#Ajin Christmas tree

[wool-string]

Finally Ajin Christmas tree time!!

[aliciaevers]

Ajin Secret Santa 2018

Happy Holidays, @chooone!! Here’s a fic focusing on Ogura and the holidays back during his time at the US facility! 

Ogura flipped absently through the stack of papers, looking for any places he’d forgotten to sign. The exhaustion of many days overwork was beginning to grate on him, the words slowly blurring into each other. The blue ink of his name was the only thing to stand out, but even that was getting harder and harder to focus on. Frustrated, tired, and ready for the long week to be over, Ogura picked up the stack to bring over to his boss, second check be damned. If he'd forgotten something, they could find him later. It was too late to deal with this bureaucratic bullshit.

While Ogura carried the unruly stack of papers down the hall, he noticed for the first time how dark it was. The lights were never all shut off, but having just one old, flickering light for every 20 feet barely made a dent in the darkness. Ogura yawned and rubbed at one of his eyes, and in the next second felt something slam into his side.

"Oh, god, I'm so sorry! I didn't expect anyone to be out here," Jun pushed up her glasses, which had come close to falling straight off of her face in the collision. "I can take those, if you want," she gestured to the papers in his arms.

"No, I'll just drop them off and leave."

"Um, this may be a little off base, but I'm not sure you're really in any condition to drive..."

"I'm fine. It’s nothing I haven't done a million times before."

Jun seemed hesitant to let him go, and ended up following him down the hallway.

Ogura's boss's office was close the ajin living quarters, so as the two approached there were increasingly more holiday decorations. Mixtures of poorly drawn, arts and craft style drawings of Christmas trees decorated the halls, right alongside carefully placed lights, and the occasional drawing of a snowflake or snowman.

Although the vast majority of people at the test facility were adults, there was the occasional child, and although they couldn't enjoy the freedom of a normal childhood, the nonresident staff made it a point to try and bring some of the outside world's celebrations back in.

Ogura remembered when most of those decorations had been put up, as it had doubled as a test for a number of IBMs. He'd been wondering how capable they were of performing nonviolent actions with their generally dangerous appendages. Even though the majority sported some sort of claw, they'd managed to set up the lights very well, quite conveniently for the people who normally had to pull the old ladders out of the downstairs storage closet.

Once Ogura had put down the papers, he turned to Jun, expecting her to turn down the next hallway and head back to her room.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here? There's plenty of extra rooms, and it would be fun if you joined us for the holiday party tomorrow morning. I heard you weren't planning to come?"

"It’s not like I’m drunk, and the party isn't meant for normal staff."

"You know why we have it, right?"

For once, Ogura didn't immediately respond, giving Jun room to continue speaking.

"It's not about just having a party. It's about spending time with the people that are closest to family...It gets lonely here when you bury yourself in work, especially without anyone we can go home to."

Ogura paused for a moment, contemplating her words. He'd always gotten along with her better than any of the other ajin, partially because she was willing to put up with his rather out of the box theories and general attitude the most, but also because somehow, the way they'd arrived didn't feel so different.

Ogura sighed, "I'm going to go grab a smoke. I'll stay overnight in one of the spares, but you're in charge of waking me up in time for the party tomorrow."

Jun grinned and nodded, before darting back down the hallway to her room.

Ogura looked up at the decorations around him and wondered how Jun ever had the energy to stay as upbeat as she was. Sure, she had it a hell of a lot better than any of the ajin back in Japan, but it wasn’t like she had any real idea what her counterparts had to deal with.

With a tap of his foot, Ogura decided it didn’t matter anyway. He took one last look at the strings of lights, shut off for the moment, as he turned down the same hallway, making his way to one of the still empty bedrooms, thinking about the time he’d spend with the inhabitants of the facility the next morning.  

[epic-potato-crisp]

“Camaraderie.” - Ajin Secret Santa 2017

This is my second contribution for AjinSS2017. Dear @lairn, I’m your pinch writer for this occasion.

Platonic KeiKou, bird imagery, Kou trying his best, Kei and Kou learning to communicate and being (antagonistic) friends, horror and gore stuff with the IBMs, very intense/ruthless Kei were the points I wanted to incorporate.

I hope you’ll enjoy the story! :D

Merry Christmas!

