There's No Treat Only Trick!

A Gift That Is Treasured

"We already know where this is headed." :)

A/N: Honey, you got a big storm coming :D

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A week later, Jacque looks up over the display-case of cameras she's been window shopping for and finds Inasan and Minato huddled together across the table, staring at her.

Jacque blinks at them. They blink back in unison, which is creepy and unnerving, no matter how lovely they both look in their coats and leather shoes and slow-brimming smiles.

"Did Takizaki send you?" Jacque asks, crossing her arms.

Their smiles spread, bright and scheming. "Nope," Minato answers, coming around the table, Inasan attached to his hip. "Of course not. We followed you on our own."

Jacque frowns. "Why?"

"To find out what stores you like," Inasan says cheerily, immediately reaching out to Jacque when she's close enough to touch. Jacque flinches, uncertain of what's happening, but Inasan just presses forward to rewrap Jacque's scarf, which was starting to droop off her shoulders.

"Oh. Thank you. Why?" She asks again, and Inasan looks up at her. Jacque can hardly see past her heavy and long eyelashes that throw her already dark eyes into shadow.

"To find out what things you like," Inasan answers, her fingers dragging over Jacque's collarbone as she steps away to return to Minato's side.

Jacque feels like screeching in the middle of this department store. "Okay, but why?"

"So we don't have to guess what to buy you for Christmas," Minato pipes in, rolling his eyes. "Duh."

Jacque nearly chokes. "You're not buying anything for me for Christmas."

"We aren't?" Minato frowns.

"Why not?" Inasan asks, equally pouty.

"Because I told Takizaki that he wasn't allowed to buy things for me anymore," Jacque tells them.

Minato and Inasan glance sidelong at each other. Minato gives an exaggerated shrug. Inasan's eyebrows have a life of their own as they dance on her brow. "He's not, though," Inasan finally says, twisting back to Jacque, who has taken to picking at the fraying edge of her coat sleeve while they did... whatever it was they were doing. " We're buying you things. Do you like that camera? You've been staring at it for a long time."

Jacque squeezes her eyes shut. "No."

"No you don't like the camera?"

"No, I like the camera-That's not-" Jacque rubs at a tense spot over her brow. "No, I mean no , you're not buying anything for me."

"Why not?"

Jacque opens her eyes to the sight of absolute, genuine confusion. "Because we don't know each other that well?" She says, and Inasan and Minato's heads lag to the side, questioning. "Because you don't owe me anything? Because that camera is over a million won?"

Minato doesn't budge. He has a lovely face, all compassionate and determined and thoughtful. "Well. What would be an appropriate gift for people who don't know each other well, who don't owe anything to each other, and that costs less than a million won?"

"Uhm, I don't know," Jacque says, brow creased. "A Starbucks gift card? A desk plant?"

Inasan sniffs. "Those are very impersonal."