He honestly did forget how close Christmas was, it just slipped his mind so he had to hurry up & buy shit. Once Christmas Day came he woke up with headache, he remembers buying gifts but he can’t remember what, in all honesty, he doesn’t even know what his kids want. He sat by you, holding you close as he watched them all open their gifts, the excitement on their face bright. Once the wrapping was torn off they smiled faded one after the other. “But I didn’t want this… I don’t even like this…” Aiden said. Logan sniffled and Ryan was a little clueless but accepted the gift, deep down he was disappointed. They all turned to face him and within seconds he was clenching his jaw. “Ungrateful shits… what do you mean that’s not what you want!?” He growled out as he sat up, alcohol steaming off his body.

Vinterland - The Frozen Realm of Eternal Night Vinterland is a frozen realm locked in eternal winter. The landscape is dominated by glaciers, jagged peaks, and ice-covered fortresses. The sky is dark, lit only by the aurora borealis. The Landscape Frozen mountains and glaciers create a treacherous terrain with hidden crevasses. Ice fortresses, built from stone and ice, are home to the Viking clans. Crystal gateways, believed to be portals to other realms, dot the land. The Inhabitants Viking clans, skilled in battle and survival, rule the land. Justice is decided by strength; the weak do not survive. Only the toughest endure the harsh environment. Magic and Lore Ice magic is tied to the realm’s crystals and the aurora borealis. Ancient gods and spirits are worshiped for protection and favor. Dangerous creatures like frost giants and ice dragons roam the land. Vinterland is a brutal, cold place where only the strongest survive.

The town square is a sensory overload of tinsel and forced cheer. I’m here for one reason: to claim the "Christmas King" crown and the grand prize—a fully-funded, year-round boutique for my chocolates. Redemption, served cold. Then I see you. You’re at the competitor’s table for the first event: the Gingerbread Cathedral Build-Off. You’re not using the pre-made kits. You’re sculpting free-form, creating a whimsical, lopsided chapel with a crooked chimney and a gumdrop path, your tongue caught between your teeth in concentration. It’s terrible. It’s perfect. It’s the most authentic thing here. My own creation—a geometrically flawless, chocolate-spired Gothic masterpiece—suddenly feels sterile. “Structural integrity’s a bit of a fantasy, isn’t it?” I say, leaning on your table. My voice is all practiced cool. You don’t even look up. “It’s not a skyscraper. It’s a home for sugar mice. They prefer character over blueprints.” I laugh. I actually laugh. A real one, rusty from disuse. “You’re going to lose.” “You’re going to win,” you counter, finally meeting my eyes. Yours are the color of the sea before a storm. “But does your gingerbread have a soul?” The judge’s bell rings. The winner is announced. It’s me. The trophy is cold in my hand. I look at your lopsided chapel, at your proud, unresigned smile, and feel like I’ve swallowed a lump of coal. Later, I find you throwing crumbs to sparrows by the frozen fountain. “They’re judging the Ugly Sweater Ball tomorrow,” I state, not a question. “I’ve seen your sweater. It’s just black,” you smirk. “Exactly. A statement on the commercialization of cheer.” It’s a line I’ve used for years. It sounds hollow now. “Boring,” you sing-song, walking away. “My grandmother’s knitting me a monstrosity with three-dimensional felt reindeer. It’s a masterpiece of ugly.” An idea, wild and utterly uncharacteristic, sparks. “Wait.” You turn. The streetlights catch the snowflakes in your hair. “The competition is a decathlon. Teams are allowed.” Your eyes narrow. “You have a team. The ‘Noel Winters Fan Club.’” “I’m disbanding it. I’m proposing a merger.” I step closer, the prize-winning chocolate trophy feeling absurd in my grip. “You have the heart. I have the technique. Together, we could run the table. Win every single event. The grand prize… we could split it. A shared boutique.” You’re silent, studying me. “Why?” Because you look at Christmas and see play, not a prize. Because I haven’t felt this alive since I was ten. Because I want to see what you’ll create next. “Because,” I say, offering my hand, the one dusted in cocoa and doubt, “I think my gingerbread needs a soul. And I think your sugar mice deserve a palace.” A slow, dazzling smile breaks across your face. You take my hand. Your grip is warm and firm. “Okay, Winters. But I’m picking the sweater. And we’re starting with hot chocolate. Your place. I need to assess your cocoa bean stock.” As I lead you towards my tiny, obsessively tidy kitchen, the Christmas lights seem to glow a little brighter. For the first time in a decade, I’m not thinking about winning. I’m thinking about the next event, the next laugh, the next moment I can make you smile. The real competition, I realize, isn't for a crown. It's for the heart of the woman who builds gingerbread homes for imaginary mice. And I intend to win.

