Evidentially, Christmas was there once again. And so, America organized a party for his friends, not-so friends, and those who felt compromised to assist to said event.

England didn't consider himself part of any of those categories, but he was there anyway due to reasons that his "unique" personality wouldn't allow to explain.

Despite the loudness, the always dangerous quantity of mistletoes, and the hideous Christmas-sweater that Liechtenstein knit for him, not everything was bad. Softly smiling and with the company of Italy and Germany, one of his reasons to be there didn't seem to notice his presence. For now, England was wishing he could find Japan alone soon; a gift for him was waiting under the tree.

Though asking for some time alone seemed to be impossible considering where they were. 

Dragged to karaoke with Spain, trapped in the middle of a discussion with Romano, and almost caught under the mistletoe with France ( a near-death experience ) . Extensive minutes passed until England found an escape and avoided the crowd to appropriate of the solitary balconies of America's house. The blond let out a sigh, that party was starting to make him tired... Maybe some alcohol could help. Yes, a drink or two ( or three ) could revert that fatigue and tiredness. That was what he was telling to himself when he was shifting to enter the house again, but . . .

" -- Japan ? "

His so awaited moment was there. And as expected, England had no idea how to react.

But something should have been expected, though: Someone like Japan needed a time away of that overwhelming atmosphere. The reason of his presence at the party could be explained mostly by America's " special " methods of persuasion. Truth was, that the nation of far East was wishing to be surrounded by the quietness of his house, even if he had indeed enjoyed sharing some moments with Italy, Germany and other nations.

The growing tiredness inside him said it all: It was difficult to keep up with the rhythm of the younger.

And thus, he had looked for refugee in that dark balcony, slightly surprised by England's presence. " Ah-- England-san; forgive me if I interrupted you. " The blond seemed a bit contemplative before he noticed his presence.

" No you didn’t. Actually, I was looking for you. " England’s words came out with a hint of doubt in his voice. And for the love of God, Saint George and the Queen, if anybody dared to interrupt them, he was not going to think twice about it and just throw them out of the balcony.

With that thought in mind, England waited for that “anybody” to enter in scene.

But nothing happened.

       It was just him.

                 The distant sound of joy.

                          Kiku’s perplexed yet harmonious expression.

              And a cold breeze caressing the back of his neck.

" England-san? " Which reminded him…

" Stay here-- I’ll be back in a minute. " The gift for Japan was still inside. The blond rushed inside while his japanese friend stared with the same confused expression as before.

Whatever England was planning, he could take all the time he wanted, Japan was not going to leave that peaceful place any time soon. Leaning towards the railing, the Japanese took a better look at the city before him. Colourful lights dancing through the street, while the stars in the dark curtain of sky shined among the cold.

                        A night-sky drowned in stars -- It made him wonder . . .

" I'm back. " His attention switched quickly to the owner of that distinct voice. England came back soon, but with a slightly ruffled hair and his tie a bit messier than before ( who knows what happened to him in the short amount of time he was inside ). Lastly, Japan noticed a bag wrapped in a typical festive paper resting in his arms. He waited for an explanation, and England quickly gave one.

Closing the distance between them, England took a few steps while he started talking: " I-- I have this for you. " Giving these kind of gestures was always difficult for him, but when it was about Japan, it had an special difficulty, yet not in a bad sense. When the blond handed said gift, he received a couple of blinks in confusion from his friend before he accepted it, muttering a " Thank you. " Which was immediately followed by another formal " It wasn't necessary. " England just waited for him to open it, keen to see his reaction. And when that moment happened, he could have sworn that he saw a small smile curving Japan's lips.

The gift consisted in a red scarf knitted by Arthur himself. It had the charm of a handcrafted object -- Which meant that it was unique and unrepeatable; only for Kiku and no one else. " I made it myself " said England. " I supposed so " answered Japan. Some seconds of silence, both of them trapped in their own mind, until the japanese stopped his contemplation, and gazed up to his friend. " It's lovely, thank you. " Simple words enough to make England smile. " Should I try it now? "

" Ah-- Yes. But please, allow me. " Gently taking the scarf out of Japan's hands, the blond proceeded to lean forwards him and wrapping the piece of cloth around that pale neck himself. Even after finishing accommodating the scarf England didn't stepped back, and allowed himself to look at his friend for some more time. Maybe it was the red contrasting with the pale tone of his skin, maybe it was the way the lights surrounding the city caressed his figure -- Or maybe it was the way those dark eyes kept him captive of his gaze.

                          Or maybe it was something he already knew.

Arthur's heart started to beat faster, loud enough to make him deaf to the words and restrictions in his mind. Heart and lips acted quicker than brain, with the security he had lacked minutes ago, England muttered: " You look wonderful. " As you always do.

What was that? After noticing what he said ( and the way, the circumstances in which he said it ) , the blond gave a few steps away from Kiku, trying to find a way to correct it. Or at least to not make it seem in the exact way he intended. " I mean-- This colour suits you... " Was that really useful? England doubted it. Anyone would have doubted it -- It couldn't be the other way, even his own body was betraying him. A blush started to cover his cheeks, one that despite his softness, made England felt this heat completely. Almost as if snow could melt at the slight touch of his skin.

