Chapter Text
"I'm soooo glad exams are over." Jasper said, as she placed her school bag on her bed.
"Same!" Peridot said.
"Oh come on, Peridot, we know how much you enjoy studying." Auburn said with a groan, as he collapsed on the couch.
Jasper looked at Auburn in mock surprise, "Hey, we are all surprised we managed to pass, despite the extra mission and recovering from it."
Peridot nodded, "Yes, I agree we had a lot to balance this school year. Yet, I do agree with both of you, the exams felt extra hard this time around."
"Especially Professor Boggle Woggle's exams. Don't get me wrong, she is nice, but her exams are brutal." Auburn said, as he rolled his neck, holding it with one hand.
At that moment, Onyx walked through the door, a large box in her hand, "Hey, I got the cake from the store, if we want to start setting up for the Christmas party."
Auburn perked up, his hand moving from his neck as he made a fist, and brought it arms to his chest triumphantly, "Yes! Christmas party time!"
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The dorm was decorated swiftly and efficiently. Lights hung from around the bunks, with a small tree standing on the table, surrounded by colorful presents. A wreath hung on the back door, the colors of each team decorating a small portion of the wreath. The lights were off so that only the Christmas light and candles from the table in the center of the bunk beds were shining. The table was decorated with a fine red cloth, with a large white snowflake decoration at the center, laying on the table with four plates, silverware, and glasses at the ready. Soft Christmas music played in the background, as Team JAPO all finished getting ready in their festive outfits.
Jasper wore a light pink dress, with the outsides covered in a faux lined fur on the bottom of the dress skirt, sleeves, and the cape she wore around her shoulders. She wore her bow on her head, taking the time to curl her hair. She carefully placed her cherry blossom earrings in. She wore light pink eyeshadow with pink eyeshadow shimmer and a slight black liquid eyeliner tipped to her eyelid. She wore white stockings underneath, and pink ballet flats, and smiled at Onyx through rosy pink lip gloss.
Onyx noticed the outfit and tried to keep her heart from racing. She smoothed down her pant suit, careful of how her arms were exposed. The top bodice was shaped into almost a black heart shape. She wore black hoop earrings with a slight gold tint. She paired off her look with simple black flats, and heavy black eyeshadow with some gray gold eye glitter on the top part of her eyelid, and a light brown colored lipstick.
"And here come the boys!" Auburn said excitedly, as he and Peridot entered the dorm room.
Auburn and Peridot entered the room, Auburn wearing a white short sleeve shirt with a medium orange vest and a black bow tie. He wore black dress pants and his regular shoes. Not a hint of make up was on him, unlike Peridot whose green eyes were surrounded by a green eyeshadow on his eyelid and some under his eyes, a sparkly silver around the corners of the eye. He wore a patterned shiny green vest with a long sleeve white shirt and a matching green tie underneath, with black flats with the same dark green pattern on the bottom of them. He wore a pair of casual shoes that brought him to stand behind his chair at the table.
"Wow! Everyone looks really amazing!" Jasper said with glee.
"Come on, Peridot, we should open gifts first." Onyx said.
Auburn watched as Peridot made his way over to the gift table. Each of them sat in front of their gift pile.
"How do we want to open gifts?" Auburn asked, distracting himself.
"How about we go in order of Team JAPO." Jasper suggested.
"Good plan." Auburn said.
Jasper reached for the first gift, wrapped in pretty pink paper. She opened inside to see a white and pink headband.
"Oooo, I love it so much!"
Onyx smiled, "That one is from me. In case you want to do something new and different."
"I love it, Onyx, thank you! I'll wear it tomorrow for sure."
Onyx blushed.
"Aw cute!" Auburn said teasingly.
"Really?" Onyx said, as Jasper reached for a second gift.
Auburn flashed her a grin, and Jasper opened the second gift, a small box with a clear enter revealing a cherry blossom bracelet.
"To go with your earrings." Peridot said gently.
Jasper nodded, "Thank you Peridot. It looks very pretty."
Peridot gave a nod, fiddling with something invisible in his claws.
"But wait, there are two gifts left for me?" Jasper said hurriedly, seeing how she had an extra gift compared to the others.
"Here, open this one and then the other one will make sense." Auburn suggested.
"Which means this one is from you?"
"Yep!" Auburn grinned.
Jasper opened it to reveal pink headphones with small cat ears and a matching pink headphone stand, "Wow! Auburn, this is an incredible gift. Thank you!"
