A/N: I know I'm trash for starting a whole new fic right now but I really just want it to be winter already and this seemed like the easiest way to celebrate the holiday season. I'm so fucking sad and stressed and college apps are kicking my ass as and TBH i just needed to feel happy for a little while so stfu with your 'not the right season' bullshit.
love you guys. hope you enjoy this little very early holiday present.
-DH
"Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Blow, blow, thou winter wind.
Thou art not so unkind as man's ingratitude,
as man's ingratitude."
Germany was very, very cold in the late fall and winter, Aoba decided as he shivered and held Ren closer to him and continued walking down the street. Ren was in no way a real dog with real body heat, but the spitz had insisted upon installing a function that would allow him to be somewhat of a personal space heater for his blue-haired owner.
Moving halfway across the world to be with Noiz certainly wasn't a bad decision - if anything, Aoba would argue that it was the best choice he'd ever made - but there certainly were a few drawbacks to being in such a cold place. Being used to mildly warm to scorching hot weather on Midorijima meant that his tolerance of cold was definitely lower than it should be for the region.
But, the cold was unfortunately the least of Aoba's stressors on this day. He had maybe twelve days left until Christmas, and he still hadn't found a present for Noiz. What exactly were you supposed to get for someone who had literally anything they wanted at their fingertips?
And the worst part about it was that Noiz had definitely gotten Aoba something extravagant and most likely something that Aoba had offhandedly complained that he didn't have or was missing, because whenever Aoba worried about how much money Noiz was spending on him the blonde just smirked and kept tapping away at his Coil. Noiz was observant as fuck and it was really maddening.
Aoba was working really hard at learning German as he wanted to go to work with Noiz and have a real job and knew that he couldn't really interact successfully with people until he was at least partially fluent. Therefore, after his lessons finished for the day and Noiz was still at work, Aoba could go out and look around at shops and whatnot for a gift for Noiz.
The driver Noiz had hired (because Aoba couldn't drive) took Aoba into town, and chuckled heartily and shook his head when Aoba asked him if he knew what Noiz would want for Christmas.
Aoba sighed and moved on from the tiny electronics store. Anything inside was something Noiz had probably already seen or considered getting for himself.
The next few hours progressed in much the same way, with Ren being of little to no help in Aoba's endeavors - the Allmate knew Noiz rather well, but even he didn't know what Noiz could want. That was, until Ren said something that gave Aoba an epiphany.
"Aoba, you said Noiz would give you things you mentioned you needed. What if you were to employ the same strategy in finding Noiz a gift?" Ren asked.
Aoba's eyes went wide and he felt a smile overtaking his face. "Ren, you're a genius!" Aoba exclaimed happily, giving Ren's head a vigorous rub and clutching him closer.
If there was one thing that Noiz had complained about, out of the many, many things that Noiz complained about, the thing that he mentioned the most was the strangeness of being able to feel sensations strongly. Noiz could no longer walk around dressed however he wanted because now he needed to dress appropriately based on the weather - something he wasn't used to at all, and something that Aoba constantly needed to remind him to do.
Hands on his hips, in the mornings before Noiz left for work, Aoba often stood between his brat of a boyfriend and the front door, arguing with the blonde about wearing coats and scarves and hats when he went outside.
Noiz, drinking his thankfully not scalding coffee, retorted back in a deadpan, "I don't need to wear a coat."
Aoba felt like he wanted to tear his hair out as the debate wore on and every time he had to say, "Noiz, you need to wear a coat or you will actually freeze to death."
"I've never needed to wear one."
"Noiz, not only can you actually feel sensation now, but being able to feel or not you should wear a coat or you could get hypothermia or frostbite!"
"Tch."
Aoba wasted about ten minutes every morning, thus nearly making Noiz late for work and himself late for his morning German lessons, wrestling the younger man into a coat, gloves, and a hat that even Aoba himself had to admit didn't suit the blonde at all.
Aoba practically ran back to the sleek black car, where Lukas the driver was waiting to take him where he needed to go.
"Where to, Aoba?" Lukas asked brightly in German.
The young man scratched his head and frowned, trying to come up with the words in German to say what he wanted to say.
"Take me somewhere I can buy wool and yarn," Aoba decided to say, and neatly avoided the inquisitive glance Lukas shot at him.
But the car smoothly pulled away from the curb and was on the road in no time at all, and then the small, strange trio headed home as soon as Aoba bought what he needed.
The blue-haired SCRAP user gathered up all of his supplies once up in his and Noiz's room and determinedly asked Ren for instructions on how to make what he wanted to make, and set to work.
Noiz came home in a bad fucking mood.
People at work were so annoying and constantly calling him to make him approve their designs or plans or what-the-fuck-ever and it made Noiz mad when he couldn't get all of his own paperwork and designs done on time and needed to stay late when he could be at home with Aoba lounging in front of the fire or having dinner or doing literally anything else.
