Yukito & Erin Maki's Apartment

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

Her kiss was surprisingly reassuring, even if it was hard to believe things would get any easier in the future. "Hey, you wanna go out somewhere?" He looked up to see her smile. "We haven't really gone out in a while."

Yukito paused, thinking on it. There were a lot of worries to go with it, but Erin's face watching his, that eagerness on her face, made it hard for him to not feel a surge of confidence that it would actually be alright. After all, she was taking it better than he was, at least. Usually she was the one to freak out. At least, in ways that anybody could see. But here she was working to make him feel better. And he liked that. With a nod, a little smirk started to grow on the corners of his lips. We'll figure out something. "Yeah, I think it's been a little too long. Where were you thinking?"

Her smile widened, and she sat up straighter. "Let's drive around town and do like a photoshoot thing. And we can stop places and walk around there, and take more pictures, and later we can, I dunno, do whatever with 'em, but it'll be fun to do! Don't you think so?"

"A photoshoot thing?" He arched one eyebrow, sitting up off the bed. Inwardly, the idea of more photographs wasn't appealing after seeing Amane's website. But he was having a hard time saying no to Erin right now. To be honest, he had a hard time saying no to her, ever. "Are you hungry?" He had just entered the living room when he spotted the shelves he had left, forgotten. "Ooh..." he raised one hand to run through his hair, "I brought a bunch of shelves today. We need to unload them before we can go." He turned to smirk at her, "It's time for me to get all my CDs stacked and out of the way. As much as I loved my fabulous filing system."

[GGJ5]

Erin Spenser

"Hey, you wanna go out somewhere?" He looked up to see her smile. "We haven't really gone out in a while."

Yukito paused, thinking on it. He always had to think on things like that, especially now... always weighing and picking and choosing. She wished he didn't have to, and felt a little like a sponge... she should be doing something to bring in money, too... Yukito's voice broke her train of thought. "Yeah, I think it's been a little too long. Where were you thinking?"

Her smile revived, brighter, and she explained eagerly, "Let's drive around town and do like a photoshoot thing. And we can stop places and walk around there, and take more pictures, and later we can, I dunno, do whatever with 'em, but it'll be fun to do! Don't you think so?"

"A photoshoot thing?" He looked at her with an eyebrow cocked. "Yeah!"

"Are you hungry?"

"Oh, hey, that reminds me, I went ahead and made supper! C'mon!" She walked with him into the front of their apartment, immediately noticing the presence of something new in it. It wasn't easy to miss something new in nearly empty rooms. "What's that?"

"Ooh..." he raised one hand to run through his hair. "I brought a bunch of shelves today. We need to unload them before we can go."

A smile returned to her face as Erin turned to kiss his cheek. "You're freaking brilliant!"

"It's time for me to get all my CDs stacked and out of the way. As much as I loved my fabulous filing system."

Erin laughed a full laugh, knowing she was just as guilty of a similar "filing system". "Then we can start fixing it up now... Come on.." She gave a little tug on his shirt sleeve, then kissed his lips. "I love you."

Yep, think Erin's done here now...

[The Phantom of Paris]

OOC: I dunno if this takes place before the website discovery or not, but here's Cassie the Elf! BIC:

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

With the help of her brother and his girlfriend, who Cassie had managed to kidnap for the day, Cassie was able to get some of the Christmas decorations she'd bought for Erin and Yukito out of her car and into the building. They still had a lot more to do, but with Jake and Cassie handling the six-foot Christmas tree--shedding needles all over the place and gaining more strange looks than Cassie could remember getting in a while--and Marcia the girlfriend behind them toting along several large cardboard boxes, Cassie couldn't help but consider the whole event a success. Together, the little party made their way down the hall, Cassie stopping every so often to consult her phone and double-check the address. Only when Jake threatened to abandon her and the tree did Cassie focus on the task at hand.

"What's in these, anyway?" Marcia asked innocently, starting to stagger under the weight of her boxes. Cassie glanced back at her, trying to remember what had gone into which box. "Um, you've probably got the Christmas tree stand thing, and maybe one of the ornament boxes? I don't really remember...and thanks again for doing this, you two! I just really wanted to give them a Christmas to remember, and it's an important one for them since they've just moved in together, and they can't really afford to do it all on their own, and..."

