Because it's Christmas Eve, I adore [K], and I refuse to give up this pairing, or at least the feels behind it. Sadly, I do not own [K] Project, nor any of its wonderful characters; all I own are my thoughts and the ways in which I choose to put them together with words. I suppose this is the first time that I don't get to see I own my own character in the course of a story, seeing as I'm actually writing a CanonxCanon fanfiction. I'll spare myself any detrimental self-judgment for now: Enjoy the story everyone~.

Her fingers brushed against his, soft, pale fingertips curling into his palm for a brief eternity as he paused in the doorway. Then it was just him again, one hand resting on the doorframe and a smoldering cigarette slowly burning up against his lips. Turning back to see what had kept that tiny hand from his own, he saw Totsuka wrapped around her petite frame, nuzzling his cheek on hers. He watched for a just a moment, half enveloped by the golden warmth of the bar's interior and half caressed by winter's cold fingers from beyond the threshold. No attention paid to Totsuka's caresses, the young albino stared back at him, wine-red eyes watching him with unblinking focus.

"Ne, Anna-chan~" Totsuka cooed. "Stay here! Let's let Mikoto-san go on his walk alone, okay? You can help me decorate~!"

She didn't say a word.

"Mm." Grunting, he nodded once and turned back to the door. Totsuka would take care of her.

"…!"

There she was again. It seemed that she had broken away from Totsuka just enough to grasp at his sleeve, her fist balled up in the fabric of his jacket. Pale lips turned down in a frown, she didn't look like she was going to let him go any time soon. Exhaling through his nose, he managed a weak smile and patted her head. With the other hand, he gently disentangled her fingers from the leather of his sleeve and pressed her hand back into her chest.

"Stay."

〖 〗

She hated it when he left like that—when he left without her. As she sat on the sofa, Anna stared broodingly into her marbles as they circled slowly in the cupped joining of her palms. Things always felt colder when Mikoto was gone, and even when she had her marbles, the world never looked quite as bright. Surrounded by the auras of her clansmen and sulking by the fire, all she could feel was cold. It was as if Mikoto had left the door open when he walked out.

"Here!"

"Ah!"

With a clatter, the small glass marbles fell to the hardwood floor where they shattered into a thousand crystalline shards. Flinching, she clutched her hand to her chest and pressed it into her lap, staring confusedly at the mess in her lap. She could hardly make out one object from another at first, only bursts of luminescence and sharp corners contrasting with round edges in grayscale. After a moment of blinking, her entrapment of garlands and baubles came into focus, and after having observed Totsuka unpacking his boxes of decorations earlier that morning, she was momentarily relieved to be colorblind.

"Are you ready to help me decorate, Anna-chan~?"

"Uhm…"

"Please?" the older male pouted as he leaned over her half-buried form on the couch. "No one else seems to want to help me."

"That's because you're acting like a madman, Totsuka-san," Yata snapped from the other side of the room with a wary glance. "You nearly strangled me with ribbon earlier, and I like my ears without any gay-ass piercings!"

"Aw, but Yata~" Totsuka crooned, jingling a small pair of ornaments, "you'd look so cute with these earrings~"

Yata kicked his skateboard down and circled the room, careful to keep an eye on his madly merry clansman as the latter advanced teasingly with a menacing grin. As the two of them began to bicker and Totsuka gave chase, Anna watched quietly. She hardly blinked as they tumbled past her and into Kusanagi's bar, only stood and picked her way carefully out of the mountain of items. Shaking the glitter from her dress and her hair, she adjusted her hat and gingerly plucked a string of lights from the resulting pile. The boys were still squabbling and teasing in the background as she clamored up onto the arm of the couch, then up to the back. Perched precariously on the back, she stood on her toes and reached with her arms for the top edge of the window so that she could hang the lights. It didn't take much for her Mary Janes to slip from the polished curve of wood, a yelp escaping her as she fell straight into a pair of secure arms.

"Careful Anna," Kusanagi admonished. "Mikoto will be upset if anything happens to you, you know that…"

"Y-yes."

Gently ushering her towards the tree with an armful of ornaments and Totsuka in an attempt to keep the two both out of trouble, the bartender patted his young charge on the head and offered her a smile. She didn't return it—but, then again, she never did. He didn't think he'd ever seen her smile. The closest she had ever gotten to one was when Mikoto was around, and he certainly wasn't going to see one while the boss was out.

〖 〗

Outside, snow drifted down in spirals on bitter currents of wind, hissing as they skated along the half-frozen sidewalk and gathered in crystal dust on the fringe of his jacket. Ashes crumbled from the remains of his cigarette as he paused to take the stub between his fingers and snuff it out. Dropping it to the ground, he crushed it under the heel of his boot, a flare of red whirling up in a last effort for glory as he incinerated the remains.

