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The heavy snow that covered Tokyo was peaceful. Thick snowflakes fell from the sky, making the streets and shopfronts their personal home. Chocolate and candy canes could be found in every corner while the citizens wrapped gifts in brightly coloured wrapping paper. Hats, scarves and gloves covered cold skin, making sure that humanity would stay warm for another season. Even Infernals had dimmed down, as if the cheesy music and bad jokes had slowed down this world's cruellest death.
That's what Christmas did to Tokyo, and Shinra would be lying if he said he didn't love it. Between shovelling snow, fighting in the piles and building snowmen, life always became just a bit more peaceful during this holiday. Despite many not celebrating, including Benimaru, who had complained loudly the second Konro suggested making Asakusa look festive as well, Christmas had become a tradition of love and warmth, rather than a religious belief. Despite loving the snowy season, the current scenario had Shinra's nerves on edge. As usual, Arthur was the reason.
"A Knightking needs a festive banquet! A meal that shall have the entire kingdom celebrating in joy!" The blonde declared, holding a spatula in the air as if it were his beloved sword. Tamaki, equally as fired up but shielding a bowl with her hands, made an offended expression.
"No! Christmas should be properly celebrated with fried chicken and traditional strawberry cake! A turkey roast doesn't even come close to that!" She replied, kicking the blonde's leg for good measure, a thing she had learnt from Shinra back in the academy.
The two looked ridiculous. Tamaki had tied her hair into a messy bun, wearing an ugly Christmas sweater and an apron on top of it. Arthur was in similar attire, but instead of the usual ponytail, a little green bow adorned the top of his head. Maki's doing.
The kitchen in which they stood was littered with flour and several other ingredients. The oven was already baking the first batch of cookies, throwing a soft orange glow onto the floor. Multiple smaller bowls stood on the counter, all measured and filled while Tamaki had grabbed the actual dough to save it from Arthur's awful stirring.
Shinra had stopped by to make himself a nice, steaming mug of hot chocolate, but the argument had caught his attention. Or rather, the argument had caught him.
"Shinra!! Please hammer into Arthur's thick skull that fried chicken is clearly the better option than—"
"Don't you dare bring the devil into this important discussion; he doesn't know proper taste like I do!" Arthur immediately interrupted Tamaki, and his hand shot out to grab one side of the bowl while the other flung the spatula through the sky. Shinra could only assume where it landed through the loud 'clank!' it made when hitting the ground. The dough swished dangerously close to the edge of its bowl as Tamaki held on tighter.
Normally, Shinra would simply ignore them or step onto Tamaki's side, but the thought of Hinawa stepping into a kitchen covered in dough, chocolate bits and flour struck more than enough fear into his soul. As quick as he could, he grabbed the bowl as well, pulling it to himself: "Don't spill it!"
In a matter of seconds, they were wrestling around the bowl, Tamaki wanting to save the dough from Arthur, who wanted to win the argument, and Shinra, who wanted to save the dough from the two of them.
"Let go; you're going to make the cookies taste bad!"
"Lieutenant Hinawa will literally kill us; put it down!"
"Hah! A knight as I would never spill such peasantly food!"
"That's not even a word!"
After a minute of dancing around the kitchen, trying to ignore the insults Tamaki and Arthur threw at each other, Shinra actually managed to make Arthur trip, which made the girl next to him lose her guard, and he immediately took three steps back, holding the bowl into the air as if he were sacrificing it. With a triumphant expression on his face, he watched as the two in front of him fought with gravity.
What Shinra didn't realise was that the dough was very slowly dripping over the bowl's edge and onto the floor. Behind them, Hinawa had his arms crossed in front of his chest, his ridiculous hat not making him look less intimidating as he took deep breaths, trying to compose himself.
After twenty minutes of scraping cookie dough off the floor and Hinawa muttering disappointed words, Shinra could finally resume his original task.
"Oh, and for the record, I think Tamaki is right. Fried chicken sounds way better." He threw the words behind his back and towards his boyfriend, who was still stacking little bowls into their washing machine. An offended gasp and a happy yelp from a certain girl told him all he needed to know. While the other two broke out into yet another argument, Shinra stirred the milk in the pot, waiting for it to heat up. He didn't really care what they ate for Christmas; anything would be better than what he had back in the academy or in Hajime's lab, and nothing would compare to his mother's homemade potato and beef broth.
