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Onoda is embarrassed to say that he really doesn’t know much about Christmas.
He and his mom don’t celebrate it really, like most other people in Japan, but he really wishes they did, based on what he sees in his anime. It just seems like a really lively time, with all the gift-giving and tree decorating. The idea that some oversized man in a red suit comes barreling down your chimney (not that he has a chimney) honestly frightens him a little, but the joy of presents and spending time with family highly appeals to him.
That year he tries to convince his mom to try and celebrate it, but no matter how many times he explains it to her she still doesn’t really get it. This isn’t the first time Onoda has been exasperated by his mom’s lack of memory (or even hearing what he says to her…), but he figures it wouldn’t be the same spirit of Christmas if neither of them really knew what they were supposed to be doing anyway.
So he supposes he has no choice but to spend the day with someone who actually does celebrate Christmas.
But does he know anyone who celebrates Christmas? Someone who would be willing to let him sit in and experience the spirit of Christmas?
He starts with Imaizumi.
“Onoda?” Imaizumi sounds surprised when he picks up the phone.
“H-h-hi, I-Imaizumi!” Onoda squeaks, blushing in embarrassment at his stuttering. He doesn’t know why talking to the taller male is still frightening for him sometimes, even though they’ve been friends for a long time. He thinks it’s mainly because he always gets nervous talking over the phone, for some reason, and that he’s a little embarrassed about asking to potentially intrude on Imaizumi’s family traditions. “I, uh, was just wondering – do you celebrate Christmas?!”
“Not really, my mom just usually fixes a nice dinner or something,” Imaizumi replies. “Why?”
“Oh! Well, I just thought Christmas sounded really fun, but my mom and I don’t celebrate it, so I was hoping to find someone who did so I could sit in and see what it’s like…” Onoda muttered, still a little embarrassed by the idea.
“Oh, sorry then, I don’t really know much about Christmas.”
“That’s fine!” Onoda squeaks too loudly. “Thanks anyway!”
He tries Naruko next.
“Huh?! Christmas?!” Naruko is practically screaming into the phone, causing Onoda to hold it away from his ear slightly. Briefly he can hear Naruko’s siblings screaming in the background. “Sure, we celebrate Christmas!!”
“Really?!” Onoda says enthusiastically, bringing the phone back to his ear as he cradles it tightly. “You celebrate it?!”
“Sure! That’s the holiday where you fight your siblings for the good presents, right?! And then you fight to eat the cookies before a fat man comes down your chimney, and if you manage to do it the fat man gives you whatever you wish for, right?!”
“…Naruko, I don’t think that’s quite right…” Onoda mutters, though now he’s starting to doubt himself. What if he’d missed something, somehow? And what if Naruko was right??
“Huh?! Really?! That’s how my family’s always celebrated it!” Naruko’s voice is muffled as he turns to shout something at his siblings before coming back to the phone. “Sorry, Onoda, I have to go now! Sachiko’s trying to steal my dinner while I’m distracted! Talk to you later!”
As Onoda hangs up, he wonders how Naruko has survived to high school.
He’s convinced Naruko must have a skewed version of Christmas. After all, he’d never seen anything like that in his anime, and it seems like Naruko’s family fights so much that it wouldn’t be surprising if that somehow transferred over to Christmas.
Which means he has to find someone else who actually celebrates it.
…But who else does he know?! He’s too frightened to ask any of the upperclassmen, and would feel too awkward spending the holidays with them and their families anyway. But he doesn’t have many friends and can’t think of a single other person he can ask. He scrolls through his contacts almost desperately, hoping he’ll stumble across someone he’s forgotten about.
For once in his life, he lucks out.
Sangaku Manami.
His finger stalls as he reads the name over and over again. Manami… He hasn’t talked to him in a while, but there’s a good chance he might celebrate Christmas! Besides, he doesn’t really have anyone else he can ask…
He hits the call button before he can second-guess himself.
Surprisingly, Manami picks up almost instantly. “Sakamichi? Wow, I don’t think you’ve ever called me before!”
“S-sorry!” Onoda finds himself stuttering, even though he’s not really sure what he’s apologizing for.
“It’s fine, it’s fine!” Manami laughs easily, calming Onoda a bit. “So what’s up?”
“Um! I was just wondering if your family celebrated Christmas…”
“Christmas? Of course we do! I really enjoy getting presents after all! Why were you wondering?”
Onoda pulls at the string on his sweatshirt nervously. “Well, my family doesn’t celebrate it, and I was curious to see what it was all about…. I, uh, was wondering…if you and your family would mind if I…celebrated it with you?”
