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"Have I mentioned," Kuroo says, flicking his fringe out of his face irritably, "how much I hate shopping in the Christmas season?"
Hajime sighs heavily. "Yes. Twice."
Kuroo glares at him. "And I'll say it again. I loathe it, Iwa, I despise it!"
"Eloquence won't save you now," Hajime says, stuffing his hands deeper into his pockets and hunching his shoulders a little against the cold.
Kuroo is evidently not aware that complaining about something while you're already doing said thing doesn't really help anyone. He groans dramatically, his breath coming out in tufts of white against the crisp air.
"Quit complaining," Hajime says, patience already running thin. "You wanna get Kozume his game, right?"
"Well, yeah. But we could have ordered that."
"Not with the perks he wanted, he was very specific. Honestly, you're being a worse brat than Oikawa. It's one afternoon. You'll just have to deal."
Kuroo actually has the audacity to pout - like Hajime hasn't spent his life growing immune to Oikawa's drama.
"For a fucking phone strap. Really. I'm sure I could have found someone willing to sell theirs online," he complains.
"...you know, for someone who prides himself on being insightful, you're pretty dense today."
Kuroo actually stops in his tracks, affronted, causing the woman walking behind him to bump into him. She mutters angrily as she dodges him, and Hajime looks back in exasperation.
"Seriously, how long have you been dating? You still can't tell when Kozume is planning something?"
Kuroo blinks at him, cogs evidently churning in his brain.
"...Tooru was acting kind of weird, too, now that you mention it."
Hajime nods. "Yeah, Shittykawa's awful at surprises. They obviously wanted us out of the house today."
He turns and starts walking again, and Kuroo jogs a few paces to catch up with him again. When he does, there's a grin on his face.
"Planning something, huh?"
Hajime rolls his eyes. He's learned long ago that when Oikawa sets his mind on something, there's no use in trying to intervene. It's easiest (read: least troublesome) to just let him do his thing.
"C'mon, let's get that damn game."
~
Tooru is singing.
It's not a rare occurrence, and it's not like Kenma hasn't heard him sing before, but...
He's singing awful American Christmas Pop songs, at the top of his lungs, and there's nothing within Kenma's reach that he could hurl at his head to make him shut up.
Kenma likes to consider himself a tolerant person, really (or rather, someone who doesn't take the time to get annoyed at people), but this is cutting it dangerously close to insanely annoying.
"Tooru," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose, "you think maybe... maybe we could listen to something else?"
Tooru turns to face him mid-song, apron and arms covered in flour, and grins widely. "Sure, Ken-chan, whatever you want!"
Kenma blinks.
"...what, seriously?"
Tooru shrugs at him with another broad smile and goes back to the bowl on the counter, tilting his head in time with the music.
Kenma was more than half-expecting a lecture on holiday spirit, and Tooru's complete lack of arguing leaves him slightly confused. He won't be told twice to change the music though, so he shuffles over to where Tooru's phone is lying on the counter and pauses the song, proceeding to hook his own phone up to their speakers.
Tooru keeps humming the song he just switched off until he selects something new, and, in Kenma's opinion, relatively harmless - he's got a bunch of soundtracks downloaded, and sets the list on random.
Tooru perks up as the song starts, and turns to face him again.
"Is that-"
"The Fantastic Beasts soundtrack," Kenma says, nodding.
"Mmh. I enjoyed that movie," Tooru says thoughtfully, leaning back against the counter to listen. "Good choice."
Kenma stares at him for a moment. "You're being awfully... accommodating today," he says slowly.
Tooru pretends to be offended. "Excuse you, I'm always this kind!"
"You sound like Kuro. He's rubbing off on you."
Tooru grins. "Is that a bad thing...?"
"I'm not sure yet."
Clicking his tongue, Tooru turns back to his bowl. "Stop analyzing me and start helping out, Ken-chan!"
"...do I have to? This was your idea."
The outrage on Tooru's face now feels a little less like he's pretending.
"Uhm, yes? Because apparently no one in this house actually cares about Christmas except me, and you guys are missing out," he says, not without a certain pouty indignation.
"...and that's why you're forcing me to bake Christmas cookies with you? Couldn't you just have bothered someone else with that?"
Tooru throws back his head and looks at the ceiling exasperatedly.
"Obviously not?! Iwa-chan couldn't bake to save his life, and I don't trust Kuroo in my kitchen under any circumstances!"
"...you've set off the fire alarm twice," Kenma points out.
"It was an honest mistake!"
"...and Hajime usually bans you from the kitchen."
"Ken-chan, stop sabotaging me! We went to all this trouble to get them to leave, so we've got to make this special!"
Kenma sighs, but he only sees one real way out of this - and it's not exactly less effort, so he's not happy with it.
"...can I... decorate the living room instead?"
Tooru glares at him. "No. I have a plan. We're doing that later. First we need to get this done. Help me!"
Kenma glances at the mess Tooru has already made of the counter in front of him. Apparently, it's going to be a long afternoon.
