I sighed as I opened my eyes, then remembered; today was the first day of Christmas vacation! With a smile I stretched, checking the time.
"Holy crap, it's already after ten?" I cried. Today, just two days before Christmas, Alfred and I were supposed to finish setting up the decorations! Decorations for what? Why, decorations for a small christmas party I was having. It consisted of a few people from school, Alfred's family (plus his cousin), my mother and I.
I jumped out of bed, fleeing to the bathroom to take a quick shower. When I finished, I threw on the first outfit I saw. After towel-drying my hair and running a brush through it, I made it downstairs just in time to answer the door.
"Yo!" Alfred greeted jovially. I let him in, and he immediately flopped on the couch. "Duuuude! Did we do awesome or what?" I laughed as he looked around.
My living room is about twelve by fourteen. The couch and coffee table sit at an angle near the far wall, and the table runner was red and green. The back of the couch was decorated by a neatly placed, hand-crocheted blanket (also red and green). The tree sat in the corner of the room, streams of lights and garland wrapped neatly around. The evenly spaced, multi-colored glass bulbs hung neatly from its branches. Sparkling lights danced across the doorway to the kitchen, bouncing between different colors. The rest of the house consisted of similar decorations; save my room, of course.
"We aren't finished yet, smart one." He looked at me with that 'Are you kidding me?' look, and I laughed. "We only have a few more things to do!" Then he groaned.
"Do we haaave to?" He whined. I nodded, and he griped.
"It's better than being stuck home all day with your parents, isn't it?" He gave me a horrified expression, then we both burst into a fit of laughter. You see, his mother was stressed from doing all the christmas shopping, and his father was sick with a "Man Cold."
"I'll do the candy canes!" Alfred jumped up, running into the kitchen. He opened the cabinet where I told him they were, grabbed the few boxes, and dashed toward the tree. He began to hang them, humming Jingle Bell Rock as he did. I went back into the kitchen, deciding to make jello. I mean really, you can't screw that up.
If you're wondering about that, here's a quick recap: I put a pan of cookies into the oven... Forgot to set the timer... And lit the kitchen on fire. Not too much damage, but I'm not exactly trusted with the kitchen any more.
So I poured the jello mixture into a tree-shaped bowl. Repeating the same for three other flavors and shapes, I put them all into the fridge. Satisfied, I returned to see how Alfred was doing.
He'd neatly perched each candy cane, decorating the tree so perfectly. He giggled, stepping back to admire his work.
"So perfect... Where on earth did you learn to decorate like that?" I asked, my eyes not leaving the tree.
"I picked it up from my aunt." He shrugged. "She liked it, and I liked her, so I picked up on it. Dont judge!" The bridge of his nose went pink, and I couldn't help but think How cute!
"You're very good." I smiled, seeing him smile back. He then reached out, plucked a candy cane from the tree, unwrapped it, and stuck it in his mouth in under ten seconds. I whacked his arm playfully.
"Those're for tomorrow!" We laughed, and he nearly choked. To avoid that disaster, I went to check off candy canes and jello on my to do list. I had a feeling I'd forgot to do something, although I'd done everything on my list.
Before I could contemplate further, there was a knock at the door. When I opened it, a pair of violet eyes greeted me. "Hello, Matthew!" I smiled, him returning it shyly. "Come in, come in. Alfred and I just finished decorating."
"O-oh, well..." Matthew cleared his throat. "I brought some other things for the party..." His eyes glinted mischievously. I raised an eyebrow, allowing him to step inside. He set down a sort of large box, opening it. Alfred and I watched as he pulled out first a few wrapped boxes, then paused before slowly pulling out four flasks. He spread them out before us, pointing to each.
"Vodka, scotch, rum, whiskey." He pointed to them in order. He then retrieved four large bottles of soda, along with a package of plastic cups. His eyes glittered, obviously proud of what he'd revealed thus far. I glanced at the box warily, wondering what else he might've had left in there.
Alfred gave a low whistle. "Damn, you scored this all off your dad?" When Matthew nodded, Alfred grinned. "Sweeeeeet."
I just glanced between them. "Isn't that... Illegal in the US?" They both just laughed.
"Doesn't mean we ain't gonna do it!" Alfred's giggle was devious, unlike his usually innocent one.
"..." I sighed. "...If I get caught, I am going to skin you both alive." They cheered, loading the things back into the box. He put the wrapped boxes under the tree.
We went upstairs, stashing the box in my closet. Afterwards, Alfred flopped onto my bed. I sat on the floor, leaning against my dresser. Matthew sprawled out in the middle of the floor. Our conversation flowed easily, Alfred doing most of the talking.
At one point, I joined him on the bed. He wrapped his arms around me, giggling and smiling. Matthew just smiled, shaking his head and shifting into a sitting position.
"Y'know, I love spendin' time with ya guys!" He declared, his arm that was still around me tightening. I felt my heart beating fast, and I knew I must've been blushing at least slightly. I held my breath as his face pressed into my neck. He whispered something I could barely hear, and when he pulled away the bridge of his nose was stained pink. Then he giggled again and closed his eyes, and I knew right then that I must've been blushing.

