Falling in love
Title: Falling in love
Pairing: Ohmiya
Summary: What happens when a Santa's elf falls in love with the last person he could imagine?
Rating: G
Disclaimer: only the plot is mine... but I want Santa's sleigh for Xmas to go to Japan and kidnap them! XD
Genre: fluff
Words count: 4.166
AN: betaed by beastlover . This is for her, thanks for everything ♥!
It's finally Christmas ( = holidays!!!) and I have a new banner (with a touch of Ohmiya) and a Xmas oneshot to celebrate it! \^o^/
Merry Xmas and Merry Aiba's day to all of you!!
+++++++++++
Let me tell you a story about a little Santa's elf that fell in love with the last person he would have expected...
~
“Falling in love”
Process of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards someone to one of love. The usage of the term “fall” implies many things: that the process may have been in some way inevitable or uncontrollable, risky or putting the lover in a state of vulnerability, that the process is irreversible, or all of these things.
~
Have you ever wondered if one of Santa's elves could fall deeply, helplessly and unconditionally in love, even though he knows that his is an impossible love? However, tonight is Christmas Eve and everybody knows that sometimes, on Christmas, miracles happen...
[1 day before Christmas Eve]
“As always, excellent work, Nino.”
“Thank you, Ohno-san.”
“I’ve told you a hundred times to call me Oh-chan, haven’t I?” the man complained, pouting a little and looking at the young elf with puppy eyes. “Anyway, you will attend tonight's party, right? Then I’ll see you there!”
How this particular grown up man could resemble a five year old child so much was still a mystery to Nino. He felt his cheeks blushing furiously as he replied.
“Sure, Ohno-s-Oh-chan.”
“That’s much better!” He gave the flustered elf a huge grin of approbation that made Nino’s heart skip a beat. To fall in love, the young elf thought with a little sigh, wasn’t funny at all.
“So here is where you have been hiding, Ohno-kun. I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” A young, blond woman of astounding beauty approached them with a mischievous smile on her lips.
“Emili-chan!” Ohno exclaimed with delight, looking at the woman surprised. “What are you doing here? I thought you would not arrive until Christmas Day. And for your information, I’m not hiding anywhere. I’m working, you know?”
The young man gave her a big hug, lifting the petite blonde in the air. Hearing their joyful laughs, an involuntary pang of jealousy hit Nino’s heart.
“Well, you know how stubborn my grandfather is sometimes. He absolutely wanted to be here for tonight’s party, so he rushed things to be able to depart one day before the original date. Uf! The trip has been so long and I’m sooo tired... Be a good boy and invite me to some soda at your house, o.k.? I was so impatient to see you that I haven’t even greeted your father yet. You don’t want him to think that I’m a rude kid, do you?”
The young woman grabbed Ohno’s left arm and practically dragged him out of the workshop. Nino was so focused on the couple that he didn’t notice his friends Jun’s presence until the latter spoke.
“She’s the granddaughter of one of the three wise men. Melchior, I think. They say that she wouldn’t care less if people called her Mrs. Santa Junior, if you know what I mean”. Jun noticed Nino’s sour expression and how his eyes followed the merry couple until they abandoned the workshop. “I think you need to take a break and eat something. Let me treat you to some noodles!”
“Being in love sucks,” Nino though, following Jun to the cafeteria.
~~
[About 11 months ago]
It was Nino’s first day of work and the young elf was excited with the prospect of working in Santa’s workshop. His friend Jun had informed him that the first thing he should do was to introduce himself to the manager. That person would decide in which section of the workshop Nino was going to work.
“Please, remember to be polite with him,” Jun repeated for the umpteenth time that day. “And don’t start thinking about video games if the conversation bores you!”
“Jeez Jun, do you think I was brought up by wolves?” Nino replied, checking his appearance in the mirror. “I can be the epitome of politeness if I want.”
“Yeah, right. Then tell me, why during all these years I’ve never witnessed such a miracle, not even a single time?”
“The key resides in the ‘if I want’ part. And in your case, I did not. Now help me with these stupid shoes.”
Jun had started working in the workshop only a month ago, but in Nino’s opinion, he already behaved as if he knew everything about it - which was probably true, being the perfectionist he was.
~~
The manager’s office was situated a bit apart from the main workshop, separated from it by a small, well cared for garden with a tiny carp pond.
Nino was making his way toward the office, when his attention was suddenly attracted by a young human who sat beside the pond… fishing? Was it possible?
The elf stared, surprised, at the small rod the stranger held in his delicate hands, the collection of colourful baits displayed beside him, his fisherman cap… Yep, there was no doubt about it. The young man was trying to fish the carps in Santa’s pond! Moreover, he seemed to be enjoying it enormously.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, the young elf approached the man and ducked beside him.
“Hi”
“Hi” the human greeted back absentmindedly, his attention still focused on his sinker.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“Hum… It depends on what you are thinking, I suppose.”
“I think you’re trying to fish the carps of this pond.”
“Then you’re right,” the young man turned his face to look at Nino, a small, impish smile adorning his lips. Nino couldn’t help smiling back. What an interesting fellow!
“What’s your name?” The young elf asked, sitting comfortably beside the young human. The latter didn’t even blink at the elf’s over friendly behaviour.
