Hello Free fandom! This is dedicated to my main OTP in Free, Makoto and Haru I have taken it upon myself to do The 12 Days of OTP, kind of similar to The 12 Days of Christmas. Basically for 12 days I will post fics for the various OTPs that I have.

Day 7 is dedicated to my Free babies!

Prompt I used for this one: Character A has to dress up as Santa for Christmas.

- Kida-Asumi

Haru wasn't surprised that Makoto took the job. Really, he wasn't. His boyfriend had a big heart, and nothing made him happier than seeing a kid smile. So when he had come home and admitted that he had picked up a new part-time job as Santa Claus on the weekends, Haru had simply sighed and made a mental list of ways to distract himself when his boyfriend wasn't home (which actually had morphed in to Haru watching Santa Makoto from a distance).

"We need extra money for Christmas presents, Haru!" Makoto had explained. Haru knew that he was right. Their bills basically sapped up their extra cash, which is why they had moved in together in the first place.

But still. Haru didn't appreciate the way that some of these women looked at Makoto as their children climbed in to his lap. And when they would climb in to his lap to ask Santa for his number Haru would scowl. Of course his boyfriend would splutter out an apology and remind them that he had Mrs. Claus at home, and that was absolutely adorable. Haru had more than a few pictures of that.

For the most part, Makoto's job was easy. The only real challenge he faced was when his parents and the twins came to visit.

"We can't wait to meet Tokyo's Santa Claus!" The kids had chirped over the phone to Haru the night before they came in. His parents had asked Haru to keep their visit to Makoto's workplace a secret, and foreseeing his boyfriend's amusing (read: adorable) reaction, Haru readily agreed.

So here he was today, standing at the train station, watching on the Tachibana clan. Makoto had conveniently went in to work early today, so Haru was by himself to greet them.

"Haru-chan!" Ren and Ran cried together as they spotted him. Haru braced himself as they wrapped their arms around him, matching grins on their faces.

"How are you, Haru?" Mr. Tachibana asked, his arm around his wife. Haru nodded politely at them both.

"I am well, thank you. And you?" He asked. Mrs. Tachibana hugged him close, a maternal grin on her face.

"We're doing wonderful now that we can have our whole family together. Is Makoto at work?" She asked. Haru nodded, relaxing a bit when the twins let go of him to go and look over the railing at the many other people at the station.

"Yes. He doesn't know you're here." He said. The Tachibana's shared a relieved grin.

"Good. We have a camera ready so that we can capture his surprise when he sees us." Mrs. Tachibana said. Haru smirked, and his affection for this woman grew. She was just as evil as he was sometimes.

"Let's go and see Santa, kids!" Mr. Tachibana called to the twins. They ran back to their parents and Haru, chattering excitedly between themselves. Haru took each of their hands, and together the group made their way to Makoto's workplace.

The line was ridiculous today, and Haru was glad that he and Mrs. Tachibana had decided to sit in his usual spot and watch as Mr. Tachibana and the twins stood in line.

"Is it always this crazy?" She asked. Haru shrugged, eyes locked on Makoto.

"Sometimes. It's unusually busy for a Friday afternoon. It's usually worse in the evenings." He explained. Mrs. Tachibana nodded, and a comfortable silence fell between the two.

"How are you two, Haru?" She asked. Haru could guess that she wanted him to elaborate on his answer now that the kids were gone. With a reluctant sigh, he did so.

"We're okay. Things have been tense because of finals, but we're okay. Our bills are getting paid and we have food on our table. I'm happy, and I think he is too. It will be easier in January after this madness is over." He admitted, gesturing to the crazy mall. She nodded, sipping on her tea.

"If you boys ever need anything, Haru, just tell us. I know Makoto won't, so I'm counting on you to do it instead." She said. Haru nodded, and silence fell between them again. They watched as the kids stepped up next. Haru smiled a little as Makoto's eyes widened, and his jaw dropped. His beard nearly fell off, and he flailed a little. As the kids climbed on to his lap, Haru noticed just how nervous he was, and he could vaguely pick up his distressed, high pitched voice. Ren leaned in and whispered in his ear for a present, and it must have been something upsetting because Makoto's expression fell. Haru and Mrs. Tachibana shared a frown.

