Chapter 21: Defrost

"What do you think of this one Al?" Matthew pulled out a tree from its stall, standing it upright. "I don't think I see any big gaps in it."

"Yeah, that looks fine. Don't you think it should be a little taller?"

"But the 6 footer should be good for the living room."

"Yeah well that's how tall we are! Duh!"

Matthew pouted. "Fine, then why don't you pick?" He tossed the tree back against its companions. Alfred went to the next stall over, looking at the trees leaning against each other. "Hmm…" He grabbed one by the base, shaking it and standing it upright. "This one looks better. It's greener and the leaves are thicker."

"If that's what you want."

"Well do you like it Matt?"

"Of course I do. All the trees look the same to me except if they're lighter or have an obvious bald spot!" The twins glared at each other, and then turned. "Which one do you like Kiku?" they asked simultaneously.

The Japanese teen stared at the tree. "Uhm… well to be honest I… don't really care which one. I mean, as long as it's healthy and green, that should be fine, right?"

"Good answer, 'cause that means my tree wins. 2 votes against 1 Matt."

"I said I liked it too! It's just a tree!"

"Our Christmas tree. It has to be perfect! This is my most favorite holiday ever and I want every year to be better than the last!"

"That's kinda asking for a lot…"

Kiku smiled as the twins argued, lugging the tree to the cash register near the entrance. He was glad Alfred was feeling better ever since the Thanksgiving at his relatives' house. Though there were traces of melancholy, Kiku made the greatest effort to cheer him up whenever the atmosphere threatened to put Alfred into another emotional slump.

"It won't fall off like that?" he asked the twins when they tied the tree to the top of the car.

"No, so long as we make sure the ropes hold it securely," Matthew replied. "It almost fell off last year because Al was too enthusiastic about returning home to decorate, so we had to pull over to the side of the freeway in order to adjust it."

"Hey we fixed it in time, didn't we?!"

"Yeah I guess."

"Hmph. Anyway, I am controlling myself this time. But let's hurry back anyway to decorate!" He hopped into the car, Matthew and Kiku following.

"Will Jones-san be joining us?"

"Today is when she does her Christmas shopping, so that's why we're in charge of decorating." Alfred began to drive out of the home furnishing store's parking lot. "Then tomorrow, Matt and I do our shopping. What about you Kiku? Do you buy presents for people?"

"Not when I didn't have a job, but now that I have money, yes, I will buy presents for those close to me. I already set up a list on my phone so I don't forget anyone."

Matthew smiled. "How many people are you shopping for?"

"Well, Feliciano-kun and Ludwig-san… then my family… and you, Jones-san, and Alfred-san. That covers everyone."

"What about the Secret Santa?"

"Secret… Santa?"

"Matt, we still haven't told him, remember?"

"Oh… right."

"Told me what?"

Alfred exited the freeway, driving down the long familiar street that led to his community. "Well you see, 4 years ago, we decided to rent a cabin up north. It's around 7 hours away from here, close to where we went camping this past Spring Break. You remember, right?"

"Oh, yes. That grandiose forest."

"Yeah. Well, you see, recently we wanted to do something different for Christmas, so that's when we rented a cabin, since it never snows down here, and Christmas doesn't feel right without it! So my family—and the same ones who came with us camping—all pitched in and rented a really huge cabin! It's pretty snazzy. There are other cabins in the surrounding area, so we're not alone up there. Don't want it to turn into a horror movie scenario where the guy slowly starts to kill everybody in the cabin, one by one."

"Al don't scare him, my God."

"I'm just saying! Anyway, since most of us have jobs now, we set up a Secret Santa which we'll do a lottery. There's one for us kids, and then one for adults to keep it simpler."

"But… what if you get somebody as a Secret Santa and they get two presents, because you that you were going to give them one anyway?"

"More for that person, ha ha!"

They arrived back home, Kiku opening up the front door while Alfred and Matthew hauled the tree into the living room. "Does it look good here Kiku?"

"Yes Matthew-san. I think it looks best by the window."

"Okay, well I'm gonna go open up the garage to take out the boxes of decorations. Al, put the tree in the stump."

