HOPE YOU A JOLLY OLD READ

BE A STAR AND LEAVE A VOTE PLEASE

Prompt: Forgetting it's Christmas/Mistletoe. 

https://youtu.be/v1YqpH9mwUk

They knew it was December. Knew it was the middle of winter by how cold the season was. Taking notice over warmer uniforms being needed and how everyone had gained a sniffle once or twice already. 

Hot drinks being passed out while on watch or during a long mission outside. Fighting styles were sluggish, lacking and slowed. The cold weaken everyone's response. It meant more dead or those lucky enough to leave just wounded. Vampires thrived in winter, knowing the humans struggled in the colder weather. 

It meant that anyone that was too busy on focusing to survive yet another day in their surviving not living lives, didn't notice what time of year it was. Christmas wasn't thought over much anymore. No decorations or fancy foods to be spoiled with. Gifts came in the sign of friends swapping supplies that each other needed or passing on some extra uniform snatched from the dead. Maybe shifts swapped when one was sick or missions given to another squad that needed the points from completing a mission. 

Hence Shinya and Guren found themselves on a random, crumbled rooftop away from the safety of base. No snow to be seen but it felt cold enough that someone would catch the nipping of frost bite. Limbs turning numb and noses red as the ground grows a layer of frost. 

"The vampires aren't so different from humans. They just want to live, like we do. They hunt for sport as we once did. Their greed for power is as addictive as it is for us. Humans are as monstrous as we see Vampires. We're only upset because we're now standing as the prey instead of the predator" Shinya quietly spoke his thoughts out loud, staring out towards the destroyed city before them. Feeling as if he was standing on the side-lines of this war and struggling to tell who was the heroes and who were the villains.

Guren stayed silent and stared at his friend's back from where he leant against the wall of the roof access door. Frowning as he wondered what happened to his cheerfully smiling friend from when they were children. 

The child who loved and adored snow, even if it was solely because he thought he'd be able to hide among the soft and cold snow. To vanish within the fallen snowflakes and escape from all those he didn't want to be found from.

Now stood a man who had accepted that the snow couldn't be a comfort blanket as he had once hoped so long ago. 

"Maybe it's time to turn extinct like all the animals we've forced to become extinct before. It's fate" Shinya carelessly admitted with a sad smile, fingers stroking over where his cursed gear was tucked in his trousers pocket. 

Guren sighed, glancing down at the ground before pushing away from the wall he was leaning against. Walking towards his oldest friend, his love that he'd never forget and would forever wish to keep. He made a mistake, allowed teenage hormones to send him chasing after the wrong person and he's paid the price for it. He can't undo his mistake but he can stay being true to the love that had bloomed long before he knew over it. 

He can't change the past but he can work to make the future better, worth surviving to live for. 

"Why so bloody gloomy so early in the morning? Someone forget to eat their toast?" Guren scoffed back unamused, scratching at the back of his head while his other hand stayed shoved in his pocket, trying to keep his hands from turning numb. 

"Tell me I'm wrong. There's good people as much as their are bad. All the higher ranks are filled with the bullies that never grew out of their hunger for power. Our lives our worthless to them, at least the Vampires see us as food, something needed. When did we stop seeing our own evils and simply placed the blame on vampires?" Shinya lightly argued back with a bittersweet smile as he turned to look at his friend, needing to be given some hope that mankind was deserving to survive and return to the top of the food chain again. 

"I don't fancy being some bitter meal for some pointed teeth freak. I've earned my right to fight for the chance to live. And you better not give up on life either. We've came this far. It'd be a disgrace to all those who have died to get us this far" Guren grumbled back as he shoved his other hand into his pocket, glaring out at the destroyed city and knowing he'd never allow himself to simply become a chewy meal without a fight. 

"No one life is truly worth so much death and despair. It can't be" Shinya whispered, voice as broken as his heart grew to be after seeing so much death without gaining any real victories so far. How many times had he lied to a soldier, giving false hope over a better future or how well they're doing in this war. He can't keep lying to them all, not without someone giving him hope over his words coming true. 

"Yes, it can be. A life can be worth the whole damn universe in the right person's eyes" Guren confesses full of honestly as he turns back to look at his friend, meeting his gaze and knowing that a single life could be worth so much death. 

"But would that one life truly be happy after seeing the cost afterwards?" Shinya asked back gently, eyes wet as he couldn't see so much death worth it if the person left dying would be left crying alone in the end. 

"As long as they're back with the person who wasn't willing to lose them.. it'd be worth it" Guren promises without any hesitation, believing his own words whole heartedly. 

Guren witnessed as Shinya's smile turned warm but his eyes turned sadder. Feeling his own heart break at the sight, knowing he was to blame but wouldn't even try to fix it. He's made a decision long ago and he wasn't going to break his own word, not when the whole universe could burn and the end result would still be worth it to him. 

Instead, he let his fingers play with the plastic item he had grabbed a couple weeks ago. A mission that had him sleeping in the storage room of some random super market and found a few items that gave him a startled realization over the time of year. 

He truly hated how snow never seemed  to fall for Christmas, it'd make the special holiday a little more magical for everyone if it did. 

"You never did get that kiss.." Guren commented with a small frown, glancing between the view and his friend. 

"Kiss?" Shinya repeated with confusion, his eyebrows furrowed over the random topic change. 

"You mentioned you'd steal a kiss from me to those brats a few months back" Guren explained gruffly, nodding his head in the direction of their base as if that'd awaken the memory. 

"You took me seriously? I knew I'd find myself with a sword shape hole in my body if I tried kissing you. I'm no longer young and foolish" Shinya laughed back, his smile bubbly while his eyes stood with amused surprised. Shaking his head as he turned to his friend, hands on his hips as he knew better than to leave himself open to a beat up. 

"By tradition laws, I won't be able to gain revenge over a stolen kiss if mistletoe was involved" Guren commented as he turned to face his friend, pulling the plastic something from his pocket. 

"Lucky for you, we don't have any mistletoe anymore" Shinya chuckled back as he rolled his eyes over his friend, knowing he must find such news a blessing. 

"Merry stupid xmas" Guren scoffed back as he grabbed his friend's hand, slamming down his gift to his friend into his palm. 

Shinya glanced down at the small bit of mistletoe placed in his palm, a gentle smile growing from his lips as he took in the plastic gift. Glancing up at his crush, understanding the silent request and offer being given to him. 

No one could complain over a tradition after all, no feelings would be needed to be spoken over afterwards. It was merely a Christmas treat or joke, depending who you asked. 

Shinya wasn't going to waste such a precious gift.  

"Merry Christmas, Guren" Shinya warmly smiled as he stepped closer to the other man, holding the mistletoe above their heads as he stole a loving, sweet and long kiss that both had closed their eyes for.