Tbh, last chapter was trash, so let's make a better one, yeah?
Okay, cool.
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Isabelle stared longingly at the giant decorated tree in the plaza. Each light twinkled brightly like an array of decorative stars. She wondered how (Y/n) managed to put anything on the tree, given the height difference. Isabelle imagined his ambition, getting a few villagers help hoist him up there. They'd all fall on the first few attempts, but (Y/n)'s encouragement would keep them going, until eventually, they prevailed. A smile worked its way onto Isabelle's face.
"I wonder what he's doing right now." She thought.
"I can't wait to see Jingle!" Isabelle perked up, looking towards the voice.
"Yeah! I hope to get a years supply of donuts!" Stitches sang happily, skipping next to Chrissy.
"What? They'll mold before next month!" Chrissy informed, scrunching up her nose.
"I'd eat them all in one day." He said smugly and Chrissy failed to hold back her look of disgust.
Isabelle's smile fell. She had given (Y/n) a gift of course, but she'd had to pretend it was out of courtesy than out of love. She sighed and looked back to the many ornaments, trying to ignore the depressive aching in her heart.
After a while, the cool air grew stronger, so she decided to begin her trek home.
You could tell the town was excited about Toy Day. Villagers bustled around the campfire on a daily basis, sipping on hot cocoa and loudly singing carols. (Y/n) had adorned the paths with red flowers and holly bushes. The street lamps seemed much brighter tonight, snow piling on top of them.
Isabelle strolled calmly towards her house, taking in the night and occasionally breathing out icy vapor. She found herself stopping in front of the Town Hall, without even realizing it. As she reached for the door, she came to her senses, pausing midway. What was she doing here? As the thought passed through, (Y/n)'s face seemed to appear before her. Isabelle's mouth curled into a frown.
"I'm hopeless," she said almost jokingly. It was then that the door opened, a perplexed faced (Y/n) stood at the entrance.
"I saw you standing out here; do you need something?" Isabelle stared at him, dumbfounded.
"Mayor!" (Y/n) winced.
"I just came to say.. uh... have a happy Toy Day..?" Isabelle sputtered, internally facepalming afterwards. (Y/n) smiled sweetly, the cold breeze sifting through his hair. Isabelle tried not to swoon.
"Thanks Belle, you too." Isabelle shifted uncomfortably.
What do I do now? Do I just... leave? She thought as they gazed at each other. Eventually, (Y/n) bore his eyes away from hers, slowly going pink in the face. He cleared his throat.
"WELL! It's uh.. kinda cold out so... you should.. uhm... head home."
"Right... don't work too late, enjoy your holiday. Goodnight, mayor." Isabelle requested with a faltering grin.
"Will do! Goodnight." (Y/n) closed the door as she walked away
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(Y/n) held onto the handle for a while. He wanted to open it back up and call out to her, but what would he do after that? He'd be stuck at a loss for words, and overall look like a complete fool. He replayed the imaginary scenario in his head, grimacing to himself.
(Y/n) turned around, leaning against the door. He slid down until he reached the floor, running a hand through his coffee-colored hair.
It was confusing, what he was experiencing. He disliked it greatly. The feeling would creep up on him, hiding in the shadows until it eventually pounced. It would claw at his emotions, altering the happiness to bitterness.
(Y/n) is someone who rarely comes in contact with resent. He was the sun in training, a beacon of light that's always beaming. His whole life he's been independent. He thrived off the joy of others. But Isabelle, her happiness could completely fulfill him. He adored her smile, her stuttering, and even her clumsiness. Most of her seemingly bad qualities were endearing to him. Of course, he'd never show it. Subtly, maybe, but not enough to provoke questioning.
Well there were times where he'd forget his boundaries, but he prefers not mentioning those.
(Y/n) let out an annoyed groan, burying his head in his knees. Emotions are the worst, he thought.
• • •
(Y/n) exited to Town Hall, turning to lock the door behind him. After securing the key in his pocket, he let his eyes travel the sky.
