[Fanfiction - Mixed] Christmas Anxiety [Mao x Hazuki/ Aoi x Uruha] Collab with Chinfluffhanaji [1/?]
Title: Christmas Anxiety
Author(s): sorrowofanangel & chinfluffhanaji
Genre: Lots of Christmas fluff, a dash of humour & a sprinkle of romance
Beta: chinfluffhanaji
Band(s): The GazettE, Sadie, lynch., Dir en grey(?)
Pairings(s): Aoi x Uruha/ Uruha x Aoi, Mao x Hazuki, Ruki x Reita (more to follow!)
WARNINGS: Language, boy x boy (you get the gist :3)
Rating: PG - R
DISCLAIMER: No, of course I don't own these lovely boys. If I did, I would have Mao in a bunny suit by now~ (///3///)
Synopsis:"It's Christmas in Tokyo, and everyone is feeling festive... or not. Some detest the Christmas cheer, others embrace it. One thing is for certain though - it's going to be a Christmas that they each will never forget..."
Notes: There are roughly going to be around 4 parts to this: each with a different pairing/ situation and/or dipping in between all of them. All we ask is that you go along for the ride, and enjoy your share of fluff we bring you this Christmas (^3^)
Music ~ A heap ton of Christmas songs ❆
BEFORE YOU READ THIS: Please head on over to chinfluffhanaji's exciting first instalment!! *squeeeal!* CLICK HERE ---> http://chinfluffhanaji.livejournal.com/26899.html
❆ ❆ ❆
The shopping mall was spectacularly overcrowded this year. Bright stars of white light hung low from the towering ceiling above, twinkling in merriment above the circling crowds of late night shoppers. Carols echoed from the upper floor, children's squeals resonated from the toy shops... the Christmas spirit may have arrived late this year, but better late than never.
Mao, trying as hard as he had to avoid it, fought the heaving Tokyo traffic to join these last-minute shoppers tonight. As with every year, he had planned everything for his Christmas; from where to hang the festive lights outside to the pastry recipe for his mince pies. Though, after searching through the box of decorations for the Christmas tree, a plastic container of baubles had tumbled from his hands and smashed onto the kitchen floor tiles. Almost horrified at the thought of his tree bearing a few bare branches, Mao just had to buy replacements. The only other unfortunate coincidence was that he needed a second view of opinion to help him choose; and that had resulted in the ill-fated recruitment of his best friend, Mizuki, who was by far the cheeriest person in the mall tonight,
"Can you just pick one so we can go, already??!" The blonde sighed, stuffing his gloved hands into his jean pockets with a scowl as Mao juggled three boxes of baubles in his hands - still undecided for the past ten-or-so minutes,
"But, they're all so lovely!" Mao chirped, his elbows pressed tight to his sides to mind the queue of pedestrian traffic surrounding the shop either side of him, "Let's see... The red have these lovely gold trimmings that would go wonderfully with the angel but then the gold ones have snowflakes and I don't have snowflake decorations this year..."
Mao was met with Mizuki's distasteful gaze as he turned to him, completely lost,
"Then just pick the snowflake ones." Mizuki shrugged, all too near to speaking through gritted teeth, "Mao, it's like road kill for the two-legged in here, can you please just choose so we can go home? My dye is still simmering in the sink!"
Mao had almost forgotten that the reason for Mizuki's sour mood was due to that interruption. Mizuki always changes hair colours for Christmas, and these pink highlights wouldn't go a miss this year, that was for sure,
"Okay, okay!" Mao furrowed his brow and watched his lips twist in thought to the distorted gold reflection of the baubles. Hesitantly, he put the third box down,
"Thank fuck, we're making progress." Mizuki mumbled behind his shoulder.
Red or snowflakes.... red or snowflakes... snowflakes or...?
"I can't do this!!" Mao almost wailed, "I'll just buy them all! I can alternate between them each year can't I?"
As he rushed off to the counter to pay, Mizuki put his hand to his face... and tried to breathe calmly.
*
"OOH! Mizuki, look!! They have a mall Santa!!"
By the look on his friend's face, Mizuki could no longer stand the incessant tugging of his sleeve from Mao's overexcited fingers. Why he had to be such a handful at this time of year, he had no clue,
"Great, that's wonderful, maybe you can ask him for new baubles..." Mizuki sighed to the floor.
Though to his surprise, Mao put a hand to his head and stared at the plus-sized Santa's Grotto and the long line of children with an exasperated sigh, "Of course!!! Why didn't I think of that?!"
".... Because it was easier to just buy them?!" Mizuki almost shouted, having a couple of three year olds bump into the backs of his calves as they ran to catch up with their parents, almost knocking the small stack of Mao's purchases tucked under his arm - though Mizuki didn't seem to care,
"Now, Mizu, just because I bought them doesn't mean we can't ask for something else!" Mao chirped, ignoring Mizuki's growing pout to take his arm again, "Come on, let's go see Santa!"
"But I don't want toooooo!" Mizuki whined, "Mao, we got what we came here for so let's go home before that snow storm hits!"
Not that his reasons mattered anyway, Mao never even paid attention to the news or the weather. Plus the fact that it was about to snow for the holiday season would have excited him more rather than have him hiding indoors like most of Tokyo's residential population,
"You are such a scrooge," Mao teased as he pulled Mizuki along. His friend, weary with protesting half of the night, had no choice but to drag his feet behind Mao hopelessly; mentally making a note to book a holiday next Christmas to avoid Mao's festive wrath,
"But Mao," Mizuki couldn't help himself, "This line is HUGE! We are never gonna make it home at this rate!"
Mao settled into the queue with the half a dozen boxes of decorations he'd purchased stacked high in his arms. Despite the fact that he'd only intended to pick up the baubles he needed tonight, each and every store window they'd passed was just bursting with delightful Christmas decorations; and of course Mao couldn't resist. Adjusting them a tad, he dropped his shoulder and managed a small pout,
"Ugh, if you're gonna be like this for the rest of the night, then you might as well just take your grumpy butt home and leave me to actually enjoy what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year." Mao almost stomped his foot on the ground, despite the excited chatter of children and parents filling the mall with smiles from passersby. Even if Mao and Mizuki were the only adults standing in the grotto queue without a child in tow.
