Yueltide
Title: Yueltide
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Length: 565 words
Genre: Humor
Characters: Yue, Sakura, Kero, Touya
Summary: Sakura and Kero decorate for Christmas.
The mistress wanted them to decorate the Christmas tree together. Decorating and humming “Jingle Bells” and being in a generally jolly mood was not exactly Yue’s wheelhouse, so he stood by and…supervised, while Cerberus and the mistress tossed handfuls of silvery tinsel onto the Kinomoto family’s tree.
That was how it started.
In his exuberance, Cerberus flew around the top of the tree, wildly flinging the shimmery bits of holiday spirit all about. Several renegade strands clung to Yue’s hair, giving sparkle to his own silver, and the mistress stopped her ornamenting to smile at him. “So pretty!” she said with a delighted clap of her hands. “We should decorate you, too!”
Oh, the indignity.
But he would obey his mistress.
It was Christmas, and it made her happy.
She draped a pine-scented garland around his neck, then added a strand of lights.
Blinking lights.
Pink blinking lights.
As she started hanging candy canes from his sash, Cerberus hovered over him like a bad stench and dropped a… a Santa hat on his head.
Ho ho no.
And if that weren’t bad enough, then the jokes started.
“If I used the Little, do you think we could put him on top of the tree like an angel?” the mistress asked. Yes, angel jokes. Those never got old.
“Nah, a stiff like him?” Cerberus answered with a snort. “He’d serve better as a yule log. A Yue log. Geddit?”
“Maybe he can be Yue Claus and bring presents to the good children.”
“The children are only good because he scares them into it. Every Christmas Eve, he flies around the world feeling sorry for himself, and he’s so cold that his bitter pity tears freeze and drift to the ground like the special-est of snowflakes.”
“Don’t be silly, Kero-chan. Yue-san doesn’t cry.”
“You’re right. That would require emotions.”
He heard the front door open and a voice call out. "Anyone home?"
"In here!" the mistress replied.
Yue's not-emotions wavered between despair and hope. He would be utterly humiliated, but he would be saved.
Touya was a sensible sort. He would put an end to this.
"Thought I'd stop by to drop off-" And Touya did stop as he entered the room, a shopping bag bursting with wrapped packages at his side. Then when one corner of his mouth quirked in amusement, the humiliation overruled any relief. "So, you look... festive."
"Doesn't he?" The mistress beamed.
"I guess this year we have a Christmas tree and a Yue log."
There would be no saving. If Yue were one to weep, this would be the time.
"Hey, man, don't steal my material!" Cerberus answered.
It could not get any worse. Could it?
As Touya began unloading his presents and arranging them around Yue's feet, all while one-upping rather than denouncing Cerberus's decidedly unfunny jokes, Yue had finally had enough.
Before he would speak, he looked to the mistress. Her green eyes were shining, and her smile was one of complete joy. Nothing malicious was in her tinkling laughter, only affection.
It was Christmas, and she was happy.
That was more important than his pride.
He would give her this gift....
And then Tomoyo showed up with her camera.
Series: Cardcaptor Sakura
Length: 565 words
Genre: Humor
Characters: Yue, Sakura, Kero, Touya
Summary: Sakura and Kero decorate for Christmas.
The mistress wanted them to decorate the Christmas tree together. Decorating and humming “Jingle Bells” and being in a generally jolly mood was not exactly Yue’s wheelhouse, so he stood by and…supervised, while Cerberus and the mistress tossed handfuls of silvery tinsel onto the Kinomoto family’s tree.
That was how it started.
In his exuberance, Cerberus flew around the top of the tree, wildly flinging the shimmery bits of holiday spirit all about. Several renegade strands clung to Yue’s hair, giving sparkle to his own silver, and the mistress stopped her ornamenting to smile at him. “So pretty!” she said with a delighted clap of her hands. “We should decorate you, too!”
Oh, the indignity.
But he would obey his mistress.
It was Christmas, and it made her happy.
She draped a pine-scented garland around his neck, then added a strand of lights.
Blinking lights.
Pink blinking lights.
As she started hanging candy canes from his sash, Cerberus hovered over him like a bad stench and dropped a… a Santa hat on his head.
Ho ho no.
And if that weren’t bad enough, then the jokes started.
“If I used the Little, do you think we could put him on top of the tree like an angel?” the mistress asked. Yes, angel jokes. Those never got old.
“Nah, a stiff like him?” Cerberus answered with a snort. “He’d serve better as a yule log. A Yue log. Geddit?”
“Maybe he can be Yue Claus and bring presents to the good children.”
“The children are only good because he scares them into it. Every Christmas Eve, he flies around the world feeling sorry for himself, and he’s so cold that his bitter pity tears freeze and drift to the ground like the special-est of snowflakes.”
“Don’t be silly, Kero-chan. Yue-san doesn’t cry.”
“You’re right. That would require emotions.”
He heard the front door open and a voice call out. "Anyone home?"
"In here!" the mistress replied.
Yue's not-emotions wavered between despair and hope. He would be utterly humiliated, but he would be saved.
Touya was a sensible sort. He would put an end to this.
"Thought I'd stop by to drop off-" And Touya did stop as he entered the room, a shopping bag bursting with wrapped packages at his side. Then when one corner of his mouth quirked in amusement, the humiliation overruled any relief. "So, you look... festive."
"Doesn't he?" The mistress beamed.
"I guess this year we have a Christmas tree and a Yue log."
There would be no saving. If Yue were one to weep, this would be the time.
"Hey, man, don't steal my material!" Cerberus answered.
It could not get any worse. Could it?
As Touya began unloading his presents and arranging them around Yue's feet, all while one-upping rather than denouncing Cerberus's decidedly unfunny jokes, Yue had finally had enough.
Before he would speak, he looked to the mistress. Her green eyes were shining, and her smile was one of complete joy. Nothing malicious was in her tinkling laughter, only affection.
It was Christmas, and she was happy.
That was more important than his pride.
He would give her this gift....
And then Tomoyo showed up with her camera.