Private Merry Memories

[Luthien]

The light filtering into the room had finally caused her to stir from her slumber, a soft yawn escaping the girl before she became conscious of the arms wrapped around her. Amber eyes shifted to look at the man still sleeping beside her, a soft smile pulling at her lips before she carefully raised a hand towards his face. Fingers brushed the black hair gently just before her lips pressed against his forehead tenderly.

"Merry christmas, Ari—"
"WAKE THE FUCK UP BUT WITHOUT THE FUCK, YOU TWO ALREADY MADE A FAMILY LAST NIGHT. IT'S CHRISTMAS."

What would’ve been a sweet moment was soon shattered as loud banging echoed through the room as the gremlin outside knocked on their door with a purpose, causing the girl’s heart to instantly race before a burning sensation colored her cheeks.

"Val get your LATINA ASS UP, OR I'LL SHOVE MY BOOT DEEP ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SMELL THE SHOE POLISH OUT OF IT."

The banging continued a few more times for good measure, the pinkett ensuring the couple had indeed woken up, and the grumbling gremlin noises from the other side of the door caused Val to bury her face against Ari’s chest—the tip of her ears currently blazing as the girl was consumed by a wave of embarrassment. "W-We should probably hurry up, before she finds a way to bust the door down." Loathed as she was to get out of bed the girl eventually managed to pry herself away from Ari’s embrace and the comfort of the sheets, looking around her suitcase for a set of pajamas she could wear, before finally cracking open the door just enough to glance at the angry pinkett on the other side.

"H-Hey Nico," she stuttered, an apologetic grin shot at the pinkett as the girl stepped out of the room—a hand quietly fiddling with the ends of her hair as she refused to meet the woman gaze with her own eyes. "... Merry C-Christmas?"

@Yugam | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Once Val opened the door, she would be greeted by the sight of messy pink locks, a camisole and undies, aswell as her barefoot lifted, aiming exactly to center mass of the door before some gremlin showed up. Surprise struck the ferocity within her expression at the sight of the blonde, dropping her leg back down to the ground as she folded her arms against her chest.

"H-Hey Nico... Merry c-christmas?"
"HM." She huffed, dagger stare all over her friend, mixed in between apologizing and grinning like the goblin she is. "Bitch," Taking a step forward, the pinkette wrapped her up on a gorilla hug. "Merry christmas." The salt still flowed through her voice, yet instead of aiming it at Val, the moment their hug broke she tilted to the side to try and get a peek out of the owner of the apartment.

"HEY SHITHEAD, I'M TALKING TO YOU TOO." She pushed past Valeria, like the unstoppable pink force she is, without a care if the man is sleeping, naked, both at once, or neither, with the same energy from last night that almost had her spit all over the place with every word she said. "First, merry christmas. Second, fuck you. Third, make me and Val some coffee. Else I'll tell her about your doll collection." Maybe he would be sleepy enough to fall for that, maybe he gets nerveous and gives Nico some leverage, it didn't matter so long as it got a reaction out of him, and thus, got his ass out of the bed.

@Luthien @Yugam

 

[Yugam]

Ari was roused from sleep by the feeling of soft lips pressing themselves to his forehead. A small smile formed on the man's face as he slowly opened his eyes to a quiet "Merry christmas, Ari—"
"WAKE THE FUCK UP-"

Ari bolted upright as the loud shouting came through the door, the man turning and reach into his nightstand for something and Valeria buried her face in his chest. "W-We should probably hurry up, before she finds a way to bust the door down."

The sound of a metallic click as Ari let the pressure off the trigger was almost inaudible as Ari glared at Nico through the door, already able to envision her preparing to kick his door down. "I almost fuckin' shot you!" Ari shouted back at the girl through the door, an annoyed look on his face even though Nico couldn't see it.

Whilst Val got up and dressed to finally answer the door, Ari collapsed back onto his bed with a groan. "I'm gonna kill her one day, I swear to god," he sighed.

