𝐃𝐈𝐋𝐅 || 𝐉𝐮𝐣𝐮𝐭𝐬𝐮 𝐊𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞𝐧

Chapter 9

The post card arrives the day before Christmas eve- the front says "Welcome to Valencia" in giant, colorful letters. On the back, in a chaotic scrawl sans commas, Toji deciphers the following message for the kids:
MERRY CHRISTMAS I'LL SEE YOU BEFORE THE NEW YEAR!! MISS YOU Y/N

There is a smiley face next to Y/N's name.

Tsumiki preens for an hour solid, and Megumi sulks even more aggressively than before. Toji wonders what to do with it, because it's not like they get a lot of- hardly any- Christmas cards. Eventually he decides on the fridge, between Megumi's painting of their family and Tsumiki's spelling bee certificate. He sticks it on, text out, because now every time he opens the refrigerator, staring out at him in all caps is I'LL SEE YOU BEFORE THE NEW YEAR, like a promise.

They spend most of the day eating half-heartedly decorated cookies, trailing colored sugar all over the house. To be honest, none of them have done much this break other than sit around, eat and sulk. If anything, it solidifies Toji's resolve to deal with the whole Y/N... thing. Clearly, none of the Fushiguros like it when she goes off on family vacations.

Christmas eve itself is better at least- Toji cooks an enormous hunk of meat all day and the kids run around, finally having decided to try to find their presents roughly ten hours before Toji will put them out anyway. Toji actually feels pretty safe- he doesn't think they'll look under their own beds, behind a layer of forgotten socks and balled up papers.

They put the gluttony capstone on their week, eating most of the roast, both kids laying groaning on the couch. Toji takes the opportunity to bring down all the presents from him- leaving the ones from Santa under Megumi's bed. Megumi sleeps like the dead, it'll be a piece of cake to sneak them out later. Toji reminds them about their Christmas eve present and suddenly, they're both filled with an astounding amount of energy.

Megumi runs around the house, punching everything with his Hulk hands until he nearly falls asleep standing up. Tsumiki opens a present he thinks is a video game, only to get a book instead, but he looks intrigued anyway. Toji had gotten the recommendation from Y/N- he makes a mental note to thank him.

Before trying to ask her out, probably.

Megumi has a miniature melt down as Toji is tucking him in.

"Dad, are you sure Santa got my letter?" Megumi demands.

"Absolutely, Megumi," Toji flips off the light.

"The mailman knows how to get it there, right? He got it way early, right?" Megumi pushes.

Toji fights back a laugh. "He got it. I promise."

"Okay," Megumi says reluctantly. Tsumiki had gotten told about Santa on the playground, but Megumi had managed to avoid it so far- it probably helped that Tsumiki was viciously affirming his existence and Megumi was too airheaded to pick up on anything else. "Night, Dad."

"Night, Megumi." He steps out into the hallway and sees Tsumiki's light still on.

"You can read for five more minutes, Tsumiki, but then bed," Toji says, leaning in the doorway.

"Five more," Tsumiki echoes blankly, knees tucked up to her chest, the book inches from her face.

Toji just shakes his head.

He ends up giving Tsumiki fifteen more minutes before finally flipping out the lights in her room. Toji hears a groan, then a sigh and the sound of the book hitting the nightstand.

***

Megumi is up and delivering his signature move- elbowing Toji in the solar plexus- at 5:15 am.