Author's Notes: I told myself, no new stories until you finish another, but since it's the Christmas season, I felt this story needed to be written for this month.

This little AU all started because I made myself an adorable Bankotsu/Jakotsu icon for my livejournal that shows Jakotsu kissing Bankotsu under some mistletoe. Then my brain insisted on writing a Christmas story for my favorite couple.

That being said- happy holidays to all, and enjoy :)

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All I Want for Christmas

Chapter 1: Upon a Cold Winter's Night

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Jakotsu could hear the wind howling outside as he tugged the thin blankets closer around him. It was going to be another cold, miserable winter; and that thought alone made him shiver.

It had been several months since he'd moved into the apartment, but the place seemed more like a dorm at times. Then again, that's what happens when the entire building is occupied by a group of seven friends.

Mukotsu had taken to the lower-level room, saying that the basement-like place was best for his potions and brews. Jakotsu knew that the watery substances were fairly harmless to humans, but the smell could sometimes make you think you were going to die. But Mukotsu was determined to concoct the perfect substance for killing off insects by smell alone, then patenting it and getting rich of the idea. The others figured it would never work, but they humored him anyways.

The other lower-level apartment was where Kyoukotsu lived. The six-foot plus giant kept hitting his head on the stairwells and finally had to request another room. Everyone was always surprised that he wasn't into basketball, but the sport proved too fast paced for his lumbering figure. Instead, he worked at a local car factory, using his strength and height to move steal beams into place.

On the upper level were Renkotsu and his roommate Ginkotsu. The two seemed an odd pair, but proved to be good friends when all was said and done. Sure sometimes, Jakotsu thought to himself, Renkotsu would get a bit tiffy about music being too loud or someone parking in his parking spot; but otherwise, the two kept pretty much to themselves and didn't interact much with the rest of the group.

Then, the other occupant of the upper level was the quiet doctor Suikotsu. At least, that is if he was in his right-state of mind. A man whose face could be calm and kind, yet sometimes turned ugly if his multiple-personality disorder got the best of him and his anger was provoked. Every once in awhile, he'd be gone for a week or more, helping out a fellow doctor with an orphanage and often spending the night at her place. Jakotsu remembered how embarrassed Suikotsu got when he'd made a crude remark around "Miss Kikyou" about what they were really doing on those long nights.

And that brought Jakotsu's thoughts to his next door neighbor on floor two. Bankotsu had been his best friend and roommate for years; but after getting upset over Jakotsu's crush on a fellow classmate, the braided young man decided that separate apartments might be best. And it was cold nights like this, that Jakotsu found himself missing his friend the most.

"Mou… I can't sleep and there's not even anyone here to talk to…" He pouted as his eyes skimmed the dark room.

This would be his first winter in his apartment without a roommate, and Jakotsu figured at the rate it was going, he was going to die of insomnia. He'd always hated the cold; it was just one of those givens in Jakotsu's life. But when Bankotsu had been his roommate, they would always sit up and talk until they both drifted off to sleep.

Rolling over in hopes that a new position might make sleep come quicker, Jakotsu sighed.

"Stupid Bankotsu. Why'd it matter to him that I think Inuyasha's hot? I think lots of guys are hot, he needs to calm down. Sheesh. He acted like it was personal…"

Jakotsu allowed his ranting to slow down as his mind dwelled on that last thought.

"Wait a second…what was it he said the day he left here? It was… 'Look, I'm tired of your stupid crushes. It's unrequited, get over it. Never mind- just forget it, I'll move out. I'm probably scaring off your potential prey or some shit like that.' Yah…that was the last thing he said before he stormed out and went to set up the arrangement to get another apartment. Then again, he only moved next door and he still talks to me- so he couldn't have been that mad, right?"

Once again switching positions on the bed and this time staring up at the ceiling, he let his thoughts continue to linger on the matter.

"But why do I feel like I'm missing something here… I mean—it was almost as if he was…"

But before Jakotsu could make any sort of revelation on the subject, a loud snap and thud indicated that the ice had finally bested the tree branch outside.

"What in the…"

Getting up and draping the blanket around himself to keep warm, Jakotsu went over to the window and looked out. As per the noise, the ice had indeed broken off a sizeable tree branch and deposited it right onto the power line that ran into their building.

With that development noted, Jakotsu's frown deepened.

"Great. That means the power's out and there's no heat…"

Looking over to his bedside clock, the blacked out numbers in place of the red digits confirmed his suspicions.

"As if I wasn't cold enough already…" He muttered to himself, walking back over to his bed and crawling back under the blankets in a vain attempt to keep warm.

Just as he found himself comfortable and at least somewhat warm for the moment, a light knock coming from his front door caught his attention.

"Who in the hell is up at this hour. I mean it's…" His rant paused as he looked over at the still blacked out clock and leveling it with a scowl, he once again wrapped a blanket around himself, this time headed for the door.

He figured it was one of the maintenance crew or perhaps, even one of the managers come to fill him in about the situation with the power line. So it was much to his surprise that the person at the door was none other than the person previously occupying his thoughts.

"Bankotsu?"

The braided-man yawned and hugged his own blanket around himself as he offered a weak smile.

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"Ah…no, no I was…having trouble sleeping as it was. It's okay. Is something wrong?"

Bankotsu's gaze shifted to the ground as he uneasily fidgeted with the edge of the blanket.

