A collection of moments from couples' Christmases.
Featuring...
kagehina :
Hinata had always held a special fondness for the holiday season - be it the gifts under the tree, the festive decorations, Christmas cookies, or maybe even simply the delicate snow, something always brought a smile to his face this time of year.
This wasn't his first Christmas with Kageyama, no, they'd been celebrating together with the team since they were first years, and they planned to continue to hold that tradition, even as they are the third years now. This Christmas, however, was the first Christmas Kageyama's family invited him to join their celebrations.
Sitting at the Kageyama table Christmas evening, Hinata felt nothing but unease, wondering if he was overly-excited, and, you never know, his unimaginable amount of energy could be the deal breaker - it had been a drawback many people regarded as a bother when looking at Hinata.
"It's nice to see you again, Shoyo. How's your mother?"
Hinata's palms were upmost sweaty as he faced his boyfriend's mom, who had a pleasant smile on her face and a cup of coffee in her hand. "She's doing fine."
"And your darling little sister?"
Nodding, Hinata reached for his glass of water, fumbling with it in efforts not to spill everywhere and make an absolute fool of himself. "Natsu's doing fine too. She uh," Turning to Kageyama's older sister, he gave a nervous glance but eased a little when she only smiled in return. "She talks about Miwa-san a lot. She really liked that she had someone to paint her nails."
Miwa chuckled a little, fondly recalling the little girl Hinata had once brought over while meeting their family. "I'm glad to hear that."
Although it took some time, Hinata eased into conversation mostly with Kageyama's help, and dinner seemed less awkward. As always, Hinata dished tons of food, and the Kageyama's all giggled as Tobio did the same, making it seem as if whoever could eat more won some sort of competition. ("There you go, boys! Eat up, nobody eats them as leftovers and I don't want it to waste!)
Hinata almost didn't want to leave after dinner, he felt so at home and comfortable. But, in the end, he packed his bag and headed out the door, Kageyama trailing behind him in hopes that he would get a goodnight kiss on the cheek if they got a little alone time.
"Goodnight, Kageyama." On his tippy toes, Hinata pulled Kageyama down slightly so he could deliver a quick kiss on his cheek. "And, merry Christmas. Thanks for having me over."
"Yeah," Kageyama smiled, "Merry Christmas."
tsukiyama :
Tadashi had always ensured that the Yamaguchi family Christmas tree was absolutely gorgeous, covered top to bottom in matching strings of garland, colorful lights, candy canes, and of course, beautiful, hand-made ornaments he spent hours working on.
The ornaments were nothing to bat an eye at, too. Each and every one was skillfully crafted with glass, stained either golden or silver, and the most time-consuming part - carefully painted with tons of tiny yet beautiful designs he chose himself.
On the other hand, the Tsukishima family tree was covered in Akiteru's messily thrown on tinsel, half burnt out lights, and a plethora of cheap ornaments, paint even running thin on a few of them. There was all of that, and of course, towards the top, a collection of 8 beautiful handmade ornaments Tadashi had made.
It had become a tradition of sorts, Tadashi always gave his best friend, and, later in, boyfriend, a handmade ornament. The first one had a base his mother had made and somewhat messy paint in large patterns, still impressive for his age. As the years continued, the ornaments became more and more unique, the glass becoming shaped by Tadashi himself and the drawings covering the ball absolute masterpieces in themselves.
This year didn't fail, no, not at all.
When Tsukishima received the simply decorated box in exchange for the spendy drawing pencils he had chosen for his boyfriend, he already knew it would be an ornament. He carefully tore the wrapping, opening the box and examining the delicate orb.
This one was stained silver, red designs painting the span of the ornament with lovely swirls and small stories telling of snowmen and cookies. It was, by far, the most magnificent one so far, and just by looking at it he could see the hours spent and hard work poured into this gift alone.
In the reflection of the ornament, he could see the outline of Tadashi behind him, nervously watching for an expression of distaste. "It's gorgeous, Tadashi."
The sigh of relief was heavy enough to let out all the effort he spent on this project. "I'm - I'm glad you like it!"
"I love it. Merry Christmas, Tadashi."
"Merry Christmas, Tsukki."
asanoya :
Nishinoya, as much as he traveled, had been collecting souvenirs as gifts since he started for the year in March.
He had picked out something for all of his former teammates, overly excited to meet them again in their annual Christmas get together they had kept as a tradition to never forget how lucky they were to be the group that brought promise to Karasuno's name.
Each and every gift was wrapped in hand-made wrapping paper he had picked up while he was in Brazil, and labeled with decorated tags he bought from America, each gift telling a story he thought was most fitting for the recipient.