“Ohno Satoshi”
“Um… I’ll call you Oh-chan then,” replied Nino with a mischievous wink. “By the way, my name is Ninomiya Kazunari, but my friends call me Nino.”
“Nino then,” the young human smiled brightly at his newfound friend.
They spent the next hour speaking amicably, as if they had known each other for forever. Nino had never felt so at ease with a person he had just met.
“So, why do you want to work in Santa’s workshop, Nino?”
“Are you joking? For an elf, there is nothing better than becoming a Santa’s elf! You can spend the whole day playing with all those toys and you can wear these green, pointy shoes that jingle with each step you take!” Nino exclaimed with his most innocent expression, shaking his shoes to make them jingle loudly.
“I’ve always been envious of elves for having permission to wear them!” Ohno replied between giggles.
“And you Oh-chan, why did you start working in Santa’s workshop?”
“Because I wanted to fly in Santa’s sleigh, of course!”
They started laughing again, so hard that they became teary-eyed.
“Nino!” Jun’s astonished gasp startled the young elf.
“Jeez, Jun! You scared me!” Nino frowned at his friend, a bit annoyed by his sudden interruption.
“Ah, hello Jun-kun!” Ohno waved happily at the newcomer. “How is everything at the workshop?”
“Very well Ohno-san. The first shift ended a few minutes ago,” the taller elf answered, bowing respectfully in Ohno's direction.
“Oh! Is that late already?” the young human exclaimed, surprised. “Sorry Nino, I have to go back to work. See you later!”
“See you later, Oh-chan!” Nino blatantly ignored Jun’s scandalized hiss.
With one last longing gaze at the small pond, Ohno gathered his fishing equipment and quickly disappeared in the workshop's direction. As soon as he was out of sight, Nino turned to face his friend, not bothering to conceal his annoyance.
“What bit you, Jun? Couldn't you see that I was occupied?”
“What the hell were you doing, Nino?” his friend furiously growled back. “I told you to be respectful with the manager, didn’t I? What were you thinking to behave so overly casual with Ohno-sa- Wait, you didn't know he was the manager, did you?” he asked, noticing Nino's surprised expression.
“Oh-chan is the manager? But he was fishing in the pond!” the small elf protested, taken aback by the sudden revelation. How could that funny, cute, dazed dude be the manager of Santa's workshop? He had supposed he was the gardener or some kind of caretaker... but the manager? How could it be possible?
“He is Santa Junior. His father put him in charge of the workshop two weeks ago.” Jun deadpanned, massaging his temples tiredly. “I knew I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew it! It is obvious that wolves brought you up. No, scratch that! Monkeys! You were brought up by monkeys!”
Nino nibbled on his lower lip, ashamed of how he had complained about the elves' shoes in front of Ohno. “I suppose he wasn't kidding when he said he joined the workshop to fly in Santa's sleigh after all.”
~~
After that, Nino tried to keep his distance from Ohno, but it proved to be a futile task because the young man was a friendly fellow who enjoyed talking with his co-workers whenever he had an opportunity - they adored him. Moreover, he seemed to have taken a special liking to Nino. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn't talk or eat lunch with the small elf.
Without even noticing it, Nino got more and more used to Ohno’s company to the point that a day did not feel complete until he had seen the young man’s sleepy smile. When the young elf finally realized that he had fallen heads over heels for that cute human, it was too late to go back. And the saddest thing was he knew it was a superb stupidity, he just knew it! Santa and one of his elves… together? What kind of wicked story was that!
[6 hours before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
“So, what is tonight's party about? Everybody seems to be ridiculously excited about it.” Nino sat comfortably on a bale of hay and started chewing on the hamburger he had for lunch.
“Don't you know it?” Aiba asked, incredulous, a blade of straw hanging out of his mouth comically.
“How is he supposed to know it, Masaki? He didn't attend last year's party, after all. Did you forget that he has been working here for less than a year?” Sho replied, munching on his bale of hay carefully.
“Oh! It's true! I forgot!” Aiba giggled, shaking his head.
“You're so forgetful. You would lose your snout if it wasn't attached to your head!” the older one replied with a fond look - he was more than used to Aiba’s absent-minded self.
Nino smiled at his two friends. Sho, the responsible but sometimes worry wort reindeer that commanded Santa's magical reindeer; and his partner Aiba, whose snout turned a bright shade of red whenever he felt happy or excited about something - which was almost all the time.
“Anyway,” Sho turned his head to face Nino once more, “at tonight's party, everyone must write on a paper the thing that he or she wants the most in the whole world. Then Santa, as a token of gratitude for this person’s hard work, gives it to him or her as a Christmas’ gift.”
“But you can't change your mind after you have received your gift, so you have to think very carefully about what you want,” piped in Aiba.
“What I want the most in the whole world...” Nino wondered for a few seconds, but the answer was painfully obvious to him. It was Ohno. What he wanted the most in the whole world was Ohno... but he couldn’t possibly ask for that.
“Ah! Did you know? This year, Ohno-kun is the one who will give the presents, not his father.”
Nino raised his head surprised, his attention immediately perking up at the mention of the human’s name.
“Speaking of Santa Junior, he is such a friendly pal, isn’t he?”
“Do you know him, Aiba?”
“But of course! He and I have gone for a drive a few times on Santa’s sleigh.”
“Wh-What?” Sho gaped at his friend, scandalized. “Are you crazy? What would happen if you damage it somehow?”
