"So, I was wondering," Shuuya said, hoping that he would be able to say this without embarrassing the hell out of himself. He tried not to look at Shinji, Yutaka, and Nobu, all of whom were watching him from the nearest area they could sort-of hide behind, and instead focused on Noriko Nakagawa. Snow fell from the sky and landed on her hair, her bangs and eyelashes spattered with white. "If you wanted to maybe… come to a Christmas party that Shinji Mimura's holding at his house?"

There was no such party.

"With me, I mean?"

Noriko looked up at him, shook snow out of her hair, and took long enough answering that Shuuya got nervous. "Okay," she said finally, her face a little red. It could be that she was nervous, right? It wasn't just the cold. "What should I wear?"

"Um," Shuuya said. "It doesn't really matter, I don't think. You'll look cute either way."

At that, Noriko's cheeks really flamed, and Shuuya was satisfied with his ability to successfully ask a girl out. According to Shinji, half of the girls in their class were climbing over each other to get at him, but he didn't really see it. Noriko was a really cool girl, and he hadn't been sure if she'd say yes.

But Shinji had just sort of looked at him when he voiced his concern and rolled his eyes, and apparently he had been right.

They stood in awkward silence for a few minutes, and then Noriko raised a hand in a wave. "I've got to go," she said.

"Uh, yeah, bye," Shuuya said. "I'll… come by, on – Saturday, when the party is, around… three, and we can walk together."

"That sounds nice," Noriko said, and she smiled up at him. "I think your friends are waiting for you."

With that, she left and Shuuya headed back to the three that had been joined by Sugimura.

"So I'm throwing a party far too early in the afternoon this Saturday?" Shinji asked. Shuuya nodded.

"Yeah," he said. Shinji sighed and looked as though he was going to flop dramatically in the snow for a second – in fact, Yutaka got in prime position to catch him – but instead just pinned Shuuya with a glare.

"Shuuya, my man, I can't throw a party that early. My-"

"Shut up," Shuuya said. "And find a date for your own party."

"I don't like to go to parties with dates," Shinji said. "I go with Yutaka, because he doesn't bitch if I find someone cuter."

"You never find anyone cuter than me," Yutaka said, shoving Shinji a little. "I'm the cutest."

Sugimura cleared his throat and flushed a little when they all looked at him. "Party?"

"Your job to get Chigusa to come," Shinji said. "I want her there. That icy cold heart can't reject me forever."

"It's never going to happen," Sugimura said. He spoke so quietly that Shuuya could barely hear him, but Shinji looked gravely offended.

"Did you just sass me, Sugimura? By God," he said. "What the-"

"Shinji, shut up," Nobu said. He was grinning a little. "You've got a party to plan."

That Saturday Shuuya Nanahara stood outside Noriko Nakagawa's house, getting ready to knock and possibly embarrass himself. He was generally a pretty chill guy – but the fact that he'd actually asked Noriko Nakagawa on a date and that she'd actually said yes and that it was actually happening sort of got to him. He'd been on dates before. He'd made out with girls before. But this was starting to feel different.

So he knocked, and a little kid answer the door. "Uh, hi," he said. The kid looked up at him.

"Are you the guy that Noriko said was coming over?" he asked finally, and Shuuya nodded. The kid slammed the door in his face and he heard the sound of feet running, and Shuuya blinked a few times. Well. That had been interesting.

So he knocked again, and this time it was Noriko.

"Sorry about him," she said. "Little brother."

She smiled at him, and he grinned back. He offered her his arm, she took it, and they headed off. They talked a little bit as they walked – about school, mostly, and friends, and then at three-thirty they walked in at Shinji grumpily pouring chips into a bowl. Yutaka appeared out of nowhere.

"He woke up twenty minutes ago," he said. "Was a little bit annoyed 'cause Sugimura and Chigusa were already here. Oh! Nakagawa – I'll take your coat."

Noriko took off her coat and Shuuya surveyed her. She was wearing a dress, and she looked similarly really innocent and really hot, and overall, he approved. He tossed his coat on Yutaka's head as Yutaka headed off and heard Yutaka curse him.

"Oi, Sugimura," Shinji said. "Hang up the mistletoe like the gigantic freak you are."

Sugimura hung up the mistletoe, and Chigusa glared at Shinji. This seemed to be a pretty common expression on her (and quite a lot of females that had fallen for Shinji once and consequently gotten their heart broken, Shuuya had noticed lately) when Shinji Mimura was around.

"Want me to get you some chips or a can of something? I wouldn't touch the punch, knowing Mimura-"

"Hey, this is a family-friendly party, how the hell am I supposed to have a decent party in the middle of the day-"

"-but I can get you a can of coffee or something."

"Thanks," Noriko said, smiling prettily at him and going over to talk to Chigusa, who looked a bit uncomfortable but otherwise relieved to have someone besides Shinji Mimura to take up her time.

"Dude, she just sat right under the mistletoe," Shinji said as he passed Shuuya a can. "She's really into you."

"Really?" Shuuya asked. He glanced back at where she was, then glanced up – sure enough, it was where Sugimura had hung the mistletoe. "Well, she could easy have to kiss Chigusa as me-"

"Come on, you have to know that that ain't what she's after," Shinji said. He winked. "Go get 'em, tiger."

"At least I have a date," Shuuya shot back, and Shinji glanced around as if unsure why Yutaka wasn't glued to his side. "And Yutaka doesn't count."

"With no date, I can seduce Takako Chigusa."

"You couldn't seduce Chigusa even if she mistook you for Sugimura for a few moments."

He left Shinji at that and headed for Noriko, the can in his hand. He held it out, and she took it, and then she glanced up at the mistletoe. Had she done it on purpose?

Well, even if she hadn't, she'd seen it. So he stooped down and kissed her, and when he pulled away she was looking at him with stars in his eyes. Someone whistled, another person clapped, and Shuuya Nanahara kissed her again.


This was written for a user on Tumblr, who wanted a Shuriko Christmas-y oneshot, and I was really missing the other guys that I apparently cannot write BR oneshots without, so I decided to make it non-Program AU.