Auburn shrugged, "Oh it is nothing. Just something I thought you could use here or at home. They can connect to your Scroll too!"
"How thoughtful. So then, what is this gift?"
"Open it and find out." Onyx said, an amusing smile on her face.
Jasper opened it, revealing a small can of Sakura blossom tea and a box filled with pink mochi. She smiled as she read the card on the box, "Some snacks to tide you over on the train ride home. Love, Mama Ruby."
"She sent those over a few days ago and I kept them safe for her here to give to you." Onyx explained.
Jasper gave a nod, and hugged the box, "Thank you. I mean I feel a bit bad getting a gift from my parents before you all do."
Auburn gave a wave of a hand, "Oh, it is nothing. We will be home soon to open up our parents gifts to us and vice versa. Speaking of which, it is now my turn."
He reached for a gift, opening it with glee. Inside was a protein shaker and a box of protein powder.
"That is the right brand right?" Peridot asked nervously.
Auburn gave him a thumbs up, "Yep! And a shaker woah!"
Peridot shifted his weight, "The guy kept making hsi sales pitches to me, so I kinda bought it with the powder because I felt I needed to."
"Aw Per, don't let others pressure you into not doing what you want. I mean it is sweet, I can always use the shaker. Next time we can go together, okay?"
Peridot looked up at him with hopeful eyes, "Really?"
Auburn flashed him a confident smile, "Of course! In the meantime, thank you for the protein powder and shaker."
He sat down the gift and reached for the next one, "And up next we have," he opened it with equal enthusiasm, "A pair of socks! Thanks." He looked at the faces of his favorite superheroes on the socks, stitched into the fabric.
"Open the next one!" Jasper said excitedly.
Auburn picked up the gift, "Don't need to tell me twice." He reached for his last gift, opening it quickly to reveal, "Woah! A figurine of my favorite superhero!"
"Onyx and I went out to the comic book store together and picked out your gifts together!"
"That is a lot of togetherness," Auburn said with a laugh, "But yes, I love them both so much. Thank you, Jasper and Onyx."
Onyx gave him a cool smile, while Jasper flashed him a bright one.
Auburn set his gifts down and turned to his teammate, "Your turn, Per."
Peridot picked up the first gift between his claws, "I hope I don't damage the gift inside."
"I'm sure it will be fine." Onyx said with cool reassurance.
Peridot opened it to reveal a small candle with a green wrapper around it, "Wow, how lovely."
"It smells like pine needles, like the earth." Jasper spoke up, her voice becoming softer at the last sentence.
"I can smell them through the package. Thank you, Jasper."
After setting the candle down he picked up the next gift, unwrapping it to show a small keychain with green crystals on the side.
"Just something fun I saw and it reminded me of you." Auburn said gently.
Peridot gave him a smile and set it down, picking up the last gift, a box that once opened revealed a book light.
"Something to help you study at night," Onyx said, "We all decided to pick small gifts that you can easily open and use."
"Thank you all for the thoughtful gifts." Peridot said, "These are the best Christmas gifts I have ever received."
Jasper nodded with a warm smile, "And last, but certainly not least, Onyx's turn."
Onyx opened the first gift of a large sweater box, and opened it to see a bright orange sweater with her brother's face on it.
"Really?" was all she asked.
Auburn leaned back with laughter, holding his sides, "Yes really! Come on, isn't it the greatest thing you've ever seen?"
He wiped the tears of merriment away, as Onyx set the sweater to the furthest side of her. She opened the next gift, revealing a stainless steel tumbler.
"Something to keep your drinks either warm or cold," Jasper said, "And I even read the label and it says it is environmentally safe!"
Onyx gave a slightly warm smile, "Thank you, Jasper. And good job reading the labels."
Onyx felt a shift in Peridot's mood, as she reached for his gift, the last one in the bunch to be opened. She opened it quickly to see a journal with colored pens and black pens inside.
"How practical. Thank you, Peridot."
Peridot gave a nod.
Jasper clapped her hands a bit softly, starting to stand up, "All the gifts are open! Come on, let's eat the food before it gets cold."
"Yes, thank you all for the gifts." Auburn said warmly as he stood up to go to the table.
The others murmured their gratitude for the gifts
The food was brought out and the Team dined on chicken, both fried and baked, mashed potatoes, cream corn, fresh biscuits, candied carrots, Christmas cake, and pumpkin pie. Glasses were filled with either grape juice or ginger ale. Laughter and stories, along with the sweet lo-fi of the Christmas music filled the room and atmosphere.
