Dear Readers,

I thank you for the lovely reviews, putting the story to favorites and/or following this story.
Love happens in many ways, sometimes unpredictably. Of course, as Haruka and Makoto were two strangers, none of them predicted love to come. Yet, don't you think they should've expected the most powerful emotion in human life-which is love-to invade their hearts someday, the moment they look at each other?
Because one couldn't deny a spark of attraction he had with the other. In this chapter, one recognized the spark he felt.

I hope you will enjoy another cup of this story.

Warm regards,

Gariell

Chapter 3

Eve of Christmas, Gift of Sky

:-:

Haruka was brewing some tea when he heard Makoto sneezed again behind him. He exhaled a deep sigh, placing two ceramic tea cups on the kitchen counter and poured the steaming hot liquid in the cups. Haruka was about to tear open a pack of sugar, but hesitated. "Tachibana," he called out, receiving a weak 'what' as a reply, "do you want yours sweet?"

"Excuse me?" Makoto was lying comfortably on his futon, a thick blanket draped over his body. Haruka had helped him to remove his coat and change his waiter uniform to a comfortable set of pajamas. His sleepy eyes were threatened to droop down at any time. "What sweet...?"

"Your tea. I'm making us tea."

"What? Nanase-kun, you don't need to do that—"

"Just answer the question." Haruka said, paying a glance at the brunet.

"Oh, okay then. Yes, please. I like sweet." Makoto's flushed face smiled gently at Haruka. "Thank you, Nanase-kun."

"Uh... yeah." Haruka replied softly. His heart was beating louder behind his chest. Why did he feel so nervous, yet comfortable at the same time? It was weird. He frowned, staring blankly at the pack of sugar in his hand.

Did Makoto just mention that he liked sweet?

A fluttering warmth were dancing in his belly as he tore open the small pack of sugar and poured some of the content to one particular cup with green color. Haruka had taken two cups of different colors—one blue and one green—out for a simple reason: so it would be easy for them to recognize who had which. Haruka took a small spoon and used it to stir the sugar in Makoto's tea. When he was finished, he carried the cups toward Makoto.

Makoto slowly sat up, removing the warm compress on his forehead. He still looked dizzy. When Haruka handed him the green cup, his fingers were still lightly attached to the cup, making sure Makoto wouldn't drop the cup with his trembling hand. His grip looked weak.

"I really need this, after all." Makoto wrapped his palms over the cup, letting the comfortable warmth seeped in his skin. He lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip. "Hmm..."

"What?"

"It's perfect. The sweetness, I mean. I like it." Makoto cheerfully smiled, "Although I can still enjoy it if you pour the whole pack. It's a bit embarrassing to say this, but I really like sweet foods." A slight tinge of blush colored his cheek.

Oh.

Then Makoto would surely be pleased with the christmas cookies Haruka had bought the other day. Haruka didn't really understand why he bought it in the first place. Makoto was lingering in Haruka's mind the entire time when he took that specific box with silky green ribbon and purchased it. Haruka wasn't even sure if they were friends yet. Then again, there was nothing wrong about giving someone a box of cookies he'd purchased from a shop as a friendly gesture in Christmas time.

Wasn't it?

"Nanase-kun, I really appreciate all you've done for me and you being here with me," Makoto's scratchy voice pulled his attention, "but it's getting late."

After blinking once as a reaction of the polite dismissal, Haruka nodded. "Okay."

Smiling widely, Makoto nervously scratched his chin with his finger. "And thank you for accepting my offer. You really don't need to feel uncomfortable with me. If you don't want me to move in with you, you should tell me."

"I really don't mind," replied Haruka, quicker than he intended. After Makoto suggested about them being roommates in order to get cheaper rental price, Haruka hesitantly agreed. It wasn't because of him feeling bad at rejecting the offer—no, not at all—but Haruka surprised himself by feeling a little bit enthusiastic about the idea. He liked the idea, and it confused him more than ever. He decided to follow his gut, rather than contemplating about this unexplainable feeling.

"That's great. I'll make a call to the owner as soon as possible. I'll see you tomorrow, Nanase-kun."

"Tomorrow?" Haruka's eyes squinted in suspicion.

"At work. I'm going to work tomorrow." Makoto smiled sheepishly.

"But you are..."

"I'll get better."

"Tachibana, if you faint, I won't carry you around." With that, Haruka stood up, acting nonchalant. Makoto's smile was still frozen there.

"Fine. If I don't feel good enough, I won't go to work."

"It's up to you, really."

"I promise." Makoto's soft green eyes caught his gaze. The sheepish smile gradually turned to a gentle one, "Thank you for your concern."

"Welcome, Nanase-kun!"

A sulky expression had replaced the usual blankness of Haruka's face the moment he entered the restaurant. Makoto grinned meaningfully at him. "I'm feeling much better—"

"I said it's up to you." Haruka almost snapped, but still managed to control his tone flat. He closed his eyes and walked past Makoto. The brunet followed behind like a loyal, innocent puppy.

