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Okarun's previous Christmas' have been… lackluster, to say the least.
His father was someone who unfortunately found himself getting dragged into work no matter the case, causing him to postpone the holiday to the next day. Even then, with it was just the two of them, so aside from a nice dinner and a quiet exchange of presents, the day was typically unremarkable.
That was, until, he'd met his best friend: Momo Ayase.
He would forever be grateful to her for letting her stay at her grandmother's house on the Eve of Christmas. Jiji was too busy stressing about over the perfect lazy-date for Zuma, Aira left absolutely no room for argument in regards to having Vamola over, as she insisted she'd teach her about the holiday, and Rin and Kouki were enjoying some vampire-gothic movies in favor of the holiday themed ones.
And Okarun was painfully single, and pining over his best friend on the most romantic day of the year. But she didn't have to know that! Aside from some general decorating, it seemed that she was choosing to take today easy, especially since all of their friends would be over the next day, anyways.
Currently, he was laying on Momo's bed, lazily drawing patterns into his notepad. A buzz rang out from his side, his new phone, one that Momo had gotten on a whim when she finally had the cash to replace her old one. It was some kind of "buy-one get-one 50% off" that gave her the excuse to throw one in his hands.
(Well. It helped that he was there, helping Momo pick out a phone to begin with. And he split the cost with her, even if it meant having to endure her grumbling.)
Okarun spared a glance at the screen, showcasing a preview of a black kitten with its face covered in wet food. The phone buzzed again, a notification coming from his TikTok account. "Found ya :)" Momo had sent.
"Miss Ayase, I'm right here. You didn't have to send it to me." He looked back at her. Currently, Momo was rejoicing in being able to consume social media once again. Okarun couldn't say he saw the appeal.
"I'm saving it in our DMs." She waved him off with a grin. "Besides, you haven't even watched it either."
"I'm drawing." He tapped his notebook, automatically shifting to hide it from her view.
"Mmmh. Ya ever gonna show me those someday?" Momo put on a pout, her eyes glistening with tears. Psh, faker.
"Nope!" Okarun responded with a smile, grinning at how she huffed and slumped against her pillow.
"Ass. No more popcorn for you." She hugged the bowl close, turning her gaze to the movie she'd left on in the background. "Ya still haven't convinced me this is just a Halloween movie."
He scoffed, setting his phone down. "Just look at the aesthetics! The main character is a skeleton man and his ghost dog! And the town! It's literally called Halloween Town!"
"But Jack is literally trying to find the meaning of Christmas." Momo kicked his side. "And Halloween Town gets decorated with Christmas lights and crap. Bam! Christmas movie."
"But the characters misunderstand it, and only make it more horrifying! Don't forget; Jack kidnaps Santa Claus and terrorizes human children!" Okarun pointed at the television, as the scene of Jack flying over the city and his various toy contraptions that snapped and sprung at the children.
"He's misguided! He's got Christmas spirit!" Momo slapped his hand down.
"Yeesh, can either of ya shuddup?" Turbo Granny peered in from the doorway, narrowing her eyes at the duo, some garland draped over her porcelain body. "Have ya seen my pillow 'round here? Seiko moved all my stuff."
"Dunno, don't think it'd be in— GAH!!! Off my bed, old bag!" She shot up from the bed when doll jumped onto her bed and began to climb over Okarun.
"I'll only be a minute, brat!" He couldn't help but yelp as her foot lodged into his nose, and she jumped onto the headboard. The garland dropped from her, draping around his neck.
With a smile, Momo leaned over and plucked the grassy braid away, tossing it onto the floor. "There…" Then, she froze, her hands lingering on his shoulders.
"What? What's wrong?" Okarun leaned forwards to her, before feeling something fall from the strands of his unruly hair.
Three red berries landed in his palm, intertwined together through a strand of bunched up leafs, pointed at the end. Ah. Mistletoe.
"Oh…" His face was burning, and he quickly moved to duck his head.
"No pillow." Turbo Granny grumbled, jumping down from the headboard. "That old bag better have those fish dumplings finished, or a heads gonna roll!" With a growl, she stormed out of the room, cursing up a storm.
Well. That happened. Stupid Turbo Granny luck.
"Isn't there a rule 'bout needing a kiss, or you get cursed, or something..?" Momo mumbled, not-so-subtly scooting closer to him. "I mean…. the last thing you need is another curse, so…"
Okarun wasn't all familiar with the rules and traditions of mistletoe, truthfully. Sure, it typically required a kiss, but for what reason, he did not know. Maybe she was just trying to mess with him. Or… could there really be some truth to what she was saying? He hoped not, but crazier things did happen to them…
"Um. What type of kiss?" He wasn't stupid. There wasn't exactly anyone else who'd be around to give him one, anyways. And hopefully, it would be enough of an out for her in case she didn't even want to.
"Well it's not specific. I don't know if on the cheek would be good or not. Up to you…" Momo glanced at him, brushing her bangs out of her face. Her lips were upturned as she looked away, just a tiny speck of red that began to tint her ears.
Okarun had a choice: he could be selfish, and ask for a peck on his lips. Maybe, if he got lucky, Momo would want to to kiss him again, in an impossible scenario. In an even less than likely scenario, she would make out with him and allow him to hold her in his arms, to be her other half, to have him when she needed to thread herself back together, like the character Sally in their movie, only he would be attentive and caring, watching for every pull and strain that dared to try and destroy her.
On the other hand, he could be a coward: he could ask for just a kiss on his cheek, and it wouldn't change a thing. He would remain her best friend, her fighting partner, her silent admirer. Okarun had resigned himself to this, purely as to not ruin things between them. He already stared at her for too long, greedily taking in how she would pinch his cheeks together when she was mad, or how she always linked their hands together when they walked in private.