"I know, I know." Alfred began to adjust the plastic holder for the tree, screwing it in securely. "Does that look straight Kiku?"

"Yes. Oh… well actually, a little more to the right."

"…Mm, like that?"

"Yes." He watched as Alfred finished securing the tree, adding water and some tree formula to the plastic basin. "Uhm, Alfred-san?"

"Yeah?"

"About what we were speaking of in the car… we're going back up to the mountains this Christmas then?"

"Yeah. We stay there until New Years, and then come back the next day. It's a lot of fun, you'll like it! Just make sure to take some warm clothes. It'll be a lot colder than when we went to go visit Dean in Texas."

"Ah, yes, I understand. …Alfred-san?"

"Mm?"

"Will we be meeting any more of your family?"

"No. It'll just be us four, and our friends from the camping trip."

"I see…"

Matthew pushed the front door open with his back, carrying two large boxes in his arms. "Okay, here are the decorations. Let's get this done before mom comes home."

"What can I do?" Kiku asked as the brothers began to unpack the cardboard boxes.

"You can do the kitchen. I already placed a box there earlier. We switch out to festive dinner ware in December."

Kiku wasn't sure how the Jones wanted their kitchen to look, but Emily never seemed to mind whenever he'd set the table, so he arranged everything to how he saw fit, even placing a vase of poinsettias in the center of the dining table. "This looks fine." He glanced out from the kitchen archway to the living room. Alfred and Matthew were chatting amongst themselves, merrily decorating the entire first floor of their home. Kiku smiled, feeling at ease with Alfred's sunny grin and jubilant laughter.

"Alright, all that's left is the tree! Hmm… but let's wait until mom gets home." Alfred put on his scarf. "I'm gonna go get the lights and decorations for outside. In the meantime, you should help Matt set up the lights on the tree, alright Kiku?"

"Yes Alfred-san." He walked into the living room to unravel the tangled strings of lights. "Your family is very enthusiastic about holidays, Matthew-san."

"Of course. Mom's always been like that, even during holidays that aren't that huge with people, like St. Patrick's Day. She decorates the first floor according to whatever holiday is coming up next. In late January, you'll see nothing but pink, red, and white in here for Valentine's, ha ha!"

"That sounds lovely." He began to string up the lights around the tree. "Just a few more months, and high school will be over."

"Yeah. Have you decided what college you want to go to?"

"I applied to… a few of them, but I'm still not sure what I want to do…"

"You'll figure it out Kiku."

"…but… well, this may sound stupid to you Matthew-san, but…" His cheeks began to burn. "I've become so accustomed to being around you and Alfred-san that… well, I don't want to be far away from you. The both of you have made my life so much better that I honestly think I'd be lonely if I wasn't at a college that you will go to…"

Matthew smiled. "Thanks Kiku, but I think your words are meant more for Al than me."

"What?"

He strung the lights on his end, handing Kiku the rest of the bundle for his side. "Out of all of your friends, I can tell that there isn't anybody more important to you than Alfred. I'm sure you'll be fine without us for a while, but I think your loneliness stems from the fear of losing contact with him."

"…That… That might be a plausible explanation. But that doesn't mean—"

"I know you still care about us, but with Al, your affections go that extra mile, don't they?" Matthew plugged in the lights to the outlet behind the tree. "Yeah, there we go." He looked at Kiku, and continued to smile. The other looked down, fidgeting with his fingers, giving a heavy sigh.

"Matthew-san, what is it that you're implying?"

"I think you know Kiku. I haven't told Al, but I don't think I have to spell it out for you, right?"

"…How long have you known?"

"For a while, but I began to notice earlier on in the spring, when we went to the camping trip."

"…I think that's when it started to happen… yes."

"So Heracles?"

"I don't feel that way about him anymore. When I look at him, my heart doesn't race and I don't get embarrassed like I used to. But with your brother… it's different. I just… don't know how to explain… and I feel a little ashamed."

"But why?"

"Because… Because falling for your hostess's child is…"

"I don't think my mom would mind."

"See, but that's what you think. I contemplated telling Alfred-san my feelings but… I can't do it. And he likes women anyway, right? It'd just cause unnecessary problems."

