Sharing the Holidays: Part 1

[Story Listing]

Thanks for your support in 2019! For the month of December, 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 Andi "Heffy" Wamboldt 

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Sharing the Holidays

Part 1: Starting the Holiday Season

Autumn had gripped the town of Agnes for a few months now. The temperature cooled off a little more with each passing day, with winds from the north chilling pedestrians to the bone. The picturesque auburn colours of the centermost park had given way to a more drab landscape, with only a scant few dead leaves clinging to branches, now bare and exposed. It didn't seem that long ago that the small forest was aflush with red, orange, yellow hues, like banners welcoming a new season.

But the welcome wagon had come and gone, and a cool reception followed the months thereafter. The harvest too had passed on by, the brief period of jubilance giving way to the dull, gray monotony of city life in late autumn.

At this time of year, there wasn't much to do but shack up indoors, and perhaps do the odd bit of cleaning. To declutter the yard before it was buried by the inevitable snow squalls. Or perhaps it'd be better to beat the cold with a piping hot cup of cider...

Mia, a handygirl, mechanic, and all-around generalist by trade, beat the autumn blues by keeping herself busy. There were chores to do around the house. She had her nose deep in electrical work, fussing with a breaker in the back of the shop. Mia had to work by candlelight on account; the lights were cut off so she could work safely.

"Alright, just about done here." Mia muttered to herself, her eyebrow twitching with muted anticipation. She was itching to see the fruits of her labour. 

If Mia paused to let her mind wander, it'd probably drift back to Celes—dear, sweet Celes. It had only been about six weeks since they confessed their feelings for one another. Six weeks into their blossoming relationship. Time really flew in all that time, as quickly as the changing of the leaves. It had been such an intimately-shared step forward for the both of them—and yet, business as usual didn't feel that different at all. 

Sure, they'd exchange a quick peck on the cheek in addition to their usual back and forth gabbing, and the spark between them was as potent and reciprocal as ever. They even found their own place—a cheap fixer-upper that Celes was planning to work out of, 

But the contradiction of it all really got to Mia. Everything felt different, like everything she dreamed of... and yet, not much had changed at all. They still acted like old friends around each other, in that cozy, comfortable way. 

Mia let her mind wander again, listlessly rotating a screwdriver in her hand. Maybe her dreams were too modest?

"...Ah, can't go daydreamin' on the job. C'les asked for me to look into this." Mia nodded, filled with renewed purpose. She hunched over, checking out the wiring one more time. The familiarity of straight-forward logic was a welcome reprieve from the complexities of everyday life. 

"Alright, that oughta do it," Mia nodded affirmatively, placing a gloved hand on the level. "Now for the moment of truth!"

ZZT! With a dramatic pull of the level, the modest homestead buzzed to life. Mia rose, stepping back a few paces to admire her handiwork. Looks like everything was in order.

"Huh." She beamed, placing her hands on her hips. "That wasn't bad at all!" It felt like working on stuff like these was coming along easier than it used to. A little bubble of pride swelled up from within Mia...

"...Wonder why C'les was so insistent about the breakers..." Mia wondered quietly, rubbing her chin. "She did figure the fuses were all ancient and somesuch, but... she was very insistent on the upgrades. How much power does she need?"

Jingle jingle!

Mia paused, her ear twitching ever so slightly. Though she passed for human at the present moment, her heightened senses picked up on a faint sound. The creaking of the front door's hinges, the chimes clanging away, a pair of footsteps clopping along. 

"Ah, there's the lady herself~" Mia cooed, unable to stop herself from smiling. "Right on time, too."

Mia hurried up from the basement, weaving between unpacked boxes here and there. The girls had only recently moved in, and not everything had been unpacked. That made the whole place look a little more barren than homey. 

Just another ongoing chapter in their life stories. 

"C'leees! I'm dooone!" Mia called out, hurrying up the stairs, bounding two or three steps with every stride. At the top, Celes was only a few feet away.

