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“Everyone set?” Takumi asked. He looked around, ensuring the group was all people who hadn't played yet, as they prepared for the next game for their Christmas party. Different people swapped in and out; between relishing in the festive treats or celebrating in the fun of games, laughter and smiles brightened the cafeteria as much as the string lights.
The rest ate, such as the Tsukumo twins, who sat at the end of the table, both eating strawberry shortcake. Kako’s piece was topped with a zest of sorts, while Ima’s had something sticky drizzled all over. While they shared their… interesting slices of cake, Tsubasa and Shion wanted to watch the game unfold as bystanders, as well as Yugamu and Shouma, who had their fair share of treats as well. Eva stood next to Shouma, no eating nor playing, but still chatting with others too.
Takumi swapped out with Hiruko in her seat and watched as the others conversed until he looked at his new opponents. Gaku sat across from him. Right beside Takumi, Nozomi pulled out the chair, and his eyes widened.
“You play daifugo?” he asked, giving her a soft smile.
“This is my first time playing, but from watching the last group I think I got the basic idea down.” Nozomi smiled back. “Good luck!”
Gaku rested a hand on his chin. “Me too. I feel like I got this though.” He turned when the chair next to him was pulled out, and he asked, “Oh, you're playing too, Eito? Didn't expect that…”
“I’m not experienced, but why not give it a try?”
Takumi glanced over at Eito as he sat as well. He couldn’t figure out why, but looking at Eito made his palms get clammy as it put him on edge for some reason. Some reason. He shook his head and ignored his confusing feelings.
“Excuse me.” Hiruko reached over between Takumi and Nozomi, towards the cards, but she stopped short when Gaku snatched them.
“I wanna try shuffling.” He tapped the deck on the table with three loud thuds and split it in half. He pressed one half on top of the other, shoving down until they, inefficiently, bent a bit before they rammed into each other with big chunks.
“Do you even know how to?” Takumi asked.
Nozomi said, “Well, he's got the spirit.”
“That’s not good enough,” Eito chimed in.
Hiruko put a hand out at Gaku; he plopped the deck into her hands and laughed under his breath, “Uh… Next time.”
“Here.” Hiruko straightened the cards out. Without hesitation, she shuffled them all with one hand— she tossed them to her other palm, this time splitting it in half and dropping them rapidly like a fan, one by one, until she neatened it out again. After her swift shuffles, she dropped the deck at the center of the table.
Nozomi stared in awe; she complimented, “Wow, Shizuhara-san! That was impressive!”
“Woah…” Gaku blinked. “So cool…”
“Alright, two for two and those winners go,” Hiruko said.
Gaku and Eito turned to each other, making their fists. Takumi and Nozomi did the same; all in sync, they chanted— “Jan… ken… pon!”
Takumi had paper, and Nozomi had rock; Gaku had scissors, and Eito had paper. Takumi and Gaku then chanted another time, and they both threw out scissors. They went again, and finally, Gaku was to deal.
He clapped and muttered, “Okay, okay, c'mon, gimmie a good hand!” He dealt out the cards to every player. Though he was pretty rushed with it.
As the group waited until he finished, everyone chatted amongst themselves. Kurara even made her way to grab another cookie, passing by Nozomi to hand her a chocolate chip cookie. She bit into it with the red and green sprinkles dropping in her palm.
“Man…” Gaku sighed, dropping himself a card. “For a Christmas party, I was hoping for some mistletoe action.” He dealt a card to Eito.
Yugamu finished chewing his slice of cake, stepping closer to Gaku. “You can kiss anyone anytime, you know… I'm right here.”
Gaku shuddered and glared at Yugamu, his face going pale.
“Gaku, you still have cards left,” Nozomi laughed, pointing. “I don't think we need a mistletoe to have fun.”
Eito interjected, “I second that.”
Takumi let out an awkward chuckle, his eyes right on Nozomi. He looked down at his hand. He couldn't recall playing card games with Karua back at the TRC, nothing more than spinning tops or hide and seek. Just like back then, the stakes weren't high, and this was all in good fun.
