Three days before Christmas.
Lars searched the entire penthouse and found no one besides Jin who sat playing Street Fighter in the living room. He decided to join his nephew since he was the only one around anyway.
"Where's Kazuya?" Lars asked. "Oneesan and Amber aren't here either."
"I'm not sure about Mom 2, but Mom and Dad went Christmas shopping in Trillion," Jin said without turning away from his game. "Because they don't want to go to Lee's empty-handed, especially since it's Christmas."
Lars looked at him in surprise. "We're going to Lee's for Christmas?"
"Yeah, he invited us to stay for a few nights," Jin shrugged. His game ended so he quickly paused and turned to Lars, a little surprised. "You didn't know?"
"No," Lars shook his head. "When did he even tell us this?"
Jin smirked. "He's been telling us this for months. I thought you'd known."
"I think I wasn't concentrating very well," Lars admitted. "Anyway, what you gonna get for Kazuya?"
"I have no clue," Jin admitted, picking up his controller to continue. "What are you getting him?"
"Limited edition sneakers," Lars smirked.
"Darn, why didn't I think of that?" Jin groaned. "Any suggestions on what I should get for him?"
"Chicken?" Lars said, much to his dismay.
"Lars, be serious."
"Fine. What about a new phone? Kazuya's been using the same one since... I'm not sure, but he's been using the same one for so long."
"To be honest, I think you're right," Jin agreed. "He's been having the same phone for years. I think I'll get him a new one."
"Okay, what about for Oneesan?" Lars asked. "What are you getting for her?"
"I'm getting her a new oven," Jin smirked. "You know, after the last one burnt? She wanted that particular brand but couldn't find it. But I did. What about you? What are you getting for Mom?"
"I need a suggestion," Lars sighed. "Any ideas?"
Jin shrugged. "Well, she has been complaining about her prized makeup set depleting. Maybe you can get her a new one."
"Prized makeup set?" Lars asked. "Which one?"
"The one that Anna got for her two years ago," Jin said, closing the game since Lars posed too much of a distraction. "Remember? The one from Paris?"
Lars slowly nodded. "I do. Alright. Remember the brand? I need to do some online shopping."
"I don't know no brands," Jin said, stretching his arms back. "Go find it in Mom's room yourself."
Lars sighed, shaking his head. "Fine."
Jin watched him leave and quickly picked up his tablet from the table. With all the workload and Christmas planning, he forgot to get a present for Lars. Of all the people he forgot, he forgot his young uncle. Jin felt a little ashamed of that.
He searched and searched online for an idea, going from page to page. But none of the ideas seemed to scream Lars. Jin groaned. He couldn't ask Lars for a gift for himself.
The front door soon rattled open and his parents came in, carrying big bags of groceries. Kazuya went straight to the kitchen, bonking things on the way, and chucked everything down on the kitchen island.
"This time, we got two turkeys so that if one burns down, I don't have to go wait in line," Kazuya complained. "That was the worst, I waited in line for so long, midst the snow, and in the end, everyone brought turkey. Even Hwoarang."
Jin couldn't help but laugh. "You're right, that was funny."
"It wasn't, I was half frozen by the time I entered the shop," Kazuya sighed. "Anyway, you haven't forgotten that we're going to Excellent's house tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, I remember," Jin said. "I have yet to pack..."
"Ah, we can do that later," Kazuya said. "By the way... I still haven't gotten anything for Lars. Do you have any suggestions of what I should get for him?"
Jin looked at him in surprise. "I was about to ask you the same thing..."
"Nuts," Kazuya groaned. "What do we do now?"
"Wanna ask Mom?" Jin suggested.
"I don't know what to get for her too," Kazuya admitted.
Jin shook his head. "You're worse than me."
Nina yawned and crawled out of bed. She was surprised to find that Adam wasn't beside her, one of the rare times of him being up before her. She realised her phone wasn't on the nightstand and staggered out of the room, trying to fix her bedraggled hair. She scratched her back and made her way down the stairs to search for the guys.
They seemed to have evaporated into thin air, without a trace of them around. The only thing she found was a paper bag from Bestie's Diner, resting on the dining table. Nina opened it to see an egg and sausage muffin sandwich and a cup of cappuccino. The bag was really big so it evidently held a lot more than just that. Nina definitely knew who ordered it.
Nina retrieved her phone before making her way back upstairs. She made a beeline for Steve's room. The door was left ajar and Nina could see that they were not there. She went to the room beside Steve's, the room where Shasha used to stay, and found it locked. Nina heard a faint sound of voices behind the door. She pressed her ears against the wood and listened in.
Steve and Adam were definitely behind it. But why were they sneaking around at this time of day? In an empty room too.
Before Nina could decide what she should do, her phone started ringing in her hand. A loud ringtone it was, Jin's theme from the third tournament.
Nina sighed and answered the call. "JIN!"
"Gosh, my ear!" Jin groaned.
