Queenfisher

I feel like every time I say I can't do something, I still end up doing it. Just because +_+. So here it is -- my Christmas Special for this book, an AU extra about the Emperor and the Tree as you know them both ^^.

And also a picture courtesy of Assurbanipal_II's edits to it in making the picture more adorable ^^ --

 

And the original one because I was too scared people would not get the joke and label poor Abihiko a tree fetishist TT__TT.

Spoiler

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Mint and Needles

The driver pulled open the door, and Nekohiko lurched back from having dozed off at the back seat of the car.

The day had been long. As always, being driven in the car along the luminous streets of the festive city – the greatest megapolis in the world¹Tokyo ^^ – had dragged him into the melancholy sleepiness. The sights, the colors, the glow of the streetlamps and traffic... it all lulled the young Emperor to sleep after a hard day's work.

Nothing he could do about. He didn't have much time to rest, so busy he was with trying to fit in with all the duties of his position.

Bleary, he blinked up. The car's air freshener in the shape of a small fir tree rocked under the driver's mirror, but the seat itself was empty. Nekohiko turned to the door, staring blankly at Daichi and the man's adorable little smile.

“We're here, Your Majesty.”

“Mn.”

“Do you need escort?”

…

Usually, he did. His status didn't accept anything below that. But tonight – could they do without?

Nekohiko didn't reply and exited the car, numb-faced as always.

If Daichi had asked him this, it meant he understood already. No need to reply.

And indeed, the man shuffled aside to let Nekohiko pass and didn't bother him at all when Nekohiko marched across the underground parking lot. Nekohiko straightened his jacket, taking note of the image he projected. Prim, proper, dutiful. A perfect picture of a modern Japanese gentleman. Even the gift bag in his hand had such an appropriately elegant pattern on it.

Nothing too loud or silly – just tasteful lines in green and red colors.

Abihiko would hate it, saying it looked boring as hell, but oh well. Abihiko wasn't the one who had chosen this gift, was he?

Nekohiko knew he wasn't completely alone as he rose up the steps into the ostentatiously decadent lobby and headed toward the elevator doors. There was always someone tailing him... Probably Etsuko or Arata tonight, by Suminoe's orders, as usual. They took care to stay out of his sight not to aggravate him, and he appreciated the sentiment – but he knew he ought not to complain about security.

The Emperor's life was of utmost importance. Especially one so young and deemed by many as inexperienced or... even incompetent.

He wasn't that young, really. The first year of university, far from a child. But he was young as far as Emperors went, and thus, in the eye of the society, he was something quite peculiar and untrustworthy.

…

That stung, to be seen as someone lesser by the mere fact of his age, but for today, he told himself it didn't matter.

The elevator dinged, and the attendant in his elegant uniform inside bowed as he entered.

“Top floor, please.”

Nekohiko took his place at the polished glass window at the far end of the empty elevator. The sight was ugly now, showing nothing but the concrete walls of the inside of the elevator shaft. But once they soared and the outside world opened up...

The view of Ebisu²Of course Abihiko lives in Ebisu, where many fancy people and celebrities live, come on ^^. from so high up was nothing short of mesmerizing.

So absorbed Nekohiko was in his thoughts, he hadn't noticed that the elevator attendant had pressed the needed button way before Nekohiko had even called it.

But Nekohiko did notice that something wasn't right when the glass wall of the elevator expanded into the nightly view of the city beyond. Then, in the reflected surface of the glass, he saw the elevator attendant turning around sharply to grab him.

And –

“Eh?! How dare–“ Nekohiko started saying when the elevator's attendant's mouth covered his in the most inappropriate manner imaginable.

Red lips parted, wild in a smile, and just the tip of the tongue sticking out to lick at Nekohiko's lips the moment they touched.

“–you!” Nekohiko breathed into the kiss, half-amused, half-angry.

Mostly angry, he decided.

Because this was so rude! And so disrespectful.

He was the Majesty, for heaven's sake. To not only be ambushed in an elevator, but to be kissed so gaudily in a place someone might see them...

Nekohiko already had troubles with his image in the eyes of the public. He did not need more dismissive rumors added to that.