The following day, which was Christmas eve, I awoke around ten. Quickly dashing through a shower, I went downstairs. My mother was already in the kitchen, starting to make different platters of food. She'd set out quite a few already, consisting of everything from vegetable sticks and fruit salad to cookies and little cheesecake squares. I cocked an eyebrow at her.
"Enough food?" I asked, and she laughed. I sighed, smiling. I wandered to the fridge, pulling out the trays of jello I'd made. They were so pretty, so perfect. I got the urge to destroy them with a fork; I decided to refrain.
Around noon, Alfred appeared at my doorstep, his parents and relatives in tow. I smiled, greeting them. Alfred and I allowed my mother to lead the other adults into the kitchen. Alfred, Matt and I began an easy conversation, laughing and poking fun at them.

"Hmm... Something's missing." Mabel looked around, wondering vaguely what she could have missed. Jane walked over, laughing.
"I can easily tell you what!" She exclaimed. "You forgot this!" She handed Mabel something. mabel smiled as she recognized it.
"Of course, how could I forget?" She reached up, tacking it to the doorway above the stairs.

"Mufuwoo!" Alfred cried through his mouthful of food. I couldn't help but laugh. He'd been at my house a total of ten minutes, and already he'd stuffed his face.
"Why don't we go upstairs?" I suggested as he swallowed. Before he could respond, the doorbell rang. I dragged Alfred away from the food long enough to answer the door. Matt just chuckled, leaning against the wall by the steps. As I opened the door, I noticed he'd glanced upward. Oh well.
"Yo! The awesomest guest has arrived!" Gilbert struck a pose, giving a thumbs up. I rolled my eyes, stepping aside. He entered, with Elizabeta right behind him. She gave me the usual, I'm so sorry you're friends with him look, and I gave her the usual I'm so sorry you're dating him look. She mock huffed, following Gilbert to the kitchen.
As they (along with Alfred) occupied themselves with food, I wandered to the couch. Sitting, I drank in the details of my first christmas in America. The beautifully decorated christmas tree flickered with different colors. Soft christmas music danced through the air, and the chatter of the guests seemed to fit well.
Being so deep in thought, I was startled when Matthew sat beside me. I jumped as he spoke. "Lonely yet?" I began to laugh, and he laughed with me. "Sorry to scare you!"
"That's quite alright, dear Matthew!" My laughter slowly faded, my smile staying in place. "I was just taking in all the details. The lights, the music, the people..." I glanced toward the kitchen to see Alfred looking at me. Snapping back around, I felt my ears redden, and I prayed he hadn't heard me. "It's all so beautiful... This is a memory that'll stick with me for a long time to come."
"Y'know," Matthew began. "I'm really glad you ended up moving in here. Alfred used to be more closed off... He never really opened up to anybody. Once upon a time, when he first moved here, he barely spoke..." Matthew snapped his mouth shut then, his eyes wide.
"...Moved here?" Damn that curiosity. Matthew looked at me, his eyes telling me he'd said too much.
"W-well, I'm... I'm not supposed to tell anyone..." He fretted, glancing around nervously. Nobody seemed to be within hearing range.
"But Alfred used to live somewhere else..." Matthew stared down at the floor as he continued. "And he only told me a few times of where he used to live. He didn't tell me much, other than he was close to someone he knew there. He never spoke to anyone, whether it was in school or even some of the family members." He looked up then. "When you moved here, he began to open up again."
I just stared at him. He lived somewhere else? Then moved..? close to someone...? I shook the next few thoughts from my head. Matthew looked back at me, his eyes questioning.
"...Everything alright, Arthur?" He asked quietly after a moment, looking at me earnestly.
"Er, I'm fine." I waved it off. But truth be told, I was bothered.

