A/N: Merry Christmas everyone! I don't usually write for this fandom or pairing, but this is a gift for my dear sister DeidaraLittleMonster. It was based off the ItaNeji Christmas drawing she made this year, but with hints and references to some of her other artwork too. You can find her on DeviantArt as DeidaraLittle Monster, and on Twitter and Tumblr as PeeWeePoekiePoe.

I hope you enjoy!

Although Neji would hardly admit it out loud, he was quite fond of Christmas. The streets were lined with wreaths and vibrant lights, a blanket of joy wrapped around the city, bringing merry smiles to the faces of friends and strangers alike, but most of all, it was a time to celebrate being with loved ones. The jolly atmosphere was a flicker of warmth during the long, cold winter.

He had enjoyed the festivities since he was a child, but after he got together with Itachi, his appreciation for the month of December grew fiercer. It made him realise how important it was to spend quality time with the people who were near to your heart; Itachi proved that to him in every minute he was gone. Neji would never admit that out loud either.

This time, Christmas was going to be even more special because Neji had a favour to return. Last year, Itachi gifted him something incredible, something Neji had wanted since he was a boy but never had the opportunity to have before: their little puppy, Cinnamon.

After giving Itachi his main gift - a traditional Japanese tea set - his husband had walked out of their living room and when he returned, he was clutching a box with holes in it to his chest. A frown twisted Neji's features at the sight and his astonishment quadrupled when Itachi put the box in his lap and he felt it move. He didn't dare to dream of what was inside and despite his usual calm demeanour, he couldn't contain his curiosity.

When he tore off the paper, opened the box and saw him, a little Cocker Spaniel puppy with an adorable red bow around his neck, tears sprang to Neji's eyes. He immediately tackled Itachi in an enormous hug and he couldn't remember a time he was happier than at that moment - except, perhaps, when Itachi proposed to him and on their wedding day, but this was a close third.

Because Itachi had done so much for him, not just at the previous Christmas but all year round, Neji felt like he had to do something back, a gesture to make Itachi feel just as cherished as Itachi always made him feel. Not out of obligation, but out of love.

He'd been planning this evening for weeks now; ever since he heard Itachi had to work on the 24th, his plan was set in motion. Thankfully, Neji was off today, so he had the whole day to work towards his goal.

Itachi wasn't materialistic at all so it wouldn't be as simple as buying an expensive gift and letting that be it. No, Neji had to think outside of the box. But he couldn't not give his husband a meaningful present on Christmas, so along with a couple of smaller gifts, he got them tickets for an eight-day, seven-night trip to Okinawa. He figured the gift of creating more memories never went out of style and Itachi worked so hard, he deserved a nice beach vacation to relax and unwind.

That part of his plan had been taken care of weeks ago, as had their apartment's Christmas makeover, which was tradition to do together during the second weekend of December. Their stockings - with a new one for Cinnamon - were hung on the hearth, candy cane ornaments and colourful snowflake lights adorned the walls, and a proud tree with an abundance of balls was perched up in their cosy living room. That only left dinner and Itachi's Christmas card.

Dinner wasn't the issue, for after so many years, Neji was more than familiar with Itachi's flavour palette. He prepared a feast of favourites: loads of onigiri with seaweed, a variety of cabbage dishes and he even bought a bunch of dango from the little shop at the corner of the shopping street that Itachi loved. Of course, Christmas wouldn't be complete without a proper cake, so he spent hours this afternoon baking it and now, he was adding the last strawberries onto swirls of whipped cream.

With a satisfied sigh, Neji placed the last piece of fruit on the cake and pulled back to study his work. It was perfect.

But with that feeling of accomplishment came a wave of dread. Now everything else was finished, all that was left was writing the card, which he'd been postponing since he bought it last week.

The card itself was very cute: six golden retriever puppies sitting in the back of a red pick-up truck, sprinkled with snow and 'Merry Christmas' spray-painted on the latch below their paws. Writing inside it, describing the endless ocean of feelings he harboured for his husband in words, that was the real challenge. It wasn't that he wanted to make a grandeur statement of his affection, that wasn't like him at all. It had to be short and sweet, straightforward but heartfelt enough to convey how much he loved and treasured Itachi.