“Aww, Sho. Please, don’t worry so much,” Aiba immediately tried to calm his frantic reindeer friend. “The scratches on the side are barely visible and Ohno-kun did a great job fixing the left skate. It looks as good as new. You wouldn’t believe that it almost broke in half and-”
The strangled noises coming from Sho’s throat interrupted his diatribe. The other reindeer seemed ready to strangle Aiba with the reins of Santa’s sleigh so the latter cleverly decided to change the subject.
“Speaking of Ohno-kun, I hope he has luck on Christmas Day. After being in love for so long, he deserves it”
“WH-WHAT?” this time it was Nino who almost choked on his food. After a few strangled coughs, the small elf tried again. “In-in love?” he couldn’t help stuttering. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh! It was a secret, I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Aiba exclaimed, looking a bit ashamed of his lack of discretion. “Oh well, I suppose it’s too late to worry about that now,” he shrugged - or at least he did the equivalent of a shrug for a reindeer, - and resumed his munching on the bale of hay again.
Nino couldn’t stand still, his impatience to hear what the bubbly reindeer had to say about Ohno getting the best of him.
“So?” he tried to question the reindeer subtly.
“So what?” an oblivious Aiba replied, the matter of Ohno’s love interest long forgotten in favour of his food.
“What about Oh-chan being in love? What is going to happen on Christmas Day? Why do you hope him luck? WHO IS HE IN LOVE WITH?!” the young elf shot these questions like a machine gun, his chubby hands shaking Aiba’s neck with force - so much for the intended subtlety.
“I don’t know who he is in love with,” Aiba gaped at his friend, startled by his crazy behaviour, “but in one of our short trips, he mentioned that he had been in love with someone for a long time now and he was going to confess on Christmas Day. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Nino let his friend go and sat motionless on the bale, his lunch long forgotten beside him. “On Christmas Day? Didn't he expect that blond girl to arrive that day? It must be her, then!”
The small elf sighed, feeling more depressed than ever. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his forehead on his knees.
“To fall in love when you know that you don’t stand a chance is the worst.”
~~
[3 hours before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
Nino looked around him in awe. The elves’ cafeteria was almost unrecognizable!
The room glittered under the soft, warm glow of hundreds of twinkling candles. Green branches of fir and pine adorned the walls, filling the room with their strong, fresh aroma. At the back of the cafeteria, a small stage with a red, velvet curtain hid the spot where the window to the kitchen and the rails for the trays were. Here and there, a small posy of mistletoe hung from the ceiling, granting a few shy kisses and lot of barely-concealed laughs from those present at the party. The salon buzzed with conversations and laughs, the Christmas feeling present in every corner.
A huge Christmas tree stood in the middle of the salon, decorated with an abundance of large, red bows and golden and silver tinsel. A long queue of people surrounded it, and at its end was Ohno, handing out the gifts. The short human wore the lamest imitation of a Santa’s costume that Nino had ever seen - white beard and fake belly included. A big sack was beside him. Nino supposed it must be some kind of magic, bottomless sack because the young man kept getting things out from it and, regardless of the gift’s size, the sack always looked like it was half-full.
The blond girl was there too, talking cheerfully to Santa Claus father and her grandfather, Melchior, while keeping an eye on Ohno. Each time their eyes met, she smiled at the young man sweetly. Nino cringed at its sight.
“There’s no point in trying to delay it. The sooner I finish with this, the better,” he decided.
The young elf joined the queue, nervously wrapping and unwrapping the paper on which he had written his wish around his short fingers. Had he made the right decision? Should he have wished for another thing? He bit his lower lip, feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.
Finally his turn came. Nino handed his paper to Ohno with trembling hands, his eyes refusing to meet the human’s eyes. His heart was beating so fast inside his chest that he almost expected Ohno to hear it.
“Is this what you really want?” The soft question surprised him. The small elf raised his head and their eyes met. Ohno was smiling slightly at him, but the expression of his eyes was serious, deadly serious.
Gulping, Nino lowered his head again and just nodded, keeping his eyes on his chubby hands.
“Are you sure?” Ohno insisted.
Was that disappointment he heard in the young man’s voice? Nino risked a quick glimpse to Ohno’s face, but he didn’t see any sign of unhappiness. He must have imagined it.
“Yes, I love these series and I’ve heard that this game is really good so…”
“O.k. I hope you enjoy it,” Ohno answered with a big smile, giving him a wrapped box with a big, yellow bow. Inside was the Mario Bros game he had asked for.
“Thanks a lot for this,” Nino bowered gratefully to Ohno, his bangs hiding his eyes from the short man. Even if it was what he had asked for, he felt empty inside, as if he had lost his only chance to get what he really wanted. Clutching his new game in his hands, he hastily left the queue.
“Sure thing! I’ll see you later,” Ohno exclaimed before turning to face the next person in the queue, a resolute pout adorning his lips.
Nino decided he could at least try to enjoy the party. He had worked hard that year, hadn’t he? He deserved a bit of fun! The young elf found his friend Jun and together they ravaged the table of sweets. He enjoyed the eggnog, the music, the laughs… until he saw Ohno dancing with the blond girl. They stood close to each other, laughing and talking happily together. They made such a perfect couple.
