Post by Rosie on Dec 13, 2018 4:35:12 GMT 10
Title: Faux Ho Ho
Rating: PG-13
For: Lisa
Prompt: #3 - something about Buri
Summary: Buri isn't exactly full of Christmas cheer. From my Pentathlon Modern AU, but reads as a standalone. I think.
Notes: ahh, you are a joy to write for but the downside of writing for you is that I can't bounce ideas off you! Happy holidays
--
Faux-Christmas was a big deal in the little terraced house on the corner.
It was Cythera's fault, of course. Buri was adept at blaming Cythera for all manner of things, primarily for taking up so much of Thayet's time. Also for leading Thayet to Jonathan, who sucked up even more of Thayet's time. This year in particular, it looked like faux-Christmas was as close as Buri would get to spending the day with her friend. Or anyone, what with her family off to Australia for the winter.
She sighed, attracting Thayet's attention. "Sorry, Buri, are we keeping you from something?"
That tone might give Thayet's opponents in court pause, but it didn't affect Buri. She must have built up some kind of Thayet-immunity over the years. She yawned and stretched her legs out on the sofa, pulling Cythera's favourite blanket over her. Noting Buri's preference for this particular blanket, Cythera had bought Buri her own. Buri continued to take Cythera's.
Thayet's eyes were still fixed on Buri, obviously expecting a response, but Buri outwaited her. Eventually, Thayet returned to the tangle of Christmas lights, looping the freed lengths around her neck.
"I think red and gold should be our colour theme this year," Cythera demurred, sorting through the boxes of decorations.
Buri and Thayet shared a look, Thayet's eyes warm with the exasperated affection she often displayed when confronted with Cythera's idiosyncrasies.
"I hear blue is in," Buri, who had no idea about these things, suggested. "Everybody on instagram seems to have blue decorations up."
Thayet's eyebrows rose in a clear warning sign. Buri chose to ignore it.
Cythera didn't miss a beat. "Well, when you have your own tree, you're welcome to decorate it however you choose," she said, so sweetly that Buri had to run the statement over again in her head.
Gary was certainly having an impact; Buri rather liked it.
"Thayet, why don't you take Buri on a booze run? We could use some more mulled wine for this evening."
"She thinks you're making a mess," Buri clarified, in case this had escaped Thayet. "You are, let's face it, being less helpful than me."
It took several minutes to untangle the lights from a particularly wicked knot in Thayet's hair. Buri hung over the side of the sofa, offering advice and the kitchen scissors.
--
"All right, out with it. What's got you channelling the Grinch all of a sudden?"
Buri paused, dumping an armful of Camembert into the trolley. "I don't know what you mean."
Thayet's expression said she wasn't fooled, but she let the matter lie. "Careful with that cheese; no one will want to sit under the mistletoe with you."
Just for that, Buri reached for the Stilton. "What time's Lover Boy arriving?"
"If you mean Jon by that, I think around 8. Gary's promised Cythera he won't set foot over our threshold until at least then. He offered to come help, but with the way she reacted, you'd have thought he was suggesting skinning puppies in the living room."
Unable to help herself, Buri grinned. "'But the house will be naked'," she said, in what she felt was a passable imitation of Cythera's Home Counties accent.
Thayet snorted.
--
Their house was a veritable winter wonderland. They couldn't have been at the supermarket longer than an hour, but Cythera had transformed the place, with twinkling lights, merry baubles, and so many candles as to constitute a serious fire risk.
"Do we have a fire extinguisher?"
Buri yelped as Thayet stood on her foot. "It looks great, Cyth! I love the paper chains."
Well, if they wanted to burn the place down, who was Buri to get in the way? Cythera was evidently pleased with herself, wiping floury hands on- oh, no.
"Are you baking?"
Thayet's head whipped around. She looked sort of green, but that could be the lights, of course. "Cythera, darling, I'm not sure that's - maybe you're taking too much upon yourself?"
"Nonsense," Cythera said, returning to the scene of the crime. Buri followed her into the kitchen, but stayed in the doorway in case she needed to make a quick exit. "It's just mince pies. I can put the wreath together whilst they're in the oven."
Buri watched as she carefully spooned filling into the misshapen cases. At least nobody would mix up Cythera's creations and the shop-bought versions.