Mizuki once again ran a hand over his face, his shoulders dropping to sigh exasperatedly towards the array of sparkling white lights hanging above,
"I was your ride! I can't exactly leave you here can I?"
"Why not?" Mao scowled a little, "It's not like you've been wanting to the entire night!!"
"Alright, alright..." Mizuki tried to hush; becoming aware of the heads turning their way as their voices grew higher in volume, "But this is it, do you hear me? One Santa visit and then I am taking you home, whether you like it or not!"
Mao flashed a wide, toothless grin by way of victory, and Mizuki couldn't help but feel his lips tug a little back at him. Not even he, who was often the only member of their friends group to be the least excited about this holiday, was immune to Mao's ridiculously cute charm.
Mao peeked from behind his boxes to the twenty-or-so array of parents and children, displaying all colours of Christmas jumpers and scarves, queuing ahead. Mizuki took a look too and let out another groan,
"Jeez, this is going to take forever..." He complained before his eyes scanned the mall and found a small stall selling spicy cider and hot chocolate near the escalators, "Stay here, I'm going to grab something hot to drink..."
Once he'd lumped his share of Christmas shopping onto Mao's, Mizuki moved faster than he had the past hour and a half,
"Hey! Aren't you gonna get me anything?!" Mao couldn't help but call after him, struggling to balance the new weight of boxes as they all swayed dangerously in his arms,
"Yeah, yeah..." Mizuki waved a hand, "I will."
Mao knew he wouldn't, and it was only then that he spotted a cute redhead behind the stall Mizuki was headed to. Hot drinks my ass, Mao thought; Mizuki wanted his own taste of spicy cider - and that didn't come in a cup.
Mao shook his head with a smile as he focused his attention to the twinkling strips of twirling Christmas lights hanging from the mall ceiling. Tony Bennett's Winter Wonderland was booming from the stereos up high and Mao let the festive cheer filling the air to wash over him. All he could think about in that moment was how happy this time of the year made him.
He'd grown up in a small town; suburban, more houses than shops, trees everywhere - nothing special, but something cosy. And it was probably this setting that made him adore Christmas. Close family and relatives would gather in their house every year, the old brick stone fireplace roaring beside the tall, twinkling Christmas tree in the living room; decorated head to toe in tinsel, baubles and Mao's younger sister's handmade angel constructed out of nothing but cardboard, glitter, pipe cleaners and crayons. Mao's grandparents would always tell the same stories, the wine would be flowing, mince pies and his auntie's specially made brownies passed around the table on the best of his mother's china plates. They'd argue over meaningless things, they'd laugh over old times, pull crackers together, share the horrid jokes inside and settle to a Christmas movie in the afternoon until night fell and everyone would suddenly find an appetite for leftover turkey sandwiches.
Of course, with a big family came great loss and Mao felt that year after year for a long time. Each Christmas that came and went, someone would be missing. First his granddad, and then his uncle. Come next year, a friend of the family, then another... and another. Less wine was poured, the room less crowded and almost immediately the jokes died down. More or less, Mao's Christmases became more mournful than they were joyful.
When enough of them had passed, Mao left school, found a job and a place to call his own, and his family Christmases were the one thing he swore he would never let go of. No one understood why the holiday was such a big deal to him, and in truth he accepted that he was a nuisance to everyone around him with his abnormal enthusiasm. But it was special to him, and to his family, and he longed to cling to the joy it gave them for the rest of his life.
As the song changed to a more upbeat version of Jingle Bells, Mao started to sway to the tune and the queue shuffled forward slowly. Mao glanced over in Mizuki's direction to find the cute redhead handing him sample after sample of her beverage range, Mizuki taking each small cup from her with an intentional brush of her fingers and inane chit-chat that made her smile stretch from ear to ear.
Mao sighed out loud, though smiled acutely, knowing Mizuki's pick-up-lines and methods of charm almost by heart. The pair had been through more than enough bars and clubs for Mao to pick up on this stuff after all; night after night, Mizuki would be the one constantly surrounded by girls while Mao looked on - with only his cocktail for company.
Not that he ever minded of course. While Mizuki was busy being a heartbreaker, Mao wanted to steal only one heart for himself, no matter how long it took,
"Guess I'll be seeing Santa alone after all." Mao said aloud without thinking, and then startling when a small box containing Christmas cards dropped from the top of his gift pile and tumbled to his feet,
"Oh... apple sauce." Mao cursed under his breath, bending his knees to try and retrieve it, though with both hands restricted, and the boxes too tall for him to set down on the floor, he looked around with wide eyes as he struggled for a solution,
"Excuse me sir, is this yours?"
A tall man in dark clothing bent down in front of him to retrieve it, and Mao blushed, smiling gratefully.
Once the stranger stood up tall again, his dark eyes widened at the pile of boxes Mao was struggling to hold, and tried to suppress a laugh,
"Are... you alright with those?"
Mao chuckled kindly at his concern and shrugged at his predicament, "Oh yes, nothing to worry about! I'm used to this every time Christmas rolls around."
Mao watched the kind stranger's cheekbones jut out into a laugh after all, "Maybe so, but I'd hate for you to strain your arms like that. Here, let me help - "
" - Oh no, that's really alright," Mao started babbling, as the other man reached forward to lift up half of the load and take them from him, "There's really no need."
"Oh it's alright," The stranger smiled, with the same delicate cheekbones, "I have tons of time to kill..."
Mao was almost taken aback, as he took Mizuki's place in the queue beside him, "Y-You do?"
"Of course," Another warm smile, "I always struggle to find Christmas presents for everyone. So where better to have a bit of time to think of ideas than here?"
Mao laughed, "I suppose that's true," He nodded towards his boxes, "Thank you for helping me."