Makoto hugged both kids and got their picture taken before the kids and Mr. Tachibana rejoined the two.

"What did you ask for?" Haru whispered in to Ren's ear. The child smiled, turning to Haru.

"I asked for my big brother to come back home." He said. Haru felt his heart drop, and he suddenly understood Makoto's upset. When they were alone tonight, they would need to talk about it.

"Welcome back, big brother!" The twins chimed as Makoto walked in to their apartment. The Tachibana parents and Haru remained in their seats, letting the children get their fill of him first. He entered the room with the twins clingy too him, and he offered his parents and Haru a tired smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His parents returned it, but Haru shot him a small smile of concern.

"Get off of your brother, kids. Makoto, sit down with your father as Haru and I check on dinner." His mother ordered.

"I can help." He protested as the twins returned to their game on the table.

"No." Haru and Mrs. Tachibana spoke together, identical stern looks on their faces. Haru rose to his feet, took Makoto's hand, and dragged home over to the couch.

"Sit." He ordered before leaning forward and dropping a quick kiss to his wrinkled forehead. Makoto frowned but didn't protest further. His mother kissed his cheek before standing up as well and the two headed in to the kitchen.

15 minutes later the family of 6 was crowded around Makoto and Haru's dining table. Throughout the entire dinner, Haru and the parents watched their son force a cheerful smile on his face for the sake of the atmosphere. It concerned the three of them, and as they were hugging Haru goodbye, they asked him to talk to him about it.

"I will." He promised. As they waved goodbye to the Tachibana's, Haru slid his hand in to Makoto's. His boyfriend jump, and looked down at him with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hi Haru-chan." He said softly. Haru frowned, tugging him back inside.

"Makoto." He stated, using his 'we need to talk about this' tone. Makoto's shoulder drooped, and he locked the door before allowing Haru to lead him to the couch. The two sat down, with Haru patiently waiting on Makoto to speak.

"…they asked for me, Haru. As their Christmas present from Santa. I feel so selfish for leaving them." Makoto finally admitted. Haru squeezed his hand, but remained silent. It was best to let Makoto get it all out first. "They have always needed me, Haru-chan. I have always been their big brother, and they could always count on me. But we're so far apart now and everything has changed. It's hard." He whispered, slumping against the smaller male. Haru leaned back in to him, offering him that subtle comfort.

"The twins will be okay, Makoto. They have survived this long without you nearby. They miss you, but you weren't always going to live with them. Even if you never moved away, they inevitably would." He gently pointed out. Makoto reluctantly nodded.

"I know. But what if this ruins their childhood?" He asked. Haru resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"It won't. It will help them develop their own unique personalities and strengths. Besides, you have a cell phone. They can call you whenever they want. And I know that if something serious happened, you would go back to Iwatobi immediately. I would too. They're okay, Makoto." He said, squeezing his hand. Makoto nodded, sighing again.

"I know. You're right. I'm still sad, though." He whispered. Haru turned and pulled him against his chest. Makoto snuggled close, relaxing a bit in his arms.

"That's okay. It's okay to be sad with changes. Let's just stay like this for a while." He said in to Makoto's hair. Makoto nodded.

"Thanks, Haru-chan."

When Makoto eventually fell asleep on top of him, Haru pulled the blanket over the back of their couch on top of them and tightened his grip on his boyfriend. He was such a softie, and it was one of the many reasons that Haru loved him. He let him sleep, knowing that he would feel better about all of this tomorrow.

A/N: Kind of a weak ending, I'm sorry! Also unbetad. I hope you guys thought it was at least cute? Day 8 will be dedicated to either Eren and Levi or Hide and Kaneki. We shall see what happens tomorrow.

- Kida-Asumi