On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

by Leiyoi

AU. It's winter and it's getting chilly. But someone still has enough time on their hands to play pranks on Okumura Rin. The half-demon is not happy with this at all. Especially when he is interrupted by five rings during the night. Who is behind all these pranks? What do they want with him!

.:.

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas

by Leiyoi

For MotokoXRedux

.:.

It was the night of the fifth day when he finally had enough. The blue-eyed half-demon had been frowning down at his notebook with his eyebrows scrunched together when suddenly a light, chiming noise rang from outside his window.

Ting-a-ling~

Once.

Ting-a-ling~

Twice.

Rin raised an eyebrow at the sound, pen still poised over the page in an uncertain manner. He shrugged the sound away but it returned for a third and fourth time. The boy's mouth twitched in irritation and just as the fifth chime finished, he rushed to his window and slammed it open.

"Who the hell is doing that? I'm finally trying to study here, dammit!" He shouted out into the chilly air, watching his puff of hot breath dissipate off towards the dimly lit streets below. He was expecting to see the perpetrator shrinking in fear under the old street lamps. Instead, he found an empty and cold street. It was as silent as the deep night.

The blue-eyed boy frowned. Then he shivered as a faint gust of wind blew in through the open window. Rin shut the window with haste and sat back down on his seat to continue with his work. However, as his eyes turned back to the page, he found himself thoroughly distracted by his thoughts. These odd occurrences had been happening much too often lately…

The first time was when he had entered his classroom five days ago. His classmates were all giving him amused looks and glancing at him with flighty eyes. Rin had raised an eyebrow at it all and then ignored it as he usually did. But when his attention met with his seat, the boy had to take a step back and gape speechlessly. On his desk sat a tiny shrub in a pot and hanging loosely onto the end of one branch was a pathetic paper bird, with its red wings outstretched as though it were attempting to fly. He thought it was some prank or joke and had turned to his classmates suspiciously, growling a low, "Okay, who did this?" But his classmates merely gulped and smiled nervously, keeping their lips tightly sealed.

The next day, when he entered the classroom again, two paper birds—this time white in color but still equally pathetic—came swinging down from both sides of the door. Their paper beaks had poked into his cheeks, as though kissing him roughly, and he rubbed at the points while sending the two birds an irritated glare. His classmates were snickering to each other again and a few girls and boys were even blushing lightly. Rin had raised an eyebrow at them again before deciding to brush the incident off.

On the third day, he had found three fat paper birds crammed into the compartment under his desk (they slightly resembled hens with the red marker colored crowns). And on the fourth day, he'd been assaulted by four black paper birds while entering the classroom again.

Today had been the fifth day and for some reason, all of the previous items (the shrub with a bird, two white birds, three fat hens, and the four black birds) had made a reappearance in his classroom simultaneously. He was getting fed up with these antics and none of his classmates would crack a word about the perpetrator. The five rings in the night, while he was attempting to study, was the last straw. Rin ripped out the page in his notebook and crushed it into a ball.

"Damn it… I'm gonna friggin' find out who's doing this even if it's the last thing I do…! Just you wait!" He scowled and tossed the crinkly wad of paper into the bin on Yukio's side of the room.

Thus, the sixth day came. The blue-haired boy woke himself up especially early in the morning and quickly finished with preparing the lunch boxes for the day. He pulled on a scarf to combat the chilly wind and then slammed the door of the dorm building open, all ready to run for his classroom and catch the person behind everything. But he halted in his steps, eyes growing round in shock when he found a basket of six painted eggs lying on the front step. Rin slowly sank to the ground, eyes fixed on the basket in horror. Then, he cursed and smacked a fist onto the stone step.

"Dammit! One step too late…!"

The seventh day and eighth day went on in the same manner. Rin attempted to rise earlier and earlier. But every time he did, he only managed to find the prank presents left behind: seven paper swans had been left circling the door step and the next day, eight buds of milkmaid flowers had showered down over his head. He was becoming greatly frustrated and he finally grumbled to Yukio and Shiemi about it. Shiemi was shocked and voiced why anyone would play such jokes on him. Yukio, on the other hand, paused for a second to blink before muffling a laugh.

