A/N: its not christmas but im crossposting everything from my ao3 lmao please forgive

"Oh my god, Alibaba, I'm so dead."

"Kougyoku, everything is gonna be fine," he soothed, massaging her cold palm in his hands. "I'm sure it won't be that bad."

"Oh, believe me, it will be," she groaned. "You don't know Judal like I do. He goes all out for this sort of thing, and he never disappoints."

"That's not so bad though, right?" Alibaba tried. "Besides, if he does something crazy, then that'll take all the attention off of us."

It was certainly an appealing thought. Kougyoku had been reluctant to take her relationship with Alibaba to the next level; tensions between their companies had been too high for the young couple to bring their relationship to the eyes of the public. Maybe tonight, they'd finally get to spend some real quality time together.

"You're right." Her pink lips curved into a gentle smile. "I'm sorry for worrying. That sounds really nice."

Alibaba smiled back. "I'm glad."

He leaned in for a kiss and she leaned up in response, but the second before their lips could meet her phone buzzed at her side and she gasped and sprang back.

8:04pm
From: Peach Pal
im here ;)

"Oh my god, he's here."

Alibaba, disappointed as he drew back from his attempted kiss, heaved a deep sigh. "Kougyoku, everything will be fine. Don't worry about it."

Almost as if to prove him wrong, the elevator dinged as the door slid open, and at the sight before her Kougyoku was near the point of a heart attack.

Judal was dressed in the most indecent thing she had ever laid eyes on. The red fabric was low cut and barely enough to cover him, with the white trim ending just below the start of his thighs. A black belt cinched his narrow waist, and stiletto boots clicked against the tile as he came to greet her with a wave.

"Hey, old hag," his red-painted lips curved into a grin, high ponytail swishing behind him with every strut. The only thing at all charming about the look was the red ribbon that tied back his waves of dark hair, but that was where anything quaint about him ended. "You know, you can put your tongue back in your mouth. I really can't blame you though, I know I look great."

"Judal!" she shrieked, "Kouen is going to kill us! We're here on business too, this is supposed to be professional!" God, just thinking of what their CEO would think if he saw this... Kougyoku almost wanted to cry.

"It doesn't look like you and blondie are keeping things very professional though, huh?" He teased, watching as Alibaba blushed deep. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone."

"Never mind that!" exclaimed Kougyoku, struggling to hide her reddened cheeks. "H-How could you think that this was acceptable behavior? A sexy Santa outfit? There are children here, Judal!"

"Oh come on, like this isn't 'child appropriate'?" He grinned, and the white-trimmed edges of his tiny red skirt flared out as he cocked his hip before her. "I think this outfit is so sexy, I'll be making my own babies pretty soon!"

"Judal," Alibaba deadpanned, "aren't you a virgin?"

"No way!" he shrieked, though the response was hardly convincing. "Like you're one to talk, creep," Judal hissed,and didn't miss how Kougyoku's cheeks rivaled the color of her hair at the memory of time spent with Alibaba. Judal decided to address that issue some other time. "Do either of you have any idea where that idiot Sinbad is?"

"Oh no," said Kougyoku firmly, "you are not doing that."

"Come on! You're not the only reason I came to this party!"

Kougyoku's lips tugged into a frown. "No, no, no, Judal! You're already drawing enough attention to yourself as it is, this company can't afford you falling all over Sinbad too!"

"He's talking with some of his investors over there," said Alibaba with a gesture behind him, and Judal met him with a grin.

"Thanks! You know, maybe you aren't so creepy after all."

"Alibaba!" Kougyoku shrieked with an accusing glare, "you idiot! This is what I've been worried about all night!"

"Hag," Judal started, and set two hands on her shoulders. "Relax, it's Christmas Eve. No one's gonna be doing business now anyway, right?"

"Well-"

"You should relax too. Your little boyfriend is clearly trying to get rid of me, so you two go have fun. Find some mistletoe. I'm gonna go find Sinbad."

Kougyoku seemed as though she wanted to argue, lips pursed and brow creased, but in the end her features softened and the girl let out a sigh. "Please, don't make too big of a mess of this, Judal..."

He clucked his tongue with a playful roll of his eyes. "Come on, have some faith!" Judal shot her a grin and a wave before he turned to go and hunt for Sinbad, and he could hear Kougyoku heave a deep sigh over the clicking of his high-heeled boots.