Moko’s boisterous voice knocked him out of his memories and back into the present. Though she sat out this round, she raised her hand.
“What do you guys say about doing this one differently? I have an idea that could make this one seriously high stakes!” Murmurs circulated around the table, some nodding and others raising their brows in curiosity.
“Now, my catch is…” Moko lowered her hand behind her back, and she brought up a finger with the other. She then drew her hand up and, with a whimsical reveal, brought out a plant hanging between her fingers. She tied the mistletoe up on a string light above the entrance door, out of the way for everyone to play the game… and perfect for nobody to chicken out. She hopped down with ease and announced, “By the end of the three rounds, the two losers— the poor and the beggar— have to kiss under the mistletoe!”
Takumi’s eyes went wide. Don't look at anyone, don't look at anyone, he thought immediately after. His gaze darted around the room in the second of shock, and his eyes landed on a set of familiar, yet admittedly dreaded irises. The dark periwinkle that shook Takumi to his core— of course, Eito.
They made eye contact! After Moko brought up mistletoe of all things! Takumi’s face burned red as he looked at the tartan tablecloth, wishing he could slap himself straight in his lack-of-a-pokerface.
Eito tried to hold back a sardonic smile. Stupid Takumi. He could already feel the slightest bit of nausea thinking about kissing someone, and worse, Takumi. He held back his insults and simply replied to Moko’s ridiculous request. “Just when I thought all of this was nauseating enough.”
“You’ve sure been having a holly jolly blast, though! You even volunteered to play the game,” Darumi spoke through a mouthful of cookies. “What are you, a tsundere?”
“Okay, Moko, w-where did you even get a mistletoe?!” Takumi asked Moko, failing to hide how much this startled him.
“I used the Gift-O-Matic to make one before arriving! I might've gotten a bit distracted with decorating cookies, though… But here it is! Lemme see you all get into the holiday cheer!” Moko shouted with a beaming smile, seemingly more excited about a potential kiss than anybody else.
Takumi scratched his neck with one hand and felt his cards practically slipping out of the other. He shook his head, taking himself back to the moment at hand. Everyone had their share of cards, and everything was settled to start.
Takemaru poked his head over the table with a plate full of iced cookies in hand. He asked, “You all know the rules? First in the turn starts, and you play cards higher than the last ‘til everyone passes. Got it?” He seemed enthusiastic, as if he was still playing, practically hyping everybody up as he continued to give a brief explanation.
Eito sighed after Takemaru was done, “And the two losers seem to have to kiss. I guess we shouldn't forget that.”
Yeah, as if that wasn't the only thing the four were thinking about; Eito was almost… provoking in a way. Surely he wasn't thrilled either, which made Takumi even more uneasy.
“Well, is everybody ready to go?” Nozomi asked, already having a card in hand.
Everybody's eyes danced around to each player, all with a similar thought on their minds. Somehow, the tension thickened more after Moko’s suggestion, the group further craving victory in a mere game of daifugo. After a few nods and smiles, Nozomi put down her card, starting with a three of diamonds.
Takumi already felt sweat drip down his forehead, but he didn't need to be nervous. It's not like he'd lose, right? Beginner's luck should be on his side. The thought that he could potentially be kissing someone made him eager to win— more than before.
More turns passed by, and eventually, Nozomi put down a two.
Eito was silent for a moment, not passing yet— and to everyone's dismay, he put down a joker!
“Damn, nice one,” Takemaru cheered from afar.
Soon after many more turns and many, many passes, everyone's hands grew smaller and smaller. Things played out slower at the start, with everyone getting the hang of the rules bit by bit. But they went by noticeably easier now. Eventually, Nozomi put down two nines, and she looked at Eito, who only had two cards left.
Please pass, please pass, Takumi thought to himself. He was close to being the tycoon by just a little bit more. Since Nozomi played a pair, there should be no chance for Eito to go out at this rate.