Shinra just really wanted to get back at Arthur, who always seemed to be against him at some point, so he didn't really think much of the silly discussion going on behind him. The milk slowly started steaming, and he grabbed the container with chocolate powder, filling it equally into three mugs, one with just a spoonful more. Shinra didn't anticipate the argument becoming serious.
"Hmph, what would you know about good food? You never even had good cooking!" Arthur spat back, and Shinra was irritated with the lack of wit in his sentence. Tamaki gasped, eyes lighting up with hurt and anger: "Did you just call my cooking bad?!"
Shinra turned around, watching as Tamaki seemed to be genuinely offended. Arthur, looking like he had no regrets because words had never been his strong suit, just huffed and continued. "A true maid would not lose their clothes every two seconds!"
The silence that followed made Shinra clutch his pearls if he had any. Tamaki stared at Arthur, fists clenched, obviously more than just a little upset. Arthur, on the other side, looked back without even a hint of shame. He wore that stupid, irritating expression he always wore when placed in an argument, no matter how silly or serious. Because in Arthur's eyes, of course he was right, and of course he was too stupid to realise that sometimes he went a bit too far.
Shinra, ready to either start another fight or make a comment about the blonde's egotistical behaviour, opened his mouth. Before a single sound could escape the boy, Arthur's head turned sharply, and he gave Shinra the worst glare he had ever gotten from the blond.
"Pah! Of course you would take a peasant's side, foolish devil!"
The nerve.
The audacity.
The absolute delusion.
Shinra was ready to beat Arthur's ass. His feet almost instinctively braced themselves for impact, but before he could even think of his first attack, or where it'd hurt the most, the blonde was already storming off in the same way that Tamaki had just seconds ago.
And that was odd.
Because Arthur never stormed off. He and Shinra exchanged more bruises than words on most days. Shinra was easy to rile up; he'd admit it himself. Fighting Arthur had become the norm, but the blonde never, never even once, had refused a fight. And that was enough to make Shinra halt in his move.
Now he was alone in the kitchen, the odd pettiness of the argument still lingering in the air. Now two of his colleagues were mad at him, and he had just wanted to make hot chocolate. Shinra turned around and watched as the milk in the pot was rising angrily, completely burnt and done for. Shinra wanted to evaporate.
He gave Arthur three hours. In that time span, their arguments usually resolved with sparring, making out or at least sharing a soft kiss. This time though, all he got were cold shoulders and stupid, infuriating insults. Tamaki was pouting every time Shinra entered the same room as her and gave him sour looks if he dared to even breathe in her direction. Shinra wanted to rip his hair out because he really, really had nothing to do with their argument.
Christmas was supposed to be about love and care. They'd probably be playing board games by now, but the tense air around Tamaki and Arthur couldn't be ignored. Maki, surprisingly spending Christmas with them instead of her family, had already tried to gaslight Arthur into just apologising. Shinra had even watched her try to bribe the blonde with a limited edition copy of his favourite game, but to no avail. Iris, ever the kind soul, confronted Shinra about it in the gentlest way one could manage. All Shinra could do was explain the situation, and now she was equally as lost as he was.
"You could try talking to him? Maybe he would like to be taken seriously, despite the topic seeming… rather odd?" had been Iris' best suggestion.
"We are talking about Arthur." Shinra simply stated, and Iris could only grimace and admit defeat.
He settled on doing stupid, nonsense chores the entire day. He had helped Licht decorate the halls, wrapped the presents he'd gotten for everyone and even gone out to get more milk. Red bows and bells now dazzled the station, along with a hefty Christmas tree that was already covered in endless ornaments and mechanical parts. A courtesy of Lisa and Vulcan. While Shinra had helped Iris put the sparkly star on top, he could only guess who had covered the tree in pink, sparkly lametta.
Eventually, dinner had rolled around. The matter of Tamaki and Arthur's fight couldn't be ignored forever, and Shinra was fearing for the quality time on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, their lieutenant was smarter than all of them. Instead of making only one meal, he had prepared an entire festive meal with the help of Obi.
Rice, noodles, fried chicken and a roasted turkey were loaded on top of a richly decorated table. Little side dishes with salmon, soya and wasabi stood between salads and slices of bacon. Shinra didn't think he had ever seen that much food on their table. He could feel his mouth begin to water, and all worries floated away at the sight of it. Apparently, even Tamaki and Arthur were able to put their accusations away, because the two didn't seem to be at each other's throats anymore. The second the entire company was seated, bowls were being passed around, drinks raised and laughter filled the room. Shinra felt his heart grow lighter. He watched as his friends exchanged plates and items of food as he stuffed his own mouth full with mashed potatoes, rice and fried chicken. Everyone was content, so Shinra thought nothing as he turned around to face his boyfriend, ready to ask him for a piece of his roasted turkey.
