Archive of Our Own

It was one of the first really cold days of the year, and Law had let himself be convinced to go Christmas shopping with his friends. Penguin, Shachi, and especially Bepo loved Christmas and everything around it. Law himself… not so much. He didn’t hate this time of the year, but he just didn’t get what the big deal was. Still, his friends liked it, and he liked his friends, so he went along with them.

They were walking through the mall in search of shops that sold Christmas decorations – which, in Law’s opinion were not scarce – when they passed a queue of children. “Oh, look,” Shachi said, pointing towards some Christmas setup. “They’ve got a Santa!”

Law followed his gaze and saw indeed that the children were waiting in line to sit in the lap of some poor man dressed up in red and white clothes, with an obviously fake beard and wig. He snorted amused. “Did you ever believe in Santa?” he asked his friends.

All three of them looked at him as if he had said the rudest thing possible. “I’m sorry?!” Penguin said, pulling Law away from the children so they couldn’t overhear him. “Of course we believed in Santa Claus as a child! You wanna tell us you didn’t?”

“He’s sitting right there…” Bepo pointed out shyly.

Now all of them looked at him. “Bepo…” Law started amused. “Do you still believe in Santa Claus?”

Bepo blushed. “I… no… of course not, but… you know… I do wonder sometimes… who brings the presents, you know?”

Law chuckled, and cast another look at the mall’s Santa. “Well, not this poor guy, that’s for sure.”

“No, but seriously, Law,” Penguin looked at him with an almost worried look on his face. “Did you not have a childhood?”

“Of course I did…” Law defended himself, even though his childhood had probably not been one of universal experience. “My parents just never pretended Santa was real.”

“I’m so sorry,” Shachi said, looking at him with pity in his eyes.

Law frowned. “Don’t be?”

“You know what?” Penguin hooked his arm through Law’s. “This year we’re going to give you a Christmas experience you’ll never forget.”

“I second that!” Shachi grabbed Law’s other arm.

“Oh boy,” Law said, already regretting coming here today.

“Hey, stop hogging Law for yourselves!” Bepo protested, and since Law didn’t have any arms left to grab, he went to stand behind him and wrapped his chubby arms around Law’s waist. Law braced himself for what they all called a bear hug, as Bepo hugged him tightly, lifting him off the ground. “I’m gonna give you the best Christmas too.”

Law was never one for hugs, but from Bepo he could tolerate them. So, he chuckled softly. “Put me down, Bepo.”

His friend quickly did what he asked. “Sorry.”

Law sighed in defeat. “Fine, show me what Christmas is really about, or whatever.”

“Yes!” the three of them said in unison, and proceeded to drag him towards the nearest home deco shop.

There were so many people in these shops! Too many people. Law was starting to feel a little nauseous in these crowds, but he kept reminding himself he was doing this for his friends.

“There are so many Christmas tree decorations, there must be something you like!” Shachi encouraged him. “Glass decorations, sparkly, and non-sparkly, wooden decorations, even cute fluffy decorations! Look at this polar bear wearing a Christmas hat! You can hang it up in your tree!” He held up a small, but fluffy polar bear with a cord on it.

Bepo gasped. “Oh, that’s mine!” he snatched it from Shachi’s hand.

“Yeah, it reminds me of Bepo. Seems like a good fit.” Law chuckled. “I don’t even have a tree to put things in.”

“Oh, but that’s gonna change,” Penguin assured him. “Don’t you worry about that. We’ll pick out the best tree for you.”

Law put on his best fake smile. “You’re too kind.”

“Oh, don’t mention it!” Penguin waved the sarcastic compliment away.

“What about this one! This seems perfect for you!” Shachi showed the next ornament he’d found.

Law took it from his hand with interest. It was a heart shaped ornament with curly insides. It was not a bulb or anything, at least not in the traditional sense. Just a dark red, hollow, two-sided, curly heart frame. And Law had to admit he rather liked it. “It is kind of pretty.”

Shachi and Penguin cheered loudly. “We found something he likes!”

“Oh, this one matches!” Penguin grabbed a star in the same style and color. It was nice enough to accept for Law, and a moment later his friends had added three of each into their shopping basket.

“Look!” Bepo called from a few yards away. “These are pretty! Very modern, but pretty!” He held up a decorative item for his friends to see.

The three friends stared at it in stunned silence. “Is that…” Shachi started quietly, and both Law and Penguin nodded. It was definitely a butt plug. Law couldn’t make anything else of it. But why would they sell a butt plug in a Christmas decoration department?