But even so... he couldn't help but lean into the kiss and let Abihiko clasp him tighter. Some things never really changed. What else could he have expected out of this dummy? To wait for him patiently and modestly in the apartment like all normal boyfriends should?

Yeah right.

His back pushed against the glass window, Nekohiko reeled. His hands fumbled, grabbing hold of Abihiko's arms to push him away slightly – or this idiot would definitely strangle him with such firm hold and with such hungry, demanding kisses.

It was as if they hadn't seen each other for years when it had only been several days.

Nekohiko's skin lit up all across from the desperate, fervent caresses. Everything in him felt lightweight, so surprising and dizzying this turn of events was.

He could only catch his breath and close his eyes, taking the intense sensations in. The proximity of their bodies, the smell of Abihiko's hair in his face, the gentle tickle of their breaths mingling.

He almost let out a sound – a sigh of surrender – but held himself off at the last moment.

It was unbefitting an Emperor to make noises like that.

His country deserved better from him.

So he steeled his heart and frowned, wanting to withdraw from Abihiko's needy embrace.

Too bad Abihiko didn't notice. Playful, he pecked and pulled at Nekohiko's lips with his own – not to overwhelm him but rather to toy with him and tease him until Nekohiko would have to respond just to get on with it.

And Nekohiko usually did.

He wasn't a fan of displays of affection even when nobody could see them. So his patience with them ran very low and he preferred to hurry it up if he could. But Abihiko, on the contrary, was slow and diligent and so, so excited that his joy at being together was...

Infectious.

Nekohiko always found himself drawn into it. Like into a dream.

It was hard to not find it sweet, to be appreciated in such a genuine manner. Hard to not want to experience it again and again... and again.

But perhaps not in the view of an entire city?

“Enough!” Nekohiko sputtered, pushing against Abihiko's chest. “Do not dishonor the Chrysanthemum Throne like that!”

“...”

Abihiko had wanted to assume a more serious mien already, but at the mention of the Chrysanthemum Throne³This is the actual Throne of the Emperor of Japan, but of course we, the fujoshis, know the Chrysanthemums for a different kind of reference (¬_¬”) . , he couldn't help but start snickering even before Nekohiko finished speaking.

Not only did his lips draw wide in the most obnoxious grin, but his cheeks also blushed severely and his entire appearance in his elevator attendant uniform – the hat, the gloves, the prim suit – only highlighted how stupidly he tried to stifle his laughter.

But worst of all was the implication he was chuckling about, under his breath.

Nekohiko ignored him as best he could. The Chrysanthemum⁴Yes, this is  true. was the emblem of the Imperial Family, a regal and beautiful symbol. Abihiko's idiotic jokes and puns about the chrysanthemums, ingested by him from the foreign cultures were not appreciated.

…

Not at all.

“Sorry,” Abihiko breathed, giddy. “Every time you say it, it makes me imagine... things. I cannot control my imagination, especially when you look as bossy as you do now.“

Bossy?

He looked Imperial.

What was Nekohiko even doing, talking to this person? As if Abihiko had possessed even a shred of decency in him to listen...

Annoyed, Nekohiko gave him a death glare, then turned away to watch the city sail down in the window. He jerked his sleeves prim and checked his tie that had, of course, been dislodged during Abihiko's assault. When he exited the elevator on the sky-high, luminous floor Abihiko's apartment was in, he walked at a sensible distance away from Abihiko and tried to appear as unbothered as always.

But the taste of Abihiko's lips on his own still seared his skin and the lingering aroma of his breath still clouded Nekohiko's mind. Plus, the uniform...

Why was it that Abihiko looked so nice in the elevator attendant's uniform? That was simply unfair; every piece of clothing made him look good, but uniforms – especially so...

“Stop eyeing me like that or I'll assault Your Majesty again, here in the corridor,” Abihiko told him, clasping his arm around Nekohiko's middle in a would-be menacing embrace.

Nekohiko managed to dodge, jumping aside. “Behave!”

Belatedly, he remembered about the gift bag and shoved it into Abihiko's face because Abihiko really did not look any less inclined to attack him again. Maybe the gift would distract him?