But here was, a week before meeting with his old teammates and prepared for everything, everything except exchanging gifts with his boyfriend of 3 years. All along his travels he couldn't find anything he considered fitting enough for someone as special as his boyfriend.
And that's why his gift came from Japan, and cost him no more than a few coins. This gift, however, told much more of a story than any trinket he picked up in Iceland, more than any hand-knit scarf from Pairs.
Wrapped in a sweater a travel buddy in Mexico had taught him how to sew, Nishinoya's gift to Asahi was a mop, a new one, mind you, but a simple mop.
But that was enough to send Asahi to tears as he held his boyfriend close, parting quickly to hand him a box containing a shirt he too had made himself, Nishinoya's tagline 'rolling thunder' embroidered along the back and a lightning bolt neatly sewed to the front.
"Merry Christmas, Asahi!"
Asahi whipped his tears, hugging his boyfriend tightly as he smiled. "Yeah, merry Christmas to you too, Yuu."
ennotana:
"Ryuu, mind to explain why there aren't any cookies left?"
In Ennoshita's hands was a holiday-themed plate, empty minus the few crumbs and fingerprints scattered over the span of the dish. In Tanaka's hands, on the contrary, was a cookie hidden rather obviously in a napkin.
On Ennoshita's face a scowl, an accusatory glare, and a lack of amusement in his chocolate eyes. On Tanaka's face however, was a handful of cookie crumbs and a 'uh-oh, i got caught' story in his eyes.
"Maybe Santa came early?"
With a raised eyebrow, Ennoshita reached over, wiping a chunk of cookie off his boyfriend's cheek. "Would you happen to be Santa Claus?"
Looking away, Tanaka hid his guilty expression. "No.. well, maybe I will be in the future when we adopt kids."
Ennoshita's face was tinted a faint pink, color filling his cheeks as he himself turned away in embarrassment. "Hey! Don't say stuff like that to cover up the face that you ate the cookies!"
"What?! Who said I ate the cookies-!"
Ennoshita giggled as he poked Tanaka's nose, giving him a moment to think he was safe before bringing the dish down on the top of his head, grateful that he had chosen the plastic plate rather than the glass one.
"Your expression tells stories, Tanaka. Now hurry your lazy butt to the kitchen, we have some more cookies to bake!"
Tanaka, still rubbing his head, nodded and rushed into the kitchen, excitedly throwing on his pink 'kiss the chef' apron and joining his boyfriend by the island.
"And by the way, Ryuu," Ennoshita grabbed Tanaka's face, pulling him closer so their foreheads collided, laying a gentle peck on Tanaka's lips as he flushed, "Merry Christmas, darling."
daisuga :
Coffee was always an essential part of every day, Christmas was no exception.
Bright and early in the morning, Suga was up, flipping the switch on his well-used coffee machine, brewing his favorite breakfast blend in two servings, one for him, and one for Daichi.
Suga liked his coffee with lots of sugar, while Daichi preferred his black, claiming, "I get enough sugar from the barista brewing the coffee. If I were to add sugar, I think my teeth would rot away from a million cavities!"
Never being one to remember important days, Sugawara set his coffee on the table and sipped occasionally, reading an article on his phone, and occasionally scrolling through Instagram to see if there was anything new in his friends life - same old, same old.
And, in spirit of his forgetfulness, he had not a clue it was Christmas morning until Daichi woke up, running into the kitchen and sliding with his socks once he reached the hardwood flooring, jazz hands making him look like the ultimate dad.
"It's Christmas!!"
Widening his eyes and quickly pulling down his phone's hotbar to check the date, he was shocked to find that it was indeed December 25th - Christmas day, and he didn't even notice.
By the time Suga had gathered enough energy and leaped out of the chair, practically yelling at the echo to play Christmas music and dancing around excitedly, Daichi had calmed down and was seated at the table with the week's newspaper and the coffee his boyfriend brewed for him in his hands.
"Daichi, it's Christmas!"
Daichi chuckled, turning the page on the newspaper and nodding his head as Suga did his best dance to Frosty the Snowman, until it changed, switching to All I Want For Christmas, a true classic Suga loved.
Daichi felt his coffee and paper being taken from his hands, set on the table and his hands being taken in Suga's, leading him to the kitchen in a rushed manor.
Suga set his arms around Daichi, resting his forehead against his boyfriend's. "May I have this dance?"
Daichi chuckled once again, nonetheless wrapping his arms around Suga and swaying. "It's a little late to ask don't you think? Hey!" Daichi laughed a little when Suga whacked him, pinching his shoulder back in return. "But of course, my love."
"Merry Christmas, Suga."
"Merry Christmas to you too, Daichi. No shut up and dance with me!"
kiyoyachi :
"Kiyoko-san?"