They walked towards Bepo who was holding it with the most innocent face Law had ever seen anyone holding a butt plug. “Uh… what you got there, Bepo?” Penguin asked.

“It’s a little glass Christmas tree!” Bepo explained. “But with a modern twist. See, the top part is smooth, but painted on it is a modern twist on the branches, and then this smaller part is the tree trunk, and it has a flat base so you can put it down as decoration on your table or whatever!” *

The three of them stared some more at the item in silence, and a smirk slowly took over Law’s face. This was the kind of Christmas decoration he could get behind. Or it could get behind him. Whatever.

He reached out past Bepo and grabbed one box with glass trees. “They come in different sizes,” he said amused, and put the box into the basket Shachi was holding. “I’m taking a set.”

“Uh… I’m not sure they’re… safe, Law,” Penguin said.

Law took the display one Bepo was holding out of his friend’s hand and gave it a good look over, flicking his finger against it to test it. “Hmm, hollow glass… probably not.” Too bad. “Still taking them for their looks.”

“They’re pretty, right?” Bepo asked. “I think it’s fine as long as you don’t drop them.”

Law wondered how they could be friends with such an innocent guy. Or rather, how Bepo had managed to stay innocent despite his friends. But none of them wanted to ruin that, so none of them told him. Shachi and Penguin just shared a meaningful look and sighed.

They made their way through the shop, but the farther they went into the shop, the more people there seemed to be, and the less Law felt like he could breathe. “I’m sorry, I need to get some air,” he eventually told his friends. “You keep going, I’ll be just outside.” He pressed some money into Shachi’s hand for the Christmas decorations that were going to be his, and then fled the store.

Outside the shop it was still buzzing with people, so Law made it to the nearest exit of the mall, which was fortunately one that was not used by many people, and then he reached fresh air. He took a deep breath of the cold air and immediately started to feel a little better. This was why he hated seasonal shopping, especially on weekend days. But it couldn’t be helped, as it was the only time the four of them could be together.

Taking a few deep breaths, Law began to look at his surroundings. He was at an almost deserted part of the parking lot, behind the mall. This exit was probably mainly meant for employees, Law realized. About 25 yards away, next to the backdoor of a store, a guy with long blond hair was making out with a pink haired woman, but other than them, no one was around at the moment. It was a peaceful contrast to the mass of people inside, and Law instantly relaxed and let his body rest against the wall.

He jumped when his peace and quiet was disturbed only seconds later, when the door next to the couple was slammed open, and Santa walked out. Law blinked. Santa?

Santa roughly pulled the fake beard from his face and started screaming into the parking lot for a full five seconds. Law stared at him with surprise and amusement.

“You okay?” the blond guy asked when Santa had stopped screaming.

Santa turned around to face him. “I fucking hate this job!” He pulled his coat open and smashed the pillow that had made his belly look bigger at the floor. “Those motherfucking kids! You won’t believe how entitled some of them are, Kill!” He pulled the Christmas hat and wig off next, revealing bright red locks. “But can I strangle them? Nooo! I gotta be nice to them. Fucking gremlins!”

Law stared at him. Holy shit. Santa was foul mouthed and… hot as fuck!

“It’s just a few days, Kid,” his friend reminded him. “And it pays well.”

“That’s the only fucking reason I’m doing this,” Santa – Kid? No, that was a weird name, but his friend looked hardly more than a few years older – replied.

Oh, if Bepo saw this, he would be traumatized. But Law could definitely appreciate the vibe and the looks of this man. He leaned back a little into the shade of the exit he had come through, so he could keep looking at the man without being seen.

“I think you’re quite good with the kids,” the pink haired woman spoke to Santa.

The man just growled. “Because I have to.” He sat down on the nearest car. “I’m just glad I can take a break for half an hour.”

“What about the children?” his blond friend asked. “Are they just waiting in line for Santa to return?”

The red-haired god scoffed. “Nah, my trusted elves, Hip and Hop, are entertaining them. Hopefully they’ll manage to get rid of the queue during my break.”

Law felt his phone vibrate, and while the conversation of the three people disappeared to the background, he fished it out of his pocket. It was a message from Penguin. ‘Where r u?’

Law snapped a photo of Santa Claus as inconspicuously as possible. Then he messaged Penguin back. ‘Outside. And you won’t believe this… Santa is hot.’ He send the picture to his friend.

