[Secret Santa] What You Need for a Perfect Christmas [1/?]
Title: What You Need for a Perfect Christmas
Author: mizu_from_kumo
Recipient: bioniceye
Genre: Romance/General
Pairings: USUK
Rating/Warnings: T-ish...Just to be save, lots of fluff I believe
Summary: It's Alfred and Arthur's first Christmas together, and they want it to be perfect.
AN: Thanks to usako_minamino for being my beta reader!
First : a tree
“Mr. Kirkland, what are you doing here?” Arthur turned at the sound of his name and found Louis, a boy from his first period class standing there and giving him a weird look.
Arthur blinked at the boy for a few moments before a smile spread across his face. Louis was a smart boy, so there was no reason for him to seek help outside of class. Still the Englishman is use to the pale faces of students who see him in public, or the ones who go out of their way to say hello to him. “I’m getting a tree for my flat…I think.”
Louis gave a nod and smiled at Arthur. It was the type of smile that named him one of the friendliest people in class, but there is always a smile that out surpasses his in Arthur’s mind. “Do you need any help?”
“No, my help should be getting off his shift soon.” Arthur said pulling back the sleeve of is coat to peek at his watch. “Supposedly he has the ‘perfect’ tree picked out.” Arthur rolled his eyes at the word ‘perfect’.
Louis paused slightly, before turning and heading back to wherever he came. Arthur sighed, his breath coming out in a huge white. He buried his face in his green scarf, and shoved his gloved hands into his coat pocket. His eyes wondered about the tree lot. It’s not much; the snow was packed into certain pathways. It wasn’t partially busy either, maybe two or three groups of people were actually looking at trees and that didn’t include Arthur standing there waiting. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, the sweet scent of pine in air. It sounded cliché, but that’s what it was like. Arthur found himself humming along with the tone of a Christmas song that he had heard too much.
“Artie!” A familiar voice called him; Arthur could hear the grin in the voice. He turned to see the familiar grin on the familiar face of Alfred. He gave a smile back at the man, bracing himself for some overly affectionate display from the man.
Arthur received a tight hug, and a spin of joy with a laugh from the American. Arthur wanted to be placed back on his feet before he spoke again. “Hello, Alfred.” Arthur said gently as he fixed Alfred’s red scarf, patting it in place.
The Englishman is not use to such public displays of affection towards him. He’s a rather private man and he’s always sort of herded towards other private people as well. Then he met Alfred when he was in Grad school and everything changed. The American was now a senior in college, while Arthur was off being a teacher; so of course his reactions to such displays range from whacking the American to calmly fixing his clothes.
“My shifts over, let’s go look at the trees.” Alfred said with a grin before he grabbed Arthur’s arm and ripped him into the lot.
The smell of pine surrounded him, and he allowed Alfred to hold his hand as he dragged him around. Alfred was explaining something, probably the different types of trees they had and why they were so different. Arthur didn’t particularly care; he had never had a real Christmas tree in his life. His family never saw the need to have a real tree, they had a fake one that worked and they didn’t have to buy one year after year.
“Ta-da!” Alfred said suddenly, stopping Arthur’s mind from wandering away. Arthur stopped just before he ran into the American in front of him and turned to look at what he was showing him. It was a huge tree, and surely not one that would fit in their flat. The ceiling was not as high as the tree. “Isn’t it perfect?”
It was a beautiful tree, it just didn’t work for them at all. “It’s lovely, Al,” Arthur said, “but the ceiling is not that high.”
Alfred’s face morphed from pure happiness to displeasure from hearing that. “Surely it would fit.”
“It will fit, but it will be bent.” Arthur said gently, before noticing a smaller set of trees. “Those would fit better.” Alfred pouted slightly. “I’m telling you the truth Alfred; the ceiling is not that high. It’s still a very lovely tree, but it just doesn’t work.”
Alfred crossed his arms suddenly. “Fine,” Alfred huffed as he started walking over to the other trees.