Nino felt a sudden lump in his throat that he couldn’t swallow. Suddenly, the eggnog wasn’t that good, the music and the laughs were too loud, the sweets weren’t that sweet… The party would last until midnight, but Nino decided he had stayed long enough. He didn’t feel in the mood to celebrate Christmas, after all.
“Falling in love hurts like hell,” the small elf thought, leaving the room without looking back.
~~
[A few seconds before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
Nino tossed and turned in his bed once more, restless. He had gone to bed more than an hour ago, but he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.
The clock in his sitting room struck twelve, signalling the beginning of Christmas Day.
“Will Ohno have confessed to that blond girl by now?” the depressed elf pondered, imagining the happy couple celebrating their first Christmas Day together.
Seeing Ohno with that petite woman, talking, laughing… kissing, was going to be incredibly painful, but what else could he do? Leave his work at Santa’s workshop? But that would mean that he would never see Ohno again, and Nino couldn’t imagine his life without seeing the human’s cute, dazed smile every day.
Suddenly, a muffled sound coming from the sitting room caught his attention. What was that? He stood still for a few seconds, holding his breath to better hear the sounds in his house, but nothing seemed to be wrong. Nino was about to resume his attempts to sleep when he heard the same noise again, louder this time.
He sat straight on his bed, debating if he should go take a look when he heard jingle bells and a well-known laugh coming from outside of the house.
“Uh? Santa?”
The small elf run toward his window and looked outside. He arrived in time to see Santa’s sleigh disappearing over his house’s roof with Aiba’s bright, red nose shinning in the night.
“What was doing Santa in my house?”
Dying of curiosity, Nino went to his sitting room. At first he didn’t see anything abnormal, but then his eyes noticed the small, wrapped box under his Christmas tree. He took it in his hands and read the small tag attached to the box.
For Nino
“For me?” the young elf looked at the small box, puzzled. Carefully, he pulled the blue ribbon that kept the box closed.
BOOM!!!
The box suddenly exploded in a cloud of multicoloured smoke. The startled elf fell backwards, closing his eyes instinctively. He raised his arms in front of him in a protective way.
“What the-!” he exclaimed.
“Merry Christmas!!”
“That voice… It can’t be!”
Nino winced open an eye cautiously; afraid of discovering that it was only a product of his imagination. And then his eyes opened wide and he stared, eyed-crossed, at the smiling human in front of him.
“This can’t be! This has to be a dream… Ah! I know! I must have fallen asleep without noticing it and I’m probably drooling all over my pillow right now. Soon, I’ll wake up and laugh at this bizarre dream,” the surprised elf reasoned, rubbing his eyes in denial.
However, Ohno’s apparition didn’t disappear, as he was expecting. The human titled his head, looking at Nino pensively. And then, he proceeded to smack the young elf’s forehead with his finger.
“OUCH!” Nino cried, covering his abused forehead with both hands.
“Do you still think that this is a dream?” Ohno asked between giggles.
“O.k., I got the point. But what are you doing here, Oh-chan? I though you would be at the party with that blond girl”
“Emili-chan? Why?” Ohno looked at Nino with a confused face.
“Because you love her?”
“Of course I love her, but I’m not in love with her. Moreover, if I were in love with her, would I be here now, granting you what you really desire?”
“Bu-but, I received my Christmas gift already… and I had been told that after you get what you have asked for, you can’t change it.”
“That’s right! But this is not your Christmas gift, it’s mine. I’ve used my gift to give you what you really want,” Ohno’s smile turned into a smug one. “And that’s me! I’m such a lucky fellow, aren’t I?”
“How did you kno-” the young elf realized what he was saying and hastily smacked his mouth with his hands in a futile attempt to erase his own words. He felt his checks blushing furiously.
“How did I know?” Ohno ended his question for him “Because Santa knows it all, of course!” the young man explained with a beatific smile, as it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Santa knows it all…” Nino couldn’t help looking at Ohno dubiously, and then he had a sudden revelation. “Aiba told you!”
“Well, that might or might not helped a bit” the young man ruefully admitted. “I thought you were going to confess at the party. It was going to be so romantic!” he exclaimed, letting out a dreamy sigh.
“But you preferred to ask for a game… And you left the party, not giving me a chance to talk to you.” Ohno pouted, obviously disappointed. “You left me no option but to use my own wish to get here… And I was looking forward to get that fishing boat this year,” he frowned at the astonished young elf and then, he pointed at him and exclaimed. “I love you Nino, and you owe me a boat now!”
Nino gaped at the young man, unable to understand what he was saying. But then, the meaning of Ohno’s words finally sank in, spreading a big, warm, fuzzy feeling inside the small elf’s heart. Bubbling with laughter, Nino launched himself towards Ohno, making the latter lose his balance, and placed small kisses all over the surprised man’s face until both of them were laughing uncontrollably.
“I love you, Oh-chan!” Nino added, almost breathless. “I love you, I love you, I love you!”
“And?” the young man looked at the elf with hopeful eyes.
“And I’ll buy you that damned boat!” Nino added, and then they kissed again.
~~
To fall in love is the most wonderful thing in the world, don’t you think so?
END
Pairing: Ohmiya
Summary: What happens when a Santa's elf falls in love with the last person he could imagine?
