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Being constantly on the run can be rather demoralizing, and sometimes even boring. Yuu’s sure he’s mostly carried by adrenaline these days, but the festive season approaching has set their squad in a good mood, a sense of morale that is harder for the vampires to break down.
The only member that hasn’t felt the upcoming Christmas cheer was Mika. To Yuu, this was completely unacceptable.
The thing is, it’s a lot harder to celebrate given their current circumstances. Yuu had wanted to find some sort of Christmas sweater to wear, but their attire left much to desire. Though he feels deterred, he knows he wants Mika to feel the Christmas spirit.
“Shinoa,” Yuu says, having dragged her aside privately. “You seem like you would be a singer.”
“What gives you that idea?” Shinoa inquires.
“It just fits you,” Yuu explains. “It’s like how you’re always saying you’re the prettiest girl ever, so clearly you’d at least believe you are the best singer.”
“I am the prettiest girl.”
“No, that’s Mika,” Yuu argues.
Shinoa doesn’t argue against this because Yuu wouldn’t let this specific argument end until he wins. Instead, she smiles, singing some song that Yuu doesn’t recognize, pulling some sick vocal runs and holding the notes out like her life depends on it.
“Okay, that was good,” Yuu says. “Now, let’s make it festive!”
The two start practicing their music, both dishing out their favorite Christmas songs. Yuu finds it difficult to choose which is the best, but Shinoa surprisingly feels determined to find the perfect one.
Yuu tries to get the others involved. Kimizuki is too much of a grinch to join, but Yoichi brings enthusiasm to the group, sunny smiles and numerous song sessions.
“But what song is the perfect one?” Yuu mutters to himself. “What would he like…?”
Yoichi turns to Shinoa, instantly catching on. “Another Mika thing?” he asks, and Shinoa nods at him.
Yuu doesn’t even feel embarrassed.
He finally figures it out. He smiles.
—
“Mikaaaaa,” Yuu whines. “Get up, get up. I’ve got something to show you.”
“Is it something stupid?”
“No!”
Though Yuu’s answer was honest, and how he truly feels, he knows Mika won’t feel that way.
Mika’s tried to explain to him before why he doesn’t care for the holidays and Christmas anymore. Yuu remembers from childhood how the two of them would try to make Christmas the best it could be for their family. Even when they were lacking in food or gifts, they would make it up by being there for each other and indulging in fun activities, which would serve as a reminder of what they had and that they were together.
He even remembers how each year, Mika would volunteer more of his blood to Ferid around the holidays, hoping to get enough food to guarantee the kids could eat as much as they want. Yuu would tell him to knock it off, and that they had enough, but Mika was filled with determination to provide for his family.
It was that very same determination that continued fueling his eventual plan to get away. When that plan went awry, and when they had lost everyone, Mika felt bitter, had decided it was all his fault.
And as he became a vampire and adjusted to their rules and their society, the holidays only reminded him of all that he lost. Not to mention he was taught to be less empathetic, and the vampires were not a very sentimental bunch.
Yuu understands all of it, but thinks it doesn’t have to be like that anymore. Yeah, they can respect and pay homage to the people they’ve lost, but Yuu’s come to the slow realization that torturing himself over his mistakes is not what is going to help them revive their loved ones. Strength is being able to preserve, and he knows that him and Mika can do that together.
“Okay, fine,” Mika concedes, smiling slightly. Yuu reaches for his hand, pulling him up.
Mika’s hand is soft, but cold. He’s sure that in comparison, his own hands are warm. Yuu likes that he can be a heater for him.
He pulls him along to the spare room, where him, Shinoa, and Yoichi had constant rehearsals. They would practice singing until they lost their voices, but in Shinoa’s case, that came a lot sooner compared to the other boys, as she did enjoy shouting at them from time to time.
Yuu pulls open the door and examines the room as he pulls them both inside.