Matthew was unsure about his brother's sexuality, but he wasn't going to deny Kiku the hope, nor encourage it with falsified information. "I still think you should tell him, even to just get it off your shoulders. If you keep it in, you'll just keep feeling more horrible about the whole thing. Alfred really likes you Kiku. You're his best friend, so wouldn't he want to know what's going on with his pal?"

"…Yes, you speak the truth."

He smiled. "I'm not trying to pressure you or anything, but it'll eat away at you little by little if you don't get it off your chest and tell him."

"…I just want to wait for the right time to do so."

"No problem with that. Ha, maybe make it your New Year resolution!"

"Perhaps. I mean… we do only have one semester left of school. I'll think about it. Thank you Matthew-san. You give good advice."

"Thank Matt for what?"

Kiku jerked his head toward the doorway and found Alfred standing there a little sweaty. He wiped his brow. "What were you guys talking about?"

"Don't be nosy Al," Matthew responded, fully aware of Kiku's reddening face. "Did you finish putting up the decorations outside?"

"Yeah, but you could've helped! You're lucky mom already set up the Christmas lights yesterday…"

"As long as it gets done."

Alfred groaned. "Anyway, I'm hungry!"

"I can make us lunch if you'd like?" Kiku asked.

"Oh, well I was thinking we can go out for lunch, but if you're that eager to make something, well hey I'm not gonna complain! Your food's good!"

"Then, I will make us some lunch."

It didn't take long for Kiku to whip up something for his friends, and Emily came home just as he had finished the food. "Boys, I'm here!" she shouted, closing the door with her back, bundles of plastic bags in her arms. She walked up the steps swiftly, placing the bags in her closet, returning to the first floor immediately after. "The house looks good!"

"We left the tree for last so you can decorate it with us," Matthew said.

"Oh good! The tree's the most important part! The house can be bare, but the decorated tree is a must!" She walked over to the box on the couch, looking through the colorful ornaments.

"Ah, Jones-san, I have made lunch for everyone. Would you like some? Then perhaps we can decorate the tree?"

"That sounds like a good idea!"

"I just made tuna sandwiches though."

Emily sat down at the table. "That's okay! Tuna's good, and food is food! But at the rate Al's eating his lunch, I don't think I have to tell you that huh?" She laughed, biting into her sandwich that Kiku placed in front of her.

The tree didn't take long to decorate, but Emily wanted it to look perfect; every ornament needed to be evenly spaced, and no colors were to clash with their neighbors. "Alright, I think that should do it!" she said as she placed the star at the top of the tree. "It looks lovely! Good job boys!"

"Are you gonna put the presents under the tree now?" Alfred asked, a big grin on his face.

"Not until next week. Don't be so impatient sweetheart. Christmas will come soon enough! Oh that reminds me. Kiku, did the boys tell you about the cabin?"

"They mentioned it earlier, yes."

"Well that's where we're going to spend our Christmas and New Year's. Make sure to pack warm clothes, because it's snowing up there! You'll have fun, I promise!"

"I always enjoy myself whenever I'm with you and your family Jones-san."

"That makes me happy to hear!"

The month flew by; the only exciting thing to happen were the practice sessions after school for the senior play. Kiku watched as his actors and actresses struggled to remember their lines. Well, as far as casting goes, it seems to fit for the most part. Though… I still don't think Mei-chan fits the princess… I'd much rather have preferred Navah-chan to do it… Ever so slightly he twisted the script in his hands whenever Alfred and Mei rehearsed their scenes together. Neeraja glanced at him, asking, "Uh, Kiku are you alright? You agitated or something?"

"Oh, no Neeraja-san, I'm fine."

"Well, okay. I know I'm the director, but if you think something needs to be changed, you know you can talk about it with me, right?"

"Yes, I know. But really, everything is fine."

"Is it? Sometimes I see you scowling whenever Alfred and Mei recite their lines. Are they messing up?"

"No, but… perhaps I'm not too fond of the casting choice. Not Alfred-san, but Mei-chan… well, after reading the script, she just doesn't feel like the princess to me. Her acting is fine. I just… think somebody else would have been better suited for the heroine role."