}!* ** **

}, I am visiting you again soon. Merry Christmas till then, baby.*

}’s sleeve, grounding himself.* “This is my first real Christmas. Like… living with someone. With you.” *A pause, then softer.* “I know I’m being extra. I just wanted to do something that felt… happy. Ours.” *He laughs again, self-conscious but sincere.* “So. Hi. Welcome home.” “…Do you like it? Or should I pretend this never happened and make cocoa?”

Seasons came and seasons went, none of them ever really affected those at Bonten. Valentines day meant there was usually more affairs which meant more profit, halloween was only enjoyable to the Haitani’s and those that enjoyed clubbing and it was otherwise forbidden to mention around Mikey, Takeomi and Rindou adored St. Patricks day, really just any excuse to get drunk. Christmas was different though. It was one they avoided touching, too many expected some form of ‘kindness’ or ‘charity’ from those at Bonten, hoping Hajime would feel the ‘Christmas Spirit’ and be less aggressive in his business deals, some even hoped it would somehow lessen Haruchiyo’s near psychotic rampage of hunting down traitors, when in reality it only seemed to encourage him. He’d go off making some jokes about ‘Krampus coming early’ to those that did wrong against Bonten. But besides that, it was just another cold season filled with issues. Hajime’s griping about how the sludge of the improperly cleared streets meant his car needed to be cleaned again, Takeomi annoyed since he wasn’t allowed to smoke inside and it was too cold outside. Overall by the time Christmas actually was rolling around, everyone was already sick of the cold season, and didn’t have any energy. Everyone except one member, Haruchiyo, hyped up on some new drug that he’d only intended to ‘test’ before they released it to the streets, was now all too full of energy and determined to make everyone else deal with it. The morning had started abnormally quiet, almost calm, that was the first warning, and there was no second warning. In the evening when everyone was getting back to the main spot, a penthouse suite they used as a meeting ground and crash pad when unable to get back to their own homes, the light ding of the elevator was all the notice they got before an oversized christmas tree fell into the livingroom. Standing behind the somewhat bloody looking pine tree that had to be past seven feet tall; was Haruchiyo. Looking as proud as he was high. “Is that supposed to be a christmas tree?” Ran murmured to Rindou as the two had been sitting around the coffee table with Kakucho, the three had been enjoying a chance to relax with some wine but now Ran was confused, Rindou was snickering, and Kakucho looked lost. “It looks like its still got a nest or two in it, did he steal it from a forest?” Rindou responded in kind, the purple haired mans usually bored expression was mildly amused by the festive interruption. “Sanzu, what the f~ck is that-“ Takeomi couldn’t even finish his question before Haruchiyo interrupted him. “This, my fiends, is the cure to Mikey’s depression, and all of our seasonal woes! We’re gonna decorate for christmas, make this dark and moody place more festive!” As he spoke he dragged the hefty tree further into the main area, not caring as it knocked things over and left a trail of pine needles along the ground. Pinching the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Hajime sighed as he walked in to the sight. “That thing better not scratch the floor, we just got them re-stained, is that blood on the tree?” Haruchiyo was having none of it, too proud and excited by his idea to care what the others thought as he heaved the tree up, trying to stand it up in a corner. The action nearly caused it to fall onto him, which had Kanji leaping to catch it and support it. Haruchiyo didn’t even wait to ensure it was standing properly in the corner of the room, too focused on his jolly warpath. “Now, i’ve got lights in the elevator and ornaments downstairs being brought up,”

*Beth looks at you first, then back to the sled, crouching as she brushes frost from the metal and murmuring something under her breath while her eyes narrow in focus.* “There are fingerprints on this sled—we’ll capture those later,” *she says calmly, before shifting her attention outward and gesturing to the snow nearby,* “But look here… reindeer prints, and not from the crash.” *She goes quiet for a moment, thinking, her gaze tracking the pattern and spacing before she adds,* “This feels like a diversion—stage the wreck, spook or grab a reindeer, and move the consoles fast while everyone’s looking the wrong way.” *Turning back toward you without watching her step, she nudges you lightly with her elbow and smirks,* “You look exhausted—don’t tell me you got hungover on eggnog.” *She studies you with that sly, amused look she wears so well and asks,* “Alright, sleepyface, what do you think—how should we approach this?”

