"Hey Arthur?"

The seven year old stirred from his position on his best friend's bed and peeked tired green eyes at him,

"What is it, Alfred?"

"Don't fall asleep, okay," the younger boy urged, determination painted upon his boyish features, "I wanna wait for Santa, so you need to stay up too, okay?"

Arthur sighed and propped himself up, the outer space themed blanket sliding down to his waist. He brought up a small fist to his eyes as he began to wipe the sleep from them, "Mum says Santa only comes if the kids are sleeping."

Alfred shook his head, his hay-colored locks bouncing madly in tune with the movement, "No, me and Mattie have been good this year, that's what mom said. Santa has to stop here or else he'll get fired for not reading his list right."

Arthur stared at his friend with a blank regard. Alfred could be so silly sometimes, "Fired? Who fires Santa? That's not really a job, I think."

The younger boy shrugged and crawled out of his bed, "I dunno, maybe his wife? Or the elves? But I'm hungry, I wanna snack."

"It's nine at night though, Alfred; your mum will be mad if she sees you eating."

The spunky boy crossed his arms over the large 'S' on his Superman footie pajamas and grinned, "We'll be sneaky!"

With a defeated sigh, Arthur climbed out of Alfred's bed. He didn't have much of a choice, really. His agreement pleased the other blond, who flashed his friend an earnest grin and grabbed his hand.

"We gotta be quiet so mom doesn't hear us, so I'm gonna lead the way," Alfred whispered. The British boy frowned and squeezed Alfred's chubby hand in protest.

"No way! You're so loud! You're gonna wake everyone up. If we need to be quiet, then I'll go first."

"But I wanna be the leader," Alfred whined, enunciating the 'r' for good measure. Complaining always seemed to work on his mother, so surely it should work on Arthur!

Unfortunately, Arthur was probably the most stubborn and persistent little boy in existence, "No, I'm gonna lead, now come."

The shorter boy tightened his grip on his friend's hand and ignored Alfred's further whines of protest. The pair marched away from the dim glow of the nightlight and slipped into the threatening darkness of the hallway.

"We should visit Matthew," Alfred whispered as their little clad feet padded near the door of Matthew's room. Before Arthur could decide against it, the younger boy ripped away from Arthur's grip and snaked into his brother's room, his hunger seemingly forgotten.

"Alfred!"

The small British boy raced after his boisterous friend, his mop of shaggy blond hair bouncing with his light steps. He caught sight of his friend in the glimmer of Matthew's nightlight. Alfred was crouched near the bed like a wild animal ready to strike its prey. Arthur didn't even reach his obnoxious friend before Alfred tossed his heavy mass on top of Matthew's sleeping form.

His brother propped himself up with a startled cry, his polar bear plushie flying out of his arms. Alfred's ear splitting laughter echoed throughout the dark room.

"You're going to wake your mum," Arthur hissed as he dashed towards his friend. Alfred's body plopped down on to the warmth of the array of blankets and he braced himself as tiny fists swung at his shoulder.

"What are you guys doing," Matthew whispered tentatively. The boys ignored him. It seemed as though Arthur was more preoccupied with punching Alfred and grumbling something about him being stupid, and Alfred, well... he usually had a difficult time hearing his brother to begin with.

"Alfred," he raised his voice slightly, the soft call just barely audible above his brother's giggle-fit. Alfred's lively blue eyes finally caught sight of him, and he batted a fuming Arthur away.

"Yeah dude," Alfred replied between girly giggles, "we're waiting up for Santa!"

Matthew's face lit up in wonder, "Santa? I didn't know you could find him outside the mall!"

Alfred's messy locks flopped about as he nodded ecstatically, "Yeah, yeah, you can! Me and Artie are gonna see him! You can wait with us too!"

Matthew flashed his rambunctious brother an innocent smile and tugged at his own curly locks for comfort, "Is that okay?"

Alfred replied with a nod and the room slowly descended into silence. Arthur pulled himself up into Matthew's small bed and seated himself beside his best friend. For once, the trio was dressed in pure silence, Alfred's never ending hunger long forgotten. The room felt content. Matthew had pulled the polar bear back into his arms and turned his attention to the window near his bed. The other two blonds followed suit. Snowflakes danced about the grey sky and lined themselves upon a white mass in the yard. The boys watched in curious silence as the flakes spun and drifted through the breeze, some even deciding to stick to the chill of the window.