Title: Camaraderie

Pairing: Nagai Kei & Nakano Kou (Platonic)

Fun Fact: Manabe goes shopping for the group

The scream comes from a mile away. It sounds very much like Kei. Kou, having searched around the area for the last fifteen minutes, jolts up at the distressed noise. What the hell, he thinks, panic already clouding his mind, what happened? He takes off towards it without any second thought, forcing his legs to run even faster, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists. The trees rush past him, white noise in his ear as he charges on.

“Nagai!” he yells yet again, but once again, there is no answer, only the later-afternoon chirp of birds in the branches, the grass and branches crunching underneath his feet.

It’s still so hot, so very hot. Kou stops for a moment, sides aching from the mad speed that not even the training with Hirasawa could hold up against. Not yet, he thinks, making a mental note to train even harder from now on, not yet.

“Nagai!”

“I’m here, you dumbass.” The sullen voice mixes into the surrounding noise, and even though Nakano Kou is surrounded by nature in all its glory, it’s this very moment that brings him the most joy. Nagai Kei steps out from the clearing. He’s limping, Kou notices, brow furrowing, and he can’t stop his mouth falling agape in shock when he realizes Kei is missing a limb. “What the hell, man!” he cries out, hysteria ripping into his casual tone, and he breaches the last meter between them to kneel down on the ground in front of Kei. His hands reach out in confusion and shock, unable to yet understand the truth his visual senses are presenting him with. He reaches for Kei’s legs or rather, what remains of it. A stump. Dried clots of blood mark the area where the rest off it had been – Kou whimpers at the thought -violently torn off, or so it looks like. Crimson blood keeps leaking out, splattering the ground.

“I-“ Kei says, and to Ko’s utter disbelief, there is a confident smirk lining his mouth, “I was training with my IBM. Since I wanted to practice attacks, and there was no-one else around, I-“ Kei’s voice cuts off, body jerking as he sinks to the ground.

“Shit!” Kou curses, drawing away his bloodied hands, wincing as Kei’s head hits the ground right beside him. Kei’s shirt, once white and spotless, has been torn to bloody shreds. There are gashes everywhere they shouldn’t be, work that only the most enraged of Black Ghosts- and Kei’s counts among them, for sure- would manage. Kou turns his head away from the horrible sight.

“I’m going to die anyway.” The slurred words leave Kei’s mouth, ”Dumbass, there’s nothing you can do about that.” There’s a tone of satisfaction in his statement that has Kou’s blood boiling.

“What on earth is wrong with you, Nagai?” he barks, “I thought you knew all the painless methods to die!” At that moment, Kou almost swears that Nagai is rolling his eyes at him. “W-wouldn’t make for effective…attacking methods.” Kei says, the last words no more than a mumble, and it’s almost peaceful, the way in which his eyes flutter shut, in which he draws a last breath before sinking to the ground.

“Nagai! Nagai!” Kou yells out, his initial mortal instinct gearing up at the sight of a death right in front of his eyes, before he remembers that Kei will come back. Probably. Kou exhales in relief once the particles- thick and in mass quantity for Kei – rise in the air, and amid the process of regeneration, finally, Kei stirs. “Welcome back.” Kou says, feels his hands tremble.

“You still didn’t tell me why the heck you did something like that.” Kou grumbles. 

After his regeneration, Kei had, under quite a bit of groaning, risen to his feet, and yanked off the soiled remains of his shirt, buried it under a ground with a few kicks. Then, in a tone as casual as no one who had shortly before survived a death by blood loss should be using, he suggested they made their way back to the hide-out.

“I don’t have to tell you, do I.” Kei swiftly replies, “It was for training. It’s not like your IBM is of much use, yet, or ever-“ the thinly veiled insult has Kou’s fingers clenching – “and so mine should be optimally prepared to wreck as much havoc as possible.”

It sounds logical, so far. But what Kei had done back there could not simply be classified as training. Kou shudders at the memory- the boy standing before the clearing, a stump instead of a leg, and so much blood. He has no doubt it will surface in the form of a nightmare in one of these restless nights.

“That was intentional suicide.” Kou insists, throwing an inquisitive glare in Kei’s direction, and almost tripping over a particularly thick branch in their way, one which the other skillfully evades. “Intentional.” he repeats, once he’s gathered himself, “And the violent kind, you know? When you don’t even need to do it, you can already make perfect IBMS. I’m pretty certain this is not the kind of training that Tosaki meant.”

