by nayru-kleinefee
"No."
"But-"
"No."
"But I had them on the tree every year since I got them!"
"Not this year. Not if you want me to celebrate with you."
"Why not?"
"Do I really have to explain that?"
"Yes!"
"They're… they're…" A sigh. "I think it's obvious."
"Is not! Why not?"
"Kakashi, they're ugly."
"Ugly? UGLY? They're not ugly!" The Copy-nin jumped up from his crouched position under the Christmas tree.
"Yes, they are."
"They're not!"
"They are."
"You're mean, Iruka!"
"Oh no, Kakashi! You will not do this 'You're a mean Chuunin being mean to a poor little Jounin'-thing now."
"But you are!"
"I'm not mean!", Iruka yelled indignantly. "I just want everything to look nice."
"They look nice!"
"No, they don't!"
"They do!"
"They don't! You can't even tell what's on them!"
"You can!"
"So? What is it then?" The Chuunin crossed his arms on his chest and glared up at his lover.
"It's me", Kakashi whispered, clutching the affronting round objects to his chest like freezing, homeless puppies.
"It's- it's you?", Iruka asked incredulously.
"It's me", the Jounin affirmed, looking down to the floor miserably. "Pakkun and the others made them."
"They… they made them?!"
"Yes…", Kakashi mumbled. "They made them for me three years ago and gave them to me as Christmas presents."
"Really?", Iruka asked quietly, then stood up. "Oh, Kakashi, I-"
"They were so proud. They made them all by themselves."
"Kakashi, I'm so sorry." The Chuunin quickly closed the space between them and carefully took his lover into his arms, paying highest attention on not damaging the Copy-nin's treasures.
"I want to celebrate with you", Kakashi whispered.
"And I want to celebrate with you, Kakashi." Iruka leaned his head forward and kissed him. "I'm sorry."
"May I hang them up, please?"
"But sure. We'll do it together." Another kiss.
"We have to make sure to hang them low on the tree, so they can see them."
"That's a good idea." Iruka carefully took three of the round glass balls from Kakashi's arms, then did as told.
"Do you really think they're ugly?"
"Not anymore." The Chuunin smiled and sat down in front of the tree, looking at the small balls, each of them painted with what looked like a silver and black muddle with a tiny bit of pink in the middle.
"Every year I decorate the tree and hang them up on the lowest branches", Kakashi told him, then sat down behind his lover and embraced him, drawing him to his chest. "And when I'm finished, I call them, and they search for the one they made and then sit down in front of it, and I give them their bowls of Christmas pudding."
"Mmh." Iruka smiled, snuggling closer into his lover. "Can I join this year?"
"Please." The Chuunin felt the Copy-nin grin into his neck. "Want to sit in front of the tree and get pudding, too?"
"I don't have a glass ball", Iruka laughed.
"You could make one", Kakashi offered. "One can never have enough of them."
"No." Iruka shook his head, then turned around and kissed him sweetly. "That's for your dogs. I shouldn't force myself into it. I'll just look."
"I don't think they would mind."
"No." The Chuunin smiled. "That's their tradition once you've finished decorating the tree." He grinned. "We could start our own tradition."
"What do you have in mind?", Kakashi asked, grinning back.
"I thought about giving that silk ribbon for the presents another use…", Iruka told him, then kissed him, his tongue slowly sliding into his lover's mouth and caressing the Copy-nin's, the ministrations tender, playful and utterly promising.
Christmas traditions, Kakashi figured out short after that, were a really good invention.