And after a moment of hesitation, Eito tossed two queens. With a smile, he said, “Done. Looks like I'm the tycoon for this round.”
“Oh— Crap!” Gaku wailed, gripping his cards tighter.
Nozomi chuckled, “Pass.”
Takumi followed with the same word, and so did Gaku. Everyone passed, and it was Nozomi’s turn.
She put out two cards and clapped with a smile. “Yay! I'm in second place. What's that again? Rich—?”
“What the hell, man?!” Gaku threw his head forward, already defeated before the round even finished. “No way!”
“Don't worry, Gaku. There are two more rounds,” Takumi reassured. He looked at the pile, then back at his hand. “Well, pass.”
Gaku muttered, “Pass…”
The turn ended, and Takumi looked down at his three remaining cards, then at Gaku’s equal amount. He thought about which to play, considering how close the round is to being done. He kept it safe, throwing down a six of hearts… just for Gaku to put a seven of hearts right on top.
There were only so many turns left, and both with two cards left now. Takumi put down a king, though, knowing his last card gave him great chances to at least not be a beggar. So he threw down his king and waited until Gaku responded with a groan.
“Pass.”
“Phew.” Takumi put down his ace, at least relieved he wasn't the lowest rank (even though second to last isn't that great either). “Guess that makes me poor.”
“Can't believe I'm broke in a card game too!” Gaku stared at his two cards and tossed them out in defeat.
Hiruko put a hand out, and Nozomi grabbed the pile to hand to her for shuffling again. She gave it to Takumi, whose turn it was to deal. He went around and gave everybody their cards, and soon they started round two.
Gaku began with two threes, and Eito followed right after with two sevens. Takumi waited for his turn, and his eyes went wide when Nozomi dropped two aces in his face. Two of them this early was a risky play— he least expected it, not to mention that he's poor. He looked down at his hand with a single ace and sighed, “Pass.”
After another pass from Gaku, Eito played a pair of twos. Instant turn end. Things were already looking rough for this round, too. In just a few more turns, it was Gaku’s time to start. He sat with eight cards, already having the short end of the stick, but he put out three cards— three fours. Just as he expected, Eito and Nozomi passed.
Thankfully for Takumi, he had three fives to get rid of. Everyone passed, all with even lower amounts of cards. With four cards left, Takumi was close. He put out an eight, ending his turn, and instantly played a four.
In no time, he, Nozomi, and Eito had one card remaining, and Gaku had three. With the ace he played last turn, it left him finally going out.
“Hey, I'm the tycoon!” Takumi smiled, half relieved, while the other half reminded him that there was one more round after this. “Finally…”
“Bad luck, Eito,” Nozomi snickered. “Takumi’s left you bankrupt!”
Eito sighed, “I guess so…” He watched as Gaku and Nozomi threw down their cards. “There's always potential for the next round.” He wanted to reassure himself that more than anybody else. The chances of comebacks are never zero, but very, very slim. He can't lose this. The thought of kissing someone was enough to make him want to hurl, but knowing how unfortunate his situation was… He still kept his hopes up.
Nozomi was rich again, twice in a row. Gaku was poor, though, and he groaned, “Eh, I guess it's better than a beggar.”
Takumi put a hand on his chin, muttering to himself. “I'm the tycoon, Nozomi is rich, Gaku is poor, and Eito is a beggar… Who knows how the last round will go.”
After Hiruko shuffled the deck one last time, it was Nozomi’s turn to deal. She made hesitant movements, anxious but anticipating the results as much as the others. Soon, it was time for round three. The air quickly thickened around the players, all while the people who weren't playing teased and joked about the potential mistletoe kiss to others.
Takumi hummed to himself when he saw his cards. He wasn't always the competitive type, but if it meant avoiding the embarrassment of kissing someone (hell, it could be a guy at that), he had to be strategic. Strategic to think about his every move proactively and cleverly, which was entirely possible for this being his very first game. Surely there was no way he'd lose this. Surely.
