Holiday Party [Tune Mizu x MachineHeart]

Reserved spot for our character info to save us from scrolling forever :3

Tune Mizu's Characters:
Jason Howlett - chestnut hair, green eyes, thick stubble on chin, tall, stocky.
Mary Howlett - red hair, green eyes, small, petite, hair to middle of back.

MachineHeart's Characters:
Dylan Cooper - ear length blonde hair, gray eyes, shorter than Jason, muscular
Charlotte Kingly - black hair, green eyes, average height, figured, hair to shoulders

“Fuck it’s cold.” Jason rubbed his palms together quickly as he dashed across the snow covered yard. The white stuff was at least a foot thick so it wasn’t so much dashing as it was a weird, almost painful to watch waddle. When he made it to the porch, he thought he was home free, but nearly slipped on an icy patch right in front of the little colonial’s door, catching himself on the door frame. Right on cue, it opened.

“What the hell are you doing out there?” The cheeky redhead that greeted him wore a grin a mile wide, the freckles on her cheek scrunched up into brown little blobs. She didn’t move and Jason growled, clinging to the doorframe.

“Move. I’m fucking freezing.”

“Not until you say the password.”

“The password is fuck you, now move!”

The girl frowned but stepped to the side and let Jason through. He hastily ran into the entry, jumping from foot to foot as if it would help him warm up faster. “Jesus fucking Christ! Why do we have to have Christmas up here? Why can’t we ever do it at my place? You know? Where the sun shines for more than two hours a day?!”

“Oh calm down you big baby. Nobody made you come.”

“Yeah right… If I didn’t show, Mom would never let me live it down.”

The redhead giggled. “And Dad would kick your ass.”

Mary and Jason Howlett continued their conversation as they walked further into the house, Jason’s boots and heavy winter coat left by the front door. His socks were dirty and his jeans looked warm, and there was a thick amount of stubble on his chin. Tall, stocky, and one look around the Howlett living room and anyone could tell he played highschool and college football. Unlike his sister, Mary, he had dark chestnut brown hair but they did share the same green eyes. Ruggedly handsome, he called himself.

On the flip side, Mary was small and petite, dainty in a white wool dress with red stocking underneath. Her hair fell past her shoulders and curled into the middle of her back, a menagerie of copper, gold, and crimson. Prim and proper, she had the body of a dancer, though she barely looked like she was out of highschool let alone enrolled in the prestigious Juilliard School of Performing Arts. It completely outshined Jason’s architect degree, but he didn’t mind. Mary was a very talented dancer.

“So where’s Dylan?” She hopped up onto a barstool at the island in the middle of the large kitchen.

“He’s coming a little later.” Jason opened up the fridge and scanned its contents, immediately reaching for his favorite: a chilled Budweiser. Nothing said Christmas with the family like cheap beer. He popped the top and took a sip, leaning back against the counter opposite of his sister. “He had some last minute thing he needed to do and couldn’t make the same flight I was on. I offered to stick around the airport but he said he wasn’t sure when he’d be landing, so he’d get a cab.”

“Aw… I hope he doesn’t miss the party.”

“Naw, he’ll be here.” He took another sip. “Just give ‘em some time… So who else is here? It sounds pretty quiet…”

“Uncle Jim and Aunt Stacy got here yesterday, and Cousin Amy tagged along with them. But you know Uncle Jim… He can’t stand the sleeper sofa so they got a hotel room. Laura and Anna are coming tonight, and everyone else is out right now getting the tree.”

“See, why do they wait until last minute? I never understood that…”

“Because they want everyone to be here when the decorate it!”

Jason scoffed and took his third sip, eyeing his sister. “So you got left behind to be my welcoming party?”

“I actually volunteered for the job… I was kinda hoping that Dylan would be with you.”

That piqued his interest and Jason set the beer aside. “Oh…? And why is that?”

Mary blushed and started to fidget with her hair, something she always did when she was nervous. “Oh, no reason in particular. He’s just really fun to be around.”

“Yeah, right. Fun.”

“Oh shut up Jason!”

The young man let out a long sigh as the plane landed on the runway. His fingers relaxed from their death grip on the arm rests and ran nervously through his ear length blonde hair. He still didn't fully relax until the plane came to a full stop and didn't dare move until the pilot said they were free to go. 'Just breathe Dylan, you're safe.' he thought to himself, closing his eyes as he waited for his turn to get his things. When he opened them his gray eyes sparked with determination. He grabbed his single carry on and hurried off the flying death machine, his shoulders tensing until he was free of the terminal.

