I know it's far too early for a Christmas story. It's hardly the right time for it to even be snowing (so why is there 10cm of frozen slush outside my door?) but I've got so much work due in such a short time so I just needed to get this out and posted before I started mixing my Renaissance literature essay with holiday fluff.

First time writing Mikage... not sure how it turned out...

Disclaimer: Usual... not mine, never will be.

It looked like millions of uniform gray beetles were crawling, covering the floors and walls with their numbers. The snowy shadows raced, tracing wavy trails across his face, down his arms, across his hands and onto the wrinkled sheets that were a twisted mess around his legs. Teito stared with undisguised longing out the tiny window set high on the wall across from his and Mikage's bunk, not quite knowing what about the freezing flakes made him feel so lost but recognizing the familiar feeling of nagging nostalgia. Something else to add to the forgotten life his dreams sometimes toured on the odd nights when he would fall asleep early enough to even bother dreaming.

The bed below him creaked. "Teito, you're still awake, right?" After the quiet stillness of the snow, Mikage's voice sounded loud in the empty dormitory and Teito half expected it to carry to the other rooms but of course it didn't.

"Yeah," he answered after a moment. A bit more creaking and shuffling and the moonlit form of Mikage appeared, clambering over the edge of Teito's bed, pajamas and hair equally crumpled. After a bit of fumbling with the clumps of blankets at the end of the bed, Mikage sat leaning forward, hands resting on his knees as he looked at Teito expectantly.

"Well, Merry Christmas!" he said suddenly when Teito continued to look at him completely blank. Teito blinked, taking a moment to comprehend what Mikage had said.

"Are you stupid?" he finally asked, frowning in skepticism. "You don't get Christmas at the academy." He yanked his blankets out from under his friend's knees and tried hiding under their warmth, hoping Mikage would take a hint as he never did. "Get off my bed," he mumbled into his pillow.

A hand rested on his shoulder. "Aw, Teito, I know what's wrong," Mikage's voice sounded close to his ear. "Sorry but Christmas wishes can only go so far and 'height' isn't usually someone's top priority. Better luck next year, hey?"

"Oh, shut up!" Teito kicked out through the blankets, shoving a laughing Mikage back to the end of the bed. "As if I'd waste a wish on something like that," he grumbled, sitting back up.

Mikage smirked, interest sparking in his eyes. "Well, what was your wish then?"

Teito felt himself redden and didn't say anything, instead shifting his gaze back to the shadows of falling snow trailing across the cold floor. The wind had picked up and now flurries of icy flakes gusted against the window and collected in drifts just beyond the glass.

"Teito?" Mikage prompted.

Teito was not forthcoming. "No."

"Come on, what was it?"

"Well, what was your wish?" Teito retorted a bit like an injured animal backed into a corner.

Mikage smiled sheepishly. "I didn't make one. I guess I just didn't think about it."

"So you don't have one but you expect me to?" Teito accused.

"I never said I expect you to have one but it's pretty obvious at this point that you do so out with it!" Mikage grinned, leaning forward on his knees again. "Want me to guess?"

Teito blushed anew and looked back at the snow. "I'm tired," he mumbled, staring intently at the growing storm outside. This conversation was heading in a direction that he never thought it would, or maybe even should, and he was feeling a little lost as he always did when his emotions began to get the upper hand against logic. "And besides, you could never guess."

"How's that for friendship, no faith in me at all." Teito looked up to reply but before he could gather the breath to speak, Mikage's lips were on his and it was all he could do to keep his lungs working. Mikage was warm, like light, and Teito barely had enough time to decide that that suited him before it was over and Mikage was pulling back to look at him, half a smile pulling at his mouth.

For a moment neither of them said anything. "What was that for?" Teito asked finally, not looking at Mikage, and instead trying to cover his shock as he pulled a fat knot into the corner of his bed sheet. His hair hung down in front of his eyes and he hoped it helped to hide how much redder he was sure he had just gotten.

"Hm, a guess," Mikage answered casually as though nothing out of place had happened. He leaned forward, tilting his head until Teito was forced to look at him. "Sorry," he said but still with half a hint of a smile lingering. He spun around, swinging his legs over the edge of the mattress and letting himself fall lightly to the ground below. A bit of creaking and shuffling as Teito listened to him get comfortable in his own bed and then the room was quiet.

After a moment, Teito spoke. "Mikage?" A light grunt showed he was listening. "If… if you had to have a wish… what would yours have been then? If you had to."

"Well, that's not very fair considering you never told me yours," Mikage teased. Teito didn't reply.

Mikage took a moment to consider before answering. "I would've wished for your wish to come true. For you to have a good Christmas. I don't think you've had many of those."

Teito felt the corner of his mouth twitch. "Merry Christmas, Mikage."

Mikage laughed and the few flakes still falling seemed to dance with the sound.

Short, yes, I'm aware. But it is a oneshot.

I admit that maybe another reason I posted this so far before the actual holidays was that it just feels like it's been so long since I last posted anything here... -sheepish expression-

Grazie per leggere!