Holiday Special: A Pound of Sugar

[Story Listing]

Thanks for your support in 2020! Christmas is coming a bit early this year, cuz I'm getting a head start on holiday specials. All my holiday specials are released publicly and free to enjoy to whoever, so do think of sharing with your friends!

I'll be writing short chapters featuring two characters near to my heart. They are the starring characters in a VN Andi Wamboldt and I are developing as a two person team. This is the first time I've written them in a while, and I hope that this will be a fun writing exercise; I can also spread my enthusiasm for the holiday season while also writing cute girls doing cute things.

Mia is owned by Amy "Heffy" Wamboldt

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Holiday Special: A Pound of Sugar

"Try our new Pumpkin Spiced Lattes!"

Mia biked through the streets, on their way back from another busy day at the workshop. They spotted a billboard hovering over Main Street; ,they raised the visor on their helmet to get a better look, their feline eyes squinting and focusing.

"Ah shoot, that time'a year again?" They muttered with a wry smirk. "C'les oughta get a kick outta that. Should check if she wants to go out sometime."

Mia revved up their bike, their tail whipping excitedly behind them. They cruised through the streets of the commercial district; out of the corner of their eye.

"Golly, the holidays are sneakin' up in a hurry, huh?" Mia mused to themself. "Still need to figure out a gift for C'les. Gah, she's probably got it figured out by now."   Mia smiled bashfully to themself, taking a left onto Doughty Lane.

"Maybe if I put some marks aside we can take a trip somewhere. Someplace sunny, on the beach..." Mia gripped the handlebars with one hand and stretched their free arm. "Gaaaaah do I need a break..."

Mia smacked their lips, eyelashes fluttering, before lowering their hands to the bars...

"...yipe-"

...before doing a quick course correction, avoiding a street divider with a swerve. Mia's mouth flattened.

"...Maybe we can book an airship down south. Catch some rays on the beach. Stake out a nice, warm spot, work on my tan..." Mia smiled drunkenly, sighing with a dreamy look in their eyes.

They pulled up in front of Bisou Boutique—Celes' new clothing store, and their home up on the second floor. Mia hopped off the bike, reaching for their knapsack as they looked over the exterior.

"...She put up the lights already?" Mia blinked. Outside the shop, winding along the flowerbeds leading up to the front door, holiday decorations were placed invitingly. There were snowmen, colourful lights, a reindeer and sleigh along the rooftop.

Mia gazed upwards, a look of astonishment crossing their face. "She's been busy... why didn't she ask me for help?"

Getting all the decorations up for the Solstice season as a team had been something of a tradition for the pair. Mia frowned, heading for the front door. They glanced at the sign by the door—"CLOSED". Reaching for their keys, Mia strolled on in.

"C'les? I'm home! How was work?" Mia hollered, turning their head back and forth. No sign of Celes on the ground floor.

One of Mia's ear's twitched, picking up the sound of hurried footsteps.

"Must be upstairs," Mia mused, looking around. "...Did she move a buncha stuff around?"

With a shrug, Mia made for the staircase, hurrying to the top. Mia poked their head through an open doorway.

"C'les, you in h- whoa."

Strewn across the furniture in the living room were long, noodling, purple limbs, resembling snakes, draped across furniture, underneath furniture, leading in and out of rooms without end. Mia absentmindedly stepped forward, but their foot connected with a thick slimy limb a foot wide just below her.

"MIA!" Celes called out from another room in a cheery tenor; it was enough to snap Mia out of their dazed appraisal of the situation. Mia cocked their head to the right—it sounded like Celes' voice came from the kitchen.

"C'les?? You, uh, doin' okay? Stretchin' yourself a lil thin, huh?" Mia chuckled nervously.

"GREAT! FANTASTIC!" Celes called, her voice getting closer. Her head popped in from the kitchen, floating through the air through an impossible elongated neck as her head drifted towards Mia.   Mia held their paws up, eyes widening with the state Celes was in; she was known for losing herself in her work, but never to this extent. She was literally everywhere at once.