"Yeah, yeah, we've heard the story, Strawberry," said Jake, re-establishing his grip on the Christmas tree. "And you owe me. Big time. Got it?" He grinned at her, and Cassie rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She glanced down the hallway, her pace slowing until she came to the right address. "This is it!"

With a grin, she knocked loudly on the door. "Yukito, Erin, your Christmas Angel has arrived. Open up please!"

I really hope you like it.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

Yukito stared at the washer and dryer menacingly as it groaned in protest, then reluctantly started on his first load of the day. Erin had managed to giggle her way through a brief tutorial of using both devices, and now he was sure the machines had it in for him. They only seemed to work right on the first try if Erin touched them. He teased that she had put them under a spell or must have sang to them into submission or something like that. Either way, he wouldn't admit he was able to 'tame the beasts' enough to at least forward the stupid laundry while Erin was at the store. He'd gotten back from work that day and taken a nap, only hearing muffled through his half-sleep Erin giving him a goodbye and a quick guess as to when she would get back. He was too tired to complain at the time, and the house was quiet again. To fill the silence, he turned on a the CD player and tried to clean up some of the mountain of laundry they were still catching up on. Apparently it was a bad idea to let it pile up that much. He had been very pleased to get his The Cure shirt back after it being at the bottom of the pile for the week, which he was wearing today. Yukito found it sort of sad that most of it was his clothes at this point, and not Erin's. She was pretty good at most of the household cleaning and cooking part, and it frustrated him when he didn't know how to do something his mother had always done.

Meanwhile, the CD player blasted out in the background as he tried to shove the freshly dried and heated pile of towels into the cupboard beneath the sink, next to his now abandoned cosmetic kit and the rickety stack of toilet paper rolls.

"Christmas night of the living dead/My face is green and the snow is red."

Yukito hummed along, his bare foot tapping against the door as he refolded a towel for the fourth time, determined to get it down. Even if the towels wouldn't cooperate with the weird way he was sitting. The music was dulled out from way in the kitchen, so he clearly heard the firm knock on the front door. He also heard a familiar female voice. Yukito looked up curiously.

"Yukito, Erin, your Christmas Angel has arrived. Open up please!"

A smirk crossed Yukito face as he crossed the house to the front door, abandoning his chores to unlock the deadbolt and the handle before opening it to see a beaming Cassie. "Hey, oh wow...." His eyes widened at the tree, and he quickly widened the pathway through the door and stepping back. "Wow..." Once they managed it through the door Yukito took an end and started kicking aside a spot in the living room for it, just in front of one of the windows. It was viewable from most of the house - as much as they could hope for - and was tall. He looked up at the tip top of it, a good several centimeters above his head. It was a beautiful tree, fat and without the ugly, bare spots he was sure they were going to have to live with. If they could have gotten a tree at all.

"Wow, Cassie... if trees can be beautiful, this one is." he mumbled again, like an idiot. "Erin is gonna love you so much it'll hurt. She's out shopping right now, but she should be back soon enough." He looked over at the other boxes that were coming in, carried by a girl he didn't really know. "What do you want me to help with?"

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

"Yukito, Erin, your Christmas Angel has arrived," Cassie called happily, her voice ringing down the otherwise deserted hallway. "Open up please!"

She heard noises from the other side of the door, the tell-tale sound of the lock unclicking ringing in her ears. I'm still not very good at locking the door...I don't know why I always forget... Her brow furrowed for a moment before Yukito opened the door and a smile took it's place. "Surprise! Christmastime is here!"

"Hey, oh wow...." Yukito said, his eyes widening as he took in the three of them and the Christmas tree. Cassie nudged the door a bit with her foot, and he opened it wide enough to allow them to bring it through into the apartment. "Wow...Wow, Cassie... if trees can be beautiful, this one is." Cassie grinned at him. "I know. That's why I got it. I was gonna get a bigger one, I think that this is way too short, but I didn't know how high y'all's ceilings were here..." As Cassie spoke, she realized that this was the first time she'd ever been inside Erin and Yukito's apartment. It's so tiny...how do two people live in here? "Anyway, I thought this one was pretty perfect, though, so here we are!"