"That's how I feel whenever you do that to me," Nina smirked. "Anyway, what's up?"
"We're coming over," Jin said.
Nina groaned. "Oh come on, I just woke up."
"It's okay, we're coming now," Jin said.
"What do you mean 'it's okay'? Jin, that's something that I should be saying," Nina sighed. "Fine. Where are you now?"
"Ten minutes away," Jin said. "We're also bringing snacks."
Nina sighed. "Okay. I'll go freshen up."
She bade farewell and hung up. The door beside her suddenly opened and out came Steve and Adam, pretending like they didn't just sneak around behind her.
"Who was it?" Adam asked.
"Jin," Nina groaned. "He's coming over now. And I just woke up..."
"We ordered breakfast," Steve said. "We left it on the dining."
Nina nodded. "I saw. But I have to go get ready first. Jin said he's also bringing some snacks."
"I won't be surprised if he just raided them from his pantry," Steve snorted as he made his way downstairs. "I'll wait for him in the hall."
"I need to go to the toilet," Adam said, following Nina to their bedroom.
Nina watched him enter the bathroom and shut the door, hoping that he wouldn't take long since she needed to go as well.
Jin and Kazuya came in while Nina was still having her breakfast in front of the TV. She just waved at them and continued devouring her English muffin.
"Let me guess," Adam said, standing up as soon as the two came in. "You guys are here for Christmas ideas?"
"How did you know?" Kazuya asked, surprised.
Adam just pointed at the calendar resting on the TV cabinet. "Christmas is in three days."
Kazuya smiled. "Yeah. And I still have no idea what to get for Jun." He sighed. "You guys are coming to Excellent's house tomorrow, right?"
Nina swallowed her mouthful. "If we don't, will Anna let me be?"
"Indeed, she won't," Jin chuckled. "Your parents are coming, right, Adam?"
"Yeah," Adam nodded. "They're on the way. We have to go pick them up from the airport later."
Nina finished her sandwich and got up, making her way to the kitchen. Jin watched her leave before pulling Steve's arm.
"What shall I get for Nina?" Jin asked him.
Steve smirked. "How should I know?"
"She's your mother," Jin countered.
"Yeah, but," Steve shrugged. "You should come up with it, pal, not me."
Jin sighed. "Oh, come on!"
"Okay, okay, don't turn into Devil Jin or anything," Steve jokingly said, patting his shoulder. "I wasn't sure what to get for her either, but Dad and I managed to rig something up."
"What did you two rig up?" Kazuya asked.
Before either of the blond men could answer, Nina returned and sat down on the couch again to resume her coffee. The Mishimas shrugged and sat down as well.
"So what's the emergency this time?" Nina asked before taking a sip of her coffee. "What to do for the party or... you need ideas for gifts?"
"The second one," Jin said. "Dad doesn't know what to get for Mom while I don't know what to get for Lars. We need help."
"Shouldn't you be bothering Uncle Lee for Lars?" Steve pointed out, reaching for the remote to turn the TV volume down. "Like... he knows Lars better than us."
"Yeah, but..." Jin shrugged. "Dad wanted to ask you guys what to get for Mom."
"Yes, and Nina has known her for so long," Kazuya added. "Any ideas?"
"You're her husband, shouldn't you know her better than me?" Nina countered, removing her cup cover to finish the last of her coffee.
Kazuya groaned. "Nina, please."
"Fine, fine," Nina sighed. "You wanna go to the mall? I'll call Anna along so that she can help."
"That sounds like a good idea," Steve agreed. "Auntie is good with that sort of thing."
Nina snorted and gave him a light backhand. "I like how you call her that."
"I do too," Steve grinned.
Anna was waiting for them at a cafe on the ground floor. As soon as she spotted them, Anna called them over.
"Let me finish my coffee first," Anna said. "You guys want anything?"
"Nah, we just had breakfast," Nina said, seating herself beside her. "Anyway, where's Tori?"
"She's helping me distract Lee," Anna before taking a sip of her coffee. "I need to get him something too. Thanks for calling me, by the way. I nearly forgot with all the Christmas prep."
"Dad's having trouble deciding what to get for Mom and I'm having some trouble deciding what to get for Lars," Jin said.
Anna scanned them and nodded. "That explains why he didn't come with you guys. Usually, he'd be in on it as well."
"Yep," Kazuya nodded. "I don't know what to get for him either."
Anna sighed. "Kazuya, any suggestions on what I should get for Lee?"
"For Excellent?" Kazuya frowned. "The guy already has everything."
"That's actually true," Jin nodded in agreement. "So I'm getting a trip to somewhere."
"He'd like that," Anna nodded. "But what should I get for him?"
Kazuya shrugged, smirking slightly. "I'm not sure, I'm just giving him a comb of bananas." Everyone turned to look at him in surprise. "What, Excellent loves bananas." Kazuya added.
"Dad, Lee's helped us so much, surely he deserves more than that," Jin said. "He took me in even when you didn't."