"Oh, you fixed up the breaker?? That's great!" Celes cheered, trying to remove her boots on a nearby chair. "Everything looks better and brighter already~"

"Ihihi, no kiddin'! Though, y'know, workin' by candlelight's kinda romantic in its own way. Like goin' out an' havin' one'a them posh dinners, yeah?" Mia chuckled. 

"Ahh, that's truuuue. Of course, it's getting to be that time of year again." Celes tilted her head. "The time for huddling around an open fireplace, taking in the heat, enjoying the smell of hickory..."

"Aw sheesh, it's been forever since we had one of those! Wren's got a boiler back at her place, but... it ain't the coziest fixture in the workshop." Mia rubbed the back of her head. "Boy, a real fireplace. That takes me back..."

"I remember. We enjoyed one together, that night at the old barnhouse." Celes nodded. "Fireplaces really have a way of breathing life into a room..."

Celes trailed off, a pang of nostalgia visibly hitting her. A moment of silence hovered between the two of them. They were on similar wavelengths; Celes' old family home out in the country had stood abandoned for years now, and was probably in even worse shape than when they left it. 

"...Ah, nevermind that," Celes bounced to her feet. "The electricity's working, and you know what that means!"

"Eh? Um..." Mia gave it a good think. "You picked up a new appliance? Second-hand fixer-upper?"

"Solstice lights!" Celes exclaimed, bouncing bubbly. "We can set up the solstice lights!"

"...Eh?" Mia blinked. "But, uh... the solstice is next month, innit?" 

"Well, yes! All the better that we get the lights up a little early! Autumn's almost over, and the snow could blow in whenever it pleases." 

"Autumn's sticking around for another month, though." Mia scratched her head. "And it's not that chilly out..."

"You're right, it's not too cold out, yet." Celes placed careful emphasis on her words. "Which is why now's the perfect time to get the yard setup!"

Celes glanced out a nearby window, near the front door. "Ohhh, imagine the colourful lights casting over a pristine blanket of untouched snow. Seeing the front of our house light up in technicolour wonder..." 

"...Okay, you got me there. I do like it when the lights all go up at night." Mia admitted, a little bashful that she couldn't match Celes' enthusiasm at this moment. "You wanna get at it right now? We might need to get lights, but-"

"No need! I got an unpacked box just for Solstice lights!" Celes exclaimed, hurrying past Mia and towards a far corner of the living room. Boxes upon boxes lay in sprawling piles around the living room, atop of furniture and resting on the seats of chairs. It was a wonder Celes could navigate around the house, nevermind manage to identify exactly what she needed from where. Mia wondered if Celes was some kind of psychic. Or an organizational savant; she made it all look too easy. 

"Hup!" Celes hoisting up one such cardboard box, hobbling over to Mia. Lifting one of the flaps, she revealed its contents: an assortment of multi-coloured solstice lights in bundled up cables. Mia's eyes lit up in turn.

"Wowie zowie..." Mia clicked her tongue, her eyes slowly rising to meet Celes'. "Quite a collection you got there, C'les."

"It's a generational thing!" Celes nodded, heading for the door. "You're gonna come gimme a hand, right?" 

"Yeah, definitely!" Mia grinned. "Think I left the ladder in the basement, some odd weeks ago. Lemme run and grab that-"

"Ahhh, we don't need that!" Celes shook her head quickly. "I just need you!"

"...Eh?" Mia blinked. "But... wait, you wanted me to hold the ladder, right?" Mia was visibly confused.

"No no, I need you to hold me!" Celes clarified with a bounce, the bundled-up lights clattering in her grasp. Mia stared for a spell.

"...I don't follow." Mia muttered.

"You're gonna hold me by the waist and... ah, it's actually kind of a mouthful to explain. C'mon, I'll show you?"

Celes pivoted, bumping into the front door as she eased it open slowly. Mia followed along at a slow pace, distracted by Celes' sincerity. She scratched her head as Celes disappeared out of sight.

