#River unknowingly proposed to Keio

[elliot-orion]

Paper Stars Excerpt: Christmas

This is actually part two of this short, but because the first is mostly River awkwardly explaining Christmas, it’s not really needed. Also the book mentioned is by Jon Steward and is hysterical. Enjoy!

“It is Christmas, River!” Keio is bouncing on their toes as I climb up the ladder into the ship, which is a lot more difficult than usual given the big bag in my hands.

“Yea!” I grin.

“Did you get good presents from your family?”

“I mean, I got a new backpack from grandma, she always insists on really practical gifts, and a couple of posters of my favorite paintings, and one of David, too, from Ash. So I’m really happy. Ash liked the box set of Twilight Zone shows that I got him, so I was proud of that. It’s a TV show, Kei.” I answer their question before they can ask it. I’m getting good at predicting what they won’t understand lately.

“Wonderful!” Keio grins. “And… was it as had as you thought it’d be… to not have your grandfather?” I take a deep breath.

“Kind of. But Ash and I got grandma dorky slippers just to continue on the tradition. She cried, but… but it made me feel a bit better somehow? To know we continued on that tradition of dumb slippers. And we are making grandpa’s favorite cookies later, so I can’t stay long. But… I don’t know. I guess it just… feels like grandpa isn’t as gone as he is, you know? So it’s hard, but… I actually feel better about it than I have in a while.” I smile weakly.

“I’m glad.” Keio takes my hand, squeezing it tight. I squeeze back. The light feeling is back. For once, my grief hasn’t ruined something entirely, and it feels pretty good. Kinda like I’m moving on.

I don’t think this is going to last for long, though. I can feel it, that depression, lingering in the back of my mind. Waiting to take over again. This is a brief reprise, sure, but once this is over… once I realize that he’s really not here again… that I just had a good Christmas without him… the guilt, the grief, the depression, it’s all going to come back. I know it will.

I don’t think knowing is going to make it suck less though.

But for now, I had Keio and presents and Christmas, so I’d fight it off for just a little while longer.

“So, your present!” I hold out the gift bag, forcing a grin that isn’t so forced onto my face. “Come on, open it!”

“Okay!” Keio rips open the bag, bouncing up and down. They pull out the first part, a book.

“Earth: A Visitor’s Guide to the Human Race?” Keio frowns for a minute, before processing it a little more. “Oh! Is this to help me understand your culture?”

“Yea! But I need you to know, it’s like, half a joke. So it’s not one hundred percent accurate, you know? But it’s funny, and I’ll explain the jokes to you, and I think you might like it!” I’m bouncing up and down too. I know for a fact that Keio won’t get half the jokes, and it’ll probably confuse them more than they already are.

But come on. Am I just supposed to not get them this book? They are an alien for fucks sake, let me have some fun, okay? It was this or the ‘I kissed an alien and all I got was this lousy tee shirt’ tee, and Keio doesn’t like clothes, so this is what they get now.

“There’s something else, too.” I bite my lip, shifting as Keio pulls out a little pouch, and then, from inside it, a shark tooth on a leather cord.

“A tooth?” Keio frowns. “Why would you give me a tooth?”

“Well, you mentioned that people on your planet give bone jewelry as presents, and… well, that’s a tooth from a shark, they are kind of… they are the Water Demons of our planet, only they aren’t really bad, people just think they are. And you know… I thought I’d give you something that combined both of our cultures? If you don’t like it, I can - I can return it though…” I swallow, shifting quicker now.

“No!” Keio cries. “No I do not wish to return this! I love this! It is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful, River. I… Thank you. Thank you so much.” Keio throws their arms around my neck, sniffling.

“Oh! I… You’re welcome.” I hold them back, hiding my face in their fur. “I’m glad you like it…”

“I love it. I… I do not believe you know what this means, River, but… But I love it. So much.” Keio pulls back, wiping at their thick tears. “Yes, River. Yes.”

“Yes? Yes what? Keio… what does this mean?” I frown. I thought they’d get excited about it, I mean, I hoped at least. But I didn’t… I didn’t think I’d be touching on some super meaningful thing for them. They said that necklaces with bones are given all the time. I didn’t think… I didn’t think it was super big.

But now… now I’d give anything to know what I just did. Because I don’t think I regret it. Not when it gives Keio that shy, happy smile, not when it gets them crying with joy. I don’t know what I did…

But it was the right thing, I think.

“I will tell you later, River.” Keio giggles. “Now, this is your present.” Keio unravels a strand with beads from their wrist. I’ve never seen them without it, even though I don’t really know what it is, mind you. But it’s beautiful, I’ve always thought so. The beads are delicate, intricately carved in a way that plastic never could be. Somehow, there are the littlest scratches in the bone beads that I’m pretty sure are writing, but I don’t know what they say. Keio has repeatedly refused to tell me what they mean.

And hanging from the middle of it all, is a thick, wicked tooth. At least three inches long, looking sharp as hell, or, would be, but the tooth is filed smooth and the tip softened.

“I… are you sure, Keio?” I frown. “That’s important to you. I know it is, you are always touching it and holding the tooth in your hand. I mean… are you sure?”

“I’m positive. And don’t worry. I have the match here.” Keio holds up their other wrist, with the same woven sinew bracelet, wrapped at least five or six times.

“Okay…” I laugh, wiping at my own tears. I don’t really know why I’m crying… no, I do. This strand… it means a lot to Keio. I know it does. It means everything, even if I don’t quite know what the everything is. But it’s important.

And they are giving it to me.

“Can I wear it as a necklace? It’ll be safer than on my wrist.” I take a shaky breath, smiling.

“Yes. Here, let me help.” Keio smiles, an equally watery, soft smile, as they step behind me to wrap the strand twice around my neck before tying it. “Not to tight?” I shake my head. “Good.”

And then, they leave a gentle kiss, to the back of my neck, right above the knot. They whisper something, in their language. I want to ask what they said.

But it doesn’t feel like the right time.

“Merry Christmas, Keio.” I whispered, pulling them into a tight hug.

“Merry Christmas, River. I hope it is a good one.”

And to my surprise, it is.

@merigreenleaf @ageekyreader @samplewriting @odessawrites @dreamcontagion @aschenink i can’t remember the rest of my tag list so that’ll have to do rip

#christmas #paper stars #excerpt #original writing #my writing #i think that's enough tags for me to say the meaning of the gifts in enough secret... #ready? #giving a water demon tooth to someone is basically the wedding ring equivalent for Ahbox #so basically #River unknowingly proposed to Keio #and Keio very knowingly proposed back #with Bo's mate bracelet too btw #bc that's how it works #Keio doesn't explain that River is their mate for a while tho lol #and River never figures it out bc he's a dense idiot who doesn't think he deserves to be Keio's mate #shrugs #anyways #writelr #writeblr #amwriting #writers on tumblr