It was their very first Christmas together, and Mondo had been hoping for years to have a calm and peaceful Christmas with Kiyotaka. Each year, Kiyotaka refused to celebrate Christmas, saying that he didn't have the time to enjoy a day off during the year. Kiyotaka had never celebrated the holidays before, as his family seemingly didn't make the time for them either. Even though this worried Mondo and left a sharp pang in his heart, he didn't want to push his boyfriend into doing something that he didn't want to do. The two still swapped small gifts, and Kiyotaka's constant love and support for him throughout the rest of the year was enough to make him happy. Kiyotaka did everything from helping him with his homework to tending to his wounds after fights. His wonderful boyfriend was always motivating him to be the best that he could be, and that was all that Mondo needed to fall head over heels for the guy.
In a weird way, Mondo understood Kiyotaka's hesitancy in enjoying Christmas because he refused to celebrate the holidays himself after his brother Daiya died in a terrible motorcycle accident due to Mondo's own recklessness. Christmas was all about family, and he didn't really have a family to enjoy it with after his own stupid actions. For years, he spent Christmas alone in his room, sleeping through the guilt and anguish over what he'd done. It was Kiyotaka who made him realize that he wasn't a murderer and that Daiya wouldn't want him to feel miserable and guilty all the time. It was Kiyotaka who made Mondo want to experience the tranquility that came with Christmas and spending time with family. His beautiful boyfriend was his new family, and he loved him with all of his heart.
Finally, this year, Kiyotaka decided to celebrate Christmas. However, this was only due to the most unfortunate circumstance imaginable.
As their relationship had gone on, Kiyotaka became more and more convinced that he could become the first gay Prime Minister. He intended to tell his parents about his relationship, as overcoming that hurdle would make him even stronger than he already was. Therefore, the week before Christmas, Kiyotaka came out as gay to his parents and expressed interest in bringing Mondo home to meet his family. To his utter dismay, his parents were furious with him. They had expected Kiyotaka to marry a nice young girl with a promising future from his class, such as the headmaster's daughter or the future Olympic swimmer. Instead, Kiyotaka chose to place his affections towards not only a man, but the most notorious gang leader in all of Japan. This was disastrous for restoring the Ishimaru family name that had been destroyed by the failures of Kiyotaka's grandfather, the former prime minister of Japan. Without a sign of remorse, his own parents threw him out into the cold winter night with nothing but his few belongings and a crushed spirit the week before Christmas.
When this happened, Kiyotaka ran to his one source of comfort in life: Mondo Oowada. He ran for an hour to get to Mondo's apartment. His legs were on fire, but getting out of the cold of the night and into Mondo's arms was the most important thing to him in that heartbreaking moment. Mondo was the only one who still genuinely loved him, and he needed love and approval more than anything in the world in that moment.
He rapped his knuckles against Mondo's door in an even more urgent manner than usual. Mondo immediately sprung up out of bed. He was a very light sleeper, and the loud, repetitive pounding quickly woke him up.
I swear to god I'm gonna punch the shit out of whoever woke me up at fuckin' 3 AM on my one night this week away from the gang. Mondo angrily thought, until he realized who was at his door. Only Kiyotaka would knock so quickly and urgently.
Is that Kiyo? Jesus Christ he must be in some deep shit if he's here this late at night. Trusting his gut feeling, Mondo quickly jumped out of bed, heart pounding and mind filling with worry.
As Mondo cracked open the door, Kiyotaka couldn't help but immediately run into Mondo's arms. He was shaking and out of breath, and his heavy, ragged sobs only worried Mondo even more.
"Baby who fuckin' hurt you!? I'll kill em' I swear to God!" Mondo growled with true rage with the intent to fight clouding his mind.
Kiyotaka cried even more as he explained the situation and grew increasingly anxious about having no place to live. Mondo's heart felt torn as he watched his lover break down more and more. On the one hand, he wanted to go yell at Kiyotaka's folks and make them pay for what they did to their son. On the other hand, using violence would only worsen the situation. He might even get arrested, and then nobody would be able to protect Kiyotaka.