The Indian girl chuckled. "Why, you think you can do a better job?"

"…No, I don't think that. But I wouldn't mind trying if she should fail at her character portrayal. After all, like Speare-sensei had said, men were cast as all the roles in the old days, even the female ones."

"Well if it's of any consolation, I think you'd make a cute princess, although I don't know about your acting skills."

"I'm not much of a good actor."

He continued to watch as his protagonists went through their scene, Mei's blush growing darker the more Alfred charmed her as his character. She even hid her face behind her script once, giggling and looking down. Kiku's blood boiled, rolling up the script in his hand more and more. It tore the first few pages, Neeraja having to get him another copy.

"Try not to ring this one up so much, okay?"

"Yes… I apologize."

"Really, we could change Mei's role if—"

"No she's doing fine. I'm just being stupid as always."

"Uhm, okay then?" He's acting odd, she thought. Mei's doing a good job so far, even if she gets embarrassed having to act out the romantic scenes with Alfred. But if Mrs. Speare thinks she was the best choice for the princess… well I can't really argue, can I?

After the rehearsal was over, Kiku grabbed his bag and promptly left for the front steps of the school. He waited for Emily's car at the pick-up area, tapping his foot. He looked behind him, Alfred and Mei talking. The blonde said something to her that made her laugh, Kiku beginning to grit his teeth, the scowl beginning to show on his face. He turned around and crossed his arms. He saw Emily's car approaching and was the first one to get in.

"Everything okay Kiku?" she asked as he sat himself down in the back, looking more than a bit peeved.

"Yes Jones-san, everything is fine."

"Well… if you say so." He looks unreasonably angry. I hope Al or Matt didn't do anything to upset him.

The last day of the first half of the school year came to a close, with Christmas dawning upon the world. Alfred was packing his things into his bag for the long drive up north to the cabin. He set his things down near the front door, walking back up the stairs to Kiku's room. He knocked gently. "Hey, can I come in?"

"Yes."

He smiled as he opened the door. "Are you ready buddy? Tomorrow we go up to the mountains!"

"I suppose."

"You sounded a lot more excited when we first told you about it."

"Ah, I'll be fine. Did you already get your present for your Secret Santa?"

"Yeah, of course!"

"Do you mind… if I ask who it is?"

"It's Manny, so… you can see how that's gonna be… awkward."

"Manuel-san doesn't hate you."

"But he doesn't want to look at me either."

"I'm positive everything will be fine, Alfred-san." He gave him a reassuring smile, fearing he'd go into another melancholic state. He knew Alfred thought way too hard about negative things, so he didn't want him to feel depressed during the holidays. "Ah, so… when do we leave?"

"Tomorrow at 3am."

"…That's rather early."

"Ha! Yeah the cabin is slightly closer to home than the camping spot was, but it's still pretty far. I'll probably fall asleep."

Sure enough, he did. The next morning, Emily and her sons packed everything into the car and finished by 2:30am, making a light breakfast before heading out. Matthew got to sit in the passenger seat only because Alfred wanted to sit next to Kiku for the duration of the ride. The drive up was long, and Matthew continuously spoke to his mother so she wouldn't begin to doze off. Kiku fell asleep, but Alfred was still awake, mostly listening to his music. Though everything would be the same as the previous years, he dreaded the confrontation with Manuel. I hope he's gotten over not being able to talk to me… It's not my fault this happened… He shook his head, switching to a song that would make him feel upbeat. He wasn't going to let his hatred for his father get the best of him on his most favorite holiday of the year.

Hours passed on the road, and Kiku woke to a shift in temperature. He rubbed his eyes and looked out the window. "Snow?" He sat up a bit quickly, rubbing his hands together. "I take it we're nearing our destination?" he asked Emily.

"Yup! Just about 30 more minutes. I didn't wanna turn on the heater of the car so as not to exhaust it. Sorry Kiku…"

"It's alright." He hugged himself, rubbing his arms. "We're almost there anyway…"

The cabin didn't stand alone by itself, but instead was one of the many cabins situated in the mountain between trees. There were sturdy wooden picnic tables close to each cabin, a driveway for cars, and then in the center of all the residencies was a large open space full of snow. Alfred's eyes sparkled as he looked around. He was the first one to jump out of the vehicle, taking in the cold morning air.