"I can't miss the opportunity to work today," Makoto began to explain, "it's Christmas Eve."

"And?" Haruka finally turned, flashing a disapproving glare at Makoto. Makoto didn't look so healthy, although his rather scratchy voice was definitely better than his croaks yesterday.

"Double salary." Makoto winked at him, "I'm moving in, remember? I have contacted the owner of your apartment yesterday. We've settled a satisfying price, and all we need is my approval."

"Approval...?"

"I'll have to see the apartment room. Nanase-kun, do you have plans today? Perhaps a romantic date with your girlfriend?" He didn't know why, but Makoto looked nervous when he mentioned about girlfriend. "Or a Christmas party with your friends?"

Haruka shook his head. "I have none of that."

"Then," Makoto's cheeks were glowing with pink blushes—probably because of his sickness, "may I come to your apartment tonight?"

"Oh." This was quite unexpected, but Haruka really didn't mind. Usually, he spent Christmas Eve alone in his bathroom, doing absolutely nothing but bathing.

"And—if you don't mind, I won't go straight to your apartment. You see, it's Christmas Eve. I would like to take a stroll along the streets and see the huge Christmas tree. Would you like to join, Nanase-kun? You shouldn't be alone in this joyous night. Perhaps treating ourselves with warm snacks sounds good to you?" Makoto's incessant talk gave Haruka almost no space to reply. "I also want to try skiing, actually. Do you want to ice-skate sometime later, too? There are so many things to do this winter holiday but—"

"Tachibana!" The manager's voice boomed, sending the brunet to jump slightly in shock. "Quit talking and get to work!"

"Whoa—sorry!" For some reason, his scratchy throat managed to produce a high whimper. "Talk to you later!" With that, Makoto scurried off, carrying a set of menu with him.

Haruka let out a deep sigh. Soon, a small smile followed after.

On Christmas Eve, the entire staffs were still busily serving a high tide of customers even when the clock had passed the usual dinner time. It was now nine o'clock in the evening, and Makoto had messed up. Twice.

The first time, he tripped onto the wet floor while carrying Haruka's cheesecake slices. He fell backward and hit the floor with a loud thud. The cakes failed to save themselves and ended up smudging the floor. One of the customers, who ordered the cake, promptly left her seat and helped Makoto up. She was a middle-aged woman with a nice smile and sweet demeanor. "Oh, poor baby," the woman had said and kindly offered a hand to Makoto. A scarlet shade of red painted itself all over Makoto's face as he took the woman's hand in embarrassment.

"T-thank you, ma'am. I'm so sorry. Please forgive me," Makoto bowed low to the woman. "I will get another one."

"Take your time, dear." The woman smiled warmly and went back to her seat.

The second time, Makoto sneezed loudly in front of the customer's foods. He failed to cover his mouth with his hands full of a tray and a plate he was placing on the table. Feeling a bit disgusted, the customer immediately requested another one. Makoto could feel uncomfortable glares he received from some of the chefs when he admitted he'd messed their food twice.

Makoto had thought Haruka would snort or glare at him with eyes that spoke 'I've told you', but he didn't find any sign of that irritation. When Haruka placed the requested food onto the counter, his beautiful ocean blue eyes examined Makoto's body. "Are you injured?"

Makoto automatically smiled, feeling better at Haruka's concern. "I'm fine. The woman is nice. She helped me."

"Most customers won't do that."

"I know. Thank you, Nanase-kun."

After Makoto delivered the foods to the customers' table and apologized full-heartedly, the manager requested Makoto to come immediately to the staff's room. The frustrated manager, who seemed to be in a bad mood in this rough and stressful night, scolded him with venomous tongue that Makoto's eyes stung with tears that were threatened to break out.

It seemed like the manager finally softened when he saw the look of a kicked puppy on Makoto's face. He asked about his young staff's health and sighed when Makoto weakly admitted that he wasn't well.

"Tachibana, if you don't feel well, you should take a day off." The manager scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. "I won't appreciate my staff to be clumsy for whatever reason. If you think you can't handle your work, then don't come at all. Is that understood?"

Makoto's head was hanging low as he nervously intertwined his fingers in front of him. "Yessir..." the reply was weak, "I'm sorry."

"You will still get your double salary for the hours you've spent working here, but tonight, I don't want to see you continue."

Makoto nodded in relief. At least he wasn't fired.

"You're dismissed."

Despite Makoto being restricted to continue working, he still waited for Haruka in the kitchen. It seemed like he had taken Haruka's lack of reply as a 'yes' to his offer to spend the Christmas Eve together.

One of the chefs offered a chair for Makoto to sit onto, which was gratefully accepted by the brunet. When the clock struck ten, Haruka ended his shift and walked toward Makoto. He noticed that the brunet had almost fallen asleep, fighting his best to clutch his consciousness from drifting away.

"Tachibana."

At the soft call of his name, Makoto slowly looked up, fingers rubbing his sleepy green eyes. "Mmm... are you done, Nanase-kun?"

Haruka nodded briefly. "Come on."

