A Merry Christmas, Indeed

A Sequel to "Christmas at England's" by BoxOfChocolatesXxXx

It was Christmas time once again at Britain's house. The Englishman had his house decorated, top to bottom like always. A wreath hung from the front door, silver and gold tinsel wrapped around the railing of the stairways, a small candelabra sat as a centerpiece of the dinning room table… This was still Arthur's favorite time of year.

"There," he sighed as he sat a small Santa statue on a shelf. "Now everything is perfect. Time to start on the holiday biscuits."

Just as he finished his sentence, there was a knock on the door. He glanced out the window, but could hardly see anything through the blowing snow. Trying to remember if he invited anyone over for tonight, he went to the door and opened it.

"Dude! Let me in! It's a freakin' blizzard out here!" The boy he took in and raised, now a young man, was shivering like no other.

"A-Alfred?" The blond wasn't expecting him to stop by. "Come in!" He opened the door wider, letting the wind howling in as well as the younger male. Kirkland pushed the door shut as soon as he was in.

"Whew! It's crazy out there, man," America laughed as he hung his coat on the rack. He kicked off his boots and put them over by the other shoes Britain had.

The older male still couldn't believe the other came. It had been so long since America had been over for Christmas. "What-What are you doing here, Alfred? Don't you have somewhere to be?" It's not that he didn't want him here. He was just curious.

"Not really. I just thought you would need my help around here. I remember how much you used to dress your house up… And you still do, it looks like." He laughed as he looked around. "Jeeze, Britain. Save your energy. You're not getting any younger, you know."

Arthur gave Alfred a light shove with a laugh. "Don't call me old. I'm still young enough to work. But, since you're here, why don't you help me make the biscuits?" He headed towards the kitchen, grabbing his apron as he entered.

"You still make those things?" The American followed with a grin, looking back at his memories. The house looked almost exactly the same as the last time he helped Arthur. He gasped excitedly as he remembered something else. "Can we ice them again?"

Kirkland chuckled. "I guess we can." By this point, he got the ingredients out for the dough. "Why don't you start on the icing and I'll start the dough."

"Awesome!" The brunette rolled up his sleeves and searched the pantry for the icing materials and started to mix them together.

As time passed, the two talked about what they've missed. They had their laughs and their silent moments as they would try and think of something else to talk about. It was as if this was a regular thing they did every year.

Although he kept it to himself, Alfred remembered one specific Christmas long ago. He wasn't sure why, especially because he could remember only bits and pieces. He remembered that he was twelve at the time, and they were making biscuits just like they were now. As he put a few drops of red food coloring into the mix, he recalled dipping his finger in the finished frosting and how good it tasted. Tempted by the thought, he gave the mixture a good stirring before taking a small bit on his finger to taste. Just as sweet as it used to be.

"America," Britain sighed, shaking his head, "How many times do I have to tell you? Don't lick the frosting. It's not sanitary."

"America, can you please stop licking the frosting. It's not sanitary."

Alfred smirked with a chuckle. "You want to try?"

Kirkland glanced over and laughed softly. "I'd rather save some for the biscuits. I think you should do the same. Now quit licking the frosting."

"Alright, alright. Calm down, British dude." He continued to stir the icing until it was fluffy and red. "You done with the dough yet?"

"Hm? Oh, yes. They're on the counter. Go ahead and ice them." The blond turned toward the pantry to look for something. "Now, where did I put those… Ah, here they are." He pulled out a jar full of sprinkles, all colored differently.

"Now when did I buy these?" England thought as he stared down at the jar in his hands as he left the pantry.

The memory of that one year crept back into America's mind. As he frosted the treats, his cheeks turned a slight pink color. "Hey… Britain? You remember that one year? Back when I was twelve?"

Kirkland stepped back from the pantry and shut its doors, looking to the brunette. "Not really… Why? Did something happen you want to talk about?"

He kept his sea-blue eyes on the tray before him. "The 'no-no' France taught me? You said not to do it with anyone else but you because you were special…"

Just as England set the jar down, he remembered his exact words.

"Don't worry, America, just don't do this with anyone else, okay?" England said, blushing slightly.

"How come?" America asked.

England quickly thought of an excuse. "Because it is a 'no-no', but I'm special, so it's okay," England said with a guilty smile.

"Okay!" America said cheerfully.

"I remember now," the blond said quietly, blushing.

America stood silently for a moment, icing the final biscuit. "You know," he began, "I've never done that no-no with anyone else since then."

The blond froze, wide-eyed and touched as a small sound came from the back of his throat. He… He never kissed anyone else after that?

Suddenly, Alfred was by his side, making him jump. "I finished icing the biscuits. Anything else you need done?"

Arthur turned to face the younger one, his one hand gripping the counter. "Is it true? You've never… You've never…" He couldn't say it. Where were the bloody words when he needed them most? He covered his face with one hand and rushed out of the kitchen. "I'll be back in a second!"

The brunette chased after him, catching him by the wrist in the doorway. "Britain!"

America sat down on his knees in front of England. "Oh, America, you don't need to help me with this," England said, thinking that America was trying to help him clean up.

The Brit turned to face the American, blushing just as much as the other was. At the edge of his sight, he saw something green above them. Looking up, he saw that familiar plant between them, hanging from the doorway.

America followed his gaze. When he saw the mistletoe, his lips curled into a soft smile as his cheeks flushed.

"Damn Frenchy," Kirkland muttered under his breath.

Alfred looked back to Britain and rested a hand on the blond's cheek-

America then placed both hands on England's face-

Leaned in slowly, looking Arthur straight in those emerald eyes-

Leaned in-

And placed a soft kiss upon his lips.

And kissed him.

Britain was frozen in surprise and amazement. Surprised because he never expected America to remember that, or kiss him for that matter. Amazed because this kiss was just so… So wondrous. He wrapped his arms around the brunette as he pushed closer, what with Alfred being a little taller than him.

The younger male was also shocked. He didn't expect Arthur to respond this way. But he couldn't complain. Alfred wrapped his arms around the blond's waist and pulled him closer, smiling.

After a moment, the two pulled away. England rested his head on America's chest and sighed happily. "Thank you, America."

The blue-eyed male chuckled softly, kissing the blond's hair. "You're special, so this no-no is okay with you."