Interlude; A very merry Miracle Christmas

"Kiseki no Sedai, a group of Teiko's known prodigies who stood amongst the rest in the history of their basketball, along with their manager, were last seen heading towards the Akashi mansion. It is rumored that they would be taking the whole break off and away from their team, but it appears that they have gathered together on the very evening of Christmas, surprising everyone with this new development. Among the group were gifts and decorations too tacky for people's likings, but it makes the holidays much less of a pain to deal with-

Ow! Ahominecchi, what was that for?"

"If you have time to read your stupid feed, you have time to help us fix this, yeah?" Aomine-kun grumbled from where he sat, trying to fix the tree's fallen branches. I looked up from the ribbons I was tying just in time to catch him throwing one of the ornaments at Kise-kun. It was a golden Christmas puppy too, small parts of thred hanging from its backside to make a tail. Grabbing the puppy, I stroked its tail, marveling a little at how soft it was.

Tilting my head in the copycat's direction, I spoke, "please don't slack off or we'll ban you from gift giving, Kise-kun."

"Mean, Aominecchi and Tetsuyacchi! I already helped set up the tree!" He responded, but I could tell he was hesitating as soon as his eyes landed to the said tree with the way it fell as soon as I touched it. "I didn't even do anything!"

"Exactly, you didn't do anything yet, Kise-chin." Murasakibara-kun chimed in from where he was stacking packs of Maiubo snacks, probably just wanting to join in on getting on Kise-kun's nerves. "So you gotta do something, no free passes." He insisted on making a snack tower saying we might get hungry in the middle of giving each other presents, but I doubt he was talking about us more than he meant himself. Regardless, Sei-kun let him do what he wanted as long as he did something that does not involve waiting around munching on his sweets.

The only problem with the tower was that it fell off as soon as he stacked the second pile. I could tell he was getting impatient with the way he began swaying on his place with a small pout.

I approached him quietly, carefully setting the boxes with ribbons and presents down. "Do you need any help, Murasakibara-kun?" I received a groan in response, his whole upper body slumping down much lower then my height.

Patting the space beside me, I sat down properly, encouraging him to com to the other side of the fallen tower and help me set the first few pieces up. It didn't take that long, considering how actually efficient we were with our basketball trained hands. It was when we got to the third layer when the giant beside me started to wobble. I saw him struggle to put the green Maiubo upright, shaking the tower a little and pulling back. Again, he pouted. Again, I took the piece from him to carefully set it down.

A few minutes later, both of us marvelled at the sight of a thirty stacks tall tower of Maiubo, catching the attention of the Miragen in the vicinity.

"Woah! Tetsuya? That looks like a lego building!" I blinked at the rather odd commentary Shougo-kun provided. "You know, the ones they put outside the store just to make it look all pretty." I shook my head, not understanding what he meant.

"Haizakicchi, not all of us grew up in America to know what kind of weird things you put in your stores." Kise-kun said, hands on his knees as he pressed on one of the snack bars in the opposite side of me, making the overgrown child growl at him. I was aware that the tower had just tilted to my direction. I was also aware that if I didn't move out of the way in an instant, their protective instincts would run lose. So move I did- bumping into Shin-kun who looked like he'd just came out of the bath. His hair being wet was the only indication that told me he was showering not a moment ago.

The thing that caught our attention most was not the hair though, it was the t-shirt, one that said BOOBZ ROCK in bold letters. I stared at him, speechless, and he probably doesn't know what to say either, what with the way he covered his face from view.

Aomine-kun was the first to laugh, followed by Kise and Shougo, and lastly, Murasakibara-kun. I let out a tiny chuckle at the sight, offering him no help from the embarrassment. Even me, who was only a witness, was absolutely mortified. I can't fathom what Shin-kun must be feeling right now while he headed for the nearest couch.

"It's my lucky item- a printed shirt, and the only one I could find after I accidentally forgot my extra set of clothes was Aomine's shirt nanodayo." He pushed his glasses up again as I sighed, rubbing my head with my palms like mom used to do when dad did something stupidly endearing. Or just stupid really.

With the way Aomine-kun smirked, it was obvious it was planned, and Shin-kun was the unfortunate soul to be the victim for today's occasion.