“And I’m pretty certain he won’t learn about this.” Kei interjects. Kou halts in his tracks as the other levels a glare back at him. “Neither him, nor Izumi, nor Hirasawa. None of their business. It’s the only way to insure a violent fighting force, and I’m not about to explain myself to anyone considering my own training. Got it?”

He sounds intimidating enough as it is. Kou knows the other is to be reckoned with- he poisoned him already, the grim reminders comes forward immediately- and he is not about to argue with Kei about something that he obviously feels intensely about.

“Fine.” he says, taking a deep breath, “They won’t hear it from me.” That is obviously good enough for Kei. He nods, and then turns away from him. They don’t speak for the rest of the way to the hideout, and Kou doesn’t make another attempt.

It’s lonely back in his room. Also, it is a little boring. Kou sighs, pondering his options as he stares at the bare ceiling that is in dire need of a renovation.  He could join Hirasawa’s crew back in his room, He knows they’re currently engaged in a drinking session, from the sounds coming from further down the hallway. And as jovial as the lot is, and as much as Kou enjoys spending time with them, he knows that his thoughts would keep drifting back to the one thing at hand that he had wanted to do, since this very afternoon. Current circumstances have forced him to reschedule, that is his excuse for the soft bundle remaining in his trouser pocket his entire time, but there is no point on procrastinating on it further. If only it  wasn’t so difficult.

With Kei apparently, every single thing is another hurdle to yet overcome. Kou remembers how downright hostile he was to him at first, and even after joining Tosaki’s group, the other has kept speaking with him to a bare minimum.

That was when  first turned to Izumi.

“You want him to become your friend?” she asked

If she was amused, at least she was courteous enough to not show it.

“Well, yeah.” Kou said, scratching the back of neck, “I mean, he’s the only one around my age here, right? And he’s an Ajin and I feel like we’re going to spend a long time together from now on.

It just sucks that he’s such a jerk most of the time.” The corners of her lips curved upwards.

“I see.” she said, “Then, Nakano-kun. I have a suggestion. Presents open hearts, they say, so perhaps, why not try gifting him with something he likes?”

Kou, for his part, was a little thunderstruck.

“You’re telling me to give him a present?”

“It couldn’t hurt to try.” she  said, and then, before Kou could properly protest, a few bills were placed into his hand

“Give it to Manabe, once he goes for another errand, tell him to bring you whatever it is you think he’d like.”

“I can’t accept that.” Kou stammered, but she waved him off.

“Don’t worry about it. Just don’t tell Tosaki-san about this.” She put a finger to her lips. Kou laughed, and thanked her from the bottom of his heart.

Kou reaches into his pockets and pulls out the by now severely crinkled shirt. It is Kei’s size, burgundy red, and has several black birds flying across it.

“For Nagai?” Manabe asked, with a surprised laugh, “Sure. So what do you want?”

“Something that he…well, something he can use, I guess.” Kou said, indecisively, “Perhaps…with birds.”

The thought had come to him in the middle of the night. Pondering what things Kei liked had taken up longer than he had estimated it to. The problem was, Kei, apart from not being human, was not normal like other people, either. Kou didn’t think he had any hobbies to begin with, if you left out sarcasm, arrogance and an alarming amount of sadistic tendencies. He liked to read, but then, apart from schoolwork, Kou didn’t exactly know what kind of book Kei would be happy with. Something scientific, surely.

But what topics was Nagai interested in? It was then that he began to consider perhaps gifting Kei something that was symbolic, meaningful. Perhaps it would impress Kei a little. Perhaps it wouldn’t, but either way, the thought behind it counted, Kou decided. And that’s when he arrived at birds. Kou had never been a fan of long, tedious reads and analyzing literature. So, to be perfectly honest, he didn’t have a clue about flower language or why the sky was a certain shade of a blue in poetry.

But birds…Birds were different. They were something that existed, beside them and yet independent of them. They symbolized freedom and independence. To make extra-sure, Kou had run a google search and discovered they happened to stand for eternal life, as well. And since freedom and a long, eternal life where they wouldn’t be hiding from the government or fighting Satou was hopefully in the cards for them a long the way, Kou decided they were the perfect gift.