It was Eito’s go first, so he eventually started the round that would decide all of their fates. More plays, passes, and eight stops went by as the tension rose with every move.
Takumi started another turn with two kings. He should have the upper hand that way— Gaku and Eito passed right after, but Nozomi played twos. If Takumi didn't want to pass, he had to use his two jokers. Everyone then passed (thankfully for Takumi), and he put his jokers down. Yet again, everyone passed; he played three jacks. This was going to be a breeze— until he gasped. “What?!”
Gaku whooped and pumped his fist. “Three aces!”
As expected, the turn ended.
They played more and more cards, closer to being able to see who got to be the unfortunate loser kissers. Nozomi did an eight-stop and put down a three. They all put more down, their cards diminishing bit by bit— maybe not so much Eito, though, who still had eleven cards in hand. He didn't have the slightest bit of tension in his expression besides laughing it off. But internally, he wished he could run scalp-first into the purple blazes that surrounded this godforsaken academy. He was thankful to be wearing gloves, or else his sweat would shine on the cards.
Nozomi played two fives, and Takumi was lucky to go with a pair of nines— he now only had one card left. Easily enough, he could go out as the tycoon again and be free from the apprehension that slowly crept up his spine.
Gaku had four cards, Eito had eleven, and Nozomi had four. He had a chance. Shortly after, Gaku passed, but Eito played two tens, and Nozomi played a pair of queens. That only led Takumi to pass again… but he still had this.
After two more short turns, the hands dropped significantly.
Takumi gripped the lonely, single card in his hand harder, so much so that it was almost wrinkled, waiting to finally play it.
Eito played a six, and Nozomi put a… ten, leaving her with just one card.
Takumi felt like he was sweating through his ugly Christmas sweater, and he pulled at the collar repeatedly. This is bad. If he doesn't get tycoon again, he'll go straight to a beggar. He can't let that happen! He'd rather die from multiple suicides than die of embarrassment by kissing someone in front of the entire Special Defense Unit.
“P-Pass.”
Damn this seven of spades!
Gaku and Eito went. Nozomi only had one card; the chances she had anything higher than a queen are low. Takumi still had this, right—
She played a two of diamonds.
“Wait, I'm bankrupt?!” Before she could even relish in her victory, Takumi shouted. He stared agape at the table, feeling like the color and Christmas cheer had all been sucked out of his face. He grabbed his hair and whined, “N-No! I had that! Are you kidding me?!”
“Looks like you'll have to kiss somebody,” Eito teased. “I'm sure at least I don't have to. I'll enjoy watching you shrivel up in front of everyone.”
Nozomi brought her cards up to her face and giggled.
“Don't humor him, Nozomi!” Takumi groaned as he held his flushed face. “Ugh…”
“It’s no big deal, Takumi. It’s just a game. Keep going, you two!” Nozomi put a hand on Takumi’s shoulder, speaking to him as if to console someone grieving. “Let’s see who else, okay?”
Takumi split his fingers to watch between them, nodding slowly.
Two passes later, they cleared the cards, and Gaku played a pair of fives, leaving him with one last card. Eito scoffed and laughed it off, but his eyebrows knit together as he failed to hide his stress over all of this. He looked down at his cards, and his face lost all color when he realized he couldn’t place something next.
“Um…” He let out a short chuckle, but it was cut short when he choked up on a gag. “Pass.”
Takumi’s heart sank. There’s no shot, right?!
Eito?!
Gaku cheered as he flew his last card on the table, jumping out of his seat as he shouted, “Take that! I’m rich!” He laughed when he pointed at Takumi and Eito, “Haha, you guys gotta kiss each other now!”
Takumi covered his face further, whining in utter anguish. He was already sweating bullets, but a wave of heat flushed through his system. Both he and Eito’s heart rates increased rapidly in sync; Eito’s jaw fell on the table, his eyes looking like he was still processing this.