"W-Why're you laughing, Yukio?" Rin exclaimed indignantly, "This is starting to creep me out, you know? What the heck does this person want with me? I don't get it at all!"

His twin brother chuckled again and shook his head in amusement, "Brother… I think you're misunderstanding something…" Yukio's spectacles twinkled knowingly and he sent Rin a small smile, "Are you sure they're pranks? Why don't you think of them as gifts instead?"

"Huh?"

Shiemi gasped and slapped her palms down onto her knees, "Ah! That's right, Yuki-chan!" She turned towards her half-demon friend and nodded eagerly, "I had a feeling something was odd. They don't really seem like pranks to me. They're not really hurting you, right?"

"Uhh…" Rin felt his temper begin to fade and he scrunched his eyebrows together in thought, "I guess… so…"

Yukio placed an encouraging hand on his brother's shoulder and smiled, "Why don't you just wait a while longer and just enjoy the surprises for now? I have a feeling you'll find out who is sending you these presents in about four more days…"

"Eh? Four…?"

The spectacled boy pat Rin's shoulder again and then left with a small wave of his hand.

The next morning, he was greeted with a string of nine paper ladies hanging across the front of his dorm building door. Rin paused to take a look at them. The ladies were all cut from a bright blue paper and they all looked as though they were twirling around in large puffy dresses. Their hands were all joined to the others', forming a long streamer. It reminded him of the decorations Ryuuji had created once upon a day several months ago (which had been a surprising feat for a person who looked so rough and delinquent-like). Could the boy with blonde-streaked hair be the one behind it all…? But no… as Rin made a closer inspection of the cut-out ladies, he found that the skills were far worse than that of Ryuuji's. So who could it be…? He raised an eyebrow at it, then shrugged before leaving for school.

It was now the tenth day and when Rin left for school that morning, he found that the nine ladies were now joined by ten cut-out gentlemen, leaping around the dancing ladies as though they were inviting the women to a ball. They had been cut out from pink paper and the mesh of contrasting colors caused Rin to crack a small smile.

"Haha, what the heck?" He grinned at the line of little paper people, "Why are the guys pink and the girls blue? Isn't it normally the other way around?" The boy gave the present another look and then left for his classes, stepping across the stone street with lighter footfalls, feeling his disposition grow significantly warmer. During the afternoon, his mood was still so bright that his friends in cram school all took notice of it.

Renzou smirked and pulled Rin over with an arm around his shoulders. "What's makin' you so happy today, Okumura-kun~? You looked so annoyed a few days ago…!"

Ryuuji raised an eyebrow as Rin beamed back at them with a toothy grin. "Nothing much. Lately I've been getting a whole bunch of weird things in class. Like paper birds and eggs and stuff." Konekomaru and Ryuuji shared a look and then turned back to listen attentively to the blue-eyed boy, "At first I thought it was some prank. Especially when someone was ringing a bell or something outside my window in the middle of the night. But then Yukio told me that maybe they're presents or something…" Rin smiled, "And I guess he's right, I mean… I got these really cool cut-out people hanging in the doorway. They're kinda cute, haha. But…" His eyes shot upwards in thought and he scratched his cheek with a finger, "I wonder who's giving me all these things… and why…?"

"I see." Ryuuji's eyes fell half-lidded and he smirked, irises shooting towards Renzou for a split second. The pink-haired boy flinched and rubbed the back of his head nervously. Konekomaru stifled a laugh by covering his mouth with a hand.

Renzou began quickly, "A-Ah, that is kind of odd isn't it? Haha… so…" The boy grinned again and nudged the other boy playfully, "What kind of presents are these any way? And when did this start? Maybe if you tell me, I can help you figure out who's behind this and why they're doin' it?"