“I hope you don’t mind it’s a boring shirt.” Only a few days later, Manabe handed him an inconspicuous looking plastic bag.

Kou peered inside, and felt elated at the sight. The colors were perfect – just the kind Kei would like. The birds were splattered all over it, no more than strokes of a brush, soaring upwards in a flock.

“Thank you!” he replied, “It’s great! I bet he’ll really like it.”

Now, standing in Kei’s doorframe, he isn’t so sure anymore. “What do you want?” The other asks, with a sigh, as though Kou is being a bother by intruding in on his precious space. Kei had been sat at his desk, reading a book with a cover that promised fatal boredom the second the other had walked in. Kou tries his best to not let the words get to him as much as they could have.

“I got something for you.” Kou says, closing the door behind himself- he certainly doesn’t want any of the other members walking in on him making a fool of himself – and brings forward the gift hat he has been hiding behind his back all this time. Kei raises an eyebrow, and comments:

“That could use some ironing.”

“Hey.” Kou snaps, defensively, “Aren’t you happy at all, you ass?”

“Wait, this is for me?” Kei rises to his feet, and reaches out in bewilderment for the gift. Kou hands it to him, nodding. For someone who’s a self-proclaimed genius, Kou decides Nagai Kei can be slow on the uptake.

“Yeah, it’s…” Kou feels the back of his neck heat up, “A present.”

Why is he feeling so embarrassed at the situation?

“For me?” Kei repeats, putting emphasis on the me part. He stares at Kou as though he’s grown a second head.

“Yeah, for you.” Kou says with emphasis, “So, what, do you like it or not?”

He waits, more anxiously than he thought he would be as Kei examines the shirt with his scrutinizing eyes.

“It’s actually nice.” he finally admits, the gift having obviously passed his examination. Kou breathes a sigh of relief.

 “Great.” he replies joyfully, “Then please accept it.”

He presses the shirt firmly into his hands and takes back a step.

Kei visibly hesitates. His eyes flick back between the shirt, Kou and his desk.

“What do you want in exchange for it?” he asks, and Kou can’t fault him for the reasonable amount of suspicion in his tone. After all, he might be expecting an act of revenge for the mushroom onigiri, even though Kou would never go that far.

“Ceasefire.” Kou proclaims with a broad grin. He rubs the back of his neck, gesturing slightly as he explains. “Look, I know we started off on a bad foot. Really bad. But this mission here, against Satou…this is serious, and this is going to go on for long. And I don’t want to see you as my…enemy” Kou laughs, embarrassed at the overexaggerated term, “Or something like that. How about…how about we call it a ceasefire, and try to be…friends?

He winces as Kei’s right brow travels to unseen heights the second the word leaves his lips.

“Friends.” Kei deadpans.

“Friends would be nice, yep.” Kou laughs again, and feels like slapping himself for it. This isn’t a joke, and he doesn’t want Kei to take it as one. “I mean…yeah, I want us to be friends.” He says in a more serious tone, looking the other right in the eyes. “Will you accept my gift as promise of…camaraderie?” He’d learnt the expression from Hirasawa, and immediately taken a liking to it. Camaraderie, that’s what Hirasawa’s squad practices among themselves, that’s how they have come to be so close. One day, Kou thinks, even though it will be highly unlikely, one day I want to be able to have the same kind of relationship with Kei.

“I didn’t know you were knowledgeable in such difficult words.” Kei says mockingly, but before Kou can jab something back at him in response to that new verbal injury, he shrugs his shoulders.

“Well, perhaps.” he agrees, sighing as he does. “If I accept your offer, I can have this gift and I’d need a new shirt anyway, after today. It’s a deal.”

“That’s your kind of logic?” Kou can’t help but exclaim loudly, and only the smirk on Kei’s lips tells him the other might be joking. Partially.

“Honestly though…thank you for the gift.” Kei voices, right when Kou isn’t expecting it anymore. But Kei isn’t looking at him- his eyes are focused on the shirt, and he is tracing the birds with his finger. “They look like tiny IBMS.” he mumbles, and Kou vows that it’s a genuine smile he sees, for once.

[epic-potato-crisp]

“A first time for everything” - Ajin Secret Santa 2017

This is my contribution for this year’s Ajin event. To no-one’s surprise, dear

@jamestaylor50 is my giftee. :D I hope you enjoy! Warning: Very sappy. Proceed at own caution.

