#shionn

[no6secretsanta]

From: @sterrify

For: @quills-and-characters

hi!! i had sm fun making this hehe i also don’t celebrate christmas, so i tried my best with that theme lol—>family cooking happy holidays🙏

[yamis-ramblings]

Holy fuck the slowburn between Alphen and Shionne is melting my heart, I adore them so much. I’ve never wanted to open up a doc and write two characters just living a happy life in love this badly. They deserve it so much.

[no6secretsanta]

For: birdboi_shion (tiktok)

From: @quills-and-characters (whimsical.warrior on instagram)

Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year to you! Hope you like the family portrait as much as I enjoyed drawing it. Have a lovely holiday season!

[no6secretsanta]

Picnic No. 6

From: @sci-fangirl

For: @pigeonsimba

Happy holidays!

***

Shion slid his hands down his pale green shirt, smoothing the crisp fabric and frowning at the mirror. “Would the blue be better?”

“Your mama’s not going to care what you’re wearing, Shion.” Nezumi called from where he sprawled on the bed.

 Their old room in West Block had been left untouched while Nezumi and Shion were away. Returning to the space felt familiar. After a good dusting and airing out, the pair were pleasantly surrounded by the mementos of a life lived together.

Shion huffed, eyes turning to his unruly hair.  “That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t at least try to look nice.”

 Shion began attempting to smooth disobedient bits of hair into place. He was only vaguely aware of the sound of a book snapping shut and approaching footsteps. Giving up on his hair, he turned his attention to the astonishing amount of lint built up on his pants. Arms wrapped around him from behind. His body relaxed back into Nezumi as he straightened to make room for the solid comfort of his arms. 

“You look like you’re going to be late.” Nezumi said, lips curling up at the edges.

“We’re not–” Shion started. Nezumi lifted his arm, filling Shion’s vision with the watch from in No. 3. “Oh.”

“Oh.” Nezumi echoed, his smirk softening into a smile. “Come on. You already made Inukashi wait what, five years for this? Gonna make them wait longer?”

“Okay,” Shion sighed. “Let’s go.” He glanced at his reflection one last time as Nezumi tugged him to the door.

~~ ~~

The park where the Correctional Facility once stood was now a sort of garden. Lush greenery lined walkways and spread out into open areas. Flowers popped from the green, blooming in a variety of colors. Benches scattered about the place, some full some empty, and in the near distance children giggled running around a playground. Shion brushed his fingers over a chrysanthemum as he looked for his mother or Inukashi. 

 They were setting up not far from the playground; his mother was setting out a blanket while Rikiga orbited around her nodding and offering various items and generally looking oblivious to the nuisance he was being. Inukashi stood apart from them watching little Shion run around the playground, a large white dog flopped at their feet.

Shion tugged at the bottom of his shirt, taking a deep breath to steady himself. Nezumi caught his wrist, gently tugging Shion to face him. 

“Here.” Nezumi revealed a freshly plucked purple aster, tucking it behind Shion’s ear. Shion blushed as Nezumi’s fingers trailed down his face, tracing his scar. “Perfect. Now, shall we go see Mama Karen?”

Inukashi perked up as they spotted the pair. “I was starting to think you bailed on me!”

“As though we would pass up on Karan’s cooking.” Nezumi scoffed. He brushed past Inukashi, accepting a quick hug from Karan before he began pulling containers from the basket she’d brought and arranging them on the blanket. Rikiga huffed in annoyance and left him to it, following Karan to greet Shion.

“Sorry we’re late.” Shion said as his mother pulled him into a hug of his own. “We didn’t make you wait too long, did we?”

Karan tightened her grip for a moment before letting go. “Not long at all. Come sit, come sit. Are you hungry? I made plenty, so have as much as you want.”

“Shion!” Rikiga clapped him on the shoulder with a wide smile. “Good to see you. Traveling with Eve hasn’t been too stressful, has it?”

“Of the two of us, I’d think I was the more stressful to deal with.” Shion settled next to Nezumi, who had made quick work of setting the food out and was now busying himself with loading up a plate.

Rikiga reached for a sandwich. “Well, if you ever want a different travelling companion–”

Nezumi snatched the sandwich Rikiga had been reaching for before he could touch it.

“Eve!”

Nezumi cocked his head to one side, eyes wide with overexaggerated innocence. “What?”

“You third-rate–”

Karan thwapped Rikiga’s arm. “Leave them be. You shouldn’t have been antagonizing him in the first place.”