"No blood," he grunted, digging around in his pockets for another cigarette, "no bones. No ash."

True to his word, there wasn't even a smear left on the ground as he walked away. There was hardly even a puddle from the melted snow; thanks to the temperature outside, it was little more than a sheen of black ice on the pavement. Eyes shut, he breathed out a stream of smoke and steam, a low sigh pressing against his ribcage. The cold night air felt as good as anything against his fevered flesh. Almost anything, that was, he thought as he opened one tawny eye and cast half a glance over his shoulder the way he came. With a shake of his head, he tucked his hands into his pockets and closed his eyes again, wandering the empty boulevard alone.

〖 〗

"You seem sad, Anna-chan."

"Mm?"

"Is it Mikoto-san?"

For the second time that night, Totsuka's gentle voice shattered glass, this time an ornament Anna had been holding in her hand. Grimacing, she opened her eyes slowly to see a shower of shimmering shards scattered on the hardwood between her feet, a few thin cuts laced across her fingers from where she had been gripping it too tight. Totsuka swept her into his arms with a worried coo, lifting her over the glass mess with a click of his tongue and depositing her on the sofa facing the window.

"Ne, Anna-chan!" he murmured "I didn't mean to upset you. Here, let me see your hands."

As he knelt in front of her, he produced a small kit marked with a white cross on some sort of colored background from his back pocket and unfolded it on the table by his side. From it, he pulled a pair of thin metal tweezers, cold and sharp as they pressed against her fingers and plucked out the slivers of glass one by one. Her fingers had long ago gone numb as he began to wrap them up with thin medical tape for bandages, leaving her looking and feeling as if she were wearing a set of mummified gloves. With a smile and a wink, he folded her hands together and kissed the fingertips before cleaning up his first-aid kit and flopping onto the cushions beside her.

"Now, why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

"…nothing," she managed to whisper, pressing her hands into her lap and looking away.

"You shouldn't lie," he teased, poking at her cheek, though he quickly sobered. "If there's something on your mind, you should talk about it. We're your clansmen, and a family; we're all here to help."

"…I…" Wrinkling her nose, Anna pursed her lips and shook her head.

"…Is it Mikoto-san?" Totsuka pressed again, waiting quietly for her to give him any sign of affirmation. "All right," he said after a minute, standing with her hand in his. "Let's go then."

"Ah…go…where…?"

"To get you ready!"

"You aren't going anywhere until you clean up that mess, Totsuka-san!" Kusanagi snapped from the bar, and the slender honey-blond brunet laughed as he ducked the broom and dustpan hurled his way.

"All right~" Winking over his shoulder at Anna, Totsuka flashed her a smile. "Just a minute. Then we'll get started."

From behind the bar, Kusanagi shook his head in wonder at the carefree attitude of his fellow clansman as Totsuka swept up the shattered glass and deposited it in the trashcan, humming a Christmas carol all the while. Anna merely sat in soft silence on the sofa, her eyes focused elsewhere than the cozy little bar and all of its eccentric yuletide cheer. Wiping down the bar, he turned his back when Totsuka crept back towards HOMRA's youngest member and took her hand, leading her up the stairs as if they were on some sort of secret mission. He picked up a glass from the shelf and took it down to polish, watching from the reflection as they disappeared to the second floor of the establishment, probably to one or the other's room, and left behind a half decorated tree and a box of ornaments on the table. There were a number of similar construction sites left scattered around the bar, remnants of failed or abandoned projects, but perhaps this was one project Totsuka might actually see through to the end.

〖 〗

He couldn't quite remember how long he had been out by now, fingers kept from going numb only by the current of warmth swirling just below his skin. Head dropped back over the edge of a park bench, Mikoto stared at the blank expanse of velvet sky stretching overhead, wet flakes of snow drifting down in pretty patterns he could not help but think Anna would enjoy watching. Most of the snowflakes melted before they could catch on the dark crimson locks spilling into his eyes and spiking away from his head, driven away by his aura of heat. They were fragile, he thought, reaching out to touch them as the last few ashes of his cigarette scattered with a passing breeze. Many things in this life were.

"Mi…koto?"

"Nnnh?"

Frowning at the familiar voice, Mikoto sat up, blinking bewilderedly down at the latest fragile thing to walk into his life. She stood before him shivering in the cold, her usual dress exchanged for one of a brighter red with shorter sleeves, trimmed with white fur like a Santa hat instead of black lace. Gone was the little hat sitting cockeyed atop her head, replaced instead with a glittering bow of ribbon, its ends long and hanging over her ear. Feathery crystals of ice dusted her silvery hair in the moonlight, alighting on her pale eyelashes like frosted diamonds, and for a moment he could almost believe that she belonged here—out in the cold, beautiful, snow-dusted night.