Dylan held his coat tighter against his body, shivering in the snow as he tried to hail down a cab. He knew things would have been easier if he had traveled with Jason but he was trying to put some distance between his old companion. Memories flashed behind his eyes but they halted as a cab rolled to a stop. He quickly climbed in, gave the address, and rubbed his face in an attempt to warm his skin. With no facial hair he was more sensitive to the cold. 'Maybe I should have grown out a bread.' he thought, smiling to himself.

~~~~~~~~~~
"Oh dear! You made it!" a woman exclaimed, embracing the younger woman standing in the doorway. The young woman's green eyes lit up in surprise but put her arms around the older woman, relaxing into the hug.

"Mom! Dad! Guess who made it - Charlotte!" the woman said, leaving Charlotte to struggle through the hotel door with her luggage alone. She gave a half hearted smile to her grandparents who she knew better as Jim and Stacy and her mother as Amy. She nodded her head in greeting, not really knowing how to act around these people. Her mother had her when she was young so her father had practically raised her. She felt as if her grandparents were ashamed of her which was why they passed her off, but it was okay. She looked just like her father anyway, save for the green eyes passed around her mother's family.

"Charlotte." her grandfather said, more of a statement than a welcome. Her grandmother just smiled a bit tensely. She forced a smile back, she was only here at her mother's request and her father thought it would be a good idea. Amy seemed undaunted by the frostiness in the room and made her way back to her daughter, embracing her in another hug.

"Oh sweetie." she pulled back suddenly, looking at the two twin beds, "We weren't sure you would make it so we only got one room. You can share my bed tonight and we will get you your own room in the morning." Amy gave her a big smile which Charlotte returned half heartedly.

"We were heading over to the party after we got washed up a bit. I'm sure you want to as well with all of that traveling." Amy carried on, suddenly noticing her daughter's bags and picking them up to place on the bed. She opened them and began rummaging through, looking for something Charlotte could wear for tonight. The young woman waited, feeling a bit out of place, as her grandparents moved around her, heading for the bathroom to freshen up.

~~~~~~~~~~
Dylan paid the taxi driver and faced the house with a contented sigh. He was glad to have finally arrived and wondered if the neighbors were over yet, getting the party started. He made his way to the door, grimacing at the snow, trying to hurry before he started shivering again. He attempted to kick off most of it at the door step but some still clung on to his boots. His scarf and beanie were a lost cause, frosted in a light powder but he would be reluctant to remove them. He knocked loudly at the door, hoping someone would open it soon before he froze to death. Still, he offered a smile to whoever would answer the door, he was looking forward to the festivities.

“Dylan!” The shrill shriek rang throughout the house and everyone winced, their heads turning immediately to the red haired offender. Mary blushed and shrugged, shuffling off to go and answer the door. Her brother watched her closely, noting the pep in her step and the way she smoothed down her loose curls before she let Dylan inside. If he didn’t know any better, he would have said that his baby sister was nervous… Like, flirty nervous.

Shortly before the blonde’s arrival, the rest of the Howlett clan came home. There was Mom and Dad, Grandpa Joe in his wheelchair, and plenty of cousins galore, some old enough to drink beer and some small enough that they could fit in the tight space behind the couch and play cave monsters. Along with the family, there were friends, hence why Dylan was there. Hell, he practically was family. To some.

Jason watched the front door open from the other end of the hallway entry, hiding behind some spruce garlands his mother had wound on the railing of the staircase. He couldn’t hear what they were saying, but he paid special attention to how the blonde interacted with his sister.

Mary smiled as she opened the door, beaming for Dylan and flashing for him her brilliant smile. “Hey! You made it!” She reached out and gave him a quick embrace, her eyelids fluttering shut for just a moment when the scent of his soap and shampoo hit her nose, then she pulled away before she overstayed her welcome. She had always been Jason’s baby sister to his friends but Dylan… Dylan was different. “How was your flight? Did everything go okay?”

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see a car pulling into the cul de sac and recognized it immediately. Mary apologized to Dylan when she interrupted him, turning back to yell down the hallway, “Uncle Jim and Aunt Stacy are here!”

Dylan's smile brightened a bit more when he saw it was Mary who had answered the door. He embraced her tightly, giving her a little playful sway before she let go. He pulled his pack tighter to his body, torn between enjoying the greeting and wanting to go inside.

"Oh, it was fine." his voice trailed as the young red head's attention went elsewhere. As she called into the house he took his opportunity to slip inside, trying not to brush against Mary as he went.

"I'm a bit frosty at the moment." he explained, smiling playfully as he took off his coat and brushed off the snow in her direction. He gave a massive shiver before standing upright and gazing around the room, admiring the decorations. Confidently, he made his way to the dining room chair to place his bag and coat on before glancing once more at Mary.

"I just need to use the restroom then we can start this party." he glanced once more at the girl before heading off for the bathroom. He adjusted his scarf and beanie, the warmth of the house would soon entice him to remove them. He could hear the soft murmur of voices coming from the main room accompanied by some holiday tunes. He shook his head, laughing quietly to himself. 'Once the alcohol comes out it's going to get much more livelier in here.' he thought, ready to relax into the party scene.



Charlotte was the last to leave the car, watching her grandparents hurry off as if they didn't want to be seen with her. 'Or mom.' she added thoughtfully, watching the woman try to keep up with them. The dark haired young woman sighed miserably, rubbing her temples with her thumb and index finger before gazing around, her green eyes hopeful. At that moment a group of what appeared to be other party quests made their way up the driveway. Charlotte slipped out of the car and tagged along with them, keeping far back enough that they wouldn't engage her in conversation. Her knee length red dress swayed loosely against her knees, the top of her dress fitting tightly against her torso. Her mother had insisted she wore it to be festive but she was regretting packing the thing.

She followed after the group of people, never breaking stride even as she made her way into the house and through to the living room. There was no sight of her immediate family so she finally had a chance to breathe without fear of upsetting someone. The tension that had filled the car on the ride over had now dissipated, and she gave a small smile to herself. Locating the beginning of the drinks being laid out she took a glass and made her way into the crowd to mingle.