"Sheesh. What on earth is possessin' that girl?" Mia remarked to herself with a bemused grin. She headed to a closet to put some layers on...

---

Celes had an... interesting approach to putting up the lights. 

"Okay Mia! Another step to the right!" Celes called out from above. 

"U-Um..." Mia's face was a full on blush, though her expression was hidden from Celes' view. "You're not gonna fall over, right?"

"Of course not! I got you to prop me up, right?" Celes replied, her tone confident and breezy. 

It was an interesting sight to take in from a distance. Celes had elongated her torso several feet upwards, revealing her stretched out midriff, and from her elevated position, she was able to string along the lights. Mia, down below, was responsible for feeding the strings of lights along for Celes, and to hold Celes' waist so she didn't wobble too much. Celes' center of gravity had shifted; a stiff breeze might've been enough to bowl Celes' over.

So Mia was in an awkward position, one that went unnoticed as Celes hummed a familiar melody to herself, stringing the lights along. Mia's grip on Celes' waist was tight, holding onto her for dear life. 

Or maybe the gesture was decidedly intimate. Mia gazed out towards the roads that crisscrossed around the block. The couple got the odd wary look from passersby, but Celes looked so pleased with herself. It was like she was in her own little world...

"Hey, Mia! You don't have to hold so tight!" Celes laughed. 

"Eep- s-sorry!" Mia stuttered, adjusting her grip. This was gonna be a little touch and go. The two of them shuffled down the line, with Mia guiding Celes along so she wouldn't walk into a shrub or something. Celes worked quickly and with practiced efficiency, and before long...

"All done!" Celes declared, her torso quickly slumping downward. Her proportions were restored with an emphatic plop! Mia raised her hands, watching Celes' entire body jiggle with the sudden movement, down to the abrupt stop.

"A-Ah, C'les! How was the view up there?" Mia adjusted the fluffy tuque that Celes wore outside; her descent knocked it slightly ajar. 

"Ah, it was great! We got it done in a jiffy! Lugging around a ladder all the way would've taken foreeever!" Celes nodded. "Thanks for giving me a hand, Mia!"

"Aaah, I didn't do much... but, C'les, that was..." Mia lowered her head. She was choosing her words carefully. Celes picked up on this, of course, and her smile waved slightly. 

"...That was pretty cool." Mia nodded. "I didn't think you'd try something like that out here."

"...Hm." Celes shrugged, smiling wider—perhaps a little awkwardly at that. "I guess it's a little.... adventurous of me. I'm aware I've been... really anxious about freaking people out in public, but..."

Celes took Mia's shoulder, spinning her around to look at the house—their home—now outfitted with colourful lights.

"I wanna turn this place into a boutique, and... I'm gonna be dealing with people again. And there's the whole elephant in the room..." Celes ran a hand through her hair. "I think that... if I'm more comfortable in my own skin, I won't panic as much, or get nervous, and..."

Celes lost her train of thought, turning to Mia. She smiled. 

"I want people to be comfortable around me. So I have to be comfortable with myself first, y'know? So hiding my quirks, well... I wanna get past that."

Mia could feel the softly-spoken passion that Celes conveyed; she positively glowed, and it was clear in her smile and posture that Celes was finding her own footing. Mia wondered privately if such boundless optimism would come to pass—even presenting as a same-sex couple was risky in its own way...

...But Mia reciprocated Celes' smile. Her confidence was infectious. 

"That's great, C'les! It's a good look on you. You're standing a little straighter now..." Mia patted Celes' shoulder, swelling with pride. 

"Aww..." Celes blushed, shrinking a little with the contact. She had a goofy grin on her face.

"Sheesh, you've really grown up, though." Mia tilted her head. "And takin' all kinds of initiative, it's..."

Mia paused. She turned her head, spotting a medium-sized tree, its branches bare with few leaves remaining. It seemed somewhat lifeless in its current condition...