They stared daggers into one another's eyes. As if they didn't already play a game, it was now a game of who would either break eye contact or get up from their seat first. The first to do so would lose the battle, but neither would win the war. Takumi couldn't stand the tension of everyone else's eyes on them at that moment; without a second thought, he turned to get up.
Eito sneered. To see Takumi lose never got old… though he himself would lose so much more dignity than Takumi; getting in such close contact with another human was beyond low.
The mistletoe hung over the entrance, rubbing it in their faces that there was truly no escape from it. Eito’s internal screams drowned out the whispers from the rest of the Special Defense Unit. Takumi heard the taunting chatter loud and clear.
“This is so exciting!” Tsubasa giggled. She looked over at Shion, who, coincidentally, was looking at her with a flushed face. The Tsukumos’ glares spoke volumes. Hiruko didn't smile often, so when she did, that's how anyone knew for a fact that the moment was amusing.
Takumi asked, “H-Hey Moko, can't the losers at least do it alone or something—?”
“Nope! Spread the joy with everyone!”
“Such jolly words.” Eva smiled, putting a hand to her chest.
Takumi sighed and stood under the forsaken hanging plant, but waiting for Eito with the social pressure breathing down his neck made everywhere else sweat.
The moment Eito brought himself to be under the mistletoe (an awkward amount of time after Takumi), his arms hung unnaturally at his sides, his shoulders tense to the naked eye. He hardly even faced Takumi. His body turned to the side, and his head even further off— and shortly after, he looked Takumi right in the eye.
“Well, isn’t this a Christmas miracle?” He spoke with his usual snarky tone, but there was a noticeable lack of assertiveness. That, or it was simply difficult to take him seriously while a Christmas hat with bells sat on his head. “Who knew you were that lacking in daifugo?”
“Hey! You were poor, you have no room to talk…”
“T-That was just bad luck on my end.”
Takumi rolled his eyes. Of course, he couldn’t really blame Eito for his apprehension; this would make anyone nervous. Even himself—the moment he brought a hand up to scratch his neck, he realized how much he trembled. He let out a painfully awkward laugh and, without even realizing, bit his lip. He looked at the group, and a wave of humiliation made his cheeks get even warmer when he caught the abundance of eyes on them. Some shared whispers, some giggled. Others even stood up to get far closer looks—everything made this all the more difficult for them.
“Oh, I'll need to see this,” Yugamu said with a smile.
Tsubasa giggled to herself, whispering to Shion beside her. “This is already giving me second hand embarrassment!”
“I think this is quite fun to see,” Shion chuckled. “How cute.”
Takumi shot them a glance, “Okay, okay now… Sheesh.”
“Hehe… Have some spirit, guys!” Moko clapped, her smile wider and wider by the minute.
Takumi took a deep breath and exhaled, “Um… So…” Wow, he was worse at this than anyone could've assumed.
“Let's get this over with.” Eito stepped closer, his head still facing away. As he gradually turned to Takumi, it became more apparent how red he was. “I really don't know how much longer I want to be standing here. I feel beyond ridiculous.”
“Fine! Okay, okay… Um…”
Takumi looked up at Eito, and put a hand on his shoulder— they were still far apart, making a cringe fall down Takumi’s spine. The distance between them closed in when Eito took a hesitant step forward. He looked evidently unsure of how to approach this and just thought to imitate Takumi. He held Takumi’s shoulders back, but his tightening grasp came to be a bit too much. It made Takumi even more embarrassed; the tension was nearly contagious.
Eito tried to focus on enduring, but more murmurs and giggles, and worse, humiliating commentary, made it almost agonizing. Their voices made shivers crawl up his spine, and his heart pounded faster. It became hard to tell which heartbeat was whose, both practically audible from miles away.
Takumi shook his head as if it was any relief— for a short moment, he shut his eyes, but opening them made his heart stop.
Their faces were… far closer. Takumi least expected him to lean in; it caught him highly off guard, making him jerk.
God, how long is this going to last?!