"Goodbye!" I cried, feeling my eyes well with tears once more. I wrapped my arms around him tightly, pressing my lips to his cheek. "I'll never forget you. I'll remember every detail, in hopes of reuniting someday!"
"I'll never forget you either!" Large tears rolled down his cheeks, and I did my best to wipe them away. After another round of hugs, the taxi he was taking beeped. "I love you! Never forget me!" We shouted in unison as he ran away. Tears slowly trickled down my face, and I attempted miserably to scrub them off.
He got in the taxi. As I watched the tail lights disappear down the road in London, it truly hit me: he was gone.

I smacked myself in the forehead. Damnit all! I cursed myself. Why in the world did I have to go and throw away my journal anyway?
With a sigh, I returned my attention to the party. By now Matthew had been drawn away by the others, and I decided it would be best if I joined them. But then, the doorbell rang.
"Hay-lo!" With a twirl and a giggle, Lilli showed off her red velvet dress. The black belt at the waist matched her mary janes, and the usual purple ribbon was tied neatly in her hair.
Vash just smiled, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Easy, girl." We laughed, and I led them to the rest of the group. They were sucked into the chatter of the rest, and I decided to join this time.
"And then like, I was all 'nu-uh!' but it was all totes true!" Alfred laughed, the others joining in. He downed the rest of his drink, placing the cup on the counter.
"I remember one time," Gilbert began. "Where like, this guy thought he was awesomer than me! And I was like, 'no you're not dude, don't lie!' And he just laughed and said, 'I'm awesome!' And he kept saying it! So I stuffed my sandwich in his mouth and walked off! Now how awesome is that?" Everyone spoke at once, commenting sarcastically. As I was about to give my two cents, the doorbell rang once more.
"Merry christmas!" Chorused the twin Italians before me. Feliciano, the lighter haired of the two, grabbed my hands and kissed my cheeks. I smiled back at him. His darker haired counterpart, Lovino, just smiled politely and yanked his brother back. They began to bicker, Lovino smacking Feliciano in the forehead a few times.
"Hey, Arthur." Ludwig greeted warmly. Feliciano wrapped his arms around Ludwig's waist, sniffling.
"L-L-Lovino's picking on meeee..." He whined, pressing his face into Ludwig's shoulder. Ludwig looked embarassed, and his cheeks were a slight rose. He put his arms around the smaller boy, sighing. He whispered comforting words, soothing him with his deep voice.
"Er, herro." Kiku smiled shyly. he held eye contact for a few seconds, but then looked off to the side. I wondered momentarily how he could be so shy.
"Come on in, the others are in the kitchen." I smiled, stepping aside. They entered, immediately being abducted by the others. As I shut the door, a tap on my shoulder made me jump. I turned.
"Dude, relax for a sec! You should be having fun!" Alfred's voice was light, teasing, but I could tell by the look in his eyes he was being genuine. On an impulse, I smacked him playfully on the arm.
"Well, it is my responsibility to answer the door." I stated seriously. He laughed, taking me by the hand. My heart skipped a beat, and I knew my ears were red. He leaned closer, whispering into my ear.
"Well, it's my responsibility to make sure you're stress-free and enjoying yourself..." Alfred's smirk and breathy voice made the red leak from my ears to my cheeks. I turned my head away, hearing him giggle and comment as he usually did.

"Oho!" Chorused the group. An empty coke bottle had been spun, landing on Feliciano. He laughed, hiccuping. He stood, Ludwig as well. Blushing slightly, the German led his victim to the closet.
We sat, listening. I watched as Alfred poured himself another mix of scotch and cola. He sipped it, then smiled. As he returned to the group, we heard a small moan from the closet. My attention snapped momentarily to the closet, where Ludwig's name was cried out.
Five minutes later, Alfred danced over and knocked on the door. "Seven minutes're up! Get yer asses outta the closet~" I winced at the horrible grammar, attempting to ignore it. As first Ludwig, then a very battered looking Italian exited the closet, there were applause. Ludwig blushed, grumbling. He took a seat, Feliciano doing the same.
The person to Ludwig's right, Gilbert, grabbed the bottle and spun. It landed on Lovino, who gave him a very disgruntled look. They both stood, grumbling, and entered the closet. Not a sound came from the closet the entire time.
The next few rounds were pretty funny. Vash landed on Lilli, who blushed. Kiku landed on Elizabeta. Her death look made him pale a bit more than usual.
Next, I spun the bottle. It landed on Matthew, and I sighed, he with me. We entered the closet silently.
"So," Matthew looked at me, lacing his question with teasing sarcasm. "You gonna kiss me or what?"
We laughed, covering our mouths. Then suddenly, Matthew's eyes lit up mischievously. He approached me, whispering into my ear. Slowly I felt a grin spread across my face.