It was like a scene from a Christmas card, really: three little boys clad in footie pajamas on Christmas Eve watching the snow fall from the warmth of their home. It was an odd peacefulness that only this time of year could bring. The children did not understand it, and yet they felt a sense of calm wash over them.

"What did you guys ask Santa for," Alfred pried, always the one to scare away silence and order.

"I want books and a new journal," Arthur revealed under his breath, his eyes still glued to the scene outside. He half expected his best friend to mock him for enjoying reading and story telling, but the young blond stayed silent.

"I want new action figures," Matthew added after a moment, "and a new friend for Kuma too," he gave the plush bear a good squeeze, granting it a promise of company.

"I want more comic books," Alfred began loudly, "and some more Hot Wheels cars. Oh, and Pokemon cards. And I asked for some ice skates too. Oh yeah, and I asked for a puppy; I really want one."

And so, the Hallmark card moment had been severed. Alfred's over-the-top wishes successfully sucked the serenity of the moment away and replaced it with a fit of childish giggles. It started slowly, but the boys soon erupted into a fit of laughter.

"Alfred, you want so much," Arthur stated between giggles. The little American boy gave his friend his biggest smile and tossed his heavy body upon Arthur's out stretched legs.

"Maybe," he settled, "but I don't ever want a new best friend. I'll never ask Santa for a new one."

It was a small and rather silly gesture, but they were young, and so the promise of a "best friend forever" sparked a warmth in Arthur's heart. He grinned down at Alfred.

"Me neither."

"I'll never ask for a new brother either," Alfred added, turning his bright gaze towards Matthew, who was continuously growing drowsy as sleep washed over him.

"I don't think I want a new brother either," he agreed, allowing a small yawn to slip past his thin lips. Arthur nudged Alfred's chubby side with his knee.

"Matthew is sleepy. Maybe we should go back to your room and wait for Santa there?"

Alfred peered at his brother, searching for approval. The youngest of the trio nodded, his blond waves brushing against his pink cheeks in the process.

"Okay Mattie," Alfred decided as he rolled off the bed, "good night!"

Arthur followed his friend's lead and helped lift the heavier boy off the floor. The boys joined hands and crept out of Matthew's room and reintroduced themselves to the darkness. As the pair tip-toed down the narrow hall, Alfred noticed that Arthur had grown oddly quiet. He wasn't one for reading the air, though, and so he figured that his older friend was just tired.

The boys slipped back into Alfred's room, dragging the silence along with them. Arthur freed his pale hand from the warmth of his friend's and crawled into bed. Alfred followed and tossed his favorite astronaut blanket over them.

"Are you okay Artie," Alfred pried. His worried blue orbs met unreadable green and he grew nervous. Did he say something wrong?

The British child hesitated for a split moment, "Did you mean it? That you won't ever ask Santa for a new best friend?"

Alfred's worry dissolved automatically; Arthur worried about the smallest things. He flashed the little Brit a bright smile and it was suddenly summer, "Of course I did! You're my best friend forever, okay? We can even get married so you know I'm not a liar. Do best friends even get married?"

Arthur knew better; afterall, only mommies and daddies can get married after the stork drops off their baby. He smiled softly despite himself, "I dunno, but we will. I hope that doesn't mean that the stork will give us a baby though. I don't want one."

Alfred shrugged, feeling increasingly tired, "I think we can get married and not have a baby. If we have to buy one, then I'll give it to my mom. She loves babies."

Arthur replied with a short lived giggle. He curled himself into a small ball and stared at Alfred, his eyelids growing heavy as sleep threatened him.

"Hey Artie?"

He slipped out a hum to serve as a reply. His eyes were already closed now.

"Do you think Santa will be mad at us if we don't stay up for him? I don't wanna be on the naughty list again..."

There was no reply. Alfred squinted in the dark, trying to make out his friend's features through his terrible eyesight. Arthur's eyes were shut off to the world and his fist was balled up besides his cheek. He had fallen asleep.

"Night, Arthur."

"Surprise!"