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Jasper and Onyx started to clean up the dishes, as Auburn stared across the table at Peridot.
His heart was fluttering a bit as he cleared his throat, "Hey, I really appreciate the gift you gave me. Just be sure to tell the salesperson next time that you aren't interested or you might be back later to get the item."
Peridot traced the circle of his glass with his claw, "I'm really glad you liked the gift, but wouldn't that be lying?"
"I guess it would be a bit, but anything to get them off you back."
Peridot looked down, cheeks red, "I guess you are right."
Auburn sat up a bit, leaning forward, "I wanted to show you something. Come on." He stood up and offered his hand to Peridot.
"Are you sure?" Peridot looked up.
"Yeah, I'm sure. The girls will be a minute with the clean up. So, why don't we go somewhere nice, just the two of us and...talk."
Peridot felt a slight gulp at the back of his throat, "Right. Talk."
Nevertheless, he accepted the hand, trying to feel the warmth from it. He followed Auburn down the hallway to a small area not a whole lot of students passed through.
Auburn stopped and stood in front of Peridot. The narrow way had them stand next to each other, facing the other, Peridot head slightly above Auburn's shoulder, as Auburn caught a whiff of Peridot's natural earthy smell.
"Is this what you wanted to show me? A narrow, empty hallway?" Peridot asked, with a bit of skepticism in his voice.
"Yes. Well, no, I wanted to be upfront with you about something, but I needed to do it away from the other two and their budding romance."
Peridot shifted his feet, his body leaning closer to Auburn's, "I need to tell you something too."
"You can go first if you want."
"No, no it is okay."
"Okay," Auburn looked down at Peridot, the green eyes shining in the faded light of the hallway, "I need to confess my true feelings to you, for you," He corrected himself, "That I have cared for you as a teammate and classmate from the time we met. Yet, over these past few months, even for a year, I've grown to love who you are and who you are becoming."
He heard Peridot's breath catch and Auburn reached to hold his claw, "You don't have to answer now, but I want you to know these true feelings for you are blossoming in their own way, and I can't hold them down. I want to learn to love you, Per Per. All of you."
He felt the claw between his fingers start to fold over his and he looked into the green eyes that shined back at him.
"Auburn, I am glad to hear of your true feelings for me. I've been wondering for a while if there was something there, something between us."
Auburn felt a small sigh escape him as Peridot continued, "Yet, I feel I can not give you all of me yet. I am still figuring out my feelings for someone."
"Oh." Auburn said.
Peridot shook his head, his other hand reaching for Auburn's cheek, cupping it, "But it might be nothing, as they have another person who loves them." He took a deep breath out, "And there is the part of figuring out who I am as a Hunter, with my aura and my fighting skills. I want to be strong, strong for you and for the team."
Auburn took the other claw from his cheek, taking it to between their chests along with the other hand.
"You are strong," he told Peridot, "And I will be here for you, no matter what. I just had to say what was on my chest for a long time before the break. And to see what you thought of our relatio-I mean team partnership thing."
Auburn silently cursed himself out, as Peridot smiled with amusement, "Relationship huh? I think I like the sound of that." He sighed a bit, "But Auburn, I have a lot of questions for you."
Auburn moved back a bit, taking one of his hands from Peridot and reaching into his pants pocket, "Well not now because I have an important one."
He pulled something small out, and hung it above their heads.
Peridot looked at it curiously, "Is that mistletoe?"
"Yep."
"Hmm, wonder how you got that?"
"Oh I have my ways," Auburn teased lightly, "I guess we have to do what it suggests."
"What, you mean like this?"
Auburn barely closed his eyes in time as he felt Peridot move his face close to Auburn's and push his lips against his. He felt the kiss deep within him for a few moments, before the two pulled away from each other.
Their foreheads leaned against each other, as Auburn draped his other arm around Peridot, pulling him in a bit tighter.
"Yeah, just like that." Auburn said, breathless, as he pulled Peridot in for another kiss.
Auburn was not sure how many minutes or even kisses were shared until he heard the sounds of the other two walking around the hallways.
He pulled back, trying to control his panting as he heard a cheerful voice say, "There you are! We were about to serve the cake but wanted you both to join."
"Huh, oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Peridot said, trying to pull himself away from auburn, who complied, a slight heat on his cheeks and neck.
Onyx stopped and stared at her brother, "Hang on. What were you two doing out here?"