Sinbad was hardly difficult to find, but perhaps that was because Judal was so finely-attuned to the man's presence at any given location. Rather, that may have stemmed from the fact that Sinbad was never very hard to find; he stood out from the crowd, with his bright purple hair and stark white suit, the man always seemed to be glowing. Judal grinned, and once the crowd around Sinbad had cleared enough (only his assistant, the pale one with the white hair, remained) he made his presence known.

"Merry Christmas, idiot," Judal purred, scarlet eyes glistening as he draped himself over Sinbad's shoulder-a display which was very much likened to a pampered housecat. "Happy to see me?"

With a sigh, Sinbad turned to look at him, but the second he saw what Judal was wearing his jaw seemed to fall open. Judal only laughed.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"Judal, what-What are you doing here?" Sinbad managed, and Judal could almost see the sweat beading at his brow.

"And what are you wearing?" growled the assistant, Ja'far, teeth gritted and almost to the point of trembling with his apparent rage. "This is a professional setting, and we have no time for your nonsense tonight. Or ever."

Judal waved a hand and curled up closer to Sinbad, who didn't seem too fazed by the intimate contact. "Don't worry about me," he crooned, flashing Ja'far a narrow-eyed simper. "Where's your holiday spirit, huh, freckles?"

Exasperated, Ja'far took a step forward to say something, but it was Sinbad who held up his unoccupied hand with a sigh. "It's alright, Ja'far, I can handle this."

The man's pale brows drew together, and Judal rolled his eyes with a huff. "Are you sure, Sin?"

"Positive."

Judal stuck out his tongue in response to a glare from Ja'far, who eventually relented after a pleading look from Sinbad. "Ten minutes," he replied with tired ebony eyes, and Judal flashed a grin once he'd gone.

"I've been waiting for this all night," Judal purred, leering closer, but this time, instead of drifting back, Sinbad brought his face closer with a smirk.

"I was wondering when you'd show up."

Judal hummed, reaching up a hand to tug lightly at Sinbad's collar. "I was shooting for fashionably late."

Sinbad gave him a once-over, mischief sparkling in his golden eyes. "Fashionable? Definitely."

Judal met him with a mirthful laugh. "I knew you'd think so! Kougyoku thought it was tasteless, but I knew that you'd like it."

Sinbad's lips curved into a grin, and his hand came up to carefully take the one tugging at his collar, massaging circles into the delicate palm. "You look pretty."

"Thanks," Judal grinned, and his cheeks glowed pink with a sudden burst of pride. "You don't look so bad yourself, but you're still an idiot."

"Of course," Sinbad laughed, and Judal's grin softened to a gentler smirk. "You'll just have to be pretty for the both of us."

Judal giggled, features softening. With that he leaned up to plant a kiss upon Sinbad's cheek, but a gentle hand to the chest stopped him.

"You know we can't do that here."

Judal, hurt and confused for only the barest fraction of a second, lowered his scarlet gaze with a sigh. To say the least, Judal's relationship with Sinbad was rather complicated. At least, it felt like that sometimes. They were exclusive now, and they had been for a while, and nothing made Judal happier than knowing he was Sinbad's one and only lover. But he hated having to hide it like this, he hated being Sinbad's dirty little secret, he hated having Sinbad's staff and affiliates glare at him as if he were some sort of whore rather than the most qualified programmer in his organization. Judal wanted to be more than that, and perhaps he already was, but was it too much to want for them to know, too?

"You... You always do this, when we're in public," murmured Judal, gaze held down. He drew his hand back from Sinbad's chest. "Are you that ashamed of me?"

"That isn't it," Sinbad tried, but Judal had already shrank back, and the glow was gone from his eyes. "It's work. You know I have to keep up a reputation here, don't you?"

Judal's painted lips twisted into a frown, and he heaved a shaky sigh. "That doesn't matter, idiot. Kouen is here, but I don't hide this around him, because I'm not ashamed of you." Well, maybe that had partly to do with the fact that Kou couldn't afford to lose someone like Judal, so it wasn't as though anyone would say anything if he were discovered. But barring that, even if the scandal would be big and the uproar would be massive, wasn't that the point?

"Judal," Sinbad went on with a sigh, "you know I can't do this here, I'm Sindria's CEO-"

"And I'm your boyfriend," Judal spat back, finally raising his head. "Doesn't that count for anything?"

Sinbad's eyes softened, and he spared a moment to gaze down at Judal, at the tremble in his lower lip, at his glassy scarlet eyes, and he outstretched a hand to reach out to Judal but by then it was too late. Apparently deciding that the response had taken far too long, Judal had tugged his hand away and turned on his heel, storming off in a tearful fit.

