digimon christmas drabble thinger
Not like Ken noticed. There could be a parade with fireworks and Mimi singing in a hot air balloon with banners and confetti and people dancing and banging on drums the size of hot tubs, and Ken wouldn't blink a single one of his dark eyes.
I slid my phone back into my pocket, the email to him unsent. It was too cold to keep holding it in my hands; I had to blow on them and then jam then into my armpits to unfreeze them. Jun said that it was supposed to snow, but it hadn't yet, even though it'd been cloudy for days. I watched my breath get sucked up into the sky and felt like an idiot when for a second I imagined I was a dragon.
A couple went by, giggling at each other. He put his arm around her, she tilted her head up. I watched them out of the corner of my eye and reached for my phone again. The email was still on the screen, half finished but all stupid. I erased it, deleting each character until the screen was blank. It was stupid waiting out in the cold, especially for someone who didn't even know he was supposed to show up. I looked up at the sky again and wished I had my goggles.
"Is that Daisuke? Oi! Daisuke-kun!"
"Huh? Oh, hey Miya-"
Miyako ran full into me and if it hadn't been for my cat-like, ninja reflexes, we would've both fallen flat on our asses. She grinned up at my and then flicked my nose and danced away before I could yank on one of her braids. She ducked behind Iori, who waved at me, unperturbed by her complete craziness.
"What'd you guys doing out here?" I asked as I slipped my phone back away. "On a date?"
"Hilarious Daisuke," Miyako said, rolling her eyes. She'd gotten new glasses, thin metal frames that kept getting covered by her long bangs. "And what are you doing moping here by yourself? Girlfriend didn't show? Did you get stood up?"
"I asked you first!"
"She's helping me buy a present," Iori explained calmly. Even though I'd seen him in November, he looked even taller, which wasn't fair. Not as tall as me, but getting there, the jerk.
"For his girlfriend," Miyako added, dragging the last word out. She padded him on the shoulder like a proud parent. "My little boy's all grown up!"
"Seriously?"
"No, not seriously," he said, still calm. "The manager of my kendo team. She helped me out a lot this year, and I want to thank her."
"That's the way these things start, you know." Miyako crossed her arms over her chest and nodded wisely. "Love blossoming is the most mundane of places. So what are you up to, Daisuke? Are you really waiting for your girlfriend? And if so, how come I haven't heard about her yet?"
"No. And shut up. So Iori, what are you getting her?"
"I don't know." A look close to worry darkened his face. "Miyako says a cake, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of food at the party."
"A party too? Man, how come a junior high kid gets to have all the fun?"
"If you're not doing anything right now, Daisuke-kun, do you want to come along with us? Unless you're waiting for someone."
"Nah, I'm not waiting for anyone," I said with a shrug. It wasn't like Ken had noticed it was Christmas Eve, after all. And it didn't matter how long I stood out in the park and wished, it wasn't like he was going to pop out of one of the fake presents that decorated the gardens of drop out of the sky like Santa. I slung my arm around him and then finally managed to grab one of Miyako's swinging braids and tugged it. "Let's get something for your soon to be girlfriend."
"She's not-"
"He even got a haircut for her," Miyako interrupted. She swiped his hat, displaying his cropped hair. "So studly. Rub it - It feels pretty good."
Iori sighed but let me pat his head. "Wow, it totally does. It's really relaxing. It's like I'm being hypnotized through my hand."
"And doesn't he look like Buddha?"
"He totally does!"
"Guys, people are staring." Iori jammed his hat back onto his head. "Can we focus on getting a present for Nishiwaki-san?"
Stores had displays spilling out onto the sidewalks: candies, cake, purses, dresses tat shimmered in the lights, a stuffed dinosaur that was bigger than me and would've been the best present ever.
"It'd be too hard to wrap, Daisuke-kun." Iori said as we walked by it.
"Get it for me! I don't care if it's wrapped!" Ken would probably think it was hilarious, I thought as I stood in front of it. And then he'd tell me how they got the head wrong, how there was no dinosaur that had a body like that, and how dinosaurs probably weren't neon purple.
Miyako stopped to look at a jewelry store. She grabbed our hands and dragged us through the crowd of couples to a display of silver. "What about earrings? Look how cute these are!"
"She's just a friend, Miyako."
"Well, how about a scarf?" I pointed at a display of scarves and mittens and we shoved our way over to it.
"That's... a good idea, actually." Miyako said slowly, like it was completely impossible that I'd ever come up with a decent suggestion. "Not too fancy, not too desperate, but still pretty. And functional!"