Rin blinked and glanced at the pink-haired boy in confusion. "Sure… not sure how you'll help but… hmm… it started about ten days ago? I got a shrub with a paper bird hanging in it. The next day, I got two white paper birds that flew into my face. And then the day after that, I got three paper birds that looked kinda like hens in my desk…"

Renzou rubbed his chin carefully and nodded, "Hmm, so on the first day you got one bird and the second day you got two. And the third day you got three?"

Rin paused to think for a second. Then he smiled, "Yeah…! Wait… seems like the number of things I'm getting goes by the number of days that go by… I mean, someone rang a bell five times on the fifth day and I got six eggs on the sixth day…! What the heck…?"

"What day is it now?" Ryuuji grunted with a raised eyebrow.

"The tenth…"

"So that means you got ten of something today?" Konekomaru chirped in. Rin thought back to the cut-out gentlemen and he nodded.

"Yep. Ten dudes jumping around the nine girls from yesterday."

Renzou chuckled and Rin turned to face him with one brow quirked up in interest. "What's so funny?"

The pink-haired boy waved a hand casually, "No, it's just… all of this makes me think of a song, haha~"

The blue-haired boy blinked at his friend, "A song?"

"Yep! It's a song that foreigners sometimes sing during Christmas time. Like 'Jingle Bells', ya know? Here, I'll let you listen to it." Renzou relinquished his hold around Rin and went to fetch his earphones and music player from within his bag, "I've got it with me~" He grinned and returned to Rin's side to hand him one ear bud, "Here. Let's listen to it together."

"O-Ou…" Rin took the offered device tentatively and then plugged it into his left ear. Renzou smiled and snuggled up beside the blue-haired boy, poking his own half of the earphones into his right ear. The two boys stared down at the music player and Renzou began playing a song titled, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'. As they listened carefully to the lyrics, Rin's eyes grew round in surprise. Everything that was being described by the song had been happening to him…! This… couldn't be a coincidence… right? Ryuuji and Konekomaru continued to sit at the table in patient silence, giving the pair amused looks. But both boys were too preoccupied with listening to the song to notice. As the melody and singing finally came to an end, Rin slowly pulled away from Renzou to give him a bewildered look.

"W-Woah, why is it…?"

"Exactly the same, right? Kinda weird isn't it?" The pink-haired boy snickered and ruffled the other boy's hair teasingly, "But then wouldn't that mean that whoever's sendin' you all that stuff is your 'true love'? Haha~"

Rin's cheeks grew warm. "W-Whaa—? T-True l-lo…? As if that's—?" He cut himself off, eyes round and staring off into the distance. His thoughts jumped from the gifts to the song he had just listened to and he felt his face grow a brighter red. He smacked Renzou across the shoulder while spluttering in embarrassment, "S-Stupid Shima! T-That's… that's not it! That can't be! I-I mean… I don't even…!"

Renzou slapped a hand over his mouth and couldn't help but laugh at the half-demon's reaction. "Pfft! Relax, Okumura-kun! I'm just kiddin'~ Ahaha, your face is like totally red right now! So cute~" The boy prodded his index fingers into the other boy's reddened cheeks, "Maybe you really are thinkin' of that person as your true love…? Ahaha~"

"Urk…!" Rin stiffened from being caught so flustered and he batted away the fingers, springing from his seat in indignation. "Yeah right! Like that'll ever happen! I-Idiot Shima…!" He exclaimed and then marched off, rushing back to the front row. The joyous laughter from the pink-haired boy echoed behind him and Rin felt his cheeks burn an even hotter red. "As if that would ever…" He mumbled quietly to himself, shuffling irritably into his seat beside a confused Shiemi.

Later in the night, the song came back to plague him and as Rin fell back into his bed, he felt his cheeks turn pink again. If everything really went along to the song then… that meant… he had an… admirer?

"Gaaaah…" He groaned and flopped over onto his stomach, burying his burning face into the pillow. T-That couldn't be, right…? After all… who would like him? But then… why else was he getting all these presents? And all according to the song, too? He turned his face so that his right cheek was pressed against the soft pillow and he pouted, trying to make sense of it all. If it really was an admirer then… who could it be…? Would they show themselves eventually? Perhaps… on the twelfth day?

