A/N: Woah, this is a surprise. I didn't think I'd write another fic so soon, but inspiration suddenly hit me and BAM I had to write it. XD It's a simple one-shot, not very special, but I hope you enjoy. :D

"Woah!"

Andou lost his balance on the shower floor and clung onto Hoshifuru, who nearly fell over himself due to the sudden weight. All members of Tengawara turned their heads towards the yelp, save for Nishinosora. He tried hard not to snicker while Andou picked up the bar of soap he had slipped on and sent a glare in his direction.

"You dropped it in front of me on purpose!" he snarled, but Nishinosora gave him one of his despicably innocent smiles. "Really? Do you have any proof?"

"Well—no,…" Andou sputtered, "but it's obvious it was you! Who else could've done it?"

Even though there were fourteen other suspects around, all of them already knew Nishinosora was the culprit. He was, after all, infamous for pulling pranks on the team: replacing the content of their water bottles with soap, installing a bucket of water on top of a slightly open door, and filling lockers with some icky, slimy substance his teammates would rather not know the name of. No one but him was mean enough to drop a slippery bar of soap at Andou's feet, nearly causing him to drop on his butt.

Seeing as no one spoke up, though, Nishinosora heaved his shoulders with a smug grin. "Aah~ Randomly accusing an innocent teammate, that's totally like you, Andou."

"What did you say—?!" Andou was about ready to clobber his face, but Hoshifuru held him back and Kita laid a hand on Nishinosora's shoulder.

"Nishinosora, that's enough. Apologize to Andou, he could've hurt himself."

Little to anyone's surprise, Nishinosora gave in and bowed his head with puffed cheeks, cocky attitude gone. "Sorry, Andou," he pouted, and Andou responded with a huff before he continued to wash himself. He, as well as the rest of the team, knew how much Kita hated fights – let alone violence –, and even Nishinosora wasn't able to disobey when he ordered not to provoke anyone. Most team members assumed it was because of Kita's captain title, but their friends knew better than that. Not that they'd ever raised the subject of Nishinosora's hidden affection for the redhead.

Luckily, the members of Tengawara managed to finish their after-practice shower without any more commotion. Chatting with one another, they returned to the locker room and started to get dressed. Some of them opened their lockers with a particular amount of caution, much to Nishinosora's amusement, but he quickly looked away when he caught Kita's look of disapproval.

"Shouldn't you stop playing such childish pranks on your teammates?" he questioned, pulling on his shorts.

"Don't worry, I didn't put anything inside," Nishinosora answered, even though he was fully aware Kita wasn't referring to that.

"I'm talking in a general sense," he clarified. "Harei told me that you held the ball out of his reach on purpose yesterday, and if Andou hadn't found support just now, he might've gotten hurt. Innocent jokes are fine, but I won't tolerate actual bullying."

"I'm not bullying anyone," Nishinosora answered while he tugged his shirt over his head.

"Are you sure?" a sudden voice intervened, and Kita and Nishinosora looked up at a skeptical Hoshifuru. "Hayabusa hasn't spoken a word to you since you whipped his behind with your towel last week, and Kashio broke his headphones when you tripped him on the field. Not to mention Kawasaki became ill after he drank whatever you put in his water bottle. Don't you think you're going a little overboard?"

Nishinosora blew his blonde locks out of his face. "Meddling with someone else's business as always, Hoshifuru. That's a bad habit, you know? Don't you have anything better to do, I don't know—get laid, or something?"

Hoshifuru threw both boys off-guard with a sudden, mysterious smile. "Who says I'm not doing that?" he answered, and he threw his schoolbag over his shoulder after putting on his shoes. "Anyway, see you guys tomorrow. Keep an eye on him for me, Kita."

"Ah… sure…" Kita muttered, still taken aback by what Hoshifuru just said. The look on Nishinosora's face confirmed he shared the sentiment. "Did you know he was seeing someone?"

"No…" Kita answered, admittedly having trouble processing the very thought. Hoshifuru was one of the oldest members on the team, as well as the most mature. Many of his teammates saw him as a big brother, someone who looked out for them. He was more of a sideliner than anything when it came to romance; he gave his friends the best advice he could, and he'd supported Hayabusa during a nasty fight with Mannouzaka's Mitsuyoshi. No one even thought he was personally interested in having a relationship, stern and serious as he was.

"Che. Anyway," Nishinosora grumbled after watching Hoshifuru leave, "there's no need to 'keep an eye on me'. I'll tone it down, okay?"

"That's good to hear," Kita smiled, and he continued to dress himself when Minami decided to join the conversation.