"Erin is gonna love you so much it'll hurt. She's out shopping right now, but she should be back soon enough. What do you want me to help with?"

They carried the tree to the spot Yukito indicated, and Cassie gestured for Marcia to come forward with the tree stand. "Yukito, we'll set it up...you stand back and tell us if it's straight or crooked or whatever while we screw it into the stand so it won't fall over and stuff, okay?" She smiled. "Oh, and by the way. Yukito, this is my brother Jake, and his girlfriend Marcia...I got them to help me today." It was silent for a moment as Jake and Cassie got to work on the tree. "This look okay?"

"It's a little crooked right now..." Marcia commented, having set up vigil with Yukito. "That's better. What do you think?"

Finally, they got the tree set up the way Yukito seemed to want, and Cassie sat back on her heels, looking up at it with a grin. "Okay! Looks awesome. There's lights in those boxes, but there's lots more in the car...you wanna start putting stuff up now, or get everything inside first?"

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

He unlocked the door to find a beaming Cassie with her gifts of the holiday. "Surprise! Christmastime is here!"

"Hey, oh wow...." Yukito said, his eyes widening as he took in the three of them and the Christmas tree. Cassie nudged the door a bit with her foot, and he opened it wide enough to allow them to bring it through into the apartment. "Wow...Wow, Cassie... if trees can be beautiful, this one is."

Cassie grinned at him. "I know. That's why I got it. I was gonna get a bigger one, I think that this is way too short, but I didn't know how high y'all's ceilings were here...Anyway, I thought this one was pretty perfect, though, so here we are!"

Yukito chuckled, "Trust me, it's the right size." He looked up at the top of the tree, feeling shorter next to it than he usually did. Then he pointed at the right spot where Erin and him had discussed as the perfect spot to put their then-non-existent tree. "Erin is gonna love you so much it'll hurt. She's out shopping right now, but she should be back soon enough. What do you want me to help with?"

"Yukito, we'll set it up...you stand back and tell us if it's straight or crooked or whatever while we screw it into the stand so it won't fall over and stuff, okay?" She smiled, he gave a nod. "Oh, and by the way. Yukito, this is my brother Jake, and his girlfriend Marcia...I got them to help me today." Yukito gave them each a nod. It was silent for a moment as Jake and Cassie got to work on the tree. "This look okay?"

"It's a little crooked right now..." Marcia commented at his side. "That's better. What do you think?"

"A little more towards Cassie," he suggested, "Stop. There. That's perfect..." Cassie sat back on her heels, looking up at it with a grin.

"Okay! Looks awesome. There's lights in those boxes, but there's lots more in the car...you wanna start putting stuff up now, or get everything inside first?"

"We should get everything in, in case Erin comes back soon," he reasoned, "Plus, then we don't have to get bundled up several times.." He reached over to grab his shoes and jacket, slipping them on to follow the party outside, finding himself at Cassie's side, "This means a whole lot right now for us, you know... There wouldn't have been anything this year." He looked at her, his eyes serious but a soft smile on his face, "Thanks. I mean it."

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

I was gonna get a bigger one," Cassie said, referring to the tree as she, Yukito, and Jake worked to get it inside, "I think that this is way too short, but I didn't know how high y'all's ceilings were here...Anyway, I thought this one was pretty perfect, though, so here we are!"

"Trust me, it's the right size," Yukito said with a little chuckle. Cassie smiled but didn't say anything as she caught her brother's eye. To them, the tree was small--hardly worth decorating. Cassie didn't mention that their Christmas trees at home, displayed in the parlor, often exceeded ten feet tall and required professionals to put all the lights on correctly. The family always put the ornaments on themselves, dragging out the huge ladders and making an event of it, but everything else was done to perfection by those hired by the Wrights to deck the halls of the mansion. Except we won't do that this year...Mom's not decorating, and Dad and Ilaria want to do it all themselves...plus, Dad's new house is too small for a big tree...but I know it'll be taller than this, at least.

Still, mentioning that would cast a dark cloud over the Christmas cheer that Cassie had worked so hard to bring to her friends, so she kept silent as Yukito said, "Erin is gonna love you so much it'll hurt. She's out shopping right now, but she should be back soon enough. What do you want me to help with?"