Chocolate irises jumped through the stars, sliding down constellations and swimming through the milky way. There was a bounce in his step as he walked, aimlessly heading towards his house. His gaze remained glued to the sky, skillfully avoiding stones and trees. Eventually he looked down, but his stare landed on two more stars. He blinked.
"Hey there!" (Y/n) jumped, realizing that those weren't stars. A reindeer, with peculiar shaped pupils, smiled brightly at him.
"Howdy!" He replied, masking his confusion.
"I'm Jingle, the black-nosed reindeer! Happy holidays!" He sang as (Y/n) eyes widened. Jingle looked up at the sky, taking a deep breath before gazing at everything around him.
"This has always been my favorite time of year. Villagers making snowmen, singing carols, and overall just being together. There's always plenty of smiles to go around.. and look at all those shining lights!" Jingle said lovingly before facing (Y/n), who agreed.
"I'm getting ready to sneak into everyone's house and leave them presents! Sounds kinda weird when you think about it, but presents are presents," Jingle announced, as (Y/n) nodded.
"Say.." Jingle began, inspecting (Y/n). "Wanna help me out? They'd probably prefer to see Santa over me."
"I'd love to help, but I'm not—!"
"You will? Thank you! Here, have a suit and this sack." Jingle replied joyously, taking a then things out of his pockets and handing them to (Y/n). "It's full of the presents for all of your neighbors. However, it's up to you to know what they wanted." Jingle informed, oblivious to (Y/n)'s signs of annoyance.
"Okay." (Y/n) replied with a sigh. Of course he knew what all of his friends wanted, but why is he always roped into stuff? He brushed the thought away, imagining the beams he'd receive by doing this.
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Isabelle sat at their pale blue kotatsu, resting her paws under her head. The hot cocoa was still warm in front of her, radiating heat onto her nose. The marshmallows had already melted, a frothy, white film settling at the top. Digby was sitting across from her, focused on TV. The world-wide known story: Jingle, the Black-Nosed Reindeer, was playing. She'd occasionally watch him laugh or frown, but his features were not appealing to her.
Isabelle's eyes shifted towards their tree. It wasn't super extravagant like the one in the plaza, but it fit nicely in their home. She reached over and took a spherical ornament from the tree before turning to face forward again. She rolled the decoration between her paw and the kotatsu, soon giving her attention to the window.
She could see the pathway of lamps leading to the Town Hall, weaving through lit up evergreens. Despite the beautiful, organized display, nobody was out. The streets were barren, not a single villager bounding about in the illuminated darkness. Isabelle knew there were a few night owls inhabiting in this town, but Toy Day seemed to strike up excitement in everyone. Her eyes trailed about the lining of their window, talking in the limited amount of scenery until it grew dull.
She turned back to the TV, the conclusion on its way. Isabelle watched with disinterest, nudging away her hot cocoa.
"Are you alright Isabelle? Normally you'd down the whole thing." Digby said, slightly turning towards her while his eyes remained engrossed by the TV.
"I'm good, just tired. I want to stay up with you though, so just ignore me." Isabelle reassured, smiling slightly.
"Okay!" Digby replied happily, stealing her mug.
Ugh.
Even if the gesture had only the smallest bit of glee, it'd remind her of him. Bright decorations on her less than suitable tree, forced her to think back to what he had done to the plaza. Gazing upon the town, led her thoughts to this whole adventure. His arrival, his first day on the job, staying late at the Town Hall, constant grins, and his surprisingly fitting childish personality.
Isabelle was at a loss yet again.
How was she meant to keep this up? To have no personal connection with (Y/n) was torture. Heck, she'd give anything to call him right now and spend her holiday with him instead.
There was a sudden knock on the door. Isabelle, confused, stood up and headed over to open it while Digby paused the movie. Cold air rushed into their home as the door was opened, and standing at the entrance was.. Santa?
"Wha-?" Isabelle tried to say something as Digby started to freak out.
