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| "Heads up, Dai!"
A confused "Huh?" and the wet smacking sound of a snowball colliding with a human face follow Ken's cheery cry. I turn to look in faint amusement, watching as the begoggled boy chases after my brother, the both of them laughing. I chuckle to myself, adjusting my glasses and looking back down at my book. Ken and his friends get along so well. I can't imagine any of them getting into real fights. Takeru and Ken are so close from all they endured together in the digital world that they could almost be a couple... except I think that Takeru may have a crush on that Daisuke boy. So might Ken. See, that's how close they all are - I know someone likes someone else in that special way, but just who those people are, I can't quite tell. From what I can hear, I assume that Daisuke nailed Ken with a snowball, and Ken's pretending to be upset that Takeru didn't come to his aid... oh my, now it sounds like a full-blown snowball fight. Go get 'em, Ken! After a while, I look up again, and it looks like Takeru and Ken have Daisuke cornered someplace where he can't grab any convenient snow. Those two can be so alike it's scary - Ken with his straight, chin-length indigo hair and slanted ocean-color eyes looks nothing whatsoever like Takeru with his shock of blonde hair and wide, sky-blue eyes, but they have the exact same smile. Right now, they're both smirking evilly at Daisuke and the similarity in facial expressions and body language gives me a sense of double-vision. Daisuke tries to duck down and dash between them, which does not quite work. Did I mention both my brother and Takeru have amazing reflexes? They dump their snowballs on him and then each grab an arm, hoisting him up... only to dump him in a snowdrift. I snicker a little. When Takeru and Ken team up, woe is their unlucky target. What Daisuke lacks in reflexes and subtlety, he makes up for with sheer all-or-nothing rashness, and while Takeru and Ken stand laughing good-naturedly at their handiwork, he nails them both with enough snow to halfway bury them. The looks on their faces are absolutely priceless... and then they both grab snowballs. Now it's a full-blown snowball fight. Daisuke hid behind Ken, who got Takeru's snowball in the face and retaliated in kind, Daisuke nailed Takeru while he wasn't looking, Takeru got Daisuke, Ken got Takeru... and it became a pure free-for-all. Taking a moment to watch the scene, I adjust my muffler and look back to my book. I do have to finish this by the end of the week, after all. I promised Shin. Ah... yes, Kido Shin. Emerald hair and bottomless black eyes behind a pair of glasses rather like mine. The first time I met Shin, he was out shopping with his little brother Jyou. They had stopped at the food court, right by my table, and I could overhear their conversation. I remember Shin was less than thrilled to be shopping - Jyou said it was for Koushiro's birthday and he needed help deciding on a gift. Shin didn't want to be shopping for someone who wasn't his significant other or immediate family. Jyou retorted that Koushiro might become immediate family sometime in the future. And then me with the big mouth remarks, "You mean Izumi Koushiro? The same Koushiro Ken-chan had a crush on?" Open mouth, insert foot. I'm not usually like that, I swear! It just kind of slipped... Thankfully, Jyou cracked up at that and nodded, and started talking to me about Koushiro and Ken. So then I had to explain to Shin, who was completely in the dark, and then we got to talking, and then Jyou went off on his own and left me and Shin to get acquainted. I still think that was blatant matchmaking. Not like I'm complaining... although I swear the entire world knows we like each other and we still haven't even done anything. I've been thinking up a million schemes to finally tell him, none of which have been implemented. Oh well - maybe I can tell him at that party Ken and his friends are planning to throw. Tonight is Christmas Eve, after all. "Oi, Osamu-kun!" Well, speak of the devil. I turn to him with a smile. "Konnichiwa, Shin-san." He seats himself beside me on the cold bench with easy grace. "How's the book, Osamu?" His speech is a bit slurred, piquing my curiosity. "Well, you were right, it is pretty interesting." I put a bookmark in it and set it aside. "And if nothing else, it's helping