"Alfonse?"

"Hello, Kiran," the prince of Askr greeted pleasantly. "Do pardon the intrusion, I hope I'm not interrupting you?"

"C'mon, what's with the formal attitude?" Kiran grinned as he leaned against his door frame. "So, what's up? Need some help with Winter Festival preparations?" The summoner's expression then suddenly shifted into one of dread. "Oh, please don't tell me something caught on fire already."

Alfonse chuckled as he replied, "No, no, everything's fine, I assure you." The prince's expression then turned into one of concern as he said, "I came to check on you. Nobody has seen you all day and some of the Heroes were getting concerned."

Now it was Kiran's turn to chuckle as he shrugged sheepishly. "Heh, sorry about that." Motioning behind him, Kiran continued, "I guess I got carried away with all of my decorating."

"Decorating?" Alfonse asked curiously.

Kiran smiled brightly as he nodded. "Yup! Wanna see?" Opening the door a bit wider in invitation, the summoner beckoned Alfonse inside his room, to which the prince obliged, intrigued by Kiran's enthusiasm.

As soon as he entered, Alfonse's eyes widened at the various decorations covering Kiran's room. "This is what you've been up to all day?" The blue-haired prince asked in wonder. At Kiran's nod, Alfonse continued to marvel at the summoner's handiwork. "This is amazing, Kiran."

Kiran took a seat on his bed as he nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'm pretty satisfied with it myself. I may not look like it, but I can get festive when I put my mind to it. Whenever this time of the year rolls around, I'm usually the first one to help my parents with the decorating."

"Oh?" Alfonse said, his curiosity piqued once more. Even after all their time together, it was still rare for Kiran to open up about his old life of his own volition. "Does your family normally decorate like this for your Winter Festival?"

"Oh, yeah!" Kiran answered enthusiastically. "Mostly my mom, though. She loves to get a head start with decorations around the house." After saying this, Alfonse noticed Kiran's demeanor slightly shift, the summoner's shoulders slumping a bit. "I…wonder what she would think about my decorations…"

Alfonse winced slightly, guilty for having brought up the subject. After a moment's pause, Alfonse made his way to where Kiran was seated on his bed and sat beside him. The pair sat in silence, neither sure what to say to the other.

Finally, Kiran spoke again, his voice noticeably more somber. "I wonder if I'll ever be able to celebrate with my family again."

"Kiran…" Alfonse murmured sympathetically. After having lived and fought alongside each other for so long now, the Askran prince had nearly forgotten that one day, Kiran would return to his own world…leaving him, Sharena, and everyone else in the Order behind. Alfonse knew this all too well, and yet…

Placing a gloved hand on the summoner's shoulder, Alfonse gave Kiran a reassuring smile. "You will, Kiran. I swear to you that I will ensure that you are able to return to your world safe and sound. I give you my word as a prince…and as a friend."

Kiran turned his head slightly to look at Alfonse, his mouth gradually transforming from a melancholy frown to a slightly quivering smile. "Thanks, Alfonse. I…really appreciate that."

Alfonse nodded in satisfaction before a thought crossed his mind. "Ah, I suppose now would be a good time to give you this." Kiran watched curiously as Alfonse reached into a satchel previously hidden from view. A moment later, Alfonse presented a small item wrapped in a white cloth to the summoner. "This is for you, Kiran."

Taking the wrapped item, Kiran looked up at Alfonse with a questioning gaze, only to be met with an encouraging nod from the prince. Nodding in understanding, Kiran began to gently remove the cloth, revealing what was hidden underneath. "This is…!" Kiran whispered in awe as he marveled at the cloth's contents, which was revealed to be a badge in the shape of the Kingdom of Askr's emblem, similar to the ones adorning the Order of Heroes uniform.

"Happy Winter Festival, Kiran." Alfonse said as Kiran admired the gift. "When the time comes for us to part ways, I hope this gift will serve as a reminder of your time with us and the bond that we share."

A more confident smile now firmly affixed to his face, Kiran wasted no time in pinning the badge to his shirt, the golden emblem twinkling faintly in the candlelight of the room. "Thank you, Alfonse. From now on, this badge will be a part of me." The summoner then extended an open hand to Alfonse as he added, "Just as you and everyone else in the Order are a part of me." Returning Kiran's smile, Alfonse nodded as he took Kiran's hand and giving it a firm shake with Kiran responding in kind.

Releasing his grip, Kiran stood up and stretched. "Well, I think I've had enough of being cooped up in this room all day." Beckoning to Alfonse with a carefree grin, Kiran said, "C'mon, Alfonse! The Winter Festival awaits! Let's head over before someone actually does set something on fire."

Relieved that his friend was back to his usual self, Alfonse chuckled as he stood to join Kiran. "As you say, Kiran. Lead the way!"

As the pair exited Kiran's room and began making their way out of the castle, Alfonse couldn't help but reminisce on when he and Kiran first met, two strangers bound by little more than duty and a trick of fate. Back then, Alfonse was reluctant to accept Kiran, believing it to be best for the both of them to keep each other at arm's length. Alfonse glanced at the still-grinning summoner out of the corner of his eye, a matching grin forming on the prince's own face as they walked side by side.

Alfonse was glad he decided not to close his heart to such a wonderful friend.

Author's Note: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone! I wish you all the best this season and that you are able to enjoy this season with family, friends, and loved ones.

So, as stated in the summary of this fic, this story will consist of individual one-shots between Kiran and another member of the Fire Emblem Heroes roster of characters. Ideally, this story would feature a new entry a day leading up to and going beyond Christmas Day but...well, life and personal motivation had other plans.

Even so, I hope you all can enjoy this collection of cozy one-shots. Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas Eve everybody!