Looking down, Kiyoko spotted her girlfriend who nervously held a box in her hand, neatly wrapped and a card tied to the front. "Yes, Hitoka-chan?"
Yachi bowed her head to the level of her arms, bent over, and presented the silver wrapped box in front of her. "I got you a gift! I hope that's okay, I know we didn't arrange a gift exchange or whatever, but I-"
Kiyoko chuckled, peeling off the ribbon with skill as she gently unwrapped the silver wrapping paper, not crinkling nor ripping it in the slightest as she opened the gift, revealing a small locket of the day they first met, Kiyoko smiling while Yachi's face was nearly completely red and she looked as if she were going to pass out any moment.
"Thank you, Hitoka-chan. I love it."
Yachi quit her rambling, snapping upwards to Kiyoko who was now wearing the necklace, smiling lightly at Yachi as she fished around in her small purse, pulling out a small wrapped gift from her bag. She handed it to Yachi, who excitedly accepted it, finding a small jewelry box, and, lo and behold, a locket with the exact same photo.
"Merry Christmas."
"Thank you, thank you, thank you Kiyoko! And - And merry Christmas to you too!"
kuroken :
Staying with the Kozumes over Christmas wasn't anything new for the Kuroo siblings. Their parents had almost always had a job out of town over the holidays, never declining since holiday pay was much more significant than normal pay.
A Christmas without Kenma was less of a Christmas to Kuroo than a Christmas without him, even if it was generally something you would celebrate with family - Kuroo and his older sister had always been honorary members of the Kozume family ever since they were little, so it never felt too out of place.
But the thing that made this year different was the absence of Kuroo's older sister, as she decided to spend this year's holiday season in America with her boyfriend. That left just Kenma and Kuroo, and boy, years of spending holidays and many sleepovers didn't prepare Kuroo nearly enough for how awkward Christmas night seemed without his sister.
It wasn't Kenma that was awkward, no. Kenma was relaxed as usual, although he did seem pretty excited about Christmas, and if Kuroo heard correctly, he made a few comments in joy about getting Kuroo to himself this Christmas.
Christmas morning seemed even more awkward, both Kenma's phone and handheld gamer left upstairs in his room while he actually chatted with Kuroo during breakfast, and another thing - he made breakfast, making pancakes that tasted too good to be real.
As always, Kenma's parents had got Kuroo a gift and set it under the tree, Kenma gave him one, and Kuroo's parents had left him with two before they left, making sure to tell the Kozumes to make sure he didn't peek early or anything.
But Kuroo didn't have his sister to hide behind while she laughed this year while Kenma opened the gift from him, and maybe this year's was the most of a longshot as to if Kenma would like it or not.
Gently unfolding the wrapping paper Kuroo had rather pathetically wrapped the box in, Kenma lifted the lid and stared directly at Kuroo, eyes darting between the contents of the box and his boyfriend.
"Kuroo?"
And He knew he was screwed, he must've chosen something way off. Kuroo adjusted himself, sitting taller as he returned a nervous glance to Kenma. "Yes?"
"I'm going to punch you."
Kuroo got up to dart away, Kenma's parents chuckling from the background. Kuroo was fast, sure, but Kenma managed to grab him by the wrist, preventing him from getting up. "In the face."
And Kenma's hand raised, Kuroo slightly freaking out because wow, he knew it was a longshot but he didn't think it'd be this bad. "Wait- Kenma ahh! I'm sorry, I'll get you something else, I'll-"
Kenma's hand landed behind Kuroo's head, his forehead against Kuroo's. "With my face."
Kenma's lips touched Kuroo's just for a moment, and it was a very sweet moment until Kenma pulled his head back and rammed his head into Kuroo's. "Hey! What was that for??"
"For making me happy, you idiot. I didn't know they had Kuroo t-shirts, can I have another one?"
Kuroo's unease dropped immediately, and he smiled as he pulled his boyfriend close. "I can get you another one, sure. I just, wow. I didn't think you'd like it."
"Of course I like it. Open yours now."
Kuroo chuckled as he reached for the gift bag Kenma had written his name on, pulling out the stuffing to find a box containing two mystery Nekoma Volleyball Club player keychain blindbags. Kenma handed him a pocket knife, and he cut the first one open, finding a tiny model of himself.
The top of the bag showed a little blond hair, and Kenma only smiled when Kuroo compared the color to the hair on his head. "This one might be you!!"
Tearing off the top, Kuroo eagerly pulled out the keychain. "Young... coach. Coach. It's coach when he was out age, Kenma-"
Kenma was busy laughing himself, ready to explode until Kuroo eventually pulled him in, giving him a tight hug.
"Merry Christmas, Kenma."