Arthur nearly chucked his novel across the room in shock, "Alfred, you twit, I nearly had a heart attack!"

Arthur, now twenty-six years old, shot his blazing green daggers at his boyfriend, who was grinning sheepishly as he paced towards him. He had two mugs locked tightly in his large fists.

"Sorry, Art; I forgot how invested you get in those things," he explained, plopping his heavy body on to their new couch besides Arthur, "I made ya some tea! I got myself myself hot chocolate, and I was gonna make you some too since it's Christmas Eve and all, but you always complain about what I add to it," he pushed one of the mugs towards his lover. Arthur closed his book and placed it upon the coffee table to be forgotten.

"Thank you, love," he reached for the mug and brought it up to his freckled face. The warm aroma tickled his nose and he took a refined sip before shooting his glare towards his boyfriend, "peppermint?"

Alfred bounced excitedly in his seat and took a long swing of his warm beverage before replying, "Yeah! You needed something Christmas-y!"

The Briton rolled his eyes in amusement, but found himself taking another sip, "As if I'm not 'Christmas-y' enough with this dreadful jumper you're making me wear."

Alfred downed more of his hot chocolate before replying, "Hey, I think it's awesome! We match," he gestured towards his own sweater. It was a red that could only be described as "Christmas red" and featured the rump of a brown reindeer. His happy blue eyes turned towards his boyfriend's apparel and the other half of the reindeer greeted him with a dopey expression.

"I think they're hideous," Arthur grumbled, placing his mug on the coffee table.

"They'll be great for the party tonight! Like c'mon dude, I have a reindeer's ass on my sweater; it's great!"

Arthur's only reply was a grunt and another eye roll. Alfred pouted a bit and curled his strong arms around his boyfriend's waist, pulling him into his lap. For once, Arthur didn't protest and struggle against him, but instead, he allowed Alfred's chin to rest upon his head, and he even stretched out his long legs. Alfred grinned to himself and flicked his gaze towards the fireplace. They had done a pretty nice job of decorating their little home, really; they had a fire going, they invested in a tree, and assorted Christmas decor was scattered about the house. Alfred had always enjoyed the holiday season, and he thought that he did a great job of making their first house look festive.

"Our tree is so ugly," Arthur whispered after a moment. It seems as though Alfred wasn't the only one observing the decorations. The American pouted dramatically and changed his position slightly so that the two were facing each other.

"Don't be such a Grinch, Art; it looks cool as hell."

It surely did, what with the mismatched ornaments and the crudely drawn gingerbread men scattered about the tree.

"We don't have proper ornaments yet, so it looks so bloody cluttered," Arthur pointed out, "your Avengers ornaments aren't the most festive. Neither are your Superman ones."

Alfred squeezed his boyfriend playfully, "Those were my favorite decorations as a kid! We'll get better ones as time goes by, all right? I know you want a fancy, pretty tree; you can't lie to me."

Arthur's face flushed and he turned his head towards the flames in a sad attempt to mask it, "Yes well, I just think that our tree would look more proper with better coordination is all, but it is our first Christmas together, so I suppose I can let you off the hook."

Alfred stirred and Arthur's curious gaze met him, "Well, actually, it's not our very first Christmas together, remember? We spent that one night together when we were kids."

Green eyes widened and Arthur's black eyebrows knitted together in thought, "You remember that? Hell, that was so long ago... You can barely remember our first date, so how can you remember that of all things? We were so young."

Alfred smirked and shrugged his broad shoulders casually, "It was important to me."

His boyfriend nodded and snaked his pale hand into his own hair in thought. He and Alfred had made quite the storybook together: from being best friends since they were children, to having a fight that lasted over a year, to being close again, to becoming lovers... they held quite a long history between them, that was for certain. The pair held such a wide array of memories that Arthur couldn't fathom for the life of him how Alfred manged to remember that night of all things. They were just toddlers.

"Hey Artie?"

His voice was unusually soft and it ripped Arthur out of his thoughts. He fixed his attention on Alfred and watched in amusement as his tan cheeks began to flush. The younger of the pair hesitated for a moment to rack his brain upon how to begin. He was dreadful with words.

"Do you remember what I told you that night," he whispered, his sunny gaze fixed on Arthur's pale face. His reply was a swift shake of the head, and Alfred glanced away from his partner.