It was Christmas Eve and Noiz had to deal with at least one hundred stupid peoples' bullshit.
Noiz then had to deal with fucking stupid people on the road, being asshole drivers in their dumb cars and trucks and shit, and honestly did none of these people know how to drive when the roads were icy as fuck?
At least Noiz didn't die as he was driving home, and parked his car as close to the door as he could manage so he didn't have to put on the huge bundle of fabric Aoba had thrust upon him that very morning just to walk to the front door.
"I'm home," Noiz declared, toeing off his shoes. He blinked in surprise when he stepped through the foyer and was grabbed up in a huge, blue-colored hug.
"Welcome home!" Aoba exclaimed ecstatically, muffled by Noiz's shirt.
The house was warm. Very warm. For Noiz it was as if he'd stepped into a completely different world. The room smelled like cinnamon bread and pine and brown sugar and as he breathed in he caught a whiff of a comforting smell that was distinctly Aoba.
Noiz wound his arms around Aoba's back, holding him snugly, and felt a smile tugging at his lips. Noiz liked hugging him. It was one of his favorite pastimes. His blue-haired companion fit against him like a puzzle piece, and he always smelled really nice.
"You have tomorrow off, right?" Aoba asked quietly.
Noiz pulled back, put a hand under Aoba's chin, stared at him for a brief moment, and then leaned in for a gentle kiss.
"Yeah," Noiz announced as they broke apart.
"That's good. You eaten yet?"
"No."
"Well, then, let's have some dinner. I asked Klara to delay it for a few hours, but since you're home now..."
"Okay."
The kitchen smelled like turkey and potatoes, and was even warmer than the living room and the foyer had been. Klara, the chef, was smiling, waiting for the pair to sit down so she could serve the food.
"How was work?" Aoba asked as he buttered a roll.
Through a huge mouthful of turkey and mashed potatoes, Noiz mumbled, "It was bullshit."
"What happened?"
"Too many fuckheads don't know how to do their jobs. I should fire half of them," Noiz finally finished chewing and took a gulp of hot apple cider.
Aoba raised an eyebrow. "Maybe just give them a warning instead? It'd be even more trouble to try and find and interview people willing to work for you on such short notice."
Noiz pinned Aoba with a deadpan stare, "And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing!" Aoba grinned.
Noiz sighed. "How are your lessons progressing?"
"I can almost hold a full conversation now!" Aoba replied in German.
"But I bet you're still not good enough to keep up with me," Noiz smirked.
"You have years of experience over me, though. That's not fair."
"Being fair is for wimps, Aoba."
"No, it's not!"
"Yes, it is."
"It's not!" Aoba opened his mouth to protest further when Noiz shoved half of a roll into it and chuckled at Aoba's indignant expression.
"Hey," Noiz interjected. Aoba was chewing through the roll as quickly as he could. "I love you."
Aoba finished chewing and huffed. "Love you, too, I guess."
Noiz flashed a smile and kissed Aoba on the cheek. "I'm going to go take a bath." The blonde was up and out of his seat, throwing a nod to Klara for the meal and dropping one last kiss on the top of Aoba's head.
"Hey! Remember we still need to decorate the Christmas tree!" Aoba called after Noiz as the younger man dashed to the stairs.
"Yeah!" Noiz yelled back dismissively, "I'll be down soon!"
Aoba shook his head and smiled fondly. He thanked Klara for a great meal and moved into the living room, whereupon he dropped onto the couch and settled in to watch some TV until Noiz came down.
Noiz's shower was nice, he supposed. Showering was a lot better when you could also use it for relaxation. Noiz wondered about Aoba's strange attitude - he was being slightly more upbeat than usual, and had been that way for the past week or so. Not that Noiz didn't like seeing Aoba happy and whatnot, but he found the sudden change slightly suspicious.
As he was drying himself off in the bedroom, Noiz woke Ren up from his sleepmode and asked him what was up with Aoba.
"To what are you referring?" Ren asked, tilting his head to the side.
"He's all energetic. What have you been doing after Aoba finishes with his German lesson?" Noiz asked, rubbing a towel through his hair and pulling on his pajama pants.
"Sorry, Noiz. I'm not at liberty to tell you about Aoba's activities," Ren said.
"Hmm. Then he's hiding something from me," Noiz deduced. He rolled his eyes. Aoba thought he was so clever sometimes. It was truly endearing.
Noiz pulled open the door to the walk-in closet and removed a panel from the floor, exposing a secret cache of brightly-wrapped boxes. He gathered up the bundle in his arms and stalked down the stairs and turned right to enter the living room.
Aoba had a few Christmas-themed candles burning, and was contemplating the many boxes of ornaments that Noiz had sent for weeks ago, when Aoba mentioned that he wanted to have a traditional Christmas tree.