But Abihiko's eyes swooped down to the bag without any real interest. He did smile, though. Sultrily. “Do you want to see what gift I prepared for you?”

“No! The way you say it – I don't want to see it anytime soon,” Nekohiko scoffed. “Besides, isn't it a huge Christmas party with dozens of people there?”

He nodded in the direction where Abihiko's apartment lay. Even from here, one could hear the music and the muffled voices in agitated conversations wafting through. A big party, this was. As every year, at Abihiko's place.

“You can't give me any personal gifts in front of anyone,” Nekohiko reminded him as though afraid. “I am the Emperor, you are just my friend. It would be inappropriate if we seemed as anything more than that.”

Abihiko huffed, reaching for the doors of his apartment, but Nekohiko wasn't letting it go so easily.

“Please tell me you didn't abandon your own party to wait for me in the elevator for hours.”

There had been traffic jams on the roads today. If Abihiko had waited for him for this long...

Ah, everyone would certainly know now if they came back in together!

“I'll survive,” Abihiko slipped to him with a wink and slammed the doors open with a bang.

…!

You will survive – but what about me??

“MERRY Kurismasu,” Abihiko yelled out in his terrible Engrish, flourishing both his arms at Nekohiko beside him. “Look, His Supreme Divine Majesty has graced us with his presence! Isn't that the greatest gift you could have expected?”

“Yaaaaaaay!”

“Ohmagod! The Emperor!”

“You go, Abihiko! Drag him out here!”

Squeals and whistles and applause made a horrible ruckus in the room, and even a few flashes of the phone cameras blinded Nekohiko where he stood.

And the gathering itself... so many people. Nekohiko couldn't even focus on anyone to recognize them, especially in the garish surroundings there were in.

If Abihiko's apartment was in general rather distastefully-decorated, then tonight, it looked as though all the Christmas lights and colors and streamers had vomited onto the room, making Nekohiko's eyes water from overstimulation. English Christmas songs played in the background, and almost everyone in the room was dressed in various shades of green or red. And everyone was chatting or giggling or sipping champagne...

And he didn't even get it – why. Why celebrate Christmas like this? He didn't celebrate this holiday, being the Emperor, of course. It would be inappropriate for him to do so – but he didn't mind it that his more worldly or simply trendy acquaintances did.

But wasn't Christmas a sacred holiday in the West? A family holiday, actually?

So... why this?

Agh, so noisy, so colorfully, so... crowdedly.

His head started aching and he tried to sidle into some remote corner and spare himself the agony of socialization.

As if he would succeed.

Already, a few of the people he knew gravitated toward him to congratulate him.

Among them, Hisome Morokata, a famous influencer and an idol. To his elbow clung the gorgeous young celebrity idol, Towa Iokirihime, but she hardly looked at anyone, including Nekohiko. In her other hand, she held her smartphone and her gaze never lifted off it, as though hypnotized, and her fingers never stopped typing.

Heavens, what would these two want with Nekohiko?

Please don't talk to me, please, oh please...

“Your Majesty,” Morokata said velvetly. “What an honor to meet you again.”

Nekohiko had met most of the people here, but not on his volition. He preferred seclusion and study – not people. But being a friend of a certain overactive, loud person, alas – Nekohiko had had no choice but to interact with some of his acquaintances every once in a while.

Like Nagare Kasuga and Mikawa over there, by the giant Christmas tree in the center of the room. They were the haughty traditional kids of the big political names in the country, who only came to such parties because their status dictated them to do so. There were Hisome Sakami and Kiyoko amidst their group of extremely mean-looking girls – Harajuku girls⁵The most fashionable girls are from Harajuku, as the fame goes! ^^ This is the AU version of Hisome girls, yay!, Nekohiko could swear was their name – who seemed as though they all waited to pass judgment about everyone in the room in their hissy serpentine language of gossssssip.

Next, Kotone and Haehime, the girls from the Shrine Nekohiko knew most naturally.

He could not help but shake his head in dejection seeing them here. Traitors to the faith! They probably just came because they liked everything shiny and exciting and rowdy, but... ah, Nekohiko was still disappointed in them. He would tell Suminoe everything – everything about those two tomorrow!