"Well, um…the power went out and so there's no heat. And I was…I was thinking that it might be warmer if…"

"If…?" Jakotsu pressed.

"Never mind, it's stupid. Goodnight…"

He turned sharply, intent on retreating to his own room; but Jakotsu was equally persistent on seeing what it was his friend wanted and he quickly reached out and caught Bankotsu's wrist.

"No, what is it? I told you, I was already having trouble sleeping because I was so cold. You're not bothering me any. Do you need to talk about something?"

Remaining defiantly silent, Bankotsu bit his lip as his mind continued to encourage him to speak up.

"I was just…thinking that, well, we both don't have that many blankets, but if we were both in the same apartment and shared them then it might not be as bad…so I…"

At the slight suggestion of possible means of warmth, Jakotsu tugged the shorter man towards him and into the dark apartment.

"You know that's a great idea. If we're both freezing to death, we might as well do it together, right?"

Bankotsu laughed at that and shook his head at his friend's usual carefree attitude.

"You're weird, you know that?"

"Yes, and I'm also cold. So let's make with the blanket-sharing-whatever plan and get some sleep."

Feeling his way around the walls, Jakotsu was so intently focused on trying to navigate in the dark that he barely noticed the way Bankotsu's hand trembled in his grasp.

"It'll be like old times. Me in my bed and you in…" Jakotsu paused as he realized one little problem in this 'great plan' of theirs, "Uh Bankotsu…when you left, you took your bed with you. I only have mine now and…well I don't have a couch. Just chairs."

"Well I could just use the floor and…"

"It's colder down there than it probably is in your bed back in your apartment, silly. We're just gonna have to make do with one twin-sized bed or freeze."

Bankotsu's eyes widened at that, having not fully thought out his plan yet either, and he silently thanked the dark for hiding the blush he had a feeling was tingeing his cheeks.

"Um…I'll just go back to my room. I'm sorry for troubling you…"

Once again, he tried to retreat; and once again, Jakotsu pulled him back.

"I won't try anything funny, so chill out. Come on, you can trust me- right?"

And with that, Bankotsu knew he'd lost. Jakotsu was right- if there was anyone he trusted, it was him.

"Okay…but only if you're sure it's okay."

"Right now, anything that will get me warm and let me sleep is a-okay with me."

Jakotsu climbed into the bed and scooted over to the far edge. Then, realizing that Bankotsu seemed to be frozen in place where he stood, he gave the other man's arm a sharp tug in his direction.

Now, not taking into consideration the fact that Bankotsu was tense or that he wasn't paying much attention, meant that Jakotsu's attempt on urging him forward was bound to backfire. So instead of simply getting him in the bed, Jakotsu found himself pinned underneath a rather disgruntled, embarrassed and startled Bankotsu.

"Jakotsu! I thought you said you weren't going to try anything!"

"You were the one standing there doing nothing. I was just trying to get you to hurry up and get under the blankets before we both get colder!"

The two clambered around, trying their best to untangle blankets and limbs from places they didn't belong, and finally they managed to settle down side by side with the blankets in a heap over them.

"There, see that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Jakotsu knew from the silence in reply that Bankotsu was most likely glaring at him.

"Come on, I didn't grope anything important did I?"

"Jakotsu…"

"All right, all right- shutting up."

The room fell silent as they both laid there staring up at the ceiling. But, even with the extra warmth, Jakotsu's mind was still wide awake.

"Neh Bankotsu?"

"What?" He snapped, the whole situation making him very tense and irritable.

"Well I was just thinking…that…well, I think this is the first time I've ever slept with another guy in my bed."

Bankotsu started at that, part of his mind screaming for a quick retreat, but the other part- noting how serious Jakotsu sounded.

"Um…it is? But I thought that….well…"

Jakotsu laughed lightly at that, a wry smile working its way onto his face.

"I wish. Sure I've liked lots of guys; there are a lot of hot men out there in the world. But I've never met any one of them that liked me in return. Well, at least liked me as something more than a friend."

On once again getting nothing but silence for a response, Jakotsu continued.

"Sorry, I probably sound like some love-sick schoolgirl whining about how the boys only want to be my friend because they think I have cooties or something."

The room remained silent and the dark-haired man sighed.

"I guess the only difference is my cooties are gay."

When that still garnered no response, he propped himself up on his elbow and turned towards Bankotsu.

"You're supposed to laugh at things like that, Bankotsu. You usually do."

The warm breath of his companion on his ear started him from his own thoughts and he scooted further away.

"Sorry. I just…didn't know quite what to say."

"What's wrong with you? It's not like I really have cooties."

"Well, it's not like I've ever been in a bed with another guy before either. It's just…kinda…weird."

Jakotsu rolled back to his side and rested his hands behind his head.

"Weird. I'm weird. Being in bed with me's weird. I'm beginning to see a pattern here."

"What do you mean?" Bankotsu questioned, his voice barely hiding his panic at the implications he saw there.

"I just mean that weird must not be so bad, if that's the word you use for all those things."

Once again, the silence plagued the room, until Bankotsu finally replied.

"I guess… I guess you're right."

"Well the 'weird' one is going to try and sleep now that he's warm. Night Bankotsu."

Bankotsu couldn't help but smile at that as he pulled the blankets up closer about himself as well.

"Goodnight, Jakotsu."

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Preview for Chapter 2:

Jakotsu always dreamed about waking up in bed with another man. He just didn't think that "man" would end up being Bankotsu.