The ten foot monstrosity of a Christmas tree made the room look smaller, as large of a feat that was. Noiz marched in and set the packages underneath the tree on top of the gingerbread-patterned tree skirt. He noticed that the space beneath the tree hadn't been empty when he arrived - it was occupied by a medium sized box wrapped in silver paper with a black and green bow.
Noiz arched a nearly nonexistent brow. Was that what Aoba had been keeping from him? A Christmas present?
"Noiz, I think you got too many Christmas ornaments," Aoba worried, pulling bauble after shiny, sparkly bauble out of the numerous boxes.
"No. We have some replacements in case some of them break," Noiz declared, settling the last box under the tree with ease.
"And this tree is huge!"
"This tree is just the right size," Noiz retorted, and picked up a remote from the table beside one of the huge fluffy couches. Soft Christmas carols floated through the air and the electric fireplace sprung to life. Noiz stepped up behind Aoba and wrapped his arms around his lover's middle, drawing him backwards into a gentle embrace.
"Noiz, I think you went a little overboard."
"No, I didn't."
"But all of this stuff is way over the top!"
"Aoba."
"Yeah?"
"Just decorate the tree with me."
"..."
"...?"
"...okay, brat."
Noiz fought down a comeback and released Aoba so that the two of them could hang the ornaments on the tree.
Aoba was the one to wrap the tree with blinking white, red, and green Christmas lights, and when he was done the entire room seemed to glow with cheer. Noiz couldn't suppress a grin. Aoba looked so cute when he was proud of himself.
Noiz was the one to grudgingly put the star at the very top of the tree, to the amusement of Aoba (They both were way too short to be able to reach the top of the tree unaided, so they needed to enlist Niklas, who brought them a stepladder and a warning to please be careful while using it).
After two hours of arduous decorating, the tree was done. Covered in shiny new ornaments, twinkling lights, and glittery tinsel, the imposing tree stood proudly in the living room next to the black grand piano, throwing a bright reflection in the glossy surface.
The strange pair stood in front of the tree, admiring it for a little while, and then proceeded to collapse on the squishy love seat and watch badly German-dubbed Christmas specials until Noiz passed out and Aoba had to carry him up the stairs to bed.
Noiz had never been a big advocate for Christmas, or even the holiday season in general. Christmas just didn't seem like a good time to him, after he was confined to his room by his mom and dad. He still received gifts, that was for sure. His parents and his little brother all eventually decided he was worthy of their bare sympathies and sent up boxes of things they thought he would want.
They were often incorrect.
Noiz didn't want the latest computer - the one he had worked just fine. He didn't want the newest, sleekest coil or a new credit card that he could use on whatever he wanted. Noiz wasn't sure exactly what he wanted, really. But he sure as hell knew that whatever it was he truly wanted, it wasn't going to come from his parents or even his brother.
Christmas was dark and depressing, and while Noiz understood why other people liked it he sure as fuck didn't enjoy it himself. Christmas was a holiday Noiz spent alone, always.
People online called him a grinch when he said he didn't like Christmas. They claimed he wasn't giving the time of year enough of a chance to prove itself to him. He usually stopped talking to those people.
But Christmas now...
Christmas now was Aoba apparently shaking him awake gently and pointing excitedly out the window at the falling snow, even though it snowed practically every other day in Germany in the winter, and exclaiming that it was the first time he'd been somewhere where it snowed on Christmas day. Christmas now was Aoba demanding Noiz stay in his pajamas and the two of them go downstairs and open presents together.
Christmas now was Aoba surprising Noiz.
Noiz held in his hands the medium silver box he'd seen under the tree with his name written in slightly shaky Roman characters. Aoba stared expectantly at Noiz, having already opened all of Noiz's gifts to him at the blonde's insistence.
The black and green bow came off, and the delicate silver paper came off, and the box's flaps were pulled back to reveal a lump of black and green.
Noiz pulled it out of the box with furrowed brows and turned it over and examined it in his hands.
It was a hat.
A beanie, really, made of soft black woolen yarn with an electric green cube-shaped rabbit stitched on the front.
Noiz raised his eyes to his boyfriend in question.
Aoba blushed a little bit. "I know that you can get cold now, Noiz, and I think you threw away all of your old hats and clothes because you wanted to look professional, which is completely fine, but none of the hats I've put on you seem to suit you because they're so plain and boring. So, I made you one that will match you."
There was a very pregnant, very long silence following Aoba's explanation. Noiz took in Aoba's sheepish stare, and the wariness that seemed to permeate his very being, and he took in the hat that Aoba himself had constructed specifically for Noiz. Noiz lunged.
Aoba was soon breathless with a lengthy open-mouthed kiss.
Noiz then lay on top of Aoba, head pressed against Aoba's chest in a rather familiar pose.
"Noiz?" Aoba asked tentatively.
"...Thank you."
A/N: The song excerpt at the beginning is from a song called "Blow, Blow thou Winter Wind" arranged by John Rutter.