The other yawned, closing his eyes again as he gave in to his sleepiness.

"Tachibana Makoto, you said you want to stroll along the streets."

"M'kay..."

"And see the huge Christmas tree."

"Hmm..."

"And treat yourself with warm and sweet snacks."

Those charming green eyes happily exposed themselves under the thick eyelashes. "I want chocolate." Makoto finally said, lips curled up to a cute smile.

Writing down a mental note about chocolate sweet goodies, Haruka smiled back.

"It's so crowded tonight." Makoto actively moved his head around, eyes hungrily devoured as many sceneries he could take possible. "And those lights—they're pretty." His eyes finally rested to admire the sparkling, colorful christmas lights hanging over the streets.

Haruka strolled beside him, patiently listening to Makoto's endless chattering of 'look at this' and 'look at that'. He couldn't remember when was the last time he had a chatty friend who was capable to warm up the atmosphere and made him so comfortable. Probably Nagisa, but that was back in Iwatobi. Besides, Nagisa never made him feel this special kind of comfort before.

"Nanase-kun." Makoto tugged on Haruka's coat, "I see takoyaki. Do you want some?" After receiving a nod from Haruka, a childish grin broke out from his smile. Makoto pulled Haruka a bit too enthusiastically toward the takoyaki stand. There were a lot of people (mostly romantic couples) buying and crowding over the hot snack stand, but Makoto waited with the patience of Hachiko.

Haruka was tempted to pull Makoto away and suggest eating another snack where other people weren't crazily swarming the seller. It didn't take long for the taller man to finally notice Haruka's reluctance to wait. With a gentle smile, he started to leave the stand. "Let's get baked sweet potato instead. Nothing's better than that. Don't you think so?"

"Fine." The blue-eyed man gratefully followed.

"Oh, don't you also want a pork bun?"

"I thought you want something sweet."

The other's finger moved up to scratch his slightly flushed cheek. "Oh, I... I just eat a lot."

"It's okay. You're a big guy." Tightening his blue scarf around his neck, Haruka positioned himself beside Makoto. He wouldn't mind sticking around with Makoto to eat different kinds of foods. Makoto was still sick, so all those foods would hopefully help him back to health. He found his own self gulping at the thought of a baked sweet potato to warm his tummy.

They arrived at the baked sweet potato stand. Makoto bought two sweet potatoes and handed one to Haruka. The moment Haruka was about to take up his wallet, Makoto prevented him by holding his wrist. "No, no need to. It's my treat."

The dark-haired man decided to give in and enjoy the little treat. He watched the mouth-watering snack in between his palms, puffing steam that was made dense by the low temperature surrounding them. He took a small bite and was instantly hungry for more.

"Baked sweet potato is the best basic thing ever." Makoto commented, munching his potato with great appetite despite his sickness. "Nanase-kun." He turned to Haruka, who was raising his brow as a response. "Don't you think a warm snack like this works like a hand-knitted scarf?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while a snack warms the tummy and a hand-knitted scarf warms the neck, both also warm the heart." Makoto's green eyes glimmered gorgeously under the colorful lights. They shone in the brilliance of true gems. Haruka felt his hot-pumped blood rushed to his neck and cheeks.

"Ah..." Haruka managed a small nod.

Makoto made an abrupt stop on his track. Haruka turned to Makoto, blinking in confusion. The brunet's eyes glowed even more when they were fixed against the dark sky. Before Haruka could follow his gaze, a soft and cold tiny fluff landed on his skin. The soft familiar touch attracted his ocean-blue eyes to shift toward the sky.

It wasn't just the snow falling in graceful cadence from the sky that captivated his attention, but the brilliant sky full of stars draping over them. As the brief snow dissipated, they were glowing with pure dazzling white light like pieces of diamonds, scattered all over the dark blanket covering the entire city. Haruka was transfixed in his place, eyes couldn't leave the beautiful Christmas gift presented by the sky.

When Haruka was finally able to lower his head down, he spotted another beautiful sight of Makoto's gentle smile and the soft tinges on his eyes as he admired the sky. Haruka's palms were sweaty, ears listening to the drumming of his own heartbeats, his mouth went dry.

It could be because of the hot sweet potato in his palms. It could be because of fatigue and of the cold that froze the skin of his lips. Those might be the actual causes.

But maybe, just maybe, there was something else that triggered his body to act this way.

Maybe it was a realization that he was starting to build up a tiny and fragile crush over Tachibana Makoto.

"Nanase-kun," Makoto finally looked down, finding Haruka's eyes and holding his gaze captive, "Let's go find the Christmas tree. I want to see the snow falling on cedar."

Notes:

For Guest: thank you very much for loving this story, dear Guest. ^^ I hope I can keep up with this writing style. I hope you also love this chapter!

A tiny references:

Hachiko: an Akita dog (akita inu) who waited for nearly ten years at the station for his master (who had died because of cerebral hemorrhage) to come home.

Snow Falling on Cedars: an award-winning novel written by David Guterson, published in 1994.