The man sat up in the bed as Val opened the door and greeted Nico. "HM. Bitch, Merry Christmas." She was hungry. "HEY SHITHEAD, I'M TALKING TO YOU TOO," Nico shouted as she pushed past Val.
"You're gonna wake the neighbors," Ari warned her.
"First, merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas, Nico."
"Second, fuck you."
"You already did."
"Third, make me and Val some coffee. Else I'll tell her about your doll collection."
Ari stared at her with a deadpan look before lifting and waving the pistol in his hand around. "I'm still holding a gun, ya know." The man sighed and then shook his head. "Alright, get the fuck out so I can get dressed and I'll make some breakfast."

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

She’d felt him shift just as the girl buried her face in his chest, listening as one hand reached for the drawer of his nightstand before a familiar click! sound drifted through the air.

"Ari…!" His name left her lips in a surprised gasp as the girl looked up, spotting the gun on the man’s hand, before the initial shock quickly waned as the overall situation dawned into her mind. "Stop, that’s just Nico!"

A relieved sigh left her lungs as his finger let the pressure off the trigger, shaking her head softly before dragging herself out of the bed.

With the crisis averted, and now finally dressed, Valeria had been the first to reach the door as she pulled it open—catching the pink gremlin red-footed as a moment of silence stretched between them, Val staring at the raised foot that Nico had been seconds away from forcibly stomping against the wooden surface. Surprise had crossed those bright blue eyes before the Italian had finally lowered it back onto the floor, arms crossed over her chest as she huffed a small insult back.

For a split second the blonde had thought that the woman was still pissed at her, though her worries were assuaged soon after as Nico pulled her into a gorilla hug. "Merry christmas." If Nico’s voice was any indication the blonde knew she wasn’t quite out of the woods yet, but even then Valeria couldn’t help a light chuckle as her arms wrapped around the pinkett to return the offered affection.

Said chuckle soon turned into a full laughter when Nico danced out of her grasp and into the man’s room, the gremlin noises back in full force as the two bantered back and forth. "No wonder Theo locked you both in a room back in Japan," her head shook gently before a hand reached for Nico’s, tugging on it lightly as she led the pinkett out of the room.

"We can get breakfast goin' while you get dressed, but I do want some of your coffee~"

A cheeky little grin was given to her boyfriend as Val led Nico out the door, her attention turning to the pinkett then as Val made her way to the bathroom. "What do you want for breakfast, Nico? Get the stuff out and I’ll make it." Her voice called out just before she excused herself for a brief moment and closed the door., the sound of running water echoing a few moments later as the girl brushed her teeth and washed her face, before finally rejoining the gremlin in the kitchen.

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

The ruckus happening past the door remains an enigma, but given Luth gasping his name out and how he screamed about shooting her through the door, Nico rised an eyebrow and got herself closer to the door, just seconds away from kicking it down, or attempt to at least.

"I AlMOsT FucKiNG ShOt YoU." She mocked on her worst impression of Ari's voice. If he has time to say that, then clearly he got time to think twice before shooting, explaining why she is still alive. The fact death was inches of her face right now didn't go unnoticed by her body, practically frozen in delayed response to it. Times changed. Months ago, she didn't have something to lose. Friendship and love filled in the gap that triggered self-preservation.

It was pretty easy to hide it when yellow gremlin showed up and reminded her of the other shots fired out from Ari's sidearm last night, but what's worse was the audacity of her partner to just get all cool and casual, instead of acting salty like she expected him to.

"You already did."
"No wonder Theo locked you both in a room back in Japan,"
"Damn fucking right I did, and I won. Val, don't trust a word of what he says, I won, got it? Don't even ask. Just say yes." She turned back to her friend once her hand was taken hold of, giving a stare back to Ari and a 'Im watching you' gesture from her left hand. "You heard the lady, get your ass up."
"I'm still holding a gun, ya know."
"And you know what you can do with it? You can shove it up YOUR GOD. DAMN-" Her voice cut off right as Blondie managed to drag her out of the room and to the kitchen. Partially because of breakfast, the word alone triggering a grumble out of her bowels. Nico smiled, reaching by the tip of her toes to the shelves above to grab a box. A box of frosted flakes.

"Frosted flakes. Milk. And Fuckboy's coffee. What do you want? I'll help ya' find it. I think I memorized where this guy leaves everything by now."

@Yugam | @Luthien

 

[Yugam]

"No wonder Theo locked you both in a room back in Japan,"
"Pretty sure he just didn't wanna hear us bicker anymore."
"Damn fucking right I did, and I won." Ari rolled his Nico continued to ramble on and on, still in denial. She'd never admit what really happened, not that Ari cared. Or at least, so long as she didn't imply he was impotent or something. Which she always seemed to be leaning towards anyways.

