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Saiki hates Christmas.
Everything is bright (visually impairing) and colourful (garish) and cheery (disgustingly so). If Saiki were to rank Christmas on the list of things he despises, it would be second to one.
While nothing could make his skin crawl more than the spawns of Satan himself (cockroaches), Christmas is a worthy contender. His house looked like something that came from the excrement of a red-white-green-pixie-unicorn come December 1st, drowning in horrible renditions of Santa inflatables and too many baby reindeers.
Finding choking hazards in his coffee jelly isn’t even the worst part of it all. Everywhere he went, Mariah Carey followed. The bus, the malls, hell, even the public restrooms had Christmas carols blasting to mask the sound of bidets. (All he ever wanted for Christmas was to piss in peace. Was that too much to ask for?)
As much as he’s thrilled to spend time with his family, Saiki makes the mistake of seeming interested in his mother’s new sewing endeavour and is forced to bear witness to the one time his father tries it on (Picture dangling balls bells, if you will.) It’s one time too many.
He needs a break from this household.
-
The town square is especially crowded on Christmas Eve. The streets are lined with small booths, the smell of gingerbread and cinnamon lingering in every corner. Saiki tightens the scarf around his neck and walks swiftly through the chaos.
He avoids the ice skating rink (where the highest concentration of couples reside, statistically) and heads straight for the hot chocolate booth. He gets their peppermint mocha every year, without fail. It’s less of a craving and more of a treat for himself— a reward for getting through the year in one piece.
The line is much longer this year, perhaps it’s because more people are starting to realise that indulging in diabetes-inducing beverages instead of their annual shopping sprees is better for their wallets, and well-being, in the long run. (Good for them, bad for him. Inflation really changes people.)
Saiki considers the line of people snaking along the walkway and weighs the pros and cons of spending the better part of his night trying to buy what is essentially a cup of syrup and cocoa powder.
But just as he was about to contemplate some very unlawful misuses of his powers, he hears an awfully familiar voice.
Kaidou Shun.
(Of course, this evening was going way too smoothly for him.)
In the whirl of Kaidou’s “fancy meeting you here, wow what a crazy coincidence” speech, dramatic hand gestures and awkward stuttering, Saiki finds himself growing warmer. (Must be his pyrokinesis malfunctioning.)
Kaidou’s eyes are sparkling gemstones, twinkling brighter than prophetic stars. Saiki feels himself being sucked into a vortex. (He really needs a new pair of glasses, preferably one that comes with shades.)
After all the “before I knew it, I had an extra cup that I definitely can’t finish, so would you please please please help me finish it?” and the “but definitely not because I just so happened to see you looking conflicted and thought I could, perhaps, buy you a drink as a friend and definitely not because I know you really like sweet things, so I figured maybe this could bring us closer, as pals, of course.” Kaidou offers him a cup, floundering horribly, and blushing down to his neck and the tips of his ears.
Good grief.
Saiki accepts it, to save them both from further embarrassment.
The peppermint mocha is steaming hot, with a generous dose of whipped cream and dusted with crushed peppermint candy.
Just how I like it.
Is the ridiculous thought that crosses Saiki’s mind, because how else is peppermint mocha supposed to be made? But his heart continues to clench for reasons unknown and he is forced to take a sip of the drink to wash away his bizarre emotions.
-
There is no other explanation for why they end up window shopping the various booths together, except for the fact that Kaidou has too much time on his hands and Saiki is weak against sweets. (That’s all there is to it.)
Saiki makes the purchase of a chihuahua wearing a Christmas hat only as a gift to pay Kaidou back for the hot mocha. (Definitely not because it reminded Saiki of him. Nope, absolutely not.)
There is also no other explanation for why his heart stutters when he sees the whipped cream sitting on Kaidou’s lips, except for a possible cardiovascular disease that really needs to be examined by a doctor.
Saiki tries his utmost best not to stare at Kaidou’s very pink, very moist lips (his restraint only lasts for so long). So he clears his throat and looks away, with great effort, before handing Kaidou his handkerchief. (Only because he can’t be caught dead with someone who drinks so messily.)
The blush on Kaidou’s cheeks, as he wipes away the wayward cream, is the colour of red berry baubles. His flustered stammers tugging at something within Saiki. And it almost makes him smile. (Only because he looks so mortified.)
-
It’s almost midnight, and Saiki swears he doesn’t remember time travelling, because that’s the only logical explanation for why time is passing by so fast.
Their mochas are gone by the time Kaidou pulls him towards the big Christmas tree where everyone is gathered for the countdown. (There really is no reason for one, god knows why such an event even exists.)