"...I think I oughtta take a page from your book." There was a glint in Mia's eye. "You got any more lights?"

"Mm? Ah, yeah, plenty." Celes hurried over to the box. "So do you need them for- oh!"

Mia grasped an armful of wrapped up cables and bounded towards the tree. As she hurried, she focused inwards; from the base of her spine, just above the waistline of her pants, a furry appendage snaked out from behind her, rapidly growing and puffing outwards. Unseen to Celes, familiar feline characteristics emerged, her skin disappearing under a visage of fur and whiskers. 

Mia had changed into a werecat in mere moments, but she didn't miss a beat. She sprinted to the tree and, with a short hop into a mighty bounce...

"Hup!" Mia leapt into the tree, bounding up ten, maybe twelve feet onto a sturdy-looking branch. 

"Oh!" Celes, watching this athletic display, watched from a distance, her eyes wide open. She covered her mouth and stared. Her eyes rose to find Mia perched on a branch, her tail swaying excitedly back and forth. Mia's eyes met Celes', and she flashed her a cheeky thumbs up.

"We gotta decorate this tree too, right?" Mia cheered, hoisting the cables. From her vantage point, she leapt from branch to branch with sleek movements, wrapping strings of lights around each branch. Celes' eyes followed Mia's frantic movements as she hopped from one branch to another.

...Until she came to a stop. "Crap, ran out of lights." Mia swore under her breath.

"I-I got more!" Celes hoisted the box, scurrying to a spot just underneath Mia. She reached inside and clutched a few more strings. "Catch!" 

Mia blinked, her tail quick darting to catch them at the top of their ascent. She beamed, bringing the tail closer, and she held them aloft in her hands. 

"Cheers!" Mia called out. "Teamwork makes the dream work, aye?"

"A-Aye!" Celes nodded passionately, and watched Mia scramble from branch to branch. 

"I just wonder how she's gonna get down..." Celes murmured to herself. 

---

Mia didn't take long to string the lights around the tree. Celes had to caution Mia to be careful about her descent, but Mia was one to throw caution to the wind. Of course, Mia also trusted Celes to catch her fall as well. Quite literally, as it were. 

"Well! How d'ya like my handiwork?" Mia beamed, placing her hands on her hips. She even puffed her chest out a little.

"Boy, you make it look easy!" Celes stared upwards, astonished. 

"Right?? C'mon, c'mon, let's light it up! I wanna see how it all looks!" Mia was bouncing up and down excitedly. 

"Not yet, not yet, it's still bright out..." Celes tutted. "We should wait until it's darker. Then we'll flick the switch."

"Awww... but it's not gonna get dark for a whiiiile..." Mia whined. "I wanna see how it looks noooow...!"

"Ah, just imagine coming home late at night, seeing our home lit up so brilliantly..." Celes sighed, a pang of nostalgia hitting her voice. "It's one of my favourite parts of the Solstice."

"Sheesh C'les, you can't upsell it, that's just gonna make it even harder to wait it out..." Mia pouted, folding her arms. 

"Ah, don't worry! We still have so much to do to get ready for the Solstice season! We gotta get a tree, and make cookies, and do some interior decorating. Then there's firewood, dinner planning... oh, and shopping, that's coming up real soon!"

Mia's expression faltered, watching Celes pace back and forth as she listed everything that still needed doing. "You're really excited for this, huh...?"

"It's the best time of the year!" Celes nodded, cozying up to Mia. "And this is the first time I'm spending it with you. I want it to be perfect!"Celes was bouncing in place, the pitch of her voice escalating to a fever pitch. 

"Perfect, huh...?" Mia echoed those words. There was something to be said about Celes' earnesty and positivity. But it was also a reminder to a fact that Mia didn't give much thought to. 

Celes' enthusiasm was infection; it would seem Mia would find it difficult to stop herself from going right along with it. 

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