Manami’s voice is muffled briefly as he presumably askes his parents about Onoda’s request. Onoda waits patiently, his heart in his throat and nervous excitement making his stomach twist. It would be great if his last resort actually worked out, and he can only hope that Manami’s parents won’t say no. It’ll be a trek getting to Hakone, but it’s a small price to pay if it means he can figure out what Christmas is really all about.
“My parents okayed it, Sakamichi!” Manami says cheerfully as he comes back fully on the line. “They’re actually really excited to meet you!”
“M-me?!” Onoda squeaks, startled. “Why?!”
“Hm, I just talk about you a lot I guess,” Manami says, hurrying on before Onoda can say anything. “You should come at ten if you want to make it in time for presents!”
“O-oh, okay! Thank you for having me over!” Onoda bows deeply, even though Manami can’t see him.
“No problem, Sakamichi, it’ll be fun! See you on the 25th~”
Manami hangs up before Onoda can thank him again, and leaves him to his unbearable excitement.
He’s finally getting the chance to celebrate Christmas!
--
Onoda severely underestimated how early he would have to wake up to make it to Manami’s house by ten. It’s about a two hour train ride from Chiba to Hakone, which means he’d had to wake up around 6:30 to get ready, bike to the train station, and catch his train to Hakone. He’s so tired on the train his eyes keep trying to drift shut, but he forces himself to stay awake, worried about missing his stop.
By the time he gets there, he’s exhausted; he can only hope that the Christmas celebration will be lively enough to keep him awake.
He stands on Manami’s doorstep awkwardly, the present he’d gotten for the other climber clutched tightly in his hands, as he tries to find the nerve to ring the doorbell. He’s surprisingly early, despite how much he’d worried about being late, and he can’t help but feel apprehensive. There’s a bunch of colorful lights hung up all around the house and even on the plants in the yard, and a giant wreath rests on the door; he admits it’s pretty, but he doesn’t know why it’s there and it makes him wonder if he should’ve done more research on Christmas before coming.
Is it really alright that he’s sitting in for a family celebration? But then again, Manami’s parents were fine with it, and he’s already here… It would be a waste that he got up early if nothing happened.
Squaring his shoulders, Onoda takes a deep breath and presses the doorbell.
“You can come in!” Manami’s voice rings out almost a second later, causing Onoda to jump in slight surprise. He hadn’t expected an answer to come so quickly.
Opening the door, Onoda steps inside the house. There are colorful lights inside the house as well, completely coating a large tree sitting in what appears to be Manami’s living room. There are other strange decorations on the tree as well, and Onoda can’t help but gawk as he stands in the doorway awkwardly, unsure of what to do or where to go.
“Sakamichi!” Manami shouts gleefully as he slides into the room on his socks, nearly stumbling as he steps down into the genkan to greet Onoda.
“Manami!” Onoda cries gratefully, glad that there’s now someone who can tell him what to do. “Am I late? I don’t see your parents anywhere…”
“No, you’re early, so they’re still sleeping,” Manami replies cheerfully as he steps closer to Onoda. He soon stops, however, glancing up with what Onoda gathers to be surprise. “Ah, Sakamichi, you walked under the mistletoe! You know what that means, right?”
Onoda freezes. Is he supposed to know what a mistletoe is?! He’s never heard of it before, let alone what it’s supposed to mean! Glancing up to see what Manami’s talking about, Onoda sees what appears to be a small spiked leaf hanging from the top of the doorway. So…it’s some kind of plant? What does that have to do with Christmas?!
Panicking, Onoda starts to flail around; he can’t let Manami know he doesn’t actually know anything about Christmas! “Uh, yes, of course! T-that’s when—!”
Manami is suddenly standing really close to him. Onoda squeaks in surprise, flinching back into the door as he stares up in confusion at his blue-haired friend. There’s a seriousness in Manami’s eyes that really clashes with his easy smile and Onoda doesn’t know what to think. What is…what is he doing?! And why is he standing so close?!
“M-M-M-Manami!!” Onoda stutters, his face starting to heat up as he presses as far back as he can against the door. It doesn’t do much, however, as Manami is now so close he’s practically pinning him against the door. “W-what—?!”
Onoda doesn’t get the chance to continue. Before he knows it, his friend’s lips are pressed gently against his own. Onoda’s brain seems to short-circuit; he has no idea what to focus on, or even how to respond. Manami has tilted his head slightly to better fit their lips together, his bangs brushing lightly against Onoda’s forehead, and Onoda can do nothing but stand there stock-still with his eyes closed, his entire body tense.
…What’s going on?! Why is Manami kissing him???
Before Onoda can figure anything out, Manami pulls away slightly, though he’s still close. His breath, slightly heavier than before, ghosts across Onoda’s lips and causes him to shiver. When he dares to open his eyes and look at his friend, Manami has a playful smile on his face.
