Merry Christmas! Normally, I'd put the AN at the bottom, but since this is gonna be a real short oneshot, I might as well put it up here alongside the season's greetings!

Thanks for all the follows, faves, and views too! I appreciate the reviews a lot 'cause it's a sign that either I'm doing something wrong and it needs to be rectified or I'm doing something right. This special happens in the timeskip in Prologue 3, by the way.

Anyway, I hope all of you readers are having a fun holiday season!

Enjoy this product of a day's spent writing with an empty head, and once again...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Christmas Special!


"Kampai!"

Christmas in Minato City was always bright and loud, with plenty of families and companies celebrating the holiday with much needed gusto. The streets were filled with people walking, enjoying the atmosphere as snow fell down in gentle waves. The weather was all-around pleasant, with no sign of an impending snowstorm for the rest of the winter season.

"My, it's quite lively tonight, isn't it?"

Royal purple looked away from the festive group of men and women, some of them rather high-profile celebrities. Hell, in one corner of the bar, it was a whole idol company!

But that was to be expected when one worked at the InterContinental.

Turning his sights to the speaker, he found himself looking into the carmine eyes of the black-haired beauty. His throat choked up for a brief moment before he swallowed some spit to wet the suddenly dry passage. It was understandable, as the older woman was quite an eye-catcher.

She was wearing a strapless maroon cocktail dress, with a sheer black evening shawl hanging over her shoulders. Around her neck was a simple yet elegant silver chain necklace. Around her wrists were these similar chain-like bracelets, lightly clinking and jingling each time she took a sip of her martini. The skirt was asymmetrical, with the back half reaching to just above her black heels while the front half stopping barely an inch before her knees before they split. As opposed to having her skin exposed, she wore dark pantyhose that just made her all the more alluring to the bartender, with a leg crossed over the other.

It was an odd mix of conservative and daring, the paradoxical effect being the reason why so many eyes wandered over to her lithe and svelte form-

'Calm down. Calm. Down. Remember that she's obviously staking you out, most likely at the behest of that damn rabbit professor.'

Ephraim cleared his throat, masking it as a short chuckle as he wiped the counter clean with a towel. "It is, isn't it. Christmas always brings out the cheery and merry part within us, Orimura-san."

Madoka Orimura, or rather he knew her as Chifuyu Orimura, huffed and tipped her glass back to drain the last ounces of her martini. A flush was present on her cheeks, the current glass being her 5th drink, and she caught the olive garnish between her teeth. As if transfixed, the blonde watched her tongue as it wrapped around the fruit. She set the glass down with a quiet 'clink' and reached up to grab the toothpick said fruit was stuck on, pulling it out with a quiet huff as she swallowed her prize.

From the corner of his eyes, he could see a few of the other patrons who chose to sit at the bar stare at her with their own flushed cheeks. Their drinks inches away or staying on their lips. It was understandable, since there was a prime example of a deadly beauty right in front of him. What he wouldn't give to feel her body-

'CALM DOWN, YOU HORNY MOTHERFUCKER, SHE'LL KILL YOU!'

"Ah...em..." He closed his mouth, which was slowly gaping open, and took the now empty glass from her. "Another?"

"A Bronx this time, please." 'Madoka' nodded as she leaned on the counter, propping her head with a hand. Those carmine eyes of hers watched him as he worked, that sharp glint of intelligence hidden well within the haze of drunkenness. "Got any plans for tonight, Aznable-san..~?"

The glass nearly slipped from his hands at her sudden sultry tone, but his enhanced reflexes allowed him to catch it just in time before it became obvious. "W-Well, I was going to spend it with a few friends." He wanted to be as vague as possible, they may not know that the three of them were connected or even living together. "A small private party, nothing more."

"Awww, and here I was hoping that you'd spend the night with me~"

...

'Lords below, pleASE-'

"Just kidding~" 'Madoka' giggled when she saw the tense shoulders of the bartender. "I can't really pull you away from your friends, that would be rude~"

"Ahaha..." He let out a nervous laugh, ignoring the sudden rush of blood or the pounding of his heart. "Orimura-san, you shouldn't make jokes like that." Turning around, he slid the Bronx over to her with a small smile, not caring if his cheeks were red hot. "A guy like me would take it the wrong way."

Those carmine eyes of her gazed up into his purple, the smile curling up further ever so slightly. Taking the glass, she took a sip of the fruity drink and sighed at the sweetness. "You're a virgin, then?"

"Pfft!" One of the people at the bar spat out their drink at the comment, quickly covering their mouth afterwards. "Oh, I'm so sorry!"

The other bartender behind the counter, an older gentleman with pristine moustache, immediately went to clean it up. "Do continue your talk, Aznable-san, I shall handle this."

"I..." The blonde turned back to look at the smirking woman with an embarrassed blush. "I will not comment on that."

"So you aaare~"

'I'm not!'

Rather than entertain her questions, he glanced at the watch on his wrist.

8:23 PM

He cleared his throat as he fixed his tie. "You're drunk, Orimura-san. And my shift is nearing it's end."