Finding words was hard, but it wouldn't be too long until Itachi got home and the card had to be done by then. Trying his best not to succumb to panic, he fished the neat fountain pen out of their stationary drawer and plopped down at the kitchen table. He stared a hole into the card for a solid minute before he opened it and scratched his brain. No matter what he wrote, Itachi would surely understand what he was trying to say anyway, right?

He carefully put the pen to the thick paper and let his hand take over.

Dear Itachi,

It's difficult to express onto paper, but I want you to know how grateful and lucky I am to have you by my side. Thank you for everything you do, thank you for staying with me throughout all these years, thank you for being you.

I hope you like your gifts, I hope we can continue to make unforgettable memories together, but most of all, I hope you feel as special this Christmas as you make me feel every day.

Merry Christmas and I love you.

Neji

Right when he made the last stroke of his name's characters, the sound of a key being shoved into the lock reverberated through their apartment. Neji's heart lurched in a mixture of excitement and alarm; Itachi was finally back, but he wasn't done yet!

"I'm home."

"Welcome home," Neji called back from the kitchen. "I'll be there in a second!"

Hastily, he scribbled a lopsided heart next to his name before he jammed the card into the envelope and wrote 'Itachi' on top. There was no more time to clean up before Itachi would get suspicious and stroll into the kitchen, so Neji would have to distract him later to finish crossing his t's and dotting his i's.

After combing his fingers through his brown locks to make sure he didn't look too dishevelled, Neji untied his apron and threw it over the chair. He walked into their living room with a smile he prayed was nonchalant.

"Welcome home," he said again at the sight of his beautiful husband, standing in the center of their living room beside their Christmas tree. The fire inside the hearth was crackling softly, spreading a pleasant aroma throughout their tiny apartment that shielded the scent of Neji's cooking escapades. "How was work?"

Itachi shrugged. "Same old same old, I'm just glad to be home."

"Me too," Neji said, and when he was close enough, he drew Itachi into a warm hug, figuring he must've been cold coming in from the outside. One small kiss to his lips confirmed his inkling; Itachi's nose felt like an icicle as it brushed against his.

"Is that all I'm getting?" Itachi asked with a cheeky grin.

That comment made Neji's eyebrows contort. "What do you mean?"

With an unwavering smirk, Itachi nodded above him. When Neji followed his gaze upwards, a cluster of small green twigs with white berries dangling from the ceiling entered his field of vision. A mistletoe. That was definitely not there before. When did Itachi put that up?

Equally shocked and impressed, Neji looked back at his husband with his jaw slightly agape.

"You know what the tradition is, right?" Itachi asked, sending him a challenging look that made Neji snort.

Because he would never pass up on an opportunity handed to him on a silver platter, Neji got up on his toes and put his hands on Itachi's shoulders, fingers tangling through the silky hair he adored so. For a moment, he allowed tension to build up as their breaths intermingled between their faces, then he closed the distance between their lips in a gentle yet immensely loving kiss.

Despite having shared countless kisses in the past, the feeling of Itachi's lips sliding over his so tenderly was something Neji would never get tired of. He revelled in the sensation, but wouldn't allow himself to get lost in it. After all, it wasn't time for such activities just yet.

When their lips parted and Neji got back on his feet, Itachi flashed him a grin so self-satisfied that Neji wasn't sure if he should be flattered or offended. "Why is it that you always manage to catch me off guard when I least expect you to?"

At that, Itachi's grin turned even more content. "A true magician never reveals his secrets."

If it were anyone else sputtering such a cheesy line, Neji would've rolled his eyes. But because it was Itachi, he would let him off the hook just this once. In the spirit of Christmas and all.

He leaned up to give Itachi another kiss - if the mistletoe was here anyway, he might as well give Itachi his money's worth - but a nasty crumpling noise made Neji whip his head to the source.

Cinnamon's front paws were on the coffee table and the good sir was helping himself to the leftover star-shaped molasses cookies they baked together yesterday but hadn't been able to keep their hands off of.

Neji gasped at this display of boldness and courage. "Cinnamon, no!"

Like a cute puppy discovered stealing treats that weren't meant for him, Cinnamon ran off at his owner's screech, but not without snatching one more cookie off the treasure pile.