The smile came back into Cassie's face. Now she was in her element--she adored decorating for Christmas. "Yukito, we'll set it up...you stand back and tell us if it's straight or crooked or whatever while we screw it into the stand so it won't fall over and stuff, okay?" After these instructions, she quickly introduced Yukito to Jake and Marcia before getting to work. "This look okay?" she called out after a minute or two. "It's a little crooked right now...That's better. What do you think?"

"A little more towards Cassie," said Yukito. They obeyed. "Stop. There. That's perfect..." Cassie looked up, leaning back to admire the tree. Oh, that actually looks good! It's not really such a bad little tree, not really...Woah. Charlie Brown moment right there. 'Hark the herald angels sing...'

"Okay! Looks awesome. There's lights in those boxes, but there's lots more in the car...you wanna start putting stuff up now, or get everything inside first?" she asked, eager to get back to work.

"We should get everything in, in case Erin comes back soon. Plus, then we don't have to get bundled up several times.."[/b] Cassie nodded. "Awesome. Let's go," she said, standing up. "This means a whole lot right now for us, you know... There wouldn't have been anything this year. Thanks. I mean it."

Cassie beamed. "Any time. I just really wanted to make this special for you two. Merry Christmas."

Finally, they managed to get the plethora of boxes carried from Jake's car to the apartment--there were probably upwards of ten or fifteen in all, each with the Bronner's Christmas Wonderland logo on them, filled with lights, ornaments, and other Christmas treasures. Okay, maybe Cassie had gone a bit overboard, but it was all worth it, right?

"I think we're gonna take off now, Strawberry," Jake said once they'd finally closed the apartment door behind them and sat the last box down on the floor. "We've got a movie to catch."

Cassie nodded. "Oh, sure! I didn't know you guys had a date planned..."

Marcia smiled. "Yep. But we were happy to help."

"Yeah, thanks so much, really...what movie are you seeing."

Jake gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes. "'Did You Hear About the Morgans?'"

"Oh, I've been dying to see that movie! Tell me how it is, okay, Marcy?"

They left, Marcia giving Cassie a fleeting hug and Jake reaching down to ruffle her hair as he went out the door. Cassie turned around, dropping to her knees to open up the first box. "Okay. You ready to decorate? If you can find any lights, we should do those first...always lights before ornaments. Actually, find the angel, too, she's so pretty and the angel should always go on first. So much better than stars."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Okay! Looks awesome. There's lights in those boxes, but there's lots more in the car...you wanna start putting stuff up now, or get everything inside first?" Cassie asked eagerly.

"We should get everything in, in case Erin comes back soon. Plus, then we don't have to get bundled up several times.." Cassie nodded. "Awesome. Let's go," she said, standing up.

Yukito followed her, feeling the need to add, "This means a whole lot right now for us, you know... There wouldn't have been anything this year. Thanks. I mean it."

Cassie beamed. "Any time. I just really wanted to make this special for you two. Merry Christmas." Yukito smiled. When they got to car his eyes widened at the large amount of boxes piled inside. There were probably as much Christmas stuff in here as Yukito had originally brought into the apartment.

"I think we're gonna take off now, Strawberry," Jake said once they'd finally closed the apartment door behind them and sat the last box down on the floor. "We've got a movie to catch." Yukito and Cassie gave the other two a goodbye, with Yukito thanking them for their help. Before they vanished through the door, Jake reached down to ruffle Cassie's bright red hair, making Yukito smile at the gesture. When they had gone, Cassie turned and dropped to her knees, ready for the first box.

"Okay. You ready to decorate? If you can find any lights, we should do those first...always lights before ornaments. Actually, find the angel, too, she's so pretty and the angel should always go on first. So much better than stars."

Yukito opened up the boxes, searching for lights and the elusive angel. "Is this her?" he asked, pulling out from a box a beautiful angel figurine, his fingers tugging out the wrinkles on her long dress.