"...O-okay, girlfriend, you need any help pullin' yourself back together?" Mia smiled awkwardly, gesturing to the long limb at their feet that they could only surmise was Celes' elongated torso.

"NO NEED! NO WORRIES!" Celes piped up, rather chipper, perhaps a little screechy. "I got a couple cups of that new pumpkin spice latte over at Tom Hilton's and it's really good but maybe I put a bit too much sugar in it cuz it was already really sugar I got a cup for you Mia do you wanna try some?????"

"U-um-"

Before Mia could react to Celes' deluge of words, a long purple boneless arm swooped out from behind Mia, poking them in the shoulder. Mia glanced over; in Celes' hand she clutched a paper cup of coffee.

"...thanks?" Mia took it carefully. They took a cautious sip. "...Whoa there that's sweet."

"It really perks you right up right??" Celes' head bobbed up and down jubilantly. "I've been moving some things around today cuz we had a lot of stuff just lying around and it was tricky to get everything just right so then I got some decorations up and I got a head start on baking holiday treats and-"

DING! "OOH COOKIES ARE DONE!!" Celes cheered, her head ducking back into the kitchen. Mia tilted their head to the side as Celes' arm zipped past her; Mia followed the extended limb, gingerly stepping over the unidentified limb at her feet, adjusting their cap.

"C'les, how many cups of that stuff did you have...?" Mia wondered with a pang of concern. The sound of footsteps got Mia's attention; they cocked their head to the right, they watched Celes' legs wandering excitedly around the apartment--just the legs, though. Mia's eyes rose to follow where Celes' long, snakelike waist had wandered off to, attached to a pair of warm corduroy pants.

"Let's put you back together, kay C'les??" Mia chuckled, zipping around to Celes' wandering backside and ushering it along the trail of torso; it took a few laps around the house, but Mia did a good job at helping Celes unknot herself, and quickly followed Celes' torso, sprawled along the countertops. With an emphatic shove, Mia bumped Celes' behind into the kitchen along with the rest of Celes.

"The folks church is gonna love this batch the trick was to chop up a chocolate bar and let the little bits into the batter I guess I got a bit of extra time just gotta fresh up the dishes and give the kitchen a wipe down and you in the mood for crab cakes I'm sure I got everything for-"

"C'les. Breeeeeeathe."

Mia hurried forward, gripping Celes' shoulders. Mia had worked so hard to put Celes back together, and the poor girl looked on the verge of sprawling back through the house again, the way she was shaking and talking.

"C'les, you really need to calm down, yeah?" Mia urged her. "I've never seen you this... hyper."

"Eh?? What d'ya mean? I feel great, Mia!" Celes cheered, putting aside the tray of cookies. "I'm getting so much done today and polishing off the backlog and I went and rearranged everything and I came up with a new action plan to make everything more efficient and maximize and incentivize everything and zzzzzzzzzzz..."

Mia stared as Celes suddenly conked off where she stood, her body precariously tipping over to the side.

"Ah, shoot-" Mia hurried forward to catch Celes; the goop girl's head lolled from side to side. Mia winced, straining herself slightly to keep Celes upright.

"Sheesh you're heavy... easy girl." Mia grunted, steadying Celes. They squished Celes' face, trying to open her eyelids, but Celes continued to snore, smacking her lips. Mia grimaced.

"Ah, jeez... okay, the couch was... where's the couch?" Mia looked in all directions, frowning silently; a discontented look rose to their face.

"Right. She moved the couch. Alright." Mia sighed, dragging Celes along as she slumped against Mia's shoulder, her goopy head leaning against Mia's.

---

"Y'want some of that pomegranate tea you like, C'les? It'll perk you right up."

"Aaah... okaaaay... Mia? How long was I out for...?"

"Ehhhh 'bout an hour. Not your worst stint on the sweet stuff."

"Ahh... eheh.... n-not like it's a competition."

Celes tried to pull herself together as best she could, slumping back up to an upright position. Mia didn't usually make a big fuss out of tending others, preferring to let their actions speak louder than words; they had already put on a kettle to boil, and picked a spot to look through the Inventors Monthly magazine that had shipped just a week prior.

