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Snow falls slowly outside the window of Misono’s room. Wind howls lowly against the glass, frosted over with curling, darling little patterns that made it impossible to see much beyond the bits of white falling just before it and the dotting colors of the lights decorating the grounds a few stories below. They blink and die the snowflake patterns on the glass in vibrant hues and he couldn’t make himself look away. It was mesmerizing.
Misono sat comfortably on the alcove seat with his head leaning on the glass, body wrapped up in the wine-red comforter and decorative pillows that had once neatly sat atop the plush seats. He hadn’t done much but stare out into the void for the past hour or so, too lost in his own thoughts and the comfort of his home to bring himself to do much else.
It was Christmas— just a while past midnight but the very day nonetheless. The first Christmas without worrying about anything they had been through this year. Peaceful and calm and somehow as joyful as people pretend it is in those cheesy American holiday movies.
The manor had been restored from the fire quickly after the final battle and once mid November came and went, the entire manor had been stripped and redecorated. Red and gold and dark greens, hand-picked trees in every room it made sense to have one in dressed to the nines and garlands wrapped everywhere that’d look good. It was what one would call a “winter wonderland” complete with thick snow storms from the leftover jinn in the air that had not yet dispersed.
Of course that extended to his room as well. In fact, his was paid special attention to. The Christmas tree in his room was the cream of the crop for that size and the warmth of the lights fluttered through the rest of the room with unbeatable ambiance. The fireplace crackles with heat that casts an orangey glow wherever the string lights couldn’t reach, both being the only light sources he dared to have on this time of night.
It was what he needed, this calm. With all the fun and running around he and everyone had been doing this month there hadn’t been all too much time to fully relax and laze about without much a thought. He always had so much to think about but this silence was blissful.
And it was something he’d have to get used to anyways; Now that he was able to stay up whenever he wanted he’s found out firsthand how hard it is to keep a strict sleeping schedule.
Although…
There’s a soft knock on the door. A sound barely heard from where Misono sat and if he had been any more distracted he wouldn’t have heard it at all. If he had been asleep, he would have been none the wiser.
There are some perks to staying up late enough to catch Santa.
Misono stills and cannot bring himself to speak yet, watching the door intently. A few more beats of silence stretch by and he sees the door handle turn ever-so slowly, glinting its gold in the light of the fire. The door opens carefully and a familiar head of blonde hair peaks in from the gap. Those gorgeous red eyes he loves so much seemed to not notice his absence from the disheveled covers of his bed and don’t think to glance over to the window he sat in. Thus Lily decides to enter the room fully.
The moment the door softly clicks shut behind him Misono decides it's pointless to wait and see how long it’d take to get noticed– His room was rather big after all.
“Lily.” He calls out with a voice small with that late-night drawl– He’s mildly surprised he could be so quiet, barely heard over the cracking of wood and the howling wind outside. But quiet or not, the hearing of a vampire is far better than his and his Servamp startles. Lily does a little hop backwards and hides one of his hands behind his back in a flash Misono doesn’t realize until it’s already done.
He smiles as if he didn’t get caught red-handed. “Ah–! Misono!” He chimes and manages to not sound fazed at all. “What are you doing up at such an odd hour?”
“Why are you sneaking into my room at such an odd hour?” He asks back with a raised brow.
“Am I not allowed to see my beloved’s adorable sleeping face once in a while? Oh how cruel you are to me, Misono!” He cries. He even puts the back of his unoccupied hand to his forehead and looks sideways into the void longingly. He looked brilliant in this moody lighting. His silken nightgown glimmers in the light in that one shade of light pink that fits him so well. Not that any shade of pink could ever look bad on him.
“Why are you trying to look at me when I’m sleeping in the first place, you pervert?! And my face is not adorable!” He hisses with no real heat. Pops from within the fireplace accompany bell-like laughter as Lily lets his shoulders bounce with the noise. He is a lot calmer now, more at ease in general. There was no change to the grace in which he holds himself at all times (save for very special occasions) but there was more genuinity in his actions. That includes deciding to tip-toe his way into his room in the dead of the night just to see him, Misono supposes.
“I beg to differ!” Lily gasps. “Your face is extremely adorable! You have very squishable cheeks and sometimes you mumble in your sleep–”
“I don’t need to know that!!” He practically shrieks.
“Misono!! It’s still nighttime, everyone else is sleeping…! Even the children are sleeping since it’s Christmas Eve…” Lily warns and glances towards the bedroom door.