"…twelfth day, huh…" Rin mumbled to himself, eyes slowly shifting over to Yukio's calendar propped up neatly on his desk, "Today's the 22nd so… the twelfth day would be the… 24th…?" He climbed up into a sitting position and pulled his pillow into his arms, hugging it tightly against his chest. The boy peered over the top, bright blue eyes narrowed and fixed on the calendar. Two more days, huh… Tomorrow would be the eleventh day, which meant he would be receiving… hm? Wait, how did the song go again? Eleven…? Eleven…?

The door to the room creaked open and Rin's head immediately shot up from the pillow. He jumped from his bed and rushed up towards his twin brother, who had just managed to put one foot into the room.

"Y-Yukio! What happens on the eleventh day in the song?" The blue-haired boy burst out, catching the spectacled boy off-guard, "Do you know?"

Yukio's glasses went askew and he hastily lifted a hand up to fix them back over his nose, "B-Brother…? Eleventh day… what?"

"In that song, 'The Twelve Days of Christmas'! What happens on the eleventh day?"

The green-eyed boy sent his brother a surprised look. Then, the corners of his lips quirked upwards slightly, "Oh? Why do you want to know so badly? And…" A bead of sweat ran down his head, "…can you let me in? I would like to put my bag down…"

"Ah! R-Right…!" Rin backed away from the doorway and watched as Yukio calmly entered. "So… what happens on the eleventh day? You know, right? Yukio?" The other boy shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the stand sitting beside the entrance. Then, he chuckled and sent Rin an amused smile.

"You are quite eager to know. What happened? Perhaps… you are finally getting curious about this… 'true love' of yours…?"

Rin gaped at Yukio for several seconds. Then his jaw went slack and he raised a shaky finger in the other boy's direction, "Y-Y-You know who it is!" Yukio lifted a fist up to his mouth, chuckling gently into it. Rin continued in a loud voice, "You do, don't you? Wait! It's not you, is it? Tell me it isn't you playing a prank on me!"

"Heh," Yukio raised an eyebrow, greatly entertained by his brother's reactions, "No, it's not me but… I do know who it is."

"S-Seriously?"

"But I'm not telling you."

"Yukioooo!"

The green-eyed boy smiled and lifted a finger up, "But I will tell you that on the eleventh day, the verse goes: 'Eleven Pipers Piping'. And on the twelfth day, you should expect 'Twelve Drummers Drumming'."

"E-Eh…?"

Yukio chuckled and began loosening his tie, stepping lightly towards his desk, "And don't worry… you'll find out who it is… very soon."

For the rest of the night, Yukio didn't bring up the subject again no matter how much Rin tried to bribe, beg, or convince him. The green-eyed boy merely sent him a look that consisted of twinkling eyes and quivering lips, as though attempting to hold back from laughing. The blue-eyed half-demon had to succumb to his sleep, thinking constantly about his mysterious gift sender.

The next morning, Rin stood at the entrance of his dorm building, staring at the closed door with flushed cheeks. 'Eleven Pipers Piping'… What kind of gift would he receive today…? He scrunched his eyes shut and slowly pushed open the door. Then, peeping one eye open, he snuck a glance outside. Rin paused when he found nothing on the doorstep. Both of his eyes fluttered open and his head darted back and forth, searching for anything that might be 'Eleven Pipers Piping'. But there was nothing…

A small pout involuntarily fell across his lips. Then, he gulped and straightened his back. The blue-eyed boy shook his head violently and slapped his cheeks.

"No no, why are you feeling disappointed, stupid…? I-It's not like… you were looking forward to it… or anything…" He murmured to himself and shut the door behind him softly. Rin shouldered his bag and began shuffling across the stone street at a slightly slower pace than usual. Then, he froze. "Maybe… it's back in the classroom…?" The blue-eyed boy felt his mood instantly brighten and he started his walk again, steps growing hurried and eager. But when he arrived at his classroom, he was disappointed once again by the lack of any presents surprising him on his way in or on his desk.

