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It had been a tradition since childhood for the Narumiyas and Takehayas to give each other gifts on Christmas day; Seiya and Minato in particular always made sure to give the other a gift.
One thing Seiya appreciated very much about Minato was how the latter was a simple man at heart, and therefore, getting presents for him on any occasion was never difficult. And even better, it was always affordable. While it wasn’t like Seiya would mind splurging for his childhood friend, he also was fond of seeing triple digits or more in his bank account, thanks.
For this year, however, Seiya was planning on giving a little something special to Minato considering the triumphs and victories he faced this year.
Seiya always bought two gifts for Minato this time of year since it would be horribly lazy (and also unnecessarily rude) to give the guy just one gift because “Christmas and your birthday are only five days apart!” Man, kids who were actually born on Christmas Day had it tough.
The first gift Seiya had purchased was easy enough—he had noticed that Minato’s current apron was getting rather frayed, and the idea clicked as soon as he saw a dark green apron patterned with St. Bernard heads. Adorable. Also, Seiya was 99% sure Minato loved Kuma just as much as archery.
Seiya would be lying if he said he didn’t feel even the slightest bit sore about that.
But that was for Christmas. Seiya decided that what Minato got for his birthday should be special, and though Seiya was a firm believer that price didn’t always correlate with quality, what he got fell under the opposite category.
And so, Seiya was sitting on his bed in the dark, watching the clock carefully.
11:59. Go time.
Grabbing the flashlight beside him, he went to the window and turned it on and off.
A few seconds later, the glass across from him also flickered, and Seiya opened his door and walked to the edge of the balcony, making sure the bag was well hidden despite its size. He handled it carefully, making sure it didn’t bump on the frame.
Just as Seiya finished hiding it, he heard rattling, and then the sliding of a door. He looked up. There was Minato in a cozy-looking sweater.
“Hey, of course you would be awake,” Minato greeted, voice neither overly loud or quiet but still able to ring through the crisp winter air.
“I’m surprised you’re still up,” Seiya replied. “How come?”
“Oh, Shuu was just texting and sending me pictures from his vacation in Hawaii,” Minato leaned on the railings. “I think he might be going to Jamaica next?”
Seiya tried not to gag. Trust-fund kid. Not like he could really judge considering his own wealth, but still. He was nowhere near as loaded as Shuu.
To be truthful, it wasn’t as though Seiya hated Shuu. Admittedly, he respected the guy, but mostly as an archer rather than a human being. Plus, Seiya would really love the chance to punch that guy in the face at least once, but tonight wasn’t about his less-than-positive feelings towards Shuu.
“Anyway, I called you out here because I wanted to say that I’m proud of all you’ve accomplished this year,” Seiya saw no reason to cut words here.
“Thanks, mom,” Minato rolled his eyes but was still smiling.
Ten seconds left. Perfect. “Continuing on, I just wanted to celebrate that a little. I think you deserve it. Here.”
With some effort, Seiya grabbed the bag but didn’t open it because of the chill in the air. Didn’t need to, because it was obvious as to what it was just from the shape and length alone. Minato looked stupefied, and he couldn’t even help himself from gaping a little.
“Happy birthday, Minato,” Seiya smiled, “Obviously, can’t give this to you right now, but I wanted you to at least have a little peek before I give it to you later in the day. Oh, it’s made of bamboo, by the way. I figured it would be nice to have a better one than what you already have.”
All of this was worth it for the look of pure joy and gratitude on Minato’s face. With pure, genuine sincerity, he said, “Thank you so, so much, Seiya. This is…”
Minato was at a loss for words, which Seiya expected. Then the teen seemed to be shaken out of his stupor, and he quickly said, “Wait a moment, Seiya! Give me a second to fetch something!”
And then Minato disappeared back into his room, and Seiya took that as his cue to quickly put the bag back. Though it wasn’t like it would get damaged by the weather in just a minute or two, it would be best to place it in the security of his warm room.
Luckily, Seiya made it back before Minato, who was holding a Pucky, matcha flavored. He handed it to Seiya.
“Don’t worry, there’s more where that came from,” Minato assured his friend after seeing the hesitation on his face, “Dad bought an entire box for some reason. And before you say refuse it, I’m just gonna let you know that this is in no way repaying your gift. Think of it as a little treat. Please?”
Seiya would feel like a dick if he refused, so naturally, he took it. Plus, he was a bit hungry. “Thanks.”
He opened it, took one of the sticks, and ate it. He chewed slowly. Not his first time eating matcha-flavored Pucky, but that was a long time ago, and Seiya only ate these on special occasions. Sweet. The original flavor was still his favorite, obviously, but green tea always had its charms.
Minato laughed, “Shouldn’t I be the one to say thanks?”
Seiya’s cheeks were red, and he couldn’t tell why. He could only softly reply, “Yeah.”
A comfortable silence settled between the two, with Minato just leaning again on the railings, watching Seiya eat—not because he was actually interested but more because of the fact that there wasn’t really anything else to look at—but then it seemed like something dawned on him.
“I know I should have realized this far sooner, but…” Minato trailed off before asking point-blank, “How much did the bow cost, Seiya?”
Well, shit.
“Ah, would you look at that, I think it’s getting colder.”
“Seiya-”
“And it’s getting later, too. You know how I am in the mornings. Best if I sleep now.”
“Seiya! How much-”
“Goodnight, Minato!”
“Seiya?!”