Disclaimer: I do not own Star Ocean nor do I profit financially from the writing of this story. I am simply enjoying the holiday season with my favourite pairing. XD

Warnings: male/male (yaoi, slash, whatever you want to call it) pairings

Luther stared crossly at the clock, a deep frown on his features as he willed the minutes to move by faster and signal the end of the day before returning his attention back to his computer screen. He felt rather anxious, a very rare oddity for someone such as him, and he wanted nothing more than to leave Sphere as quickly as he could. It would be upon leaving that he would indulge in something he had never done in all the years he worked at Sphere – Luther Lansfeld was taking two weeks off from work.

He was not taking just any two weeks off, either. In the Eternal Sphere, more specifically on Earth, it was in the middle of the month of December. Various sections of the planet would be celebrating a holiday by the end of the month, the holiday of Christmas, and he had been promised if he took the weeks surrounding that particular holiday off, he would receive a rather special surprise from his lover.

His curiosity trumped his desire to work non-stop. As a result, Luther announced a company wide shut down of Sphere, surprising everyone. No other company in Lost City was allowing their employees the time off, and more than half of his subordinates wondered – though never to his face – if Luther had lost his mind. The blond found it to be absolutely delicious, the way his subordinates wondered about the time off and his motives for giving such a lavish and rather unexpected vacation. When he had told Fayt of his actions, the blue-haired man simply shook his head and smiled. Fayt knew Luther liked to keep his subordinates guessing and on their toes. It was of no surprise to him that Luther enjoyed the questions never asked in his presence.

Luther glanced at his clock once more before letting out an exasperated sigh. Only twenty-five minutes remained left of his day. Why could Time not fly faster?!

"Luther? Are you all right?"

At his sister's inquiry, Luther scowled, but he refused to glance at the older woman. He did not want to see her expression of concern or whatever other emotion that might be on her face. It was also the last thing he needed, especially when he would not be back to Sphere until after the holiday season on Earth had passed.

"I am fine, Blair," he replied with a growl. "What is that you want?"

"I came to see if you needed some help," Blair replied with a chuckle, which finally caught Luther's attention. "But I can see that you don't. You just looked so . . . upset."

"I am fine," Luther repeated. "Is there anything else?"

"No." Blair shook her head. She offered him a faint smile. "Tell Fayt I said hi and Merry Christmas, all right? Have a good holiday, Luther."

The violet-haired woman then waved and left his office. Luther stared at the spot where she had stood for a moment longer then exhaled, feeling a dull throb forming behind his eyes. His sister never ceased in baffling him, though he figured it could not be helped. He probably baffled her in a similar fashion.

'Maybe I'll just leave early,' he thought, noting only two more minutes had gone by since Blair approached him. 'Everything I needed to finish is done anyway. Fayt won't mind me coming home sooner than usual.'

The mere idea of seeing Fayt was more than enough motivation for Luther to shut his computers down and leave. If he knew his lover – which Luther was certain he did – the younger man was probably in the process of decorating their home in the Eternal Sphere for the upcoming event of Christmas, and Fayt would probably be wearing those shimmery shirts Luther liked so much. They exposed just enough of Fayt's chest and abdomen to entice the blond into kissing his lover and then some. Within moments, the lights of his Workspace were off, the computer screens blank, and Luther was heading for the transport to his home.

Once he arrived in his immense yet sparsely decorated mansion and entered his private chambers, Luther immediately shed his armor and donned something a little more comfortable. While he was not one for displaying his wealth by wearing extravagant and more than expensive clothing and jewelry, there were some things Luther simply could not bring himself wear. Though he never minded when Fayt wore jeans and tee shirts, Luther found such articles of clothing did not suit him. He preferred simpler versions of his usual attire, and he donned the clothes Fayt had given him as quickly as possible. Then, once he felt satisfied with his appearance, Luther left his mansion and entered the Eternal Sphere.

Upon entering his penthouse suite he shared with Fayt, Luther immediately noticed someone had planted a tree in the center of the living room. Not only had it been planted, but the tree was covered in twinkling lights of green and white and shiny round balls of silver and emerald and strange, glittery ropes. An angel gazed at him from her perch on the tree's top, and Luther found he did not appreciate her cool stare. He also smelled cinnamon and ginger, an indication someone had been baking not that long ago, but Luther did not see any sign of his lover. The thought of Fayt not being there greatly displeased Luther, and he stalked towards the kitchen to be sure.

Just as he reached the door leading into the kitchen, Luther heard a yelp of surprise and pain. It was soon followed by a resounding crash, and he noticed both sounds had come from the bedroom. Luther immediately placed himself in the room and saw Fayt . . . tangled in a strand of silver lights and sprawled across the floor between the wall and the bed. Fayt winced as he started to push himself up, not noticing Luther right away.

"Dammit," he growled, shaking his head. Luther saw a slight gash above Fayt's left temple as the younger man moved, blood trickling from the wound.

"Are you all right?" Luther demanded, kneeling next to Fayt. The sound of his voice startled the younger man, and his green eyes widened when he saw the blond.

"Luther!"

"Yes, I'm here," the blond-haired man said. He reached over to touch the wound. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Fayt replied, one hand touching Luther's arm. Instinctively, he leaned into Luther's touch. "I just wasn't expecting you to be home early."

"I decided I wanted to start my vacation sooner," Luther said, healing the wound on Fayt's head quickly. "Perhaps it is a good thing I did. What were you doing with these lights?"

"Oh, I, uh," Fayt averted his eyes as he spoke, his cheeks a faint shade of pink. "I was trying to hang some Christmas lights . . ."

"I can see that," Luther murmured. "The question is why."

"Soooo . . ." Fayt paused for a moment. "I could surprise you . . ."

"Well, you have accomplished that," Luther said. He started to untangle Fayt from the lights.

"Not like that, silly," Fayt said. "They were for something else."

"Something else?" Luther raised an eyebrow at this slight confession from Fayt. "What kind of something else?"

To this, Fayt smiled in a rather shy yet adorable and arousing fashion. Luther wanted to pounce his partner then and there and kiss the younger man senseless.

"I'm going to give you two of your Christmas presents tonight," Fayt replied.

"Which is?" Luther prompted.

"If I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise," Fayt said. He untangled his legs from the Christmas lights. "You'll just have to wait and see."

"And if I don't wish to wait?"

Fayt paused in his movements then leaned over and kissed Luther. When he pulled away, Luther noticed Fayt's green eyes were sparkling.

"Then it won't mean as much," Fayt said. "I want tonight to be special."

"Of course," Luther murmured. He felt a little jilted by Fayt's enigmatic behaviour, but the blond understood why his lover was behaving as he was. Fayt loved to be affectionate, and he was fond of planning the occasional evening where the two of them could be more than intimate with each other, but pamper one another and simply be who they were. Such moments were among Luther's favourite times, and he received the impression Fayt had something similar in mind for the evening. He smiled and kissed Fayt once again.

"Is there anything you wish for me to do?" he asked.

"Not really," Fayt confessed. They stood up, Fayt's hands now grasping the strand of lights whereas Luther's remained on the younger man's body. "I wasn't expecting you for another fifteen minutes or so."

"I see . . . I shall leave you to your work then," Luther murmured. Though Fayt said there was nothing he wanted from Luther at the moment, the blond-haired man knew of something he could do while he waited for Fayt to finish his current project. He smiled at his partner, his fingers brushing along Fayt's cheek, before he left the room.

As Luther exited their bedroom, he sensed Fayt watching, and his smile grew a little. Fayt's gaze possessed intensity and hunger for him, and the evening promised to be one of the best nights ever. All Luther needed to do now was wait.