It was only to his luck that Sei-kun arrived, fixing the collar of his polo. He eyed the snack tower beside us with a funny expression on his face, but didn't say anything about it. "Is everyone ready?" Sei-kun took note of everyone's states as we scattered around,and seeing how we were all mostly done with the décor, he nodded in satisfaction. "Good job, everyone. I'll set the gifts in the table so we can get started."

Gathered around the fireplace, we all sat in cozy positions as Sei-kun pulled out a hat out of nowhere, probably from the secret compartment hidden inside our fireplace. Inside the hat, there were names- orders in which we would receive gifts from our secret Santa. My knees were practically vibrating as I pulled out my gift along with the other Miracles. It was out first time doing this with friends, which made it a special occasion for me and my twin. I could tell he was excited too, what with the way his hands shook as he held the hat out towards us.

"So, how this is gonna work- I'll pull out a name from the hat and the secret Santa will give their present to the mentioned person. Is that clear enough for all of you?" Pointedly, Sei stared at Aomine-kun and Kise-kun, taking the nod he got in reply. I snickered quietly, tugging at his sleeve to keep going.

The first name was pulled. "Murasakibara."

Sheepishly, Aomine-kun leaned forward, grinning widely when he handed his gift. Murasakibara-kun eyed it suspiciously while he unwrapped it, as if dinosaurs were going to come out of it if he stared long enough; I can't blame him, even I would doubt Aomine-kun's choice of presents. Still, Aomine-kun spoke, "I got you some Mai-chan, it's better to eat girls than snacks sometime you know-"

The tan teen got cut off by Sei-kun throwing a slipper at him right after glancing at me. I tilted my head to the side in a confused manner but I didn't ask.

"Eh... I don't want it." Murasakibara-kun commented, pushing the gift away. "Mine-chin you suck."

"If you don't want it I'll just keep it then!"

I jabbed the side of his stomach, making him cough a bit before he glared at me. "What, Tetsu? I was thinking about his well being okay?"

I groaned in defeat, slumping backwards in my seat. There was truly no hope for this perverted prodigy.

"Have you no shame, Aomine?" Shin-kun asked, face palming. It seems he was also done with reasoning.

"You all just have no taste!" Picking his ears, Aomine-kun went back to his seat, going back to annoying Haizaki-kun who was in the middle of a conversation with Kise-kun.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, I took the hat Sei was holding onto and pulled a name. Sei watched silently, holding into his gift instead. though most people would find it odd, it never scares me with how much he lets me get away with, considering if it were someone else who did that, they would surely irritate him at the very least- and it's never good to do so.

I sat straight, turning the name around to face them. "Aomine-kun, you're next."

All of us shot up, anticipating whoever was going to give him his present. I shook my head, expecting it to be anything but good. It was Shin-kun who grabbed a box and handed it to him. "Your wishlist sucks, Aomine." Was all he said, not bothering to watch him open the given item.

Aomine-kun who had been bouncing in his seat earlier suddenly stopped, scowling at the green haired teen. "Man, why are you all so against my taste? What's wrong with it?"

I could only hear silence mingling with the sound of paper being torn apart. No one had the guts to answer him, or maybe they were all just as well tired of telling him. I certainly felt tired of doing so, considering-

"Whaaaaat? it's not Mai-chan?" He frowned, glancing between the book entitled 'Vocabulary for dummies' and Shin-kun.

Kise-kun didn't bother to hide his laughter when Shin-kun stated as a matter of factly, "I hope this helps you expand your vocabulary beyond 'fuck, boobs and basketball' nanodayo." Everyone in the room conceded to laughing at him quietly while Shougo-kun took the book and read some words aloud. I almost felt sorry for my light, watching him act between stuttering and groaning, muttering something about needing better friends.

Patting him on the back as he continued to sulk, I pulled another name to take him out of the spotlight. Coughing a little bit while turning the name towards everyone, "Sei-kun."

This time, everyone stilled. I suppressed a grin from showing, taking pleasure in watching how their eyes showed how nervous they all were. Shougo-kun leaned forward this time, handing my brother an envelope.

I eyed it suspiciously, irked by the way Sei glanced at me before taking it. No doubt it had something to do with me again, making me shudder in my seat.