Kazuya frowned awkwardly. "You guys seriously can't see the joke? I'm getting him something a lot bigger than that, okay?"
"You better be right," Jin said before turning to Anna. "Maybe you can get him something of your style. You two have very similar styles."
Anna nodded slowly. "Good idea. But what should I get him?"
"What are you wearing?" Nina asked, pointing a hand at her sisters's apparel.
"Why?" Anna asked, looking down at her blue cheongsam before turning her confused gaze back to her sister. "What's wrong with my outfit?"
Nina smirked. "That's not what I meant. Just look at your outfit. Maybe you can get some ideas from there?"
Anna looked at her sister again and tilted her head, still confused. And then it hit her.
"Nina, you're a genius!" Anna squealed. "I'll steal some of his clothes and bring them straight to the tailor. Should I get the traditional long kind, or shall I get the shirt type of changshan?"
"Get him the long one, he'd look good in it," Kazuya suggested.
Anna nodded, grinning. She finished her coffee and stood up. "Let's go."
"I need an idea for Jun," Kazuya said as they left the cafe. "Any ideas?"
"No... but can we stop at Beauty and Bath Works first?" Anna said. "I heard they're having a sale."
Adam and Steve gasped, their eyes shining. Nina rolled her eyes and just went along.
"Jin, help me choose," Kazuya said, pulling his son to the gift set section. "Which scent is nice?"
"How should I know?" Jin groaned. "I never hang around the women's section."
Nina showed up, looking annoyed. "Decided what to get for Jun yet?"
"Having trouble choosing a good scent," Kazuya sighed. "Where's Adam and Steve? Are they outside?"
Nina shook her head and pointed at the shelf near the counter. "They're going crazy over the three-in-one soap, shampoo, and face wash."
Jin gasped. "They have those?!"
"I wonder why they don't have those for us ladies," Nina sighed.
Jin rushed off, abandoning his father, and joined the Englishmen instead. Kazuya shook his head and went back to staring at the aesthetically decorated products in front of him.
"I think I can help," Nina said. "Do you know what Jun's favourite scent is?"
Kazuya was confused the whole time Nina explained this and that. In the end, he decided to go for a simple but elegant mixture of white roses and lavender scent.
"You're shopping for your dad too?" Steve asked as soon as Jin showed up.
Adam turned to him in surprise. "You're shopping for me?!"
Steve rolled his eyes. "Why would I do that right under your eyes?"
Jin snorted. "No, I'm actually shopping for Lars."
"Oh, right," Steve nodded. "Does he like candles? I think they're on sale too."
"They are," Adam said, pointing towards the shelf behind them. "Massive discount. Less than half the original price."
"Thanks for the tip," Jin nodded. "I'll get him one of these things and get him a candle."
"Don't tell me you don't wanna get stuff for yourself as well," Steve grinned, nudging his friend slightly.
Jin smirked in response and took a few flavours before making a beeline for the candle section. The blonds followed.
"I actually forgot to get something for Auntie," Steve whispered.
"What about your mum?" Adam smirked.
Steve turned to him. "I got it wrapped right in front of you."
"Fine," Adam smirked. "What about Jin? Shopped for Nina yet?"
"What's her favourite scent?" Jin asked, scanning the rows of three-wick candles in front of him.
"She likes whatever that's purple," Steve advised with a smirk.
"Unless it's Vanilla," Adam added. "Nina hates that stuff."
Jin nodded. "Got it." He glanced at where Nina was standing and found her beside Anna, while Kazuya was behind them. Jin decided to call him over. "Dad! Over here."
Kazuya came over, holding a bottle of three-in-one product that was made to look like a liquor bottle. "Yeah?"
"What did you get for Mom?" Jin asked.
"I got her a gift set," Kazuya shrugged. "Body cream, body lotion, shower gel, and body spray. Don't ask what's the difference between body lotion and cream. Nina herself doesn't know."
"I think it's just the consistency," Adam said. "Like the cream is... thicker, I think. But they both still feel the same."
"Why did they put both in the set, then?" Steve snorted. "Was it cheap?"
Kazuya shook his head. "No. Compared to other brands, no."
"Wanna add a candle?" Jin smirked.
Kazuya seemed to consider it for a moment, then nodded. "Sure."
"Do you guys know a good tailor?" Anna asked as they left the shop. "I need to sew Lee a nice changshan and I don't want to give it to our usual people. Lee would know about it."
"I do," Jin nodded. "They can do traditional clothing really well, as well as suits. Got the replica of Kazumi's kimono done there."
Kazuya glared at him at the reminder of what happened on Halloween Day. Though he had forgiven them for what they had done, it was mean of them to pull off such a thing.
"That would be great," Anna smiled. "Text me their details later."
"Wanna have some lunch before we go?" Adam suggested. "We ate early, and now I'm starving."
"Same," Steve added in agreement.
"Me too, though I only ate right before leaving," Nina added.