He sighed, trying to calm down for Kiyotaka's sake. All he could do was bring his love inside, hold him tight, and reassure him that everything would be alright. As he did so, an idea popped into his head. The two had been planning to move in together once they graduated high school and Daiya's old room had been thoroughly cleaned out by Mondo after his death, so maybe Kiyotaka could live with him for the time being? The biker offered his boyfriend the option to stay with him as long as he needed to, which the hall monitor gladly accepted.
"Thank you so much Mondo! I'll stay! But of course I'll cook and clean and take on another job to help pay rent and-"
Mondo cut him off with a kiss. "Don't worry about the details now. Just know that you're safe. Stay as long as you need to."
And if it was forever, Mondo wouldn't mind at all.
The following morning, in order to take Kiyotaka's mind off of his newfound trauma, Mondo decided to ask him if he wanted to have a true Christmas together, and Kiyotaka surprisingly agreed. From then on, Mondo tried his absolute best to impress Kiyotaka with what little money he had left over after paying rent.
In a week's time, Mondo's apartment had been adorned with bright lights and a small but well-meaning Christmas tree. Truthfully, Mondo loved the decorations simply because they made his Kiyo smile. Making Kiyotaka happy was his favorite thing to do, and for the first time in many days, the light was starting to return to his beautiful red eyes.
To cheer himself up and to get into the holiday spirit, Kiyotaka decided to get ingredients from the grocery store and make Christmas cookies for Mondo in-between his studying for next semester's classes. It wasn't often that he spent money on himself like that, but he was in a tough emotional spot and making food always relaxed him. Kiyotaka was a fantastic cook and baker, as he had been cooking for himself for years due to his parents' busy work schedules.
Kiyotaka spent hours in the kitchen making cookies of every type, from beautifully frosted sugar cookies to rich peanut butter cookies. When he was finished, Kiyotaka laid out an impressive platter of cookies in front of Mondo, who was resting on the couch. He blushed slightly as he said, "I hope that these are alright! This was my first attempt at making Christmas cookies."
Mondo grabbed a peanut butter cookie and as soon as he bit in, his love for Kiyotaka only increased even more, which he had thought was impossible. "Fuck babe, this is fantastic. I-"
Kiyotaka quickly cut him off. "I know that this is your home and therefore you can say what you like, but dear, please watch your language!"
There was his Kiyo. The only thing that Kiyotaka loved more than Mondo was his rules. Of course his persistent dork of a boyfriend would enforce school rules on their holiday break. Despite being chastised, the pet name "dear" sent a tingle down his spine. Since Kiyotaka was so uptight about PDA and pet names at school, it was delightful that he was surprisingly affectionate in the privacy of their home.
I guess he's gotta let his loving emotions out somewhere, and it makes sense that he'd do it in a place where PDA literally ain't a thing. Mondo thought.
"Yeah, yeah." Mondo grumbled, but Kiyotaka knew that Mondo hadn't taken his scolding to heart. He smiled as he looked at Mondo. His rule-breaking Mondo. The ying to his yang. His true weakness.
Kiyotaka smiled and sat down on the couch next to his boyfriend. He gently wrapped his arms around Mondo, leaning his head on the biker's chest. Mondo blushed, as Kiyotaka wasn't usually so forward with his affection.
"What's going on baby?" Mondo asked genuinely.
"I'm just so appreciative of you for allowing me to stay with you. I don't know if I'll ever be able to return home. I don't know if I can bring honor back to the Ishimaru name, and I don't know if I'll ever be good enough for my family." Tears started to form in Kiyotaka's eyes, which only made Mondo hold him tighter and start to pepper his head with surprisingly soft kisses.
After calming Kiyotaka down with some physical love, he layered on the emotional love for his worrying boyfriend. "Of course I would let ya stay with me Kiyo! It's my job to be here for ya when ya need me, no matter what. Also, stop worryin' about bringin' honor back to your name. It ain't your job to do it alone. Your parents had the opportunity to restore your name their entire lives, and they fuckin' blew it. Who cares if you're good enough for them? You're good enough just as ya are." He proudly proclaimed.
For once, Kiyotaka didn't criticize his blunt language. Instead, he closed his eyes and gripped Mondo's hand tightly. "Thank you. You always know just what to say, even if your language is... less than desirable." He frowned.