It wasn't until later that afternoon—after hours of sulking—that Rin finally received his present. Renzou had motioned for the half-demon to join him and Rin had obliged, sitting beside him in an uninterested manner. The blue-haired boy's eyes were dull and staring off towards the blackboard in thought. He felt the pink-haired boy pass something into his hands and he glanced down at the object nonchalantly.

"Huh?" There was an ear bud lying in the palm of his hand. He glanced towards Renzou with a raised eyebrow but the boy merely grinned and pointed at his ear in an excited manner. Rin shrugged and slipped the earphone into one ear while Renzou did the same with the other end. The two began listening to music for the duration of the break and Rin felt his mood lighten greatly at the chorus of instruments singing into his ear. There were guitars and violins, light woodwinds too. They listened to a few other pieces with pianos and bagpipes and Rin felt himself crack a smile at the odd accompaniment. In fact, every song they had listened to seemed to have those odd bagpipes in the background somewhere…

Rin's eyes trailed towards Renzou's fingers, which were flicking across the music player to the next song. It was around the eleventh song when he finally noticed odd cut marks in the boy's fingers.

…huh?

"Shima, what happened to your hands…?" He pointed out while blinking rapidly in disbelief. It… couldn't be…? Rin's eyes darted towards Renzou's face and the boy's blue eyes grew round in shock. The other boy's cheeks were suddenly as pink as his own hair. The song finally ended and Renzou hastily paused the song, plucking out both of their earbuds with haste. He tucked the device into his jacket pocket and shuffled in his seat anxiously.

"Ahahaha… ahh… s-so, it's almost Christmas, isn't it? D-Did you buy presents yet?" Renzou laughed awkwardly, face growing rapidly redder. His eyes were averted away from Rin and he kept running his fingers through his hair in a panicky fashion. Then, he bopped a fist into his open palm before Rin could answer and exclaimed, "AH! Actually, I forgot to buy my presents! Sorry, Okumura-kun! I gotta go! See you tomorrow!" And with that, the pink-haired boy shot up from his seat, yanked his bag off the table, and sped out the classroom door. Rin's cheeks grew pink. His eyes were still fixed on the open door, having followed Renzou's every movement before he left. They continued to linger there as his mouth worked itself open, managing to stutter a quiet,

"N-No way…"

That night, Rin found it nearly impossible to fall asleep. He also couldn't stop his cheeks from growing warm every time he thought of what had happened during the day.

"It's Shima…? No way… it can't be, but… it is?" After all… everything fit together! The hands that looked as though there were paper cuts… the eleven songs with the bagpipes… Rin swallowed and threw his face into the pillow again. "Gaaaah, it's just Shima…! T-There's no reason to feel all worked up about this…! It's… i-it's probably some kind of practical joke or something…!" But then again… what was with that blushing…? Did Shima… like him after all? The blue-eyed boy felt his ears turn red and his hands jumped up to cover them. "Uwaaah… w-why am I…? It's just Shimaaa…!"

He heard a small cough from the other side of the room and he immediately felt his body flush with color. Rin turned his head, finding Yukio sitting on his own bed with a knowing smile. The blue-haired boy almost felt his hair stand up on end from how embarrassed he was feeling and he viciously flung his pillow at his twin brother.

"Shut up!"

Yukio merely caught the ferocious pillow in his hands and laughed brightly.

It was finally the twelfth day. Throughout the morning and afternoon, Rin had been constantly on edge. When he entered the classroom, his eyes diligently studied the hallways, looking for any hint of pink color. For cram school, the room grew tense as Rin continuously glanced over his shoulder to stare at Renzou in curiosity. However, the boy only scribbled at his notebook hurriedly and kept his face down to hide his red cheeks from view. Yukio seemed to take pity on the pink-haired boy at one point and smacked Rin over the head with a book, scolding him to pay attention. But that did little to stop the half-demon from watching his pink-haired friend in an almost obsessed manner.

