It's the thought that counts [Closed]

[mithrarin]

Who: Dust and Chinatsu
When: Dec. 24
Where: Marinette's temple
What: Christmas is a time for gift-giving, right?



Damn it, Adrien.

This was not going to be easy, thank you so much for that little talk on the roof of the onsen that had stuck in his head ever since. Why couldn't things ever be simple?

But the answer was... he just had to act like himself. Like he was supposed to act. Just do that, and everything would be fine. No lost friendships today. Hopefully none any day. ....He had never been less certain of how he normally acted, ever.

"Hey..." he said, to catch Chinatsu's attention before she could leave -- which might have been his first mistake, since they hadn't even exchanged some witty repartee on how the training had gone yet. "Before you take off, I have something for you."

Comments

[redmare]

She turns, curious at his words. "Really? Huh, funny. I was just about to give you something too," she grins in amusement. Chinatsu was just reaching into her bag for his gift when he had spoken up.

[mithrarin]

Dust was surprised for a moment. Somehow, on a level that still believed him a forged weapon, he hadn't really expected a gift.

Which was foolish, and stupid of him, he recognized in that instant. But nonetheless, the warmth that spread through him brought a smile to his face.

"Hold on a second," he said, and quickly crossed the room to one of the benches he'd talked Marinette into putting in. The presents were tucked behind it, so he quickly pulled them out, turning back to her with both a long, boxy present and a short rectangular one in his hands. Both were wrapped in green-and-red paper -- quite inexpertly, with more tape than was probably sensible required to keep their corners shut and their ends together. He... wasn't very good at this, despite insisting on trying himself.

"Merry Christmas. That's right, isn't it?"

[redmare]

She pulled out her gift just as he returned, her present looking...much, much smaller in comparison. "...Did you get me a baseball bat?," he brow raised suspiciously.

Still, she was pretty excited to see what it was.

"Oh! Let's open it at the same time, then!"

[mithrarin]

"Yes, I got you a baseball bat. That wouldn't end with you beaning me."

Smiling, Dust traded her presents for his, moving over to the bench to sit down so he could properly give his full attention to opening it. Except there was something strange in his posture today, if she noticed.

He had his head lifted enough so he could watch her reactions, clearly and without any hat in the way.

[redmare]

"Cool," she snickers as she takes the boxes. She takes a seat to make things easier, ripping up the wrapper and letting it drop to the floor. She does stop before opening the box, peeking to see if Dust had opened his already.

His gift will feel soft in his hands, lacking a box. Within the reindeer patterned wrapper he'll find two things: A bomber jacket and a hat.

[mithrarin]

Her package was much easier to open than his, with no box in the way. Which might actually almost spoil his hopes of seeing her face, as he lifted a hand to smother his appreciative laughter. This was such a Chinatsu present!

As for her -- was she opening the small one to find her graceful and lovely armband? Or the large one, to find her most truly meaningful present?

1/2

[redmare]

Well, the present was part joke, so Chinatsu didn't take offense to the laugh. "Now you've got something from this century to wear." She was quite proud of it too.

At least, until she opened hers. Of course she started with the bigger box. She needed to confirm whether it was a baseball bat or not. Boy was she wrong. So wrong that she was stunned at the sight of the sword. She doesn't even take it out before opening the smaller box, finding the elegant armband inside. She's silent, no come back, no smart ass comment.

2/2

[redmare]

She stands abruptly, stalking over to him and snatching her presents back from him. "I'm taking them back."

[mithrarin]

Midway through starting to tug open the hat so he could even start to think of pulling it on, he found it abruptly yanked out of his hands, and then the jacket a moment later. The suddenness of it and her stark flat words rocked him backwards like a physical blow.

He stood up abruptly, the fingers of one hand quivering in midair and his jaw open, but for the moment he had no words. Only shock and alarm.

[redmare]

His reaction hit her hard with guilt, averting her gaze in embarrassment. "They're...no good. I'll find something else."

She clutches them closer to her, berating herself. He got her something she never would have even though of and there she was giving him something that was partly a joke. She felt like such an ass.

[mithrarin]

"...They're from you," Dust said, soft as a whisper and yet as loud as if he'd shouted. He brought his hand in closer to his chest, fingers tightening. "They made me smile. They made me laugh. They show you care. What's not good about them?"

[redmare]

"What's not--You got me a sword! A gorgeous one! And the armband--" Did she really need to explain how despairingly different they were? "All I got you was a jacket and a hat--and they're not even particularly nice ones!" After all, Dust wasn't one to care about brands. Chances were he didn't even know them. All she thought was that they'd suit him, but it wasn't anything close to how much thought he put into his choice of gifts.

[mithrarin]

"Maybe I should have included a note," Dust said, more to himself than to her. "You earned that sword. It's not just -- something I got you because it was nice. I got it for you because you deserve it, with how hard you've worked in training and how good you've become. Because you've impressed me, and earned my respect there. That's not... It's not about how nice it is, though I wanted you to have a nice one. It's something that -- that comes from me. To you."