"Man! I haven't been here in so long!" He grinned widely as the snow crunched underneath his feet. "Kiku, you're gonna love it here!" Alfred laughed when his small friend exited the car, covered in a thick layer of clothing as he shivered. "Well maybe not the weather, but the time you'll spend here."

Kiku had only seen snow once when he was very small, so he didn't remember what it felt like to be in a winter wonderland. I give kudos to those people that can live in colder places, like Alaska and Canada… I would hate to live there, he thought to himself. But Alfred-san and Matthew-san don't seem to mind one bit. He watched as the twins unloaded the car, taking the things inside the cabin.

"Ah, are we the first ones here?" Kiku asked Emily as he unloaded his own belongings.

"Yeah, we like to be the first ones here so we can pick our rooms without fighting about it ha ha! But that also means we need to clean the living room and the kitchen until the other families come and join us."

He walked with her up the paved path to the cabin steps. "This is… such a huge place! It must've cost a fortune Jones-san." It only had two floors, but the house was very wide and tall. Emily laughed at Kiku's obvious amazement, his mouth open as he gazed at it.

"Well I can definitely tell you I could have never afforded this on my own, which is why we all pitched in to buy it!"

"…I thought you rented it? Alfred-san said that you and the other families rent it for the holidays."

"Oh, that was a few years ago! Now we all own this cabin, ha ha! With all of our combined salaries, we were able to purchase it. These cabins are rented first so you can try them out, and if you really like them, then you can buy one. It's not cheap of course, so that's why we don't spend lavishly back home. But because we only use it once a year for the holidays, we don't really have to pay much for the utilities." Emily set down the bags on the floor. "Okay Kiku, I'm going to start cleaning up the kitchen, so if you can please put your bags in whichever room you'd like, that'd be great! I'll take mine later."

Kiku walked up the stairs with his luggage and came to a hallway lined with doors. "It almost seems like if this is a hotel…" He walked around it, returning to the same spot he started with. "So it's in a rectangular shape then…" Alfred's voice could be heard from one of the rooms, so he poked his head through the doorway. "Ah, I was looking for you. This is a very big place…"

"Yeah, I should've given you a tour… Sorry! You gonna room with us?"

"There are only two beds."

"It's okay Kiku. I'll share Al's bed this time," Matthew said with a smile. "You can have the spare one."

"Ah, uhm thank you Matthew-san… I guess, I will unpack then and put my things in the dresser." A light blush dusted his cheeks as he put away his folded clothes in the dresser closest to him. He wouldn't have minded sharing a bed again with Alfred, but being so close to him under the covers made his heart skip a beat. When his mind started to wander, his face began to burn up, shaking his head to get the mental image out of his mind. Alfred-san is my best friend! To have thoughts like that about him… Kiku, you can be so shameful sometimes.

Kiku helped clean up the living room with the twins while Emily continued to work on the kitchen. About an hour later, Martha arrived with her parents who took the room Emily was staying in. Martha agreed to share a bed with her sister, while their parents slept in the other one. Soon after that, the rest of the families began to arrive, the cabin becoming increasingly loud with the chatter resonating throughout the first floor. Alice wiped her finger against the countertop. "Hmm, you did a good clean-up work here Emily."

"Why wouldn't I? You don't give me enough credit. I make sure to be the first one here every year so I can clean up, because God knows you won't do it."

"You only get here first so you can have whichever room you want, Emily."

"That is a reward for my diligence."

With more helping hands, the cabin was dusted and cleaned before noon time. The large refrigerator was stuffed with food, the cabinets with cooking utensils, and the pantry with canned goods, ingredients, and snacks.

"So who's getting the tree this year?" Alfred asked as he walked into the kitchen.

"Don't worry about that love. This year we'll take care of that," Alice replied as she wiped down the countertop so Emily and a few others could begin lunch. "Or more like, Angus and Colleen will get it."

"Oh, they're spending the holidays with us?"