By the time cram school lessons had ended, Rin's legs were twitching to run towards Renzou's seat and ask straight out what was going on. But before he could, he was stopped by Shiemi who began asking him questions about his plans for the holiday. When he finally had the chance to turn and look for Renzou, the boy had already fled the room with both Ryuuji and Konekomaru. The blue-eyed boy pouted and sank into his seat.

But what about the twelfth present…? Wasn't this the last time he would see him for the day? Where was the last 'Twelve Drummers Drumming'?

For the rest of the afternoon, Rin sat on the doorstep of his dorm building, raising his head up occasionally to check if one certain pink-haired boy would be sneaking his way over to give him the last present. He even tried calling his pink-haired friend but no one picked up. As evening fell upon him, Rin finally sighed and retired inside, moving into his room to lean his head down on his desk. He sat there in numb silence, blue eyes drifting towards the window from time to time. The half-demon nodded off to sleep several times, laying his head in his arms reluctantly. It was around eleven-fifty at night when Rin finally sighed and smacked a hand over his face.

"What am I doing…?" He groaned and shook his head, feeling his abnormally high hopes finally begin to fall from its height. Just as he was about to get up and forget about it all, a muffled drumming sound came from behind him. Rin's tail was the first to perk up in alarm. Then, his head spun towards the door of his room. That sound… it was coming from the hallway…?

The blue-eyed boy slammed the door of his room open and he searched the hall for the source of the sound. On the ground was a cell phone, steady drum beats bursting from it vibrantly. Rin heard the start of another drum beat coming from further along the hallway and his eyes immediately shot towards the sound, noticing that Yukio's cell phone was lying only several feet away. The blue-haired boy followed the phone to the stairs and then nearly jumped from his skin when another loud set of drums started up from the floor below. He followed three more drumming mobile phones to the entrance of the dorm building and he paused, eyes growing round in surprise when a sudden chorus of clanking sounds started from outside the door. They continued on for some time until a whisper from what sounded like Shiemi went, "Yuki-chan… do you think he fell asleep…?"

Rin gulped, feeling a strange and giddy feeling rise up from his stomach and into his throat. W-W-What…? He lifted one shaky hand up and pushed it just as Yukio began murmuring a gentle, "I hope not… for Shima-kun's sake…" At that, Rin finally managed to push the door open. The drumming seemed to slow and he timidly peeked out, staring at the group from the crack he had opened. His eyes were wide and he could feel his cheeks burning up. His gaze flitted from person to person, opening the door a little wider to see what exactly was going on outside. The usual group—Yukio, Shiemi, Ryuuji, Konekomaru, Renzou, and oddly enough, Shura—were all stationed around the doorstep in a large semi-circle. They each held a cup in their hands, tapping various utensils on the plastic or ceramic to drum out awkward beats.

Rin gaped at the group, completely speechless. From the middle of the circle, he could see Renzou standing stiffly and tapping at his own little cup with a spoon. Noticing the pink-haired boy's blush, Rin gulped and then sped back into the building, pulling the door firmly shut.

"Ah…!" The blue-eyed boy could faintly hear them gasp from the other side of the door. The drum beats stopped immediately but his racing heart was enough to make up for all of the silenced beats. Rin felt his body tremble and he was sure his face was glowing so brightly it could probably light up all the stars on the trees in the school campus.

"Nyahaha! He went back in~"

"Do you think… he doesn't…?"

"I-Idiot! Don't say that…!"

Rin clapped his hands over his face. Oh god… what were they doing? This… this was somehow really embarrassing… His ears suddenly grew alert when he distinctly heard Renzou's shaky voice murmur in an uncertain tone.

"Ahaha… t-thanks guys but… I guess it kinda makes sense this would happen…"

The blue-eyed boy blinked in surprise and his head shot up from his hands.

"Idiot! Don't give up now!" He could hear Ryuuji shout back irritably. After a pause, Yukio's slightly amused voice chimed in from farther away.

"Shima-kun, brother is probably just embarrassed. I'm sure he's still there, maybe crouching down with his face in his hands and back against the door…"

Rin gulped and glanced down at himself, realizing that he was in the exact position his twin brother had described him in.