It’s not as well decorated as they used to make the orphanage, and there is no Christmas tree, but it’s undeniable that the Christmas spirit is inhibiting this room. They had used paper to make most of their decorations, coloring in reds and greens. They also had somehow found some loose Christmas ornaments, which they left out on a table.
Shinoa and Yoichi are a couple meters away, fidgeting nervously. There were no instruments to play, so this whole performance would rely on their voices, a fact which scared the both of them. However, Yuu feels an almost delusional sense of confidence; he believes everything would go well and they would hit all the notes just right.
“Do you like it?” Yuu asks Mika, squeezing his hand. “It was hard to find stuff, but I just wanted it to feel like back then with our family.”
“We never had much,” Mika acknowledges. “Yuu, I told you that you didn’t have to do this. It’s just a waste of effort…”
“But does it make you happy?” Yuu gestures to the room.
Mika doesn’t tear his eyes away from him. “You… make me happy,” he murmurs.
Yuu smiles and heads over to Shinoa and Yoichi, preparing for the performance. “What’s all this?” Mika asks, playing along.
“It’s a live performance from our new band.”
Then, Yuu zones out, throwing himself into a dramatic, soulful rendition of “All I Want for Christmas Is You”. The lyrics are true after all. Shinoa and Yoichi help serve as back-ups and make it seem even more official.
During the performance, Yuu takes the time to look at Mika’s reaction, and he’s happy to see that Mika seems to be singing along, albeit more quietly than they are. There’s a grin on his face and his eyes are focused on him.
The song quickly finishes, though for Yuu, it feels like a lifetime. He takes deep breaths in to steady himself. Mika stands, clapping his hands loudly. “Encore, encore!”
“You heard him!” Shinoa shouts. “Looks like we have to do another song!”
“What?” Yuu shrieks. “We didn’t practice another song!”
At the very same moment, Yoichi starts singing “Last Christmas” with Shinoa joining in. Yuu takes the chance to just watch his friends singing along to the song, realizing that he’s truly happy.
Things would never be quite the same as they had been back in the orphanage, but he’s surrounded by family who love him, and people he loves too. What else could you need?
He listens to the lyrics to remember the place in the song before joining back in. He feels a lot more relaxed singing to this one, as he’s not as devoted to making it the best performance ever. He doesn’t even need to look at Mika to know he’s enjoying himself.
Instead, he walks closer to him, placing his hand out for him to grab. Mika does, and then they’re stood close enough that Yuu thinks he can see the sparkles in his eyes. He smiles.
They find themselves in a sort of dance, swaying gently and stepping on each other’s feet accidentally more often than they should’ve. As the song is about to reach its end, Yuu has an idea. “Dip me, dip me,” he begs.
Mika laughs before dipping him down, closer to the floor. Yuu holds onto him for dear life, as if horrified by the idea of being dropped and hitting the harsh, cold ground. “Closer,” he croaks. “Come closer.”
This time, though, Mika is hesitant, but does realize he doesn’t mean to dip him closer to the floor. He brings his face down closer to Yuu’s, and Yuu makes his move. He brings his hand out to grab at his face, pulling him down closer before connecting their lips together in a kiss.
Yuu closes his eyes but can very well guess his friend’s reactions.
“No way,” Yoichi gasps.
“Drama queen,” Shinoa says.
When him and Mika pull away, he’s the first to open his eyes. Yuu can’t hold back his grin and watches Mika open his eyes. The look in Mika’s eyes makes him feel warm, like he’s special.
Even though it had been their first kiss, Yuu’s sure it’s been a long time coming. The invisible tension between them was always there, and sharing this moment with him feels right.
“You can pull me back up, you know,” Yuu says.
Mika slowly does and he laughs at his reluctance. Once he’s upright, he pulls him into a hug. “Merry Christmas,” he says, burying his head into his neck.
“Merry Christmas, Yuu,” he replies cheerfully. “You’re all I want for Christmas, too.”