The dark-haired stranger shrugs like it's no big deal at all, "Hey, it's Christmas. It's totally fine."
There was a brief pause between them as the queue moved forward again,
"So I'm guessing you're here on your own tonight too? Frantically shopping like the rest of us?"
Mao grimaced, "Not exactly..." He pointed to Mizuki still working his charm on the stall seller, "My friend gave me a ride in but umm..." Mao trailed off as Mizuki said something to make the girl giggle shyly, before confidently kissing her hand.
This guy is unbelievable!!
"But.. umm?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, before turning his almond eyes to follow Mao's direction of gaze,
"Ah, I see," He immediately turned back again, looking to the floor with a wry grin, "Ditched last minute for some eye candy, huh?"
Mao somehow found the strength to tear his eyes away from the flirtatious pair, "I guess so." He smiled meekly,
"Well, in that case," The man hitched up the boxes in his arms, "I guess there's nothing left to do but keep you company on the way to Santa!"
Mao's neck twisted around immediately, so callously that he almost pulled a muscle, "HA!?"
The dark haired man blinked, "Well I'm not leaving you here on your own with all these heavy boxes."
Mao's mouth was agape,
"Besides, I think I could use a Christmas wish." The stranger smiled, and then winked in Mao's direction; much to the smaller man's horror.
Mao didn't know what it was, but a flutter at the peak of his stomach settled as his new handsome companion stood on his tiptoes to survey the rest of the queue. His kind almond eyes sparkled against the mall lights and Mao felt the roughness of his leather jacket brush his arm.
This is unreal! It's like something out of a drama! Oh... I don't suppose next he'll...? No, he couldn't possibly!
"Oh, I almost forgot - " The stranger spoke suddenly, turning back to Mao and his now very rosy cheeks, "Name's Hazuki."
"M-Mao..." He hesitantly stuttered, all of a sudden feeling the weight of Hazuki's eyes make him sink his chin further underneath the safety of his scarf,
"Very nice to meet you Mao." Hazuki beamed,
"A-And you too!"
There was a comfortable silence as they settled to enjoy the atmosphere around them together. Carol singers were setting up for their next performance on the upper level and as the queue ahead became shorter and shorter, Mao threw the occasional glance back Mizuki's way to see if there was any hope of regaining his attention.
Now though, he was -
KISSING HER?!?!
Sure enough, clear as day, there Mizuki was, locking lips with his redhead mistress. Somehow, he'd managed to work his way behind the stall itself and was now shamelessly pressing her against the cash register; much to the dismay of passersby. Even the customers who had begun to queue for her hot drinks soon decided the scene was too hot even for them to handle and they'd started to leave as fast as they'd arrived,
"... How dare you!" Mao whimpered under his breath, which of course had Hazuki raising an eyebrow,
"Excuse me?"
Mao froze and found Hazuki's features contorted into confusion beside him,
"Umm!" Mao's wracked his brains for a suitable answer, "I said... How are you?!"
The look on Hazuki's face determined that he somehow didn't believe him, but nevertheless Mao figured he'd just managed to save himself from any unnecessary embarrassment; particularly in front of a guy who was perhaps the most genuine and kind-hearted he'd come across in a long time,
"Doing alright I suppose," Hazuki answered Mao's half-baked question with a mere shrug, pausing when he heard the cheerful shriek of Mizuki's booming voice once again heading their way.
Mao had his eyebrows raised at the fact that Mizuki had managed to tear himself away from his store assistant floozy after all; and rejoined Mao and Hazuki with a strip of notepaper clutched tightly in one hand and dainty pink lipstick smeared across his bottom lip.
That smile said it all; he'd accomplished everything he wanted... now all that remained was a sturdy mattress,
"Hey..." Mizuki grinned wryly, with a certain strut that Mao could only roll his eyes at,
"I see you've been busy handling baubles you shouldn't have." Mao was somewhere between sarcastic teasing and genuine annoyance, but it only made Mizuki's smile stretch wider,
"Ahh... lighten up," Mizuki waved a hand nonchalantly, "You were the one who told me to gain a bit of festive spirit."
"Yes, but I didn't mean to find it deep within the caverns of a girl's bosom!" Mao whispered lowly, for the consideration of the children swarming around them,
"You left me all alone in this queue! Luckily, this gentleman was nice enough to keep me company while you were gallivanting with your little slice of pumpkin pie over there!!"
Mizuki looked at Hazuki for the first time, who lifted a hand and smiled almost guiltily,
"You just had to, didn't you?" Was all Mizuki had to say, "You had to just pick another poor soul to unload all your festive suffering onto."
Mao gaped, "Hey!"
Mizuki just laughed and shook his head, tucking the strip of paper he'd acquired deep into his jacket pocket; containing a phone number no doubt,
"Relax, Mao," Mizuki patted his shoulder, before his eyes wandered further ahead, "There are cuties dotted all around this mall - you just haven't noticed them yet."
Mao couldn't help but suddenly become curious at the way Mizuki seemed to be hinting to something - or rather, someone - up ahead. With narrowed eyes, he followed Mizuki's wry nods of his head to once again peek up ahead at the 'cutie' in question. It seemed Hazuki couldn't help himself either as the pair laid eyes on -
"A chihuahua?" Mao blinked, as he eyed the jet black fluffy dog perched happily on the mall Santa Claus' lap. It had a smile wider than most of the children, its tongue making several attempts to plant sloppy dog kisses all over the Santa's face. Not only that, but the poor thing had been subjected to wearing a god awful pink dog coat - the glitter design of which could blind anyone within close proximity should it be shined in the right light.
The poor dog's owner? A small guy wrapped head to toe in scarves, skinny jeans and sunglasses, clinging tightly to its lead.
At Mao's side, Hazuki scoffed, his long brown hair brushing Mao's cheek as he leaned over, "Sheesh, what kind of loser brings their dog to see Father Christmas?"
Mizuki smiled at the stranger's comment and snorted behind his palm, "I know right? The guy is cute though. Huh Mao? Maybe your Christmas wish should be to get a date with him?"