"Judal, wait-"

"I'm going home! It's obvious that you don't want me here, so I'll just go! Merry Christmas, you idiot!"

"Judal!" Sinbad had caught up to him-it appeared that Judal was not fast in heels-and latched a hand onto his slender wrist, stopping him in the act. Judal whirled around, eyes wide and filled with hurt; he had known that Sinbad had something to hide, that their relationship couldn't be public like it had been with the women, but it still hurt. It was Christmastime, and they wouldn't even be able to spend the holiday together for whatever publicity event Sinbad would undoubtedly hold, and Judal would be left in the shadows, like he always was. Judal could do this for the rest of the year, but now, it was just too much.

"What is it, idiot?" Judal spat, wincing at the tremble of his own voice.

Sinbad opened his mouth to say something, but a delighted cry from a tipsy partygoer-it was probably Pisti, in all her innocently childlike exuberance-who cut off his train of thought. "Aww, look! They're under the mistletoe!"

Judal cast a trembling glance skywards, and true enough, a little green sprig of mistletoe hung precariously over their heads. Judal hadn't even meant to wander here, he had just wanted to get out of this place, to bear his humiliation in peace, but now he and Sinbad were together beneath the most romantic of holiday decor, and by onlooker's prying eyes, they wouldn't be able to share even this precious moment.

Shame burned in Judal's chest, and he felt all of the eyes on them, the uproar quieting (if only a little), but it was enough, and Judal made motion to tug his hand away. Judal didn't see it coming when Sinbad swept him up into his arms and pressed the kiss to his lips, warmer and sweeter than Judal could've imagined, with the reputation he so fiercely upheld. Sinbad's kiss was slow, and tender, and while it certainly wasn't their first kiss it was definitely something new to be kissed like this, with everyone watching, and Judal felt his heart grow warm.

After a while, Sinbad pulled his lips away, leaving Judal dazed and unsteady in his arms. Judal wanted to say something, but it was Sinbad who spoke first.

"Your lips taste like peppermint."

"Idiot," Judal breathed a chuckle against his lips, but his smile was bright again and the blush was stark against the pale glow of his features. "What happened to keeping up your reputation?"

Surely, people had seen the gesture, investors and affiliates and other figures of importance, and while it was not quite a grand spectacle, it said something. What were such important men going to think of a CEO who shared kisses with his slutty boyfriend in the public eye? Maybe Sinbad had reason to be worried, now that Judal thought about it. But in any case, this was infinitely preferable to hiding their affections for one another.

"There aren't many things more important to me than my company," Sinbad began, "but you mean the most by far."

The glow had returned to Judal's eyes, and he leaned up to press a quick kiss against Sinbad's lips. This time, Sinbad did not pull away. "Maybe you aren't so stupid after all," said Judal with a smile.

"I'm sorry for the way I treated you, Judal, it was never my intention to make you feel like some dirty little secret. I've never been ashamed of you, don't you know that?"

The murmurs around them were drowned out by Judal's thoughts, but he knew that people were watching. The display had been a big risk on Sinbad's part, and he had surely known the consequences of what that kiss might bring, but he had still done it anyways. If that wasn't a grand gesture, then Judal didn't know what was, and he certainly couldn't stay mad forever.

"I do now."

Sinbad's features were warm as he smiled down at Judal, the sort of look that could make Judal weak at the knees, and for that he was glad to have the support of Sinbad's arms around him. "Now, as much as I'd like to show you off for the rest of the night," he began, to which Judal could almost feel himself glowing, "maybe you'd prefer somewhere more private?"

"Oh, definitely," Judal agreed, eyes narrowing into an expression that was more suggestive than it had been before. "Isn't Christmas Eve the most romantic night of the year?"

"Something like that," said Sinbad, reaching forward to brush back a lock of Judal's dark hair. Judal felt a shiver run down his spine. "After this is over, how about you come home with me?"

Judal's whole face lit up at the suggestion, and he sprang forward in the embrace to throw his arms around Sinbad's neck. "Of course I will! There's nowhere else I'd rather be," he laughed, scarlet eyes glowing bright. Suddenly, all of those awful holiday cliches didn't sound so bad, as long as he got to share them with Sinbad.

Sinbad laughed along with him, and all of the tension and disagreement from the moments prior were left completely forgotten. "Merry Christmas, Judal," said Sinbad with a smile that could melt even the freshly fallen snow.

"Merry Christmas, Idiot," said Judal, and as Sinbad leaned down to press a final kiss against his lips, all was right in the world.