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Cats.

[ Cats is a genre. Pick a warm and fuzzy feelgood movie starring cats. ]

Alright! I'll be right back then.

[ Terry grabs his jacket and goes out. He visited the clubhouse before to get away from the honeymoon event redux, but now he's going back... well, it shouldn't take too long. He brings back the projector, vcr player, and two tapes. ]

I got two!

[ After setting them down, Terry hands Kido the two tapes: Kiki's Delivery Service and My Neighbor Totoro. Totoro is not a cat, but there's a cat bus. ]

[ Instead of preparing snacks or anything like that, all Kido did during all that time was get under the covers so she can keep the warm spot still warm, looking over either tape and handing Terry My Neighbor Totoro to play because the cat bus is my favorite character and so they're watching this one. ]

These are good ones. Have you watched them before?

[ Terry shakes his head no and starts setting up the cords and such. He kinda remembers how it was from the last time they had to use these. ]

I haven't watched those movies before. Are they good?

[ He's never seen them, but he went right for the anime movies, huh. Kido watches him set everything up, ready to direct him if he needs help or reminding him to rewind the video if needed and stuff like that, but otherwise she's cozy in her blanket fort. It'd be perfect, except for the fact that cats are banned from the room. ]

Yeah, they're good. These sorts of movies always make me feel happy— I won't spoil anything for you, though, so let's just watch it.

Okay!

[ He just hoped that the anime ones would be nice to watch and not as... ridiculous as the yakuza one.

Terry finishes setting it up with Kido's instructions when he needs it and goes to also make himself comfortable under the blanket. ]

It's so warm in here...

[ There are two little kids on the cover of the tape so that's a good bet. Although there's also a monster... Maybe the townspeople wouldn't be so scared of them all if their Personas were less dragons and spider women, and more cuddly looking bear creatures like Totoro. ]

Was it really cold out?

[ Winters suck. Thank god neither of them need to brave the cold for school or work or any other obligation like that. Terry's also cold since he just got back from outside, but she wonders if summoning Nekogami as a space heater would violate the "no cats" promise for the date. She'll just have to lie close to Terry and thaw his hands with hers or something. She's going to do the ineffective friction rub and then breathe on his fingers. ]

Yeah... it really is feeling more like winter every day. Maybe we should have gotten a house that had a fireplace...

[ Would a Hirajiro home have a fireplace? Who knows. Terry smiles when Kido takes his hands. There are no gloves this time since he's inside. ]

You're warm to make up for it.

[ They can huddle around a flaming Nekogami and pretend he's a fireplace. ]

Yeah, and your hands are freezing. I'm going to need you to give me my warmth back later.

I'll give you all the warmth you want!

[ He just turns maximum sappy when he's with Kido... but then he looks at the wall where the movie is being projected. ]

The little dust balls are cute... they remind me of Ananke's bunnies.

Yeah, they're cute, aren't they? If Ananke were my Persona, I'd always have them out. I kinda of miss Nekogami being a little cat sometimes.

[ He was a good shoulder scarf cat who demanded affection on his own terms, but now he's huge and has to just sit there and accept it when Kido hugs him. Like hugging Totoro... that's the urge Kido has every time Totoro comes on screen, to hug something warm and soft and bury her face into warm soft fur. Where is Ami... ]

Yeah.

[ Terry would rather Nekogami go back to being a small ghost cat, but things must change. He has a kangaroo plush on the bed so he puts that next to Kido. Ami isn't allowed inside... ]

Imagine if someone had something like Totoro for a Persona.

[ Thanks. Now Kido's going to hug this kangaroo plush for the entirety of the movie instead of Terry. Happy Christmas. ]

That'd be cute. But shh, let's just watch the movie.

[ At least she'll snuggle close against him, but also, shh, no talking during cute Miyazaki movies or you can't appreciate the dialogue and the music. ]

[ Terry stays quiet throughout the remainder of the movie. It's 87 minutes, and Terry only adjusts his position slightly from time to time.

He finds it nice to see that the children care so much and are doing all they can to help the sick one. ]

I want a Totoro guardian...

[ He mumbles, lying on his back after finishing the movie. ]

[ Wouldn't it be nice if the would were filled with kind, caring children? Unfortunately, that's just not how reality is.

By the time the movie is over, Kido's using Terry's arm as a pillow and is half buried in the covers so that she can barely see the credits rolling on the wall. The movie is so short but the bed is so warm that she just wants to sleep the rest of the day away. ]

You have Vassago as your guardian. Would he hate a warm sweater for you to hug? [ ...she shifts to look up at Terry ] Have you ever hugged Vassago?

He'd squish me under his hand if I tried.

[ Real talk. Vassago is nice to Ala and all, but he's always harshest with Terry. That said, he's been more open about doing mundane things lately, so it's not like it's completely bad. Imagine a Terry that rejects physical affection though. That's basically Terrence--Vassago still makes up a large part that the other demigods pushed onto Terry, but with his own things into the mix.