Arthur made a self-appreciating facial expression and wordlessly dropped half of his meat onto Shinra's plate before promptly turning around and talking with Tamaki.
How had he gotten the worst end of their deal?! He hadn't even been included in the argument in the first place!
Shinra opened his mouth to say something before pity and anger got the best of him and he rolled his eyes, turning away from the blonde and trying to distract himself with even more food.
By the end of their dinner, Shinra was sure he could be rolling into his bed because of how much he ended up eating. Everyone had expressed their thanks for their captain's and lieutenants' amazing cooking skills before settling down in the 'living room'—a rather huge room that they had filled with the Christmas tree, several couches and comfy chairs. Shinra was basically in heaven, lounging on the couch with a thick blanket while the others poured in, just in time for exchanging presents. Sure, Christmas dinner would probably taste a lot better if Arthur weren’t sitting across from him, acting like Shinra had personally ruined the holiday. By now, though, the silent treatment had worn through his patience.
Fine.
If Arthur wanted to pretend Shinra didn’t exist, Shinra could play that game too.
The huge mountain of gifts under the tree was probably every kid's dream, but with so many members in the 8th, it was difficult to ration down on gifts. The more, the merrier? His own, horrendously wrapped gifts (not as bad as Arthur's though) were under the tree too. It was nice, warm and fulfilling. Shinra fumbled with the hem of his hoodie, hoping that the others would like what he had gotten them. It all felt like family, and he was giddy about it. Especially because they knew him so well. Everyone had gifted Shinra something he was absolutely delighted about.
A mug with his favourite animal, a vinyl of a band he liked, cinema tickets for next week, a thick scarf, and many, many different variations of merchandise from his favourite band. Upgraded gear, too – even breakdancing gloves! Reinforced with extra support at exactly the right places and handed to him with a soft smile from their captain.
As Shinra unwrapped Arthur’s gift, a green mess held together by far too much glue and an excessive amount of stickers, he glanced at the blond a few times. Arthur watched him closely, wearing one of those 'of course it’s going to be amazing because I made it' expressions. Soon enough, Shinra found himself holding a limited edition copy of his favourite superhero comic, along with two hand warmers tucked carefully inside.
Because Shinra’s hands were always cold. Because Arthur knew Shinra would never buy the limited edition himself – not when he thought it wasn’t 'worth the money', despite how badly he wanted it. Shinra felt something warm bloom in his chest. He mouthed a soft 'Thank you' toward Arthur, not loud enough for anyone to hear it besides the person staring at him like a hawk.
Arthur beamed in response.
The selfish idiot knew that his gift had been an absolute win from the very start, but Shinra would allow his smug face for this one evening. Arthur's grin widened even further as the gift-opening continued, and he tore into his own presents without a shred of concern for the wrapping. Unfortunately, Vulcan had apparently come to the same conclusion Shinra had, because Arthur now sat there with not one but two deluxe sword-cleaning kits. Shinra could faintly hear Vulcan apologising in his direction, already rubbing the back of his neck, but he waved it off with a smile. Shinra really didn't care that much, even if the kit had taken a huge chunk out of his wallet. Arthur would be through one of the kits in no time, so two would probably keep Excalibur shiny for a good while.
Besides, he had something else planned for the blonde. Something no one else could compete with.
Arthur looked more than happy. He immediately dismantled one of the kits, spreading its contents out with careful hands. He examined each cloth, oil vial, and tool with reverence, checking the weight and texture as if judging their worth. His brow furrowed slightly as he inspected them, clearly determined to make sure they would do his beloved Excalibur justice. “Knight Approved,” Arthur huffed, nodding proudly even as the gift exchange went on with Tamaki.
As the evening wore on, the excitement slowly settled into something softer. Wrapping paper was cleared away by Hinawa, who carefully folded it into the right shape; gifts were either in use or neatly stacked next to their owner, and everyone had cosied up with blankets and cushions on the sofa and floor. Mugs and glasses appeared, filled with warm drinks, and a plate of slightly uneven cookies was passed around the room, with many giving compliments to the maker, Tamaki, who took the praise proudly.