~
Surprisingly, Kuroo is not that bad of a person to go shopping with, once he gets over his whining. Much like Oikawa, he seems to have a keen eye for these kinds of things, and he easily charms any salesperson as if it's second nature to him. Hajime would probably find that annoying, if it wasn't saving them so much time right now.
They got Kenma's game for his PSP without much of a hassle, which Hajime is incredibly grateful for, and he managed to pick up a delightfully soft, maroon-colored scarf that he knows Oikawa will love - and now they're standing in a piercing studio because Kuroo wants new plugs.
While he's letting the salesperson show him their selection, Hajime wanders along the walls, taking in all the rather extravagant jewelry they have to offer here. He spots an assortment of industrial bars, gravitating towards them with Oikawa in mind.
When he sets his eyes on one, he's about to call Kuroo over for his opinion - only to find him standing right next to him when he turns his head, making him jump a little.
"Christ, Kuroo, what the hell! Don't sneak up on people like that!"
Kuroo just grins. "Come over here, I've found the perfect present for you."
His tone of voice speaks for nothing but trouble, but Hajime already knows there's no point in resisting, so he follows him over to a display of studs for tongue piercings. He subconsciously clicks his own against the inside of his teeth, earning himself a raised eyebrow from Kuroo.
"Here, look."
Kuroo points to a specific one, and a wide, shit-eating grin spreads over his face.
"...right. Like that's going anywhere near my mouth."
"You know Tooru'd love it."
Hajime blinks. "No."
He stares at the stud in utter disdain.
"It'd be hilarious."
"Kuroo, I am not spending money on a stud that says 'sex' in glittery letters."
Kuroo is still grinning, like he's sure Hajime will change his mind about it. Hajime is doubly sure that he absolutely will not.
"I actually think I found something for Oikawa though, over there," he says, tilting his head to indicate the display he'd been standing in front of earlier.
"Yeah? Show me."
It takes Hajime a moment to find it again, but when he points the bar he'd been looking at earlier, Kuroo's eyes widen. "Oh, he'll love this."
"Yeah, I thought so, too."
"You gonna get it?"
Hajime looks at the display again, and at the tiny planet-shaped ornament on the bar. He can already see Oikawa's entire face lighting up in excitement.
"...yeah."
Kuroo grins. "Awesome."
~
Kenma isn't one to needlessly exert himself - that hasn't changed, since before he can remember. Having a dorm mate like Tooru, who is excitable and positively bouncy when he's happy, is not exactly the best match for him. Kuro is fine, they're used to each other, and Hajime is very easy to get along with, so their arrangement works, but it's in moments like these, where he's practically sweating from following Tooru around all afternoon and trying to help (more like, trying not to get in the way), that he wonders why he let himself become friends with him.
Tooru is busying himself with perfecting the decorations, has been for the last half hour, and Kenma follows his orders ("I'm not ordering you, it's a friendly request, Ken-chan!") and arranges the cookies they've baked on a plate. Tooru insisted on several different variations, and Kenma is surprised that they all turned out... sort of okay? He's still waiting for a disaster to happen, though, and trying to keep Tooru in his field of vision no matter what he's doing, in case he needs emergency first-aid or something.
Being friends with Tooru is more like glorified babysitting sometimes.
(Kenma is pretty sure he's heard Hajime say that at some point.)
By the time Tooru is done, Kenma feels like he could sleep for a week. At least he didn't have to suffer through more Christmas songs.
He lets Tooru pick a movie (the path of least resistance) and they settle on the couch to wait for Hajime and Kuro to come back, with the day's work laid out on the coffee table in front of them. Tooru looks happy, so Kenma supposes it's okay.
It doesn't take long for him to sink into the cushions, hands deep in the pocket of his hoodie, and slump against Tooru's shoulder as he falls asleep.
~
The apartment is eerily quiet when Hajime fits the key in the lock. His first thought is that maybe Oikawa and Kozume went out, possibly to buy their own share of Christmas presents - but he is immediately proven wrong when he opens the door.
There are fairy lights everywhere. Hajime knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that Oikawa's collection was quite extensive - but he had no idea how many there really were. The apartment is filled with a warm, rich sort of light, and Hajime actually stops in his tracks to take in what they've done to the entrance area alone.
There's a bunch of green, twigs and leaves and berries, and several strings of little silver stars hung on the walls - and, of course, as his eyes travel upwards, he spots a bundle of mistletoe in the door frame. Typical.
Kuroo is strangely quiet behind him, evidently also caught up in staring.
Hajime lets out a breath. "Guess we know what they were doing now, huh?"
Kuroo just blinks.
"...Wow. They raided an entire shop for this, didn't they?"
"Hah, no. This is Oikawa's small collection," Hajime says, and leads the way inside. Even so, he has no doubt that it took them most of the afternoon to set all this up.
The living room is just as extravagantly decorated, with a bunch of multicolored lights sprinkled in with the yellow ones. There's a movie playing on the TV - one of the Alien ones, from what he can tell, but there's a distinct lack of Oikawa's excited commentary. A glance over the back of the couch tells him why - and when Kuroo steps up behind him to look as well, he actually lets out a soft cooing noise.