"Aww~" The flushed woman giggled as she downed her drink in one go. "Little virgin boy is gonna run away~"

"Please don't sexually harass me, Orimura-san, that is against the bar's rules."

"Fuck the rules~"

It took every ounce of control within him to not retort with a flirt.


"Thank you for ordering from Pizza Hut, have a nice night and Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas to you too!"

The courier peered around the corner and watched as the customer leave with his pizza.

"Manager-san, I'm off." He called out to the woman behind the cashier, who turned to him with an impassive expression. Golden eyes stared at him for a few seconds before shrugging.

"Have a safe trip home then, Murakumo-san." She flicked her long green hair, which made the Outworlder wonder if that was a health hazard, and returned to manning the cashier.

Nodding at his superior, Ryo zipped up his dark olive winter jacket and walked to the exit. He waved to the customers and waiters that knew him, wishing them a nice evening before he opened the doors. Immediately, the jingles and noise of general merriment entered his ears, causing his smile to grow as he walked out. People made way for him as they went, chatting and enjoying the atmosphere of the rather romantic night.

Off in the distance, further down the street really, he could see a big Christmas Tree with all its bright lights and an even brighter star at the top. Man-sized presents littered its base, and plenty of couples hung around the attraction, taking pictures of themselves or of the surroundings.

Honk!

The familiar horn made him turn and wave a black car over.

With a rumble of the powerful engine, the four-seater slowed to a stop just before him, and the window rolled down to reveal a grinning Davion behind the wheel.

"'Sup."

Walking over the to rear passenger door, the courier opened in and got inside. The warmer air touched his cheeks, causing the green-eyed teen to frown as he unzipped his jacket fully after he closed the door. "Damn, what did you set the heater to, high?"

"Yeah." The mechanic shrugged as he began to drive off to their friend's workplace. "Can't really handle the cold all that well, you know that."

"You're wearing a damn puffer jacket with the heater on high, the heck's wrong with you?"

True to the courier's words, his friend was wearing an off-white puffer jacket that was fully zipped up. On the lap of the teen was a thick blanket, the sight of which caused Ryo to grimace. Anyone looking in would cringe at the sheer difference in style between the car and the driver. He was sure that once Ephraim got inside, he was going to tear the mechanic a new one.

"I dunno, okay?" Davion grumbled as he slowed to a stop before a crossing. "I was never good with the cold in the first place ever since waking up here."

"Can't you at least try and wear something, I don't know, more...aesthetically pleasing?"

"What, isn't this enough?"

"You're a lost cause."


"You didn't have to come with me, Orimura-san..."

"What're you talking about~? I'm just heading down to my floor..."

Ephraim made sure to make as much space as he reasonably can between him and the drunken woman. Being near a very grabby drunk was one thing, but being in an elevator with a grabby drunk? All alone with a hot older woman at that?

That was going make his already loosening grip over his libido even worse.

Idly brushing down the lapels of his dark overcoat, the off-duty bartender eyed his watch with a hint of impatience.

8:52 PM

'If they're not outside when I exit the building, I swear...'

The weight of the whiskey bottle in his other hand, a gift from the manager he was under, made him all the more impatient. He wanted to heat that drink once he got home, as a cup of hot whiskey on this cold Christmas night sounded just right-

Bump...

"Oof..!"

He jolted, head snapping to the woman who had her arms wrapped around his waist. 'Madoka' was mumbling something as she ran her hands over the fabric of his coat, and he had to control himself from yelling in surprise.

'What the hell.'

"Are you okay, Orimura-san?" He felt like he needed to ask, because he was not ready to deal with more of her shenanigans. "Did your heels snap or..?"

"'m sleepy..." Was her croak, her grip loosening and almost causing her to slide off. His own arm wrapped around her waist to stop her from falling to the floor. "Drank too much..."

"You did drink around 6 cocktails, and the first two were French 75's." Ephraim sighed, hefting her up against his side as the elevator slowed its decent. "Those things are hard-hitting."

"Urp..."

"Please don't puke on my coat, I bought this from Drioni."

Ding!

The blonde looked up as the doors opened, and when they did, his royal purple locked on to surprised green. Maya Yamada stared at the two with wide eyes before stepping forward and unwrapping the drunk woman from the tall man. The busty teacher was wearing a conservative forest green dress, with ruffles at the end of her skirt. A necklace with an emerald around it settled nicely the valley between her breasts, and the blonde had to quickly tear his eyes away from the bounty before she could notice.

"I am so sorry for her behavior." The teacher apologized as she hefted 'Madoka'. "I was actually heading up to retrieve her from the bar and-"

Ephraim raised his hand, offering the green-haired woman an understanding smile. "It's alright. I've dealt with inebriated people before, please take her to her room so she can sleep it off."

"Huhrk..!"

Grimacing slightly as the guttural sound from the black haired beauty, he reached over and pressed the button for the ground floor. "Or take her to bathroom...whichever comes first."

"T-Thank you." Maya laughed nervously as she walked away, dragging the taller woman until they were both hidden away by the metal doors closing. Soon, the elevator resumed its decent.

...

His smile disappeared and he patted the areas the woman had rubbed around. Eyes narrowing in concentration as he tried to feel that little...!

'There.'

