Christmas. It wasn’t that there was anything inherently bad about it but watching all her friends talk about their family plans or plans with their boyfriends always irked her the wrong way. It wasn’t helped by the fact that she usually spent hers alone, only once in a decade does Mom finally not have any work and gets to take the day off to spend time with her. Though, there was one year when she wasn’t alone: the first year when CRYCHIC was formed, she and Sakiko got to spend Christmas Eve together as everyone else in the band was busy with family. If only Sakiko would talk to her again. If only she would listen to her pleas.
So naturally, after practice, when Anon brought up Christmas Eve plans she clicked her tongue, the vain self absorbed pink haired guitarist certainly had nothing going on, nobody would want to spend more time than necessary with her. Of course Taki and Tomori had their own plans, that was to be expected, not that she really wanted to do anything with either of them. Raana just walked off as if nothing was happening. That just left her, she knew that her Mom wouldn’t be around, she got wrapped up in a multi month long America trip to close a merger, and would at best get a call if she wasn’t passed out from work.
So naturally, she smiled and said that she had some plans with family.
“Oh…” She saw the telltale forced smile that Anon wore whenever she was annoyed. The fuck was her problem? It’s not like either of them liked being around each other.
“If that is all, then I will take my leave.” Soyo got up, leaving the others behind.
Christmas Eve came and went for the most part, she was alone eating leftovers. For the first time in weeks, the cloudy skies had parted to make way for a day of sunlight, the light reflecting off of her hardwood floor bringing an almost orange glow to her apartment. Putting on her favourite scent in her diffuser, she opened a book as the afternoon approach, doing what she could to distract herself. At least last year she had Mutsumi, but after everything, she couldn’t bring herself to face her anymore. Ah, if only CRYCHIC lasted forever she found herself thinking again, the familiar sense of bitterness creeping onto her tongue.
It’s really no use for her, even she knows better than to hope for things to mend as if nothing had happened, even she knows that she was being selfish when she begged Sakiko to restart. Putting the bookmark into the book and laying back down on the couch, she covered her eyes from the light. She couldn’t keep on doing this, there was somewhere else that she belonged now, as much as it hurt to admit it.
Feeling her phone buzz in her pocket she picked it up, only to be greeted by the familiar pink water lily on the lock screen,
“Hey, look at this cake I got! I’m sure it would have been nice with tea. Tell your mom I wish her happy holidays!”
Opening the message Soyo saw the cake, a sponge cake from a cafe that she had been to before. It was pretty nice, not her favourite, but it was pretty popular on Social Media recently. Was this why Anon wanted to ask if she was busy? So she could take photos with her for social media at the cafe?
“She’s so stupid, so predictable.”
Soyo put her phone down, getting up, maybe getting herself a little something for Christmas would be nice too. It’d be nice to have a little treat to show her mom too that she was doing fine on her own. Pulling her overcoat over her shoulders, wrapping a scarf around her neck, her shadow splashed across the orange hardwood floor as she stood at the door all by itself.
“I’m off.”
Standing in the elevator, the hand slowly ticked down, she was a regular at a nearby cafe, always grabbing a small creampuff for her mom when she knew she was coming back. Maybe getting one of the tarts would be nice, hopefully she could catch her mother on a video call.
The elevator door opened, immediately she saw the familiar pink haired girl in the lobby mere steps away from the elevator. Panicking, Soyo mashed the close elevator button, what was Anon doing here? Was she holding a cake box? Is she insane? Soyo double checked her phone, she didn’t miss any message, Anon just showed up out of nowhere, the door was halfway closed by the time Anon saw her and Soyo could see her eyes light up.
“Soyorin!! Wait for me!” Shoving her two hands between the elevator doors, she prevented Soyo’s escape, pushing by she waved to Soyo, “hehe I wanted to come give you this cake as a surprise. Did you come down knowing that I would make a visit?”
Soyo sighed, “no I was going to get my own, I don’t need your cake.”
“What! Noo who do I share this with then? Raana is unreachable, Tomori and Taki abandoned me, I only have you left Soyorinn.” Anon fake pouted, crying crocodile tears as she held the white box while she pretended to wipe her tears.
“I’ll be fine without you.”
“Wait, noo, it’s a Mont Blanc Cake, come on, I’m sure your mom would love to have some too.”
Soyo knew that this idiot wasn’t going to give up anytime soon, looking away so that she didn’t have to see her for longer than necessary she relented.