Merry Christmas!

Title: A first time for everything

Pairing: Tosaki/Izumi

Genres: Romance, Fluff

Fun Fact: Japan has IKEA

Tosaki thinks he might be hallucinating when the first sight that greets him at the hideout is one he never thought he’d see in this place.

“A tree.” he mutters. Not even an artificial one, the thing sitting right into the middle of what is usually used as their conference room seems to be a genuine pine tree. It’s been fastened into a pot underneath. Christmas balls in silver and golden have been hung on the branches, and there are fairy lights ranking themselves around the trunk. A few pine needles have already dropped down and are scattered around the pot’s base. To top off this curiosity, there are presents underneath.

Tosaki clears his throat. “Shimomura!” he calls into the back of the house, but there is no response.

He kneels down to examine the four parcels sitting underneath the tree.

One must be from Shimomura, he thinks and sighs, before pulling out his own present for her and inconspicuously sliding it under the tree.

The others, if it wasn’t apparent from the writing on the name tags already, are from Nagai, Nakano and Ogura. And those three too, were to receive their own presents.

Shimomura had taken the initiative of gifting their youngest and their American team member for Christmas. Tosaki had gone along, with a lot of showcased begrudging and complaints, just so that no-one could possibly pin him as someone who had gone soft over the years. In the end, they found some passable goods, so it was not as bad as it could have been, Tosaki thoughts.

Ogura had taken his gift with him to the States, visiting his family over the holidays.

Nagai and Nakano were to spend Christmas Eve at the Nagai’s house, and Tosaki still vividly remembered the thunderstruck look on Kei’s face when they informed him that it would be for the best if he could take Nakano home for his family’s celebration. He could have stayed with them but after all, neither Tosaki nor Shimomura had ever really celebrated the occasion before and they wanted Nakano to experience a proper Christmas Eve for what was likely going to be his very first celebration in years, as well. New Years, the four of them would celebrate together – again, it had been Shimomura’s i

“It’s just going to be boring and uncomfortable.” Nagai had grumbled, “I don’t see why he has to come. My mum’s going to complain about current politics and nag us to display the proper etiquette of a good member of society, and all that. I can’t guarantee she won’t make any backhand remarks about Ajin, either.”

“If it really is terrible, we can still pick you up.” Shimomura had offered, reaching out to softly pat his head.

Miraculously, Nagai didn’t pull away. “Fine.” he had sighed.

Nakano’s excitement at the prospect of having a REAL CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION had been gargantuan from the second he had been informed. Although being a little nervous to intrude on Kei’s family celebration, he had immediately taken off to purchase gifts, including those for Kei’s mother and sister. And said excitement persisted up until today. Shimomura had received no less than five pictures already, most of which were selfies with Eriko (she was home for the occasion and seemed to be in good spirits) and one into which a beleaguered Kei had been dragged as well. Despite all his complaints, Tosaki can see the smile tugging at the corner of his mouths and with a relief that was completely unwarranted for, he notes that his two certainly-not-charges are also spending a joyful day. Not that it matters to him, naturally.

He startles when he hears the sound of keys further down the long hallway and starts making his way towards the front door.

“Good evening.” Shimomura greets him, teeth slightly chattering. Her face is tinted by a reddish hue, snow falling down from her gloves as she takes them off, before proceeding with her hat and scarf.

“Let me help you with that.” Tosaki offers, and she throws him a smile, stretching out her arms as he helps getting her getting out of her coat.

“Did you get everything you needed?” he asks, glancing over at the two large shopping bags at her side.

“Yes.” she confirms, “More than enough for Christmas dinner and to last us for the next few days.”

“We’re having a Christmas dinner?” He raises an eyebrow.

She appears just as confused, and before she can lift the two bags again, which appear quite heavy at first sight and make him wonder how on earth she carried them all this way, even from the car, he picks them up himself.

“Of course we’re having Christmas dinner.” he says, rolling his eyes, “How could I even ask?”

There’s a humorous glint in her dark eyes. “I’m not planning on poisoning you, Tosaki-san.”

“Really?” he jabs back, going along with her banter, “I thought you planned on finding out if I was an Ajin once for all.”

Shimomura shakes her head.  “There’s no need.” she says, softly, “I like you best as as a human.” she says, “That’s more than perfect to me, Yuu.”