*As you gather your breath, Krampus crouches beside you, golden eyes roaming over you with open curiosity, as if studying a rare creature he’s just pulled from another world.* "My its always the cute ones who are the naughty ones. Your skin looks so..." *His hand reaches out to touch your shoulder gently, his fingers grazing your skin* "So so~ft"

The "Glacial Gala" tent is a cathedral of cold, filled with the scent of frost and the sound of chisels singing against ice. My piece, "Solitude's Echo," is nearly complete. A perfect, intricate, hollow sphere within a sphere. Critics will call it a commentary on isolation. They’ll be right. It’s technically flawless. And it feels as empty as I do. Then, you walk in. You’re not with the press or the other artists. You’re just… exploring. You stop in front of a competitor’s cheesy ice swan, tilting your head with genuine appreciation. You don’t see the clumsy lines; you see the effort. When you finally reach my station, you go utterly still. You don’t say anything. You just look. You look at my sculpture for a full minute, your breath making little clouds in the air, and then your eyes find mine. In them, I don’t see critique or awe. I see a profound, gentle understanding. As if you can see the hollow sphere in my chest, too. “It’s the most beautiful, lonely thing I’ve ever seen,” you say, your voice soft but clear over the ambient noise. It feels like a chisel strikes directly into my ribs. No one has ever seen it so clearly. “It’s missing something,” I hear myself say, the words leaving me before I can stop them. “What?” “I don’t know yet.” The competition rules are strict: no assistance. But inspiration isn’t against the rules. You become my muse. You return every day, always with a hot coffee you hand me wordlessly, your own hands wrapped around a cup. You don’t offer suggestions. You just are. You talk about the winter light, about the smell of snow, about your childhood memories of building forts. And as you speak, I begin to carve. Not on my competition piece. On a small, secret block off to the side. The night before the final judging, I’m alone in the tent under the work lights. My competition piece is ready, a monument to cold perfection. But my heart is hammering. I send you a single text: "Come. Now." When you arrive, wrapped in a scarf, your cheeks flushed from the cold, I don’t speak. I simply take your hand—my own finally warm from work—and lead you to the hidden corner. I pull away the drape. It’s you. Not a literal portrait, but an essence. The flow of your hair in the wind, the curve of your smile, the graceful line of your neck. I’ve carved you in a pose of joyful abandon, arms slightly outstretched as if catching snowflakes. It’s not flawless like the sphere. It’s alive. It’s full of light and movement and warmth, despite being made of ice. You bring a trembling hand to your mouth, tears welling instantly. “Julian… you…” “The competition piece is empty,” I say, my voice rough. I step closer, the cold of our creations swirling around us, but all I feel is heat. “Because I was empty. And then you walked in, and you… you thawed me.” I reach out, my thumb catching a tear as it falls. “I don’t care about the grant. I don’t care about winning. I carved this for you. Because you are the only permanent, beautiful thing I have ever wanted to hold onto. Everything else can melt.” You look from the sculpture of yourself, back to me, your eyes shining. “What are you saying?” “I’m saying I forfeit.” The words are a liberation. “I’m saying my greatest masterpiece won’t be in some gallery. It’ll be the life I build with you.” I cradle your face in my hands, my sculptor’s fingers infinitely gentle. “Let me be your artist. Let me spend a lifetime learning every curve and line of your happiness, and crafting my world around it.” You don’t answer with words. You rise onto your toes and kiss me. In a tent of ice, it’s a blaze of summer. It tastes of hope, of coffee, of a future I never dared to design. When we break apart, you press your forehead to mine. “Don’t forfeit,” you whisper, a fierce, loving command. “Win. For us. And then let’s build that life together.” And in that moment, holding you amidst the glistening ice, I know I already have.