Thankfully Val's level head managed to calm them both down before Ari's bedroom became a crimescene. "We can get breakfast goin' while you get dressed, but I do want some of your coffee~"
"You got it," the man nodded as the pair left the room and shut the door behind them. Ari got up from his bed, going to his closet and pulling out some clothes before going towards the bathroom just as Val exited. "What coffee do you guys want?" Ari called into the kitchen as he went to go brush his teeth as well.

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

Soon as she stepped into the kitchen area Val witnessed the pink gremlin reaching for the large box of Frosted Flakes, the pointing and grinning mascot hard to miss and causing the girl to raise one eyebrow in response. "You sure about having just that, Nico?" No hate about it, Valeria herself had enjoyed a lot of different cereals growing up, but those were a fucking sugar bomb on a bowl… a part of her could only hope the present she’d gotten Nico would keep the girl busy later int he day, for Ari’s sake.

"Mmm, I was thinking of making some scramble egg toasts…" Her attention turned towards the fridge then taking stock of what vegetables were available just as the man stepped out of his room and asked for their coffee preferences. "Mocha for me, please~"

Although the fridge held a variety of things within she was surprised to not find bell peppers among them, her brows furrowing lightly in thought before the girl gave a shrug as she pulled out a few things from within and set them on the counter. "Hey Nico, where the mixing bowls at… and the whisk?" Her attention turned then to the pantry, a look of delight crossing her face as she found an unopened jar of pesto hidden among a few other necessary things.

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"You sure about having just that, Nico?"
Nico gave a squinty glance back at Luthien just as the woman dared to oppose her and her sugary breakfast made by a grinning lion of all things.
"Yes, I'm very sure. This carries me through my day with no fault. I can't be me without some of these in the morning. Besides, you don't want me to be moody." She couldn't categorize kicking down a door and shouting blasphemies as moody at this point, despite that being the first taste Val got of what Ari's misery was. "You sure about having just that, Val?" She played the uno reverasal on her friend as the woman went over to the fridge and announced having egg toasts instead of anything else, because fuck her for doubting that's why!

"What coffee do you guys want?" Finally he showed up, her eyes beaming with life as she rapidly turned back towards Ari, still holding the cereal box on her left hand and waving it at him like an instruction of some sort. "I'll take the same as her, only because I wanna try it out." It's a well known fact Nico doesn't even know what coffee she takes, she only asks him to make anything he knows and that's that, trashtalking the taste if it's different than the last one.

Nico went over to the fridge to grab some milk, dodging the blonde in the process of trying to peek in, since both gremlins didn't fit when trying to grab something from within, aiming for the milk of all things to pour on a bowl of her own. "Whisk I forgot where I left it, the mixing bowls are to your right, lower shelf." She pointed out. Maybe it was in the same spot? But didn't they use it last night? It might be in the sink, but given how lazy she was to turn around to check it, she let it be until Val figured it out.

"ARIIIII," She screamed, as an easier solution came to mind. "Where's the whisk."

@Yugam @Luthien

 

[Yugam]

"Mocha for me, please~"
"I'll take the same as her, only because I wanna try it out."
"Ahrite," the muffled sound of Ari's voice came from the hallways as he brushed his teeth, toothpaste foaming in his mouth.

It wasn't much longer before the man was done and walking into the kitchen, right as he heard Nico scream his name. "Where's the whisk."
"For fuck's sake woman, tone it down. We have neighbors," the man answered back with a look of distaste. "Its in the top drawer to the right of the oven."

The man shook his head as he went about making coffee, unsurprised that the older of the three was holding the only box cereal in the apartment and pouring it into her bowl like it was the last thing she'd ever eat. "Please tell me you're at least gonna eat a fruit or something," the man asked the woman as he tightened the head in the espresso machine and started it, the aromatic liquid pouring into small cups.

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

A light chuckle escaped her lips when Nico doubled down on her breakfast of choice, and while Val had her own reservations about consuming such a high sugar amount bright and early she wasn’t about to stop the pinkett from living her best life. "Alright, alright, message received~" When Nico joined her by the fridge the blonde was sure to leave room for the older girl to slip by, her own hands full with other ingredients before Val began setting up her stuff on an empty counter space.