Anna snorted and nudged her. "You're always hungry, Nins."
They settled on eating at a sushi bar since it was already nearing lunchtime.
The Eve of Christmas Eve.
The Williams set off to Lee's mansion, tagging the elder Wilsons along with them. They packed snacks along with them, practically a whole feast.
"This is for us to eat on the way," Harper said, handing around bags of chicken nuggets. "Wouldn't want us to arrive hungry now, do we?"
"Mum, it's not even that far," Adam chuckled, opening the paper bag nonetheless. "Lee's place is just here."
"Yeah, it's half an hour away, Dad," Steve added, munching his nuggets. "Gosh, if Hwoarang had come..."
"He would be the happiest," Nina chuckled as she drove.
"Is it that Korean friend of yours?" Jacob asked, leaning forward slightly.
Steve nodded. "Yeah. The guy that came as an alien for Halloween."
"Is he coming to Lee's house?" Adam asked.
"He is," Steve said, taking his phone out. "He's already waiting for us there." He showed them a selfie that Hwoarang took in front of Lee's mansion. "There, even sent me a picture."
They rode along, playing soft music, when suddenly, they came to a block in the road. It wasn't a police block, just a construction block since a few trees had collapsed due to a blizzard.
"Adam, check where this road leads," Nina said, turning into the detour. "Will it delay us?"
Adam frowned at his phone and groaned. "Yes. Yes, it definitely is. Our half-hour trip just turned into a whole hour, guys."
"One hour?!" Steve gasped. "Darn!"
"Well, we can't just knock over the roadblock," Jacob shrugged. "Though I know you are actually capable of doing so..."
"We are, but I just don't want to damage my car," Nina said, patting the steering of her Lamborghini Urus. "That's fine, just a half-hour delay."
The estimated time of arrival went from three o'clock to four o'clock. Eventually, they found themselves in the middle of nowhere.
"Adam, how long more?" Harper was exasperated. "It's been two hours!"
"I'm... I'm not sure," Adam frowned at his phone. "My phone's GPS... it's not showing a route."
"Not showing a route?" Steve said in surprise.
"Yeah, like it says zero KM and not saying where we should turn, or if we should turn at all," Adam groaned.
"Try using mine," Nina said, stopping the car to pull out her phone. "If that fails too, use the car's GPS."
Adam took Nina's phone and looked for a route to Lee's mansion. To his surprise, they were in a secluded area in Kanagawa.
"We're in Kanagawa?!" Adam gasped. "We're in a different prefecture!"
"A different prefecture?" Jacob repeated. "That's what they call states here, right?"
Steve nodded. "Yes. How long to Lee's home, Dad?"
"An hour and a half," Adam sighed. "At this rate, it would be night by the time we arrive at Lee's..."
Nina sighed. "All because of that dumb detour. Steve, tell Anna about this."
"Which part of Kanagawa are we even in?" Steve shook his head as he took his phone out.
"Near Sagamihara," Adam sighed. "We're in Kawasaki."
"So we drove well past Yokohama, then?" Nina scoffed. "I should have known when this thing took us on a back route."
"Kawasaki, Yokohama," Jacob quipped. "Aren't these brands?"
"They are names of places," Adam said. "They probably named the brands after these places."
"Or the people's names," Steve added. "I told Auntie about this and she's asking us why we didn't ask her about a shortcut."
"Tell her we didn't know it would take this long," Nina sighed. "And tell her that your father screwed up the GPS."
"I did not," Adam argued. "My GPS screwed itself up, I'm not sure what's wrong with my phone."
"You need a new one, Dad," Steve said. "How old is your phone anyway?"
"I have no clue..." Adam shrugged. "I think it's time I changed it."
Night slowly fell and darkness surrounded them. They still didn't reach Lee's mansion.
"Does the car have enough petrol?" Harper asked.
"It does, it's a good thing I filled up right before the journey," Nina said, looking at the odometer.
They finally drove up to Lee's mansion and found everyone waiting outside, most of them already dressed in nightclothes. The five of them gladly got out of the car.
"What happened?" Anna ran up as soon as they got off. "You should've been here hours ago."
"We should've, but there was a roadblock because of a fallen tree or something," Nina sighed. We ended up in Kanagawa."
"Kanagawa? Which part?" Lee said, coming over.
"Kawasaki," Adam sighed. "We were already nearing Sagamihara."
Hwoarang smirked as he joined them. "Let me guess, it was Steve's fault?"
"Actually, it was Dad's phone," Steve said. "His GPS went haywire."
Nina frowned when she realised how all of them were dressed in pyjamas. "Darn, we must be really late. You guys are already in your PJs."
"That's fine, the only thing you missed was the Spikys' brawl," Lee smirked. "I would've gladly missed that."
"Yeah, miss it in person to watch through your spy satellite," Kazuya poked his rib. "I know you."
Lee grinned. "You do."