After a relaxing moment of silence, Kiyotaka whispered, "I love you."
"I love you too Kiyo, and I'm going to make sure that this is the best Christmas that you've ever had."
Kiyotaka laughed. "Mondo dear, this is the first Christmas that I've ever had."
Mondo grinned. "Well I guess that means that even if I fuck it up, it'll still be the best Christmas ever!"
Mondo's headstrong attitude was part of the reason why Kiyotaka loved him so dearly. Mondo was the only person that could understand his own stubborn nature in relation to his ambitions. He slowly drifted to sleep in Mondo's arms, incredibly excited for his first Christmas morning.
When Kiyotaka woke up, he was still on the couch with Mondo, who was snoring loudly. As much as Kiyotaka wanted to lay with him for a little bit longer and just enjoy the peace, he had work to do. It was Christmas! He had to put his present for Mondo under the tree and make breakfast before his boyfriend woke up. Quickly, Kiyotaka slid his present under the tree and went into the kitchen to make breakfast.
Mondo woke up to the smell of pancakes. He was incredibly confused for a moment in his half-asleep state, as he didn't remember making food. But then he remembered that Kiyotaka was living with him, which both explained the smell and made his heart flutter. He stumbled into the kitchen, still not quite awake, and gave Kiyotaka a kiss as he made them breakfast.
"Good morning' Kiyo. Merry Christmas." He yawned, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend lazily.
Kiyotaka blushed. "Merry Christmas Mondo! I'm making pancakes, and then we can open our presents for each other, as people do on Christmas!" He said, sounding like a dork.
"I see that Kiyo. Thank ya for cooking for me. I'm real tired, so I'm gonna go back to sleep until they're ready mmkay?" This was common for Mondo. He loved to sleep whenever he could.
Kiyotaka didn't look up from the stove as he said, "I'll wake you up when they're ready!"
Within ten minutes, Mondo was greeted to Kiyotaka's angelic face mere centimeters away from his.
"Wake up Mondo! It's Christmas time!" He beamed as he loudly woke Mondo up. Kiyotaka felt as giddy as a child, as he'd never celebrated the holiday before. Now that he was actively celebrating the holiday, he had no idea why he had pushed off these exciting feelings for so long.
Maybe I should listen to Mondo and relax more. He thought.
Amused by Kiyotaka's childlike sense of wonder, Mondo woke up for good this time, heading to the kitchen. As the two ate breakfast, Kiyotaka was practically bouncing in his chair with excitement. He couldn't wait to give his gift to Mondo!
Sensing Kiyotaka's urgency, Mondo ate quickly. After breakfast, the two sat in front of the tree, which had two presents underneath it. One was crudely wrapped, and one was overly wrapped, indicating that the two of them really didn't have a clue what they were doing.
The two sat in silence for about a minute, unsure of who should open their present first. After looking at each other nervously, they both shouted "YOU GO FIRST!" at the same time, their faces turning beet red immediately.
After about a minute of awkward silence, the biker decided to make a decision. Since this was Kiyotaka's first Christmas, Mondo wanted him to go first. "Baby, you can go first since it's your first Christmas and stuff." Mondo said.
"Thank you Mondo! I appreciate your kindness!"
"It's no big deal, just open the damn thing."
"Language!"
Mondo rolled his eyes as a way to disguise his nervousness about his present for Kiyotaka. What if his boyfriend didn't like it? What if he commented on how the present was crudely wrapped? What if Kiyotaka didn't want to be with him after this? Normally, he didn't get nervous about gift giving, but this gift was very special. This gift was a man's promise to spend the rest of his life with Kiyotaka.
Kiyotaka couldn't hide his excitement as he opened the large box. Usually, his boyfriend was so careful and calculated in everything that he did, but this was a situation where his intense enthusiasm pushed him to be careless. Seeing the other boy feeling this free, comfortable, and happy caused his heart to soar, but Mondo's breath hitched when Kiyotaka took the gift out of the box. This was the moment of truth.
"A wooden painted house?" Kiyotaka asked. "Mondo, did you make this?"
Mondo had been working on his carpentry lately, as he couldn't be the Ultimate Gang Leader forever. He figured he should try making things instead of breaking them for once. He made the house for Kiyotaka, signifying a man's promise to build Kiyotaka a house one day.