"Happy Toy Day!" Mr. Claus greeted enthusiastically, his voice slightly muffled by his snow-resembling beard.
"Is that really you Santa!?" Digby said, his eyes lighting up as if he was a young pup again. Santa chuckled before nodding.
"Of course it's me! I've come to spread joy and gifts throughout your lovely town." Santa lifted a big white bag off his shoulders and set it down on the floor. Inside was a wide variety of colorful presents, each with a different design. Santa took out a fairly large red and yellow gift, handing it to Digby. His paws shook as he received the gift.
"Thank you!" He chimed, running off so he could tear right into it.
"And for you... err..." Santa sifted through the many vibrant boxes, eyebrows furrowing. Isabelle smiled shyly before stopping him.
"You won't find it in there. This year I just wanted someone to talk to." She said, scratching one of her ears. Santa looked away for a moment before closing his bag. He set it to the side then sat down, patting the spot beside him. Isabelle's released a breath, then awkwardly took a seat.
"Was there anything specific you wanted to talk about?" Santa inquired, making sure Isabelle knew she had his full attention.
"Yes, it... its been bothering me for a while now." Isabelle began, eyeing Saint Nick. He nodded, and she continued.
"I want to stay friends with someone others think I shouldn't. In my opinion, we don't seem to compliment each other very well.. but I like them a lot anyways." Isabelle hugged her legs closer, weight slowly rising from her shoulders. "I thought I would be okay just being by their side, but that isn't enough either." She sighed wearily, nestling her face into her knees. "I didn't know what to do so I decided to avoid them altogether." Isabelle felt herself lightly trembling, a slight pain boiling in the pit of her stomach. "I feel so lost now." Her voice a mere whimper. Santa shifted, causing her to peer out from in between her knees. He seemed astonished, perplexed, and disoriented all at the same time. Isabelle glanced away, rubbing her arms, but she quickly turned back when Santa cleared his throat.
"So... You didn't know what to do so you ran away from your problems? Kinda cowardly dont'cha think?" He asked as Isabelle sat up, eyes widening.
"Who cares what others may say is wrong, if you know there's the slightest chance that it may be right, don't let anything stop you." He continued, a stern tone mixing in with the usual cheery vocals. "Decisions you make should benefit your life, don't forget that!" He grinned sunnily, familiar. Isabelle's lips curved into a small smile alongside his.
✿ • ✿ • ✿
Isabelle hurried to the Town Hall, paws lightly sinking into the fluffy snow. She'd woken up late this morning after a long, four hour pondering session that randomly occurred around three in the morning. Afterwards, she'd past out from sleep deprivation and overthinking to such an extent that it managed to overload her brain.
Isabelle picked up her pace as the building came into view, rushing to the door and swinging it open. Long, shaky breaths escaped her as she took a moment to rest in the door frame.
"Uh... Belle—" (Y/n) began with a surprised expression before she raised a paw to silence him. Gradually, Isabelle stood up straight to regain her composure, trying her best to look formal before taking a deep breath.
"I'm so sorry! I woke up late this morning and I didn't realize how late it was until I started to get dressed. Anyways—I promise it will never happen again!" She slurred, the words shooting from her mouth. The room was silent until (Y/n) chuckled lightly.
"I don't mind Isabelle! You work so hard already, if you want a day off, just ask." (Y/n) said, warming Isabelle's heart.
"Thank you, (Y/n). You really are something." She replied, heading to her chair while (Y/n) sunk into his, red consuming his face.
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♡ Authors Note ♡
I HAD THE HARDEST TIME WRITING THIS DARN CHAPTER
(But it is a long one so... forgive me?)
I knew how I wanted it to end, but not how it should start... so I just wrote bits of it until I got near the end.
Yeah uhm... idk when the next chapter will be, but hopefully not in 2 months like this one lol
I would totally fail as a real author XD
Toodles! (And thanks to those of you who stuck around, ily so much :3)