Auburn shared a sheepish grin with Peridot.
Onyx's face registered pure shock as she asked, "OMG?! For real?"
"Wait, what?" Jasper asked, confused.
Auburn could not contain himself, as he wrapped an arm around Peridot's waist and pulled him in closer, feeling Peridot's soft brown curls on his cheek as he announced, "Yes, we are making it official."
He then looked down at Peridot, who then reached up and kissed him on the lips.
A loud squeal was heard and Auburn looked at his sister's smiling face and Jasper who squealed and rushed over to give them both a hug.
"Congratulations you two! Now everyone on the team seems to be dating one another." she let out a light teasing laugh.
Jasper turned back to Onyx, "I knew they would end up together." Onyx reached for Jasper's hand.
Auburn saw Peridot's small smile as he said, "Together."
Auburn gave him a small squeeze as they followed the other two to the room.
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Jasper
The cake eaten, the presents unwrapped, and the music slowing to a background lull, Jasper picked up the last plate, stacking them.
Jasper noticed Auburn and Peridot, curled up on the couch together. Auburn's arm was around Peridot's shoulder, the two holding hands in the middle of his chest, which rose and fell slowly. Jasper saw Peridot's slight blush on his cheeks and she turned away quickly.
"Hey you." Onyx said from the kitchen as Jasper arrived with the last of the dessert dishes.
"Hey," Jasper set the dishes down, "Auburn and Peridot are asleep on the couch together. They look so cute!"
"Yeah, well it is about time they are together."
"Did you know all along?"
Onyx shook her head a bit, cleaning off the plates with the sponge, "Sort of. Growing up, I knew my brother liked other guys and he would go on flings, wearing his heart on his sleeve. He told me after one particularly hard 'relationship' that he would wait until the right guy appeared to give himself fully. It took him a while, but I think he and Peridot match each other perfectly, as a team and as a couple."
"I agree. It will be sweet to see them as a couple. And now we can do double dates and do couple related things!" She paused before asking, "What about us?"
Onyx shut off the water, looking at Jasper as she dried her hands, "What do you mean what about us?"
"I mean us as a couple. We started dating before them so I guess we hold the standard for what to do in a relationship right?"
Onyx sighed, and approached Jasper, grabbing her hand, "It is not that easy. Every relationship will be different. Based on what the other person needs or wants, and how the other can satisfy that need. We should just focus on our relationship, and how we want to spend our time together."
Jasper nodded, "I know one thing I want to do, something I think they were doing before we caught them."
Onyx tried to suppress a smile, "Oh, and what was that?"
Jasper reached up a bit, bringing her lips to Onyx's, something they had done a few times throughout the busy school year. Onyx responded with gentle ease, and their arms wrapped each other.
Jasper leaned back a bit, and saw Onyx's cheeks, "Do you still get embarrassed when we kiss?"
"A little. It is not too bad when we are alone or with my brother around."
"Yeah, he does tease us a lot. But hey, now you can tease him now that he is dating Peridot."
"Are they dating?"
"I'm going to say they are dating. I mean that is what official means right?"
"Sure, Jasper." Onyx said, her voice soft as she said her name, sending a shiver down Jasper's spine, "Let's focus on us right now."
The two swayed to the Christmas music, in each other arms, planting soft kisses, as their feet led them back to the dorm room.
Jasper felt herself start to feel heavier, from the food, and the day and all the excitement. She felt Onyx attempt to pick her up, and helped her a bit, watching her weight as Onyx lowered her onto the bottom bunk.
Jasper breathed in the scent of Onyx, from the air around her to the pillow and the blanket that Onyx draped around her.
Jasper felt Onyx kiss on her cheek, then her lips as she murmured, "Good night, my little cherry blossom."
Jasper smiled sleepily, as she returned the kiss, murmuring to Onyx, "Good night, my little gemstone."
Jasper closed her eyes. She heard the deep breathing from Auburn and Peridot on the couch before she heard Onyx join them, into the sweet dream world.
Jasper opened her eyes. She moved her hand up to Onyx's face and moved the bangs from her eye.
She saw the faint scar above the eyebrow and stared at it for a moment.
Onyx gave a small sigh in her sleep.
Jasper carefully lowered the black and magenta striped hair before giving a light kiss on Onyx's cheek and falling into a blissful sleep.
The end.
(Thank you for reading all of Part Two of Team JAPO adventures! We will post Part Three at our earliest convenience).