Shuu used to hate the snow. It was a simple pleasure him and his sister used to indulge in during winter-she seemed to like snow a lot and would always comment on how pretty it was. He never thought much of it, but agreed with her anyways. It still gave him a sense of fondness because of how he spent his time in it. But when his sister died, that fondness formed into bitterness. A somber reminder of what he had lost, what he could have kept if he was able to protect her.

But ever since Tenma-bless Tenma, that strange, incredible boy-lifted the darkness and resentment from his heart-ever since he was reminded that something he thought for so long was cursed was actually wonderful and fun. That soccer did not exist to define one's worth. And after that, well, a lot of things changed for Shuu. Some of those things weren't even related to soccer.

Like his previously-negative association with snow. He looked forward to the snowfall-he was able to enjoy it and appreciate the beauty it held, the charm his sister always talked about to him. It also brought along a holiday he never was one to celebrate before; Christmas. But he enjoyed the idea, exchanging gifts with friends and spending time with those you care for. Shuu made bracelets for all his teammates, he figured it'd be nice to surprise them. They were his good friends, after all.

He thought about making something for Hakuryuu, to show his appreciate for...well, just for him. Shuu had honestly spent days trying to figure out what he should send him, trying to figure out a good gift that suited the frosty-haired forward. He finally settled on making him a scarf, since it was cold and maybe Hakuryuu would think of him when he wore it.

A blush made its way onto the navy-haired boy's cheeks at the idea, a faint, fond smile forming on his lips. It was a warm scarf, and beautiful too. Shuu felt proud of himself for it-he was always very good at knitting, but he felt especially excited about how this scarf came out. It was a deep velvet red, extremely soft to the touch. Shuu was positive Hakuryuu would love it.

Honestly, he wasn't sure how long he had really acknowledged these feelings for Hakuryuu. He kept in touch with him via letters(that were delivered by a bird on the island, there wasn't much of a post office on God Eden after the Fifth Sector ceased activity there), and discovered the romantic feeling was very much mutual. They hadn't really met in person since that exchange of confessions on paper, but that was okay-Shuu felt happy just writing letters to him. But he'd be lying if he said he didn't wish his boyfriend-was it okay to use that term?-would physically be there to spend time with him. He supposed he couldn't be too picky, and it wasn't Hakuryuu's fault either. One day, he hoped.

Christmas came quickly, and Shuu panicked because he had forgotten to send Hakuryuu's gift off to him. Now he wouldn't get it on time, and it would lose a lot of the surprise-and what if he thought Shuu forgot about him? There wasn't even a letter coming his way, either. He was ashamed of himself, honestly-how could he have been so forgetful? There was no use worrying about it now, though. He went to the bird he trusted with his letters and packages to, only to find-

It wasn't there.

If Shuu wasn't panicking enough before, he definitely was now. The gift was going to be super late, and he didn't even have a way to tell Hakuryuu that it would be late, why was this happening now of all times, why-

His thought process came to a halt as he felt arms wrap around his middle, causing him to almost drop the box that the scarf was in. He was about to push whoever was hugging him from behind away before he heard the voice of the boy holding him. "It's kind of cold, and you're kind of warm, so..."

Shuu knew that voice, he had wanted to hear that voice again for so long, he wasn't sure if he was really understanding the situation at the moment. He instantly turned around, eyes widening as he got visual confirmation that Hakuryuu was here on God Eden. With Shuu. On Christmas.

"Hakuryuu, why are you here?" Shuu asked, trying to keep his voice steady and attempted to not sound too excited. He wasn't doing a very convincing job, though. The white haired boy smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of he head nervously. A blush-something Shuu had never physically seen on his boyfriend before-dusted Hakuryuu's cheeks as he shrugged.

"Well, what else would I be doing here? Visiting you, what do you think?" he said, glancing at the box in Shuu's hands. "What's that?" he questioned, raising a brow in curiosity. Shuu sighed, looking down at the package and smiling a bit.

"Well, I had knit a scarf for you, and I had meant to send it out before Christmas so it could get to you in time, but it slipped my mind completely. But I suppose I can just give it to you now, right?" he said, handing the box to Hakuryuu slowly. Shuu was excited to be able to see the other boy's reaction to his gift, but also nervous. What if he ended up not liking it? What if-

"You made this?" Hakuryuu asked, eyes staring in wonderment at the deep red scarf in his hands. Shuu nodded, unable to form words as he watched the white-haired forward wrapped it around his neck. Shuu sighed mentally in relief, wondering why he was so worried about it all.

"It will keep you warm, since it's getting cold o-" Shuu was cut off as he felt a pair of chapped, yet warm lips on his, instantly melting into it. He had thought about what it'd be like to kiss Hakuryuu, and well-in reality it was far from perfect. Their noses kept bumping and there were some teeth involved, Hakuryuu's lips were dry and they were both total beginners at this. But even if in theory it wasn't perfect, it was more than perfect to both of them.

Snow started to fall, and Shuu now was able to associate something new and wonderful with the white weather. Old memories still had a place in his heart, but he welcomed the new experiences and feelings with open arms-and he was going to build new memories in this winter wonderland with Hakuryuu.

Shuu would have to say this was his best Christmas yet, and honestly-the same goes for Hakuryuu.