He choose to be a coward. "On the check would be okay."
With a nod, Momo sat forwards, her knee bumping into his. "Alright. So long as you're sure."
I'm not, Okarun didn't say, instead shutting his eyes and letting the shades of Momo's bedroom fill his vision. He bunched the mistletoe in his fist, its thorn-like leaves keeping him horrifically aware of what was about to transpire. He needed to find a way to act normal when it happened.
Cool fingertips trailed towards his chin, before slowly rounding on his cheeks that had too much baby fat, always making him feel younger than he actually was. It reminded him of when Momo would grab and pinch them when they got into heated arguments, only this time, his face was held on a cradle.
Are you going to kiss me? Okarun determinedly did not ask her, least he forget that they already agreed on what was going to happen. No, there wouldn't be a kiss. Momo wouldn't ask him and then go against his word, it wasn't the type of person that she was.
"Go ahead." He whispered, not needing to see her expression to know that she was hesitating. He forced his limbs to stay as still as possible, but his hands were shaking in rebellion.
Finally, he felt the mattress shift, one of her hands drift to the base of his neck, and soft lips press into his skin. Firm and determined, unyielding, as she left warmth embedded into him. So undeniably Momo-like, and yet so different, like it was she was trying to prove something to him, a mystery that was held tightly within her, a secret she was scared to let go of, and despite of all it, she wanted to share it with him.
As quickly as it began, he felt her pull back, a soft and shaky exhale at last leaving Okarun's throat.
"That… That was nice…" He whispered, his voice wavering like it was dancing on a tightrope, trying to keep himself steady and present.
"G-good. Er, great! Yeah, I'm glad." Momo replied, dropping her hands as she turned away.
"Better than my last one." Okarun mumbled unconsciously, naively not thinking anything of what he was saying.
"HUH?!"
Crap, she heard that.
"Uh! Nothing!" He tried to assure her, scooting back to the headrest, but Momo followed after him in determination.
"Dude, I've told ya all about my tuna-faced ex! You shoulda said something!" Momo huffed, giving his arm a whack.
With a blush, Okarun looked away and cleared his throat. "I— I mean, it was just one of my classmates who was dared to, so… N-not really the best?"
Her face fell with a frown. "Oh shit… Sorry, Okarun. Didn't mean to dig that kinda thing up."
"It's not a big deal, it's just… awkward." He grimaced. "Not exactly a good first kiss."
"Ah. I mean, same dude." She sighed, settling beside him on the bed, throwing her head back against the pillows with a huff. "Tuna-face was my first kiss, too. He was kinda… forceful, about it. Like I "owed him", or something stupid like that."
"Sorry. I guess we've both had… crappy first kisses…" Okarun glanced at the mistletoe in his hand. He had a thought. A very stupid thought, one that would probably just be a daydream, but he imagined Momo being his first kiss. It probably would be a quick ordeal, one that she wouldn't linger on, and yet it would be ingrained into his very soul. One time would be enough for him. Okarun was more than happy to subject himself to a lifetime of solitude if it meant that Momo graced him with just a singular kiss.
Momo hummed noncommittally, shutting her eyes as she crossed her arms as her eyebrows creased together in deep thought. Wonderful, silence was just what they needed, what with talking about bad first kisses and whatnot. Okarun had no idea what to even say, sparing a glance at the television where Jack Skeleton and Sally were sharing a kiss.
"Y'know… first kisses are kinda overrated." Momo said at last. "Some of the girls in my class say theirs was special, but that was only cause the guys they kissed were experienced! I think… I think it's supposed to be special only if you're kissin' someone special."
And then her hand was resting on top of his, like it was nothing. Like the rope Okarun was trying desperately to balance himself on was suddenly unsteady, trying to hurtle him into the unknown.
Stupidly, he opened his mouth to try and speak, and yet nothing came out of his mouth. His face was too red and hot for his own liking, keeping his eyes set everywhere except at her. Okarun swallowed hard, snapping his jaw shut to stop his gaping.
"Okarun…" Her voice broke through the quiet. "You're someone special to me."
No. No way. Was she saying what he thought she was saying?
"I… You are to me, too." Okarun managed to say, his voice soft and unsteady.
Momo squeezed the top of his knuckles, where the mistletoe had been long abandoned by this point. She shifted closer to her, keeping herself steady as she held onto his shoulder. "Can I…?" Her eyes fell to his lips for just a few seconds, before she bit her lip as a blush appeared across her cheeks.
With a nod, Okarun leaned forwards, connecting their lips together, and he let himself fall with her.
His glasses bumped into her nose as he pressed against her, but Okarun couldn't find it within himself to care. It was a reminder that this was happening, that Momo Ayase herself was interested in him. That she wanted to kiss him. That she truly believed he was special…
Okarun honestly couldn't tell if it was because of the contact that was making his heart beat so hard, or the revelation of this fact.
And on Christmas Eve, one of the most romantic days of the year… He wanted to make it special for her, too.
He pulled back, silently mourning the sensation of her soft lips. Placing his hands on her arms, he asked, "Do you wanna go see the new Five Nights at Freddy's movie together?"
Momo blinked twice, before she began to grin. "L-like a date? Now?"
"Now." Okarun agreed. "I know i-its not super romantic, but we both like the series, and it'd be nice to take a break from… real spirits and stuff. I-If you don't want to, its—"
"I'd love to!" She cut him off, before blushing once again. "I mean. It's perfect. But you're paying, okay?"
"I can do that." He grinned like an idiot. To think this all happened because of stupid Turbo Granny luck.
And if he left the small cat a party-size bag of spicy chips? Well, he'd deny it. After all, it was all her fault it happened to begin with.