Work Text:
Christmas had finally arrived at Gardenview.
The entire place was covered in warm lights, decorated wreaths, and the sweet scent of freshly baked gingerbread cookies. Red and green colored every corner of the building, wrapping everything in that familiar warmth that only the holidays could bring.
It was a day made for sharing. For loving. For staying close to the ones who mattered most.
The elevator doors slowly opened, revealing the Christmas toons among excited murmurs and cheerful greetings. Smiles, lively voices, and wishes of happy holidays filled the room almost instantly.
—They’re here! —a voice shouted from the crowd.
Several heads immediately turned.
Of course, it was Cosmo, pushing through everyone as she rushed straight toward her cousin… though, honestly, she barely paid attention to the other toons. And she didn’t make much effort to hide it either.
After finishing the decorations and preparations, everyone headed back to their rooms to rest for a while before the main celebration. Normally, Cosmo and Ginger slept in separate rooms, but whenever Ginger visited Gardenview, they somehow always ended up sharing one anyway.
—Oh! Wait, wait… —Cosmo suddenly muttered while searching through her drawers—. I saved some things from other events for you. You know… since you can’t really be part of them.
She pulled out a small wooden box and placed it gently on the bed.
Curious, Ginger moved a little closer.
Inside were dried flowers, hand-painted eggs, tiny decorative baskets, and little souvenirs from different events. Simple objects, maybe even meaningless to anyone else… but to Ginger, they looked like treasures.
Her eyes wandered across every detail with almost childlike fascination.
After all, she had never truly experienced any seasons or celebrations outside of Christmas. Everything inside that box felt distant, unfamiliar… beautiful.
As they continued looking through everything, something else caught her attention.
—Isn’t that from the Halloween event? —she asked, pointing at a smaller box near the back.
—Hm? Wha—? Oh. Right! —Cosmo let out a soft laugh—. I completely forgot about that one.
She pulled it closer and lifted the lid.
And that was when Ginger saw it.
Hidden beneath the other objects was a slightly wrinkled letter, flattened under the weight of everything else. An orange ribbon was wrapped around it, already bent with age.
Carefully, Ginger picked it up, trying not to crease it any further.
—Oh, that letter was written by Gourdy, the main toon of the event —Cosmo explained while moving a few things aside—. I told her a little about you and… well, she felt bad after hearing you could never celebrate Halloween. So she helped me gather a few things for you.
Ginger only responded with a small smile.
Because honestly… she had never imagined that someone outside her own event would think about her.
Much less a main toon.
Pushing those thoughts aside, she carefully opened the letter.
For miss Ginger
Cosmo told me you can’t enjoy other events the same way we do, so I thought you might like receiving a few Halloween things. I hope you enjoy them… and maybe someday, we’ll get to celebrate Halloween together!!
Sincerely, :)
Gourdy Holloway
Once she finished reading, Ginger found herself staring at the paper for a few more seconds.
The handwriting was messy. The wording a little clumsy. And yet…
It felt strangely warm.
Knowing that someone she barely knew had thought about her in such a genuine way made something soft settle inside her chest.
—Cosmo… —she murmured quietly, still staring at the letter.
—Yeah?
—I have to write back to her.
Cosmo blinked.
—Write back?
—Of course! This is way too sweet to ignore. I want to return the kindness somehow… even if it’s just a little.
Cosmo almost refused.
They still had a ridiculous amount of work left for the event, and they’d probably end up exhausted before midnight.
But then she looked at Ginger’s expression.
And just like that, any chance of saying no disappeared.
She let out a long, defeated sigh.
—Alright, alright… I guess I’ll have to call Sprout so we can finish the snacks faster.
—Thank you! —Ginger exclaimed before hugging her tightly.
Ginger had never been the type to grow attached easily.
Not to objects. Not to people. Not to fleeting feelings.
But that letter…
That simple little letter had awakened something strange inside her.
A small need to continue talking to someone she had never even met. To return the kindness she had been given. To keep waiting for another reply.
And that was how the mission officially known as:
Gift for gourdy
finally began.
Don’t laugh at them. They were both far too sleepy to come up with a better name.
Even so, despite how tired they were, there was one thing both of them knew for certain.
Tomorrow was going to be a very long day.