“Sakamichi, that wasn’t much of a kiss.”
“Wha—?! Wh—? Yo—!” Onoda’s so flustered he can’t get words out; his mouth flaps uselessly and he can feel his entire face burning as he flails his arms around.
“What am I doing? I’m kissing you. Why am I doing it? You’re standing under the mistletoe.” Manami smiles brightly before leaning forward to rest his forehead against Onoda’s. “And I really like you, Sakamichi.”
…What?!
“That’s what the mistletoe means?” is the dumb question that comes out of Onoda’s mouth. He instantly flushes darker, embarrassed, because why is that the thing he’s thinking about?? Shouldn’t he be thinking about the fact that Manami said he liked him???
“When someone’s standing under the mistletoe, someone else has to kiss them,” Manami laughs before placing his finger over Onoda’s lips, as if to shush him. “Actually, Sakamichi, I hung the mistletoe there on purpose – I’ve wanted to kiss you for a long time now.”
“…Why?” Onoda eventually asks, even though he knows the answer. His heart is racing and his face is unbelievably hot; his friend still hasn’t moved away. Had Manami always had this effect on him?
“Why? Because I like you, Sakamichi,” Manami murmurs before he’s pressing forward again.
The second time around, Onoda can focus on more things than before. Manami’s lips are slightly chapped, but they’re still soft and have the slight taste of mint chapstick. His hair is soft, too, and it brushing against his face now feels nice, rather than shocking. For a reason he doesn’t really understand, Onoda finds himself kissing back this time. He doesn’t know why it makes a warm feeling erupt in his chest, or why he’s starting to not be at all bothered that one of his friends is acting and feeling like more than just a friend. He’s surprised to feel Manami smiling against his lips.
When they separate this time, Manami reaches up a hand to gently caress Onoda’s cheek. “There, that’s better.”
“M-Manami…” Onoda stutters. His face is still a dark red and his heart is about to leap right out of his chest. “I…I don’t know…how I feel right now…”
To his surprise, Manami smiles and backs away a little. Finally Onoda feels like he can breathe again, even as his friend takes his hands in his. “That’s okay – you didn’t reject me outright, and that’s a huge positive! Besides, maybe I can convince you before you leave today~”
Onoda flushes even darker, if that’s possible. “I-I-I—!!”
“Just come inside already!” Manami laughs as he tugs on Onoda’s hands, directing him into the living room as he sends him a wink. “I think I heard my parents moving about.”
How Manami could focus on anything besides the kiss is beyond Onoda, but he just smiles awkwardly and sits where his friend directs him to. Manami disappears to greet his parents, and while he’s gone Onoda contemplates what he’d said.
He doesn’t know why he doesn’t want to reject Manami’s advances. Sure, the kiss had majorly surprised him, but that didn’t mean he didn’t enjoy it; in fact, now that he’s thinking about it, he realizes he did enjoy it. It had made him feel warm and elated, feelings that are still with him as he sits in the living room and tries to figure out what it means. He’s never considered Manami as more than a friend before, so shouldn’t he be bothered that he’d kissed him so quickly? Why isn’t he bothered?
…And why is he starting to think he wants him to do it again?
The rest of the day is pleasant enough, and Onoda is enjoying the festivities that come with Christmas, but he’s all too conscious of the flirting Manami is doing. Sometimes it’ll be subtle, just their fingers brushing together a little bit too long for coincidence handing presents to each other, but a couple of minutes ago Manami had completely flopped down on top of Onoda and had fallen asleep, his head nuzzled into the crook of Onoda’s neck.
He’s still there, and Onoda is stuck between deciding if he should wake Manami and push him off (as he feels like his entire body is going numb) or just let him do as he pleases. So far the latter is winning, and Onoda even finds himself drawing his fingers lightly through blue strands.
“Sakamichi…” Manami mumbles, startling Onoda. He hadn’t realized his friend had woken up. The blue-haired climber yawns loudly as he snuggles closer against Onoda’s chest. “I wanna stay like this for the rest of my life.”
Onoda flushes. “Manami, we’re only sixteen!”
“I know.” Onoda feels Manami’s smile against his neck. “But no one’s comfier than you, Sakamichi; no one ever will be.”
He’s never thought of Manami as romantic before, but that kind of was, in a weird, very Manami-like way. Onoda just smiles and accepts it as he continues to draw his fingers through the other’s hair and Manami settles back to doze off again. He still doesn’t know how he feels, exactly. But he does know that he could also fall asleep like this, with Manami cradled against his chest and their body heat shared between the two of them, and that he wouldn’t mind spending the rest of his life like this, either.
So at least something good came out of this visit. Because, looking back, he’s not really sure if he ever did learn anything about Christmas.