"Merry Christmas, Kuroo, or whatever."
levyaku :
On every occasion thus far into their relationship, Lev had gotten Yaku a Molten Volleyball - sure, it was a nice brand but at this point nearly half of his closet was dedicated to volleyballs alone, and he expected this Christmas to be no different.
So, naturally, when he saw the box shape of the gift Lev had wrapped, he mentally sighed as he joked with himself about where this one would go - perhaps next to the one he had gotten for his birthday? Or maybe their anniversary?
Taking the box, he thanked Lev as he tore the wrapping off in a rushed manor, already knowing what to expect from the gift. Although, he was pleasantly surprised when rather than another Molten Volleyball, he found a candle set.
Curiously glancing at the tag, Yaku wanted nothing more then to wack Lev half across the clubroom and to the moon from there.
"Haiba."
By that, Lev knew he was screwed - nobody, especially not Yaku, used his last name unless they were angry with him. "Yes - Yes, Yaku-san?"
"Want to explain what these are?"
Lev noddled, swallowing the lump forming in his throat. "They're candles."
"What kind of candles?"
Oh well, Lev figured. He was already screwed at this point. "Molten volleyball scented candles."
Lev was ready to book it half across the world, change his name, and maybe dye his hair black when Yaku's expression only darkened. That was, until he was restricted to the floor by a heavy pressure holding his shoulders down, not letting him get away.
"Tell me, Lev, Why - why you got volleyball scented candles."
Shuffling around awkwardly, Lev turned aside. "Well, I thought it would be funny, you know. And then, uh, well, now whenever you light them you can think of me."
Yaku relaxed his grip, slipping down and bringing his rather tall boyfriend into a hug. "You know I don't need a stupid candle to think about you, you idiot. You're rather unfortunately a common thought on my mind."
Smiling, Lev leaned back into the hug. "Really?"
Lev was only answered with a whack on his head, Yaku already being at his limit of pride spared for the day.
"Yaku-san?"
"Hm?"
"Merry Christmas."
matsuhana :
matsu.thelegend : dude
makki.theman: bro
matsu.thelegend : homie
makki.theman : not quite babe
matsu.thelegend : sorry *darling
makki.theman : better
makki.theman : continue
matsu.thelegend : did you send me this anonymous potato
makki.theman : ye
makki.theman : do you like it?
matsu.thelegend : ye
matsu.thelegend : lol my mom is gonna ask why i have a potato that says
matsu.thelegend : matsukawa sexy means matsukawa is the taco man
makki.theman : it gave me real sentimental vibes
matsu.thelegend : its rlly sweet thnks babe
makki.theman : ye
makki.theman : merry christmas
iwaoi :
"Darling?"
Iwaizumi looked up, greeting his boyfriend with a pleasant wave as he returned to his side, a heavy bag full of food his mother told to bring resting on his arms. "Hey, 'Kawa. What's that?"
Oikawa shifted awkwardly, trying to not let the bag snap his arm in half - it very much felt as if it could and would, but Oikawa wasn't going to admit that and look weak in front of his boyfriend. "Fo-oof-Food. Mama said she wanted me to share some of the milk bread I made last night, and there's a pie, I think a gallon or two of milk-"
Iwaizumi gasped, quickly grabbing the bag away from his boyfriend who gave a sigh of relief. "Here, geez babe these are heavy. Are you, uh, are you okay?"
Oikawa nodded, still robbing his forearms as they still stung from carrying the bags all the way to Iwaizumi's next door in the thick snowstorm. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I can take the bags back now, thanks for letting me have a quick break and-"
Iwaizumi shook his head, "No, 'Kawa, rest your arms. Plus, it's not that big of a deal for me, I haven't skipped arm day in forever."
It was true, Iwaizumi's arms were nothing to bat an eye at - something Oikawa definitely wouldn't miss the chance to do anything but bat an eye at. "Are you sure? I could-"
"I insist, baby. Just head inside, mom put on The North Pole and made us apple ciders."
Oikawa nodded, heading into the house he was rather familiar with and flopping on the couch as Iwaizumi brought the bag to the kitchen, chuckling at his boyfriend sprawled out on the couch. He set the gift he had bought for his boyfriend next to the bag, hoping he would remind himself to give it to him sometime before he left.
With an equally precious flop, Iwaizumi joined Oikawa on the couch, resting his head on Oikawa's shoulder and curling towards him as he pulled the blanket over their torsos.
Oikawa, as much as he loved the movie and as much caffeine (and possibly holiday spirit, if I dare) he was running on, fell asleep midway through, head resting gently against Iwaizumi's shoulder as he drooled lightly on his shirt, not that Iwaizumi had the heart to wake him.
With a fond smile and a kiss on the forehead, Iwaizumi cuddled into Oikawa, drifting off to sleep soon after giving his special,
"Merry Christmas, Tooru."
x to be continued..