Sei smirked, opening the envelope and scattering the contents in the table before us. Photos spilled out of the container, startling everyone, and most especially myself. One look at the dreaded things made me freeze in my place.

There was an outburst all around us, half of my teammates trying to get a glimpse of every picture.

"Zaki-chin, where did you get these?" Murasakibara-kun asked, picking on of the stolen shots up.

"Hey! These are mine! It's from my-" His eyes widened, interrupting Shougo-kun before he could form a reply to the giant. He pulled out his phone, showing his album and making me pale even more.

Shin-kun chimed in next, "didn't you just transfer these to your phone, Seijuuro nanodayo?"

"You broke into my phone, Akashicchi?"

"Kise, what the hell?" That didn't stop Aomine-kun from trying to take a picture of each one 'for safe keeping.'"

In short, it was a mess.

Sei took the opportunity to take back the hat when I slumped down, wishing I was the farthest away from the crazy group. "Quiet down, everyone. Let's put those back in the envelope while I draw the next name, yes?" They did as they were told, no plans to get into my twin's bad side tonight.

As if the gods were laughing at my misfortunes, the next thing I heard was, "otouto, it's your turn."

I groaned, unmoving from my spot under a pillow. It took a nudge and a half for me to finally look up, warm cheeks that probably had red streaks of blushes over them met with cold air as I reached forward when Kise-kun gave me my gift.

"Tetsuyacchiiiiiiiiiii! Your gift!"

I stared at the obnoxious teen in resignation when he grinned sheepishly, possibly feeling meek about the photographs still. I didn't mind that much, but I still had my privacy invaded after my twin humiliated me infront of our team.

Looking at him pointedly, I opened my present with the promise of a talk later on. The sight of a photo album met my eyes. "It's... a decent gift?"

"I chose that so you'd be able to put our memories in there and treasure it forever." The copycat let a bright smile plaster on his face when I stared at the present in amazement, maybe even a little smug. The album was blue, and it had a cartoon basketball at the bottom and a ribbon encasing the calligraphy of my name. The others gave murmurs of comments, thought I couldn't focus on them because I was too busy ogling his gift. "Oh, oh! I also added some Maji burger discounts- I know how much you like the milk shakes there!"

Shocked at how Kise-kun might have had the most thoughtful present amongst all the Miracles, I said quietly, "Thank you, Kise-kun. I... will treasure this."

"N-no need?"

There were a few crocodile tears spilled, a couple whines from all around us and a bright and shining Kise-kun sitting straight and proud. Sei-kun murmured something else that made everyone shut up as I continued smiling at my present, taking another name out of the hat. "Shintarou, go."

"Why do you say it like I'm supposed to give myself a present?" Sei-kun only smiled at the tsundere's quiet complaint.

Murasakibara-kun wasted np time in literally throwing the box (and almost hitting Shin-kun on the head; only missing a few inches.) "Mido-chin, I got you your lucky item."

"That's quite... thoughtful of you nanodayo." Shin-kun gazed at his presents like he had just won an award, which he probably did considering we were out all day yesterday, forced to move around town with him because he couldn't find a place to buy himself some luck. it was as much taxing as it was fun, considering how much stamina I store in my body outside of the basketball training. "Thank you."

We moved on pretty quickly after that, onto the next pair. Sei-kun reached over the table to let me pull the next name, though his look told me he had an ulterior motive. I left it at that, honestly not wanting to be roped into any more embarrassing acts tonight.

"Oh? Shougo-kun, here you go." I handed the gift to it's recipient hastily. Watching him open the gift with so much care made my heart leap. Gift giving was all the more fun when you can see they genuinely appreciate your present. "I didn't know what Shougo-kun wanted," he paused as he saw the logo inside the tear, "but I still hope you like it."

A smile reached my face when Shougo-kun looked up, a bit sweaty on the eyes, before he stopped and shuddered momentarily. The act was swift, one would think he was merely swaying, but his expression told me otherwise. I doubted for a moment before animousity filled the air, giving way to malicious intent. Ah, so it's like that.

"Are you not going to open my present, Shou-kun?"

"I-I will!" was all he said before he was tearing the wrappers like his life depended on it. Out came the view of the video game he had been eyeing for weeks. "Thank you, Tetsuya! I-I'll play it well!"