"Captain, did you notice he's pulled pranks on everyone but you?" he asked, making not only Kita but also Nishinosora freeze. "Don't you think that's suspicious?"

"I—no," Kita stammered, but he had to admit it hadn't occurred to him before. Thinking it over, he realized what the goalkeeper said was completely accurate. Nishinosora seemed to pick his victims at random, but he left his captain alone at all times.

Kita cast a glance at the blonde, but Nishinosora lifted his head with an almost indignant look on his face. "It's not suspicious at all. Who in their right mind would prank the one who can get you suspended from the team? Ever thought about that, Minami?"

Minami simply grinned and greeted the duo before he left the room, followed by the two midgets, Itokawa, and a grumpy-looking Hayabusa. Nishinosora quickly stared into the wall when he felt those destructive eyes on him. Hoshifuru was right; he might've torn into the midfielder's pride a little too much.

It was only when he proceeded to put on his clothes that he realized he and Kita were the last ones left. Kita didn't say anything or even look at him, which gave Nishinosora the idea he was still contemplating Minami's words. This wasn't good. Kita may not realize it yet, but there was a reason he consistently left him intact. And he didn't want him to realize it either.

"So," Nishinosora started, trying to take his mind off the topic. "What are you doing for Christmas next week?"

Kita looked surprised at the sudden question. Then he answered: "Nothing special. I'd ask you guys to hang out, but I'm sure Hayabusa wants to spend time with Mitsuyoshi, and if Hoshifuru is in a relationship, he won't come either. I'm sure Andou's parents will force him to spend quality time with them this year, since they let him out of it last time. So that only leaves you. How about you?"

Nishinosora didn't answer immediately, which surprised the redhead. He seemed to be thinking something; maybe he was considering what Kita just said and had to change whatever plans he had in mind. The five of them spent last Christmas at his mansion, staying over and playing games until 3 in the morning. If Nishinosora intended to do the same thing this year, he had to change his schedule.

To his embarrassment, it occurred to Kita to spend Christmas together with him. Alone. But they couldn't actually do that; they'd take about five steps outside before being branded a couple by everyone in sight. That was the consequence of going out on a lovers' day. Then again, they could just stay inside and find a way to amuse themselves… But still, the idea of being alone with Nishinosora brought a blush to Kita's face. Whether they were in or outside, his heart immediately pounded two times as fast when he just thought about it. So far, he had managed to hide his feelings behind a strict exterior that befitted his position as a captain, but no matter how much he scolded the blonde for being a brat, he was shamefully aware he had a crush on said brat. And when such feelings were strong enough to stir embarrassment at the mere image of spending time with just the two of them, doing exactly that was probably not the best idea.

Since Nishinosora still seemed deep in thought, Kita left the matter to him and opened his locker to take out his comb. What he found wasn't some icky stuff, nor a bucket of water that drenched him from head to toe. It was a sprig of mistletoe, neatly attached to the top of his locker. Kita stared at it for a few solid seconds, then turned his head and bored his eyes straight into the blonde midfielder.

Nishinosora, quickly noting his gaze, asked a casual "What?" and followed Kita's accusing finger into the locker. He raised an eyebrow at the plant. "That ain't mine."

"I guess there's a first time for everything," Kita rolled his eyes and took out his comb, which luckily lay in the exact place he'd left it.

"Kita, I didn't put that mistletoe there." Nishinosora was telling the truth. He had no idea who pulled that prank on his captain, but surprisingly, it wasn't him. Was it someone who tried to impersonate him or something? Could it be Minami? Had he purposely reminded Kita that Nishinosora hadn't touched him before, only to make it seem like he did? What sense did that even make?

"Kita…" Nishinosora started, but Kita shook his head with a sigh, not looking at him while he combed his wet, curly hair. "Forget it, Nishino. It doesn't matter who did it; I'm just glad it doesn't have any physical consequences."

"Ah, but—you know the mistletoe tradition, right?" The astounded look Kita gave him made Nishinosora realize how stupid that question was. What possessed him to suddenly say that? Not only was he pretty sure Kita knew most people kissed under the mistletoe, he had asked the question literally out of nowhere, making him seem like a weirdo. Well—maybe it was weird that he desired to kiss his captain, when he thought about it. But he still didn't want to blurt it out like that…!