As if they could hear each other's thoughts, their equal embarrassment also grew to be paired with desperation. It shouldn't be this hard, right? At least, that was easy to say right after the realization— but finally being under the mistletoe like this made everything leading up to the dreaded, public kiss feel like a fever dream.
Takumi could barely take it anymore. If Eito could take two steps, Takumi could take three, or maybe even four. He finally pushed himself to go for it. He shut his eyes and took a deep breath— forgetting everything in the moment to get this over with.
With the voices of everyone becoming louder, reverberating in the thick air, he turned off every thought in his head.
His lips met Eito; his heart skipped a beat, sinking into his stomach that twisted with utter unease—
Until he realized it… wasn't even Eito’s lips.
He opened his eyes, letting out awkward stammers when he pulled away from Eito’s cheek. “What the—?”
Eito had turned away fast enough that he just barely dodged it. He let out a chuckle, bending up as if to take a breath of fresh, needed air. “Oh, looks like you missed. What a shame…”
“C-Come on!”
As if this couldn't be any worse, a louder wave of laughs bounced around the room. Darumi pointed and cackled, “Pfft, hahahaha! Awkward!” Everyone else gave equally embarrassing comments and laughter, even cheering. Moko stared with a raised eyebrow, with a look that stated “that doesn't count” in big, bold letters.
All of it made Takumi cringe harder, stuttering in absolute incoherence in a high state of emotion from this predicament.
Without a second thought, he blurted out, “Just kiss me already!”
He bit his tongue— his face lost all color, going pure white. He couldn't even process the sheer horror of what he said, because while he froze stiff, two hands grabbed him by the waist. Eito pulled Takumi in, practically embracing him as he brought their lips into the long-awaited kiss.
Eito got a whiff of Takumi’s rotten smell. It felt like he was being choked to death in his last moments— his last moments being a shared kiss with a human.
Takumi forgot to breathe as their lips smashed against one another, then let out a shaky exhale through his nose, paired with a pathetic whine. For his first time kissing someone, it was definitely one he wanted to erase from his memory.
Moko slapped her cheeks, her mouth agape and her eyes sparkling. “They actually did it! Love is in the air!”
Takemaru stared with wide eyes, his glasses almost sliding off his face. “Woah… Hell yeah it is.”
Gaku looked at the floor, whining, “Tch… I should've lost with a beggar girl for a chance at this. They're so into it!”
Kurara shouted at him. “I heard that, peasant!”
“Eito? Kissing someone?” Hiruko said, “So unexpected.”
“This is just like a yaoi fanfiction! G-rated, fluff, enemies to lovers, first kiss!” Darumi grabbed onto Hiruko’s arm, shaking her in excitement.
Takumi couldn't handle the embarrassment of everyone's words blaring louder into his ears, and the physical contact was long enough. He pulled away with a mortifying smack as Eito let out a disgusted scoff. Eito tried to catch up with his breathing, his lungs grasping for air as fast as he could; Takumi was equally out of breath.
“Terrible…” Eito said while wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, “You're terrible at kissing.” He forced a smirk… But it didn't feel as forced when a smile eventually crept up on his reddened face.
Takumi cocked an eyebrow. How audacious for Eito to make fun of his skills. He was just as, if not worse than, Takumi. It was an overstatement to even call that a kiss. Takumi’s face burned brighter than the Christmas lights that rimmed the cafeteria. He wiped his mouth, his skin hot to the touch.
“Y-You’re worse!”
Moko let out a giggle, “You guys did it! Yay! What a merry Christmas!”
The cafeteria was full of laughter and conversation surrounding the scene straight out of a romance movie. Even though they both covered their faces, it was painfully obvious how much they both blushed from that. Eito made an attempt to play it off, making his way back to the table, covering his face with his sleeve. Takumi quickly did the same, but kept a far distance between the two as he sat down.
He was instantly met with Nozomi patting his shoulder and laughing, “I guess the mistletoe was a funny addition then!”