"... In your dreams," Mao said slowly to make the point of his disgust clear, "The only wish I'm going to make is for you to come with me to the Christmas festival tomorrow night."
For what seemed like the fiftieth time that night, Mizuki let out a frustrated groan to the ceiling, "And how many times have I told you that I am not going??"
"Too many times to count," Mao grumbled back as a retort, though deep down he was actually disheartened, "But come on Mizu! No one else wants to go with me! Everyone's either gone home to see their families already or they've already made plans! Please, just this once?? I swear I'll owe you big time!"
"Mao, you probably owe me so much that by the end of December you could buy me a freaking Mercedes," Mizuki spoke with his arms folded, clearly unimpressed, "And you can keep making false promises all you want, I. Ain't. Going."
Hazuki observed their conversation with narrowed eyes, "And... what Christmas festival is this?"
"The Yokohama Christmas Festival," Mao spoke sadly with a pout, though he glared at Mizuki like it was the worst betrayal in the world, "You know, only the best Christmas festival in the whole of Japan..."
"... And busy. And cold. And full of tourists." Mizuki murmured to himself, rolling his eyes.
"Well... if you like, I'll go with you."
The two friends' heads whipped round to face Hazuki almost in perfect synchronisation; surprise etched across both of their faces.
Mao almost felt his turn to stone. This guy must have confidence. To waltz out of nowhere, help someone carry their shopping and ask them out? Mao had gone from bauble shopping to being asked to the most wonderful and magical Christmas market in all of Japan when he'd almost given up all hope of going this year!! Not to mention that, instead of his scrooge friends, he'd ended up with a ridiculously kind and charming mall shopper!
Inside, Mao panicked. He was never good at these things. He hadn't managed to get himself a date in months. No... years! And then out of the blue, this seemingly perfect guy asks him to the one Christmas market he'd been dying to see his whole entire life? What on earth was he to do in this situation?!
To make matters worse, his one and only saviour was, well, Mizuki. The guy who had been trying to hook up Mao with almost every single attractive person that crossed his sight. And Mao knew there was no way he would be giving up now.
This is the worst kind of trouble!
"Hey..." Mao could almost imagine the light bulb pop over Mizuki's head, "That's not a bad idea!"
"Mizuki!" Mao hissed, horrified,
"No, no, this is wonderful!" Mizuki tried to assure him excitedly, "I'll be out tomorrow night having dinner with my Christmas cookie -" He jabbed a finger back towards his redhead, who, in between customers, Mao could see sneaking shy glances over this way,
"And you can go to the stupid festival with... with..."
"Hazuki." He corrected, as Mizuki looked at him blankly,
"Excellent! Then it's settled!" Mizuki clapped his hands together, "Hazuki, do you have a pen and paper?"
"... Somewhere..."
As Hazuki patted his pockets, Mao's head snapped back and forth between the pair like a cat preying on a piece of string. This truly was becoming a disaster. He'd been asked out by a stranger he'd known only five minutes and Mizuki, being the terrible friend he was, was selling him out rather than saving him.
Before he knew it, Mizuki was writing down Mao's mobile number on the back of a notepad Hazuki had fished out of his leather jacket,
"Hey! M-Mizuki, wh-what are you doing?!"
"... Saving your love life." Mizuki replied through gritted teeth quietly, before straightening up and smiling back at Mao's newfound festival companion, "There you are Hazuki. Give Mao a call tomorrow!"
Hazuki looked so taken aback with surprise that he almost blushed, "Thank you. I will."
Those darn cheekbones Mao cursed inwardly as Hazuki sent another warm smile setting fire to Mao's already-racing heart. He felt a blush begin to grow at the base of his neck, and if it wasn't for all his shopping weighing him down, he probably would have Mizuki in a stranglehold right about now,
"Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you both," Hazuki spoke politely, handing Mizuki back his share of Mao's Christmas shopping, "Mao, I've had a wonderful evening. I'll call you tomorrow so we can head to the festival alright?"
Before he could stop himself, Mao's tongue began to trip over itself as Hazuki began to back away and leave the queue,
"Bye Hazuki! Have fun tomorrow!" Mizuki waved naturally; like Hazuki was an old friend and it made Mao's eyes widen in bewilderment up into his friend's eyes - though Mizuki, predictably, didn't return his gaze,
"B-B-But... I-I..." Mao continued to babble, unable to do anything else but gaze on helplessly as Hazuki continued to retreat.
He almost fell to his knees and cursed Hazuki's handsomeness when he winked at him,
"Goodnight."
And then he was gone; disappearing into the crowd of shoppers and suddenly Mao felt his feet land back on earth, turning to Mizuki slowly as he tried to process what the heck had just happened.
Mizuki turned to him once he was sure Hazuki had left and could do nothing but chuckle, "You're welcome."
His smugness was almost overbearing and Mao couldn't stand it. He felt the whole of his face catch up in a blush now and took in a deep breath as he felt himself begin to lose it.
Before he could though, his phone vibrated deep in his jeans pocket, and his stomach was already doing somersaults as he managed to fish it out with one hand; trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he read the new text - from an unknown number,
"Hey, it was great to meet you tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow ^^
See you then
Hazuki x "
Mao could do nothing else but stare at the screen, almost in a trance.
What is this?? Mao pondered in his head, Did I honestly just agree to go out with this... strange guy I've never even met before?!
Somewhere, his mind told himself to relax; it was Christmas right? Good things happened all the time, selfless things in fact. If anything, he should be grateful, he decided. It's his favourite season, so why shouldn't he enjoy this moment of spontaneity?
He startled as Mizuki gave him a nudge with his elbow,
"Hey Mao! Quit drooling, it's your turn to sit on Santa's lap!"