"Who says that?" The group fell into another silent truce while they ogled at the almost-impossible-to-get-in-stores game.

I shuffled a little, moving closer to Sei-kun while staring at the present still in his hand. Snickering made him look up to, his face lighting up a little. Smiling back at him, I took his hand in mine, discarding the hat back into the tree. We all know who's gift is going last, anywho.

Waiting a few more seconds, Sei called, "Kise, your gi- why are you hiding behind my brother?"

"...Kise-kun, please stop using me as a shield, it's only gonna make things worse."

He stumbled, flustered, "I thought you were on my side, Tetsucchi! And what do you mean make it worse?!"

"Baka, I don't like the look on their faces right now nanodayo." It was Shin-kun who said it from the opposite side of the table.

I smirked, in perfect sync with my brother. "Open it." Not trusting Sei not to scare the poor boy more than he should, I tossed him his gift instead. Never mind the fact that I did it like I was playing volleyball; it landed on his stomach anyway so it should be fine... right?

Hastily, Kise-kun opened his gift like asked and marveled at the sight of a puppy plushy looking exactly like him, but in puppy form. "A-Akashicchi... both of you! Thank you! He's so cute!" He exclaimed, jumping to our direction. Both of us got out of the way, leaving him to crash into the sofa. I sighed, witnessing the tears come back- only, I think it's real this time, seeing the way he stared at the plush like his life depended on it.

"Oi, Kise, stop being such a damn baby and clean up already! You're making a mess. Ugh."

For a moment, I almost reached out to pat his head when Aomineko rubbed at my ankles. Lifting the cat up, I turned to greet the newcomer while Kise-kun showed off his new pup. "Hello, Momoi-san."

"Pardon the intrusion!" Momoi-san bowed, pulling along rather heavy looking bags. I offered my help along with everyone else. The contents of the bag were then thrown haphazardly at the table.

"Momoicchi, this is why you didn't join secret Santa?!" All of us- save for Sei -stared with starry eyes at the gifts in the middle of the room, varying in sizes, shapes and colors. Momoi-san wore a Santa robe to match with her little presentation; it shouldn't have come as a surprise. "W-what are these for?"

"Presents for White Elephant, of course!" She clapped happily, picking up one of the smaller gifts and doing a mock ho ho ho! as the acting Santa. "I got permission from Akashi-kun to gather present to be's in the gym before we could haul it over here since we know one of you were bound to take a sneak at it."

"Ne~ Sacchin's very nice."

"I'm touched, Satsuki."

"Dai-chan, stop it! What do you know, we were right- hey, no touch until we begin!" Aomineko scratched lazily at my arms, completely uninterested at the frenzy that is the Miracle Generation. I was the opposite, rubbing the cat's ears with an amused, content smile plastered on my usually masked face.

This Christmas easily became one of my favorites. After all, being together with my team was a wonderful present enough. Before my mind wandered further, Momoi-san's voice brought me back to reality.

"Saa~ should we begin?"

With that followed chaos.

"Back when we blew those candles, what was your wish, Tetsuya?"

"Sei-kun knows you can't say your wish or it won't be granted."

"Hm, sorry, sorry~" Sei chuckled, looking up at the stars. I copied his actions, letting the breeze blow past my face.

"The next party will be at my house! Let's celebrate the new year together as well, minna!" Kise-kun held up his new puppy friend as he exclaimed his declaration.

"Hah? Why does it have to be in your house, Kise?!"

"It's better than yours, Aominecchi!"

"Dai-chan, be grateful Kise-kun even offers with his busy schedule!"

"Whatever."

But even as Aomine-kun brushed off the blond headed fool, even as Momoi-san yelled at him while holding back Murasakibara-kun from devouring her chocolates, even as Shin-kun scolded Shougo-kun when he accidentally spilled drinks on his lucky item- I could tell everyone here was enjoying themselves. It made me smile, the butterflies in my stomach seeming like they were flittering around faster as the scene before me was one I want to treasure for a long time. I glanced at Sei-kun who only patted my head as he observed silently with me.

I wish we can all stay together like this for a long time.

Thank you for your reviews xXxPhantomxXx, it makes me smile reading them eeee! Belated Merry holidays everyone, and hopefully the on coming new year treasts you all well!