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

It was mostly quiet as the four of them trekked back and forth between the apartment and the car, toting stacks of white boxes bearing the logo of the Christmas store back in Michigan. In the back of her mind, Cassie wondered if this was what it was like to move into a new house. She had basically lived in the same house for her entire life, and since she and Shelby were only at their dad's house on the weekends, there hadn't been much official 'moving in' to be done--they just brought all their stuff back and forth between the two houses. I'll bet moving would kind of be fun, wouldn't it? Or am I just being pathetic and nostalgic or something? If we had ever moved, would they have gotten divorced? If we had just done one thing differently, all five of us...would things have gone the way they did?

Finally, they got the entire plethora of boxes up the stairs and into the tiny apartment. The look of awe and maybe alarm on Yukito's face didn't fail to escape Cassie, and dawned on her that she probably had taken the whole 'give them a great Christmas' thing too far. And I'm not seeing any major storage closets or anything...where are they gonna put this stuff when it's not Christmas? God, why do I never think about things like that? Why do I just always assume that everyone's going to have closets and Christmas decorations and everything?

They thanked Jake and Marcia, who then left for their movie date, but not before Jake had a chance to ruffle his younger sister's hair. Cassie stuck her tongue out at him as he left, shutting the door behind them and trying to put her hair back into some sort of order.
"Okay," she said to Yukito, eager to start. "You ready to decorate? If you can find any lights, we should do those first...always lights before ornaments. Actually, find the angel, too, she's so pretty and the angel should always go on first. So much better than stars."

Yukito busied himself opening the nearest box, and Cassie did the same, a package of Christmas magnets being the first to meet her eyes. "Oooh, the magnets!" she cried excitedly, tearing them open. She sat back on her heels and pulled a folded sheet of notebook paper out of her pocket, unfolding it and walking into the kitchen. She stuck the paper on the refrigerator with a magnet bearing Frosty the Snowman. '101 Reasons Why Erin Chloe Spenser Should Go Back to School', it read across the top of the page in Cassie's careful script. Yes, it was lame, but she felt it was necessary.

"Is this her?" came Yukito's voice. Cassie wandered back into the living room to find him holding the angel aloft. "Yeah, that's her! Isn't she gorgeous? I love Christmas angels. Ours is amazing, we've had it ever since Jake was born. When I was little, like three or four or something, I used to have conversations with our angel, even if it wasn't Christmas...I would go looking for her in the hall closet." She looked up, glancing from the angel in Yukito's hands to the top of the tree. Her face suddenly reddened. "Um...I don't suppose you have, like, a ladder or something, so we could get her up there? Or a chair to stand on or something? Because I can't reach...Maybe we let my brother leave too early..." she chuckled. "Whoops."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

Cassie quickly and eagerly started the preparations, giving Yukito the job of searching for the angel and the lights as she pulled out magnets and raced into the kitchen. With an amused shake of his head, he dug into the boxes. "I wouldn't have thought this included magnets..." he murmured humorously.

After digging through a few boxes, he pulled out an elegant object, the long folds of her dress feeling soft and airy under his rough fingertips. "Is this her?" he asked, holding her up for Cassie to see as she peered around the corner.

"Yeah, that's her! Isn't she gorgeous? I love Christmas angels. Ours is amazing, we've had it ever since Jake was born. When I was little, like three or four or something, I used to have conversations with our angel, even if it wasn't Christmas...I would go looking for her in the hall closet."

Yukito didn't remark on that, staring at all the details of the angel. She had a soft, delicate face, her tiny hands brushing against his palm. "She's beautiful..." Erin will love her.

"Um...I don't suppose you have, like, a ladder or something, so we could get her up there? Or a chair to stand on or something? Because I can't reach...Maybe we let my brother leave too early..." she chuckled. "Whoops."

Yukito's face darkened, his bottom lip protruding a little without him realizing it. "I can get her up there. I'm not that short, gosh..." He was acutely reminded of how it had felt to wear her brother's shorts that Summer. They had practically eaten him alive. Now even months afterward, his face still reddened as he turned the angel in his hands before looking up sadly at the tree. A quick measure estimation told him he needed to start sucking up his pride and just deal with it. He let out a sigh, unable to hide the embarrassed smile as he turned to Cassie, "I'll go get a chair," he rolled his eyes, and set up one of their few chairs next to the tree. When he stepped up onto it, he brushed heavily against the branches, the almost sickeningly powerful smell overwhelming him. Once on the chair, he was able to easily tip the angel up and secure her on the topmost branch. "There," he murmured, stepping back off the chair and hopping to the ground. Yukito turned around to look up at the angel. "I like her..." he said, giving a slow nod before looking over at Cassie. There was a pause before he added, "What now?"