He wasn't explaining this well. He wasn't even sure what to say. Hadn't he said what he needed to -- that he liked her gifts?

Something more. What could he say? How could he explain it?

"...You're the greatest gift I could ask for anyway."

...Was. Was that right?

He wished, at this moment, that he was better with words.

[redmare]

She's silent for a moment, letting his words sink in. Again, her gaze shifts, until she finally let's out a sigh.

"Alright, alright, you don't need to try to make me feel better too." Now she felt even more immature if he had to go that far. Although, she still appreciated the thought. "Did you get that one from a Christmas card?" she snorts in amusement as she hands him his gifts back.

"I'm sorry. That was pretty childish of me. It's just...you deserve better, you know? Like you said. It's not like I picked this stuff half-heartedly, but I could've put in more thought to it. I'll make it up to you somehow."

[mithrarin]

Deserved better. Who decided who deserved what? This wasn't... how he intended this to go at all. He took the gifts back almost without noticing, a sort of tension wrapping around him like a storm.

"I meant that," he said, softly. "I didn't get it from anything. I'm not good with saying these things, and we always just -- dance around it anyway, but you should know. You're my best friend, Chinatsu. I gave you the sword because you earned it. I gave you the armband because you're pretty. But they're nothing compared to what you give me... just by being in my life. The presents are just... secondary to that."

He looked up at her, eyes bright blue beneath the brim of his hat. "That's a little more direct than we usually are with each other, I know, but. 'Tis the season, right?"

[redmare]

This was the part where he makes some comment about how it was supposed to make it laugh or how it sounded cooler from wherever he got it from. This was a serious Dust. She was a little confused now. There was that bit about being her best friend, but then there was the rest of it. She wasn't..sure what to make of that.

But this was Dust, talking about her. Surely he didn't mean--

Her eyes stay on his for a moment before she shakes herself out of her thoughts.

"Uh..yeah, you're right." Chinatsu takes a step back to go and pick up the sword, which may or may not just be a way to briefly hide her face while she composed herself. Now she was just overthinking. "So this--it's the real deal?"

[mithrarin]

Dust almost visibly has to struggle out of his thoughts, reigning in his intensity like he's leashing a storm.

"Yeah. It isn't quite what you've been training with. I actually think it will be better, it's slightly lighter and weighted a little more to the blade. But it's the real deal. You've... done amazing in training. You're ready for it. You deserve it."

[redmare]

Chinatsu takes this time to properly look at the gift. She pulls the blade out of the scabbard, admiring the details and the colors. All this time practicing with wooden swords, and she finally had one to call her own.

"It's beautiful...," she says this in awe, though softly, mostly to herself.

And she got him a fucking jacket.

She was going to beat herself up for that one for a while, don't mind her. But more importantly..

"Thank you, Dust," she finally turns to look back at him, a sincere smile on her face. "It's amazing." His words meant just as much as the gift itself.

[mithrarin]

"It's like I said. You earned it. It's my pleasure to give it to you... just as it's been my pleasure to teach you and watch you grow."

And she really had, which made him smile with an unreserved happiness that he rarely, maybe never, showed.

"I'm really glad you like it."

[redmare]

"Are you kidding? I love it!" She slashes it across the air, grinning from ear to ear at the feeling of it all. The weight of the sword, the sound it made as it sliced through the air.

"Where'd you even get this?"

[mithrarin]

"It... took a lot of work to find," Dust said. A little shiver ran over his body as the tension began to release from his muscles, fur slowly flattening. "I'll be honest, I had less time than I wanted... I had a lot of thinking to do."

[redmare]

“You’ve always got something on your mind... You’re not over doing it are you?” She worried about that, though she wasn’t very good at showing it.

[mithrarin]

Dust actually chuckled, one hand coming up to rub at his cheek. "I'll tell you all about it some other time. Most of it actually doesn't have anything to do with me directly. Don't worry about me, Chinatsu. I'm all right."

More so now that she'd accepted, and loved, her presents. Though Dust made a note to mildly taunt Maria about which present Chinatshu had loved most.

[redmare]

Well, she can't say she wasn't a little curious. But if he said he was doing alright...

"Okay, the sword was one thing, but this too?" She says as she picks up the armband. "I kinda feel bad, I mean..how much did you spend on these?" Not to say she didn't like pretty and expensive things, but she never took Dust as someone who'd shop for something like this.

[mithrarin]

He'd gotten some advice. His initial plan had only been to give her the sword, but someone he trusted had told him he really needed to include a more conventional present.

"I don't know everything about this holiday and it's gift-giving customs, but I do know that's not something I'm answering!"

[redmare]

"Right, right. Well, I'm definitely not telling you how much yours was." Even if they were decent enough, they still didn't compare to whatever he spent on these.

"But thanks...really. They're both beautiful."

[mithrarin]

"I'm glad you like them," Dust said, softly. As soft as she'd ever heard him, with even his ever-present intensity like molten rock beneath the surface of the words, instead of sharp on their edges.