Lastly, there were Kataji and Aomi – Abihiko's siblings. But they seemed very typical for their behavior, too. Kataji looked at everyone with barely hidden condescension while Aomi did her best to annoy him and everyone around her with her quite random, maybe even troll-like ways.

Her maniacal laughter was just as loud as Abihiko's quick prattling. And just as menacing.

Better to disappear from here quick, honestly.

But Nekohiko's manners didn't allow him to.

He inclined his head to Morokata – and to Iokirihime who clearly wasn't even aware he was next to her.

“The pleasure is all mine. Excuse me, I have to g--”

“All right, all right,” Morokata rolled his eyes, snapping a pen out of its cap.

Where did he get a pen all of a sudden?

“I'll give you my autograph, you don't have to even ask,” Morokata cooed with a charming little smirk, then gracefully gestured over to the side. From there, a hikikomori-looking young man sprang out with an idol flyer ready in his hand.

Brrr. Hibiki.

Nekohiko knew him well enough, too.

And knowing him, he had to step just an inch away from him. Just in case.

The look of adoration on Hibiki's face directed at Morokata made Nekohiko so uncomfortable, he felt like he was intruding on something between these two.

Morokata signed the flyer with such a majestic flair that Nekohiko imagined that Morokata would have made a much better Emperor than he ever could. Look at him. The grace, the elegance... the competence in each of his motions.

Hibiki gave Nekohiko a secretive wink and whispered, “I have Morokata's body pillow, if you want one. Do you?”

“Um...”

Nekohiko felt horrified.

“Hibiki, tsk!” Morokata sighed, whipping his signed flyer toward Nekohiko and screwing his pen closed with the cap. “Please, do not harass people with your body pillow obsession. It's creepy.”

“I can make you a body pillow of you, as well. Or of your loud boyfriend,” Hibiki told Nekohiko, his huge dark eyes not blinking once since he'd come over. “I can make a dozen if you wanna. I bet you wanna. Everyone does, they're just pretending like they don't.”

Heavens, please... save me.

Anyone...

“Elevator guy!” Abihiko screamed from some feet away. He took off his uniform jacket and the hat and balled them to throw like an American football toward some young man in the middle of the gathering of Harajuku girls. “Catch! I don't need it anymore!”

“I have a name,” the Elevator Guy protested. “It's Koki, when will you remember?”

“Sure, sure, it is,” Abihiko replied.

Another bout of applause erupted sporadically from the crowd, and Nekohiko took a relieved breath because both Hibiki and Morokata seemed to be distracted by Abihiko's nonsense.

As everyone usually was.

Not hard to see why because –

“Wait,” the Elevator Guy said, paling. “Please don't tell me you're going to take every garment off to give back to me..”

– as was obvious –

“GO, Abihiko!” Aomi blared from the other side of the room. A few other giggly girls supported her mightily.

– after taking off the jacket and the hat and the gloves, Abihiko actually began taking the uniform pants off, too.

…

Nekohiko had no choice but to flush hot and cold at what this person was doing in front of everybody. He didn't feel this was too shameful, because, really – he'd often seen Abihiko with far fewer clothes on. But it was just so like Abihiko, to do this.

So obnoxious of him.

“Oh my,” Morokata said, sipping another gulp of his champagne and watching the impromptu performance. “Iokirihime, look.”

“Uh-hm,” Iokirihime said, not even bothering to look up from her phone.

“What a pervert,” Hibiki mumbled under his nose toward stripping Abihiko.

Other people's reactions were mainly joyous and amused, but Nekohiko still noticed how Nagare Mikawa went ashen in the face and tried to cover his eyes with his hands while his Elder Sister Kasuga rolled his eyes so hard, she might have hurt herself with that.

Nekohiko wanted to die of shame, so he fled the main room, only chased after by Kataji's loud scream of “Abihiko! What are you doing?! Do not dishonor yourself like that! Ah! I am ashamed to even be your brother!”

…

Phew.

Quiet here.