Pulling the small object out from between the side seams of his coat, he brought it up to eye level.

Between his gloved fingers was a microchip, small enough to have fit into the seam and almost thin enough to evade his touch. The thing was obviously a tracking chip of some sort, and he tossed it over his shoulder with a roll of his eyes.

"Bloody hell, Chifuyu..." He muttered, a tad bit irritated at this attempt of spying. He had no doubts that the mad rabbit was watching them, that crazy woman was some sort of super hacker, but he didn't need to have the deadly beauty to do these kinds of things now!

Sighing, he shook his head as he tapped his foot, waiting for the elevator to arrive at the bottom floor...


"All I want for Christmaaas~!"

"Shut that off. Shut that off."

"Alright alright, chill."

Davion reached over and switched from the radio to his phone. Putting the playlist on shuffle, he leaned back on his seat as his fingers tapped on the steering wheel. Grey eyes looked across the road, where the pedestrian overpass was. He kept an eye out for a head of blonde, visible even through the darkness of the night.

"I tried so hard-!"

"Davion, you edgy shit, SWITCH IT!"

"Hey! My car, my rules, bro!" The mechanic groused as he bobbed his head to the beat of the song. Ryo growled and leaned forward, reaching for the phone in its holder. A hand immediately intercepted it, and grey and green glared at each other.

"I'm not listening to Linkin Park on Christmas!" The courier snarled as he continued to reach for the phone.

"Well, I do!" Davion hissed as he kept the hand from coming closer. "Just let me have this one, man!"

"You blare that music in your room all the time, my room is next to yours! I have to hear it, you nugget!"

"Wear headphones then!"

Knock knock!

Both jumped and turned their heads to see purple eyes peering in through the windows. With brows furrowed, the last member of their little Outworlder trifecta frowned at them from outside.

"What are you two idiots doing?" Came the muffled voice of Ephraim as he placed a hand on his hip. "The damn car is shaking about like there's two horny teens inside."

Davion groaned and unlocked the door with a press of a button, letting the blonde inside. Pulling the seatbelt over himself, the off-duty bartender passed the whiskey bottle to Ryo at the back, who took it with a mere glance before putting it beside him. "Well, I got an eventful night. How about you two?" He smiled as he unplugged the chord from the mechanic's phone.

"Hey!"

"So-so." The courier responded, leaning back as he enjoyed the silence. "Manager-san let me off early since I filled my quota for the night."

"That's good." The blonde smiled as he plugged the chord into his phone. "Chifuyu tried to tag me with a tracking chip."

...

"What is love~?"

""WHAT?!""

"Baby don't hurt me~ Don't hurt me...no more~"

"I got rid of it, of course, but we just gotta be a bit more careful now." Ephraim looked over to Davion before gesturing forward. "Alright, let's go home. I'm gonna get blackout drunk tonight because I am at half-mast."

"What the fu-?!" The mechanic made the mistake of glancing before turning away. "Eugh! You're such a horny bastard!"

"You didn't see Chifuyu in that dress of hers, nor did you have her boobs pressed against your side. It was glorious."

Ryo sighed as he closed his eyes, feeling the car move with a low rumble. He ignored most of the banter as he tried to enjoy the music.

'At least this isn't some edgy rock. Fuck knows these two have their own playlist full of 'em.'

"I know we're one, just me and you, I can't go on~"

"-sten, that time, at the mountains? I just got a bit excited behind the wheel, okay?"

"Excited? Ephraim, you nearly drove us off the cliff because you switched the song to some Touhou-Eurobeat hybrid!"

"I can't help that the Infuego's a damn fine car! Doing that inertia drift was so worth it!"

"It was not! This is my car, which you nearly wrecked that night! You weren't the one that had to pay for the frame repair!"

"Bitch, who the hell is the breadwinner in this family, huh?! You were also drunk as hell that night, why should we let your tipsy ass behind the wheel?!"

"If I knew that you'd go instant Need for Speed, I wouldn't have drank!"

The courier let out a long sigh, glancing out the windows at all the passing buildings and festive decorations. A small smile curled his lips amidst the arguing of his two friends. He's gotten used to it, after all, they've been together for god-knows how long. It was...comfy, in a way. They would never hurt each other intentionally, that they swore, and they would defend one another when the whole world was against them.

They were brothers, though not of blood, but of hardship and experience. They were the closest the other had to family.

"It was your damn fault for trying to outdrink me, an Irishman!"

"You're not fucking Irish, you dumbass. It was Ryo's birthday, of course I'd try to drink!"

...They argued like brothers too.

"Hey, hey!" The aforementioned boy yelled, causing the argument to stop. The two at the front seats turned to look at him with a raised brow each.

"Merry Christmas, you two idiots." Ryo huffed, crossing his arms as he bobbed to the beat of the song playing.

Ephraim and Davion gave small snorts at the greeting, their earlier anger quickly washing away. Slapping the mechanic's hand away from his phone, the bartender smirked as he leaned back in his seat.

"Merry Christmas."

Grumbling without much heat, the grey-eyed teen continued to drive them home so they could enjoy some rest and relaxation.

"Yeah yeah...Merry Christmas."