❆ ❆ ❆
A/N: Kyaaa! how exciting! It's sooo so good to be writing again! Hope you enjoyed these first installments!! We really hope you enjoyed! <3 (Go stalk chinfluffhanaji's fics 'cause they're awesomeeeeee! *ahem*) <3
Author(s): sorrowofanangel & chinfluffhanaji
Genre: Lots of Christmas fluff, a dash of humour & a sprinkle of romance
Beta: chinfluffhanaji
Band(s): The GazettE, Sadie, lynch., Dir en grey(?)
Pairings(s): Aoi x Uruha/ Uruha x Aoi, Mao x Hazuki, Ruki x Reita (more to follow!)
WARNINGS: Language, boy x boy (you get the gist :3)
Rating: PG - R
DISCLAIMER: No, of course I don't own these lovely boys. If I did, I would have Mao in a bunny suit by now~ (///3///)
Synopsis:"It's Christmas in Tokyo, and everyone is feeling festive... or not. Some detest the Christmas cheer, others embrace it. One thing is for certain though - it's going to be a Christmas that they each will never forget..."
Notes: There are roughly going to be around 4 parts to this: each with a different pairing/ situation and/or dipping in between all of them. All we ask is that you go along for the ride, and enjoy your share of fluff we bring you this Christmas (^3^)
Music ~ A heap ton of Christmas songs ❆
BEFORE YOU READ THIS: Please head on over to chinfluffhanaji's exciting first instalment!! *squeeeal!* CLICK HERE ---> http://chinfluffhanaji.livejournal.com/26899.html
❆ ❆ ❆
The shopping mall was spectacularly overcrowded this year. Bright stars of white light hung low from the towering ceiling above, twinkling in merriment above the circling crowds of late night shoppers. Carols echoed from the upper floor, children's squeals resonated from the toy shops... the Christmas spirit may have arrived late this year, but better late than never.
Mao, trying as hard as he had to avoid it, fought the heaving Tokyo traffic to join these last-minute shoppers tonight. As with every year, he had planned everything for his Christmas; from where to hang the festive lights outside to the pastry recipe for his mince pies. Though, after searching through the box of decorations for the Christmas tree, a plastic container of baubles had tumbled from his hands and smashed onto the kitchen floor tiles. Almost horrified at the thought of his tree bearing a few bare branches, Mao just had to buy replacements. The only other unfortunate coincidence was that he needed a second view of opinion to help him choose; and that had resulted in the ill-fated recruitment of his best friend, Mizuki, who was by far the cheeriest person in the mall tonight,
"Can you just pick one so we can go, already??!" The blonde sighed, stuffing his gloved hands into his jean pockets with a scowl as Mao juggled three boxes of baubles in his hands - still undecided for the past ten-or-so minutes,
"But, they're all so lovely!" Mao chirped, his elbows pressed tight to his sides to mind the queue of pedestrian traffic surrounding the shop either side of him, "Let's see... The red have these lovely gold trimmings that would go wonderfully with the angel but then the gold ones have snowflakes and I don't have snowflake decorations this year..."
Mao was met with Mizuki's distasteful gaze as he turned to him, completely lost,
"Then just pick the snowflake ones." Mizuki shrugged, all too near to speaking through gritted teeth, "Mao, it's like road kill for the two-legged in here, can you please just choose so we can go home? My dye is still simmering in the sink!"
Mao had almost forgotten that the reason for Mizuki's sour mood was due to that interruption. Mizuki always changes hair colours for Christmas, and these pink highlights wouldn't go a miss this year, that was for sure,
"Okay, okay!" Mao furrowed his brow and watched his lips twist in thought to the distorted gold reflection of the baubles. Hesitantly, he put the third box down,
"Thank fuck, we're making progress." Mizuki mumbled behind his shoulder.
Red or snowflakes.... red or snowflakes... snowflakes or...?
"I can't do this!!" Mao almost wailed, "I'll just buy them all! I can alternate between them each year can't I?"
As he rushed off to the counter to pay, Mizuki put his hand to his face... and tried to breathe calmly.
*
"OOH! Mizuki, look!! They have a mall Santa!!"
By the look on his friend's face, Mizuki could no longer stand the incessant tugging of his sleeve from Mao's overexcited fingers. Why he had to be such a handful at this time of year, he had no clue,
"Great, that's wonderful, maybe you can ask him for new baubles..." Mizuki sighed to the floor.
Though to his surprise, Mao put a hand to his head and stared at the plus-sized Santa's Grotto and the long line of children with an exasperated sigh, "Of course!!! Why didn't I think of that?!"
".... Because it was easier to just buy them?!" Mizuki almost shouted, having a couple of three year olds bump into the backs of his calves as they ran to catch up with their parents, almost knocking the small stack of Mao's purchases tucked under his arm - though Mizuki didn't seem to care,
"Now, Mizu, just because I bought them doesn't mean we can't ask for something else!" Mao chirped, ignoring Mizuki's growing pout to take his arm again, "Come on, let's go see Santa!"
"But I don't want toooooo!" Mizuki whined, "Mao, we got what we came here for so let's go home before that snow storm hits!"
Not that his reasons mattered anyway, Mao never even paid attention to the news or the weather. Plus the fact that it was about to snow for the holiday season would have excited him more rather than have him hiding indoors like most of Tokyo's residential population,
"You are such a scrooge," Mao teased as he pulled Mizuki along. His friend, weary with protesting half of the night, had no choice but to drag his feet behind Mao hopelessly; mentally making a note to book a holiday next Christmas to avoid Mao's festive wrath,
"But Mao," Mizuki couldn't help himself, "This line is HUGE! We are never gonna make it home at this rate!"
Mao settled into the queue with the half a dozen boxes of decorations he'd purchased stacked high in his arms. Despite the fact that he'd only intended to pick up the baubles he needed tonight, each and every store window they'd passed was just bursting with delightful Christmas decorations; and of course Mao couldn't resist. Adjusting them a tad, he dropped his shoulder and managed a small pout,
"Ugh, if you're gonna be like this for the rest of the night, then you might as well just take your grumpy butt home and leave me to actually enjoy what is supposed to be the happiest time of the year." Mao almost stomped his foot on the ground, despite the excited chatter of children and parents filling the mall with smiles from passersby. Even if Mao and Mizuki were the only adults standing in the grotto queue without a child in tow.
