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Santa Claus is anyone who loves another and seeks to make them happy; who gives himself by thought or word or deed in every gift that he bestows.
Christmas is a happy time, that you should spend with your friends and family. Many people associate it with warmth, laughter, peace and love. Songwriters say that’s ‘the most wonderful time of the year' and poets get inspired by it to create meaningful, heartwarming stories.
That’s what Christmas is on paper.
And maybe reality could be the same.
If Kuroo didn’t fuck everything up.
He was spending Christmas afternoon decorating the saddest tree known to man, while his fiancé was baking something in the kitchen. Five feet away from him. And all Kuroo felt was guilt. Because that’s not Christmas.
Christmas is eating great food in the Bokuto household while kids are running around and the aunts keep bothering you with questions about your wedding plans.
It shouldn’t be this.
But, how did this happen?
The JVA was hosting a Christmas party for all the workers, and how could Kuroo say no to all the good food and fun time with his friends?
Well, turns out he should say no because one of his colleagues was tested positive for covid and the whole JVA was put into quarantine...three days before Christmas.
Kuroo’s biggest mistake was not informing Bokuto about it. He just forgot to tell him. So, once he was woken up by a kiss planted on his forehead, it was too late.
“Good morning sleepy head.” His brain didn’t need much time to recognize Bokuto’s whisper. He also didn’t need much time to remember that his fiancé shouldn’t be here.
“NO!” He yelled and hid his head under the covers, which made Bokuto laugh.
“Tetsu it’s just me! Come on, get up!” He took the covers from Kuroo, but he skillfully rolled out from bed and sprinted to the living room. Bokuto followed him slowly, laughing all the way.
“Don’t come too close Kou, please stay where you are.” Kuroo was standing behind the couch and trying really hard to remember where is the nearest mask he could grab.
“Okayyy...” Bokuto looked very confused but listened and stopped at the other end of the couch. “But would you please tell me what is going on?”
Kuroo shifted his weight from one leg to another and fidgeted with his hands before explaining.
“I went to that JVA party three days ago and I found out, that one of my coworkers has covid and we were all put into quarantine. I’m so, so sorry I forgot to tell you, but it just flew out of my head. And because you didn’t know, you came here and you’ll be quarantined too! And it’s Christmas! And I knew how excited you were to visit your family, and-”
“Tetsu stop the rambling, please!” Bokuto threw a couch cushion at Kuroo to get his attention. “It’s ok.”
“Huh?” Kuroo raised his head to look at Bokuto who had a stupidly fond smile on his face. “Aren’t you mad?”
“Oh, I am! I’m mad that there’s not a single piece of Christmas decoration in this apartment. So why don’t you move your ass, get to work and I go bake something? How does it sound?”
“Yeah, okay...” Mumbled Kuroo in response.
“I didn’t hear youuu” Sang Bokuto while walking to the kitchen.
“I said OKAY!”
And that’s how Kuroo found himself putting lights on a sad, ugly Christmas tree that almost died because he forgot to water it (turns out living trees need water, how crazy is that?) and Bokuto was decorating his gingerbread cookies in the kitchen.
Everything was fine, except Kuroo still felt guilty because they were trapped in their apartment.
“Kou, listen...”
“No.”
“You don’t even know what I was trying to say!”
“Oh, I know. You wanted to apologize, and I swear, if you try to do it one more time, I’m throwing these cookies at you! Which I really don’t wanna do, because look how good they look!”
Bokuto showed off cookies that he already decorated and Kuroo had to admit, they looked damn good.
“But I feel shitty about it! You should be with your family right now, not with-”
And as promised, a gingerbread cookie hit him straight in the face.
“I am with my family! You’re my fiancé for god’s sake Tetsu! And the world won’t crumble if I don’t see my mom and my sisters this Christmas, you know? Next week we’re gonna get tested and we’ll spend New Year’s with them.”
It had to be reall hot in their apartment because Kuroo’s eyes started to sweat all of the sudden. How the hell did he deserve that man in his life?
“But-”
“No but’s! If you want to make it up for me- even though you don’t have to!” Bokuto pointed an accusing finger at Kuroo. “Then we can have a Kung Fu Panda marathon tonight. We’re gonna eat these cookies and have lots of fun. That’s an order.”
He did his Capitan Pose™ to prove his point and it made Kuroo giggle a little. Bokuto always knew how to cheer him up.
“The plan sounds good, but how do you want to watch a movie together if we can’t sit next to each other.”
Bokuto tilted his head and looked at Kuroo like he was crazy.
“And who said that?”
“Me? Like an hour ago?” Bokuto shook his head and went back to his cookies, pretending like he didn’t know what Kuroo was talking about. “Kou we should stay five feet apart at all times for your safety.”
“But it’s stupid! I already gave you a forehead kiss in the morning and I’m touching the same things you did! If I was meant to get covid, I probably got it by now.”
Well, it was logical, but Kuroo’s brain was telling him to be cautious until they get tested. And.
“Don’t say that! Covid can really fuck up your body, and I don’t want to be a reason behind Olympic Athlete's lungs collapsing!”