It takes a few seconds for her words to sink in. As a blush lightens up Shimomura’s cheeks and she raises her eyes up to him in a light panic, he realizes that she did call him what she thought he did.

Before he can even attempt to assuage her, the name is fine, don’t worry about it, we’re not at work currently so I don’t mind, Shimomura, she had already taken off with a yelp off “I’ll be quick.” Into the direction of the nearest bathroom.

Tosaki sighs, ponders his life, and then takes the grocery bags to the kitchen.

 With everything sorted into the fridge and hours to prepare dinner yet, he settles back into their excuse for a living room, sinking onto their newly acquired couch.

“We don’t need a couch. This is a hideout for secret operations.” He had deadpanned, attempting to stare down Nakano and Nagai before they could carry the monstrosity inside.

“Yeah, we do.” Nakano had argued, only a yelled “hey!” from Nagai preventing him from letting go off the piece of furniture in favor of gesturing, “IKEA had a sale, you know?” He was beaming. Tosaki didn’t know what there was to beam about. “ And with just the chairs.” Nakano continued, “Man, it’s not comfortable at all. If we’re going to be here longer, might as well have one. You know, for watching the news. Or movie marathons.”

“We are not having any-“

“Oh, did you boys buy a couch?” Shimomura appears right behind him, and to his demise she appears to be rather thrilled at the purchase, “Thank you for thinking ahead. I wanted to get one all this time, and just never found the right occasion.”

Good that this is settled.” Nagai huffs, straining his arms under the weight of the couch, “Can we just carry it inside now?”

And so, the hideout came to have a couch.

It’s not too bad of an idea, Tosaki admit reluctantly, settling against the pliant cushions, definitely the more comfortable alternative to any of their sturdy chairs.

There’s the sound of steps coming down the stairs, and he finds himself straightening up.

A few seconds later, Shimomura’s standing in the doorway, rubbing her upper arm subconciousy, apparently just as loss with the situation as he is.

“Tosaki-san?”

“Oh…Shimomura.” He isn’t used to seeing her a in a red cardigan, black jeans and black wooly socks, and yet, as much as her usual office look suits her, he can’t deny that it is quite a pleasant sight.

“Matcha?” he asks, gesturing to the two steaming cups he placed on the small glassy table in front of their couch.

“Oh, yes.” she says, surprise evident in her tone, “Thank you. That’s the best after those temperatures outside.”

She takes a seat next to him, glancing over and yet seeming unable to look him in the eye.

Working together all this time, they had spent time like this in close proximity before, so under any circumstances, her behavior would have seemed odd.

But it isn’t.

Today is the first time she called him by his first name, after all.  The first time any of them used first names, at all.

“Yuu is fine.” he says, quietly, and she startles, almost spilling her tea when he does.

He takes a deep breath, then, carefully, her breathing slowing audibly as he does, wraps his hand around hers to both offer comfort and steady the cup.

“Yuu is fine.” he repeats, as though she had missed it the first time he said it. Undeniably, he knows she heard every word.

Shimomura’s face turns scarlet and she lowers her eyes to the table.

“I-is it really?” she stammers, and he finds himself nodding.

He clears his throat, a sudden emergence of nervousness in his stomach making it hard for him to speak.

“Yes. And speaking of things that are fine…” he starts, carefully choosing each word, “what about Izumi? Is that – also fine?”

He’s most certainly glad he’s steadying the cup, for otherwise, they would have had to part with the only good china they left at the hide-out in that very moment.

His assistant whips around, staring at him wide-eyed.

“It most certainly is.” she chokes, “S-Sir.”

“Yuu.” He corrects her, unable to hold back a smirk as her face turns aflame the instant the syllable leaves his lips.

“Y-yuu.” She mumbles, heaving her shoulders and only then, meeting his eyes once again.

“Yuu.” She repeats. Then, with a self-conscious laugh, “I could get used to this.

He clears his throat. “Please do.” he says.

“Of course.” She lowers the cup which causes him to temporarily let go off her hands, and he wonders if she was not yet comfortable with the gesture, only to feel the same hand suspiciously resting himself on top his palm the very next second.

“I see.” he states, and hesitates for a moment before he gives his response.

A smile brightens up her face as he links their fingers together.

“Merry Christmas… Izumi.”