Mizuki once again ran a hand over his face, his shoulders dropping to sigh exasperatedly towards the array of sparkling white lights hanging above,
"I was your ride! I can't exactly leave you here can I?"
"Why not?" Mao scowled a little, "It's not like you've been wanting to the entire night!!"
"Alright, alright..." Mizuki tried to hush; becoming aware of the heads turning their way as their voices grew higher in volume, "But this is it, do you hear me? One Santa visit and then I am taking you home, whether you like it or not!"
Mao flashed a wide, toothless grin by way of victory, and Mizuki couldn't help but feel his lips tug a little back at him. Not even he, who was often the only member of their friends group to be the least excited about this holiday, was immune to Mao's ridiculously cute charm.
Mao peeked from behind his boxes to the twenty-or-so array of parents and children, displaying all colours of Christmas jumpers and scarves, queuing ahead. Mizuki took a look too and let out another groan,
"Jeez, this is going to take forever..." He complained before his eyes scanned the mall and found a small stall selling spicy cider and hot chocolate near the escalators, "Stay here, I'm going to grab something hot to drink..."
Once he'd lumped his share of Christmas shopping onto Mao's, Mizuki moved faster than he had the past hour and a half,
"Hey! Aren't you gonna get me anything?!" Mao couldn't help but call after him, struggling to balance the new weight of boxes as they all swayed dangerously in his arms,
"Yeah, yeah..." Mizuki waved a hand, "I will."
Mao knew he wouldn't, and it was only then that he spotted a cute redhead behind the stall Mizuki was headed to. Hot drinks my ass, Mao thought; Mizuki wanted his own taste of spicy cider - and that didn't come in a cup.
Mao shook his head with a smile as he focused his attention to the twinkling strips of twirling Christmas lights hanging from the mall ceiling. Tony Bennett's Winter Wonderland was booming from the stereos up high and Mao let the festive cheer filling the air to wash over him. All he could think about in that moment was how happy this time of the year made him.
He'd grown up in a small town; suburban, more houses than shops, trees everywhere - nothing special, but something cosy. And it was probably this setting that made him adore Christmas. Close family and relatives would gather in their house every year, the old brick stone fireplace roaring beside the tall, twinkling Christmas tree in the living room; decorated head to toe in tinsel, baubles and Mao's younger sister's handmade angel constructed out of nothing but cardboard, glitter, pipe cleaners and crayons. Mao's grandparents would always tell the same stories, the wine would be flowing, mince pies and his auntie's specially made brownies passed around the table on the best of his mother's china plates. They'd argue over meaningless things, they'd laugh over old times, pull crackers together, share the horrid jokes inside and settle to a Christmas movie in the afternoon until night fell and everyone would suddenly find an appetite for leftover turkey sandwiches.
Of course, with a big family came great loss and Mao felt that year after year for a long time. Each Christmas that came and went, someone would be missing. First his granddad, and then his uncle. Come next year, a friend of the family, then another... and another. Less wine was poured, the room less crowded and almost immediately the jokes died down. More or less, Mao's Christmases became more mournful than they were joyful.
When enough of them had passed, Mao left school, found a job and a place to call his own, and his family Christmases were the one thing he swore he would never let go of. No one understood why the holiday was such a big deal to him, and in truth he accepted that he was a nuisance to everyone around him with his abnormal enthusiasm. But it was special to him, and to his family, and he longed to cling to the joy it gave them for the rest of his life.
As the song changed to a more upbeat version of Jingle Bells, Mao started to sway to the tune and the queue shuffled forward slowly. Mao glanced over in Mizuki's direction to find the cute redhead handing him sample after sample of her beverage range, Mizuki taking each small cup from her with an intentional brush of her fingers and inane chit-chat that made her smile stretch from ear to ear.
Mao sighed out loud, though smiled acutely, knowing Mizuki's pick-up-lines and methods of charm almost by heart. The pair had been through more than enough bars and clubs for Mao to pick up on this stuff after all; night after night, Mizuki would be the one constantly surrounded by girls while Mao looked on - with only his cocktail for company.
Not that he ever minded of course. While Mizuki was busy being a heartbreaker, Mao wanted to steal only one heart for himself, no matter how long it took,
"Guess I'll be seeing Santa alone after all." Mao said aloud without thinking, and then startling when a small box containing Christmas cards dropped from the top of his gift pile and tumbled to his feet,
"Oh... apple sauce." Mao cursed under his breath, bending his knees to try and retrieve it, though with both hands restricted, and the boxes too tall for him to set down on the floor, he looked around with wide eyes as he struggled for a solution,
"Excuse me sir, is this yours?"
A tall man in dark clothing bent down in front of him to retrieve it, and Mao blushed, smiling gratefully.
Once the stranger stood up tall again, his dark eyes widened at the pile of boxes Mao was struggling to hold, and tried to suppress a laugh,
"Are... you alright with those?"
Mao chuckled kindly at his concern and shrugged at his predicament, "Oh yes, nothing to worry about! I'm used to this every time Christmas rolls around."
Mao watched the kind stranger's cheekbones jut out into a laugh after all, "Maybe so, but I'd hate for you to strain your arms like that. Here, let me help - "
" - Oh no, that's really alright," Mao started babbling, as the other man reached forward to lift up half of the load and take them from him, "There's really no need."
"Oh it's alright," The stranger smiled, with the same delicate cheekbones, "I have tons of time to kill..."
Mao was almost taken aback, as he took Mizuki's place in the queue beside him, "Y-You do?"
"Of course," Another warm smile, "I always struggle to find Christmas presents for everyone. So where better to have a bit of time to think of ideas than here?"
Mao laughed, "I suppose that's true," He nodded towards his boxes, "Thank you for helping me."
The dark-haired stranger shrugs like it's no big deal at all, "Hey, it's Christmas. It's totally fine."