There was no real threat of anyone hearing their usual bickering, thick and well-built as these walls were but the veil of midnight cannot help but cast a spell of silence upon the world so it didn’t feel right to be loud. Plus, Mahiru and that lazy Servamp of his were staying in one of the rooms in this wing, likely all bundled up together and oblivious to the late-night meetup they were having. Anything to do with waking them up would be a pain in the ass.
Out of principle, Misono copies the shushed tone of his lover and whispers some short apology. “Did you really come here just to watch me sleep? You know you can come in as you please.”
Lily smiles softly. “Of course! I merely didn’t want to wake you, is all.”
Misono’s eyes flick to the hand behind his back. “Then why are you hiding something?”
The vampire tilts his head all innocent-like, eyes squinted closed. “Hm? Hiding what? You must be very tired, Misono. You should get to bed–”
“Cut the shit, Lily. It’s obvious you have something behind your back so just spit it out already!”
His Servamp pouts and whines but obliges to his boyfriend— The present he pulls from behind him is neatly wrapped with shiny purple wrapping paper and an equally as shiny bow done up with glitter the human hopes won’t become a permanent addition to his floor. It’s decently sized and flat, being small enough to be held in one hand but big enough that it was for the best to carry with both. It didn’t need to be said that it was for him.
“A present?” Misono observes. Getting up from the cozy nest he’d built for himself to get closer– to Lily, mainly. Once he had entered the room, everything had truly become peaceful rather than just silent and calm.
“I had meant to put it under your tree but our friends are just too fun, it seems.” Lily sighs. “Although I still did wish to see your face.”
Sat under the personal tree of Misono’s room were a small mountain of presents separate from all those placed carefully under the massive, two stories tall giant they had put in the ballroom to decorate and serve as a much bigger living room. Santa makes sure to put all of his presents there specifically, Lily says it's because he likes grander trees the most because it reminds him of the balsam fir forest they have in the north pole. His tree protected smaller, far more personal gifts that get sneaked under the needles when he isn’t there or looking for him to open later in the day. It’s a larger pile than any other year before and the Eve thinks he has his friends to thank for that.
Misono shifts. “Put it under there then. You can’t bring it into the bed so it’s not much good for you to cling to it.”
Lily smiles at him in a way that made his cheeks turn a little red. He really hoped he didn’t see but knowing his Servamp, he had. “And you’re staring at it like you want to tear it open!”
He huffs. “Please! Unlike somebody, I have an ounce of self control!”
“You always have loved presents— I can’t blame you! There’s something so special about them that make it hard to resist~”
Lily looks at him so knowingly. So softly but so full of play. He’d gotten tired of the distance between them and was now stroking his bedhead ridden hair, flattening it down and massaging his scalp before planting a kiss on his forehead. And Misono lets him, of course. Leans into it. Kisses his hand as it leaves. There was no use in hiding the pink that dusted his cheeks, made a lovely orange by the fireplace, the colorful string lights reflecting off the other side of his face and eyes in reds and purples and greens.
“Well…” He starts, avoiding his Servamp’s eyes.
Lily cocks his head to the side, mouth spreading into more of a grin. “Hm?”
“It’s technically already Christmas… And I tend to open these gifts with just you anyways if no one else…”
He looks away from that gorgeous face the moment he hears laughter and forces his eyes shut as his ears start to burn.
“How naughty of you, dear!” Lily nearly snorts, “We may have to check if you’re still on the nice list after all~”
Misono flinches and looks back up at him, horrified. “...You think…?”
Lily leaves a longer, more calming kiss to his cheek. There lingers the sweet of vanilla on the fragile skin when he dares to pull away. The Servamp licks his lips. “Of course not, my love. As you said, it is technically Christmas.”
A sigh of relief and Lily pushes the gift into Misono’s hands, going to sit on the edge of his Eve’s bed to watch on. Misono follows, sits right next to him, leans his head on his shoulder and pretends he doesn’t feel the consequential shiver.
The glittery ribbon was easily undone with a couple skilled tugs, the wrapping paper was smooth and silky under his palm. It tears better than he expects and the fine black box underneath is unassuming.
He opens the box with a gleeful determination and gasps so hard it sounded like he was going to burst. His movements become more rushed and the broken wrapping paper is quickly thrown to the floor along with the box’s cover. The shiny hardback covers of the two books Misono had been raving about wanting for the better part of half a year stared up at him, both installments of the highly anticipated series laid delicately in velvet covered cutouts of the cotton plush beneath. It was written by one of his favorite modern romance authors of whom he follows religiously– Known for their flowery but not overwhelming style of writing and scenes that had, and will again, leave Misono laying in bed to stare into the void after pacing enthusiastically around his room didn’t work to calm him down.