"ARIIIII."
"N-Nico, shuuush!"

The sudden scream caused her own heart to race in surprise, catching one of the eggs that had tried to roll off the counter before the blonde turned around to admonish the resident gremlin. It wasn’t long before Ari joined them as well, a nod of thanks given in his direction as he pointed at the drawer that contained the whisk before she started working on her breakfast of choice.

"Sure you don’t want toast and some eggs to go with your Frosted Flakes, Nico?"

Another attempt was made, though the blonde would still make a portion for the woman regardless of her answer. Mushrooms and cherry tomatoes were sliced and prepared, while a large skillet was already being heated up in preparation. Once nice and hot she’d add the mushrooms and tomatoes along with a pinch of salt, letting them sauté and sweat away the extra moisture as she whisked the eggs together in a bowl with salt and pepper.

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"N-Nico, shuuush!"
"For fuck's sake woman, tone it down. We have neighbors,"
"Fuck them, it's christmas, my gift is to be as loud as I want. If I wanna go outside to dance and scream on my undies, I'm fucking doing it." Not like she was fully honest about that, given hypothermia ain't something she's very excited about. "See? It worked." Nico added, big gremlin smile on her face as she looked over to Val once the woman got her hands on the whisk.

Pouring some milk over her bowl full of frosted flakes, Nico took a spoonful of them up to her lips and bit down on it, nodding to herself as if a chef tasting their own stew. Ari quickly intervened with his questioning as per usual, giving him a glance to notice he finally got his ass to work on their coffee, and that held her tongue back a little as her own way to say 'thank you' for it. "You act like you don't know me." She rolled her eyes. Of course this meant a no.

"Sure you don't want toast and some eggs to go with your Frosted Flakes, Nico?"
She sighed off, as neither of them wanted to give up, waving her hands frantically at the lovebirds. "Fiiineeeee. You two are pushy today huh? Thought you fucked good, that usually lets people wake up on the right side of the bed." She shrugged, heading over to put her bowl on the table before heading back with Ari to take the cups next, and finally with the blonde suspicious gremlin who kept asking her to eat something else other than her good ol' reliable flakes.

"Alright then, what you got for me, toast girl?"

@Luthien @Yugam

 

[Yugam]

"Fuck them, it's Christmas, my gift is to be as loud as I want," Nico countered, as stubborn as ever.
"That is literally not how that works."
"If I wanna go outside to dance and scream on my undies, I'm fucking doing it."
"Ugh, why do I even bother..."

And it wasn't like things with Nico were going to get any better. Especially when she refused to eat anything with her diabetes in a bowl. "I tried," the man shrugged as he stirred the little cups of coffee. Filling a metallic pitcher with milk, Ari turned on the frother while Valeria finally managed to get Nico to agree to eating something other than pure sugar. "There is a god. And you," Ari planted a kiss on the girl's cheek. "Are a saint."

A few moments later, the milk was frothed, and Ari had poured it into the cups with the espresso and chocolate. He pushed the mugs in the direction of the two girl's before starting to brew another coffee for himself, with oatmilk instead.

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

She couldn’t help the light chuckle that escaped her lips as she listened to Ari and Nico argue while she cooked, an empathic smile shot in the man’s direction as he gave up on trying to reason with the pinkett about how Christmas gifts actually worked. The whisked eggs were added into the mushrooms and tomatoes, the heat reduced considerably to avoid burning the mixture while occasionally scrambling the contents with a spatula

"Fiiineeeee. You two are pushy today huh?” It was then the older gremlin finally acquiesced to the request that she had something else to accompany her daily sugar and caffeine bombs, a delighted smile spreading on Val’s lips as she turned to look back at Nico. ”Thought you fucked good, that usually lets people wake up on the right side of the bed."

"N-Nico…!" She stuttered the name of her friend right as the heat rose to her face, the unexpected outburst (okay that one was on Val, she really should’ve expected something like this from Nico) catching the girl off guard as her cheeks and ears reddened in response. "There is a god. And you," The comment seemed to glance right off Ari in comparison, the man no doubt used to Nico’s expressions by now as he turned to plant a soft peck on her rosy cheek. "Are a saint."