Rating: G
Disclaimer: only the plot is mine... but I want Santa's sleigh for Xmas to go to Japan and kidnap them! XD
Genre: fluff
Words count: 4.166
AN: betaed by beastlover . This is for her, thanks for everything ♥!
It's finally Christmas ( = holidays!!!) and I have a new banner (with a touch of Ohmiya) and a Xmas oneshot to celebrate it! \^o^/
Merry Xmas and Merry Aiba's day to all of you!!
+++++++++++
Let me tell you a story about a little Santa's elf that fell in love with the last person he would have expected...
~
“Falling in love”
Process of moving from a feeling of neutrality towards someone to one of love. The usage of the term “fall” implies many things: that the process may have been in some way inevitable or uncontrollable, risky or putting the lover in a state of vulnerability, that the process is irreversible, or all of these things.
~
Have you ever wondered if one of Santa's elves could fall deeply, helplessly and unconditionally in love, even though he knows that his is an impossible love? However, tonight is Christmas Eve and everybody knows that sometimes, on Christmas, miracles happen...
[1 day before Christmas Eve]
“As always, excellent work, Nino.”
“Thank you, Ohno-san.”
“I’ve told you a hundred times to call me Oh-chan, haven’t I?” the man complained, pouting a little and looking at the young elf with puppy eyes. “Anyway, you will attend tonight's party, right? Then I’ll see you there!”
How this particular grown up man could resemble a five year old child so much was still a mystery to Nino. He felt his cheeks blushing furiously as he replied.
“Sure, Ohno-s-Oh-chan.”
“That’s much better!” He gave the flustered elf a huge grin of approbation that made Nino’s heart skip a beat. To fall in love, the young elf thought with a little sigh, wasn’t funny at all.
“So here is where you have been hiding, Ohno-kun. I’ve been looking for you everywhere!” A young, blond woman of astounding beauty approached them with a mischievous smile on her lips.
“Emili-chan!” Ohno exclaimed with delight, looking at the woman surprised. “What are you doing here? I thought you would not arrive until Christmas Day. And for your information, I’m not hiding anywhere. I’m working, you know?”
The young man gave her a big hug, lifting the petite blonde in the air. Hearing their joyful laughs, an involuntary pang of jealousy hit Nino’s heart.
“Well, you know how stubborn my grandfather is sometimes. He absolutely wanted to be here for tonight’s party, so he rushed things to be able to depart one day before the original date. Uf! The trip has been so long and I’m sooo tired... Be a good boy and invite me to some soda at your house, o.k.? I was so impatient to see you that I haven’t even greeted your father yet. You don’t want him to think that I’m a rude kid, do you?”
The young woman grabbed Ohno’s left arm and practically dragged him out of the workshop. Nino was so focused on the couple that he didn’t notice his friends Jun’s presence until the latter spoke.
“She’s the granddaughter of one of the three wise men. Melchior, I think. They say that she wouldn’t care less if people called her Mrs. Santa Junior, if you know what I mean”. Jun noticed Nino’s sour expression and how his eyes followed the merry couple until they abandoned the workshop. “I think you need to take a break and eat something. Let me treat you to some noodles!”
“Being in love sucks,” Nino though, following Jun to the cafeteria.
~~
[About 11 months ago]
It was Nino’s first day of work and the young elf was excited with the prospect of working in Santa’s workshop. His friend Jun had informed him that the first thing he should do was to introduce himself to the manager. That person would decide in which section of the workshop Nino was going to work.
“Please, remember to be polite with him,” Jun repeated for the umpteenth time that day. “And don’t start thinking about video games if the conversation bores you!”
“Jeez Jun, do you think I was brought up by wolves?” Nino replied, checking his appearance in the mirror. “I can be the epitome of politeness if I want.”
“Yeah, right. Then tell me, why during all these years I’ve never witnessed such a miracle, not even a single time?”
“The key resides in the ‘if I want’ part. And in your case, I did not. Now help me with these stupid shoes.”
Jun had started working in the workshop only a month ago, but in Nino’s opinion, he already behaved as if he knew everything about it - which was probably true, being the perfectionist he was.
~~
The manager’s office was situated a bit apart from the main workshop, separated from it by a small, well cared for garden with a tiny carp pond.
Nino was making his way toward the office, when his attention was suddenly attracted by a young human who sat beside the pond… fishing? Was it possible?
The elf stared, surprised, at the small rod the stranger held in his delicate hands, the collection of colourful baits displayed beside him, his fisherman cap… Yep, there was no doubt about it. The young man was trying to fish the carps in Santa’s pond! Moreover, he seemed to be enjoying it enormously.
Unable to hold back his curiosity, the young elf approached the man and ducked beside him.
“Hi”
“Hi” the human greeted back absentmindedly, his attention still focused on his sinker.
“Are you doing what I think you’re doing?”
“Hum… It depends on what you are thinking, I suppose.”
“I think you’re trying to fish the carps of this pond.”
“Then you’re right,” the young man turned his face to look at Nino, a small, impish smile adorning his lips. Nino couldn’t help smiling back. What an interesting fellow!
“What’s your name?” The young elf asked, sitting comfortably beside the young human. The latter didn’t even blink at the elf’s over friendly behaviour.
“Ohno Satoshi”
“Um… I’ll call you Oh-chan then,” replied Nino with a mischievous wink. “By the way, my name is Ninomiya Kazunari, but my friends call me Nino.”