‘Oh, wow,’ Penguin replied. ‘Where outside? We’ll come get you.’

‘No, wait in front of the shop, I’ll be back ASAP.’ Law cast one last look at the man in the Santa Claus costume, and then went inside again. The cold air had done its work and calmed him down, as well as bringing his nauseousness down.

But now his mind was occupied by the handsome man playing Santa. Damn, he should have tried to figure out if he was single. Oh well, they never were, were they? They were either taken, or as straight as an arrow.

Within two minutes, he had reached his friends again, who were waiting impatiently at the entrance of the store they had just visited. “Don’t just run off to look at hot men!” Shachi berated him. “Bepo panics when he can’t find you.”

“I’m sorry,” Bepo bowed his head. “I thought you might be kidnapped.”

Law shook his head, chuckling. “I was just getting a breath of fresh air. There are too many people inside for me to feel comfortable.” He smirked at Shachi. “The hot man was completely coincidental.”

“Sure,” Shachi said, obviously not believing him. “Well, I hope you got your breath of fresh air, because there are plenty of other shops we still have to visit.”

Law sighed. “Fine, lead the way.”

Fortunately, the next store was set up more spaciously, which made Law feel less trapped with all the people inside. He didn’t register much of what they were selling, however, as his mind kept drifting to the red-haired man he saw in the parking lot. Law wondered what he would look like in daily life. Would he always wear his hair flat like that, or was that just because of the wig? What kind of clothes would he wear? Should Law try to get his number? See if he wanted to go on a date with him? Or just a hookup, that would probably do too. Just to get this man out of his system.

“Hm?” he said, focusing his view on an ornament Penguin showed him. “Nah, not really my thing.”

Law wouldn’t be surprised if the man was straight, though. The way he acted was like he had a little bit too much testosterone, and his friend was obviously straight too. Not that that had to mean anything, of course, but Law just wouldn’t be surprised. Or maybe he was one of those guys who thought they were straight… In that case Law would love to try to change his mind.

About twenty minutes later, the four of them left the shop. “Well, Law can’t focus at all, and Bepo is hungry, so why don’t we go get some lunch first, before we continue our Christmas shopping?” Penguin suggested.

“Sounds like a plan,” Bepo said, already leading the way towards his favorite lunch café.

Having to cross the middle of the mall to get there, they walked past the Christmas setup where Santa had been sitting earlier. Shachi laughed as he looked at the few children still waiting in line. “Kids these days have no patience at all… Look at how the queue has almost completely disappeared while Santa is on a break!”

Law chuckled. “I guess they’re not satisfied with two scarcely clothed lady elves. They want the boss or nothing.” But honestly, those elves… were definitely not dressed to attract children – rather their fathers – in their deeply cut out dresses that barely reached over their asses.

Shachi’s head snapped up to look at the Christmas setting immediately. “Holy fuck, how did I not see them before?”

Penguin stared as well. “There’s no sign saying it’s for kids only, right?” he said, taking a few steps to get to the back of the queue.

Shachi smirked widely as he joined his friend. “Don’t mind if I do…” He leaned in towards Penguin. “There’s one for each of us. Which one do you prefer?”

Law groaned while Penguin gave the two women dressed up as elves a good look over. “The one with the shorter hair is more my type.”

“Perfect!” Shachi clapped in his hands excitedly.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Law mumbled.

“Guys!” Bepo complained. “We were going to get lunch!”

“All in due time, Bepo!” Shachi assured him. “There’s only six kids waiting before us!” The children closest to him looked around at him with suspicion, seeming to think it incredibly weird that they were there. However, a father that was in line with his daughter, looked at Shachi and Penguin with a knowing smirk.

Law rolled his eyes and grabbed Bepo’s wrist, pulling him towards their friends’ side. “We’ll get lunch after this. But if neither of you score a phone number or a kiss, I’m gonna laugh in your faces for the rest of the day.” Law knew he shouldn’t encourage his friends, he knew their behavior was unacceptable, and those women probably didn’t want any adult attention, but Law also couldn’t wait to see how they would both make a fool of themselves.

Both Penguin and Shachi scowled at him, but then they shared a look, and smirked. “Challenge accepted.”

It was only a few minutes later when the two children before them were called forwards, and Law didn’t miss the slightly uncomfortable look one of the elves gave their group. He took a slight step backwards, not wanting to be associated with those two who let their dick guide them. He cleared his throat and warned his friends quietly, “Don’t touch them inappropriately. I don’t want the police to get involved.”