"I’m n-not," she mumbled, her attention turned back to the pan and its contents to avoid any burning. "Just want her to eat better…"

Slices of bread were popped into the toaster once the eggs were almost cooked through, the heat turned off from the stove before her attention turned to the hot cup of mocha that Ari placed in her direction. "Thanks, it smells really good." Her hands loosely wrapped around the ceramic mug, feeling the warmth radiate outwards as a content smile crossed her lips—though she’d refrain from drinking it for a few moments longer, no need to tempt fate and scald her tongue.

Soon she was arranging the toasts on three plates, a spoonful of the scrambled eggs placed upon them before she finished it by drizzling some of the pesto at the very top. "Ari, can you bring my cup to the table when you finish yours?" The three plates were balanced with practiced ease as the girl headed over to the table, placing down one of the plates in front of Nico before she moved along to set down the other two.

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"That is literally not how that works." His fuckboi logic attempted to diminish hers. Good thing she's fucking stupid smart, logic don't work on her.
"tHAt IS LitErALly NoT how ThAt WOrkS."
"Ugh, why do I even bother..."
"Ratio plus L plus Val likes me more." She concluded with a loud smirk, even in her silence that face spoke enough about just how good she felt right now.

Yet her perfect description of what a good, married couple does didn't seem to apply for the duo. Or maybe it did, and Luth's pink cheeks were screaming the truth by themselves. At least that's how it felt in her last experience, even if it was ingame.

Nico headed over to the table to pick a few flakes with her hand, using her claw grip to get a bunch of em and shove them in her mouth, almost choking when she heard Ari speak in tongues...
"There is a god. And you, are a saint." She whizzed, her right hand a requirement to cover her lips and muffle it down in vain as she looked back at him, then to Val, then at him. "Cringe as fuck... Val, you gotta teach him to kiss you on the lips." Why on the cheek? That's almost like greeting a random on the street for her, at least her stereotypical italian side said so.

Finally they made their way to the table, pushing her flakes aside to give room for Val to drop everyone's plates with the professional touch only a waitress could have. Or at least the closest to one in this apartment. Ari had brought over everyone's coffee, and it's like an organic, productive family:
Val made their meals,
Ari their drinks,
Nico eats.

Which is what she would do next, giving a careful and inspective stare to the scrambled eggs, humming in thought for a second. Yet a meal she don't discriminate, and thus into her maws it went for a trying bite.

"Hmm... This is pretty good Val! Maybe if we put flakes on it..." Her eyes turned into stars to the idea, grabbing a few flakes to drop over them as if it were the extra sauce they needed. "You sure you don't want some you two? I can share, no big deal."

@Yugam | @Luthien

 

[Yugam]

"Just want her to eat better…" Val said with a blushing face as Ari began to chuckle. "Yeah, you'd have better luck teaching fish to breathe air."

Ari shook his head and ignored Nico's comment though as he brought Val her drink to the table, as she'd requested. "Here," he said as he placed the mug in front of her on the table and then took his seat. "Looks good babe," the man said as he eyed the plate and picked up the toast to take a bite.

"Hmm... This is pretty good Val!"
"Mm," Ari echoed the sentiment with a grunt, his own mouth full of food at the moment.
"Maybe if we put flakes on it..."
"Mmm-," Ari growled at the uncultured swine, warning her against such an idiotic decision. Not that it would stop her. The glare he shot her way probably only encouraged her.

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

"Yeah, you'd have better luck teaching fish to breathe air."
"Well there’s mudskippers, so it’s not a lost cause yet~"

If nature had found a way for fish to live and breathe out of water then she could surely figure out a way for Nico to have a healthier diet. Worse case scenario there was one person that Valeria was sure the pinkett would listen to, though she’d prefer to not worry Ronja with her girlfriend’s eating choices.

"Cringe as fuck... Val, you gotta teach him to kiss you on the lips." The small exchange between them had the gremlin at the table wheezing and almost choking, a playful roll of her eyes given as the blonde brought the things over, correcting the pinkett as she took her seat. "The correct ‘see’ word you’re looking for is cute, not cringe."

