docholligay:

A really short, dumb, AU of Mystery and Shadow Christmas thing, to cheer up @keyofjetwolf 968 words. 

The fire crackled and popped, and Rei could not help but look over at the shades of red and orange, where she had seen the future so many times as it descended upon them, and now saw nothing.

It wasn’t quite nothing, she supposed. She and Michiru had shared that, in quiet murmurs inside dark wine bars, that everyone had lost what it was that made them Senshi, and yet, still sometimes Rei knew the phone would ring before it did, or what the special would be in her company cafeteria, or a thousand little things she could not possibly know. We have not lost it all, I suppose, Michiru had said. But that wasn’t right either.

It was just that the spark of Sight was something of theirs, enhanced by being a Senshi but not the cause of it. She held that close, that something special about her was all her own.

However, sometimes, it made Christmas a bit anti-climactic.

But she beamed at the gift all the same, a large picture of Kimi, M.A. and Rei, leaning up against a fence at the zoo. Rei remembered that day, the way the sun warmed the dark cascade of her hair, Kimi’s giggle as the seals did all their tricks for their handlers, the crisp snap of the chocolate-dipped ice cream bar in her mouth.

“It’s big so you can see it, Aunt Rei!” M.A. spilled out in her free and unrestricted way.

“M.A..” Michiru chided gently.

“Shhhh,” Mina stage whispered, “she doesn’t know she’s half-blind.” A tightly-packed ball of wrapping paper struck her in the face, and she laughed and turned to Haruka, “Hey,” she pointed at her, “Any minute now, I’ll tell you you’re crippled and crush your soul.”

“What???” Haruka’s eyes widened in mock horror. “But I just ran 3 miles this morning!”

“Oh stop it, the both of you.” Michiru playfully swatted Haruka’s shoulder.

Rei brought the frame close to her face and studied the bits of gold leaf painted on the edge of it in wobbling lines, the rhinestone hearts, the wooden letters, glued on the bottom, spelling out, ‘WE heart YOU AUNT REI’

“The girls decorated it all themselves,” Michiru touched the top of M.A.’s head lovingly, “I think they did a rather exquisite job.”

“Papa put on the letters.” Kimi added quietly.

Haruka put her arm around Kimi. “Only because you’re too little for hot glue.”

“Do you like it?” Kimi leaned forward, nervous that somehow she might have failed at Christmas.

“Of course she likes it, Kimi!” She knitted her eyebrows in irritation at her meek sister. “Why wouldn’t she?”

Rei smiled at Kimi. “Come here.”

Kimi slipped off the couch next to Haruka, carefully picking up her blanket as she left, as Mina padded into the kitchen in her thick new slippers.

Michiru took the opportunity to move, sneaking in behind Haruka’s back and putting her arms around her, kissing the top of her head.

Haruka nuzzled softly into Michiru’s neck. “Excuse me, madam, you’re in my personal space.”

“Oh?” She closed her eyes and leaned her cheek against Haruka’s forehead. “My mistake. I shall remove myself immediately.”

“Well, I didn’t say that. You just might have to pay the rent in kisses.”

“Ew, gross.” M.A. stuck out her tongue and jumped off the end of the couch, scampering toward the wooden train set in the corner, with its freshly painted details in the little town that Haruka had spent hours creating, declaring the flat colors it had some with not good enough for her girls.

Kimi sleepily crawled up into the chair with Rei, pulling at her sleeve and depositing herself neatly beside her, curling up into her side.

“Aunt Rei?”

“Mmm-hmm?” She drew Kimi into her lap.

“Do you really like it?” She lay her head on Rei’s shoulder.

“Kimi, I love it, I’m going to hang it in my office first thing. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.” In way, she thought, it was the truest thing she’d ever said.

Mina walked back into the living room with a platter full of hot chocolates, extending one to Rei. “I can’t wait to see your vice-president stare at it during meetings.”

“He’ll fall over himself to compliment it.” She took the hot chocolate, and sipped a bit off the top. “What did you put in this?”

Mina dramatically bowed, still balancing the platter gracefully. Rei hated to admit it, but even after all these years, she held an appreciation of Mina’s catlike fluidity of motion.

“Fireball for my fireball,” she winked at Rei, who sighed, and then set a mug down next to Haruka, “Basic peppermint for my basic b–” she looked over at M.A. in the corner, “buddy,” she set another mug down next to it, “and Grand Marnier Cuvee for those of us who can’t drink anything that costs less than 20 dollars a glass.”

“Well,” Michiru smiled picked up the mug, with it’s elegant gold rim, “we are what we eat, so they say.”

“You’d think Haruka’d be a little classier, if you know what I mean.” She smirked as Haruka blushed heavily, scowling.

The sounds of Mina and Michiru’s sniping, more playful than it had ever been back in their military days, faded against the gentle crackle of the fire again, Haruka and Michiru snuggled warmly on the couch, soft and quiet and happy. M.A. played in the corner, and Mina knelt beside her, the two of them chattering about mock worlds. Kimi shifted against Rei, falling asleep, and Rei held her close as she stared back into the soothing warmth of the fire.

The future wasn’t in the fire now, not the way it had been. It didn’t need to be.

She was happy enough to simply warm the present.