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

She couldn't help but feel a little childish as she stuck the list she'd made up onto the refrigerator. Even as she had made that list the night before in an attempt to avoid doing her calc homework, she had known it wouldn't have worked. A list full of things like, "It's boring at school without you," "Everyone misses you," "You're making a mistake," and "Prom. You can't miss out on prom, and I don't think they'll let you and Yukito in if one of you isn't currently enrolled at school," would probably in reality only serve to get Erin mad at her. A list wasn't what Erin needed to realize that she should go back to school--she needed an intervention. Cassie's list felt like a cop-out, a sad excuse for actually talking to Erin about her choices. But it's the best I can do.

Her task completed, Cassie returned to the living room and listened to Yukito's reaction to the beautiful angel tree-topper, even going so far as to share her own Christmas angel stories from her childhood. Afterwards, she mentally berated herself for it. Stop telling stupid personal stories nobody cares about. They'll think I'm scrounging for sympathy, or else trying to have my own perfect Christmas vicariously through them. Which is what I'm doing, I know, and it's pretty much sick and twisted. Happy little rich girl can't have the Christmas she wants for herself, so she goes out and buys it for her friends. I'm pathetic, that's what it is. Pathetic.

"Um...I don't suppose you have, like, a ladder or something, so we could get her up there?" Cassie asked in her eagerness to take her mind off of her problems by getting straight to work on the decorating. "Or a chair to stand on or something? Because I can't reach...Maybe we let my brother leave too early...Whoops."

Her words seemed to strike a chord in Yukito, though, and she immediately regretted them. I can't even say anything anymore, can I? "I can get her up there. I'm not that short, gosh..."

"I wasn't saying you were," Cassie said with a frown, busying herself by opening up a package of clear Christmas lights. "I was saying I am."

"I'll go get a chair," Yukito said finally. Cassie didn't respond, fully absorbed in pulling out package after package of lights and box after box of unique ornaments. She had gone completely crazy, refusing to get the boring stereotypical round Christmas ornaments simply because she had never had them on her Christmas tree. Theirs was always filled with special ones, made by herself and her siblings or else bought to commemorate a special occasion or something of that sort. There was the ornament Cassie had made as a book report the Christmas she was in third grade, a dog cut out of yellow poster board because she had read Faith and the Electric Dog. Shelby's Hermione Granger ornament, brandishing her wand towards the one of Santa holding the Baby Jesus on his lap. The one with a stork carrying a baby in a red blanket, the words Jake's first Christmas written in black Sharpie. Another one of Cassie's creations, a snowman version of her own family made of painted popsicle sticks. Disney ornaments. Ornaments for sports teams. The bells, Cassie's favorite, antiques that had belonged in the family forever and were always hung near the top, beautiful painted china that Cassie had been fascinated by as a child. And then of course there were the picture-frame ornaments, each and every school picture of all three Wright kids immortalized in a different ornament to display on the tree. In fact, the only ornaments that were the traditional round globe kind were five red ones, each with a name on them written in white script: Mark. Kristen. Jacob. Cassandra. Shelby. One for each Wright, to hang wherever they wanted so long as it could be seen from the front of the magnificent tree. Cassie had gotten Erin and Yukito their very own version of those red globe ornaments--Yukito's she had even had to order specially.

A perfect Christmas.

"There," came Yukito's voice, interrupting her thoughts and making her look up to see the angel smiling serenely down at her from the top of the tree. "I like her...What now?"

"Uh, lights," Cassie said quietly, holding up several strands. "Do you want multi-colored, or clear? We always do clear, it's classic, but I like a little bit of color. Doesn't matter to me, whatever we don't use on the tree can go around windows and doors or whatever. And I'll teach you how to string them up. It's pretty easy once you know what you're doing."