Conversation flooded through the room, laughter bubbling up over nothing in particular, stories overlapping, and voices warm and relaxed. Arthur leaned back, content, absently fiddling with one of his new tools while Shinra sat nearby, listening to Obi tell a story from when he was younger and sharing a blanket with Iris. It was soft and cosy. It was the kind of Christmas that he had always wished for; now, after years of hoping, he'd finally got it.
An hour later, and the room was still coated in the same warm light as before. By now, Yu and Tamaki had curled up on the floor, close to falling asleep. Words had become quieter, and Shinra had grabbed the moment to drag Arthur into an argument that resulted in Hinawa sending them into the snow for ten minutes so as not to destroy the peaceful Christmas spirit.
Arthur zipped his jacket closed before wrapping a thick scarf around his neck and glaring at Shinra. They were unceremoniously placed outside, jackets and gloves thrown after them. Now, the two of them were picking up their stuff, quickly trying to warm themselves up before the cold snow would get to them. Shinra grabbed his beanie, quickly stuffing it over his head before shaking off the snow that had gathered on his pants. It was way too cold; he should've thought this shit through. Well, at least there was no icy wind.
"Because of your demonic tongue, we now have to sit in the cold! Outside! Alone!" The blond grumbled, punctuating each word to get his point across. Shinra rolled his eyes and just held his free hand out for Arthur to take. If it weren't Christmas, they'd use the opportunity to spar and fight until one of them couldn't ignite his flames anymore. But not today, not now.
"Shut it; we're going to go somewhere warmer."
"For ten minutes? What a waste…"
"You just complained about being cold!" Shinra spat back but let the annoying idiot step closer and slip a gloved hand into his. Their fingers intertwined immediately as if muscle memory had caught them. Arthur's hand was warm, and like every time Shinra touched him, he felt his heart grow lighter and his insides flutter just a bit. Even after dating for quite a long time, he would probably never get used to being this close to the blond. He squeezed his boyfriend's hand for good measure. Arthur, however, seemed unbothered by it all, raising an eyebrow: "Now what?"
Shinra didn't spare him an answer and started walking. He dragged Arthur along, ignoring the others' insulted noises, and stomped through the snow. The blonde behind him struggled to find the right footing for a few seconds, but soon enough, Arthur managed to catch up with his pace and walked beside him, shoulders brushing every now and then as their hands stayed intertwined.
The streets were almost empty. It was well past midnight, and Tokyo was either celebrating Christmas or already sleeping, cosy and warm inside.
"Agh, I think there's snow in my shoe…"
"It's freezing; why do we have to take a walk right now?"
"We could turn around this exact moment and just go back!"
Arthur went on and on, complaining about all kinds of stuff before eventually rambling on about how this must be a filler quest, designed to test his knightly stamina. Shinra let him talk nonsense, glancing over at him from time to time. At least he wasn't ignoring him anymore, so Shinra took that as a win, but he could feel the tension that still hung in the air and made the entire walk feel strained.
Thick snowflakes drifted down from the sky, clinging to their jackets for a few seconds before their own body warmth melted them away. The steady movement warmed Shinra despite the cold, even as the snowfall seemed determined to make the air bite harder with every breath. Every few minutes he nudged Arthur lightly, steering them toward a right or left turn at the next street. Shinra had a specific place in mind, and with every step closer, he couldn't tell if his chest was getting lighter or heavier.
By the time they were nearing the plaza that he had picked out, Arthur was still talking. Words spilling out in an uninterrupted stream, completely fine with monologuing on his own. Shinra took a quiet breath, then cut in gently, stopping the waterfall mid-flow.
"Why are you mad at me?" Shinra asked, carefully avoiding looking at Arthur because they were both really fucking awful when it came to heart-to-heart conversations. Either they'd fight about it or this night would end up being sugary sweet. Shinra really hoped for the latter. He also wanted to clear the air before he'd speak up on the actual reason he had brought the idiot out here at such a time.
"Whah?" Arthur muffled, tongue still half out as he was clumsily trying to eat the snowflakes that fell from the sky, confused at Shinra talking about something so off-topic.
"Well… you kept ignoring me today because of your argument with Tamaki, and I don't really get it because I didn't even do anything." Shinra mumbled, feeling a bit embarrassed at sounding like a child explaining his feelings to his classmate. The hand that was holding his twitched but didn't let go. Their pace was steady, neither slowing down even through the now rather serious discussion.