"Ugh, this is boring!" I groaned, lookin' at the others. They looked back at me, noddin. I breathed out, lookin at Lizzy. "Can I get 'em early?" She went to say somethin, but then there was noises comin from the closet.
"Ohh, Matthew!" I knew that was Artie's voice, and I felt my stomach sink. He sounded like he was enjoying it, too! Everyone else was like, "Oooohhh!" I didn't join.
"Uwahh!" I heart Mattie cry out. "Oh, Arthur..." He moaned. I looked to the side, feeling like I was gonna cry. I-I guess he really don't remember... I was thinking. I felt my eyes getting all wet, so I got up to pour s'more alchohol in my cup.
As soon as the seven minutes was up, I ran to the closet and knocked. "Yooo, time ta come outta da clooooseeeet~" The door opened five seconds later, Mattie comin out first. Then Artie came out, looking like he wan'ed a laugh. I din't get it, and went to go sit back down.

As soon as both Matthew and I were seated, we burst out simultaneously. As our laughter rang through the room, the others stared blankly. Once we were through, still getting strange looks from the others, Lovino spun the bottle. It landed on Feliciano, who gave a slight giggle and followed Lovino to the closet. Another dull seven minutes.
After a good couple hours of playing most of the group got bored, and just in time. As we were finishing up, my mother hollered for us. We trooped downstairs, being greeted by good food and the few adults.
We sat, eating and chatting. Alfred sat across from me, but his eyes never left his plate.
"So what was all that laughing about?" Gilbert cocked an eyebrow at Matthew. Matt glanced at me, and I nodded.
"We were fooling around," Matthew explained. "But not how you think!" He giggled slightly. "We were just making noises. I figured it'd get you guys going, but I didn't think you'd all believe it!"
"Seriosuly?" Gilbert looked impressed. "That's a good idea. As a matter of fact, it's an awesome idea!" They laughed, and Alfred decided to look up at me then.
"Oh, so that was it!" He gave his trademark giggle, flashing me a smile. "I knew Mattie wouldn't never fool around!"
"What's that supposed to mean?" Matthew looked at Alfred, his face surprised and his words teasing but aggitated.
"Uh..." Alfred blinked, and I could almost see the cartoon sweatdrop appear on the side of his head. "I love youuu!" He sang quickly, grinning at Matthew apologetically. Matthew just shook his head, smiling.
"So, how 'bout them totally awesome bands there, like Fall Out Boy?" Gilbert attempted to start a conversation; All was silent. He huffed, shoving a biscuit into his mouth whole.
After finishing countless amounts of food, we all began to head back upstairs. My mother's voice behind us made me freeze.
"Hey, you guys! Nobody's paying attention!" She pouted, crossing her arms. I blushed slightly, mentally smacking myself in the forehead. She could be so childish sometimes!
The entire group had made it mostly upstairs, Alfred and I at the back. I'd just set my foot on the bottom step when she'd spoken. We all turned to look at her.
"Look up." She stated. Alfred did first, and I saw his face pale, then go pink. I was afraid to look up, but I did anyways. Staring upwards, at first I could not believe what I saw. Then I felt my face burning. My mother, looking satisfied with herself, walked off. The group ahead of Alfred and I "Oooooh!"ed and someone whistled.
Alfred smiled nervously, looking everywhere but at me. I felt my heart beating faster, and my stomach flipped nervously. I looked down at the floor, up at the object above me, then finally at Alfred. He bit his lower lip, and the bridge of his nose turned red. It slowly spread to his cheeks as he reached forward. His fingers linked through mine, and I felt my face redden further. He repeated it with my other hand, using the tactic to pull me closer.
"Kiiiiiiiiiss!" Elizabeta squealed, and I wanted so badly to die of embarassment. Gilbert complained, and the others soon joined.
All went silent as the distance between Alfred and I closed. Our noses touched, and he looked into my eyes then.
"I, uh..." He couldn't find the words he wanted to say. After another attempt, he sighed. Giving up, he closed both his eyes and the distance between our lips. Elizabeta squealed, but I barely heard her.
Right there, underneath the mistletoe on Christmas eve, I was kissed by Alfred F. Jones.
Wait a second, I thought. Jones? As our lips parted, I stared at Alfred in shock. He stared back at me.
"Alexander?"

Gwahaha! It's finally been revealeddd~! Alexander's true identityyyy~ /shot
but anyways, I had fun throwing in that little bit and confusing y'all ;D

OMAJ! My longest chapter yet! 3,634! ;D thanks for making it with me to this point!

Love ya love ya~