Misono takes both of the books out and is even more delighted to find that they have built-in tassel bookmarks and the authors signature in pen on the back of the cover.
“Lily—!” He whips his head to his boyfriend with the purest look of awe the other thinks he’s ever seen and sputters like he can’t believe what’s actually in his hands. “How did you—?”
“I have my ways, dear.” Lily croons. His hand has gone back to stroking the softness of Misono’s hair, lightly scratching his scalp and caressing the sides of his face. “And if you look a little more closely at your gift, you’ll find that’s not all.”
Purple eyes dart back to what's left of the velvety interior and– with the books out of the way– he notices the shining of metal against the fabric;
Dangling earring with delicate metalwork of gold. Amethyst cut into a drop held in place by metal weaving of rococo-style vines around its edges. Carefully, Misono removed the backings from the velvet and hooks them both onto his finger, lifting it up to his face, watching the fire a ways away dance through the polished work of art. He breathes, “It’s beautiful…”
And he can feel, rather than see, Lily’s smile as the Servamp goes to grab the earrings. He makes them shift a little bit and nimble fingers work diligent and swift to put them in his ears. Once done, Misono turns fully to his lover and gingerly touches the swinging gems.
Such a piece was perfectly suited to Misono’s artful body and looks. They blissfully weren’t all too heavy and the glimmer of the precious stones and ore on someone far more beautiful did nothing but accentuate all the little features of him Lily just couldn’t get enough of. That sharp yet soft face, pinkened by the closeness of an intimate moment.
Misono looked delicious. Lily can barely control himself— Oh how he wanted to kiss him. To hold him tight and press his face into his delicately soft skin. How selfish of him to go as far as wanting to leave a mark when he’d pull away. Surely he’d taste just as sweet as he looks every hour of the day. The floral scent of the body wash Misono uses still clung to his skin and the naturally alluring scent of him filled the vampire’s nose and oh how he longed.
Oh how his teeth ached.
Oh how dangerous this was.
And of course, nothing goes how Lily wants. They’ve kissed before, embraced before but nothing as delicate as this moment here. He makes the mistake of leaning in a mere inch and sees something in the back of those beautiful purple eyes click. Misono rushes up to his feet within a second and Lily pulls back an inch more with the quickest smile he could put on and his chest tightens so much he fears something will break.
Had he been too bold? They’d only kissed a handful of times before and only ever because of Misono’s own advances. Perhaps he’d accidentally struck a chord.
How foolish of him.
“Do you like them?” Lily asks with a dry throat.
Misono looks struck with some sort of revelation and the Servamp can’t stop something in him from shattering. He’s flushed and begins to say something but nothing leaves his lips.
Then he steels himself: Sucking in a bout of air and squaring his shoulders, lifting his head up more as his face darkens by the second. “I– I have something to give you too!”
Lily blinks. “Oh?”
He can only watch as his love races to the tree and rummages around a little, encouraged by a little string of curses when a bit of his hair gets caught in the branches when he tries to get back up with something held tight in his hand.
At this point, he was redder than the ornament that almost dropped to the floor in his floundering. The gift held in his hands, not as neatly wrapped but adorable because of it, was pink all over with a lacy white bow. Misono can barely look him in the eyes. “ Well , since I was able to open a present early then it only makes sense for…” He clears his throat, “-makes sense for you to open one as well!”
“Misono…”
His Eve holds out the gift and for a moment Lily can only stare at it. The sudden pang in his chest disappeared as quickly as it had come and he wonders why he ever worried. It gets pushed a little closer and he finally snaps back into the moment, takes the much smaller gift into his hands and gingerly pulls the lace ribbon undone. It all but falls apart under his touch and he prays Misono doesn’t see his adam’s apple lift and fall, how his cheeks grow rosy.
The gift opens and Lily… Sat atop a luxurious plush bed, pink gemstones glimmered and sparkled, the painstakingly placed bits of precious metal leagues more detailed than that of his own gift and yet there was an unmistakable resemblance between the two pairs of earrings. Below the earrings, so dazzlingly to his taste, was a matching necklace. It glittered in the firelight and looked almost too perfect to be real in his grasp. His hands shook.
He must have left his mouth agape for a bit too long– Misono sits down beside him again, only much closer than Lily would dare for himself at this stage in their relationship while alone. The thought alone that Mikado would probably shriek if he found them sat so close together alone in the dead of night brought an involuntary smile to his face he couldn’t nip in the bud fast enough. He was getting far more comfortable these days. “Misono, it’s…” He swallows and his smile grows into something more fitting of receiving a gift. “It’s gorgeous…!”