"Thanks, you always get it perfect every time~" A smile lit up her face as Ari brought her coffee over, hands wrapping around the mug to enjoy its warmth as she’d brought it close for a sip. Coffee wasn’t something Valeria had been into growing up,and tea was her usual go-to if she needed a caffeine boost to get through the day. Her grandfather however had been an avid coffee drinker, and in her last years of high school the girl had always looked forward to the mocha cup he’d make her every morning. "Whenever I try to make them they always come out too bitter."

Amber eyes peered curiously at Nico as she seemed to inspect the contents of the plate Val had placed before her, a quiet chuckle escaping her lips before she called out a cheerful "Buen provecho~" to those present on the table. The pinkett was the first to take a bite, her verbal approval echoed by the man with a quiet grunt, before Valeria caught the way those bright blue eyes sparkled as a thought crossed Nico’s mind.

”Maybe if we put flakes on it...” The amusement Valeria felt upon hearing that idea was quickly overshadowed by the wordless growl that escaped Ari as the man glared towards his roommate. She managed to set her cup down on the table before a hand rose to cover her lips and stifle her laughter. It did little to deter the pinkett from her idea, the bowl now shifted in her direction as Nico extended her invitation. "Sure Nico, I’ll give it a try."

While it was a rather unconventional mix the blonde could certainly say she’d heard of worse things done to breakfast foods, a few flakes dropped at the end of her toast before Valeria took a bite. Surprisingly enough the flavors and textures played well enough against each other and, while Val wasn’t sure she’d make a habit out of it, at least the blonde could admit it wasn’t a terrible combination.

"Mmm, it’s kinda similar to adding Doritos into a sandwich!"

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

"Yeah, you'd have better luck teaching fish to breathe air."
"Well there's mudskippers, so it's not a lost cause yet~"
"See, that's a nice argument you two got, but here's the thing," She put her bowl of frosted flakes down, dropping the few on her right hand back to their spot. "You two suck. You? Literally," She pointed back at Val. "And you? Not even in a good way." Obviously the worst came for him. "And I don't, 'couse I'm just that fucking cool. But you know what's cooler than me? The gifts I prepared for you two sorry asses." Her prideful smile got in the way of their discussion, only it took Val's 'correction' to snap her back to the topic of matter: Ari's cringeness.

"Cute?" A preposterous proposition, Nico rubbed her eyes comically so. Maybe this wasn't Val but a mirage, yet when the blonde didn't just disappear on thin air the next time she looked in her direction, it proved this was real enough. "Nah girl, the only good 'see' word for him is 'Coffee', couse that's all his ass is good for." She retorted. That and to be a walking wallet, yet that's a trait she didn't see Val abuse enough.

Something very positive in her eyes, and one of the main reasons to matchmake these two.

"Buen provecho~"
"buon appetito"

Her own compliment of the blonde rican's breakfast came along with some Arispeech, a dead tongue by all means, only spoken by one particular individual. A complex vocalization system that could best be described as angry grunting.

"Mm,"
"Ari agrees. Now, maybe if we put flakes in it..."
"Mmm-,"
"Bitch I ain't judging you for your weird ass taste in food with arabic names. So don't judge mine either." She frowned, waving a hand back at Valeria, her trustworthy right hand in this discussion, to shed some light to this infidel about the glory of frosted flakes. "See?! Val gets it. I knew your taste buds weren't fucked after Dayeon's chicken." The sole mention of that abomination made a shiver run down her spine. The only cure was to bite down on her toast and savour the flavor of an actually good meal. "Damn, eating healthy ain't so bad afterall eh?" She mumbled, as it came high time to change her diet for the better. She couldn't be Ronja's muscle the way she is right now.

Frosted flakes would eventually be removed from her menu, so this might just be the last time she gets to enjoy some sugar bombs at the morning.

@Yugam | @Luthien

 

[Yugam]

Even though Ari rolled his eyes at Nico as she slung more insults at the couple, whilst lauding herself her (yet to be evidenced) gift-giving skills, that man still said: "Thank you, Nico, I'm sure they're great." That or they were gag-gifts...which were an art all their own, to be fair, but the question was whether or not Nico would be the only one to find them funny. Well, they would all find out before the end of the day, one way or another.

"The correct 'see' word you're looking for is cute, not cringe."
"Cute? Nah girl, the only good 'see' word for him is 'Coffee', couse that's all his ass is good for."
Ari snickered quietly to himself, like some pubescent school-boy. "I can think of one more 'c' word I'm good for."

