Chapter Text
The scent of freshly baked bread welcomes you into the café and you snuggle closer to Nobara, exhaling in relief once the door falls shut behind you. You smile at each other with rosy cheeks frozen from the icy wind, happy to have found a place to warm up in.
Her eyes travel up and widen for a millisecond before they shrink into crescents, “Mistletoe!”
Surprised, you glance up, losing your balance as she smacks a kiss on your cheek. Feeling her smile against your skin, you laugh out loud and take her hand, dragging her further inside with you.
“Take this!”
“Nope!” Yuuji ducks and runs around the corner, effectively making you lose sight of him. He waits with bated breath, choking on his suppressed laughter when he hears the crunching of the snow as you undoubtedly run after him.
“Yuyu, that’s not fair! You’re like ten times faster than me- Woah!“ His hands wrap around your arms, holding you firmly in place.
“Gotcha.”
“Hey, that’s- Oh! Look up!”
Green branches tied together by a red bow sway above your heads, encouraged by the freezing wind. Your eyes lock with Yuuji’s and the abashed expression on his face makes you laugh out. He looks so adorable you can’t help it.
“Eskimo style?”
His face relaxes, coaxing another giggle out of you and he nods, a giddy grin tugging on his lips. “Eskimo style.”
“You should go to jail for this.”
“Ah, don’t be like that Megumi.”
“Whatever, creep.”
“Ouch.”
Megumi counters Gojo’s sarcasm with a glare that would melt him on the spot if it wasn’t for his Infinity. They, along with the rest of the classroom, grow silent as the door slides open, revealing you and Junpei.
Junpei is laughing into his hand, shyly nodding along as you loudly continue to recount something that happened when you went to buy groceries the other day. You’re the first to notice the mistletoe, but Gojo’s convinced Junpei saw it before you even had the chance to gasp out loud.
Judging by how stiff his shoulders become and how insanely bright his cheeks turn when you mention the plant, Gojo knows his assumption is right. Originally, he placed the mistletoe right above the entrance of the classroom to tease Megumi.
But this… this is far better.
He watches with growing satisfaction the way Junpei all but explodes into a blushing, stuttering mess when your lips connect with his cheek. Megumi’s newly purchased pen snaps in his grip, rolling off the desk and onto the ground.
Yes. This is far better.
“Merry Christmas, Your Royal Highness.”
You gape at Gojo, stunned speechless as he takes your hand into his much larger one and gently presses a kiss at the back of it. “Uh… thanks? Merry Christmas to you too, I guess.”
“You are most welcome. It is an honor.”
The grin aimed your way does nothing to settle the weird vibes you’re getting. “What’s going on? Do I need to call the cops?”
“Why does everyone always want to call the cops on me?”
You glance from your hand still being held by his up to him and raise your brows, as if asking ‘Really? You’re really asking that?’
His smile doesn’t falter in the least bit. Instead, he uses his free hand to point up. You tilt your head back and sigh.
Of course. Just your luck.
Sometimes Ieri wonders what she’s doing with her life. She could be married with cute babies sweetening her days. Why she hasn’t retired yet and built her own family is a mystery she doesn’t think she will ever solve.
Today is one of those days. She’s tired, she’s drained, and she just wants coffee.
Pushing her documents aside and massaging her temple, she notices a familiar figure trudging through the hallways. With stacked books pressed against your chest, you make your way toward the classroom, ready to start another day of classes.
You halt mid-step, noticing something above you that makes you look around with curious, searching eyes. They find hers and widen imperceptibly. A smile blossoms on your face right after and you wave, mouthing mistletoe before you blow a kiss her way.
She might not know what exactly she’s doing with the life she’s been given, but she sure as hell knows who she’s doing it for.
Going on a mission on Christmas Day is the last thing you wanted. It’s a day meant to spend inside, holed up in a million blankets, drinking hot chocolate, and watching cheesy old Christmas movies.
Megumi quite frankly doesn’t care. He’s not religious nor does he hold any particular interest in western traditions. So when both of you come to a stop below a dried up mistletoe in the abandoned building you just finished exorcising, he doesn’t think much of it.
Until you mention it.
Until you look expectantly at him.
Until those bright green eyes refuse to break their gaze and start to make him uncomfortable in a way where he’s not really all that uncomfortable.
“What?” He asks more harshly than he wants to.
“Mistletoe.”
“What about it?”
You groan deeply, rolling your eyes in frustration at this disinterest. “Ugh. You’re always like this.”
Before he has a chance to retort back how useless and dumb this whole mistletoe thing is, you grasp the front of his shirt, pull him down with unexpected strength and kiss his cheek. He startles, frozen in shock from how soft your lips are, how gently your nose brushes his cheekbones, and how your breath travels all the way up to his ear.