"Ah, Okumura-sensei is right." Konekomaru's voice floated across gently, "We've already helped give the last present so we should leave them alone, right?"

"I wanted ter see it all though…" Rin could almost hear the pout in Shura's voice but nevertheless, the sound of various footfalls began leaving the premises. The boy's heart was still pounding in his chest and for a few seconds, he could hear nothing but that drumming sound against his chest. The pulse rushed vigorously through his veins, sending tingles to the ends of his fingers. A soft knock on the door behind him caused him to jump and he nearly gasped in surprise.

"Okumura-kun…?" He could hear the pink-haired boy's voice call through the door in a tentative manner, "Are you there…?" Rin could only stare at the dusty floor, eyes darting back and forth across the tiles as his neck grew hot just from hearing the other boy's voice.

W-What am I…?

He heard a sigh and then the sound of rustling clothes, as though the other boy were beginning to move away. Rin immediately turned, leaping up from his position.

"W-Wait!" He shoved the door open and he felt it connect with a solid body. Rin's eyes widened as he saw Renzou stumble back onto the ground, face scrunched in pain as his forehead was smashed in by edge of the door. "Ah! S-Shima…! S-S-Sorry! I didn't mean to…! Erm…!" He flew to the other boy's side, eyebrows pinched together in concern, "Are you okay? Sorry, Shima…! I thought you were leaving so I…! I just moved and…and…! A-Are you okay…?"

After a faint groan and a rub of the bump throbbing on his forehead, Renzou peered up at Rin with a wince. Then, a grin spread across his lips and he laughed loudly.

"Ahaha! Okumura-kun, you sure know how to make a moment memorable, haha!"

The blue-haired boy felt his cheeks grow pink and he scowled, "I-I'm being worried about you here! And you're just sitting there laughing…?" Renzou chuckled again and then trailed off, eyes fixed intently on Rin. The blue-haired boy immediately froze and then averted his eyes to the stone floor. He could feel his face burning warmer.

"Okumura-kun."

Rin's eyes jumped up at the mention of his name and he found himself caught by the other boy's light brown eyes, glimmering hopefully in the dim lamp light.

"I…" Renzou grinned, moving a hand up to touch the other boy's face, "…I like you." He closed his eyes, releasing the next words in a longing sigh, "I like you… a lot, haha…~" He chuckled softly and then looked back up into Rin's blue eyes, "Yeah, so… uhh…" Renzou's cheeks turned pink and he pulled his hand away, "Just, uhh… wanted you to know… I guess an answer would be nice now but… n-no need to hurry and reject me or anythin'… at least consider it a bit, will you? Ahaha…" The boy laughed at his attempt at lightening the mood and then swallowed, eyes wavering across Rin's face hesitantly, unsure if he should continue looking at him or turn away. Finally, Renzou managed a weak grin, "A-Anyway… Merry Christmas… R-Rin…?"

Rin gaped at the pink-haired boy, utterly stunned. Then, his cheeks turned a fierce red which caused Renzou to turn equally as red.

"Uwaaah… w-why're you gettin' so red, i-idiot…? T-This is embarrassing enough as it is so—"

The blue-haired boy cut him off by slapping a hand down over the other boy's hand. The two nearly gasped at the new contact and they both glanced down at their clasped hands, staring at them with round eyes. Rin gaped at his hand wordlessly and then ducked his head down as soon as he heard Renzou mumble a surprised, "O-Okumura-kun…?" When the pink-haired boy pulled away slightly, Rin immediately clenched his hand around the other boy's hand tightly. His head was still tucked tightly down, not daring to show his burning face. He could hear Renzou's voice tremble with the beginnings of joy, "Okumura-kun, does this mean you…?"

"C-Call me, Rin…" The blue-eyed boy felt his voice barely mumble out, "…s-stupid Renzou…" It almost felt as though time and space had frozen at just that moment. And then Rin felt the hand underneath his hand turn and cling onto his palm, entwining their fingers together.