"Er-yes?" Mondo gulped.
"I knew it! Only your hands could produce such fine craftsmanship! This house is beautiful! It's exactly how I'd envision my first house to look like. There's a beautiful library, a spacious kitchen, a nice balcony..." Kiyotaka trailed off. Mondo felt relieved that his boyfriend liked his gift.
"But I could never afford this. Being an Ishimaru means that I could never have this house." Kiyotaka looked down at the ground, clenching his fists.
"BUT THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE WRONG!" Mondo nervously splattered out.
"W-what do you mean?" Kiyotaka questioned, taken off guard by Mondo's volume level increasing, which only happened when he was incredibly nervous. Kiyotaka didn't understand why Mondo was nervous, but he knew that it most be something incredibly important.
"I'm gonna build ya this house for real! Just like I worked hard to make this one! I want to be a carpenter eventually, and I'm obviously going to make my own house. Since you're living with me, it'll be our beautiful house. Jus' you and me. I MEAN-IF YA WANT!" Mondo cursed under his breath. He hated that he raised his voice when he was nervous.
Thankfully, Kiyotaka shared this habit as well. "OF COURSE I DO. I LOVE YOU!"
"I LOVE YA TOO!"
The two looked away from each other. Even after years of being together, they were still incredibly giddy and nervous in moments that should've been serious.
Kiyotaka leaned over and kissed Mondo's cheek, which made his heart skip a beat. "Thank you so much love. I will cherish this gift forever." He said in a recomposed manner. "Now please, open my gift to you! It is not as extravagant, as I really do not have a lot of money, nor am I skilled artistically, but I put my heart into it!"
Mondo smiled. "I'll love it no matter what it is." He eagerly tore off the wrapping paper, only for his jaw to drop upon looking at his gift. It was a photo album with pictures of him and Kiyotaka.
As he flipped through each page, he noticed that Kiyotaka had left little comments next to each picture. For example, the time that they went to the movies for the first time said "Our first ever "movie date"! I usually don't have time for this kind of thing, but you made sure to stay out of trouble so I didn't have to stay after school to run detention!" The next page had a picture of them at school, and Kiyotaka had written "Hope's Peak has become so much more enjoyable now that I have you by my side!" Each comment was so thoughtful, so genuine, and so Kiyo.
Mondo leaned over at hugged him. "I love ya so much! Thank you!"
Kiyotaka blushed. "I wasn't sure that you would like it, as it isn't very fancy."
"Kiyo, a gift doesn't need to be fancy for it to be good. A gift with heart behind it is so much better."
"I suppose." Kiyotaka furrowed his brows, still not entirely sure if Mondo was right.
Mondo tried to lighten to mood, by grabbing Kiyotaka's hand and saying, "You're a nerd for worryin' about whether I'd like your gift or not."
"You were worried too! Your body language gives it away!"
"Bullshit!"
"Language!"
Their faces gradually grew closer to each other, and before they knew it, the two were kissing. Kiyotaka quickly moved onto Mondo's lap, hungry for affection, as he had been for most of his life. Mondo tumbled into the floor, with Kiyotaka pinning him down. The two kissed passionately, with Kiyotaka holding Mondo's head in his hands as he did so. After several minutes of this, the two broke away.
"You're the best Christmas gift I could ever ask for." Kiyotaka panted, lust still on his mind.
"You too babe." Mondo pecked his lips. "Do ya wanna take this somewhere else?"
"What do you mean!? We can't just go somewhere outside! That'd be a blatant disruption of public peace and not to mention lewd PDA!" Kiyotaka protested.
"Kiyo! I meant like my bed or your bed or somethin'. Jeez." Mondo couldn't believe how oblivious his incredibly smart boyfriend could be sometimes.
Kiyotaka's face lit up. "Oh! Absolutely! Let's go to my room!"
Mondo picked his boyfriend up bridal style and set him on the bed.
Mondo pinned down Kiyotaka and growled, "Now it's my turn baby!"
The two leaned in for a kiss, absolutely desperate for each other, and Kiyotaka knew that this was without a doubt the best Christmas that he would ever have. Mondo Oowada truly was a blessing in his life.