Kita's ability to speak returned only after a few long moments of gaping at his teammate. "Of… of course I do," he confirmed awkwardly. "Why do you ask?" Just posing the question caused his heart to race. Impudent as it was, all he could think of was kissing Nishinosora under the mistletoe, just like the tradition said. Of course, that wasn't actually going to happen. Nishinosora probably just wanted to check if he knew that was what most people did. Even so, it wasn't for him. In spite of the fact that they were alone, had full privacy, and a branch of mistletoe hung right above his head, he needed a serious reality check if he expected to kiss Nishinosora anytime soon.

With that in mind, Kita put his comb back, had his chin grabbed, and felt Nishinosora's lips atop his own. He barely even had time to acknowledge the kiss before the blonde pulled back. It'd lasted only a second, two at most, and the only thing to confirm he hadn't imagined it in the heat of the moment was the grin on Nishinosora's face. It was his typical, usual grin, but playful stars twinkled in his blue eyes, and his cheeks gained a darker red with every moment that passed.

Kita could only stare at him in absolute bafflement. This… this had to be fake, right? He couldn't possibly be as lucky as to hope Nishinosora would kiss him and have his wish granted then and there. It couldn't be true. It felt so unreal. But no matter how unreal it felt, it was an official fact. Nishinosora had kissed him under the mistletoe.

"Ni… Nishinosora…" Kita heard himself say the name without control over his vocal cords. His entire body seemed to move – or rather, stiffen – outside his will. His mind was occupied with only one thing, a thing that weighed so much that everything around the blonde boy seemed to fade into a blur. For a moment, Kita feared he was going to faint. Luckily, Nishinosora snapped him out of his daze by answering him.

"That's why," he said simply, so simply that he sounded like he'd kissed Kita for the mere sake of tradition. But then he said: "It's not like I was waiting for an opportunity or anything. But whoever put that there seems to want to see us kiss, so I just grabbed my chance."

Kita quieted for a moment. He was right. His locker was located in the corner of the room, with Nishino's on its right. There was no one else the mistletoe warranted him to kiss. That left the question whether the culprit was just messing around with them, or – as Nishinosora said – for whatever reason supported them as a couple. That option hinted they were aware of Kita's hidden feelings, though, so he secretly hoped it was number one. Aah, but what did the prankster's motives even matter? What mattered was Nishinosora's motive for kissing him, and it definitely didn't disappoint. Not at all.

Nishinosora saw the shock on Kita's face diminish, and with that, his own anxiety rose. He may be grinning like the idiot he was, but he had taken a huge leap by ignoring his insecurities and kissing the object of his affection. He didn't even know if Kita returned said affection. What if he was about to yell at him? What if he was about to scold his shamelessness and actually considered approaching Michiko-kantoku in order to demand a temporary suspension? Kita was capable of doing anything he wanted to him, and Nishinosora had given him a very good reason to use that to his advantage.

But then… his captain began to smile at him. The dangerous paleness on his face disappeared and his cheeks coloured an equal red to his own. Kita unfroze and Nishinosora twitched when he felt his hands entwine with his own. He leaned forward and shut his eyes, and in that moment, Nishinosora fully understood what he intended to do. He followed Kita's example and kissed him a second time. It was a soft, innocent kiss, but it lasted five times longer than the first one. Instead of sudden and short-lived, this one was sweet and gratifying – oh so gratifying. It couldn't feel more right; natural, even.

The boys parted, but stayed close enough for their noses to touch. They did little more than smile at each other, simply absorbing the moment. The moment when they'd done what they had wanted to do for a long time.

Kita was the first to speak up, addressing the topic Nishinosora never ended up answering. "So… how about it? Do you want to spend Christmas with me?" He couldn't say the idea no longer embarrassed him, definitely not. He had only just kissed Nishinosora without actually voicing what he felt for him. But Nishinosora had kissed him back, just as willingly, and that was enough to erase his worries and summon the courage to ask him out.

Nishinosora flashed an enthusiastic grin and nodded. "You bet," he chimed, and then held out his hand. "Can I borrow your comb?"

Kita nodded and handed him his comb. Leaving him to care for his hair, he stood on his feet and took the mistletoe from his locker. He examined it for a moment, absentmindedly, and then put it in a side compartment of his bag. After tying his hair in his usual ponytail, he glanced up at Nishinosora, who put on his sunglasses and gave his comb back.

"Thanks." Kita put it back in his locker, shut it, and grabbed his bag so they could leave the room. "One thing, though," he started just as they reached the door. Nishinosora gave him a curious look, but he put him at ease with a grin. "You'd better not pull any pranks on me while we're alone."

At the sound of that statement, Nishinosora beamed a grin of his own. "Wouldn't dream of it," he said, deliberately innocently, and the couple briefly touched hands before they walked out of the locker room.