Penguin looked shocked at him. “What the hell do you take us for?”

“Perverts,” Law answered.

Penguin rolled his eyes. “I am a perv… a perfect gentleman.”

“Sure.” Law had known them for a while, and he didn’t buy it one bit.

The kids seemed to have had their moment with the elves, and the two women talked quietly to each other before looking their way again. Then suddenly, one of them smiled relieved. “Look who it is, kids!” She said loudly. “Santa Claus is back from his lunch break!”

All of them followed her gaze and saw how the man in the Santa Claus costume – completely dressed up again, no trace of red hair to be spotted – was walking towards the Christmas setup. He held up a hand as greeting. “Ho ho ho,” he said without too much enthusiasm. He reached the platform and the elves walked towards him immediately.

Law could feel Penguin’s and Shachi’s mood dampen as one of the elves spoke quietly into Santa’s ear. Santa nodded shortly, and then he walked towards his seat. “Now it’s time for my trusted elves to get lunch,” he spoke loudly as he sat down, and Law could even see his smirk underneath the fake beard when Santa looked at Shachi and Penguin. He beckoned them over. “But the next guys can come sit on my lap.” He patted his legs invitingly.

Penguin and Shachi both colored deeply red, and seemed unsure what to do for a moment, while the elves made a run for it. Law would have laughed in their faces if he hadn’t seen his chance in that moment. “You hesitate too long,” he said, as he pushed them aside and walked confidently up to Santa Claus. He had possibly one chance; he wasn’t going to miss it.

He saw Santa look at him with a bit of surprise, but definitely some interest as well, and the man’s eyes travelled over his body for a moment before settling on his face. Law looked him in the eyes, smirked a little, and then sat down on his lap without asking if the invitation extended to him. From the corner of his eyes, he saw his three friends scurry aside, leaving the queue and watching him from the sidelines.

“Oh,” Santa said, seeming a little caught by surprise for a second. Then he recomposed himself and wrapped an arm around Law’s hip as if to stabilize him in his lap – like Law imagined he did with the kids. Law didn’t mind. “Well… what’s your name?”

Law casually draped his arm around the man’s shoulder – also for stability, of course – and kept eye contact. “Law,” he answered. “And yours?”

The man grinned. “Santa Claus.”

Law huffed, amused. “Yeah? Is that what you like to be called?” he said, maybe a bit too suggestively.

Santa let out a short laugh. “Rather not, but it will do for today.” He placed his free hand on Law’s leg. “Are you with them?” he asked with a nod towards Law’s friends.

“No,” Law answered immediately. “Well, they are my friends, but I’m not like them. I think it was a good call to send your coworkers away.”

A chuckle escaped Santa’s lips. “They were practically drooling. My elves felt extremely uncomfortable.”

“But you don’t,” Law concluded with interest.

“No,” Santa replied. “I could handle them.”

Law smirked, even though he wasn’t so sure about that. If Penguin and Shachi had decided to go for his lap together… Law was glad he had beaten them to it.

Santa’s gloved thumb started caressing Law’s leg softly, while he looked into Law’s eyes. “So, tell me, Law, what is it you want for Christmas?”

Oh, this man was flirting back with him at least a little. Law thought about the question for a moment, but the hand on his leg was kind of distracting. Still, he didn’t have to think very long before he knew the answer. “A hot redhead to keep me company.” He studied Santa’s face carefully for his reaction.

The man raised his eyebrows surprised, but his grin only widened. “Redheads you’re type?”

Law shrugged. “Not necessarily. But I saw one today who didn’t look all that bad – except for this weird costume he was wearing. He seemed a little frustrated, but… I like a man with fire in him.”

“Hm,” the man hummed. “Santa would almost think you were flirting with him.”

Law frowned, feigning confusion as he grabbed a lock of the man’s wig. “Why?” he asked. “Santa has white hair.”

Santa Claus chuckled, let his eyes run over Law again. “You’re funny. So, you want a redhead for Christmas,” he said. “Have you been nice this year?”

Law looked him in the eyes. “Oh no, I’m afraid I’ve been very naughty this year,” he said quietly, and he smiled slyly. “But not as naughty as I still could be… if I got my redhead.”