"What happened?" Adam groaned. He looked around a bit and didn't find someone. "Where's Lars? Is he okay? He's usually the one stopping this thing."
"Well, he's paying the price," Amber said. "He's with Alisa and Oneesan."
"Never mind Lars, are you guys okay?" Jin asked. "That detour took you forever."
"It certainly did," Steve sighed.
"You must be famished!" Hwoarang dramatically added. "How did you guys survive so long in the car? Without food?!"
"We had snacks," Adam added. "So we didn't starve."
Harper gasped. "The food! It's in the boot. Oh gosh, the food."
"Should be fine, just cold," Jacob sighed, joining her.
"You guys actually brought food?" Hwoarang said in surprise.
"It was supposed to be for dinner, but seeing how you guys are already in PJs..." Nina sighed.
Anna smirked. "Nina, we haven't eaten yet. We were waiting for you guys."
"So we can eat together, then?" Hwoarang grinned.
Lee had his servants reheat the food that the Wilsons brought with them while the family freshened up after their wild goose chase of a lost route. By the time they were out, the table was set and the food was ready.
"At least you didn't miss dinner," Hwoarang said as Steve sat down beside him.
Steve turned to him with a knowing look. "The only reason we didn't is because we brought the food."
"Nah, Lee and Anna actually stopped us from eating without you guys," Hwoarang sighed. "I'm starved..."
Nina looked at him in surprise before turning to Anna and her husband. "You guys waited? Why?"
"We took so long, you guys should've eaten earlier," Adam added.
"Oh come on, how could we?" Anna smiled. "You guys are our family."
"Yeah, it's also not excellent to eat without you guys," Lee added.
"You guys are one of us, how could we eat without you?" Jun said next.
Steve seemed to have realised something. "So that's why the Mishimas started brawling earlier. They couldn't think straight without food!"
"You're right," Lars added with a sigh.
"We weren't actually brawling, more like... arguing," Jin reasoned.
"It's actually because they were sneaking around with Hwoarang to find food, but we caught them," Lars said. "They ended up blaming each other while Hwoarang was just there, cheering them on while filming on his phone."
Everyone just turned to look at Hwoarang, who sat with bulging eyes.
"At this point, I'm not even surprised," Steve sighed, shaking his head as he turned back to his plate. "Let's just eat."
Christmas Eve.
The Christmas tree in Lee's living room was fully decorated with fairy lights and ornaments, a star adorning the top. Presents of various colours scattered the base, each labelled for a specific person.
Everyone helped in making dinner, especially since Lee's servants were on holiday. Jun was in charge of making the main dish with Amber and Anna while the rest split into teams to make other dishes.
Jin, Xiaoyu, and Alisa made Takoyaki while Hwoarang and the Wilsons made cookies. Nina helped her in-laws with a nice apple pie, while Kazuya and Lars made Gyoza.
"This is a lot of food, are you sure we can eat everything?" Lee asked, watching as everyone set to work.
"You're not making anything, so we can still eat," Anna smirked.
Lee frowned and heaved Tori a little since she was sliding off. "Oh come on, I insisted on making something as well."
"You're doing enough by watching Tori, Lee," Anna smiled. "Isn't that more than enough?"
"Yeah but..." Lee sighed. "Feel like I'm not contributing anything."
"Excellent, this is your kitchen," Kazuya added. "Isn't that enough?"
"You're making it sound like I'm that one person in the group project who lends supplies and thinks they have contributed lots."
Jun turned to him. "Lee, I know how hard it is to watch a toddler." She motioned her head towards Jin. "You already have enough on your hands."
Lee turned to look at his nephew before turning back to Jun. "Was he that bad?"
Jin turned to look at his mother and pouted. Jun let out a chuckle and nodded at Lee. "He was." She said. "Still is."
"Mom!" Jin groaned.
Lee burst into laughter. "At least let me make some drink."
"Lee, no," Anna warned. "You let Tori off your sight for one second..." she sighed. "She's gonna create a mess. You better just watch her, we'll take care of everything."
Lee frowned for a moment. "How about this? I'll order some drinks online instead. How about that?"
"That sounds like a great idea," Jun nodded. "I think that should be okay."
"Order something nice," Kazuya added, folding the Gyoza wrapping around the stuffing.
Lee nodded and made his way back to the kitchen. It didn't take long for him to order the drinks, and didn't take long for them to arrive.
Soon, they were all seated to have their dinner. The dining table was nearly full with all the platters that they had laid out. Lee brought the drinks in and laid them out as well.
"Alright, let's feast!" Lee exclaimed as he sat down. "You guys made a lot of stuff, I'm not sure if I can even finish them."
"You can," Kazuya said. "But if you can't, I'll gladly do it for you."
Lee frowned at him. "Fine then. I'll eat everything."
"This boy has a theatre in his house?" Harper said in surprise.
"Yeah, Lee has lots of stuff under his sleeve," Adam said, passing her a box of popcorn. "He even has a satellite that can spy on anyone live."
