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The smell of pine and cinnamon fills the room. The warm, welcoming fragrance makes Slaine grin like a kid, as he reaches for another ornament from the box. This one’s a simple plastic candy cane, and he hangs it from one of the branches, looking very pleased with himself. Outside, the snow softly falls to the ground, as silent as anything, but somehow it still makes itself known. Slaine shivers as he watches it from the window, feeling a phantom chill from the cold flakes even within the warm, cozy house.
“Hungry?” A soft voice asks, bringing with it the tell-tale smell of freshly baked sugar cookies and hot chocolate. Slaine can’t stop the dopey smile that spreads across his face when he sees Inaho walk in with a tray of snacks.
“Starving.” He reaches for a cookie, munching on it happily. It’s fresh from the oven and the texture is so light and buttery, the warmth of the cookie travels from his stomach to the rest of his body and he hums in delight. “These are fantastic,'' he mumbled through a mouthful of crumbs. Inaho set the tray aside and wiped some crumbs from Slaine’s face with his thumb.
“I’m glad you like them.”
They sit down together on the rug. “Here, say ‘ahhh’.” Inaho obligingly opens his mouth, and Slaine pops a piece of cookie inside. Once finished with the cookies, they drink hot chocolate, Slaine practically sitting in Inaho’s lap.
“The tree looks amazing. But maybe that’s because you’re helping this year.” Inaho says, squeezing Slaine’s waist in a way that makes him feel safe and secure.
“Our first Christmas together,” Slaine says in a hushed voice, as though he can’t believe it himself. Like it’s a dream come true.
“And many more to come.” Inaho reminds him.
Slaine cups Inaho’s cheek and pulls him into a soft kiss. He can feel the tiny crumbs on Inaho’s lips and can taste the chocolate between them. He couldn’t be happier.
They finish decorating the tree together. As they go through the ornaments, Inaho explains the stories behind each one. There are ornaments shaped like rocket ships, ornaments that are beginning to show their age with their chipped edges and faded paint. An ornament shaped like a tiny boot with the year Inaho was born etched into the sole.
“There’s one more ornament left,” Inaho tells him. The box all the ornaments came from lies empty.
“I think we hung them all, Inaho.”
Inaho shakes his head. His hands are suspiciously hidden behind his back. “We haven’t hung up this one yet.” And then reveals what he’d been hiding: a very simple box, that he passes off to Slaine. “Open it.” Inaho’s eyes are shimmering like a kid on Christmas morning. Slaine carefully lifts the lid and gasps.
Inside lies a delicate glass ball. It’s a deep shade of blue, like a late December sky at night. Around the bottom and top are tiny snowflakes outlined in glittery silver paint, each one crafted so delicately like their counterparts that continued to fall outside. But on the ball’s face, right in the center in that same silver color, was the phrase “Inaho and Slaine Kaizuka; Christmas 20xx”.
“It’s our first Christmas ornament,” Inaho says softly. “To celebrate our first Christmas together.”
It’s all Slaine can do to keep his emotions at bay. “It’s so beautiful, I love it so much.”
Inaho brightens at that and, together, they find the perfect place on the tree to hang it.
“Merry Christmas, Slaine.”
“Merry Christmas, Inaho.”