This man is a child.

Anyways, they were having breakfast, and Ari was grunting his dissatisfaction with Nico's life decisions when the love of his life fucking betrayed him and joined Nico in what could only be described as a violation of the Parisian Convention. The man stared, mouth still full of half-chewed food, at the two women as if they were strange alien monsters, his face a mixture of horror, disgust, and bewilderment. A visible effort was made (and succeeded) to swallow his food whole to properly speak. "There's a special place in hell for people like you guys,"

@Luthien | @Fiora Di Angelo

 

[Luthien]

The pinkett had come for them both and, while a faint rosy hue had crept onto her cheeks, Valeria couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped as Nico claimed she was nothing except cool—something she claimed to have also expressed in the presents she’d gotten them. "Oooh? Can’t wait to see them then~" The smile on her lips was genuine as the girl took another bite of her breakfast, and for the first time in a while Val could honestly say she was excited for a Christmas morning.

"Cute? Nah girl, the only good 'see' word for him is 'Coffee', couse that's all his ass is good for."
"That’s not true, Nico—"
"I can think of one more 'c' word I'm good for."

She should’ve known the direction Ari’s words were heading to when he began snickering to himself, but her attention had been too focused on the pink-haired gremlin to realize another one had slipped into their conversation. A singular pause caused her words to falter, giving her mind the moment it needed to connect the dots, before the heat quickly flushed the girl’s face and ears. "A-Ariii…!"

It was hard to admonish someone though when your face resembles a stoplight, and instead her hands reached for the warm mocha cup as she took a few sips while avoiding eye contact with either of them. Perhaps that’s why she’d been so quick to embrace Nico’s hot food takes this morning, or maybe Ari hadn’t realized that he’d willingly chosen to date a little tropical gremlin until now, but regardless of the answer she couldn’t help the amused smirk on her lips as the man watched them both explore new culinary avenues.

"Pffft, nonsense, everyone knows the best part of cooking is being able to experiment and discover new combos."

@Fiora Di Angelo | @Yugam

 

[Fiora Di Angelo]

Of course their reactions were well taken by the swelling pride on her not so swelled bossom, from the rolling-eyes dark haired fucker to the genuine and cute reaction Val summoned forth, which earned the most attention out of Nico, for obvious reasons.

"I know I know, you two are pumped for it, and me too, couse I wanna see your faces. Specially yours, Ari." She pointed a fistful of flakes back at him. No finger aimed at him, of course, least she made a disaster. "I'm sure Val will feel the same way." She added, fanning the flames of the hype she was creating for them. Her honesty is as always on point, but that made it all the harder to tell how she truly felt about it besides the smile that muffled her foul mood of earlier.

"I can think of one more 'c' word I'm good for."

He replied right away, and Nico broke into a laughter whereas the blonde gremlin had to fight a bit to connect the dots, if only because she had the advantage of foreshadowing it. It just is the kind of pun she would drop if she were Ari, and he didn't disappoint.

"A-Ariii…!"

And neither did Val, looking like a red popsickle and making certain to play the part of 'girlfriend in disbelief'.

"Yeah! C for Cocksucker, that's his third C." A hearty chuckle parted her lips, forcing her to drop the flakes over the bowl just to press a hand against her midriff as she ran out of air just, wheezing away all that she had left in her lungs.

Anyways like Ari said, they were having breakfast, and all of a sudden he hits them with the most cringeworthy face one can make, mixed with the horrors of a 80s protagonist in a horror movie, only the slasher this time was a pink cook. Or well, that is probably what goes through his mind when doing these funny looking faces.

Clearly this is a two against one situation, as Val spoke up against his own culinary skill issues, or perhaps Dayeon's chicken did make a number on him as opposite to the puerto rican and the pit of tartarus that is her mouth.

"Nah my guy, you just didn't try it. Give it a shot!" Actually cheerful for once, Nico pushed the bowl of flakes closer to him. "Listen, at worst it tastes like shit to ya' and you wash the flavor away with some coffee. You can't do that with the spice nightmare Dayeon came up with, probably stole it from fucking Satan's personal cookbook."

@Yugam | @Luthien