“Nino then,” the young human smiled brightly at his newfound friend.
They spent the next hour speaking amicably, as if they had known each other for forever. Nino had never felt so at ease with a person he had just met.
“So, why do you want to work in Santa’s workshop, Nino?”
“Are you joking? For an elf, there is nothing better than becoming a Santa’s elf! You can spend the whole day playing with all those toys and you can wear these green, pointy shoes that jingle with each step you take!” Nino exclaimed with his most innocent expression, shaking his shoes to make them jingle loudly.
“I’ve always been envious of elves for having permission to wear them!” Ohno replied between giggles.
“And you Oh-chan, why did you start working in Santa’s workshop?”
“Because I wanted to fly in Santa’s sleigh, of course!”
They started laughing again, so hard that they became teary-eyed.
“Nino!” Jun’s astonished gasp startled the young elf.
“Jeez, Jun! You scared me!” Nino frowned at his friend, a bit annoyed by his sudden interruption.
“Ah, hello Jun-kun!” Ohno waved happily at the newcomer. “How is everything at the workshop?”
“Very well Ohno-san. The first shift ended a few minutes ago,” the taller elf answered, bowing respectfully in Ohno's direction.
“Oh! Is that late already?” the young human exclaimed, surprised. “Sorry Nino, I have to go back to work. See you later!”
“See you later, Oh-chan!” Nino blatantly ignored Jun’s scandalized hiss.
With one last longing gaze at the small pond, Ohno gathered his fishing equipment and quickly disappeared in the workshop's direction. As soon as he was out of sight, Nino turned to face his friend, not bothering to conceal his annoyance.
“What bit you, Jun? Couldn't you see that I was occupied?”
“What the hell were you doing, Nino?” his friend furiously growled back. “I told you to be respectful with the manager, didn’t I? What were you thinking to behave so overly casual with Ohno-sa- Wait, you didn't know he was the manager, did you?” he asked, noticing Nino's surprised expression.
“Oh-chan is the manager? But he was fishing in the pond!” the small elf protested, taken aback by the sudden revelation. How could that funny, cute, dazed dude be the manager of Santa's workshop? He had supposed he was the gardener or some kind of caretaker... but the manager? How could it be possible?
“He is Santa Junior. His father put him in charge of the workshop two weeks ago.” Jun deadpanned, massaging his temples tiredly. “I knew I shouldn't have left you alone. I knew it! It is obvious that wolves brought you up. No, scratch that! Monkeys! You were brought up by monkeys!”
Nino nibbled on his lower lip, ashamed of how he had complained about the elves' shoes in front of Ohno. “I suppose he wasn't kidding when he said he joined the workshop to fly in Santa's sleigh after all.”
~~
After that, Nino tried to keep his distance from Ohno, but it proved to be a futile task because the young man was a friendly fellow who enjoyed talking with his co-workers whenever he had an opportunity - they adored him. Moreover, he seemed to have taken a special liking to Nino. There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn't talk or eat lunch with the small elf.
Without even noticing it, Nino got more and more used to Ohno’s company to the point that a day did not feel complete until he had seen the young man’s sleepy smile. When the young elf finally realized that he had fallen heads over heels for that cute human, it was too late to go back. And the saddest thing was he knew it was a superb stupidity, he just knew it! Santa and one of his elves… together? What kind of wicked story was that!
[6 hours before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
“So, what is tonight's party about? Everybody seems to be ridiculously excited about it.” Nino sat comfortably on a bale of hay and started chewing on the hamburger he had for lunch.
“Don't you know it?” Aiba asked, incredulous, a blade of straw hanging out of his mouth comically.
“How is he supposed to know it, Masaki? He didn't attend last year's party, after all. Did you forget that he has been working here for less than a year?” Sho replied, munching on his bale of hay carefully.
“Oh! It's true! I forgot!” Aiba giggled, shaking his head.
“You're so forgetful. You would lose your snout if it wasn't attached to your head!” the older one replied with a fond look - he was more than used to Aiba’s absent-minded self.
Nino smiled at his two friends. Sho, the responsible but sometimes worry wort reindeer that commanded Santa's magical reindeer; and his partner Aiba, whose snout turned a bright shade of red whenever he felt happy or excited about something - which was almost all the time.
“Anyway,” Sho turned his head to face Nino once more, “at tonight's party, everyone must write on a paper the thing that he or she wants the most in the whole world. Then Santa, as a token of gratitude for this person’s hard work, gives it to him or her as a Christmas’ gift.”
“But you can't change your mind after you have received your gift, so you have to think very carefully about what you want,” piped in Aiba.
“What I want the most in the whole world...” Nino wondered for a few seconds, but the answer was painfully obvious to him. It was Ohno. What he wanted the most in the whole world was Ohno... but he couldn’t possibly ask for that.
“Ah! Did you know? This year, Ohno-kun is the one who will give the presents, not his father.”
Nino raised his head surprised, his attention immediately perking up at the mention of the human’s name.
“Speaking of Santa Junior, he is such a friendly pal, isn’t he?”
“Do you know him, Aiba?”
“But of course! He and I have gone for a drive a few times on Santa’s sleigh.”
“Wh-What?” Sho gaped at his friend, scandalized. “Are you crazy? What would happen if you damage it somehow?”