"Yes. Their college semesters ended two weeks ago. They're coming up here by themselves with my other two sons. They should be here soon—"

On cue, the door opened and in walked a short young woman with dark bobbed hair. She smiled as she looked around the cabin. "Ah, it's good to be back here again!"

"Colleen!" Peter said as he ran to her. He threw his arms around her and she hugged him back tightly. "You're finally here!"

"Peter, you saw us at home!" she laughed.

"I know but I missed you!" Colleen was the eldest of the Kirkland siblings, and Peter adored her to the bone. Like his older brothers, she spoiled him rotten. "Look Arthur, they're here!" he chirped happily. Arthur was visibly disturbed, trying to hide his face in his book he was reading on the couch.

"Great. I get to spend the holidays with people who love to make my life a living hell."

"Iggy you always did whine about everything," Colleen said as she shook her head. She walked into the living room and flicked his forehead. "Love ya too bratty half pint."

"I am taller than you, so stop calling me that!"

"By two inches." She greeted the others in the living room. "Hmm, yeah, the tree should fit in this corner. Alright, bring it in!" she shouted out the doorway. "It's all cleared!"

The tree was hauled up the driveway into the cabin by Arthur's two older brothers, Gavan and Alec. They were taller than their sister and had brown hair, Gavan's being a bit lighter than Alec's. Colleen screwed in the plastic tree base as the brothers kept it from tilting.

"Well?" she asked to Arthur.

"Well what?"

"Ya lazy piece of shit Iggy," Gavan said. "She means does it look straight?"

"Yes it does but I'm not the only person in this room!" He spread his hand to showcase all his other friends sitting on the couches and armchairs, most of them snickering at him.

"You were the closest and we didn't wanna bother your little friends with something so trivial."

"Sure, make more excuses."

"Ya still crying about our existence Iggy?" Arthur shuddered at the voice that was quickly approaching him. "You'd think you'd get over it after 17 years of living with your lovable siblings."

"Peter is the only one even remotely close to what I would call a 'lovable sibling', Angus…"

He laughed, setting down a stack of wood for the fireplace to burn. Angus was the tallest of Arthur's siblings and stood out from them with his flaming red hair. He pinched his little brother's nose a bit too roughly. "Merry Christmas ya little shit. We love ya too." The Kirkland siblings greeted the rest of the company in the living room, Arthur growling as he nursed his throbbing nose, trying to go back to his book until her heard another familiar, yet unwelcome, voice.

"Crickey! This place is huge!"

"Oh for the love of GOD!" Arthur slammed his book shut as Logan walked over to his new friends who greeted him.

"Hello Iggy!"

"What are you doing here, Logan? I thought you and your family were going back to Australia for the holidays?"

"Well Aunt Alice invited us this year!"

"Do you have a problem with that?" Logan's little sister Wendy appeared from behind him, her arms crossed. "Far as I know, this cabin is for everyone who pitched in to buy it." Her brown hair was in a curly ponytail, and like her relatives, she too had thick eyebrows.

"You didn't help buy it."

"Yes, but we brought most of the food that should last us from now until when we leave on New Year's day."

Alfred laughed. "This is great. Artie's whole family is here to celebrate with us! The more the merrier!" Kiku stood next to him shyly, chuckling as Arthur gave a heavy sigh and covered his face with his hand, everyone else amused at the scene that had unfolded before them. The Japanese teen could already feel this Christmas would be one of his better ones.

A/N: So how was everybody's holiday season? I hope it was well. Mine was eventful beyond expectation, so I had little time to write the Christmas chapter and upload it on time... which is why you're getting half of it; I feel bad that most of the time, I don't update when I say I will, which is a bad sign because that means I won't take deadlines seriously if I ever become a published author like I dream to be someday... I am a lost case. This story is supposed to run on real time, so if I were more responsible, you'd have the Valentine's Day chapter by now... Sheesh. I need more self-discipline.

But anyway, here's the first half of the Christmas portion because I didn't want to leave you guys hanging (I always think of you. ;-;), and hopefully the second half will be done sometime this month. I started school again so that may or may not throw a wrench into my plans... Bonus points if you can figure out who each of Arthur's siblings and Wendy are supposed to be.