Sweet Christmas Carols

The cold snow fell gracefully from the sky, flooding the streets with a chilly atmosphere. But even as the temperature dropped, the spirit of the season only seemed to rise. With the new year approaching rapidly, the Buns took every opportunity to spread the festive cheer wherever they could. Cherubuns and Buns happily sang from house to house, distributing warm melodies in search of spreading joy and earning at least a few carats.

Soft watched it all from his very expensive and comfortable armchair, the chair that Emilio had chosen some time ago so Soft could comfortably watch the street whenever he felt like it.

(They remind me of the lullabies I love.)

Soft would think to himself as he sighed lazily. Even though he adored those melodies, his laziness was stronger than his desire to go down and hear them in person. It was the titanic effort of getting up from his beloved sofa, going out into the cold, walking to where they were, and listening to them… knowing that he might fall asleep on the cold ground.

"I don't think it's a good idea... getting sick would take a lot of effort, I doubt they'll pass by the apartments."

Soft's sleepy voice was directed into the void—or so he thought—until Emilio entered the room, maneuvering a couple of very hot cocoa mugs decorated with toasted marshmallow cream and chocolate heart-shaped chips. He was balancing carefully, walking without spilling the hot contents, enduring the burn with ease. But despite his distraction, his trained ears, attuned to listen to every syllable that came from his husband's mouth, caught his words.

(How is it possible that my beloved isn’t getting what he wants? How could I not have known about this earlier!?)

Emilio shouted to himself in his mind, horrified to realize that his beloved, his husband, the love of his life, wasn’t 100% taken care of, that there was a desire he had that Emilio hadn’t taken the effort to fulfill. It was unacceptable, and he wouldn’t let it slide.

"Do you like the carols, my soft dango?"

Emilio leaned in, offering Soft his mug, impatient to hear him speak. Soft would feel a little surprised, as he had been lost in his thoughts, imagining how lovely it would be to enjoy those carols, and hadn’t even noticed his husband enter.

"Yes… they're lovely."

His sleepy voice was like dopamine to Emilio, the sugar that sweetened every day of his life since they had gotten married. Carefully, Soft would take his corresponding mug, as they were matching cups—his was blue with beautiful golden details resembling stars, with a lovely moon in the center, while Emilio’s was almost the same, except his had a sun.

"Would you like to go listen up close?"

Emilio asked, though he already knew the answer. He preferred to make sure before doing his usual crazy things to keep his beloved pampered.

"No, we’re fine here. I’ll look for a few on Buntub later."

Emilio's smile softened as he felt proud of how well he knew his beloved, knowing that would be his response... and he knew him so well that he understood it wouldn’t be the same feeling hearing the carols from a recording as it would be hearing them at the door. Suddenly, an idea came to him, the perfect idea to make his beloved husband happy.

"Alright, my beloved Dango... Wow! I forgot the snacks for the cocoa, I'll be right back, my love."

He murmured before quickly walking to the kitchen. Soft didn’t take much notice for the moment, bringing his lips closer to his cocoa mug, enjoying the aroma of that homemade and love-filled flavor. He would do this for a moment before gently blowing on it, intending to taste the cocoa.

"What... is that noise?"

Before tasting his cocoa, melodious joy reached his ears, a cheerful and warm Christmas carol that matched the warmth of the cocoa. They were singing outside his door, loud enough for him to hear from the comfort of his armchair.

Soft was surprised, and before getting up from the sofa, he saw Emilio coming in with a tray of gingerbread cookies, each dressed like the two of them.

"What a coincidence... if they’re passing by the apartments, I’ll go out and give them a few carats!"

Emilio murmured "innocently," making Soft smile with amusement as he looked at him, moved. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the empty wallet of that bun, knowing that usually, he never had his wallet empty.

"Did you bribe them from the window to come here?"

Soft's question made Emilio shrug cheerfully.

"Me? Not at all, it’s just the true spirit of the season… enjoy it, my soft dango."

With that said, Emilio leaned in, quickly kissing his beloved's lips, receiving the kiss in return. For the rest of the day, the two of them listened to Christmas carols, snuggling together and enjoying the warmth—not only of the food and the season but also the unique warmth they only gave to each other, even when Soft would fall deeply asleep at some point. Because even though he sometimes slept without even wanting to, he knew that when he woke up, his beloved would always be there.