Kairi was ever so slowly woken by someone running a hand through his hair. He didn't have to open his eyes to know it was Mattia, so he cuddled his head into his boyfriend's thigh, trying to block out the sun.

Mattia had stayed the night on Christmas Eve after a long conversation with his parents and several promises to pop in so he could spend at least a little bit of Christmas day with him, but they had eventually agreed as all the boys were coming over.

"C'mon, bubs," he murmured. His deep, gravelly morning voice just made Kairi want to stay in bed with him longer. "Everyone's here and Maiya told me to tell you that you better wake up and open presents with her before she wakes you up herself. And I'm guessing it involves a bucket of water."

"No," Kairi managed to mumble, blindly reaching his arm up to grab Mattia's hoodie and yanking him down onto the bed. "Sleep."

Mattia tried to protest, but fell silent when Kairi wrapped his arms around the other and buried his face into his chest, relaxing into him. He sighed, accepting his fate, and slumped into the embrace, his eyes fluttering shut.

-

"I told you we couldn't trust Mattia to wake him up," he distantly heard someone say. The next thing he knew, the blankets were ripped off him, the morning December chill immediately biting into him. He shivered and pulled Kairi even closer.

"Nope! None of that!" Alvaro complained, trying to pry Mattia's arm from Kairi. It didn't do much until Alvaro decided to dig his nails in.

"Ow, fine! I'm up!" He dragged himself into a sitting position, rubbing his arm. He opened his eyes and saw Alvaro approach the borderline-asleep Kairi, and he swatted him away.

"Be nice," he warned, "it's Christmas."

"You had your chance to be nice," Alvaro sniped back. "Look where that got us. Now come open presents!"

He stood up and offered a hand to Kairi, pulling him up into a quick hug. Alvaro left the room with another thinly veiled threat, but neither of them paid any mind to him.

"Merry Christmas, Kai," Mattia pecked his cheek and dragged the boy downstairs, their hands interlocked.

-

Kairi locked the door behind him and made his way over to the bathroom cabinet. He brushed his teeth, then got out a single pill from his antidepressant bottle. He had been taking them for around three months now, and although it had taken a while for much to change, he honestly felt much better. Instead of the usual happy period of two weeks before he felt tired and numb again, so far he'd only felt like the latter once - and that was just after he had started taking them and kept forgetting.

It wasn't that they made him happier. It was more that he could actually feel happy instead of the persistent hollow ache he had carried for so long. Kairi had tried to explain it to Mattia once, and after a couple minutes realised that the reason he wasn't understanding was because that wasn't the norm for him. Mattia didn't have to fill day-to-day life with distractions to stop the feeling from overwhelming him. He didn't have to set three alarms because otherwise the exhaustion would convince him it wasn't worth getting up today. He didn't have to carry around the weight of never being enough, always there, nagging at the back of his skull.

And now, finally, Kairi didn't have to either.

He smiled to himself at the thought of everyone outside - his friends and family - waiting for him just so they could open presents together. A year ago he wouldn't have been able to feel the excitement he was now. A year ago he'd have to plaster on a drained smile, rather than fight off the genuine one that he wore now.

Kairi glanced at himself one final time. His reflection beamed back.

-

"Finally!" Maiya exclaimed, then turned to her mother expectantly.

Kairi had finally made his way into the living room where all his friends were seated in a massive circle. It seemed in his absence, everyone had already picked out their presents, as each had a pile of wrapped gifts in front of them. There was a pile for him, too, placed between Maiya and Mattia. Kairi sat just as his mum gave the go-ahead nod, and everyone started tearing into their presents.

Kairi opened the one from his mum first - it was framed photo of the night before. Alvaro had taken it: He and Mattia were mid-laugh, both pulling at one end of a bon-bon with paper crowns on their heads. Maiya had been cheering on Mattia, since Kairi had won against everyone else already. His mum stood and watched the scene, a massive smile on her face as she clapped.

He flipped to the back and read the little note scrawled on it.

The Cosentino Family - Christmas, 2020.

He liked the sound of that. He sent his mum a grateful smile, then showed Mattia.

Now onto the next present. He carefully placed the photo beside him and pulled another from the pile at random. This one was really small, and it said "from Alvaro" on the wrapping paper. Mattia glanced over and grinned.

"Be careful. He got me lube."

Kairi nearly choked on his spit. He slid his finger under the tape, gently pulling it off. He uncovered the tiniest bit as he could - and immediately shoved it in his pocket away from anyone's eyes.

"You like it?" Alvaro called from across the circle, laughing his ass off. Kairi glowered back. Alejandro nudged him, confused, and so Alvaro leant in and whispered something in his ear.

Kairi guessed that he told him that he got Kairi a packet of condoms, because Alejandro lost his shit too.

"What was it?" Mattia asked.

"Tell you later."

"I think he means show you later," Alejandro butted in. Kairi attempted to throw a bundle of wrapping paper at him - which of course, went nowhere.

