Generation Antihero - Shorts

Decorate your ass with it!

Koi had only gone to the kitchen to grab a bowl of peanuts. When he came back to the main hall, he stopped in his tracks, confused by the sight of Zigz hanging fairy lights. "What are you doing...?", he asked skeptically. From the top of the ladder, Zigz grinned down at him: "Well, it’s the nineteenth of December". Startled, Koi checked his phone: "Oh right, it’s Arrow’s birthday". "Don’t think I’d decorate the entire hideout just for him. Christmas is in a few days", Zigz said, returning to untangling the lights. Koi’s expression dropped: "Oh no. Are we seriously celebrating this every year now?". "Don’t be such a grinch. Just deal with it", came the blunt reply. Huffing, Koi dropped into his hiding hole: "I ain’t doing shit".

From the stairs above, Shark came down holding an axe. Ilus followed him toward the exit door: "You sure you want to head out into the forest alone? Will you find your way back?". Shark nodded and stepped outside to go chop down a Christmas tree. Ilus turned to Zigz: "How’s it going?". "Pretty well. So far, I’ve only smashed my thumb twice", Zigz said, waving the hammer around. "Don’t kill yourself now. You almost made it through the nine months", Ilus teased. With a wide smile, Zigz beamed: "You have no idea how excited and happy I am". Ilus nodded: "Keep going".

Henry came downstairs carrying a huge box of decorations, barely able to see the steps. It was only a matter of time before he slipped, but Ilus reacted fast enough to catch both him and the box. Bashfully, Henry smirked: "Thank you...". Ilus gently kissed his forehead and whispered: "Be careful". Below them, they heard Koi gag loudly. Ilus growled: "What’s your problem now?". "Oh, Christmas. The holiday of love", Koi grumbled, dragging out the last word with disgust before pulling a blanket over his head. Lucky leaned on the stair's railing, tilting his head: "Japanese people celebrate Christmas a little differently. Leave him be". Shota had a different take, dancing into the main hall with tinsel draped around his neck: "One can adapt to traditions~ We don’t have this much glitter back home". Henry was curious: "How do you celebrate Christmas in Japan then?". "Not with family or friends. Just you, your lover and chicken", Shota said with a grin. Even Zigz raised an eyebrow: "Chicken?".

There was a knock on one of the windows. Wrapped in a scarf and mittens, Dexter waved from outside. Henry lit up and hurried to open the door for him. With bags full of presents, Dexter raised his arms and sang out loud: "Merry Christmas~!". Henry hugged him: "Not quite yet. But I’m so glad you made it". "The airports in Russia really don’t give a damn", Dexter shrugged, then stepped toward Ilus, "Hi, and happy Christmas time to you, too. Also, thanks for the travel recommendation. Even my parents were surprised by the unusual destination. Like, we've seen St. Petersburg before, but the spots you told us? Gorgeous". Ilus hugged him as well: "Same goes for you. I’m really glad to hear that". As they let go, Dexter looked around: "Where’s the tree? I need to store these properly". He motioned to his overloaded bags. "Shark just went out to get one", Ilus explained, "You might want to follow him, make sure he doesn’t get lost. Plus, you’ll get to see him sooner again". "Good idea. Most of the presents are for Spencer, Henry, and you anyway. No peeking, alrighty?", he grinned, then vanished back into the cold.

From the side room, Arrow appeared with wide eyes: "What’s going on here?". Zigz rejoiced: "Christmas". "Ohohoho", Arrow chuckled, rubbing his hands together, "Then surely you’ve bought appropriate food, right?". Ilus hadn’t forgotten: "Not yet. But it’s your birthday today. If you want, you can wish for something specific. Teddy and I were planning to go grocery shopping later". Arrow’s grin turned into a hopeful plea: "Huh... Yule log and cookies?". Henry smirked: "We’ll bake cookies together later, but I’m pretty sure we can find you a yule log".

Lucky passed by, and Arrow quickly ducked behind Henry, acting innocent: "I swear, I’m not eating that much anymore". Lucky rolled his eyes: "Still don’t give a single fuck about your weight". Then he turned to Ilus: "I’ll be out for about twenty minutes. Is that alright?". "As long as you’re back for work", Ilus nodded. Shota, deep in thought, watched Lucky leave. Arrow whispered: "I thought you were only into older- oh, shit". "Not so fast", Shota cut him off, "I don’t wanna date him. Or you. But I do feel like Lucky’s up to something". Ilus shrugged it off: "As long as he doesn’t set us on fire, it’s not my problem".

Zigz climbed down the ladder, catching his breath: “That was one of the last ones”. Ilus glanced around: “You hung everything outside already?”. “Even the decorations on the roof. Only the stair’s handrail left”, Zigz said, nodding proudly. From his hiding spot, Koi muttered: “If any knick-knack falls onto my workspace, I’m gonna rage”. Henry sighed, headed to the kitchen, and returned five minutes later with a mug of hot chocolate topped with marshmallows. Even Koi, the biggest Christmas hater, couldn’t resist the sweet comfort. He peeked from beneath his blanket, eyeing the mug. Meekly, he said: “Thanks”. Henry smiled softly: “Listen, you don’t have to stress about this. If you don’t want to celebrate, that’s totally fine. No ornaments, no presents you have to worry about. But... will you join us for dinner on the twenty-fifth?”. The grinch grumbled: “I’ll think about it”.

Back at Ilus’ desk, Shota leaned on it with a sigh: “He just can’t get used to everything being about family and friends here. If you’ve had a girlfriend every Christmas, and then suddenly don’t... it’s too hard for him”. Ilus nodded in understanding: “Considering each relationship ended disappointing him, a lover wouldn’t really help now, either”. Henry sulked: “It’s just a shame. I’m used to sitting down with all your loved ones around this time. Sure, I’m one to talk now, but really, you don’t need a partner for this holiday”. Shota shook his head: “You’re right, I agree. It’s really about seeing that there are people who love and care for you. Even if I don’t have that here, I still adore all these colors”. Arrow shrugged and dropped onto the couch next to Koi: “Yeah, I don’t care much for Christmas either. Oi mate, up for a round of Smash?”. For that, the grinch was much more open.

Half an hour later, everyone was back in the hideout for their usual business. Shark and Dexter were the last to enter. Dexter carried the axe while Shark pulled the tree inside. Meanwhile, Zigz, having finished decorating, tried to warn them: “You should enter seper-”. Shark cut him off, turning around with a strained look: “Huh?”. Dexter tilted his head, curious: “Why?”. Henry chimed in with a judging tone: “Brilliant idea to hang a mistletoe right above our main entrance”. Zigz pouted defensively: “We don’t have many doors here. Should I have hung it above the community bathroom with all the toilets? So romantic”.

Dexter laughed at Shark’s clueless stare. Shrugging it off, Shark carried the tree further inside, mumbling: “Forgot what that was”. Ilus turned to Henry: “Teddy, want to come to the kitchen with me for a glass of water?”. Smirking, Henry grabbed Ilus’ head and kissed him like that. When he pulled away, he nudged Ilus’ side: “Last year, you put up a warning sign for that thing”. Playfully, Ilus rolled his eyes and laid down a new rule for everyone: “This tradition will please be ignored whenever multiple people need to leave through that door for a mission. Speaking of which, shift starts in fifteen minutes. Get your stuff ready. Y’all know the drill”.