Inukashi dropped into the spot beside Shion, cackling. “Serves you right, old man.”

Any protest Rikiga might’ve made was headed off by little Shion, who came racing to the blanket yelling, “Mama, Mama look!” The boy brandished a large stick.

Inukashi nodded in approval. “Pretty good stick.”

Karan smiled and gestured to a spot on the blanket between herself and Inukashi. “Why don’t you set your stick down and come have some lunch?”

“‘Kay.” Little Shion dropped down and pointed to the flower still in Shion’s hair. “That’s pretty.”

“Thank you.”

Compliment given, little Shion  started stuffing his face, looking like a mini mirror to his parent as they did the same.

Shion relaxed, half leaning back against Nezumi as he nibbled at the food and caught up with the people he cared most about. Nezumi joined Shion in the telling of their best stories. Nezumi added poetry to the dance of vast oceans and depth to the revival of healing forests as they crept up mountainsides, while Shion grounded the recounting with details of work done and discoveries made. Inukashi spent the meal bragging about how well little Shion was doing, joined by little Shion in praising Karan’s cooking as their plates were filled again and again. Eventually, little Shion ran off to play again, the dog trotting after him.

Shion was struck by a little pang of regret that it had taken him so long to come back for this. He had missed the people he’d left behind and he felt them missing him. Next time he wouldn't stay away so long. He was sure Nezumi wouldn't mind. They wouldn’t stop wandering entirely, neither of them were quite ready to settle down yet, but they could come back to visit more often.

Little Shion came back as Nezumi and Karan started packing up the remains of their picnic, his stick had been replaced with a bundle of flowers. Asters in an array of colors. He shoved a white one at Inukashi. “For Mama.”

They took it. “What’d you pick these for?”

“So we can match!” He held out a pink flower for Karan. Rikiga got yellow, and Nezumi was given purple. “So you extra match.”

“Thank you.” Nezumi handed the flower off to Shion, “Would Your Majesty do the honors?”

The stem was too long to properly fit behind Nezumi’s ear, so Shion had to shorten it before sliding it into place. He caught himself mapping Nezumi’s features as he pulled back. The flower looked natural against his hair and seemed to soften his eyes, he looked like a woodland fairy. “Perfect.”

“Then we extra match.”

Inukashi made a retching sound. “Will you two knock it off? We were so close to having a good day.”

Shion laughed a little. They planned on sticking around for another week or two. When the two were back home from their picnic Shion carefully placed the flowers in paper, pressing them under books, preserving their memory. A reminder of those left behind and far away. A promise to always come back.

[no6secretsanta]

Secret Santa gift for @quills-and-characters from @pencilpai!

[no6secretsanta]

Happy Holidays! Here's my gift ( @fairysdarkestnight ) for @lepidoliteautumn.

*

“Shion. Shion. Wake up.”

There was a light shaking of his shoulder, and Shion groaned and rolled over to face the other man. “Five more minutes, Nezumi. It’s too early for this.”

A screech sounded through the air, which made Shion groan even louder. “I was up late wrapping presents because someone was too busy trying to perfect their ‘Christmas cheer’ to help out. You can go take care of that.”

Nezumi rolled his eyes but sat up and stretched before pressing a kiss to Shion’s forehead. “Alright. I’ll go take care of Shion Jr. But you have to make the coffee.”

Another piercing cry and Nezumi untangled himself from Shion while the latter rolled his eyes (he hated the fact that Inukashi had named the baby after him but Nezumi seemed to get great enjoyment from it) before leaving to go feed the child.

After a couple more minutes spent lying in the warmth of the sheets, Shion crawled out of bed and into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. He’d been looking forward to spending their first Christmas together as a family but he hadn’t realized just how exhausting it could be. He’d have to apologize to his mom when they went to visit for all the early mornings he’d forced out of her.

“Merry Christmas!” The sound of Nezumi’s voice was accompanied by the feeling of a Santa hat settling around his ears.

Shion leaned his head back and met Nezumi’s lips in a sleepy kiss, and Nezumi wrapped his free arm around his waist. With Shion Jr. dressed in a mouse onesie gifted to him by Karan, and matching Santa hats for the adoptive parents, the three would not have been out of place on a Christmas card.

Until Shion Jr. started crying. Again.

Shion groaned - he loved his family and the happiness they carved for themselves out in the West Block (ever since the wall was destroyed things in the city were better but Nezumi still couldn’t spend much time there - he made an exception for trips to karan’s bakery just for the cherry cake though) but raising a newborn at was far from easy.