“Aww, Sho. Please, don’t worry so much,” Aiba immediately tried to calm his frantic reindeer friend. “The scratches on the side are barely visible and Ohno-kun did a great job fixing the left skate. It looks as good as new. You wouldn’t believe that it almost broke in half and-”
The strangled noises coming from Sho’s throat interrupted his diatribe. The other reindeer seemed ready to strangle Aiba with the reins of Santa’s sleigh so the latter cleverly decided to change the subject.
“Speaking of Ohno-kun, I hope he has luck on Christmas Day. After being in love for so long, he deserves it”
“WH-WHAT?” this time it was Nino who almost choked on his food. After a few strangled coughs, the small elf tried again. “In-in love?” he couldn’t help stuttering. “What are you talking about?”
“Oh! It was a secret, I shouldn’t have mentioned it,” Aiba exclaimed, looking a bit ashamed of his lack of discretion. “Oh well, I suppose it’s too late to worry about that now,” he shrugged - or at least he did the equivalent of a shrug for a reindeer, - and resumed his munching on the bale of hay again.
Nino couldn’t stand still, his impatience to hear what the bubbly reindeer had to say about Ohno getting the best of him.
“So?” he tried to question the reindeer subtly.
“So what?” an oblivious Aiba replied, the matter of Ohno’s love interest long forgotten in favour of his food.
“What about Oh-chan being in love? What is going to happen on Christmas Day? Why do you hope him luck? WHO IS HE IN LOVE WITH?!” the young elf shot these questions like a machine gun, his chubby hands shaking Aiba’s neck with force - so much for the intended subtlety.
“I don’t know who he is in love with,” Aiba gaped at his friend, startled by his crazy behaviour, “but in one of our short trips, he mentioned that he had been in love with someone for a long time now and he was going to confess on Christmas Day. That’s all I know, I swear!”
Nino let his friend go and sat motionless on the bale, his lunch long forgotten beside him. “On Christmas Day? Didn't he expect that blond girl to arrive that day? It must be her, then!”
The small elf sighed, feeling more depressed than ever. He wrapped his arms around his legs and rested his forehead on his knees.
“To fall in love when you know that you don’t stand a chance is the worst.”
~~
[3 hours before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
Nino looked around him in awe. The elves’ cafeteria was almost unrecognizable!
The room glittered under the soft, warm glow of hundreds of twinkling candles. Green branches of fir and pine adorned the walls, filling the room with their strong, fresh aroma. At the back of the cafeteria, a small stage with a red, velvet curtain hid the spot where the window to the kitchen and the rails for the trays were. Here and there, a small posy of mistletoe hung from the ceiling, granting a few shy kisses and lot of barely-concealed laughs from those present at the party. The salon buzzed with conversations and laughs, the Christmas feeling present in every corner.
A huge Christmas tree stood in the middle of the salon, decorated with an abundance of large, red bows and golden and silver tinsel. A long queue of people surrounded it, and at its end was Ohno, handing out the gifts. The short human wore the lamest imitation of a Santa’s costume that Nino had ever seen - white beard and fake belly included. A big sack was beside him. Nino supposed it must be some kind of magic, bottomless sack because the young man kept getting things out from it and, regardless of the gift’s size, the sack always looked like it was half-full.
The blond girl was there too, talking cheerfully to Santa Claus father and her grandfather, Melchior, while keeping an eye on Ohno. Each time their eyes met, she smiled at the young man sweetly. Nino cringed at its sight.
“There’s no point in trying to delay it. The sooner I finish with this, the better,” he decided.
The young elf joined the queue, nervously wrapping and unwrapping the paper on which he had written his wish around his short fingers. Had he made the right decision? Should he have wished for another thing? He bit his lower lip, feeling more and more nervous with each passing second.
Finally his turn came. Nino handed his paper to Ohno with trembling hands, his eyes refusing to meet the human’s eyes. His heart was beating so fast inside his chest that he almost expected Ohno to hear it.
“Is this what you really want?” The soft question surprised him. The small elf raised his head and their eyes met. Ohno was smiling slightly at him, but the expression of his eyes was serious, deadly serious.
Gulping, Nino lowered his head again and just nodded, keeping his eyes on his chubby hands.
“Are you sure?” Ohno insisted.
Was that disappointment he heard in the young man’s voice? Nino risked a quick glimpse to Ohno’s face, but he didn’t see any sign of unhappiness. He must have imagined it.
“Yes, I love these series and I’ve heard that this game is really good so…”
“O.k. I hope you enjoy it,” Ohno answered with a big smile, giving him a wrapped box with a big, yellow bow. Inside was the Mario Bros game he had asked for.
“Thanks a lot for this,” Nino bowered gratefully to Ohno, his bangs hiding his eyes from the short man. Even if it was what he had asked for, he felt empty inside, as if he had lost his only chance to get what he really wanted. Clutching his new game in his hands, he hastily left the queue.
“Sure thing! I’ll see you later,” Ohno exclaimed before turning to face the next person in the queue, a resolute pout adorning his lips.
Nino decided he could at least try to enjoy the party. He had worked hard that year, hadn’t he? He deserved a bit of fun! The young elf found his friend Jun and together they ravaged the table of sweets. He enjoyed the eggnog, the music, the laughs… until he saw Ohno dancing with the blond girl. They stood close to each other, laughing and talking happily together. They made such a perfect couple.