"Yeah, that is a good idea." Iori stroked a grey and pink one with the tins of his fingers. "I think I can get it wrapped here, too."
I slid my phone back into my pocket, the email to him unsent. It was too cold to keep holding it in my hands; I had to blow on them and then jam then into my armpits to unfreeze them. Jun said that it was supposed to snow, but it hadn't yet, even though it'd been cloudy for days. I watched my breath get sucked up into the sky and felt like an idiot when for a second I imagined I was a dragon.
A couple went by, giggling at each other. He put his arm around her, she tilted her head up. I watched them out of the corner of my eye and reached for my phone again. The email was still on the screen, half finished but all stupid. I erased it, deleting each character until the screen was blank. It was stupid waiting out in the cold, especially for someone who didn't even know he was supposed to show up. I looked up at the sky again and wished I had my goggles.
"Is that Daisuke? Oi! Daisuke-kun!"
"Huh? Oh, hey Miya-"
Miyako ran full into me and if it hadn't been for my cat-like, ninja reflexes, we would've both fallen flat on our asses. She grinned up at my and then flicked my nose and danced away before I could yank on one of her braids. She ducked behind Iori, who waved at me, unperturbed by her complete craziness.
"What'd you guys doing out here?" I asked as I slipped my phone back away. "On a date?"
"Hilarious Daisuke," Miyako said, rolling her eyes. She'd gotten new glasses, thin metal frames that kept getting covered by her long bangs. "And what are you doing moping here by yourself? Girlfriend didn't show? Did you get stood up?"
"I asked you first!"
"She's helping me buy a present," Iori explained calmly. Even though I'd seen him in November, he looked even taller, which wasn't fair. Not as tall as me, but getting there, the jerk.
"For his girlfriend," Miyako added, dragging the last word out. She padded him on the shoulder like a proud parent. "My little boy's all grown up!"
"Seriously?"
"No, not seriously," he said, still calm. "The manager of my kendo team. She helped me out a lot this year, and I want to thank her."
"That's the way these things start, you know." Miyako crossed her arms over her chest and nodded wisely. "Love blossoming is the most mundane of places. So what are you up to, Daisuke? Are you really waiting for your girlfriend? And if so, how come I haven't heard about her yet?"
"No. And shut up. So Iori, what are you getting her?"
"I don't know." A look close to worry darkened his face. "Miyako says a cake, but I'm sure there'll be plenty of food at the party."
"A party too? Man, how come a junior high kid gets to have all the fun?"
"If you're not doing anything right now, Daisuke-kun, do you want to come along with us? Unless you're waiting for someone."
"Nah, I'm not waiting for anyone," I said with a shrug. It wasn't like Ken had noticed it was Christmas Eve, after all. And it didn't matter how long I stood out in the park and wished, it wasn't like he was going to pop out of one of the fake presents that decorated the gardens of drop out of the sky like Santa. I slung my arm around him and then finally managed to grab one of Miyako's swinging braids and tugged it. "Let's get something for your soon to be girlfriend."
"She's not-"
"He even got a haircut for her," Miyako interrupted. She swiped his hat, displaying his cropped hair. "So studly. Rub it - It feels pretty good."
Iori sighed but let me pat his head. "Wow, it totally does. It's really relaxing. It's like I'm being hypnotized through my hand."
"And doesn't he look like Buddha?"
"He totally does!"
"Guys, people are staring." Iori jammed his hat back onto his head. "Can we focus on getting a present for Nishiwaki-san?"
Stores had displays spilling out onto the sidewalks: candies, cake, purses, dresses tat shimmered in the lights, a stuffed dinosaur that was bigger than me and would've been the best present ever.
"It'd be too hard to wrap, Daisuke-kun." Iori said as we walked by it.
"Get it for me! I don't care if it's wrapped!" Ken would probably think it was hilarious, I thought as I stood in front of it. And then he'd tell me how they got the head wrong, how there was no dinosaur that had a body like that, and how dinosaurs probably weren't neon purple.
Miyako stopped to look at a jewelry store. She grabbed our hands and dragged us through the crowd of couples to a display of silver. "What about earrings? Look how cute these are!"
"She's just a friend, Miyako."
"Well, how about a scarf?" I pointed at a display of scarves and mittens and we shoved our way over to it.
"That's... a good idea, actually." Miyako said slowly, like it was completely impossible that I'd ever come up with a decent suggestion. "Not too fancy, not too desperate, but still pretty. And functional!"
"Yeah, that is a good idea." Iori stroked a grey and pink one with the tins of his fingers. "I think I can get it wrapped here, too."