Gary would have to eat them, though. The thought cheered Buri immensely.
--
"You said it was just a few people."
Thayet blinked, frowning. "Buri, what's your issue? You've already met everybody here. There can't be more than fifteen of us."
Her issue was in fact exactly that - she had already met, and more than met, everybody, and one hulking figure in particular. Buri pressed her lips together, and didn't offer anything further, swinging her legs from her perch on the countertop.
"All right, but tomorrow, we're talking about this," Thayet warned, but she always had given in easily. She seemed to take Buri's silence as tacit agreement, which it wasn't.
Buri ladled out two spoonfuls of mulled wine into mugs, taking care to scoop raisins into both, since she thought she'd heard Jon say he disliked them. She pushed the mugs into Thayet's hands, and picked her phone up, making it apparent Thayet was dismissed.
Next time she looked up, Raoul was in the doorway. She glanced at this boy, upon whom earlier in the year she had pinned a lot of hopes, and turned away.
She'd last seen him at Thayet's birthday, and he'd been easier to dismiss then. Apparently he'd asked Santa for some courage; he cleared his throat. When she ignored that, too, he said, "So, this is where you've been hiding."
"I'm sitting in the kitchen, Raoul; it's hardly the most unobtrusive place."
He crossed the room. Really, it wasn't a big kitchen, and it only took him two strides to make it across to Buri. "Did I do something wrong? I'd like to make it right, if I could."
That wrong-footed her; she had counted on her frosty attitude (and Cythera said she made no concessions to the season!) keeping him at bay. "If you don't know, I can't help you." It was hard to explain her pride had been hurt by his retreat, hard to admit she had tried to play the dating game according to Cythera's rules, and had, apparently, lost.
"Okay." Raoul blew out his cheeks, and Buri considered how unfair it was that he was here, taking up so much space in her kitchen, and looking so good in his ridiculous Christmas jumper. "I think I might have been a bit of an arse. We were getting along, and I dropped the ball. Things got busy at work, and-"
"Are you trying to say 'sorry'?" Buri asked, kicking her heels against the kitchen cupboards. "'Hey, Buri, I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm sorry I like money so much. I'm sorry that I think an apology doesn't need to contain the word 'sorry', or even sound like an apology'."
She thought she might have gone too far, but he grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "That's an uncanny impression."
"Pompous arse is my speciality."
"You do it well." Just when he looked like he might be on the verge of apologising, he changed tact, leaning against the side. "Impressions and great Christmas parties. Quite the CV."
"This is an impression of a Christmas party," she retorted, refilling her own mulled wine.
Raoul seemed unsure of himself again. Good. "All right. What are you doing for the big day itself?"
Inadvertently, he'd hit on her sore spot. "Home alone," she said flippantly, jumping down off the countertop. "At least I won't have anyone pestering me." With that, she took her mulled wine and made off for her bedroom.
--
"I figured out your problem."
Thayet, who was so precious about her own privacy, hadn't bothered knocking. Probably, she knew that Buri would never have invited her in.
Buri ignored her, focusing on her tv instead, but Thayet switched it off. Buri knew she should have pulled her chest of drawers across the doorway. She really did not want to have this conversation.
"We fed you after midnight. Poor old Gremlin Buri."
She smiled despite herself, and tried to quash it, but it was too late. Thayet had seen it.
"Raoul came to speak to me. He seems to think you'll be on your own for Christmas. Told me off, actually, or tried to."
This time, Buri pinched her lips together, but Thayet seemed to take it as a victory anyway.
"Buri, I'm not staying with Jon over Christmas, you goose. I'll be back on Christmas Eve, and we'll do what we always do. Die Hard, Pad Thai, and then we can count how much coal you got in your stocking this year."
Oh.
"I think people on the naughty list just get one lump of coal," Buri commented thickly, sniffing. She hoped Thayet would take it as a sign of her lingering cold.
"I think Santa would like to let you know you've been extra naughty," Thayet replied, holding her arms out. "Come back to the party. Jon's worried about you; he spent ages hunting down a Christmas jumper that he's sure you'll hate, and he says you haven't even commented on it."
After a moment, Buri clambered out of bed, wrapping her arms around Thayet. "I always hate Jon's clothes. How am I to know when he's being intentionally offensive?"