Nekohiko pulled the door of Abihiko's bedroom closed behind him and leaned his back on the wall.

His breath was fast and his mind was foggy. So many people. So much noise.

So... terrible to endure.

How could people handle being in such large gatherings? How could they even want or need anything like that?

Distraught, he strolled into the room, attracted by the piles of books on the small coffee table in the middle. Next to it stood a much smaller and much sweeter-looking Christmas tree. It wasn't as garish as the one in the main room and most of its toys seemed handmade and kind of ugly, if one looked at them closely.

The ones Abihiko and Nekohiko had made themselves, for each year they knew each other. Out of paper, carton scraps, felt, plastic, foam...

Tender, Nekohiko brushed his fingers against the clumsy decorations, then rested his gaze on the books on the table beside it.

Investment Banking, Statistical Approach to Population Demographics and the Job Market, the Higher Education Chart...

Nekohiko's heart squeezed in gentle ache and hope that these books had been left here for him specifically.

Were they?

He bit his lip and couldn't help peeking in, so drawn he felt to the titles alone. So... happy.

Now, this was a Christmas party he could absolutely appreciate.

He didn't even notice how much time passed before he realized that he was no longer alone in the room.

He flinched, lifting his eyes at the closed door on which Abihiko was leaning, a wandering smile on his lips, his eyes in soft crescents as he observed Nekohiko beneath the tree, mesmerized by the books.

Even when their eyes met, Abihiko still didn't say a word.

He only watched him and smiled.

As if there was nothing else he desired to do.

And deep inside, Nekohiko wondered if this was enough for him too. For as long as this lasted.

“You put on some pants,” he noted with an odd tint of disappointment in his voice.

“Alas. Christmas gifts have to stay wrapped until the morning. Have more patience, Neko.”

...

Holy hell.

What. Why. How dare you.

Instantly, Nekohiko cringed so hard, he almost felt like he would blush.

But luckily, his body didn't blush.

So all he did was give Abihiko a withering glare, then go back to reading his Supreme Justice History guidebook.

“Thank you for the gifts,” he stressed, nodding at the books. “I much appreciate this kind of gifts, actually.”

“Who said these were for you?”

Abihiko sauntered over and plopped down on the floor next to Nekohiko.

“You would have to stay the night if you want to unwrap the actual gift I prepared for you,” he said after a moment. “Only in the morning, the gift-giving counts.”

Well. That was probably true.

Nekohiko eyed his own giftbag he'd prepared for Abihiko and had already put under the tree, waiting to be unwrapped by him later.

It was nothing special. Just another issue of some manga volume Abihiko liked and a character figurine for Abihiko's collectible toy shelf. Nobody knew what to gift Abihiko because his interests shifted so often and drastically and because he was seemingly impressed and entertained by... literally everything.

But at the bottom of his heart, Nekohiko wondered if Abihiko wasn't really that hard to make happy.

He had always been happiest when they were together. Just the two of them.

And Nekohiko frankly had no idea why.

“Please tell me you have an actual gift for me and it's not some other sexual innuendo,” Nekohiko said menacingly. “Because if that is so, then I am not staying the night. Not because I can't but because I do not want to encourage this kind of behavior toward me. I am the Emperor, for crying out loud. Have some respect.”

But Abihiko only looked at him askew, visibly amused by his haughty manner.

“Do not worry, Your Majesty. Here is the actual gift. Look.”

Nekohiko followed Abihiko's finger to the Christmas tree branch at the end of which hung a small package of gum.

A green Lotte gum. With small fir trees on its side⁶Green Lotte gum indeed has Firs on its wrapper ^^. .

…

Nekohiko blinked, half-taken aback, half-tender with a sudden flush of feeling inside him.

This was the gum he had once told Abihiko he loved because he had always believed it was a Fir gum, and Nekohiko loved these beautiful, evergreen trees. The needles, the smell, the festivity of them. The best trees in the world. So Nekohiko automatically liked a gum with firs on the cover.

It had to be made of fir on the inside, too, no?

But... what kind of a gift was this? A cheap, dime-a-dozen gum anyone could buy in the convenience store? He didn't even need to unwrap it to know what was inside it.

