A/N: What's this? A new fic from an author who never updates? Is this a miracle? Yes, yes it is. XD I'm sick and tired of never updating anything anymore, so I'm going to push myself into writing faster and updating quicker. Daily. Yep, this fic shall be updated every day until Xmas.
Basically, this is a series of short ficlets (not short enough to be a drabble, however) - like my previous 'Skittles' - only these ones will be related to the festive season. It's like an advent calendar, ne? Something you get in the month leading up to Christmas. The first couple ficlets aren't as Christmas-y, but they will get progressively more so as the holiday draws closer.
Pairings: Open to suggestion - if you want a specific pairing, let me know and I'll give it a go. But, because it's me, there will undoubtedly be a lot of RxI in this somewhere.
So, enjoy! And yeah, I don't own TMM. :P
T'was a month until Christmas, and all through the place, things were a-bustle, chaos running ablaze. Not one inch was silent, not one corner still, Mew Mews doing allsorts, against poor Ichigo's will…
"Pudding, be careful or you'll break those! And watch out for Lettuce - don't drop them on her! And, um… Lettuce, are you sure you should be carrying all those cups at once. I mean, if you trip you could--" CRASH "…Never-mind. I'll go find the dustpan and brush."
Sighing, Ichigo made her way across the main floor of the café, arms hanging limply at her sides as she practically dragged herself along. She was tired; that much was obvious. She'd been working non-stop all day - which meant more than it usually did, considering her boss had decided to not only open the café two hours earlier, but had tricked her into coming in two hours before that, just so he could be sure that she wouldn't be late. And by now, the clock was already making its way round to four. So why couldn't she go on a break yet?
"Stupid, Shirogane," she muttered to herself. "Shouldn't have set up all those bargains. And it's only the first day! Stupid, stupid, stupid…"
"You know, you really shouldn't talk to yourself like that. Someone may think you're crazy."
Ichigo lifted her head at the sound of the voice, and found herself facing Mint. The lorikeet was perched at an empty table, causally sipping a steaming mug of tea. She looked perfectly relaxed; the scene of absolute serenity, painfully ironic against the background of bedlam. Ichigo groaned.
Smirking, the other girl took this as her cue to continue, "Of course, spend five minutes with you, and it's quite obvious you're already crazy. I really don't know how we manage to put up with it every day."
The catgirl glared, but otherwise chose to ignore her friend. She knew that by giving in to her taunting, she would only ending up stalling on her current task - and because there was broken crockery scattered all over the floor, she really couldn't afford to do that. So, turning away, she once again began to trudge towards the kitchen, leaving behind a smug Mint.
However, as she reached the door, hand placed on it and ready to push, a thought occurred to her. Slowly, slowly, she turned her head back round to Mint.
"Hey… aren't you supposed to be working, Mint-chan?" she asked, her voice low and suspicious.
Mint shifted a little in her seat. She brought the cup up to her lips and blew on it lightly, sending steam whisking off into the air. As she took a sip, she sent a knowing, mischievous look at Ichigo, before lowering the drink and folding her hands in her lap. "Shouldn't you?" she countered, not bothering to hide the smirk that was growing increasingly wider and wickeder on her face.
Ichigo groaned once more in defeat, pushing the door and exiting the room.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic, Ichigo-chan!" Mint called after her as she retreated, door swinging on its hinges behind her. "There's always tomorrow to look forward to!"
A/N: Review?