He heard Santa breathe in sharply, and then the man smirked at him – even with the beard, Law couldn’t help but think the smirk was attractive. Santa eyed the slowly growing queue of kids. “Well, in that case, you shouldn’t hold up the line. Presents are only for boys who’ve been nice.” He cleared his throat and shifted a little. “There are kids waiting.”

A little disappointed, Law stood up, but he did notice the hand stayed on his leg a little longer than necessary. Just when he wanted to walk away, Santa called after him. “But Law… I’ll see what I can do for you, if you drop your… wish list…” – he shook his hand shortly, having his middle three fingers folded up, and only his thumb and little finger sticking out in a 'call me' sign – “in my mailbox.”

Law smirked. “Of course… Santa-ya.” He walked towards the mailbox on the side of the setup, next to which a notepad with a pen were situated. At the top of each sheet on the notepad stood ‘wish list’. Law grabbed the pen and quickly wrote down his name and phone number, ripped the top paper off the pad and dropped it into the mailbox.

Feeling slightly victorious, he walked back to his friends. All three of them were watching him with crossed arms, a judging look on their faces – even Bepo. “And exactly how are you better than us?” Shachi wanted to know.

Law smirked. “Because I was asked to leave my phone number,” he said, looking a little smugly at them.

Penguin and Shachi looked disbelievingly back. “Really?”

Frowning, Law answered, “Yeah, really. Don’t sound so surprised.” He looked around at Santa, seeing he was currently having a girl on his lap who seemed around the age of six. He was talking softly and playfully to her, making Law smile. The man’s pink haired friend had been right; he seemed to be pretty good with kids.

“Well, congrats, Law,” Bepo said, giving him a friendly slap against his shoulder a little too harshly. “Now, let’s get lunch.”

When the four of them arrived at Law’s home by the end of the afternoon, he was exhausted. Law could be active all day without problem, but strolling through shops amongst hundreds of other people, and having to be social all the time, that was exhausting. He let himself drop on the couch and let out a sigh.

“Tea?” Penguin asked. Law frowned at that.

“Hot chocolate?” Bepo suggested. Law chuckled, but shook his head.

Then Shachi came walking out of the kitchen. “Coffee’s running.”

“You’re the best.” Law smiled at him. Now that he was at home, he was feeling a lot better already, and after a cup of coffee or two, he would probably be as good as new. Even though socializing all day had taken a toll on him, he didn’t mind his friends being here at home with him. As long as he was in an environment where he was comfortable, his friends felt like home too.

Penguin rolled his eyes. “Well, we still have to put up the Christmas decoration.”

They were all startled when Bepo gasped dramatically. “We forgot the tree!”

Penguin and Shachi looked shocked at him. “Shit, how could we forget?!” Penguin looked at his watch. “Aww, damn, it’s too late to go back to get one now.” He sighed. “Well, we’ll have to get one tomorrow then.”

Law groaned, not looking forward to another day of shopping. Besides… “I can’t. Gotta work tomorrow. I took over a shift from someone.” How unfortunate.

“On a Sunday?!” Shachi complained.

“Oh, I’m sorry, should we just let people die because it’s Sunday and you have to go Christmas tree shopping?” Law rolled his eyes. The downside of working in health care was that you sometimes had to work on days that your friends were free. But Shachi knew that very well.

Penguin sighed, but then sucked on his lip thoughtfully. “How late do you get off?”

“It’s an early shift, so at three PM,” Law answered. “But there’s no way I’m going tree shopping after that.”

“I’ve got an idea,” Penguin said. “The three of us will go tomorrow morning to pick out a tree for you. You’ll only have to pick it up, since we don’t own a car. We’ll buy it for you, and you’ll just have to say your name at the counter and take the tree and leave. How does that sound?”

Law shook his head in amusement. His friends really wanted him to have a tree, didn’t they. “Fine.” If only because he had bought all the Christmas tree decoration for nothing if he didn’t get a tree.

His friends all smiled when he agreed, and Penguin clapped his hand in delight. “Great! We still have the non-tree decoration we can put up today, though!” He turned to his friends. “Bepo, put on some Christmas music. Shachi, you take care of the coffee. I’ll get the decorations.” He got a single nod from both of them, and they all went to work, leaving Law just sitting on the couch in amusement.

Bepo put on a Christmas playlist, and after a cup of coffee, the four of them started to give the decorations a place. Law decided to let his friends do some decorating as well, even if it was his house. He had let himself be coaxed into buying way too much, and he didn’t feel like thinking about where he would put everything. Besides, if they did something he didn’t like, he could just change it again when they were gone.