Harper was even more surprised. "Golly!"
"Well, I'm not surprised," Jacob chuckled. "After all, he's married to Nina's sister."
Harper nodded in agreement. "You're right, this is nothing to some stuff we're used to seeing."
"Blame the bloke beside you," Steve added while chomping on his popcorn.
Jacob pointed to himself in surprise. "But I did nothing!"
"I was talking about the one on Grandma's left," Steve corrected.
Adam sighed. "Fine."
Nina snorted as she sat herself between Steve and Adam. "You guys... you do act like brothers."
"Same story here too," Jun sighed, pointing to the men beside her.
"I think we should invite Jin together with us during our next Brotherly Day Together," Lee grinned as he turned the screen on. "What movie shall we watch?"
Christmas Day.
Gifts were passed around, gifts were opened. Kazuya and Adam looked at their new phones in surprise.
"A new phone? But why?" Kazuya asked, turning to Jin.
"I've seen how you complain about your phone, yet don't change it since it has all your data in it," Jin smiled. "I got you the same brand, just a newer version. You can clone it. All of your data will be saved."
"Oh..." Kazuya nodded. "Thanks."
"I actually don't need a new phone," Adam said, playing with his new phone.
Nina gave him a knowing look. "You don't?"
"Yeah, Dad, your phone's GPS didn't get us lost two days ago, right?" Steve added. "And a few times before that."
"I'll just take it back, then," Nina smirked.
Adam nodded. "You're right. It is getting slower day by day. Thanks. Now, I just need to set it up."
"Do that later," Steve grinned. "Right now, you open my gift."
Adam did. To his surprise, it was a pair of wireless earphones.
"Were you two sneaking behind my back?" Adam asked.
"That's exactly what we did," Nina smugly said. "Do you like it?"
Adam nodded and hugged them both. "I do. Thank you."
Lee was surprised to see a comb of bananas in Kazuya's gift. "Oh! Excellent!" He didn't seem even the least bit fazed as he ripped one off to eat.
"You're not disappointed?" Kazuya asked in surprise.
Lee shrugged, peeling his banana. "Why should I be? I've received worse things from you. I see this as an excellent gift. Thanks."
Jin and Lars frowned at Kazuya. Jun giggled and nudged her husband. "Come on, enough playing around! Just give it to him."
Kazuya sighed and went to get something from his room. Lee distributed the bananas around in the meantime since it really was a very large comb. Kazuya was surprised to see everyone in the room holding the yellow fruit.
"Sure this isn't your gift?" Lee asked, finishing his banana. "Because this is the biggest comb I've seen other than the ones that come fresh out of the tree."
Kazuya carefully placed the box he was holding on the coffee table in front of Lee. "Here. Be careful when opening it."
"Is it a bomb?" Lee asked as he slid to the ground to open the box. "Because I've been there before too."
"Just open it," Kazuya sighed.
Lee snorted and carefully lifted the lid of the box. To his surprise, it was a small aquarium with a fish of gleaming gold scales.
"Whoa..." Lee said in awe. "Is this... Arowana?"
Kazuya nodded. "Yep. Golden Arowana. From Malaysia."
"Malaysia?" Anna said in surprise. "Did Shasha have anything to do with this?"
"She did," Kazuya nodded. "I went to a shop in Kyoto to buy it, but for some reason, the fish didn't look as good. They were all cramped up in one tank, at least twenty of them. I then found that they were actually from Malaysia and gave her a call. She was surprised but helped me arrange for this fish to be sent here." He smirked. "She also told me to wish you a Merry Christmas. Her mom too."
"That was nice of her," Lee nodded. "Too bad she didn't come."
"Well, she's celebrating with her family too," Steve stated. "She even sent me a few pictures. Mostly food."
Lee smiled. "Thanks, Spiky. I really like it."
"I'm glad you do, Excellent," Kazuya smiled back. "Also, this fish needs a separate tank, and I noticed that yours was empty. Why is it empty?"
Lee shrugged. "My fishies beat each other up to a pulp. Thanks for getting me this. It's excellent."
"This Arowana is also aggressive, so don't put other fish with it," Kazuya added. "Shasha says that it has the power to... bite fishes in half or something."
"So basically, it's you," Lee nodded. "I'll see to it."
Kazuya nodded, so done with him. "Okay."
"Did you open the gift I got for you?" Jin asked.
Lee frowned and opened Jin's gift. To his surprise, it was a ticket to an exclusive Ryokan in Ishikawa. Anna received the same too.
"So you booked us a holiday," Anna smiled. "Thanks, Jin."
"Do we get holidays too?" Hwoarang mumbled as he ripped his package open as well. To his dismay, all he found was an egg sandwich inside the box. Hwoarang sighed and just took it out, ripping it open to take a bite. "At least it's tasty."
Jin burst into laughter, much to everyone's surprise. Hwoarang frowned at him, his mouth full.