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Um...I don't suppose you have, like, a ladder or something, so we could get her up there? Cassie asked, indicating the setting of the angel atop the tree. Yukito's face fell. "Or a chair to stand on or something? Because I can't reach...Maybe we let my brother leave too early...Whoops."

"I can get her up there. I'm not that short, gosh..."

"I wasn't saying you were," Cassie said with a frown, opening up a package of clear Christmas lights. "I was saying I am."

He stared at her for a moment, unsure of how to respond. She kept digging through the Christmas lights, not looking up. Somehow, he'd done it again and won first prize for Guy Who Can Insult The Most In Ten Words Or Less. "I'll go get a chair," he muttered at last, unsure of how to make amends. Cassie didn't say anything. The silence continued until he stepped back from the tree, the angel now aloft. "There. I like her...What now?"

"Uh, lights," Cassie said quietly, holding up several strands. "Do you want multi-colored, or clear? We always do clear, it's classic, but I like a little bit of color. Doesn't matter to me, whatever we don't use on the tree can go around windows and doors or whatever. And I'll teach you how to string them up. It's pretty easy once you know what you're doing."

Yukito looked a little lost for a moment, unsure what Erin would want on the tree. "Uhh... I dunno if she wants colored or not. Whatever we don't use she probably wants in the bedroom, though. So she can see them when she goes to sleep or something..." It sounded kind of ridiculous and overtly-romantic when he said it like that, so he tried to shrug it off. Literally. "What do you think?"

"And Cassie?" he started, reaching out for a string of lights, "I don't know what I said, but.. it probably didn't come out how I meant it." After a pause, he sent her a sad smile. "I'll let you hit me, if you want to...?"

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

"I can get her up there. I'm not that short, gosh..." Yukito protested stubbornly, obviously offended. Cassie felt like kicking herself for her stupid comment. She had forgotten just how sensitive and insecure Yukito could be, especially about his height. I didn't mean to...but come on! You've easily got three inches on me, you're not that short...and it's just a number! I'm not trying to insult you by making an observation... She looked away, picking up the nearest package of Christmas lights and tearing it open as a way to distract herself. "I wasn't saying you were," she said softly, trying to make amends any way she could. "I was saying I am."

There was a pause, and Cassie could feel Yukito's eyes boring a hole in the back of her head as he stared at her. She didn't look up, staying focused on opening up and unwinding the many strands of Christmas lights she'd gotten them. She had taken every one of their instructions to heart about the billions of lights and tinsel to get. Every one. With the exception of the Christmas Cake, which Cassie still had no idea what exactly it was. I hope they don't mind...

"I'll go get a chair," Yukito said finally. Within the span of a few minutes, the angel was looking down at them from the top of the tree, heavenly eyes peering down at Cassie's forlorn form among the boxes. "There. I like her...What now?"

"Uh, lights. Do you want multi-colored, or clear? We always do clear, it's classic, but I like a little bit of color. Doesn't matter to me, whatever we don't use on the tree can go around windows and doors or whatever. And I'll teach you how to string them up. It's pretty easy once you know what you're doing." If you're not mad at me, that is.

"Uhh... I dunno if she wants colored or not. Whatever we don't use she probably wants in the bedroom, though." At this, Cassie blushed vividly and hid her face among the lights once again. "Just one bedroom..." she murmured, half a question. "So she can see them when she goes to sleep or something...What do you think?"

"Um..." Cassie said, clearly flustered. "Let's go with clear on the tree then so y'all can have colored lights in the...the bedroom...yeah." She looked down at the sizeable pile she had in her lap, then walked over and connected the plug at the base of the angel onto the nearest strand. "I'm gonna drape it along the tree starting from the top down, okay? You stand on the other side so you can catch it when I throw it to you so we can put it on the other side. We should have them up in no time."

"And Cassie? I don't know what I said, but.. it probably didn't come out how I meant it. I'll let you hit me, if you want to...?"

Cassie shook her head. "I'm fine. Really. Just...this is weird for me." Especially since you're getting the Christmas that I wanted for myself this year.

[Elda Forever]

Yukito Maki

"Uh, lights. Do you want multi-colored, or clear? We always do clear, it's classic, but I like a little bit of color. Doesn't matter to me, whatever we don't use on the tree can go around windows and doors or whatever. And I'll teach you how to string them up. It's pretty easy once you know what you're doing."