The Englishman gave the American a small grin, and got a small one in return. There was indeed a bigger selection of the taller trees, however, it was still rather earlier and there was a reasonable amount of other threes as well. Alfred chattered on about the different types, while to Arthur they all looked the same and it didn’t matter what he picked. Arthur still doesn’t see the point of it all.
“Alfred, why can’t we get a fake tree?” he asked gently.
The American turned, rather calmly, however, Arthur knew right away. They had had this argument before, a few times to be exact. Alfred rather liked the tradition of a real tree, while Arthur was not use to its upkeep and who knew how long they could keep it alive. Sure Arthur had a green thumb, but it had never been with a cut down tree.
“It’s more cost effective.” Arthur said gently, he wasn’t going to let the argument go so easily.
“But if we get a real tree it will be for a good cause.” Alfred said lightly, but it was clear he was not going to let his end of the argument go either. Alfred gave a lot of his help to the Boy Scout troop as well as being a volunteer in the area.
“True, but we don’t have to get a tree to help,” Arthur said, swatting one of the puffs at the end of Alfred’s hat. During his waiting he had noticed some of the boys and a few parents making wreaths. “We could get a wreath,” surely that wasn’t as expensive as a tree. “You still would get the smell of pine in the flat, though I still don’t see why you wanted it, after all you smell like it almost every time you come home from helping.”
Alfred raised an eyebrow before he burst out laughing. “I knew you smelled me when you’ve been cuddling me.” Arthur punched the American hard on the arm; though he was sure the American hardly felt it through his many layers of clothing. Alfred still chuckled, and smiled. “I suppose you make a point.”
The Englishman grinned, at least happy there seemed to be a bit of a compromise. “I’ll let you pick out the wreath.”
The taller man happily took his hand and lead him over to the station where the wreaths were, happily choosing one while Arthur tried to think of a spot to put it.
AN: Hope you all enjoyed it!!! I'm not sure of the number of chapters this will have...but I will hopefully know the next time I post. Sometimes I wonder why I can't write one-shots. But I love writing all the little snap-shots of life for this its so fun. Again hope you enjoyed and can't wait for more to come!!!
Author: mizu_from_kumo
Recipient: bioniceye
Genre: Romance/General
Pairings: USUK
Rating/Warnings: T-ish...Just to be save, lots of fluff I believe
Summary: It's Alfred and Arthur's first Christmas together, and they want it to be perfect.
AN: Thanks to usako_minamino for being my beta reader!
First : a tree
“Mr. Kirkland, what are you doing here?” Arthur turned at the sound of his name and found Louis, a boy from his first period class standing there and giving him a weird look.
Arthur blinked at the boy for a few moments before a smile spread across his face. Louis was a smart boy, so there was no reason for him to seek help outside of class. Still the Englishman is use to the pale faces of students who see him in public, or the ones who go out of their way to say hello to him. “I’m getting a tree for my flat…I think.”
Louis gave a nod and smiled at Arthur. It was the type of smile that named him one of the friendliest people in class, but there is always a smile that out surpasses his in Arthur’s mind. “Do you need any help?”
“No, my help should be getting off his shift soon.” Arthur said pulling back the sleeve of is coat to peek at his watch. “Supposedly he has the ‘perfect’ tree picked out.” Arthur rolled his eyes at the word ‘perfect’.
Louis paused slightly, before turning and heading back to wherever he came. Arthur sighed, his breath coming out in a huge white. He buried his face in his green scarf, and shoved his gloved hands into his coat pocket. His eyes wondered about the tree lot. It’s not much; the snow was packed into certain pathways. It wasn’t partially busy either, maybe two or three groups of people were actually looking at trees and that didn’t include Arthur standing there waiting. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed, the sweet scent of pine in air. It sounded cliché, but that’s what it was like. Arthur found himself humming along with the tone of a Christmas song that he had heard too much.
“Artie!” A familiar voice called him; Arthur could hear the grin in the voice. He turned to see the familiar grin on the familiar face of Alfred. He gave a smile back at the man, bracing himself for some overly affectionate display from the man.