“Fine, you’ll leave right after.”
“Yay, thank you Soyorin, you’ll love it.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Soyo didn’t really care about the trendy cafes, but it’s probably at minimum a passable cake, so hopefully it’s not too sweet, she’s never loved stuff on the sweeter side of things. It’s always left a bitter aftertaste at the end of the day when she was alone.
“Are you not going to come in?” Soyo asked, as she watched Anon fumble a couple meters behind her while she stepped into her apartment.
“Ah, well. I’m trying to think about what to say to your mom.”
“She’s not home right now, just drop the cake off and then go.”
“What! Aww.” Soyo knew that Anon was pouting behind her, but she didn’t have the patience for her antics, holding the door open for Anon to enter letting her place the cake in the kitchen. The shadow of the box covering a part of the kitchen as the sun began to set, Anon hung her coat up.
“What are you doing?”
“Eh?” She stopped, holding a hanger with her off white scarf still hanging off of her, “I bought the cake so I wanted to try a slice at least before I left.”
“I see. Well I’ll get you a plate then,” Soyo cut a slice, carefully placing it on a plate as she carried it over to Anon who was now in the living room. The golden light of the sun blending with her pink hair in an almost yellowish hue, her smile sidelit from the sun was in stark contrast to the first time she visited Soyo’s apartment. Soyo had gotten used to seeing Anon’s dumb expressions enough over the past couple months to know that she was being genuinely happy here, so she couldn’t help but get a bit ticked off.
“Eh? Aren’t you going to try?”
“What’s the point, I’ll have my slice with Mom later.”
“Well, it’s more fun if I can see your expression.”
Soyo sighed, “were you going to sneak a photo for the account?”
“Ah. Well, no?”
“Nevermind, you’re already too annoying, I’ll just have a bite before the icing melts.”
“Okay then, here.” Cutting a small piece, Anon raises a bit of the cake up for Soyo to eat, “try it!”
Pushing her hair behind her ears, Soyo leaned down just enough for Anon to feed her, gently biting into it, letting the icing dance on her tongue as she slowly savoured it she ate slowly. It was sweet.
“So??” Anon asked, herself having taken several bites already. Pieces of the white icing were painted a mix of red and orange from the mix of sun and lipstick on her lip, “It’s pretty good right? It’s a bit sweet but I feel like it’s fine.”
“It’s fine.”
“Ehhh Soyorinn what does that mean?”
“It’s fine, a bit too sweet for my tastes.” Anon had already finished her slice, the fork laying in the plate as the sun slowly turned to twilight.
“Aw, I’ll get you a tiramisu next time then.”
Next time? Their relationship was already fraught with issues, and MyGo!!!!! was only barely sticking together. She wasn’t sure if she would bet on a second year happening.
“Eh, I guess if we’re still talking by then.”
Anon pouted, complaining as Soyo took the plate back, following her into the kitchen as she rinsed and washed it off, Soyo’s glare as she wiped the plate dry was enough to shut Anon up.
“Are you done?” Soyo asked.
“Ah, uh. I guess. Happy Holidays Soyorin.”
Soyo paused for a second. The shadow of one of the window frames cutting between them in the kitchen sink, she looked at Anon. The girl’s face wasn’t sad, but wasn’t cheery either. An unusually serious look for something so innocuous lit by a quickly falling sun casting her face in twilight.
“You too.” She finally relented, returning those wishes.
Soyo walked Anon to the door in silence, letting the other girl put on her outerwear she opened the door, stopping under the door frame with the door half open turning around.
“I hope you stay with MyGO!!!!! next year as well.” Anon said, her voice hovering just over a whisper.
“And what if I don’t? What if I run away again?” Soyo could feel her voice straining with each word, the sun had set already and she could only see bits of Anon’s face lit by the overhead lighting of the hall.
“Then I’ll chase you down for breaking Tomori’s heart.” Anon said, matter of factly, Soyo didn’t need to see her eyes to know that she would do it, that Anon said that almost as though she was making a promise.
“Why is this band even so important to you?”
Anon smiled, her head tilting up ever so slightly, just enough that Soyo could see the lightheartedness in her eyes, “I’ve said it already haven’t I? It’s the band that you and I started.”
Anon closed the door behind her, Soyo didn’t have anything to say after that, she didn’t have anything she could say.
Turning around, facing the empty apartment she opened her book again as she took a seat on the couch.
“It’s sweet.”