The ball of tension that had been building up in his chest explodes into warmth and dissolves across his limbs, glueing him in place. He doesn’t think he even breathes.
“Merry Christmas, Grump.” You flutter around with rosy cheeks he fails to see and skid out of the room and out of his sight.
Megumi holds his chest as if worried his heart might fall out. A sensation he’s never felt before settles in his gut and he glares daggers at the withered plant still hanging above his head.
Useless and dumb.
Maybe one day he will convince himself of it.
“Do you think this gift is okay?”
“It is most wonderful. You have nothing to worry about.”
You purse your lips and walk blindly through the hallways by his side, inspecting the wrapped gift you’re currently holding. Nanami’s four eyes are doing the job for you both. “So he’ll like it?”
He stops in his tracks quietly. Curious as to what might have stolen his attention, you’re surprised to feel his chest brushing your shoulder when he presses a gentle and paternal kiss on the crown of your head. Wide eyes peer up at him, stunned. He smiles. “He will love it. Merry Christmas, young lady.”
Above his head, red and green dangles.
“It’s on days like this that I appreciate you the most.”
Panda’s eyes sparkle. He latches onto you even stronger, his big, fluffy frame devouring your body in an all-engulfing hug. His warmth radiates and smooths out the goosebumps raiding your arms, keeping you cocooned in bliss and peace.
“Thank you,” you mumble drowsily, planting the feather of a kiss on his shoulder before sleep becomes too much of a hassle to fight against.
He says something you can’t catch anymore, but the vibrations purring out of his chest are enough to make sure you have the best sleep of your lifetime.
“This is bullshit.”
“Maki! It’s unbecoming to use such a word as a lady.”
Maki glares at Gojo with a clenched jaw. It’s the most menacing one she’s directed at him so far. He, as usual, only laughs in response and gestures to the traitorous plant hanging above their heads.
“You know the rules.”
“I don’t give a fuck about this holiday or the traditions that come with it. I’m not kissing your sorry ass, you sleazebag.”
“Maki!” The sound of your voice causes both of them to turn toward you jogging at them with the biggest grin in the universe. “Mistletoe!”
And then you’re on her, hands holding her shoulders as you stand on your toes and kiss her scrunched up nose. You’re gone as fast as you came, no doubt running around the school to find your next target.
If Gojo notices the way her frown dissolves into gentility with a touch of pink, well… he’s smart enough not to mention it.
Your whole body aches. Sweat drips down your back like you’ve just emerged out of the shower and you’ve lost count of all the bruises. Sparring with Yuuta is as fun as it is brutal.
He doesn’t hold back at all, which you’re grateful for, but after the sixth time he throws you over his shoulder and slams you on the mat, you can’t help but tap a time out.
“Too much?”
You tilt your head back, watching his upside down figure approach you with a nervous smile. “Nah, I’m just too weak.”
He settles down beside you, takes your arm and begins to massage it to alleviate some of the pain.
“Sorry,” he says, kissing your bruised knuckles apologetically. When he points at the all too familiar decoration dangling above your heads, his unexpected gesture starts to make sense.
Someone really needed to stop Gojo.
“Ahhhh, I’m beat.”
“Salmon.”
“That was such a good workout though, right?”
Toge wipes his chin, gulping the large mouthful of water that he desperately needed after this thirty minute HIIT session. If it wasn’t for your jokes and endless positive energy, he would dread these days the most. Don’t get him wrong, he still hates HIIT with a burning passion. You just make it more bearable for him.
“Mustard leaf?”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m good. Can I have a sip of that water though, please?”
He hands you the bottle without a second thought and only when your lips touch the very same place his had been just a minute ago does he remember something he’d heard from a group of teenage girls during one of his missions.
His face bursts up in flames.
Bottle kiss.
Yaga finishes up his last bit of paperwork and shuts his computer off with a sigh. Tonight is another one of the long ones. This is admittedly his least favorite part about this job.
Reporting to the higher ups, keeping record of every curse they’ve located and exorcised, tracking all of their expenses… just thinking about it makes his head hurt. He spins around his chair to let you know he’s finally done for the night, only to find you curled up on the armchair, fast asleep.
Your book lies opened on your lap and your mouth is slightly open, the softest of snores escaping every other breath. He smiles. You must have been exhausted.
Careful to be quiet, he tip toes over to you and takes the book from you, placing it on the table to his right. He retrieves a blanket from one of the cupboards, gently sets it over you and presses a soft, loving kiss on your forehead.
“Sweet dreams, my princess.”
