[Gift] Nothing says "Cherubmas" like a van party

"I wasn't expecting this, but well... I should have."

Three buns stood cramped inside of Vincent's van. Vincent had invited Am and Luv to a "Cherubmas party", but apparently that just meant hanging out in the van, and the guests seemed less than impressed.

"At least you put effort into the invitation," commented Luv. "I had to decipher 3 riddles to figure out what your message said... I even asked Helia for help, and you know that's not her forte. But, it was unique for sure."

Vince chuckled, trying to hide his nervousness. He was really hoping to not mess this up, but he couldn't let the others know that. "Well, I had to make up for my lack of venue with... something."

"You know it's been days since Cherubmas, right?" Am said bluntly. "I hope you have a calender somewhere in here."

"Ah, yes, I know!" Vince responded, "It's just, I know everyone has been making plans around the holiday and I figured it would be most convenient to host my own gathering afterward."

Am and Luv nodded in reluctant agreement, deciding not to disagree with him. Vince's anxiety increased even further. To be honest, he really wanted this night to go well, and the comments from his friends were putting him on edge. It was rare that he got to express to his friends how much he truly appreciated them, and he felt like the more time that went by that he didn't show him his gratefulness, the more awkward it became to try to bring it up. So when he heard about the festivities of Cherubmas and how they emphasized showing appreciation for one's loved ones, he knew he could use it as a reasonable excuse to share his feelings without seeming weirdly really sappy all of a sudden.

Luv proceeded to look around the van's interior. "These decorations... is that paper mache? Did you make these yourself?"

"Yeah! You know, I love that kind of homemade vibe. It's kind of what I do." Vince turned his head away to avoid eye contact, suddenly noticing that Am had broken into the sparse snacks he had prepared on the side counter. She chewed on them thoughtfully, suddenly noticing Vince's gaze. "I love these things," she said, pointing to one of the bowls.

"I'm glad! So uh, what else do you guys like about the holiday?" Vince looked back and forth between his guests, trying to start up a conversation and bring some semblance of holiday cheer to his less-than-cheery van interior.

"Well..." Luv trailed off, and both she and Am settled in and sat down as they thought about their answers. "...I like the decorations. The wreaths are my favorite I think."

She looked over to Am, and Am said, "I like the lights."

Luv chuckled. "I've noticed that every since buns started putting up more lights for Cherubmas, you've been tripping and faceplanting in the snow less often."

"I have not! I mean, that's not true at all! That's not it!" Am tried to defend herself as Vince joined in on the chuckling.

Getting that honest laughter out really helped Vincent's nerves. Seeing another one of his friends getting poked fun of reminded him about what their friendship was about. Yes, they cared about each other, but they were also comfortable enough with each other to mess with each other in good spirits. And yes, they made fun of each other, but that was just a common interaction that went along with a deeper friendship that would never be tarnished, even if they didn't often bring up how much they appreciated each other. The love was always still there.

Tuning back into reality from his thoughts, he realized Luv and Am had started talking about different decorations they had seen on houses around town. It was nice just hearing them talk, and he felt like one good way to show his appreciation for them was to just chat with them. He started adding in his own personal stories to the conversation, and the atmosphere inside the van got much warmer as the three friends conversed. It may have been rather mundane, but that didn't make the time any less enjoyable.

The sky grew darker outside the van, first a deep blue, and then pitch black. But slowly, the previously mentioned Cherubmas lights started to all turn on, adding to the atmosphere like guests at a party greeting each other. Soon after all the decorations had been lit, Vince's guests took their leave with warm farewells. Vince hadn't been able to have his moment that he wanted of plainly expressing his appreciation for his friends, but he felt so good about himself and his friends by the end of the night that he knew he didn't have to.