~Richi POV~

I blamed the pickles for this mess.

I blamed the pickles for this entire situation.

Lychan just HAD to have pickles. She just HAD to come with me to the grocery store to buy a jar of pickles. And we just HAD to go sit under that one tree in the park as we were coming home. And that fly just HAD to annoy Lychan enough to make her look up to swat it.

And someone just HAD to put a mistletoe under the very branch we were sitting under.

The next thing I know, she's asking me to kiss her.
"Why?" I asked her. She pointed up and there it was. The mistletoe. I groaned. I mean, who puts up Christmas decorations when Thanksgiving hasn't even passed?
"It's just a silly tradition. You don't have to kiss when you go under a mistletoe with someone." I told her. Nevertheless, she insisted. I tried to get up. She pulled me back down. I tried to scoot away from the mistletoe. She yanked me back under
.
Who knew she was big on traditions?

And here we are, in the present, where she's holding me under the mistletoe, and I can't get away.

"Lychan," I go. "stop this. This is getting silly." She shakes her head. "Come on! It's just one kiss. Besides, it's all in the holiday spirit." I sigh. "It's not even December yet! How is this in the holiday spirit?" She narrows her eyes just a tiny bit. "Because it's close enough! Come on, Richi!"

Still, I refused to surrender. "No Lychan. Let me go!" She only tightens her grip on my clothes. "I'm not letting go. Richi, come on! It's tradition!" I roll my eyes in response. "Yeah, for those who choose to make it a tradition. And I don't." I struggle to get free from her grip. I try to stand, but she's simply refusing to give up, and pulls me back to the bench. I look at the sky, and I see the sun nearly setting.

"Lychan, let go! Seriously!" I begin wondering where Hibi was. If he was in the vicinity, I could ask him to help. Just then, Lychan notices the sun's position as well, and as if reading my thoughts, she says to me, "Hibi is at home. He's used to us getting home late. He'll be fine." Her grip wasn't getting any looser. And my patience was running low.

"Lychan, let go!" I tell her, nearly yelling. But she's too stubborn. I finally cracked, feeling completely pissed off at this point. "I AM NOT DOING IT! STOP BEING SO STUPID ABOUT THIS!"

It came out harsher than I meant it to.

Her grip immediately goes loose, and tears began forming. "You think I'm being....stupid?" I immediately regret everything I just did. "No, Lychan. I didn't mean-" But she starts crying and I forget everything I was about to say. "I-It's just one kiss..." She says, barely getting the words out. And my heart nearly stops at what she said next.

"I d-didn't know you h-hated me...."

At that, I pulled her into my arms and hugged her. "I don't hate you." I whisper. "I just.... I don't...." I can't seem to get the words out, but Lychan somehow understands. After a couple of minutes, she stops sobbing. "I get it," she goes, her voice finally calm. I open my arms a little to I can see her face. Her face was a little wet from her tears, and she has an expression on her face, telling it really was okay. But I knew better. At that moment, my mind blanks, and I leaned in.

And I kiss her under the mistletoe.

I pull back after a couple of seconds, and she puts on a small smile. "Thank you." She whispers to me. Unable to resist, I lean in again and kiss her a second time, this one a little longer than the last. She accepts it, and when I pull back again, she has a bigger smile on. We hug one more time, and at that, we pick up our pickles and head home, holding hands the entire way.

=================

~Hibi's POV~

I look down from the branch to watch Richi and Lychan kiss each other on the bench. I giggle to myself at what I had just made them do, and very carefully, I morph myself from a mistletoe to a leaf. I let the wind blow me off the branch and back to the forest, satisfied at my own handiwork.




I know it sucks. But I blame the pickles.