“Alright, I’ll see you later!” Mizuki had called out as he dashed through the front door, just able to pick up Settia’s velvet voice from the next room; “Have a good day!”

Mizuki walked with brisk, long strides, taking in the world that was waking to life, and the air which felt less harsh than the previous day. Large, feathery flakes fell softly on his shoulders. Some children were chasing each other down the sidewalk, throwing snowballs at each other while shrieking with laughter. A dog barked somewhere in the distance.

It was a good morning, he thought. It had been a while since he’d felt this good so early in the day.

Something that, as it turned out, did not go unnoticed.

“Hey, le Miz!” Noel called out to him from outside the small seminar room they’d reserved for revisions.

“Morning,” Mizuki dropped down next to him on the bench, untangling himself from his coat and scarf. He ignored the latest addition to the long list of nicknames his friend had bestowed upon him.

“You look happier than usual?”

“Do I?” a smile forced itself onto Mizuki’s face.

“No seriously, you’re different. What happened to Scrooge?”

“Trust me, Scrooge is still very much present. Can’t a guy be happy even though it’s December?”

“Normally people would be happy because it’s December.” Noel reminded him, not quite willing to let his shallow perception of the world slip just yet. “But I presume there’s a different reason then?”

He was fishing. Mizuki let him, but didn’t give him the pleasure of catching anything.

Instead, he flagged down one of their professors as he spotted him down the hall, hoping to be rescued from the prying questions and suggestive looks. The professor, an eccentric gentleman to say the least, nodded in recognition, coming towards them. Something red was tucked under his arm.

“Is that—“ Mizuki gaped at the professor.

Noel shifted his confused gaze from Mizuki to the elderly man.

“Poinsettia!” the lecturer exclaimed. “The Christmas Flower, or Christmas Star, if you wish! I just happen to be a bit of a botanist in my spare time. And you see, I walked past the mall on my way here this morning, and a man gave it to me – it seems that in the States, today is Poinsettia Day. Naturally I accepted—“

He droned on, talking about how the plant had been discovered in the 1700s, and how it had gradually become a symbol of Christmas after people started cultivating it. Mizuki was only partially listening. He had an idea where the professor’s plant had come from.

I’d be careful, he thought to himself; you never know…

Of course, that was silly. Wasn’t it?

“The botanical name for the Christmas Flower is Euophorbia pulcherrima, which fittingly means very beautiful in Latin.”

A faint smile crossed Mizuki’s lips. "Yeah, indeed.”

“Huh?” Noel glanced at him.

“Nothing.” Mizuki shook his head, chortling softly.

He tapped the toe of his boot against the tiled floor. “If it’s Poinsettia Day, doesn’t that mean it’s some kind of birthday?”

“What are you mumbling about?” Noel nudged him. “Are you losing it?”

“Uh,” Mizuki caught himself. “I’ve got…a friend who really likes those.”

“I thought we were gonna study history today, not botany.” Noel yawned impatiently.

“Ah yes of course, don’t let me keep you. But actually, more history related, both the proper names for this plant were given by well-acknowledged botanists who—“

Noel rolled his eyes.

Mizuki kept his eyes on the red flower in the man’s grasp, his mind racing.

                                                                    ❋❋❋❋

On his way home, Mizuki casually swung by a small bakery, picking up the least flashy cake he could find – free of seasonal décor and writing, with only a small marzipan flower adorning it.

He felt silly, and kind of awkward. Settia hadn’t said anything, so this was probably stupid, not least because he definitely was not buying that story. And it wasn’t like he owed him anything, seeing as Settia was staying with him for free. And still…

There was a certain determination in his steps as he turned home, with the plastic bag containing the boxed cake swinging at his side. The weather was still nice for a December afternoon.

                                                          ❋❋❋❋

“I’m home!” he called out, suddenly acutely aware of how domestic this all felt.

“Welcome back,” Settia replied from the main room, where he would always sit, as if he had hardly moved since Mizuki left.

“So, this is probably weird but…” Mizuki placed the bag on the table. “My professor ran into that friend of yours today—“ it was a shot in the dark, but the twinkle in Settia’s eyes suggested he was spot on. “It appears he got a present, which made him get into this whole thing about plants and apparently it’s Poinsettia Day. So. Anyway… Happy birthday..?”

“You brought me a present?”

“Like I said…” he flushed, feeling even less sure of himself.

Settia reached into the bag, and opened the box. His face lit up.

“It’s so pretty!”

“It’s not… you’re supposed to eat it.” He felt even sillier.

But then, he’d yet to see Settia actually eat anything. “Uh, do you even…like cake?”

“I…don’t know?”

“You don’t know?”

“There’s only one way to find out!” Settia stood, getting two spoons out of the nearest drawer. “Let’s try.”

“You go first,” Mizuki insisted, turning the marzipan rose towards the redhead, who hesitantly dug his spoon into the spongy cake. He brought the spoon to his mouth, chewing slowly. His expression was unintelligible. Finally, he swallowed.

“Well?”

“Better than expected,” Settia smiled at him, pushing the cake back to the center of the table. “You taste.”

They ate the cake in silence, except from the vague sound of music coming through the wall from the neighboring unit.

He tuned it out, looking across the table, at Settia, who was licking his spoon absentmindedly. He caught Mizuki’s gaze, and stopped mid-lick, cracking a smile; “Thank you, Mizuki. I love you.”

Mizuki's words jammed in his throat. The carols from next door filled the quiet that crept in over them.