Kenma kicked his shoes off as soon as he got home and gave a little shiver as he slipped out of his coat.

"How was your day?" Kuroo asked as he peeked his head around the corner to look into their apartment's entryway.

"It was a day," Kenma shrugged. "Same as usual."

"Well, come here," Kuroo grinned as he waved Kenma over. "This'll make you feel better." He waited for Kenma to join him, his socked feet padding lightly across the floor. "Ta da!" Kuroo presented with a flourish, arms wide to gesture to the whole of their small living room. "I decorated for Christmas."

Looking around the room, Kenma decided that Kuroo was using the word "decorated" a little liberally. Their tiny tree, which came pre-lit with tiny lights, was set up on a small folding table and appeared to already have a semi-decently wrapped present under it. The Christmas lights they actually had were tacked up around the perimeter of the room, along the top of the wall, held up at irregular intervals. Some strands of garland were draped over random bits of furniture, and three stockings - one for each of them and a smaller one for their cat - were hung from the edge of their TV stand to complete the look.

It wasn't until Wander, their Munchkin, came into the room wearing a new collar with little jingle bells on it that Kenma cracked a small smile. Leaning down to scoop up the cat, Kenma started working to take the collar off with one hand.

"Oh, come on!" Kuroo protested with a grin. "He likes it."

"Somehow, I doubt that." Once the collar was off, Kenma tossed it onto the coffee table and ran his fingers through the fluffy fur around Wander's neck.

"What do you think of the living room?" Kuroo asked from where he stood next to Kenma, also reaching out a hand to scratch the top of the cat's head.

"It's nice," Kenma answered. "And it saves me from having to decorate when our mom's come over."

Kuroo laughed before shaking his head at Kenma. "I should have known that's what you'd appreciate most about it." Glancing up over Kenma's head, he feigned surprise and gasped, "Oh, but would you look at that."

Tilting his head up, Kenma saw a little sprig of greenery taped to the doorway just above them. "What's that?"

"That is mistletoe. And you know what you're supposed to do when you're under mistletoe with someone else, don't you?"

"I do," Kenma nodded. "But that isn't mistletoe. That's holly."

"What?"

"Mistletoe berries are white. Those are red. Mistletoe leaves are also rounder than that and not pointy," Kenma explained.

Kuroo frowned. "But when I asked, Bokuto said that was mistletoe."

"Bokuto said?" Kenma questioned. "That probably should have been your first clue."

"Well, can't the symbolism count for something?" Kuroo asked with a suggestive edge to his voice, trying to get things back on the track he wanted.

Gently setting Wander back on his feet, Kenma rocked onto his toes and stretched his arms above him to where the holly was taped to the doorway. "Symbolism, hm?" Once he was back flat on his feet, he taped the little sprig to the front of Kuroo's shirt, careful not to prick himself or Kuroo on the leaves. "Merry early Christmas, Kuroo."

"Thanks?" Kuroo said, more than a little confused but having long ago learned to roll with the little things Kenma did. "What's this for?"

Kenma's cheeks went a little pink, and Kuroo didn't miss the way his sock-covered toes started curling against the floor. In a softer voice than he'd used before, Kenma explained, "A couple of the meanings for holly are "defense" and "domestic happiness" and those are things that you mean to me. You go out of your way to do things you know will make me happy, and you've protected me from other people and from myself for almost as long as I can remember. So I guess holly is a lot more appropriate than mistletoe, anyway."

Kuroo stared down at Kenma and could feel the warm tightness in his chest that Kenma always managed to give him. He wondered if his small boyfriend planned out things like that, but it didn't seem likely. When it came to him, Kenma didn't usually plan his interactions like he did with other people. He just did and said things. And Kuroo couldn't decide if that made it sweeter or not.

"Come here," Kuroo ordered as he opened his arms. "I'm going to hug you now."

"No," Kenma said as his blush darkened. Instead, he picked up Wander again from where the cat had been rubbing against his ankles, and headed for the couch.

"Kenma, that was adorable and touching and I'm going to hug you. Probably kiss you too." He was on the couch next to Kenma seconds later and gradually pushing Kenma closer and closer into a laying position.

"Wait, Kuroo, don't," Kenma tried to stop the larger man before letting go of their cat before he was squished between them. "Kuroo, the holly is still-ouch!"

Pulling back quickly, Kuroo tugged the holly free from his shirt. "Sorry, I got excited and forgot," he smiled down apologetically. He dipped his head down to plant a kiss against Kenma's chest where the holly had pricked him. "Sorry," he apologized again with a kiss to Kenma's forehead. Moving lower, he kissed Kenma's mouth and smiled at the small hum that made Kenma's lips vibrate against his. "I love you, Kenma," Kuroo said gently when they parted.

Kenma pushed his face into Kuroo's shoulder to hide his face as he spoke into the fabric of Kuroo's t-shirt, "Love you too."