The redhead swallowed and stood up. "I'm not gonna stick around to watch you laugh at my face because I ain't defeated. I accept this sandwich wholeheartedly, so I thank you for it."
Hwoarang then left with his sandwich, going up the stairs to go to his room.
"He's a good sport, ain't he?" Steve remarked, throwing the banana peel into the rubbish bin. He retrieved something from the Christmas tree before going after his Korean friend. "Hwo! Wait up!"
Jun turned to her son. "Jin..."
"What?" Jin said, surprised.
"What did he get for you?" Jun sighed.
Jin tore open the gift he got from Hwoarang and opened the small black box. It was a watch with the acronym JK on it.
"He got me a contraband watch," Jin said, showing them. "I mean, it looks cool."
Lars took it and gave it a closer look. "This ain't contraband... it's custom-made."
"But I haven't heard of a brand called JK," Jin added. "Surely it stands for Just Kidding."
"The brand isn't JK," Lee said, looking at the bottom of the box. "It's authentic Feiko."
"Feiko?" Jin said in surprise.
"And JK doesn't stand for Just Kidding, it stands for Jin Kazama," Kazuya added. "You don't even know your own initials?"
Jin slowly retrieved the watch and stared at it. Black and red details intricately adorned the timepiece, the two colours he always paired.
"And you just got him a sandwich," Kazuya pointed out. "And you gave me a strange look when I told you I was giving Excellent just a comb of bananas."
"I agree with Kazuya," Lars added. "Jin, seriously..."
"Did you at least get him something for real?" Jun asked, hoping that he did.
Jin sighed and got up, making his way upstairs.
Hwoarang sulkily ate his sandwich while Steve sat beside him.
"What did you get him?" The blond asked.
"A custom-made Feiko watch with his initials," Hwoarang said, finishing the sandwich. "It's okay, I don't mind. He knows that I like free food."
Steve frowned. It was clear that he was quite hurt at receiving a joke gift when he had given him a nice one. The blond got an idea and handed him the gift that he got for him to cheer him up. "Hwo, why don't you open my gift?"
Hwoarang sighed and took the bag. It was filled with stuff he got from Beauty and Bath Works.
"I got you a three-wick candle too, custom labelling as well," Steve added with a smirk. "And a nice cologne that lasts the whole day."
Hwoarang read the candle's label and burst into laughter. "'Please light this because you stink, especially when you fart.' Gee, thanks, Steve."
Steve grinned. "You're welcome. Don't forget to light it, okay?"
"I will," Hwoarang grinned.
"You will light or you will forget?" Steve asked, nudging him slightly.
"I will forget," Hwoarang smirked, putting everything back in the bag. "Again, thanks, Steve. I really appreciate it."
Jin walked in, holding the watch he just received. "Hwo?"
"Like my gift?" Hwoarang asked, smirking slightly.
Jin sighed and sat down beside him. "Hwo. I'm sorry."
"But why?" Hwoarang asked as if he didn't feel hurt just a few minutes ago. "I really liked that gift. I finished it in a flash."
Steve leaned forward and reached for the watch that Jin was holding. "Can I have a look?" Jin handed it to him without a word. Steve happily took it and examined it closely. "Looks good! Feiko too! And it even has your initials!"
Hwoarang nudged the blond. "You opened yours yet?"
"Oh!" Steve realised that he hasn't. "Right, I haven't. I'll go get it now."
With that, he got up, handed the watch back to Jin, waved at the two, and sauntered off.
Jin turned back to Hwoarang. "Hwo..."
"Say something besides that so that we can talk," Hwoarang said, putting the gift bag aside while his other hand held the sandwich wrapper.
"I didn't mean to give you the sandwich," Jin began.
"Then what was the real deal?" Hwoarang asked, dumping the wrapper into the bin beside the door.
"The sandwich."
Hwoarang nodded slowly. "Okay. I liked it. Thanks."
"No, I meant," Jin sighed. "The real gift was the joke of giving you a sandwich."
"Okay, it's funny," Hwoarang smiled slightly. "A very fun joke."
Jin held up the watch he was holding. "But you gave me this, an actual gift."
"I know it's not much for you, being a CEO and all, but I tried my best," Hwoarang shrugged. "It's fine if you don't like it."
Jin got up and went towards him. "Hwo, I love it. It's very special to me, a watch in my favourite colour with my initials. I really appreciate it, especially since it's from my best friend."
Hwoarang gave him a small smile. "Thanks. I guess you tried your best at making a joke too, and the sandwich was the outcome. It is special, now that I think about it."
"No, I gave you something that you could finish in one go, how is that special?" Jin groaned, shaking his head.
"It is," Hwoarang insisted. "The fact that you actually tried to make a joke to laugh at me. That's something to remember. I will remember how you actually tried to pull a prank on me instead of acting like a grandpa like always."
Jin sighed and hugged him. "Thank you, Hwoarang. You're one of the only true friends that I have."