Six small sheets of gum with Fir trees on each individual wrapper⁷Some wrappers have the "Love Confession" pictures as well with the Fir doing the confession ^^ -- . Not much of a surprise or even a gift, was this?

Nekohiko gave Abihiko a perplexed glance.

“Would you stay to unwrap it with me tomorrow?” Abihiko asked.

And so much hope and sweetness were in the way he asked that Nekohiko had no heart to tell him no. Awkwardly, he smiled and Abihiko's gaze only beamed that much brighter from seeing it.

For whatever bizarre reason, Abihiko found Nekohiko's painful grimace also known as “smile” adorable. So Nekohiko never minded smiling in front of him.

Other people might find it ugly, but with Abihiko – no such thing.

“Just this evening and night and morning, you and me. Okay? I won't ask for more. I know you have a lot of work to do,” Abihiko added after a moment of silent staring at each other.

…

Nekohiko's smile slowly faded.

From beyond the walls, the noise and music and the laughter of the party seemed especially invasive compared to the subtle mirth within this room.

“People need you out there. This is your party, after all,” he said, thoughtful. “You should be with them.”

And I should be with my people, not spending my days with you.

Even if I want to.

“Eh? To hell with them, they'll be fine.”

“Still. There are many of them and only one of me. No doubt they need you more than I do.” Nekohiko brushed his fingers over the book on his lap, dejected as he was with the idea. “I have my books. I'll be all right here alone.”

That was true.

He sometimes wondered if all those people outside – Aomi, or Kataji, or Mikawa, and Kotone, and Haehime, and even Morokata could have been his friends or not. If he could live his life in a slightly more normal, social manner than he actually did.

And he had always felt that... no.

He couldn't.

Even Suminoe or his bodyguards and teachers and mentors... nobody was his friend, truly. He didn't know anyone that well and he didn't care much to get to know them. Maybe, in another life, he would have befriended all those people.

If he needed them more, or if they needed him, perhaps...

But in this life, that wasn't the case.

He needed no one and nobody needed him.

So it had never actually come to be – him and other people.

…

It was fine. Like he had just told himself. He never needed anyone. Thus, there was nothing he lacked.

He was fine exactly as he had always been.

Alone, and unneeded.

Suddenly, Abihiko's wide arms hugged him softly from the back. Slow, they wrapped around him and drew him in.

Deeper.

Firmer.

As if needing him so much, Abihiko had no other way to show it than to press him to himself so tightly, both their bodies began aching from the overpowering feeling.

Nekohiko let the hug deepen. If usually, he felt like a needly creature – a hedgehog or a tree much like a fir – that needed to push others away to keep itself unharmed and invulnerable – then now, he allowed Abihiko to crush him to himself. And maybe even break some of his needles in the process.

They didn't speak, and Nekohiko felt that it was even better like that. No need to speak.

Just the need for each other.

A bright thought beat inside him – why? Why do you need me, Abihiko? Why – of all people – you chose me?

But he didn't dare ask it.

He was too happy to disturb the moment. Perhaps, he thought, this was just how it was. Just a strange bond they shared for no reason whatsoever.

That was enough to know, for now.

Slowly, Nekohiko turned to Abihiko and leaned in for the most chaste, tender, and wistful kiss on his cheeks. Then on his nose.

Then on the lips.

As if afraid to hurt him or maybe just shy.

“I need you too,” he murmured into Abihiko's face once he leaned away just far enough to see Abihiko's face, dreamy and happy, before him.

The only person I ever needed.

In any of my lives.

Queenfisher

Sorry if it seems just a bit melancholy in the end ^^. And by the way, the actual book will explain why Abihiko and Nekohiko are together (as in -- why they chose each other, in the next flashback). So the question here is bittersweet and without answer, but in the story, you will see the answer very soon.

So why are they together here, in this AU, then? ^^ Probably because they are bound to be, from the original universe! DUH. (＾▽＾)

Happy Holidays to you all!! (^-^*)ノ

And thank you all for reading my book and being on the same journey as my dummy Emperors and Trees, both of them ^^. They really appreciate that!