Nino felt a sudden lump in his throat that he couldn’t swallow. Suddenly, the eggnog wasn’t that good, the music and the laughs were too loud, the sweets weren’t that sweet… The party would last until midnight, but Nino decided he had stayed long enough. He didn’t feel in the mood to celebrate Christmas, after all.
“Falling in love hurts like hell,” the small elf thought, leaving the room without looking back.
~~
[A few seconds before Christmas Eve’s midnight]
Nino tossed and turned in his bed once more, restless. He had gone to bed more than an hour ago, but he couldn’t fall asleep no matter how hard he tried.
The clock in his sitting room struck twelve, signalling the beginning of Christmas Day.
“Will Ohno have confessed to that blond girl by now?” the depressed elf pondered, imagining the happy couple celebrating their first Christmas Day together.
Seeing Ohno with that petite woman, talking, laughing… kissing, was going to be incredibly painful, but what else could he do? Leave his work at Santa’s workshop? But that would mean that he would never see Ohno again, and Nino couldn’t imagine his life without seeing the human’s cute, dazed smile every day.
Suddenly, a muffled sound coming from the sitting room caught his attention. What was that? He stood still for a few seconds, holding his breath to better hear the sounds in his house, but nothing seemed to be wrong. Nino was about to resume his attempts to sleep when he heard the same noise again, louder this time.
He sat straight on his bed, debating if he should go take a look when he heard jingle bells and a well-known laugh coming from outside of the house.
“Uh? Santa?”
The small elf run toward his window and looked outside. He arrived in time to see Santa’s sleigh disappearing over his house’s roof with Aiba’s bright, red nose shinning in the night.
“What was doing Santa in my house?”
Dying of curiosity, Nino went to his sitting room. At first he didn’t see anything abnormal, but then his eyes noticed the small, wrapped box under his Christmas tree. He took it in his hands and read the small tag attached to the box.
For Nino
“For me?” the young elf looked at the small box, puzzled. Carefully, he pulled the blue ribbon that kept the box closed.
BOOM!!!
The box suddenly exploded in a cloud of multicoloured smoke. The startled elf fell backwards, closing his eyes instinctively. He raised his arms in front of him in a protective way.
“What the-!” he exclaimed.
“Merry Christmas!!”
“That voice… It can’t be!”
Nino winced open an eye cautiously; afraid of discovering that it was only a product of his imagination. And then his eyes opened wide and he stared, eyed-crossed, at the smiling human in front of him.
“This can’t be! This has to be a dream… Ah! I know! I must have fallen asleep without noticing it and I’m probably drooling all over my pillow right now. Soon, I’ll wake up and laugh at this bizarre dream,” the surprised elf reasoned, rubbing his eyes in denial.
However, Ohno’s apparition didn’t disappear, as he was expecting. The human titled his head, looking at Nino pensively. And then, he proceeded to smack the young elf’s forehead with his finger.
“OUCH!” Nino cried, covering his abused forehead with both hands.
“Do you still think that this is a dream?” Ohno asked between giggles.
“O.k., I got the point. But what are you doing here, Oh-chan? I though you would be at the party with that blond girl”
“Emili-chan? Why?” Ohno looked at Nino with a confused face.
“Because you love her?”
“Of course I love her, but I’m not in love with her. Moreover, if I were in love with her, would I be here now, granting you what you really desire?”
“Bu-but, I received my Christmas gift already… and I had been told that after you get what you have asked for, you can’t change it.”
“That’s right! But this is not your Christmas gift, it’s mine. I’ve used my gift to give you what you really want,” Ohno’s smile turned into a smug one. “And that’s me! I’m such a lucky fellow, aren’t I?”
“How did you kno-” the young elf realized what he was saying and hastily smacked his mouth with his hands in a futile attempt to erase his own words. He felt his checks blushing furiously.
“How did I know?” Ohno ended his question for him “Because Santa knows it all, of course!” the young man explained with a beatific smile, as it was the most obvious thing in the world.
“Santa knows it all…” Nino couldn’t help looking at Ohno dubiously, and then he had a sudden revelation. “Aiba told you!”
“Well, that might or might not helped a bit” the young man ruefully admitted. “I thought you were going to confess at the party. It was going to be so romantic!” he exclaimed, letting out a dreamy sigh.
“But you preferred to ask for a game… And you left the party, not giving me a chance to talk to you.” Ohno pouted, obviously disappointed. “You left me no option but to use my own wish to get here… And I was looking forward to get that fishing boat this year,” he frowned at the astonished young elf and then, he pointed at him and exclaimed. “I love you Nino, and you owe me a boat now!”
Nino gaped at the young man, unable to understand what he was saying. But then, the meaning of Ohno’s words finally sank in, spreading a big, warm, fuzzy feeling inside the small elf’s heart. Bubbling with laughter, Nino launched himself towards Ohno, making the latter lose his balance, and placed small kisses all over the surprised man’s face until both of them were laughing uncontrollably.
“I love you, Oh-chan!” Nino added, almost breathless. “I love you, I love you, I love you!”
“And?” the young man looked at the elf with hopeful eyes.
“And I’ll buy you that damned boat!” Nino added, and then they kissed again.
~~
To fall in love is the most wonderful thing in the world, don’t you think so?
END