"That is a very good point. Shall I fix your eyeliner?"
"If you must," Buri grumbled, secretly pleased.
--
She allowed Thayet to lead her back to the party, and saw all the hallmarks of her kind, careful friends. Gary moved to let her have the prime sofa position, next to all the goodies on the coffee table. Jon fetched her alcohol, and she conceded a remark on his abhorrent outfit choice by way of reward. Cythera even gave her the iPad so she briefly had control over the Spotify, but that only lasted a few bars into Ra-Ra Rasputin.
George engaged her in a vigorous debate on martial arts techniques, which she was actually enjoying, until a shadow fell over them. "Love, why don't you come and try some of Cythera's mince pies? She baked them herself."
"You must be very persuasive," Buri remarked as Raoul took George's place. "Alanna's willing to risk her boyfriend's health and general well-being for you."
"Alanna heard I didn't actually manage to say the word 'sorry' in my apology," Raoul said ruefully. He was holding a fresh plate of Camembert, but moved it out of Buri's reach. "Wait a moment. I'm sorry. I - everybody else was moving so fast, and I got scared. I liked you - I like you. I was a jerk."
Buri nodded. It was a relief to have the confirmation that she hadn't been imagining it, and that she hadn't ruined things. "You were a jerk. Give me the cheese."
He brought the cheese in front of him. "What kind of cheese do you use to coax a bear out of a cave?"
She smiled unwillingly. "That's terrible. Camembert. Give me."
This time, he obeyed, placing the cheese and a plate of bread between them. "How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza?"
"I will have you thrown out of this house."
He grinned at her. "I'd say that you wouldn't dare at Christmas, but I don't think that would sway you."
Buri chewed a piece of bread, surveying the room. Jon had caught Thayet under the mistletoe (disgusting; did they need another excuse for a public display of affection?), Gary was making encouraging noises about Cythera's baking (but the plate of mince pies seemed as full as ever), her brother Pat and his boyfriend had found the crackers and were unravelling them all. "I think I'm warming to Christmas."
Raoul's eyes crinkled in that way she liked, and she felt strangely hopeful. "Glad to hear it."
Rating: PG-13
For: Lisa
Prompt: #3 - something about Buri
Summary: Buri isn't exactly full of Christmas cheer. From my Pentathlon Modern AU, but reads as a standalone. I think.
Notes: ahh, you are a joy to write for but the downside of writing for you is that I can't bounce ideas off you! Happy holidays
--
Faux-Christmas was a big deal in the little terraced house on the corner.
It was Cythera's fault, of course. Buri was adept at blaming Cythera for all manner of things, primarily for taking up so much of Thayet's time. Also for leading Thayet to Jonathan, who sucked up even more of Thayet's time. This year in particular, it looked like faux-Christmas was as close as Buri would get to spending the day with her friend. Or anyone, what with her family off to Australia for the winter.
She sighed, attracting Thayet's attention. "Sorry, Buri, are we keeping you from something?"
That tone might give Thayet's opponents in court pause, but it didn't affect Buri. She must have built up some kind of Thayet-immunity over the years. She yawned and stretched her legs out on the sofa, pulling Cythera's favourite blanket over her. Noting Buri's preference for this particular blanket, Cythera had bought Buri her own. Buri continued to take Cythera's.
Thayet's eyes were still fixed on Buri, obviously expecting a response, but Buri outwaited her. Eventually, Thayet returned to the tangle of Christmas lights, looping the freed lengths around her neck.
"I think red and gold should be our colour theme this year," Cythera demurred, sorting through the boxes of decorations.
Buri and Thayet shared a look, Thayet's eyes warm with the exasperated affection she often displayed when confronted with Cythera's idiosyncrasies.
"I hear blue is in," Buri, who had no idea about these things, suggested. "Everybody on instagram seems to have blue decorations up."
Thayet's eyebrows rose in a clear warning sign. Buri chose to ignore it.
Cythera didn't miss a beat. "Well, when you have your own tree, you're welcome to decorate it however you choose," she said, so sweetly that Buri had to run the statement over again in her head.
Gary was certainly having an impact; Buri rather liked it.
"Thayet, why don't you take Buri on a booze run? We could use some more mulled wine for this evening."
