It was the start of a long day of unusual traditions in their household. Little Sora and Roxas were the driving force for this; their third Christmas together as a family, and with the sudden influence of school and TV the two small twins were choc full of ideas on how to celebrate Christmas.

Starting with their version of traditional Christmas kisses …

Cloud looked up as they ducked behind the doorframe of the kitchen for the fourth time and tried not to smile at their unsubtly sneaky hiding. He turned back to his novel, though he'd been on the sixty third page for about twenty minutes, his ears full of hushed giggles and Squall's occasional huff of frustration.

At it once more …

Squall looked up every now and then from fixing the lights, remarkably untangled in the sea of wires and bulbs. Cloud caught the amused expression too, humouring the kids as Cloud was by ignoring their obvious hiding strategies.

"They're doing it again," Cloud turned a page in his book, spotting the leaves in their children's tiny hands and the trails of fallen blades of grass.

Squall grunted, only half listening as he worked along a long black vine of lights. Cloud chuckled and peered over his book to watch; Squall's determined face reminding him of their youth, his frown hadn't changed in twenty years. Cloud took a moment to indulge in nostalgia, covering his mouth with long fingers as he smiled fondly at that timeless expression.

Eventually the bulbs sparked to life when Squall rotated a tiny bead of glass to the perfect angle!

The lights lit up the room in a golden glow. The soft yellow lights making the winter wonderland outside seem a little warmer, the cold a step further away. Cloud closed his book, impressed with the lights though he'd never say it, and set his novel on the table.

Squall sighed, turned the lights off and stood up to stretch his legs with a groan of satisfaction.

They entered the kitchen together, and, once again, were pounced on by their beloved twin sons.

"Ha! The kissy plant caught you Pa! You gotta do it now!" Sora cheered, Roxas beside him waving muddy green grass and dandelion leaves at them too. The little ones acting like the clump of plants were on the ceiling, when the three-year-olds were only a fraction as tall as their parent's legs.

Squall let out a fond huff of slight laughter, and Cloud too let a smile slip. Their childish glee was endless. It had to have been the eighth or ninth time today that the twins had presented their demands in this manner. They had put the weeds on their master bed, on the table at breakfast and sticky-tapped sprigs to chairs and lower doorframes (it was all they could reach) in order to have the mistletoe kisses they had seen a lot of on TV and in stories.

They showed no signs of getting bored either. The boys looked so pleased with themselves that their parents couldn't find it in themselves to disappoint them.

Cloud touched Squall's face and turned him a slight way towards him, leaning up as Squall leaned down and they shared a soft peck for their eighth or ninth kiss- the most affectionate they had been in a row since they were teenagers.

Roxas cheered! He pretended to take a photo on his plastic camera, and Sora ran off to the next doorway to do the same thing again. Squall laughed and picked up the happy young boy before Sora could reach, and kissed his cheek instead, "I think that's enough plants uprooted from the garden, Sora."

Cloud took Roxas by the hand and leaned down for a kiss on the boy's forehead why they passed by a chair that the tiny boy proudly pointed at, "Ready to decorate the tree?" he asked instead.

Roxas nodded hard and fast enough to make himself dizzy.

Hours, and a few more unfortunate plants, later, the twins were tucked up into bed.

Cloud stood at the window, bathed in the golden lights and watching the snow outside their house. Squall walked up behind him and wrapped his arms around his middle, his weight a comforting warmth even more so than the soft gold bulbs. Cloud leaned back with a sigh, glad that there was some quiet in the home now.

"You did well with these lights," he murmured, tapping one and chuckling at the stern tightening of arms when the bulbs blinked warningly at his touch. "Sorry, sorry."

Squall grunted and rested his head on against Cloud's hair, "You and the boys did well with the tree … was the toothbrush …?"

"Sora," Cloud chuckled, rolling his eyes. "The Gameboy keyring was Roxas and-" he cut off as he turned towards Squall, and laughed. "Again Squall?"

Squall held one arm above their heads and waved it a little to draw Cloud's attention. The pearly berries and tear shaped leaves unmistakeable, the man's cunning smile said it all without a word.

Cloud admired the waxy leaves a moment more before giving in to the traditional magnetism of the sprig of mistletoe and cupped Squall's face. "You sap," he scolded without bite.

"You love it," Squall confidently corrected as their lips touched again.

Cloud hummed into their prolonged kiss and ran his hands through Squall's thick, lovely hair, down his jaw, and to his cheeks, "Hmm. Merry Christmas, Squall."