"I uh... I told ya that I was never going to ask Santa for a new best friend."

Arthur's cheeks instantly lit up. He blamed it on the heat of the simmering fire, but his smile said otherwise.

"I remember that now. I think you told me that we should get married," he chuckled, "we were foolish kids, weren't we?"

A silence presented itself between them and Arthur began to grow nervous. He hoped he hadn't upset his boyfriend, as Alfred could be somewhat sensitive about certain things. It was very unlike Alfred to be so quiet.

"Are you all right, love," Arthur breathed, his worried green orbs meeting the unreadable shade of Alfred's blue. He couldn't read Alfred's face, and the shadows cast by the fire gave him a more solemn expression than he likely wore.

"I uh," Alfred spoke nervously, his uncharacteristic anxiousness only further igniting the worry that seared through Arthur, "I never expected to do it like this. I really wanted it to be awesome and stuff, ya know? Like with fireworks and maybe flowers and champagne and stuff, like in those chick flicks I know you secretly watch. Mattie told me that you'd like this more though; somethin' about this being more appropriate for our case-"

"Alfred, what on Earth are you going on about?"

The younger blond pressed his lips together and met Arthur's gaze. The poor man was practically wearing the phrase 'I am worried' on his face, so Alfred reassured him with a quick peck on the lips. He kept his hesitant gaze on Arthur, mentally screaming at himself to not turn away as he wiggled his fingers into the pocket of his jeans.

"I didn't wanna put it in the box or anything, I don't really know why. I thought it was too girly or something, I don't know. I think it'd seem fitting for us if I just-"

He was abruptly silenced by a warm presence against his cheeks. Arthur placed a kiss on Alfred's lips and rubbed soothing circles on his tan cheeks, "I've told you a million times that you talk even more when you're nervous. You chat my ear off to begin with, so let's just get to the point, all right? Nothing to fret over, even though I have no idea what the hell you're going on about."

Alfred nodded and extended his hand from his pocket. He curled his fingers into a fist and inhaled deeply to calm his rushing nerves, "I'm sorry that this isn't perfect. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I thought it'd be a nice occasion, even though it's kinda cheesy- I mean Christmas Eve? Really, Alfred?"

He chuckled to himself before shaking his head, his golden locks swinging side to side, "I need to get to the point, huh... Arthur, I still wanna marry my best friend."

As he spoke he opened up his hand, palm facing up.

It was simple, really. Nothing over the top or flashy; just a glimmering silver band. It still managed it make Arthur's heart pound wildly against his chest as he stared down at he ring in awe.

"Are... Are... Alfred, are you proposing?"

"Yeah, I guess I am," he grinned sheepishly, his sunny gaze never trailing out of sight. Arthur's confused orbs met Alfred.

"I... I..."

The nerves were slowly creeping upon him again and Alfred began to recoil his hand, "Is that a no...?"

It happened so quickly that Alfred didn't have the time to brace himself. Arthur's soft lips were pressed against his own instantly and his pale hands gripped Alfred's steady shoulders for support.

"You are such a cheesy idiot," he whispered as soon as he pulled away, "but I love you, Alfred. You're an unbelievable pain in my ass and you have been for as long as I can remember, but yes, I'll marry you. I agreed the first time, and I will always agree no matter how much of a twit you can be."

Alfred's face lit up instantly and it was suddenly summer again. He closed his fist to ensure the safety of the small ring and met Arthur's lips. He wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist as Arthur returned the kiss, his breath tasting sweetly of peppermint.

It was a short kiss, and yet it was filled with meaning. Alfred pulled away slightly as the fire began to simmer, "Hey Artie?"

Arthur pressed his forehead against his boyfriend-turned-fiance's own, "Hmm?"

"I'll never ask Santa for a new husband."

He rolled his eyes yet again and batted Alfred's cheek with his palm, "Idiot... Me neither."

This is just pure 100% make yourself throw up fluff oh my god.

I really wanted Christmas usuk so I read a million fanfics and then I wrote my own. They're so cute god I'm gonna die. I really should write more one shots. Maybe after I finish MLWFA I'll do more? I dunno though since I have two other multi chaptered fics in progress oops.

Happy holidays guys!