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“I do want to stay for the holidays,” Mikey whines during the breakfast in the great hallway, mouth stuffed.
Draken sends his friend a disapproving look. “Don’t be pert. You should be nice to your grandfather once in a while.”
Right, Takemichi thinks as he sits across them, it’s nearing holidays, which is to say most of the students in the castle will go home to celebrate with their families. He’s made up his mind not to, you know, go home for his second year here. An idea that, as he thinks about it more, not really a bad one, considering his mother is rarely home anyway.
And since he's not going home, Chifuyu chooses not to as well, like an automatic response.
Outside, the world is covered in white, the cold palpable in the air. Takemichi wears a scarf over his Gryffindor robes. He helps himself to a warm cup of tea.
“Are you staying, Draken?” asks Chifuyu.
“Nope,” Draken shakes his head. “They want me to help in the shop this year, so.”
He nods, and Emma, who’s sitting on Chifuyu’s other side in the long table, casts Draken a hopeful glance.
After some time, they stand up to enter their next classes. In the Potions, Senju stands beside Takemichi’s cauldron and tells him she’s going home for Christmas, although his older brother seems not to. Takemichi doesn’t probe much about her relationship with Haruchiyo, family matters he thinks, but he’ll be lying if he says the news does not bother him.
Haruchiyo has a habit of picking fights with them, Takemichi specifically, and he doesn’t think Christmas would diminish that arrogant attitude one bit, not when Mikey won’t be here with them.
That matter gets solved, apparently, because he comes across a familiar pair of fourth-years in the hallway after classes.
Inupi’s eyes widen a fraction with what he told them. “You’re staying for Christmas, Hanagaki?”
“Oh Merlin,” mutters Koko under his breath. “There he goes.”
Which is when they find the Slytherin duo deciding not to go home for the holidays in the castle unlike everyone else, opting to join their other friend, Haruchiyo, and in the guise of keeping him in check from bullying Takemichi. Koko and Inupi are probably the only decent people in that house, who mind their business without making it seem like everyone’s problem.
Then he went through the Fat Lady’s portrait hole to cross the common room, Chifuyu trailing after. Tomorrow, they will be leaving, — they, those with homes to go back to, or families, as long as somebody’s waiting —and it makes him a little anxious. Being alone with Chifuyu can go wrong in a lot of ways, and is anxious even the right word?
Peke J, Chifuyu’s black cat, leaps to his lap when he sinks into the armchair, and Takemichi runs his hand along his fur. The fire crackles quietly, emitting a soft, warm glow along the walls and floor.
There's only a few of them in the common room. Absent-mindedly, Takemichi’s mind drifts at the paperbag tucked under his pillow, containing a particular necklace he handcrafted for a span of two months.
Chifuyu, who has nothing else to do, nicks gobstone from Hakkai and urges Takemichi to play with him, to pass the time.
He and Chifuyu met way before even Hogwarts, in the Diagon Alley, when Takemichi who’s still fascinated by this newfound world of his, bumped into distracted Chifuyu, who was also on his way to buy for his robes. Then they became instantly inseparable after the Great Feast, both housed in the Gryffindor by the sorting hat.
Chifuyu is fairly good in the classes, as a half-blood and as someone who’s grown up sheltered with the awareness that there’s magic all around him. He’s read his book, and is knowledgeable with most spells suitable for his age. Takemichi mostly depends on him for the lessons. Heck, he’s fucked up his cauldron once in a Potions class, luckily Chifuyu was immediately there to help him get it right before the professor notice the awful blend of green. And don’t even start at Transfiguration; while Chifuyu is the most excellent in it their year, getting most of the spells right at first tries with a simple flick of his wrist, Takemichi can't even miss a day without blowing something up.
“I just don’t get it,” he groans one time, wiping his furrowed brows.
“Don’t beat yourself up over it, partner,” Chifuyu says, voice light. “Who knows, maybe Inupi’s right. You’re someone who seems like a Divination person.”
Takemichi doesn’t even know what in the world that is.
When evening turns into night, they’re all retired to their dormitories, Takemichi with his shared one with Chifuyu, Hakkai, Akkun and Takuya.
It takes a long time before the sleep dawns on him.
By the morning, everyone’s left, not without the Gryffindor celebrating Chifuyu’s birthday in the common room shortly before they’re ushered out. He was given gifts (a variety of sweets by the third-years from their last visit in Hogsmeade before Holidays, a broom and revealer eraser from Hakkai and Senju, a curious-looking ball from Emma, books from professors, the list goes on) and received an owl from his own mother and Baji’s, carrying parcels.
Having the most of the common room and dormitory for themselves, Takemichi helps Chifuyu unwrap all the gifts, play with Peke J, before spilling into the nearly deserted dining table for dinner.
Which is when the moon clambers to the sky, finally nightfall, Chifuyu drags Takemichi with him to go up the Astronomy Tower, past the curfew, a couple of hours before the 19th of December ends.