For some reason Kuroo’s genuine worry made Bokuto laugh.
“Can you imagine that? Oh, man! The articles: ‘A JVA worker Kuroo Tetsuro behind Bokuto’s carrier downfall!’ You better pack up your bags babe, Japan won’t forgive you.”
“Kou it’s not funny, you don’t know if I’m sick or not.”
“Actually, I can. My Spidey- Sense is telling me everything is fine.”
Bokuto didn’t have a ‘Spidey-Sense’, of course, but in some way his confidence made Kuroo feel safer.
They were in the middle of the second Kung Fu Panda movie when Kuroo suddenly remembered they forgot about giving each other presents. Yeah, Christmas is not just about them, but Kuroo was so excited to give Bokuto what he prepared.
“Are you sure you're not looking!?” He yelled from their bedroom. Bokuto was supposed to wait in the living room with his eyes closed because his present wasn’t wrapped. There was no point in doing so. But Kuroo didn’t want him to see it from a mile away.
“My eyes are shut!”
Kuroo walked up to Bokuto and sat next to him. After thinking it through, this ‘five feet away from each other’ idea was in fact- really stupid.
He put Bokuto’s gift in his hands and could see that he immediately knew what it was.
“Really Tetsu?” He laughed and opened his eyes to look at the volleyball placed in his hands. “A ball?”
“Yeah, but turn it around.” Kuroo felt like he was going to combust. He spent a lot of time getting that gift and couldn’t wait to see Bokuto’s reaction.
“NO WAY!” Bokuto’s smile was so wide and bright Kuroo thought he may go blind if he looked for a bit too long. But he couldn’t take his eyes off him, because seeing Bokuto happy was one of the most wonderful sights this world had to offer. So, he kept staring.
“Where did you get that?”
What Bokuto was referring to was an autograph placed on the ball. It was signed by one and only Bernardinho, whom Bokuto was obsessed with, but never got a chance to meet in person. On top of that, there was a story to this ball he didn’t know about. Yet.
“The autograph? You have to thank Shoyo for that.” It seemed impossible, but at the mention of his old teammate Bokuto smiled even wider. “But this specific ball? I had to look for it myself.”
“What do you mean specific ?” Finally, Bokuto took his eyes from the autograph and looked at Kuroo.
“Well, it is one of the balls used in the final match of Rio Olympics in 2016, when Bernardo lead Brazil’s team to the gold medal.”
The amount of time Kuroo put into looking for this forsaken ball is crazy. It’s not something he could get last minute and without a friend living in Brazil.
Thank god for the existence of Hinata Shoyo.
“I don’t know what to say.” Bokuto’s tone changed from boisterous to a whisper. “That’s the best gift ever.” He put the ball carefully on the table and hugged Kuroo so hard, he almost lost his breath. “I love you so much Tetsu, you’re the best.”
“I know, I know.”
Christmas isn’t all about gifts, but Kuroo would be a filthy liar if he said, that he wasn’t excited about his present. It was a well-known fact, that Bokuto was a master of gifts. Always coming up with the most surprising and amazing things.
“Okay, my turn! You don’t have to close your eyes!”
And just like that Kuroo was gifted a simple, white envelope.
“What is-”
“Just open it!”
Kuroo shut his mouth and did what he was told.
Inside was a ticket to a volleyball match.
EJP Raijin vs Shweiden Adlers.
“I don’t understand. You wanna go watch it?”
It took every piece of Bokuto’ patience to remain somewhat calm and Kuroo saw that it was hard.
“No, no, no! You’re gonna watch, I'm going to play!”
And Kuroo’s brain short-circuited.
Bokuto was changing teams.
“Which one.”
“Tetsu, you have to guess-”
“Which. One.”
Bokuto probably wanted to make this a dramatic moment but wasn’t able to keep that information to himself.
“EJP!”
EJP.
EJP Raijin. Based in Tokyo.
Bokuto was moving from Osaka to Tokyo.
They were in a long-distance relationship for so goddamn long. At some point, they went from seeing each other at weekends to just, face-timing because Bokuto played in the Italian league for a season. It was hard at times, but they stayed together and even got engaged.
And after all this time, they’re finally going to live in Tokyo together.
“But there’s more!” Kuroo’s brain wasn’t even done processing that information when Bokuto was showing off a pair of keys to him. “We’re moving.”
“No.”
“Yes! Don’t be mad, but I kinda bought us a house in the suburbs. The traditional style, not western! I know you don’t like it. But I’m sure you’re gonna love it! Kenma helped me with picking it and he lives a block away. Oh! And you can finally have a dog! Or even two! Now no one can tell you-”
Kuroo stopped Bokuto’s rambling with a kiss.
Damn the covid and being cautious. There were no words that could describe how happy Kuroo was with that gift. The only way he could show his gratitude was through actions
Being able to live with his fiancé not just at the weekends, having Kenma around the corner and something as silly as owning a dog, that he couldn’t have in an apartment. All these things were like a dream coming true.
Bokuto wasn’t a master of gifts anymore
He was a god damn Santa Claus.