"You're supposed to be on my side."
"I wasn't even in on the argument…!"
"You're my boyfriend—even if a knight is supposed to be wed to a prince rather than a devil—! But you're supposed to be on my side. Especially if it's about such important matters like a festive meal!" Arthur declared, sounding dead serious. Shinra grew only more confused. He turned his head to meet the blonde's stubborn gaze.
"Just because I'm your boyfriend doesn't mean we have to be on the same side—we argue all the time about stupid stuff like the temperature of the tap water. Why is this so important?" He argued, blinking as a snowflake fell onto his dark lashes. The snow crunched below their feet, and as soon as he realised it, Arthur had stopped walking.
"Because it's important to me." He explains, blue eyes determined and serious enough for Shinra to stop as well and turn around. Through the sudden distance their hands had automatically lost each other, and he felt himself shiver at the sudden cold, missing Arthur's hand in his immediately.
"…okay." Shinra tried, piecing together whatever the fuck Arthur meant.
"Back in my castle, my royal mother always made a roast turkey, a giant meal for the entire kingdom! We would feast for days." Arthur explained, and despite sounding silly, his words were carefully chosen.
Shinra blinked. He had expected everything but not that. He had figured Arthur's odd sense of taste would play an important part in this. Maybe he had an allergy or some sort of sensory issue when it came to fried chicken, but no. This was clearly deeper.
"—and you're supposed to understand that because Tamaki's chicken is absolutely no feast for a knight king and his lover!"
"Okay." Was all that Shinra could manage before he quickly forced his mouth to work with anything else but a simple one-word answer.
"I didn't know it meant so much to you." Shinra eventually blurted out, feeling just a tiny bit of guilt for acting like Arthur was speaking nonsense again. The other never made fun or took his past lightly either, so maybe Shinra should've thought this through. Arthur's eating habits had always been a disaster, but it stemmed from having to adapt to his environment. Cheap food and yesterday's leftovers mixed with the next best thing had kept him alive for several years. Something in Shinra’s brain clicked into place. Christmas meals had probably mattered in the Boyle family enough that it explained why Arthur was so touchy about the whole thing. It didn’t mean Shinra was about to apologize; that wasn’t how they worked.
Still, he stepped closer. Without making a big deal out of it, his hand reached out once again, thumb loosely slipping around Arthur’s pinkie.
"Now you do." Arthur stood his ground, but his hand didn't pull away, and slowly their fingers tangled once again, warmth seeping through them instantly. There was an unspoken promise between them. Shinra resisted the urge to just lean forward and kiss him stupid.
"Next year, we'll have a big roasted turkey. A huge one, bigger than the small one Hinawa made this year." Shinra was determined, and his heart thumped happily as the idiot in front of him lit up in seconds. "But only if we keep the strawberry cake as dessert." He quickly added. Arthur's lips moved, smirking in his usual pride, and Shinra felt relief bloom inside of him. He secretly vowed to start listening more, actually listening. He could feel the way he brushed off his own boyfriend a bit too often. It wouldn't happen again, especially not after this.
"You will marvel at its sight." Arthur quickly declared and tugged at Shinra's arm so they would keep walking.
"Okay."
"And its sauce will be delicious; you can't even comprehend what it tastes like."
"Hah?"
"I'll personally prepare it."
"Can you even handle a knife properly?" Shinra huffed, and in seconds they were back to bickering about kitchen utensils. As they kept walking, Shinra felt Arthur squeeze his hand several times, walking closer and… lighter than before.
Ten minutes later and Shinra visibly perked up at the sight before them. After turning left in a little snowy park, a small plaza opened before them. A few benches were scattered through the place, streetlamps filling the air with soft yellow light. A few sets of trees surrounded the edge, hiding lots of little paths to explore. The small area was fenced at the edge, making sure no one would accidentally fall down the small plateau that the entire thing was built on.
It wasn't nearly high enough to oversee the entirety of Tokyo, but it was high enough for quite a sight. You could see the cathedral of Company 8 not far from here, and on the other side, Asakusa's buildings were starting to pile up in the distance. Three other people were occupying the space: a couple that sat on a bench, deeply engrossed in a conversation, and a man leaning against a streetlight, seemingly waiting for someone.