The thought vanished as soon as it came, banished by the softest sneeze as she hugged her bare arms tighter about her ribcage. Of course she didn't belong out here. Brushing away the snow that had landed on the bench seat next to him, he leaned across the edge and picked her up by the waist, settling her down by his side. She was cold, even through her dress, and huddled gratefully into his chest as he sheltered her with his arm. With a sigh building up in his chest, he pushed his aura outwards to offer her a little warmth and shut his eyes, leaning his head back to face the stars again.

"What are you doing out here all by yourself, mm?" he asked quietly after a few minutes, opening one eye to look down at the small girl curled against him. "I thought I told you to stay."

"I am not alone," she protested, but she did not raise her head. "…You are here."

"Mm." Half a chuckle escaped his lips. "So I am."

For a while, both lapsed into silence and neither said a word. Though careful not to disturb her resting place, he sat up after some time and stretched, squeezing her shoulder lightly and nudging her into a sitting position. She hardly mumbled in protest, just rubbed one hand across her eyes and watched him as he stood. Tucking one hand into his pockets, he kicked the snow off his boots and offered the other out to her. He kept his aura pushed outwards for her as she slipped off the bench and took his hand, but watching her as she watched the sky and the snow that could never reach her, he came to a stop and knelt down. His jacket hung heavy and oversized on her slight shoulders, but it was warm, and she gave an appreciative nod. In return, he pulled his aura back so that she could reach out and touch the snow if she wanted.

As she held out her arm, the black leather of his jacket crinkling at the elbow as it fell back on its own weight, he noticed for the first time the paper white bandages wrapped around her fingers. Looking down to their intertwined hands, he turned them over and fingered each of her injuries, brushing his fingertips across hers. She held in a soundless gasp, shivering, and curled her fingers in around his, stopping the inspective caresses with a gentle squeeze. With a sigh, he squeezed her hand in return and left the subject for another time.

"It was…an accident," her voice whispered, lifted up in silver puffs by a cool breeze.

"Mm? …Good."

It did not take long for the pair to reach the bar, one of the few establishments still open so late on Christmas Eve. Warm golden light spilled across the sidewalk and the low snowdrifts piled up against the brick walls. The curtains were drawn back from the window, revealing Kusanagi at his bar barking at Yata to ride his skateboard outside, not on the polished hardwood, and various other members sitting around with bemused laughter. Able to hear the shouts from a few feet down the block, Mikoto shook his head with a snort and cocked his head to the side, inspecting the havoc Totsuka was sure to have wreaked. Lights dripped from the windows and awning, and his aura rippled at the sensation of a warm fire throwing shadows up against the wall. He could see little more than that, but opening the door, a medley of lights and gaudy decorations met his scrutinizing gaze and a chorus of greeting went up from his clansmen.

"Welcome back Mikoto-san!"

"...!"

Hardly half a step in the door and she was holding him fast again, bandaged little fingers curled tightly around his. He lolled his head to the side and inspected the young girl pointing quietly upwards, following her gaze to see a sprig of mistletoe tied to the doorframe overhead. Raising one eyebrow, Mikoto glanced down at Anna, well aware of how the bar had hushed—save for Totsuka's delighted giggles, that was. When she didn't budge, he shook his head and exhaled through his nose, dropping into a crouch in front of her and leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead. As a flash went off from Totsuka's camera, he raised his free hand in a rude gesture and stood again to his full height, pulling Anna inside before she began to shiver anymore.

Dusting the snow from her hair, Mikoto left his jacket around Anna's shoulders and shut the door behind them. Without another word, he sidestepped the large fir tree Totsuka had insisted on dragging into the bar, despite protests at the mess from Kusanagi, and brought Anna around to the fireplace. He took a seat on the floor, long legs stretched out with a noise of relief as she sat beside him and wriggled under his arm. Totsuka, at her request, produced his guitar and sat on the coffee table as the whole of HOMRA that was home, as it were, for the holidays gathered around to hear his rendition of the most popular Christmas carols of the time. Watching from the bar as always, Kusanagi leaned his elbows across the polished wood with a faint, knowing smile, his eyes trained on his king and HOMRA's princess.

Well, it was still Christmas Eve where I am when I finished this; for everyone else, a very early Merry Christmas to you all! I hope that it wasn't too terrible, being considerably less fluffy than I had hoped and thought of, and being just slightly rushed towards the end. I apologize for the lame story title and summary and hope that this wasn't too bad a read. Gah, all the Totsuka feels while writing this…why did he have to go? ;_; *sniff* Anyway, leave a review~