Misono nods. “It suits you.”
His hand comes to unhook the jewelry from its bedding to return the favor given. Gentle fingertips guide the vampire to face his Eve and he wonders how he could find anything else, anyone else so beautiful. The stones being wrapped around him are suddenly dim faced with the overwhelming everything that makes Alicein Misono. His focused face, warm with blood and a little scrunched with intensity. Everywhere his fingers touched burned with a selfish desire. On his cheek, his ears, his neck as he lay his new favorite necklace down.
How can anyone look at Misono and not be enraptured? How could he ever not? Surely he was doomed from the start and he very nearly whines when the hands are taken away.
But then Misono looks at him as if he’d never seen color before. Looks at him with such a sparkle in his eyes Lily wonders just how different he must look to him. It makes him want to squirm around on the soft mattress they sit upon and succeeded in making his body much hotter than before— That lidded gaze was so enticing .
He could smell the sweetness of Misono’s skin and blood in the air around him and swallows thickly. He must control himself after all. How unkempt of him to think such things.
“You look beautiful, Lily.” Misono says, a matter of fact.
“You’ve picked such a wonderful piece, Misono. You really shouldn’t have.” Is what the Servamp finds himself saying. He was too mesmerized to speak much else anyways.
“But I wanted to.” He says back. Flushed. Fidgeting with loving eyes. Lily’s world then becomes a bit more colorful, far more than it was a week ago and the week before that and further then. A bit more soft and palatable, like vanilla and the perfect amount of sugar. “I think you deserve far more. I thought you’d look good with it.”
He lets out a laugh, nervous and needing though he doesn’t show it. “Do you? Oh how you spoil me!”
At least, he did his best not to show it.
And Misono, cruel, honest Misono, shakes his head. “There is a difference between loving and spoiling.” He clears his throat. “Or so I’ve been told. I find I like giving you things that I know make you happy.”
Not “pretty”, not “things that accentuate his features”, not even “beautiful”. Things that make him happy.
“How could I ever feel happier than I am with you?” Lily says, pinkening himself. Trembling hands overgrown with a feverish kind of warmth reach out to brush against that pale neck and trembles more when his human lets his head fall into its grasp. He never wanted to leave this room so long as he was in it. If only he could freeze time and bask in it all. If only he could let himself be that selfish on his own. “I’m afraid no gift could ever compare.”
Misono doesn’t respond. Instead he ponders for a moment, looking deeply into his lover for what felt like forever and no time at all.
And then he leans forward and presses his lips to Lily’s as delicately as a butterfly.
Their mouths aren’t open but it steals the vampire’s breath away and lasts so perfectly long he finds he won’t stand for the human’s pulling away nonsense.
Through lidded lashes, Misono looks up at him with a stare one could only describe as hungry, and Misono licks his lips of the taste of his Servamp.
“I love you, Snow Lily.” He whispers.
Oh.
Oh , Lily really had been doomed from the start. How was he ever supposed to help himself?
He lunges forward and captures Misono’s lips with his so hard he has to place one hand on the bedding and another on his love’s back so they don't topple over. And to his absolute delight, Misono returns the kiss tenfold, lacing his hands into silky blonde hair and the back of his neck. They cannot stop their ragged breathing or the way they try to take as much of the other as they can. They wouldn’t want to anyways. Tongues lapping at each other and a bit of fangs scraping ever so gently against Misono’s abused bottom lip.
Misono is so sweet. So warm, so rich. The taste of him is overwhelming. Powerful and unforgettable– Like ambrosia plucked from the fruiting tree of a god, Lily wants to drown himself in him.
The first time they break for air feels like fresh agony and they are quick to remedy the pain once they found some air. They kiss and kiss again, falling back into the covers where their fingertips refused to detach from skin.
Eventually however, they saddeningly part for good and are left buzzing and full of something warm and soft blooming in their chests and taking over their bodies. Breathing like they’d never had air before, Misono looks up at his lover from between his arms.
“I assume–” He takes a grounding breath. “I assume you won’t be going back to your own room tonight?” Misono asks hopefully and Lily chuckles. “If you would be so generous as to have me.”
They sink under the thick winter covers together, the bed soft and their bodies warm. They barely restrain themselves in favor of not letting the other go anywhere and somewhere along those lines, their new jewelry gets taken off and laid on the bedside dresser, carefully and full of the love they were given with.
They would be hard to wake come the morning, nothing but a tangled mess of limbs and bedhead. But if you asked them, surely things like this are what Christmas is really about?