"Hey, then does that make me a fake friend?" Steve said in surprise, appearing at the doorway with two bags of presents. Jin chuckled and pulled away from the hug. "You too. Or else, why would I come to you first whenever there's an emergency."
Steve snorted. "Come on, I was just kidding." He sat down on Hwoarang's bed and started unwrapping his gifts. Jin had given him a lunchbox set that could keep food and drinks hot or cold for hours. From Hwoarang, he received a custom-made necklace and belt. "Thanks. I like the stuff you guys gave me." He said at last.
"Yeah, you've always been complaining about your coffee and lunch getting cold real quick, so I decided to get you better ones," Jin said. "You like it?"
"Yeah," Steve nodded. "This belt and necklace are really good too. Thanks, Hwo."
Hwoarang grinned. "Glad you like it."
"Yeah, now on getting a better gift for you," Jin nudged the Korean. "What do you want?"
"I don't want anything," Hwoarang said. "What you gave me was good enough."
"And that's exactly why I want to get you something better," Jin insisted. "What do you want?"
Hwoarang shrugged. "I don't like asking for gifts. I just accept what's given. Just get me anything that you think is good."
"How about some cash?" Jin asked.
"I don't want your money," Hwoarang shook his head. "You just give me something, however small, and I will appreciate it."
Jin nodded. "I'll see what I can do."
Steve gathered his things and motioned for them to follow him back downstairs. Everyone was eagerly waiting to see how Hwoarang was doing.
"I'm okay," Hwoarang nodded slightly. "I actually like Kazama's gift since it was a joke. You don't often see jokes from him."
Kazuya simply scoffed. "Try living under the same roof as him, then let's see what you think."
Hwoarang chuckled. "You're right, just that it's rare for him to do such stuff with me. He usually acts like a grandpa with us."
Jin smiled slightly as he sat down beside Lars. Jun sighed and shook her head.
If yesterday's feast was considered extra, today's was even bigger. Hwoarang kept insisting that he wasn't hungry since he had the sandwich that Jin had given him but still ate just as much as anyone else, maybe even more.
"Hwo, come to my room later," Jin said. "I'll give you the real present." He turned to Steve. "You too."
"Me?" Steve said in surprise, grinning. "Okay. I'll stop by later to see what happens."
Right after lunch, they met up in Jin's room. The room was luxuriously furnished, just like any other room in the mansion. Hwoarang and Steve down on the comfy couch and watched as Jin sat on his bed, playing with his tablet.
"So we just came here to see you play?" Steve impatiently called. "Whatcha giving Hwo?"
Jin frowned and motioned for him to wait. He finally perked up and placed his tablet down before turning to them. "Alright, I'm done."
"What have you done?" Hwoarang asked.
Jin smirked. "We are going for a week of holiday in Penang Island."
"And where is that?" Steve asked.
"Malaysia," Jin said, much to their surprise. "I got an idea when I saw the Arowana Dad gave to Lee."
"Wait, is that where Shasha is from?" Steve said, then shook his head. "No, she's from a different place."
"Yeah, different," Jin nodded. "It's a tropical island, so we can enjoy it."
Hwoarang gulped. "But what about natural disasters? I heard that Malaysia is pretty flooded around this time of the year."
"Shasha says that Penang is a little different," Jin said. "She told me that August is more extreme in Penang, with strong winds and stuff."
"How much has she been talking to you guys behind us?" Steve remarked in surprise.
"That's not the point," Jin shook his head. "She also told me that Penang is 'food heaven' and has nice beaches. She even sent me a list of foods that we have to try. So why not?"
Steve shrugged and turned to Hwoarang. Hwoarang shrugged too, but with a small smile tugging at his lips. "Sure." He finally said. "I'm down for that."
"When are we going?" Steve asked.
"After Shogatsu," Jin said. "How about that?"
"Only us or everyone?" Steve questioned again.
Jin shrugged. "Up to you guys, and them too. I already checked with Mom and Dad, they said that they don't wish to come."
Hwoarang smirked slightly. "What about Lars? Did you ask him?"
Jin shook his head. "He's not coming either."
"So just us?" Steve said in surprise. "That's a first."
"Do you want to come or not?" Jin snorted.
Steve shrugged. "I'll come if Hwo does."
"I'll come if Steve does," Hwoarang countered.
"Guys, I already made arrangements," Jin groaned. Please tell me properly."
Steve chuckled. "Fine, fine, we're coming."
"Great," Jin sighed. "Alright. Let's go tell the others."
The Christmas, though it had a few bumps on the way, turned out good and fine. The fighters enjoyed themselves with their family and friends, looking forward to the new year ahead of them.
Hey guys! I know this chapter is SUPER late. But I got really busy last week and this is what happened. I didn't want to delay the chapter any further since keeping it resulted in a slight case of writer's block. So yeah, I decided to finish it and release it to have room for more books. Merry Belated Christmas and Happy New Year to all!