The main event, however, at least for Shinra, was a small, rather tiny window on a brightly coloured truck, lit up with old fairy lights that flickered in exhaustion every now and then. The owner of the shop stood inside, arms crossed and looking like he'd rather die than stand out here at this time. Shinra abruptly changed his course to walk towards the white truck. Arthur, once again, got ungently dragged along and hurried to catch up with Shinra's sudden change of pace with an unkind complaint.
Within seconds, Shinra ordered two cups of hot chocolate and received two steaming hot mugs, handing his boyfriend one. Arthur immediately cupped the beverage with both his hands and exhaled, steam building from the warm air leaving his lips. Once again, Shinra steered Arthur away, getting them both to walk a few steps and stand closer to the railing. The blond before him was way too happy with the warm beverage to even acknowledge the pretty sight before them. Shinra watched as Arthur softly blew onto the surface of the drink before taking a tentative sip. Immediately, his eyes lit up and flickered to look at Shinra in an expectant manner.
Shinra felt his face heat up under the intense gaze, and he quickly took his own sip to get away from the sudden pressure. Immediately his tongue ached from the way-too-hot liquid flooding down his throat, and he stubbornly stopped himself from coughing it right back out. The hot chocolate was tasty, not as good as it would have been if they'd made it back at the company, of course, but sweet and fulfilling. For 500 yen, this was a pretty good deal. It even managed to dostract him from—
"You brought us out here in the freezing cold to drink hot chocolate from a villainous truck?" Arthur broke the comfortable silence, a playful smirk on his lips that unfortunately didn't manage to ease the nerves that had built up inside Shinra. Of course Arthur knew exactly when to say the wrong thing. Couldn't he have given Shinra a few seconds to prepare? They had literally just got here.
"No." He immediately answered, trying to find a way to deliver the next step better. Separating themselves from their teammates had been the first thing to do. Shinra had selfishly wanted just a bit of privacy with his heart's favourite. And also because he was a bit embarrassed. The sword cleaning kit hadn't been the only present.
Shinra subconsciously changed his footing, nervously fumbling with the mug in his hand. He could feel his lips twitch, willing himself to not nervously smile at the situation. Arthur, on the other hand, wasn't even trying to be considerate and stared at him, blue eyes piercing through the air as always.
"So?"
"I'm getting there!" Shinra snapped as he witnessed Arthur snickering behind his mug. He took a deep breath and parted himself from his own beverage, gently placing it onto the edge of the railing that had just enough space for it to safely stand. If the mug ended up falling down and shattering into pieces, he'd probably have to pay the shop owner another 500 yen. Shinra's hands moved, and he reached up to the zipper of his jacket.
He was embarrassed because it was a pretty stupid gift.
Shinra didn’t even know if Arthur would like it. It had been sitting alone in the corner of the store, abandoned, probably the last of its kind, and Shinra had thought of Arthur immediately. He’d kept the receipt, just in case Arthur hated it. Normally, he didn't care much about the blonde's judgement. He was almost never nervous around Arthur… because it was Arthur.
Shameless. Delusional. Impossible to embarrass. The only times Shinra could remember feeling like this were their first date and the first time having sex. Both had turned out absolutely phenomenal.
Still, Shinra felt his heart speed up. He grasped the little zipper and used his other arm to reach into the hollow right of his jacket, grasping the item and—
"If you're going to propose, you should do it on your knees because—"
"I'm NOT going to propose to you, idiot!!!" Shinra furiously interrupted him, stopping in his motion entirely to glare at the blond, who cluelessly pursed his lips like he didn't do anything. Shinra took another deep breath and finally pulled the damn item out of his jacket. He gulped down a selection of saliva that had uncomfortably built up in his throat and held the gift out for the blond to either take, throw away or just do anything with it.
Silence followed.
He could hear his own heartbeat thumping loudly in his ear, which was stupid, really. It wasn't a big deal. It was just a plushie.
It was green and had a set of spikes leading from its head to its tail. A set of angry-looking eyes that weren't half as intimidating as they should be because a little red tongue was peeking out of its mouth. The texture was soft; it hadn't been cheap either, especially with the very soft filling. Shinra hadn't even wrapped it. The plush thing just sat there in his hands, looking stupid while being held out like some sort of offering. In Arthur's logic the present probably didn't even make sense. Knights slew dragons; getting a dragon plushie was stupid. This entire ordeal was stupid.
Shinra felt very silly for being so dramatic about a stuffed dragon. Maybe he should've just left it in the store.