"Cinnamon!" Neji said again, moving to chase after the hungry dog, but Itachi held him back.

"Let him be, it's Christmas for him too. He can get an extra treat."

"Not if he helps himself to it. It's not good for him and we shouldn't reward bad behaviour."

"We all behave a bit badly sometimes, don't we," Itachi said with a wink as he drew Neji closer to his chest.

Part of Neji wanted to retort, but his chest deflated with a sigh of fondness instead. "Fine," he said as he gave Itachi another peck on the lips. "But don't let him get any more. If you keep an eye on him, then I'll clean up here."

He nudged his head to the table, where besides the plate of cookies stood two mugs from this morning that Neji had been too preoccupied to clear away prior.

"I don't think he'll dare to take any more after you yelled at him like that," Itachi said, releasing his hold on Neji and picking up the mugs before his husband had the chance to. "I'll help you clean this up and then we can order dinner. What are you cra-"

"No!"

The loudness of Neji's voice startled not only Itachi but himself as well. He frantically waved his hands as heat rushed to his cheeks. Itachi shot him a questioning look.

"What's wrong?"

"You have to stay here," Neji said as he averted his head. "Don't come near the kitchen."

After a second of pause, a knowing glint lit up Itachi's irises. "Are you making something? Did I ruin your surprise?"

There was no point in denying it, not when Itachi always saw right through him anyway. The fact that he was able to keep his plans hidden from his husband for this long was an achievement as it was, Neji shouldn't be greedy and wish for more than that.

"I made us dinner. All of your favourites," Neji admitted, still not meeting Itachi's gaze. "To thank you for last Christmas and… for everything else you do."

"Neji…" Itachi mumbled, raising his hand to guide Neji's chin back up. "You didn't have to do that for me. It must've been so much work."

"I didn't have to, but I wanted to," Neji said and his face was blazing at this point, but he couldn't swallow the truth. It was important to lay his heart bare every now and then and this was one of those moments. "You always do so much for me and I wanted to do something back for you, to make you feel as loved as you make me feel. Besides, it wasn't that much work."

A warm puff left Itachi's reddened nose. "Thank you so much, Neji, I really appreciate that." He dropped a sweet kiss on Neji's forehead, then he leaned his own against it. "But you don't have to do anything special for that because you already make me feel so loved for every day I'm blessed enough to be by your side."

Those words were a melody of affection, a harmonious carol that caressed Neji's eardrums and settled into the chambers of his heart. "I feel the same way, that's why I want to do something special. You always have such amazing surprises for me and that feeling is so wonderful, I want you to experience it too. Even if only every once in a while."

A devoted smile lit up Itachi's handsome face. "Thank you."

Although they were no longer standing directly underneath the mistletoe, its effects hadn't worn off yet. Their lips met in a deep and sultry kiss, one that engraved Neji's very bones with Itachi's love language.

When he pulled back, Itachi stroked his long fingers over Neji's jaw. "I won't stand in the way of your surprise any longer. I'll keep an eye on our little thief, so you can finish whatever you were working on before I arrived. If you need help with anything, just call out. I'll be right here. Forever."

A tiny smile curled Neji's lips. No matter how many years they had been together, Itachi's thoughtful nature never wavered nor stopped flooding Neji with adoration.

He walked back towards the kitchen but after a few steps, he was halted by Itachi's honey-like voice.

"Oh, and Neji?"

"What?" Neji asked as he looked back over his shoulder.

"I love you."

At that, Neji's smile grew impossibly wide and he quickly turned back around so Itachi wouldn't see. But he couldn't help but mutter, "I love you too," under his breath before he closed the kitchen door behind himself.

The echoes of Itachi's laughter penetrated the walls and filled Neji's heart with unmatched joy.

Between a lovely dinner, exchanging presents and falling asleep snuggled up on the couch beneath a quilt whilst watching a classic Christmas movie, this night was bound to be nothing short of magical. But that wasn't odd when every day they spent together was overflowing with a lifetime's worth of happiness.

A/N: Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!

I might write for this fandom and pairing again in the future, but only as gifts for my sister, haha. You can find me on Twitter and Tumblr as DatHeetJoella for more of my work, though none of it is Naruto/ItaNeji, but mainly Free! stuff.

Thanks again for reading and I hope you have a lovely day!