"She thinks you're making a mess," Buri clarified, in case this had escaped Thayet. "You are, let's face it, being less helpful than me."
It took several minutes to untangle the lights from a particularly wicked knot in Thayet's hair. Buri hung over the side of the sofa, offering advice and the kitchen scissors.
--
"All right, out with it. What's got you channelling the Grinch all of a sudden?"
Buri paused, dumping an armful of Camembert into the trolley. "I don't know what you mean."
Thayet's expression said she wasn't fooled, but she let the matter lie. "Careful with that cheese; no one will want to sit under the mistletoe with you."
Just for that, Buri reached for the Stilton. "What time's Lover Boy arriving?"
"If you mean Jon by that, I think around 8. Gary's promised Cythera he won't set foot over our threshold until at least then. He offered to come help, but with the way she reacted, you'd have thought he was suggesting skinning puppies in the living room."
Unable to help herself, Buri grinned. "'But the house will be naked'," she said, in what she felt was a passable imitation of Cythera's Home Counties accent.
Thayet snorted.
--
Their house was a veritable winter wonderland. They couldn't have been at the supermarket longer than an hour, but Cythera had transformed the place, with twinkling lights, merry baubles, and so many candles as to constitute a serious fire risk.
"Do we have a fire extinguisher?"
Buri yelped as Thayet stood on her foot. "It looks great, Cyth! I love the paper chains."
Well, if they wanted to burn the place down, who was Buri to get in the way? Cythera was evidently pleased with herself, wiping floury hands on- oh, no.
"Are you baking?"
Thayet's head whipped around. She looked sort of green, but that could be the lights, of course. "Cythera, darling, I'm not sure that's - maybe you're taking too much upon yourself?"
"Nonsense," Cythera said, returning to the scene of the crime. Buri followed her into the kitchen, but stayed in the doorway in case she needed to make a quick exit. "It's just mince pies. I can put the wreath together whilst they're in the oven."
Buri watched as she carefully spooned filling into the misshapen cases. At least nobody would mix up Cythera's creations and the shop-bought versions.
Gary would have to eat them, though. The thought cheered Buri immensely.
--
"You said it was just a few people."
Thayet blinked, frowning. "Buri, what's your issue? You've already met everybody here. There can't be more than fifteen of us."
Her issue was in fact exactly that - she had already met, and more than met, everybody, and one hulking figure in particular. Buri pressed her lips together, and didn't offer anything further, swinging her legs from her perch on the countertop.
"All right, but tomorrow, we're talking about this," Thayet warned, but she always had given in easily. She seemed to take Buri's silence as tacit agreement, which it wasn't.
Buri ladled out two spoonfuls of mulled wine into mugs, taking care to scoop raisins into both, since she thought she'd heard Jon say he disliked them. She pushed the mugs into Thayet's hands, and picked her phone up, making it apparent Thayet was dismissed.
Next time she looked up, Raoul was in the doorway. She glanced at this boy, upon whom earlier in the year she had pinned a lot of hopes, and turned away.
She'd last seen him at Thayet's birthday, and he'd been easier to dismiss then. Apparently he'd asked Santa for some courage; he cleared his throat. When she ignored that, too, he said, "So, this is where you've been hiding."
"I'm sitting in the kitchen, Raoul; it's hardly the most unobtrusive place."
He crossed the room. Really, it wasn't a big kitchen, and it only took him two strides to make it across to Buri. "Did I do something wrong? I'd like to make it right, if I could."
That wrong-footed her; she had counted on her frosty attitude (and Cythera said she made no concessions to the season!) keeping him at bay. "If you don't know, I can't help you." It was hard to explain her pride had been hurt by his retreat, hard to admit she had tried to play the dating game according to Cythera's rules, and had, apparently, lost.
"Okay." Raoul blew out his cheeks, and Buri considered how unfair it was that he was here, taking up so much space in her kitchen, and looking so good in his ridiculous Christmas jumper. "I think I might have been a bit of an arse. We were getting along, and I dropped the ball. Things got busy at work, and-"
"Are you trying to say 'sorry'?" Buri asked, kicking her heels against the kitchen cupboards. "'Hey, Buri, I'm sorry for ignoring you. I'm sorry I like money so much. I'm sorry that I think an apology doesn't need to contain the word 'sorry', or even sound like an apology'."