Kaidou is holding his hand, pulling him towards the front. He is smiling and his nose is red from the cold and all Saiki wants to do is warm him up. (With pyrokinesis obviously. Definitely not with his body or anything like that.)
Kaidou’s hands are soft.
Is a weird thought that randomly pops into his mind.
And small…
The carols are blasting on full volume, and Kaidou is humming along excitedly. Still holding his hand and still looking very, very endearing. (Which almost makes Saiki forgive Mariah Carey. Almost.)
Everything is so loud. His brain hurts from jumbled thoughts and the cacophony. (He’d kill to have his germanium ring right now.)
But the excited tremble in Kaidou’s voice, yearning and alive, might just be a finer alternative. (It’s the only thing his mind seems to focus on.)
It lights Saiki on fire, like the roaring flames underneath the chimneys, making him feel all sorts of warm, weird and toasty.
Now, as the crowd keeps squeezing and pushing, pushing them closer together, closer than ever before, Saiki struggles with the realisation that there is no sight more mesmerising than the one in front of him.
Amber illuminates Kaidou’s eyes, the fairy lights glimmer hypnotically within their scarlet confines. Like the first rays of sun catching on morning dew, Saiki is left spellbound and unable to look away.
Kaidou tugs at his arm, eagerly pointing out an ornament on the tree. “This must be a code from the dark reunion!” He whisper-yells, and Saiki doesn’t know why his heart beats even faster (from fear probably), tripping over itself. (This is very dangerous. Because up close, it’s just a deformed elf.)
His hand is too warm, his face is too hot. (Pyrokinesis is overheating his body, frying his brain and melting everything he ever stood for into mush.)
His heart is an inferno, blazing and burning down all of the walls he had built to protect himself. To protect others.
Saiki never understood the concept of love, never understood what it meant to fall in it. (He always caught himself before that. Levitation and teleportation to break his fall and prevent any injuries, any pain.)
Kaidou is gazing at him again, the quivering breath he exhales clouds the navy sky like a diaphanous shroud. As the fog dissipates, Saiki is left with the realisation of what it means to carry the weight of someone else’s love.
He doesn’t have to be a psychic to know what Kaidou’s thinking.
I want to kiss you.
The countdown has already begun, the crowd chanting in unison. Kaidou flashes him a small, nervous smile before rubbing his hands together to gather warmth and chattering on about making a wish when the clock strikes midnight.
Saiki is too distracted by the contrast of ivory against his light blue curls to point out that such things only works on New Year’s Day. And besides, he never had much luck with wishes anyways.
He watches as Kaidou’s lips move in the shape of a silent prayer. Saiki listens to his name unravelling delicately upon his tongue, the echo of his yearning pressed against his teeth.
A small sigh escapes his lips as he closes his eyes and prays for some peace and quiet.
When Saiki opens his eyes, Kaidou is already looking at him, backlit from the glimmering lights. His long lashes flutter as mini snowflakes defrost upon landing.
Kaidou has already begun rambling about Santa Claus descending for a meet and greet when the clock strikes midnight and Saiki, Saiki has never been favoured by the gods, so he decides to grant himself his own wish.
When their lips touch, everything goes quiet.
Kaidou is staring at him with wide eyes, fingers trembling and clutching at his lapels. Saiki thinks he’s drinking peppermint mocha again, sweet and minty and hot.
When Kaidou melts against his touch, Saiki thinks he tastes even better than coffee jelly.
There are no fireworks because of the snow, but Saiki still hears them exploding, somewhere in the corner of his heart.
When they pull away, Kaidou’s blush is dark enough to rival the poinsettia hanging from the street lamps. He touches his lips gingerly, looking at Saiki with a puzzled but dazed expression.
Words are suddenly the hardest thing to conjure so Saiki just points above them. (Kaidou is too trusting, so he looks up. And Saiki is too much of a coward, so he apports a mistletoe above them.)
“This must be the dark reunion’s doing…” Kaidou murmurs under his breath. (Saiki doesn’t correct him.)
There are bells ringing in the background as Kaidou breaks into another brilliant smile that robs Saiki of his ability to breathe.
“Merry Christmas, Saiki.”
Saiki doesn’t know when they began holding hands again, but he doesn’t pull away.
“Merry Christmas.”
-
They kiss a few more times. (There is no rule that says they only have to kiss once.)
Saiki doesn’t know when the mistletoe disappears. Doesn’t know when Kaidou starts wrapping his arms around his neck as he goes on his tiptoes. Doesn’t know how he finds himself on Kaidou’s front porch, kissing him goodbye.
Mariah Carey is still singing.
Maybe Christmas isn’t so bad after all.