7A/N: Look what I actually remembered to do. I decided that because I had done a Halloween one-shot, I had to do one for the December holidays as well. I did a few other one-shots of different squads celebrating the holidays, but I'm not sure if those will be posted. I'm still deciding. Anyway, sorry for any OOCness, errors, typos and overall crappy writing. I did this at 2am, which wasn't my best idea but at least I remembered. Happy Holidays and let me know if you want to see other squads celebrating the holidays, though I warn you a few might be just a tad OOC. Also, I say 'holiday' even though this is more of a christmasy thing, it's just because I don't want to offend anyone who celebrates something other than Christmas. That aside, Happy Holidays and I hope you like the story :)
"We NEED a tree," Konami said, her voice a mix of annoyance and seriousness. Kyosuke, Reiji and Osamu stared at the girl, the former two looking as if they couldn't care less while the latter nervously glanced back and forth from Kyosuke and Reiji to Konami.
"It's too much work," Kyosuke said simply. Next to him, Reiji nodded. The two young men weren't really feeling the holiday spirit, and didn't see the point in dragging a tree into the Tamakoma base just to have it take up space in the living area.
"That doesn't matter. We need it," Konami stated, crossing her arms. Reiji sighed.
"If you want a tree so badly, why don't you get one yourself?" he asked. Konami sighed.
"It's no fun if I do it all myself," she said. Kyosuke and Reiji just shrugged.
"What's no fun?" asked a voice from the stairs. The four agents in the living area turned to the source and watched as a brown head appeared, followed by a blue jacket and dark boots.
"Jin-san," Osamu said, sounding a bit relieved. Jin gave his kouhai a wave as he walked over to join the conversation.
"Konami wants a tree for the holidays," Kyosuke explained simply.
"Those two won't help me get one," Konami added, pointing accusingly at her teammates.
"Konami-senpai, maybe they just don't feel like celebrating?" Osamu said hesitantly, speaking with a questioning tone. The four-eyed boy didn't have time to even think about trying to run before his senpai had him in a headlock, messing up his hair with her hand.
"You're not helping me!" she complained as Osamu tried to move away. Konami wasn't a weak girl though, and Osamu wasn't exactly strong. Thankfully, Jin came to his recuse, the brunette managing to pull Konami off of Osamu, who stumbled back a few steps as he tried to flatten his hair.
"I'll help you get a tree, Konami-chan. Chika-chan and Shiori-chan would probably help too. Maybe even Rindo-san if he isn't busy," Jin offered. Konami clapped her hands together, a smile forming on her face.
"Alright then. I know just the place!" she announced, sending Kyosuke and Reiji a look. The two just sighed and watched Jin and Konami head to the door, while Osamu went upstairs to see if Rindo, Shiori and Chika wanted to help get a tree.
-000-
One hour later. Tamakoma-1's truck stopped just outside the Tamakoma building. The truck's engine's rumble silenced, and the sound of doors being shut could be heard from inside where Kyosuke, Reiji and Yotaro, who had just recently woken up, sat on the couches.
A few minutes later, the door to the base opened, and voices broke the silence of the building's interior.
"Hold open the door, Four-Eyes."
"Chika-chan, you're on my foot."
"Is this tree even going to fit? It looks a little big."
"My Side Effect tells me it will."
"Konami-senpai! My glasses are stuck in your hair!"
"Then take them off."
"Wait! I can't see now!"
"Konami-chan, get Mikumo-kun his glasses before he falls."
"Eek!"
"Chika-chan! Jin-san, pick up the tree before it crushes Chika-chan!"
"The tree won't crush her, Shiori-chan."
"Are you okay Chika?"
"Rindo-san, my Side Effect tells me that you need to move or your cigarette will ignite the tree."
"Ah! Sorry."
Kyosuke and Reiji watched their comrades wrestle a large pine tree down the hallway from the door to the living area, glad that they weren't caught up in the mess the others were in.
Soon, the tree was finally in the living area, and Jin was able to get it to the corner with the help of Rindo. Chika followed, holding a large clay pot the group had bought from a store to put the tree in. Unfortunately, as she went to set it down, Rindo noticed his cigarette beginning to burn the tree, so he jumped back and lost his grip on the tree. That put all the weight on Jin, and while the weight wasn't too hard to handle, the tree's shape and height wouldn't allow him to get a good grip. Despite his efforts, the tree began to fall, and it was going down right where Chika was kneeling with the pot. The girl looked up and gasped in surprise, though she couldn't move. The pot was too heavy for her to bring it with her if she moved and she didn't have time to set it down. If she just dropped it, then it would break.