They manage to sneak in without getting caught, what with all the passages that Chifuyu somehow has memorized like the back of his palm (“Kazutora and Baji-san told me about it, no, I’m not usually a rule-breaker, partner, don’t look at me like that”). So there they end up, watching the dark sky spread endlessly, the flickering dotted patterns over the blue and violet hues of the milky way.
Chifuyu leans back, supported by his palms on the floor as he crouches. His eyes sweep to Takemichi, who looks back to him after a moment’s pause (and if the stare lingers, then they don’t talk about it, not yet. They’re both twelve, and none of them has a name to it yet).
Chifuyu wanders his eyes back to the wide span of a starry sky, and blurts out, “I hope we’re still friends next year.”
Something lurches in his stomach. “What are you talking about? Of course we’ll still be.”
The assurance makes Chifuyu smile, and Takemichi wonders if that’s why they’re here, because Chifuyu’s worried something would change. They’d manage a year, so what’s another to it?
He elbows Chifuyu. “Hey, what’s up with you?”
Chifuyu waves a hand. “Oh, nothing, nothing. Just silly stuff. It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.”
Green eyes, like the shade of nature, a color that seems so alive, snap to him. Chifuyu grins. Then abruptly, he wraps his arms around Takemichi and pushes him close, enough force that Takemichi stumbles in his balance, shoulder hitting Chifuyu’s, knees bumping together. “Hey?!”
“Gee, I didn’t mean to come off like that. Don’t pout!”
“I am not pouting!” he retorts indignantly.
Chifuyu laughs, the bastard. “Yeah, you sure are!”
“Wait, let go, let go, I have something to give you.”
Chifuyu doesn’t — and for all what it’s worth, Takemichi appreciates that he keeps it there, because of warmth —but his hold loosens. Takemichi copies the gesture, looping an arm around Chifuyu’s back, before he slips his free hand to the pocket of his robes. He can feel Chifuyu’s appraising stare.
He brings out a paper bag, brown and plain, and hands it over. “Here, it’s my gift.”
It is when Chifuyu takes it out of his clasp that Takemichi mutters, just audible for him to hear, a fond, “Happy birthday.”
The top of the tower is all dark and shadows aside from the natural, twinkling light in the sky, so when Chifuyu opens the bag, he peers at it intensely, brings out his wand, and says Lumos . A necklace sits prettily on his palm, the beads catching the white glow from the end of his wand.
“Oh,” Chifuyu says, and oh indeed that Takemichi goes into a frenzy of excuses.
“It’s not that special! Just a simple muggle necklace, you know I don’t know how to do charms and shit, and I made them thinking what colors you’d like. Hina helped me, and she—”
Chifuyu has the most shit-eating grin he’s seen for like, since ever. Since the Diagon Alley and the mess of apologies from the ice cream stain on his shirt, since the hysterical laughter over Takemichi’s face twisting horribly from the earthworm-flavored Bertie Bott’s Beans in the train compartment, ever since Chifuyu called him his partner with a bright smile that could light up the whole castle. “Can you help me wear it?”
Takemichi swallows before nodding, and his hand slightly trembles, maybe from cold, maybe from something else entirely.
The back of Chifuyu’s neck is chilly when he pushes down the coat out of the way. Takemichi isn’t even sure if Chifuyu likes accessories, sure he’s worn the hoop earring since first year but what if he thinks a necklace would now be too much of a hassle (not that he expects Chifuyu to wear this every day, from now on, but he hopes it won’t end up collecting dusts in the drawer).
When he’s done, Takemichi stumbles back and Chifuyu turns, holding the pendant between two fingers. “Cool,” he says, the smile ever-present, like it’s fixed in his expression now. It’s a green jewel in the shape of a teardrop, intricately laced with the leather cord. Takemichi grins back.
“Well, it’s not much—”
“Stop that,” Chifuyu snorts. “This— Merlin knows how much this means to me.”
Then, Takemichi feels it before he realizes, a tiny family prick behind his eyes, and soon after, something warm is trailing on his cheek.
Chifuyu’s eyes widen. “Wha—?! What’re you crying for?!” And then, realizing he’s not supposed to be loud, shoots his palms to cover his mouth, stifling laughter. Takemichi sniffs. From the back of his mind, somehow, he knows the clock has hit 12 midnight, and it’s already a new date.
He’s still sobbing when his bestfriend pulls him to a hug, so it’s more labored breathing because Chifuyu’s pressed close to him, patting his back in a reassuring, comforting way that he feels like a part of him has been stolen by Chifuyu, taken shelter in some corner of his heart. Takemichi makes light of it by laughing to his shoulder, and by then, it’s already sunrise.
When they sneak back to the dormitories, they pass out instantly, sound asleep, and although Takemichi wouldn’t remember his dream after he wakes up, it wouldn’t matter. He’s sure Chifuyu’s part of it, anyway.