By the looks of it, Alvaro had gotten everyone a gag gift of some sort. Even Alejandro went beet-red when he opened his, but he refused to tell anyone what he got. Little did he know, almost everyone in the circle already knew. Alvaro seemed a little disappointed at the reaction, but it was quickly forgotten as they continued.

Kairi had reached the end of his that he could see, but he frowned to himself and started searching through the rubbish around him. He went back through his presents, remembering who got what, before he bit his lip and glanced at Mattia.

His boyfriend hadn't gotten him anything. And sure, it wasn't about the presents, but everyone else had gotten something from him and Kairi had spent ages making Mattia's gift. It was a scrapbook of all their dates and some printouts of their messages. He tried not to let the disappointment show on his face as everyone finished as well, and began to clean up.

Once the floor was clean, Kairi huffed his way over to an armchair and slumped in it.

-

Hours later, Kairi giggled as he watched Alejandro try and call Alvaro over to him, but the boy was too busy dancing with Robert to Rocking Around the Christmas Tree. He was laying against Mattia on the couch, already having forgiven him for not getting him anything. Well, mostly. Almost. Kind of.

"Alvaro's ruining his own plan," Mattia murmured in Kairi's ear.

The boy had given Alejandro mistletoe for his present, and had moped to Kairi when Ale didn't react the way he thought he would. Then, Alejandro had secretly asked Kairi where he could hang it, and had not-so-subtly been trying to lure Alvaro there all night.

"They're both hopeless," Kairi replied. "Were we ever like that?"

"You definitely were," Mattia scoffed. "Do you know how many times I tried to ask you out?"

"Well, you should've been clearer. Besides, at least I'm the better boyfriend."

"What? No way!"

"Yes way! I don't see you giving me a Christmas gift. On our first Christmas together as well!" Kairi ranted. He then spotted Alvaro and Alejandro making out in the corner of the room. Apparently he had finally gotten the hint while they were arguing. "See? That could be us but now I have to be mad at you!"

"I didn't know you were so upset, bubba," Mattia said, rubbing his hand up and down Kairi's arm. The boy broke free from his grasp.

"Don't bubba me!" Kairi knew he was being dramatic at this point, but still. He really really really wanted a present from Mattia. He would've accepted anything at this point - even a stick of gum given with love!

Kairi crossed his arms and glared at him from across the couch. Mattia still kept smiling though, as if the whole thing was amusing.

"Fine! You win!" he exclaimed, getting up from the couch and disappearing into the next room.

Kairi immediately deflated and chased after him, shouting out apologies.

He followed Mattia through the house and into Kairi's room, where he found his boyfriend shifting through his bag.

"I was gonna give you this when everyone left," Mattia spoke as he continued looking, "but I should've known that you're impatient as fuck." He laughed.

"That's not true," Kairi mumbled, but he was already trying to peer around Mattia to see what he had in his hands.

Mattia stood upright and held whatever it was behind his back. "I, uh, wasn't sure that you'd like it. It's kind of cheesy. And, like, you don't have to wear it if you don't want to but-"

"Mattia," Kairi whined, "I'm sure I'll love it!"

"Okay," he whispered, pulling out a long but small box. He opened it, and inside were two golden bracelets, one with a K and the other with an M danging off it. "The M is for you to wear. They're- the letters are magnetic. So- well, you'll see."

He picked up the M-bracelet and put it on Kairi's wrist, then Kairi placed the K on his. Already, the two letters had clasped together from the proximity. Kairi laughed as he pulled away, detaching the two, then immediately moved his arm closer to watch them reattach.

"I love it," he breathed, interlocking their fingers and leaning in for a kiss. "But I hope you know this means I'm never letting go of your hand ever again."

"I'm okay with that," Mattia replied, pressing his lips against Kairi's.

-

Kairi's eyes were fluttering shut as he half-watched Mattia and Robert yank at a bon-bon. At this point, he knew both of them were still going out of stubbornness, determined to prove that the other was cheating.

He felt the couch shift beside him and looked to see his mum. She smiled at him and started to run her fingers through his hair as he settled his head on her lap.

"I see Mattia gave you your present," she commented, and Kairi hummed. "Are you happy now?"

He knew she was joking since he had complained to her extensively about Mattia's lack of gift, but as Kairi looked around his living room, he couldn't help but to smile.

Mattia was shouting for a rematch while Robert celebrated, adding another paper crown to his head. Alvaro and Alejandro were curled up together not too far away, off in their own world. Maiya was half-asleep at the other end of the couch Kairi was on, her feet warming themselves on his legs. His fingers played with the miniature M on his wrist, which he had already decided would be his favourite Christmas present of all time.

There was a warm feeling in his chest from both the food and the atmosphere. The room was full of laughter and his friends and family, and Kairi realised that it had been a long time since he felt this content.

"Yeah," he finally answered, "I'm happy."

THE END.

-

a/n thank you so so so much to all the readers, commenters and voters! i always knew that i wanted this book to have a happy ending that was fulfilling to you guys, and i hope it achieved that. without your support, i wouldn't have gotten here - let alone #1 in mairi!

anyways, i hope to see you guys in my other mairi book, FWB. thanks once again and i hope my book brought you joy!