Hajime glances over at him, more than a little irritated - it's not exactly a typical Kuroo-sound - but his dorm mate is too busy shuffling around the couch to notice.
He kneels down in front of Kozume's legs, teeth pressed into his lower lip to stop himself from making a sound, and he's already pulling his phone out of his pocket.
Of course.
Hajime shakes his head a little, but doesn't move to stop him.
The sight Kuroo is hurrying to document is adorable, no doubt: Oikawa and Kozume are asleep on the couch, both hunched over and buried in their hoodies for warmth, and leaning into each other, Kozume's head resting on Oikawa's shoulder.
Kuroo takes at least ten pictures before pushing his phone back into his pocket and carefully, tentatively reaching out to touch Kozume's leg.
"Hey, Kitten," he whispers, and Hajime chuckles softly.
It takes a little coaxing, but eventually Kenma stirs, his eyes flickering open.
"...Kuro?"
"Hey there," Kuroo says with a smile.
Kozume drags his hands over his face, wrists disappearing under his sleeves. "...welcome back," he mumbles.
Kuroo doesn't even wait until he's properly woken up - instead he moves closer, sliding an arm under Kozume's knees and the other around his back and lifting him into his arms. He throws Hajime an almost apologetic glance as he gets to his feet, but Hajime shakes his head.
"Night, guys," he says with a wave, and watches Kuroo carry his boyfriend to their room.
When he hears their door close, Hajime allows himself another little laugh - he's left looking down at his own boyfriend, who still hasn't woken up.
His eyes flit around the room, noticing for the first time the plate of cookies on the coffee table.
"...incredible," he says to himself, shaking his head again. Kozume must have taken extreme action to prevent Oikawa from setting anything on fire.
He moves to pick up the plate, taking it to the kitchen and covering it in plastic wrap. Just as he's finished, he hears a soft noise from the living room.
"...Ken-chan?"
He walks back, smiling at Oikawa's slightly disheveled face peeking over the edge of the couch. Oikawa lights up when he sees who it is, though, smiling happily.
"Iwa-chan! Welcome home!"
"Hiya," Hajime says. "I see you got busy today."
Oikawa reaches out to him, and Hajime laughs.
"C'mere, Iwa-chaaaan," Oikawa whines, already pouting again. Hajime complies with a grin.
"You're such a child, Oikawa," he says, stepping up so Oikawa can grab his wrists and pull him closer, burying his face in Hajime's stomach. He mumbles something, but it's impossible to understand. Hajime leans a little closer, bending over him.
"Hm?"
"...I said I missed you," Oikawa repeats, tilting his head just so.
"Aw." Hajime runs his hand through Oikawa's hair as warmth spreads through his chest.
"Don't make fun of me."
"I'm not! I missed you, too."
Oikawa pulls back, beaming. "Really?"
"Of course," Hajime says, rolling his eyes.
Oikawa searches his face for a moment, still smiling - and then he seems to remember something.
"Where's Tetsu?"
"Took Kozume to bed. We only just got home."
Oikawa's eyes widen just a fraction. "Oh! ...did you kiss?!"
Hajime frowns. "What?"
"The mistletoe, Iwa-chan, did you kiss someone?"
Hajime laughs again. "Ah, no, I-"
The rest of his sentence is lost because Oikawa practically bounds over the back of the couch and throws himself into Hajime's arms, pulling himself close and pressing their lips together.
Hajime staggers a little under their combined weight, barely managing to stay upright. They break apart, and Oikawa is beaming again.
"If you don't kiss anyone, it's bad luck, Iwa-chan!"
Hajime raises his eyebrows at him, shifting a little to support his weight. "Oh, really?"
"Yeah, yeah! You need to be careful!"
"...I'm not sure it works after I've already stepped out from under it, though."
"You probably need to kiss someone twice then, just to be safe!"
Hajime snorts. "You know... if you want me to kiss you, you just need to ask."
Oikawa grins innocently, swaying them a little as he leans in closer. "I have no idea what you mean."
"Of course not." Hajime glances up at the ceiling, spotting another bundle of mistletoe above his favorite armchair. "...how many of those did you hang up in here...?"
Oikawa's grin only grows. "Not nearly enough." And then he adds: "...I also made sure Ken-chan gets his share of kisses!"
Hajime blinks.
"Over their bed," Oikawa explains, rolling his eyes. "Obviously."
"You're ridiculous."
Oikawa shrugs, fiddling with the back of Hajime's shirt. "Someone's gotta spread the Christmas spirit around here."
"...right," Hajime says, leaning in to kiss at the corner of Oikawa's mouth. "I'm glad you've got us covered."
Oikawa laughs lightly, twisting his head away. "I can tell you're making fun of me, Iwa-chan!"
"I'd never."
"You know I can see through you, right?"
"...sure."
Oikawa laughs again as Hajime sways him around, almost threatening to drop him in an attempt to capture his lips again. They end up with Oikawa's back against the wall, Hajime huffing a little from holding all of his weight, but grinning in triumph at having him cornered.
"Ooh, Iwa-chan, so forward today!"
"Shut up."
Tooru sticks out his tongue. "Make me."