Before the tree could hit the young teen on the floor, it stopped mid-air. A human-shaped shadow loomed over Chika, who looked up to see red hair and dark eyes. She smiled and thanked her senpai, who righted the tree and helped Jin hold it up while Chika set down the plant. Reiji and Jin got the tree into the pot, then proceeded to hold it while Konami and Osamu filled the pot with dirt and packed it in so the tree would be stable.
Once the job was done, Jin gave Reiji a pat on the back.
"Look who decided to help," he said, his voice a little smug. Reiji shrugged.
"It's not like I was just going to let the tree fall on Amatori," he said. Jin chuckled, having foreseen Reiji's reaction to the falling tree and his response, before he turned and locked his icy blue eyes on Kyosuke's golden ones in a challenge.
"Kyosuke, are you still going to be a grinch?" he asked. Kyosuke just shrugged, while Yotaro, who was sitting next to him, got up to inspect the tree. After deciding it was in good enough condition and a good size, the five year old gave the other people in the room a thumbs up.
"Well done," he said simply. Rindo smiled.
"Want to help decorate later?" he asked. Yotaro duckfaced and nodded, then turned to Kyosuke. He stuck an accusing finger out at the teen and scowled.
"You're a grinch, Tobimaru! A grinch! Grinch! Grinch! Grinch!" he scolded, before he began to chant 'grinch', keeping his finger pointed at the raven who sat on the couch. Kyosuke sighed and leaned back into the cushion, deciding to just let Yotaro be.
"Wait, has anyone seen Kuga?" Osamu suddenly asked, causing Yotaro to silence. Everyone looked around, but no one saw the Neighbor. In fact, no one could recall having seen him at all that day.
"Up here."
Everyone turned in the direction that Yuma's voice came from, but only saw the tree. They were confused, until the tree's thick branches began moving and a white head popped out. Yuma duckfaced at his comrades, who smirked in amusement at the sight. Only Yuma's head was visible in the tree, the rest of his body hidden. He almost looked like a giant decoration on the tree.
"I was in the hall when you brought the tree in. It swallowed me up like a beast," he explained, answering the question that hung in everyone's head. Jin chuckled, then walked forward and grabbed the tree to keep it steady as Yuma got himself out of the tangle of branches, his duckface expression not disappearing.
Once Yuma was free, he started brushing pine needles off of his clothes. While he did that, Osamu and Chika set to work getting the needles out of Yuma's poofy hair.
"Osamu, I've heard you guys talking, and I was wondering, what is this 'holiday' you've all been going on about?" Yuma asked out of the blue. Osamu raised an eyebrow, surprised that Yuma wasn't aware of the end of the year holidays. The four-eyed boy sighed, then began explaining the holidays to his Neighbor friend.
-000-
That night, Tamakoma found themselves having a holiday party. The tree was decorated with lights, as well as the windows. Shiori, Reiji and Konami had set to work making food in the kitchen along with Osamu's mother, who came so Osamu could spend the holidays with both his friends and family. A few of the others got phone calls from their parents, who were working, and they wished their families happy holidays.
Tamakoma hadn't had many decorations before Osamu's mother showed up. She, along with Konami, insisted that they needed to make the place fit the day. That resulted in a trip to the Mikumo household to get enough decorations to make the place look like the holiday store downtown. Everyone wore red and green hats, and Kyosuke, who, unlike Reiji, had not gotta into the holiday mood, found himself wearing a ridiculous knitted snowman sweater after being ambushed by Shiori and Konami.
At one point, Osamu's mother had hung a mistletoe in the doorway from the living area to the kitchen, and not-so-discreetly tried to get Osamu and Chika to pass under it together in attempts of making their relationship 'more intimate' as she had put it after the Second Invasion. Chika and Osamu managed to avoid her tricks, but two others feel victim to the small plant
"You're the one that wanted to celebrate the holiday, Konami-chan," Rindo pointed out. He stood in the living area with Osamu's mother and all the Tamakoma agents, bar the two who stood under the mistletoe.
"I told you this was a bad idea," Kyosuke said to the strawberry blonde standing next to him. Konami crossed her arms and turned away from Kyosuke.
"I'm not kissing him just because we're standing under a stupid plant!" she decided, before storming away from the doorway. She walked up to Osamu, locking the teen in a headlock for the second time that day as she once again began to torture him for what wasn't his fault.
"You should have just walked under that with Chika-chan so you're mother wouldn't have left it up!" she complained. Everyone laughed at the two as the combined efforts of Jin and Kyosuke was only just barely enough to pull a helpless Osamu out of the clutches of a flustered Konami.
"This holiday thing is quite fun," Yuma said quietly to himself with a sad smile from where he stood against the wall, somewhat separated from the group. He glanced down at his ring and sighed. Osamu had told him that the holidays were mostly about spending time with family, and while he was glad he got to celebrate with all his friends at Tamakoma, he wished his father and Replica were there to celebrate with him too.