Arthur received a tight hug, and a spin of joy with a laugh from the American. Arthur wanted to be placed back on his feet before he spoke again. “Hello, Alfred.” Arthur said gently as he fixed Alfred’s red scarf, patting it in place.
The Englishman is not use to such public displays of affection towards him. He’s a rather private man and he’s always sort of herded towards other private people as well. Then he met Alfred when he was in Grad school and everything changed. The American was now a senior in college, while Arthur was off being a teacher; so of course his reactions to such displays range from whacking the American to calmly fixing his clothes.
“My shifts over, let’s go look at the trees.” Alfred said with a grin before he grabbed Arthur’s arm and ripped him into the lot.
The smell of pine surrounded him, and he allowed Alfred to hold his hand as he dragged him around. Alfred was explaining something, probably the different types of trees they had and why they were so different. Arthur didn’t particularly care; he had never had a real Christmas tree in his life. His family never saw the need to have a real tree, they had a fake one that worked and they didn’t have to buy one year after year.
“Ta-da!” Alfred said suddenly, stopping Arthur’s mind from wandering away. Arthur stopped just before he ran into the American in front of him and turned to look at what he was showing him. It was a huge tree, and surely not one that would fit in their flat. The ceiling was not as high as the tree. “Isn’t it perfect?”
It was a beautiful tree, it just didn’t work for them at all. “It’s lovely, Al,” Arthur said, “but the ceiling is not that high.”
Alfred’s face morphed from pure happiness to displeasure from hearing that. “Surely it would fit.”
“It will fit, but it will be bent.” Arthur said gently, before noticing a smaller set of trees. “Those would fit better.” Alfred pouted slightly. “I’m telling you the truth Alfred; the ceiling is not that high. It’s still a very lovely tree, but it just doesn’t work.”
Alfred crossed his arms suddenly. “Fine,” Alfred huffed as he started walking over to the other trees.
The Englishman gave the American a small grin, and got a small one in return. There was indeed a bigger selection of the taller trees, however, it was still rather earlier and there was a reasonable amount of other threes as well. Alfred chattered on about the different types, while to Arthur they all looked the same and it didn’t matter what he picked. Arthur still doesn’t see the point of it all.
“Alfred, why can’t we get a fake tree?” he asked gently.
The American turned, rather calmly, however, Arthur knew right away. They had had this argument before, a few times to be exact. Alfred rather liked the tradition of a real tree, while Arthur was not use to its upkeep and who knew how long they could keep it alive. Sure Arthur had a green thumb, but it had never been with a cut down tree.
“It’s more cost effective.” Arthur said gently, he wasn’t going to let the argument go so easily.
“But if we get a real tree it will be for a good cause.” Alfred said lightly, but it was clear he was not going to let his end of the argument go either. Alfred gave a lot of his help to the Boy Scout troop as well as being a volunteer in the area.
“True, but we don’t have to get a tree to help,” Arthur said, swatting one of the puffs at the end of Alfred’s hat. During his waiting he had noticed some of the boys and a few parents making wreaths. “We could get a wreath,” surely that wasn’t as expensive as a tree. “You still would get the smell of pine in the flat, though I still don’t see why you wanted it, after all you smell like it almost every time you come home from helping.”
Alfred raised an eyebrow before he burst out laughing. “I knew you smelled me when you’ve been cuddling me.” Arthur punched the American hard on the arm; though he was sure the American hardly felt it through his many layers of clothing. Alfred still chuckled, and smiled. “I suppose you make a point.”
The Englishman grinned, at least happy there seemed to be a bit of a compromise. “I’ll let you pick out the wreath.”
The taller man happily took his hand and lead him over to the station where the wreaths were, happily choosing one while Arthur tried to think of a spot to put it.
AN: Hope you all enjoyed it!!! I'm not sure of the number of chapters this will have...but I will hopefully know the next time I post. Sometimes I wonder why I can't write one-shots. But I love writing all the little snap-shots of life for this its so fun. Again hope you enjoyed and can't wait for more to come!!!