me practice my English." He nods. "Some American books are actually pretty good. Once you get a better grasp of the humor, you should try some British books." A glance at his mouth while he's talking reveals the reason for his odd speech - he's finishing off the very last remnants of a candy cane. "You've been telling me that all month, Shin. I intend to." "Good. They really are pretty funny." "So you've been telling me." I stretch. "My only problem with that book is that after staring down at it for so long, my neck and shoulders are all stiff." Almost immediately, I feel his hand slip under my muffler and start massaging the back of my neck, easing the stiffness in the muscles. His technique is gentle but firm, and his touch sends little shivers down my back that I'm sure wouldn't be there if it was somebody else touching me. I can feel my entire body relaxing at his touch. Somewhere in the happy fog that has settled over my mind, I catch myself wryly thinking that I'd probably be melting right now if it weren't so cold out. "Ah... Shin-san..." I'm quite aware how pathetically lovestruck that sounds, thank you. I'm also aware of the blush that's creeping over my face. "Yes?" he murmurs softly, his tone of voice making my heart flutter in my chest. Ichijouji Osamu, you have got it so bad for this guy. "That... um... thanks..." I stutter. He smiles at me, and right there I make my decision. When he starts to reply to my stuttered gratitude, I throw my arms around his neck, placing one hand on his back and one on the back of his head, pull him towards me, and press my mouth to his. And of course, the famous Ichijouji intellect kicks in after I do this, noting that I probably should have at least warned him or asked permission or something... And those nagging little doubts die very sudden deaths as I realize his arms are around me too, and... and... he's kissing me back, quite thoroughly. His mouth tastes like peppermint... And just as I'm starting to really get into the kiss, something cold and wet smacks into my face with enough force to knock me away from Shin and send my glasses flying off my face into the snow. "Sorry, oniichan!" Ken calls to me insincerely. I turn to glare at him. I'm horribly nearsighted and I can't see squat without my glasses, but I don't need to see his evil smirk to know it's there. "Hey, Ken," Shin says from beside me, and I see a blur of white suddenly streak towards Ken and hit him full in the face while he's laughing, giving him a mouthful of snow. Now I'm the one laughing. "Thank you, Shin-san." "Anytime, Osamu-chan," he smiles, handing me my glasses. My heart skips a couple beats at the use of the endearment as I put the glasses on. "Besides," he continues, "interrupted first kisses are entitled to double payback." With that, he scoops up a handful of snow and plops it into my hand. A slow, evil smirk stretches across my face as I turn to face Ken-chan, who is developing a look of pure terror. Just as he turns to run, I nail him in the back of the head with the snowball, sending him sprawling into a snowdrift. Takeru helps him up and shoots us a glare. I just smirk loftily, sidestepping the snowball that he throws. It hits Shin. Oops. "Ah... gomen, Shin-chan!" He very calmly wipes the snow off his face and glasses, and very calmly packs a snowball, and very calmly throws it at me. Ken, of course, then has to avenge his dear brother, and so I try to hit him for hitting Shin, but he ducks and it hits Daisuke, and then yet another snowball fight ensues, this time between the five of us. By the time we finally decide to head over to Shin's apartment to get ready for the party, we're soaked, freezing, and weak from laughter. I won't bore you with the details of the party. Suffice to say that right now, Shin and I are sitting on the couch, wrapped in each other's arms. He kisses the top of my head softly, and I sigh in contentment. "Sorry I didn't get you a Christmas present, Osamu-chan," he murmurs. "Yes you did," I murmur back, half-asleep. "Oh?" "Mm-hmm." "Enlighten me." "Isn't it obvious?" I look up at him with a smile. "You're my Christmas present." "Oh..." He laughs a little. "Sorry I didn't wrap myself." I laugh at that and snuggle a little closer to him. "That's alright." "Merry Christmas, Osamu-chan." "Merry Christmas to you too, Shin-chan."
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