Terry looks over at Kido and slowly blinks. He never really thought of Vassago as a guardian of anything. ]

So I'm fine not hugging him. Kinda like how I don't need to verbally say thanks. He'll just know.

[ Getting along sure sounds tough still. It's no wonder that Ala screaming about Vassago protecting Terry never resonated with him, if he never believes it. ]

I guess. It's still nice to hear sometimes, though... You always look happy to hear those things.

[ Maybe because you can't really know from others unless they explicitly say it, while one's Persona's thoughts and feelings are always right there in your mind. ]

[ Yeah, that hits the nail on the head. Terry nods and smiles. ]

I always like hearing things like that from people. Even if it's a small thing, it feels nice.

[ Then say it to Vassago even if you get your skull crushed for it... Kido decides to make more of an effort to say these things to Terry too— she does it a lot when with people she's looking after, like Yamato when she took him through the dungeons and whenever she's around Seto, but it looks like even super powerful demigod clones like praise even if they don't necessarily need the encouragement.

Kido sits up and stretches her arms forward until the tips of her fingers touch her toes under the cover. ]

Mm... Do you want to start the second movie? I'll brave the room temperature outside the blankets and put it in.

[ It's kinda like the difference of giving a kid praise or not after they do well in school, though Terry takes any praise and eats it up. ]

No, it's fine. Actually, I have a present for you.

[ Terry rolls to the edge of the bed and pulls out a box. He rolls back in under the blanket and hands it to Kido. ]

Merry Christmas, Kido.

Oh. Merry Christmas. I didn't expect...

[ Kido mentioned before, offhandedly maybe, about knitting a sweater for Terry so he wouldn't be surprised about what she gives him, but she didn't think he'd get her something.

Please be a cat.

Kido carefully opens the box... please be a cat please be a cat please be a cat ]

[ It's not a cat, but there are cat socks and a cat plush pillow. It's a foot long.

Also, assuming Kido is now on her stomach and opening the box instead of on her back, he gently takes her left hand and puts this on her ring finger. It's garnet, a January birthstone, that's embedded in there because-- ]

I'm glad that you were born, Kido. I'm glad that you're here... I wouldn't have met you otherwise.

[ He kisses her cheek. When Kido told Terry that she shouldn't be sorry for being alive or something similar to that, he was glad to hear it. And this is to reflect on that saying. ]

Thanks for supporting me all this time. I love you.

[ The rest of the month is going to be spent in these cat socks and the cat sweater Akira gave her.

When the ring's slipped on her finger, it feels like time slowed, a hissing whiteness between her ears that makes it hard to think or hear and so all she can do is focus on Terry's voice and ignore everything else- the pounding of her heart, the heat on her face, the twisting in her gut that's nerves or fear or butterflies telling her that she's got this wrong.

Silence settles for a beat after Terry stops speaking, and there is no "Will you marry me?" and that's when Kido can breathe again, because yeah, of course she got it wrong. Just because it's a ring on that finger... ]

...A promise ring.

[ She puts her arms around Terry's shoulders and kisses the side of his neck before pulling him close and closing her eyes. ]

I'll promise that: I'll always love you. I'll always support you, and I'll always be here for you. Thank you for being here for me too, and for loving me.

[ The way Kido says it sounds like a marriage vow, so Terry can't help but to feel really happy in saying that. There is no heart thumping in his chest because he doesn't have one, but if it did, it would surely be noticeable when Kido pulls him close. He wraps his arms around Kido and nuzzles the side of her head--taking in her warmth, her scent, and everything about her that makes him feel relaxed in her hold.

Speaking of which... ]

I'll always love you, Kido... even if I have to wait thousands of years just to see you again.

[ ... ]

I actually... wanted this to be something like an engagement ring, but... well, I... I wasn't sure if you wanted that.

[ Okay, so she was half wrong. Even hugging Terry like this, face buried in the crook of his neck and fingers curling on the back of his shirt, it feels a little like hiding- retreating, somewhere safe in the arms of somebody she knows would do everything to keep her safe. ]

I do, but...

[ but

but she's nervous, and maybe she'll always be nervous, tiptoe-ing into uncharted territory with somebody who also has no idea what the hell he's doing, and even though she knows there's no wrong way to do this, it's scary. It's so fast, it's scary. She's scared, and she doesn't know of what. Of giving her heart to the one person who will never die and leave her all alone, like so many people did before her? She can't understand it, and so just turns her head to press the side of her face against his empty chest and lower her arms to wrap more comfortably around his waist. ]

I want you to ask me when all of this is over. When everybody is free and happy and no longer have to live in fear... Until after we see all this through to the end, I wouldn't be able to focus or relax. I might not- [ ...live to see the end, but she's determined to, so she bites that fear down yet again. ] ...I want to be able to say yes without reservation. Is it okay to wait?

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