Japan only muttered another " Thank you " not without seeming less startled by England's words. But still, the anglo-saxon nation could only wish to know what was really happening inside his mind.

" Should we go back? "

" No, let's stay here for a few minutes more. " 

A particular moment of peacefulness shared between two lonely creatures. With the stars and the winter as witness, they both felt glad to be right next to the other. 

          But England didn't say it.

                                                           And neither did Japan.

Both of them only stayed in silence, childishly waiting for Christmas miracles to be real.

Kageyama had expected Oikawa to do something over the top for Christmas this year--he

always

did. Whether is be purchasing a grossly inappropriate gag gift that would likely get Kageyama fired from his current job if there were ever to be photographic evidence of it or forcing to watch childrens’ holiday films with him until unholy hours of the morning, Oikawa always managed to spread his love for the holiday season in some unnecessarily grandiose way.

What Kageyama hadn’t expected was Oikawa appearing right outside his dorm room at two o’clock in the morning on Christmas Eve adorning foam reindeer antlers, red face paint on his nose and cheeks, and a hideous Santa Claus sweater that looked as if it were made entirely out of shag carpeting.

Upon seeing him, Kageyama immediately tried to shut the door because he really, really didn’t have time for this sort of thing and even if Oikawa was his boyfriend, there was only so much of him he could handle at any given time. Before he could succeed in slamming the door, however, Oikawa somehow managed to stick his foot halfway into the dorm room at a speed that rivaled his jump serve.

“You know, Tobio-chan, it’s rude to slam doors in a person’s face. Especially when that person is your boyfriend!” His voice was as strident and bold as ever, the only difference being that he was wearing an expression of mock-grief.

He was going to reply to that, he really was, but it was then that brunette decided to push his way into the dorm room, completely ignoring Kageyama’s previous attempts of protest. His usual playful smirk reappeared on his lips again as soon as he entered, and he wasted no time plopping down on the sofa.

“Making yourself at home of course.” Kageyama grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He let out an exasperated sigh and made his way over to the couch where his overbearing boyfriend was already flipping through television channels. The brunette paused for a moment to tear his eyes away from the flashing screen and raise an eyebrow at the raven.

“Well it definitely looks like you’ve had your morning coffee, Tobio-chan.” Every syllable that left his lips dripped sarcasm, but he never wiped that stupid grin off of his face. It wasn’t like he’d expected differently though. The lovable scoundrel type was Oikawa’s schtick, and to Kageyama’s dismay, he fell for it. Hard.

“It’s two in the morning, Oikawa-san, why the hell are you here?” His irritation with the whole situation was growing by the second and if he had the physical strength to do so, he would have dragged the brunette out by his ear.

Oikawa pouted his lips and mocked an expression of pain for the second time that evening. “Oh, is it really such a crime that I wanted to spend time with my boyfriend on Christmas?”

“Technically, it’s not Christmas yet.” He began, the muscles in his face twitching slightly. “And stop calling me Tobio-chan, bastard.”

“Well, there is a lot to do before Christmas, you know! And besides, I put all of this on just for you.. Don’t you realize that the least you could do is stop being so mean, Tobio-chan?” Of course, just as always, Oikawa ignored his request. He would be lying if he said the pet name hadn’t grown on him a bit, but the brunette had already tried his patience for the umpteenth time this evening.

He parted his lips to retort, then quickly clamped them shut again. He knew Oikawa was just trying to get a reaction out of him, and he wasn’t willing to give him that satisfaction.

Not yet anyway.

But evidently, his boyfriend could see past his attempts at maturity, and after a moment, a coy smile bloomed on his face. “You’re so cute when you’re trying to give me the cold shoulder Tobio-chan.”

If simple compliments had the ability to decrease the longevity of a person, Kageyama would have died on the spot because he really, really can’t help but blush whenever anybody  compliments him. His cheeks were practically crimson and every word that let his mouth came out in a humiliating stutter. It was only after Oikawa pulled him into his lap did he become silent.

Kageyama’s blush only deepened as the brunette hummed softly and wrapped his arms around his torso. He then pressed a trail of kisses down the back of his neck, causing the younger’s breathing to hitch slightly.

“Heh...you’re seriously cute…”

“S-Shut up.”

His shaky response earned a laugh from his Oikawa, and another round of kisses. After a moment, the raven decided on settling into his boyfriend’s warmth and closing his eyes for a short while, just content with the feeling of the other holding him. In all honesty, he wasn’t a huge fan of pda, or any type of affection for that matter, but he’d indulge in it--just the once. Maybe.

“You’re warm.”

“Hmm? What was that, Tobio-chan? I didn’t quite catch it.”

“You heard me.”

Oikawa laughed again, but this time he reached out for the TV remote and started flipping through Netflix Christmas films, his other arm still wrapped firmly around Kageyama’s waist. After finally, finally deciding on a movie, the brunette set the remote down and tugged the raven even closer than before, nuzzling into his neck and exhaling.

“Merry Christmas, Tobio, " He murmured, his voice hardly above a whisper.

Kageyama’s mouth hung open for a brief moment because he wasn’t sure if he heard correctly. Had he seriously dropped the ‘chan?” Seriously? For real? Well Merry Christmas it is then.

“You too.”