There was a brief pause between them as the queue moved forward again,
"So I'm guessing you're here on your own tonight too? Frantically shopping like the rest of us?"
Mao grimaced, "Not exactly..." He pointed to Mizuki still working his charm on the stall seller, "My friend gave me a ride in but umm..." Mao trailed off as Mizuki said something to make the girl giggle shyly, before confidently kissing her hand.
This guy is unbelievable!!
"But.. umm?" The stranger raised an eyebrow, before turning his almond eyes to follow Mao's direction of gaze,
"Ah, I see," He immediately turned back again, looking to the floor with a wry grin, "Ditched last minute for some eye candy, huh?"
Mao somehow found the strength to tear his eyes away from the flirtatious pair, "I guess so." He smiled meekly,
"Well, in that case," The man hitched up the boxes in his arms, "I guess there's nothing left to do but keep you company on the way to Santa!"
Mao's neck twisted around immediately, so callously that he almost pulled a muscle, "HA!?"
The dark haired man blinked, "Well I'm not leaving you here on your own with all these heavy boxes."
Mao's mouth was agape,
"Besides, I think I could use a Christmas wish." The stranger smiled, and then winked in Mao's direction; much to the smaller man's horror.
Mao didn't know what it was, but a flutter at the peak of his stomach settled as his new handsome companion stood on his tiptoes to survey the rest of the queue. His kind almond eyes sparkled against the mall lights and Mao felt the roughness of his leather jacket brush his arm.
This is unreal! It's like something out of a drama! Oh... I don't suppose next he'll...? No, he couldn't possibly!
"Oh, I almost forgot - " The stranger spoke suddenly, turning back to Mao and his now very rosy cheeks, "Name's Hazuki."
"M-Mao..." He hesitantly stuttered, all of a sudden feeling the weight of Hazuki's eyes make him sink his chin further underneath the safety of his scarf,
"Very nice to meet you Mao." Hazuki beamed,
"A-And you too!"
There was a comfortable silence as they settled to enjoy the atmosphere around them together. Carol singers were setting up for their next performance on the upper level and as the queue ahead became shorter and shorter, Mao threw the occasional glance back Mizuki's way to see if there was any hope of regaining his attention.
Now though, he was -
KISSING HER?!?!
Sure enough, clear as day, there Mizuki was, locking lips with his redhead mistress. Somehow, he'd managed to work his way behind the stall itself and was now shamelessly pressing her against the cash register; much to the dismay of passersby. Even the customers who had begun to queue for her hot drinks soon decided the scene was too hot even for them to handle and they'd started to leave as fast as they'd arrived,
"... How dare you!" Mao whimpered under his breath, which of course had Hazuki raising an eyebrow,
"Excuse me?"
Mao froze and found Hazuki's features contorted into confusion beside him,
"Umm!" Mao's wracked his brains for a suitable answer, "I said... How are you?!"
The look on Hazuki's face determined that he somehow didn't believe him, but nevertheless Mao figured he'd just managed to save himself from any unnecessary embarrassment; particularly in front of a guy who was perhaps the most genuine and kind-hearted he'd come across in a long time,
"Doing alright I suppose," Hazuki answered Mao's half-baked question with a mere shrug, pausing when he heard the cheerful shriek of Mizuki's booming voice once again heading their way.
Mao had his eyebrows raised at the fact that Mizuki had managed to tear himself away from his store assistant floozy after all; and rejoined Mao and Hazuki with a strip of notepaper clutched tightly in one hand and dainty pink lipstick smeared across his bottom lip.
That smile said it all; he'd accomplished everything he wanted... now all that remained was a sturdy mattress,
"Hey..." Mizuki grinned wryly, with a certain strut that Mao could only roll his eyes at,
"I see you've been busy handling baubles you shouldn't have." Mao was somewhere between sarcastic teasing and genuine annoyance, but it only made Mizuki's smile stretch wider,
"Ahh... lighten up," Mizuki waved a hand nonchalantly, "You were the one who told me to gain a bit of festive spirit."
"Yes, but I didn't mean to find it deep within the caverns of a girl's bosom!" Mao whispered lowly, for the consideration of the children swarming around them,
"You left me all alone in this queue! Luckily, this gentleman was nice enough to keep me company while you were gallivanting with your little slice of pumpkin pie over there!!"
Mizuki looked at Hazuki for the first time, who lifted a hand and smiled almost guiltily,
"You just had to, didn't you?" Was all Mizuki had to say, "You had to just pick another poor soul to unload all your festive suffering onto."
Mao gaped, "Hey!"
Mizuki just laughed and shook his head, tucking the strip of paper he'd acquired deep into his jacket pocket; containing a phone number no doubt,
"Relax, Mao," Mizuki patted his shoulder, before his eyes wandered further ahead, "There are cuties dotted all around this mall - you just haven't noticed them yet."
Mao couldn't help but suddenly become curious at the way Mizuki seemed to be hinting to something - or rather, someone - up ahead. With narrowed eyes, he followed Mizuki's wry nods of his head to once again peek up ahead at the 'cutie' in question. It seemed Hazuki couldn't help himself either as the pair laid eyes on -
"A chihuahua?" Mao blinked, as he eyed the jet black fluffy dog perched happily on the mall Santa Claus' lap. It had a smile wider than most of the children, its tongue making several attempts to plant sloppy dog kisses all over the Santa's face. Not only that, but the poor thing had been subjected to wearing a god awful pink dog coat - the glitter design of which could blind anyone within close proximity should it be shined in the right light.
The poor dog's owner? A small guy wrapped head to toe in scarves, skinny jeans and sunglasses, clinging tightly to its lead.
At Mao's side, Hazuki scoffed, his long brown hair brushing Mao's cheek as he leaned over, "Sheesh, what kind of loser brings their dog to see Father Christmas?"
Mizuki smiled at the stranger's comment and snorted behind his palm, "I know right? The guy is cute though. Huh Mao? Maybe your Christmas wish should be to get a date with him?"
