My Diggy Diggy One Shots

Christmas Time (2)

TW: Sjips - it's similar to the last one but this one is happy because I thought Sjin deserved to be happy. Also I wrote this in less than two hours so apologies!

The Laughing Demon is full of friends both old and new, a pleasant escape for anyone from the the bitter cold outside. The demon the bar is named after watches angrily from behind reinforced glass. Ravs and MintyMinute take turns playing bartender as Xephos and I run around playing host. In between chatting up guests and making sure we have enough of everything, there is little time to think about the statue out front, all alone.

It was Xephos' idea to throw a party on Christmas. I wasn't too keen on it right away, but Xeph brought up how good it would be for business and the farm, eventually talking me into it. We've been preparing this for weeks now: Xephos making and sending invitations to everyone, myself preparing food, calling up Ravs and Minty to see if they would offer their services, Xephos making sure everyone knew it was a war-free, weapon-free zone.. We even went so far as to call in a favor from Ridge, who made the farm 'Peaceful' for twenty-four hours.

Once everyone seems settled and content for the time being, I sit down at the bar and order one of Ravs' special brews. Lalna comes and joins me, raising his glass. "Building looks nice," He smiles.

We both turn around, our backs to the bar so we can look around at the architecture. "Yea, took me a long time. How's your Panda Labs or whatever doing?"

We make idle small chat for a while, finishing off a few more glasses in the process. "Jeez, I don't think I've ever seen anyone besides myself or Rythian drink so much of this," Ravs comments, pouring me another glass of his home brew.

"Oh yea? What ever happened to him? He and Zoeya ever get together?"

"I'm not really sure, if I'm honest. After the nuke went off," He glares at Lalna who throws his hands up in a 'what did I do?'way. Ravs shakes his head and continues. "They moved out to this place in the desert. He pretty much never left her side after that. They left some time ago and never came back. 'm not sure where they went."

"How strange," Lalna rests his chin in his hand, his brow furrowed. "I wonder where they've gone."

Ravs shrugs. "Beats me."

While they continue to ponder over where the trio could've disappeared to, I turn around and look around the room.

Seeing everybody with someone else, the HAT boys sitting on the couch being their loud, obnoxious selves, Lomadia and Nilesy sitting with Nano, laughing and cheering about Notch knows what, a small dwarf laying passed out at one of the tables, his blue-eyed spaceman trying unsuccessfully to wake him, Parvis curled up under Strife's arm as they talk about whatever it is a blood mage and CEO could talk about.. With the exception of Lalna sitting next to me instead of sitting with his apprentice Nano, everyone has someone who they can call theirs. Even Rythian had -has - Zoey.

While it's Christmas and we're supposed to be having fun, I can't help but wonder what it would be like to have Sips next to me, responsive and /warm/..

Quickly blinking away the tears that cloud my vision, I look around the room to see if anyone notices. Doing that only makes me sadder, especially when I see Parvis lean up and kiss Strife on the cheek, the tips of the alien's ears going green with embarrassment but smiling despite himself none the less.

Knowing that if I stay here any longer I won't be able to contain the flow of tears that are coming and not wanting to make a scene, I walk as casually as I can to the doors. Xephos is now standing on a table trying to get everyone's attention. Quickly throwing on my jacket and pulling a hat down to cover my ears, I hope it's nothing important. Sliding on my boots, I quickly glance around the bar to make sure no one has noticed my leaving, quietly slipping out the door.

Snow lightly falls, a light breeze making it cold but not unbearably so. The light from the Laughing Demon only reaches so far, christmas lights that are scattered around the farm lighting up the way as I make my way to the front of the farmhouse.

The blanket I draped around Sips' shoulders is still there, snow lightly covering the cart. Climbing up onto the cart, shivering at how cold the wood is, I lean against Sips.

Tears slowly pool in my eyes and instead of wiping them away I let them fall, thinking back to when I went to visit Sips for Christmas after having left to start up my first farm. How much fun we had, building forts, snowball fights..

"Do you remember that, Sips? Do you remember the year I came to visit for Christmas, and the factory was kinda falling apart but we were together? Or when we went over to Honeydinc and got so drunk we were standing on the table singing?" My heart lurches as I remember the song we recorded.

"Do you remember that song, Sipsy?" I ask quietly. "It's okay if you don't. I can sing it, if you want?"

I wait for an answer that will never come. Quietly, with tears still rolling down my cheeks and my voice breaking, I start to sing: "Pool boys in the interview chamber choir, / Were singing 'Sips Co, Hooray!' / And the dirt was shipping out, / For Christmas day....."

I start openly sobbing, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around my legs. Someone moves next to me and then there are arms wrapped around me, lips being pressed to my cheek.

Jumping and trying to push this person off of me, I freeze as soon as my eyes land on the figure. "S.. Sips?"

He's kneeling on the ground, his arms still open and raised, a smile on his face despite the tears that fall down his face. "Hey why're ya cryin', ya big jabroni?"

I throw myself at him, knocking him over so I'm laying on top of him. "Oh my god /Sips/!"

"Woah jeez Sjin, I missed you too." We move into a sitting position, Sips leaning against the wall of the cart with me in his lap, my head in the crook of his neck. Sips has one arm wrapped around my waist, his other hand up tangled in my hair.

I continue crying, wondering if I drank too much and passed out and this is all some dream I'm going to wake up from any minute.

"Shh, Sjin. It's alright. I'm not going anywhere."

"Like hell you aren't," I pull back to look at him, running my hands across his face. He pulls me forward and our lips meet, both of us smiling into the kiss.

I pull back, unable to keep the smile off my face. "What are you- Why- how?"

"I think you have some explaining to do, Xeph," Ridge's voice causes both of us to jump, Sips' grip tightening ever so slightly.

Both the demi-god and man in question stand (or float) a few feet away from the cart, smiling. "Aw it was supposed to be a surprise!"

"Wait what?" I frown at my farmhand, turn back to look at Sips. "You- what?"

"We were going to surprise you," Xephos says. I turn to look at the spaceman. "Ridge figured out a way to unfreeze him a few days-"

"A few days? A few days?"

"Sjin, hey," Sips puts a hand on my cheek and turns my head so I'm looking at him. "It was my idea."

"We were going to do it sooner," Xeph cuts in, "but with how much work we put into this party I decided to wait until after it was over to tell you."

With a protest from Sips I get up and jump off the cart, nearly falling face-first onto the ground, throwing my arms around Xephos. "Woah," He laughs, backpedaling to keep us from falling over.

"Thank you!" I pull back and grin at him before turning to Ridge, who holds hands up to keep me from running at him.

"You can thank me by giving Xeph some time off," He flies over and lowers himself, putting a hand on Xeph's shoulder.

Sips appears next to me, putting an arm around my waist. "You can have all the time you need. Sjin's taking a break too."