She thought she might have gone too far, but he grinned, folding his arms over his chest. "That's an uncanny impression."
"Pompous arse is my speciality."
"You do it well." Just when he looked like he might be on the verge of apologising, he changed tact, leaning against the side. "Impressions and great Christmas parties. Quite the CV."
"This is an impression of a Christmas party," she retorted, refilling her own mulled wine.
Raoul seemed unsure of himself again. Good. "All right. What are you doing for the big day itself?"
Inadvertently, he'd hit on her sore spot. "Home alone," she said flippantly, jumping down off the countertop. "At least I won't have anyone pestering me." With that, she took her mulled wine and made off for her bedroom.
--
"I figured out your problem."
Thayet, who was so precious about her own privacy, hadn't bothered knocking. Probably, she knew that Buri would never have invited her in.
Buri ignored her, focusing on her tv instead, but Thayet switched it off. Buri knew she should have pulled her chest of drawers across the doorway. She really did not want to have this conversation.
"We fed you after midnight. Poor old Gremlin Buri."
She smiled despite herself, and tried to quash it, but it was too late. Thayet had seen it.
"Raoul came to speak to me. He seems to think you'll be on your own for Christmas. Told me off, actually, or tried to."
This time, Buri pinched her lips together, but Thayet seemed to take it as a victory anyway.
"Buri, I'm not staying with Jon over Christmas, you goose. I'll be back on Christmas Eve, and we'll do what we always do. Die Hard, Pad Thai, and then we can count how much coal you got in your stocking this year."
Oh.
"I think people on the naughty list just get one lump of coal," Buri commented thickly, sniffing. She hoped Thayet would take it as a sign of her lingering cold.
"I think Santa would like to let you know you've been extra naughty," Thayet replied, holding her arms out. "Come back to the party. Jon's worried about you; he spent ages hunting down a Christmas jumper that he's sure you'll hate, and he says you haven't even commented on it."
After a moment, Buri clambered out of bed, wrapping her arms around Thayet. "I always hate Jon's clothes. How am I to know when he's being intentionally offensive?"
"That is a very good point. Shall I fix your eyeliner?"
"If you must," Buri grumbled, secretly pleased.
--
She allowed Thayet to lead her back to the party, and saw all the hallmarks of her kind, careful friends. Gary moved to let her have the prime sofa position, next to all the goodies on the coffee table. Jon fetched her alcohol, and she conceded a remark on his abhorrent outfit choice by way of reward. Cythera even gave her the iPad so she briefly had control over the Spotify, but that only lasted a few bars into Ra-Ra Rasputin.
George engaged her in a vigorous debate on martial arts techniques, which she was actually enjoying, until a shadow fell over them. "Love, why don't you come and try some of Cythera's mince pies? She baked them herself."
"You must be very persuasive," Buri remarked as Raoul took George's place. "Alanna's willing to risk her boyfriend's health and general well-being for you."
"Alanna heard I didn't actually manage to say the word 'sorry' in my apology," Raoul said ruefully. He was holding a fresh plate of Camembert, but moved it out of Buri's reach. "Wait a moment. I'm sorry. I - everybody else was moving so fast, and I got scared. I liked you - I like you. I was a jerk."
Buri nodded. It was a relief to have the confirmation that she hadn't been imagining it, and that she hadn't ruined things. "You were a jerk. Give me the cheese."
He brought the cheese in front of him. "What kind of cheese do you use to coax a bear out of a cave?"
She smiled unwillingly. "That's terrible. Camembert. Give me."
This time, he obeyed, placing the cheese and a plate of bread between them. "How does Good King Wenceslas like his pizza?"
"I will have you thrown out of this house."
He grinned at her. "I'd say that you wouldn't dare at Christmas, but I don't think that would sway you."
Buri chewed a piece of bread, surveying the room. Jon had caught Thayet under the mistletoe (disgusting; did they need another excuse for a public display of affection?), Gary was making encouraging noises about Cythera's baking (but the plate of mince pies seemed as full as ever), her brother Pat and his boyfriend had found the crackers and were unravelling them all. "I think I'm warming to Christmas."
Raoul's eyes crinkled in that way she liked, and she felt strangely hopeful. "Glad to hear it."