After what felt like an eternity, Arthur stepped closer and grabbed the thing like a cat, with one hand under each arm. He held it up higher, inspecting the thing all over again. Shinra watched the way Arthur's mind seemed to work, tossing and turning for the right reaction.
"You brought me a baby dragon?"
"….Yes?" Shinra answered, unsure if just playing along had been the right approach. Arthur held it closer to his own face now, almost nose to nose.
"Hmph." Arthur eventually concluded and lowered the dragon to stare at Shinra with the same analysing gaze. After a few seconds that made Shinra question his life choices, a content smirk played on Arthur's lips.
"Hah! I will treasure it and raise it to become my loyal companion." The words that left the blonde made Shinra want to roll his eyes out of instinct, but all he could do was helplessly nod along. He forgot that the other was easy to please, and not in a bad way. Arthur, almost tipping over the two mugs of hot chocolate that stood on the railing, stepped closer and held the plushie close to his heart.
"Where'd you find him?"
"Ikea." Shinra answered in a heartbeat because he knew that Arthur would just make up his own story about it. His heart felt lighter at the blonde's smile. The snow had slowed down just a bit, but there were still a few snowflakes decorating the blonde tufts of hair and the beige scarf that he had gotten from Maki a few hours ago. He looked pretty. Especially when he was happy. Not that Shinra ever said it. He always thought Arthur looked pretty, so it hardly felt worth opening his mouth just to state the obvious and feed his boyfriend's ego. Instead, he stepped closer and looked at the dragon in Arthur's arm. Its stupid face matched its owner's excited expression a bit too well.
Again, Arthur was easy to please. Still, it felt like a reward seeing him so content because of something Shinra bought him. It felt more personal than a smirk after sparring or a dazed laugh after a heated moment.
Shinra's arms reached out, fingers loosely catching the fabric of Arthur's jacket and tugging him closer. Arthur followed immediately, way too focused on the dragon.
"Why didn't you give him to me during the gift exchange?" Arthur eventually asked, pressing the dragon close to his chest and squishing him just a bit. The question made Shinra blush. "Ah… well, it's super personal, and I was kind of embarrassed to give you a stuffed dragon in front of everyone," he blurted out, hands now playing with the thick material of Arthur's blue jacket. The blonde, now close enough for Shinra's satisfaction, gasped in fake offence.
"You'd be embarrassed of Sire Flufferlot?!"
"Please tell me that's not its actual name."
"The name is beautiful, not like you'd give its mighty presence any justice." Arthur spat, eyes flickering up to meet Shinra's gaze like offering a challenge, but softly lifted 'Sire Flufferlot' to sit next to the two hot chocolates on the railing, watching them with its wannabe angry expression. A few snowflakes fell onto its head, but Arthur didn't seem to care. Instead, he reached out his hand to cup Shinra''s face. Almost immediately, Shinra yelped and tried to avoid the blond's icy cold skin, but Arthur's grip was relentless. Instead, he leaned in closer, and before Shinra even had time to process it, Arthur’s soft lips pressed against his.
Like always, every time without fail, Shinra's heart exploded just a bit, hammering against his ribcage as it celebrated. Out of instinct, he pulled the blond closer, closing his eyes and tilting his face to better slot his lips against Arthur's.
Their kiss was soft and innocent. Nothing like the steamy session that would probably follow once they'd get back to the company. Shinra could feel Arthur smile against his own lips, and he felt affection bloom in his chest. He felt equal to a child getting a flower from its kindergarten crush: giddy and happy.
Arthur pulled back, but Shinra just leaned forward again, greedily kissing him a second time. The hand on his cheek twitched before he felt a thumb softly brush over his cheekbone. When they pulled back, Arthur looked the happiest Shinra had ever seen him.
"I think the dragon is the knightiest gift so far." Arthur announced, murmuring against Shinra's lips, close enough that he could feel his warm breath against his skin. Their bodies were flush together, pressing close enough for them to forget about the biting cold that surrounded them. In the back of his mind, Shinra thought about the hot chocolate probably getting cold and Obi worrying why they've been out in the snow for 40 minutes by now, but all that was carried away once again when Arthur leaned in for a third time.
Christmas this year had probably been Shinra's favourite one. He'd always remember standing on that plaza for at least twenty minutes, getting kissed stupid by his boyfriend and then going home to fight with a stuffed dragon over who got to hold more of Arthur.
Of course, he won.