But when Nezumi began singing under his breath, both Shions started to relax. Shion Jr.’s tiny fists grasped Nezumi’s hair (who appeared annoyed at the contact but Shion knew that Nezumi would give the child anything to make him happy,) and the older Shion’s eyes began to close as he rested more of his weight against the other man.

Beeeeeep.

The coffee maker cut off Nezumi’s rendition of O Holy Night and startled the family out for their embrace. Pink dusted Shion’s cheeks as he pulled two mugs out and filled them to the brim.

A few minutes later had Shion and Nezumi sitting beside their Christmas tree - a small thing that could barely hold itself up, much less the string of lights Shion had wrapped around its branches. There were a few gifts waiting to be opened, but with the chill of the morning, they were happy cuddling beside the stove for a few more minutes as Nezumi hummed Christmas carols into the morning air.

Soon though Cravat was nuzzling under Shion’s chin and directing him to look at the other two mice, who were pulling down the hot chocolate mix Karan had gifted them for the holidays. She said it was for the two of them to enjoy, but the miniature tea set that just so happened to be mouse size gave away her true intentions.

“Oh, did you want something to drink too?”

Excited chirps answered him and Shion smiled as he

stood to heat up some milk for the mice. He'd tried making them hot chocolate with water one time. That was not a mistake he was willing to make again.

Once the milk had boiled and the chocolate was mixed, the three mice settled down on a bookshelf, each with their own miniature cups of hot chocolate.

Nezumi stopped humming as Shion sat beside him and reached for the baby. Although Shion Jr. had a clear favorite (and really Shion couldn't blame the kid for having excellent taste) Nezumi had been adamant about wanting to be the gift giver.

Shion had been a little surprised when Nezumi had first brought up Christmas. It wasn't widely celebrated in No. 6, though Shion and Karan had always enjoyed the holiday and the gifts that they exchanged. And although Nezumi hadn't outrightly explained it, Shion knew that the Forest Folk had more traditions surrounding the winter solstice. He didn't want to pry into the sore topic, but if Nezumi ever wanted to talk about his people, Shion would be there for him.

A present was plopped onto his lap, startling him from his thoughts. It was rather heavy - heavier than he was able to lift with just his free hand. "For you, Your Majesty."

Smiling at the familiar nickname, Shion began opening the gift. Only to snort and roll his eyes as he saw that Nezumi had gotten him a dictionary, as well as his own hardcopy of The Happy Prince. "So romantic Nezumi. Just what I always wanted."

Nezumi smirked and reached for the crisply wrapped gift with his name on it, but didn’t say anything - they both knew how Nezumi felt about Shion’s vocabulary. The smirk softened a bit - only Shion would have spent more time wrapping just so each fold would be perfectly creased.

There was a part of him that didn’t want to ruin such an aesthetically pleasing gift, but Shion was watching him with expectant eyes, so Nezumi began pulling apart the wrapping to reveal a small jewelry box

Nestled inside on a red velvet pad was a silver locket with a delicate engraving of an oak tree and its roots. Nezumi reached out to touch it and he could feel tears beginning to well up. There wasn’t much that he remembered from his childhood, and he spent so much time repressing those memories in order to survive. But he would always remember the time spent under the  branches of one of the last surviving oaks with his family.

“Open it.”

The command was so quiet that Nezumi almost didn’t hear it, but he pulled out the necklace and unclasped the locket. Those tears that he thought he was holding back spilled over, and the chain slid through his fingers.

“Thank you Shion.”

Shion rested his head on Nezumi’s shoulder and rested the child between them. “We’re a family now, Nezumi. You, me, and this baby. And now you’ll have a memory of us with you wherever you go. We’ll always be here.”

A photo taken of the three of them at the abandoned playground stared up at Nezumi as he picked up the locket from where it had fallen. It was one of the first days they spent together just enjoying the freedom they now had, and they all had smiles on their faces. Shion Jr. was shrieking with laughter as Nezumi was chasing Shion. Inukashi must have taken the picture when they weren’t paying attention.

“It’s perfect.”

Shion’s face broke out into a smile that radiated happiness. “Merry Christmas Nezumi.

Nezumi leaned in and pressed his forehead to Shion’s. “Merry Christmas.”

[no6secretsanta]

For: @quills-and-characters From: @vaughanarts

Happy Holidays!

[no6secretsanta]

Happy Holidays @piper496! It was a pleasure drawing something happy and cute for you. Hope you like it! ~@xwhenyouwakeupx