"Next time you gotta bring me to try the new fall drinks, kay?" Mia smiled. "Drinking all that on your own leaves you all sloshy."

"There was a two for one deal... you gotta think about the savings, Mia." Celes swayed back and forth with an awkward smile. "At least I got a lot done..."

"Mm... I guess it's better to get all that stuff done sooner instead'a later, but I dunno..." Mia rubbed the back of their head. "Anything left to do? I kinda like it when we do some of the odd chores together."  Mia flashed Celes an awkward, needy smile, one which Celes picked up on quickly; she blinked, lowering her head to think.

"Hmmm... well, I haven't done much of the interior decor... o-oh, and there's that projector! The one in the attic? " Celes nodded, turning to Mia. "You take to the gadget-y doodads better than me."

"Heh, hmmmmm... I guess they're always coming out with new film reels. And we can make popcorn over a warm fire~" Mia chuckled, scootching closer to Celes; they rubbed their cheeks together, getting a giggle from Celes.

"Hehe, yeah... and chestnuts." Celes smiled. Her eyes drifted forward, her hands clenching together. She grimaced to herself.

"Mia, I... I'm sorry for jumping the gun on all those solstice chores. I know we like making it a 'together' thing, but I got all hopped up and you weren't here, so I thought-"

"Aaaah, don't sweat it." Mia placed their hand on Celes' lap, squeezing gently. "It's like you said: there's still a lot to do, and we can do it together." Mia smiled warmly with a nod. "...And you still owe me a warm drink, right?"

"...Well... the pumpkin spice drinks are really sweet, I didn't think you liked sugary drinks." Celes clarified, prodding her fingers together until they smooshed.

"Weeeell, I dunno..." Mia shrugged. "I like you, and you're the sweetest thing I know."

"...Awww! Pfftt..." Celes' cheeks darkened, turning to Mia with a bashful smile; Mia reciprocated with a goofy grin of their own. Celes leaned over, pressing her head against Mia's; the warmth from Celes' cheek quickly spread through Mia's body, like ripples from a stone's throw into a pond; Mia's fur and whiskers receded, revealing her tender skin once again. they exhaled quietly, sharing a tender moment together...

...FweeeeEEEE!

"Oh, shoot, water's ready!"   Mia glanced back with a grimace. They didn't want to tear herself from Celes...

"I got it." Celes smiled, reaching across the room with a long, extended arm, slipping it into the kitchen. Mia's eyes followed Celes' wrist as it disappeared from sight.

"...How d'ya manage to make tea from across the house?" Mia tilted their head.

"Lots of practice. And a couple spills. Some broken cups too... b-but I've been good at cleaning those up while you're not home." Celes admitted sheepishly.

Celes' arm returned to her lap, clutching a cup of pinkish tea. She raised the steaming beverage to her lips.

"...Ach! Hot, hot, so hot!" Celes teared up a bit, her lips pursing. "You wanna try some?"

"Hehe. Sure." Mia took the cup, taking a sip; they grimaced in turn, blowing forcefully on the cup; it splashed a bit of the tea on Celes' dress.

"A-ack! Sorry C'les..." Mia blushed.

"It's okay! It'll wash out." Celes nodded. "Tea's just right... thanks Mia."

"Eheh... anytime."

At this time of year, the fall season often felt like a prelude to the festivities to come. To some, the holiday season felt so far away, and wanted nothing more than to skip ahead to the parties, the banquets, the gifts and the allure of colourful lights shining over fresh pillowy snow. While there was much to look forward to, Celes and Mia understood that rushing things would only lead to burnout and fatigue—and if they went too quickly, they would miss moments along the way to nurture their bonds.

Sitting together, huddled over some fresh, piping hot tea, was a small moment shared between them. But it was intimate and earnest, and nurtured that feeling of togetherness that the holiday season promised. An early present before the holiday rush began in earnest...

It was nice to take a break and catch their breath.