He had a blank moment, with absolutely no idea. "Uhh... I dunno if she wants colored or not. Whatever we don't use she probably wants in the bedroom, though. So she can see them when she goes to sleep or something...What do you think?"

"Um..." Cassie said, clearly flustered. He looked over at her in askance, unsure when the blush had started on her cheeks. "Let's go with clear on the tree then so y'all can have colored lights in the...the bedroom...yeah."

Yukito blinked. Then felt the heat rise to his own face. "Cass..." His own voice trailed off from the explanation. Why did he want so badly to make it clear that it wasn't that kind of a 'living together' like it seemed? It would just be more embarrassing to explain the hows and whys, even if Cassie understood more than most. He didn't even know her that well, really. Yukito looked over at her, staring for a moment at the pile of entangled cord in her lap. She moved to connected the angel to her strange of lights.

"I'm gonna drape it along the tree starting from the top down, okay? You stand on the other side so you can catch it when I throw it to you so we can put it on the other side. We should have them up in no time."

He took a step toward her, his hands in his pockets. He didn't reach out to touch her shoulder and stop her, but he gazed evenly into her face. "It's not like that, you know. It can't be. Just having her around, and knowing she might touch me in the wrong way... it's hard enough for me." He shrugged, turning away from her and taking a stance at the other side of the tree, waiting for the string of lights to come his way. "Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin this for us." A shrug. "And Cassie? I don't know what I said, but.. it probably didn't come out how I meant it. I'll let you hit me, if you want to..." The offer was partially in jest, but it wasn't taken that way by either of them.

Cassie shook her head. "I'm fine. Really. Just...this is weird for me."

For a moment, Yukito didn't say anything, taking the lights and wrapping them around the tree, ignoring the pokes and prods of the needles. Then, he blurted out, "Why? Why is it weird and awkward all the time, I wonder? Seems like nothing is ever as easy as it sounds."

[The Phantom of Paris]

Cassandra "Cassie" Wright

Cassie's cheeks were now so warm due to embarassment she was surprised it wasn't giving her third-degree burns. She was almost regretting even coming over at all, jumping headfirst into this pool of awkwardness. "I'm gonna drape it along the tree starting from the top down, okay?" she told him, taking the lights in her hand and connecting them to the angel so she would be lit up as well, trying to focus on the tasks at hand so she wouldn't get distracted by the other things she now had to deal with. You stand on the other side so you can catch it when I throw it to you so we can put it on the other side. We should have them up in no time."

"It's not like that, you know," Yukito said seriously, not following her instructions at all. In fact, his explanation was quite frankly the opposite of what Cassie wanted to hear at that moment. Can't you see that it's one of those things where I need as little information as possible? That's all I want--to know nothing. Because I don't think I can handle knowing any details about this right now.

"It can't be. Just having her around, and knowing she might touch me in the wrong way... it's hard enough for me. Besides, I wouldn't want to ruin this for us."

Cassie stared. "So you mean...you guys haven't done it?"

The question burst forth from her mouth before she could stop it. Immediately she clapped a hand over her mouth, her face turning even more red than before. "Oh, God. I am so sorry. I didn't mean to say that...at all...I'm so sorry. It's just...everyone at school is..." Shut up! NOW! "I should never have said anything in the first place...I'm sorry, Yukito. If I could remember it in Japanese I would say it..." She looked down, twisting a strand of lights so tightly around her finger it threatened to cut off her circulation.

"And Cassie? I don't know what I said, but.. it probably didn't come out how I meant it. I'll let you hit me, if you want to..."

"I'm fine. Really. Just...this is weird for me."

It grew quiet then, both of them apparently deciding work was the best thing right now. Together, they got the lights around the top portion of the tree before Yukito suddenly said, "Why? Why is it weird and awkward all the time, I wonder? Seems like nothing is ever as easy as it sounds."

"Well," Cassie began quietly, "first...you can't really blame anyone for thinking that. It kinda goes hand in hand with living together, that's what everyone's gonna assume. But it's also awkward because we kissed. And because I don't even know if you've told Erin yet."