"…Rin?"

The blue-haired boy shivered and he slowly lifted his head. When he finally locked eyes with the pink-haired boy, he found Renzou smirking happily back at him. Rin blushed under the other boy's gaze and he averted his eyes quickly.

"W-What… Renzou?" He muttered nervously, trying to sound irritated and nonchalant. But his voice trailed off and grew quiet as he murmured out the other boy's name.

"I'm goin' to kiss you, Rin."

"Eh?" He only had enough time to say that much before he felt a hand suddenly lift his chin up. Before he could make another thought, Rin felt a pair of soft lips capture his own. It sent an almost electrifying feeling down from the nape of his neck to the ends of his toes and he whimpered as a light, fuzzy feeling spread all across his skin. The boy's eyes were wide, noticing that Renzou's own eyes were half-lidded, looking deep into his blue irises. And then they closed, lips beginning to move slowly across his to caress him and increase the amount of friction between them. Rin didn't know when his eyes slid shut. All he knew was that Renzou was sitting across from him and that he loved him… they were kissing… and his body was tingling all over. When he finally managed to get his eyes open and look back around him in a dazed manner, Rin found Renzou staring back down at him with the largest and sappiest smile he had ever seen him wear.

"R-Renzouuu…?" He managed to say between pants of breath. He noted briefly that somehow his own arms had made it around the other boy's neck, fingers weaved into his pink hair. Renzou's hands were also locked around him; one was pressing firmly against his nape while the other one was looped securely around his back.

"Rin… you have no idea how happy you're makin' me, ya know~?"

Rin felt his cheeks burn fiercely again and his eyes darted off to the side shyly, "W-Well… I'm… happy, too…"

Renzou's brown eyes twinkled and he beamed so brightly he could have outshined the stars. "Rin…!" The pink-haired boy swooped back down to kiss the other boy again. But Rin quickly tugged back on Renzou's hair, causing him to wince and whine a pathetic, "Ow! Ow! R-Riiiin…"

The blue-haired boy frowned, giving Renzou a half-hearted glare.

"I-Idiot! I didn't finish talking yet…!" His blue eyes darted off to the side again and he muttered a quick, "T-Thanks… for the presents and… M-Merry Christmas to you, too… and… erm… I also… l-like you… maybe a lot, too…" Then, after a moment where his eyes flickered up to meet Renzou's, he pulled the other boy down, pressing his lips against his again. The motion was performed in a rougher manner than before but it was still just as precious as the first one. Rin pulled away after a second, grinning in satisfaction at his accomplishment. "There," He chuckled, tail whipping back and forth excitedly against the ground, "I finally said it."

Renzou gaped at the other boy, shock apparent in his eyes. Rin snickered at the look. Finally, a little bit of payback for all those surprise gifts that he had first thought of as pranks…! Renzou's brown eyes suddenly turned sharp and Rin was caught by that possessive look, involuntarily shivering in anticipation. W-What…?

"Rin… will you open your mouth for me?"

"H-Huh?"

"Good enough—" Renzou smirked and leaned in again, mouth prying open his lips wider. Rin couldn't follow what happened next, only vaguely realizing that his eyes had rolled back in ecstasy as something wet and hot had entered in through their locked lips, playfully teasing and tasting his mouth thoroughly. But just as he felt his body arch up to meet Renzou's, a few catcalls came whistling from the bushes nearby. The two pulled back in surprise, lips coming apart with an audible smack! Their heads turned simultaneously to find a group of grinning faces peeping over the hedges.

The rest of Christmas Day was spent in the old boy's dorm building, celebrating and teasing the new couple. Their laughter filled the worn hallways with warmth and as they all exhausted themselves with a day's worth of partying, they each retired back to their respective places to sleep the rest of the day away. Only two boys remained sitting in the kitchen, leaning against each other with their hands clasped gently between them. They shared a sweet kiss, tasting faintly of caramel and hot chocolate, and then dozed off in comfort, dreaming of nothing but the new and happy year to come.

The End. (or the beginning…)

.:.