"... In your dreams," Mao said slowly to make the point of his disgust clear, "The only wish I'm going to make is for you to come with me to the Christmas festival tomorrow night."
For what seemed like the fiftieth time that night, Mizuki let out a frustrated groan to the ceiling, "And how many times have I told you that I am not going??"
"Too many times to count," Mao grumbled back as a retort, though deep down he was actually disheartened, "But come on Mizu! No one else wants to go with me! Everyone's either gone home to see their families already or they've already made plans! Please, just this once?? I swear I'll owe you big time!"
"Mao, you probably owe me so much that by the end of December you could buy me a freaking Mercedes," Mizuki spoke with his arms folded, clearly unimpressed, "And you can keep making false promises all you want, I. Ain't. Going."
Hazuki observed their conversation with narrowed eyes, "And... what Christmas festival is this?"
"The Yokohama Christmas Festival," Mao spoke sadly with a pout, though he glared at Mizuki like it was the worst betrayal in the world, "You know, only the best Christmas festival in the whole of Japan..."
"... And busy. And cold. And full of tourists." Mizuki murmured to himself, rolling his eyes.
"Well... if you like, I'll go with you."
The two friends' heads whipped round to face Hazuki almost in perfect synchronisation; surprise etched across both of their faces.
Mao almost felt his turn to stone. This guy must have confidence. To waltz out of nowhere, help someone carry their shopping and ask them out? Mao had gone from bauble shopping to being asked to the most wonderful and magical Christmas market in all of Japan when he'd almost given up all hope of going this year!! Not to mention that, instead of his scrooge friends, he'd ended up with a ridiculously kind and charming mall shopper!
Inside, Mao panicked. He was never good at these things. He hadn't managed to get himself a date in months. No... years! And then out of the blue, this seemingly perfect guy asks him to the one Christmas market he'd been dying to see his whole entire life? What on earth was he to do in this situation?!
To make matters worse, his one and only saviour was, well, Mizuki. The guy who had been trying to hook up Mao with almost every single attractive person that crossed his sight. And Mao knew there was no way he would be giving up now.
This is the worst kind of trouble!
"Hey..." Mao could almost imagine the light bulb pop over Mizuki's head, "That's not a bad idea!"
"Mizuki!" Mao hissed, horrified,
"No, no, this is wonderful!" Mizuki tried to assure him excitedly, "I'll be out tomorrow night having dinner with my Christmas cookie -" He jabbed a finger back towards his redhead, who, in between customers, Mao could see sneaking shy glances over this way,
"And you can go to the stupid festival with... with..."
"Hazuki." He corrected, as Mizuki looked at him blankly,
"Excellent! Then it's settled!" Mizuki clapped his hands together, "Hazuki, do you have a pen and paper?"
"... Somewhere..."
As Hazuki patted his pockets, Mao's head snapped back and forth between the pair like a cat preying on a piece of string. This truly was becoming a disaster. He'd been asked out by a stranger he'd known only five minutes and Mizuki, being the terrible friend he was, was selling him out rather than saving him.
Before he knew it, Mizuki was writing down Mao's mobile number on the back of a notepad Hazuki had fished out of his leather jacket,
"Hey! M-Mizuki, wh-what are you doing?!"
"... Saving your love life." Mizuki replied through gritted teeth quietly, before straightening up and smiling back at Mao's newfound festival companion, "There you are Hazuki. Give Mao a call tomorrow!"
Hazuki looked so taken aback with surprise that he almost blushed, "Thank you. I will."
Those darn cheekbones Mao cursed inwardly as Hazuki sent another warm smile setting fire to Mao's already-racing heart. He felt a blush begin to grow at the base of his neck, and if it wasn't for all his shopping weighing him down, he probably would have Mizuki in a stranglehold right about now,
"Well, it's been a pleasure to meet you both," Hazuki spoke politely, handing Mizuki back his share of Mao's Christmas shopping, "Mao, I've had a wonderful evening. I'll call you tomorrow so we can head to the festival alright?"
Before he could stop himself, Mao's tongue began to trip over itself as Hazuki began to back away and leave the queue,
"Bye Hazuki! Have fun tomorrow!" Mizuki waved naturally; like Hazuki was an old friend and it made Mao's eyes widen in bewilderment up into his friend's eyes - though Mizuki, predictably, didn't return his gaze,
"B-B-But... I-I..." Mao continued to babble, unable to do anything else but gaze on helplessly as Hazuki continued to retreat.
He almost fell to his knees and cursed Hazuki's handsomeness when he winked at him,
"Goodnight."
And then he was gone; disappearing into the crowd of shoppers and suddenly Mao felt his feet land back on earth, turning to Mizuki slowly as he tried to process what the heck had just happened.
Mizuki turned to him once he was sure Hazuki had left and could do nothing but chuckle, "You're welcome."
His smugness was almost overbearing and Mao couldn't stand it. He felt the whole of his face catch up in a blush now and took in a deep breath as he felt himself begin to lose it.
Before he could though, his phone vibrated deep in his jeans pocket, and his stomach was already doing somersaults as he managed to fish it out with one hand; trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he read the new text - from an unknown number,
"Hey, it was great to meet you tonight. Looking forward to tomorrow ^^
See you then
Hazuki x "
Mao could do nothing else but stare at the screen, almost in a trance.
What is this?? Mao pondered in his head, Did I honestly just agree to go out with this... strange guy I've never even met before?!
Somewhere, his mind told himself to relax; it was Christmas right? Good things happened all the time, selfless things in fact. If anything, he should be grateful, he decided. It's his favourite season, so why shouldn't he enjoy this moment of spontaneity?
He startled as Mizuki gave him a nudge with his elbow,
"Hey Mao! Quit drooling, it's your turn to sit on Santa's lap!"
❆ ❆ ❆
A/N: Kyaaa! how exciting! It's sooo so good to be writing again! Hope you enjoyed these first installments!! We really hope you enjoyed! <3 (Go stalk chinfluffhanaji's fics 'cause they're awesomeeeeee! *ahem*) <3