Law had just hung up some lights at his front door, when he heard Shachi say, “If you hit my fingers, I swear…”

“Have a little faith in me, will ya?” Penguin replied. “If I hit your fingers, it will be on purpose.”

“That’s why I–” Shachi started to protest, and Law was looking at them while closing the front door just in time to see Penguin hit the nail Shachi was holding, with a hammer.

Law stared at them as he saw the nail sink in the top of the doorframe towards his living room. “What are you doing?” Putting up decoration was one thing, demolishing his home was another.

Penguin and Shachi smiled sheepishly at him. “We needed a place to put this up,” Penguin explained, as he used a red ribbon to tie a bunch of mistletoe branches to the nail.

Law raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t buy that.”

“No, we did,” Penguin said, seeming pleased with himself. “And you know what mistletoe means…”

Now, Law frowned, obviously knowing what his friend was hinting at, but not taking the bite. “In many pagan cultures it symbolizes male fertility. You see the white berries? The color resembles semen, don’t you think?”

Both his friends stood in the door opening looking at him like he had just offended them. Well, Law could continue like that. “Though, it’s safer to swallow actual semen than these berries. Mistletoe is actually toxic to humans.”

“Nerd,” Shachi commented. “But we’re not pagan, are we?”

“Fair enough.” Law looked at the two of them and got a smirk on his face. “Then tell me, what does it mean?”

Shachi rolled his eyes. “When two people are standing underneath the mistletoe, they have to kiss. It’s a rule.”

“Is that so?” Law asked amused. “Because I see two people standing underneath it right now, and they aren’t kissing…”

Shachi and Penguin looked at each other, and then up at the mistletoe. Only then Law realized the song currently playing was ‘Have yourself a merry little Christmas’, and it was just the right moment to time it perfectly. “And you know how the song goes,” he said, right before Michael Bublé sung, “Make the yuletide gay…”

Penguin snorted, and Shachi also looked amused. They shared another look, and Shachi reached out a hand to cup his friend’s face. “Rules are rules,” he said. Then Penguin leaned in, and to Law’s surprise, they kissed each other tenderly on the lips.

“Okay, I didn’t see that coming,” Law admitted.

The both of them turned their heads towards him with a cheeky smile. “Good friends can kiss each other, Law.” Shachi said.

Law shook his head in amusement while he took a step back, just to make sure he was not in the vicinity of the mistletoe as long as they were. “But why did you put it up in my house? Not to sound like I’m asking for pity, but I don’t have anyone to kiss.”

“Just come a little closer,” Penguin said, his smile turning into a smirk. “And we can change that.”

“No, thanks,” Law said. “I don’t kiss my friends like that.” He began to think the two of them had definitely had too much glühwein at the mall.

“I’m with Law on this one!” Bepo agreed from behind them.

Shachi chuckled, and he and Penguin created a little space between them. “But you never know if Santa might stop by…” he said suggestively.

Law snorted. “I wish.”

“Still haven’t heard anything from him yet?” Shachi asked.

Law checked his phone and shook his head, disappointed. Santa had already left his post at the Christmas setup when the four friends had left the mall, so the man had had a bit of time to call or text Law by now. Maybe he hadn’t been as interested as he’d seemed? No, Law couldn’t let himself think like that. It had only been a few hours… “He’s probably tired from a whole day of entertaining children. I’ll hear from him eventually.”

Bepo called from the living room. “Law, where do you want these?” He held up the set of glass Christmas trees – or butt plugs, however you wanted to look at them.

Law thought it over for a moment. “Somewhere visible,” he said, smirking. He wanted as many people as possible to see them. “Put them in the windowsill. It’d be fun if the neighbors could see them.” If he was being forced to decorate for Christmas, he was going to make sure to be as obnoxious about it as possible.

The next day, directly out of work, Law drove by the place where they sold the Christmas trees. It was a shop on the outside of the mall, but not the side they had left through the previous day, or they probably wouldn’t have forgotten about it. Law only went there because Bepo had texted him they had bought a tree for him earlier that day, and he just needed to pick it up. He couldn’t really say no anymore. So, he parked his car as close to the shop as he could, and walked up to the counter. He had to wait a bit, before it was finally his turn. “I’m here to pick up a tree. My friends bought it earlier this day.”

“Name?” the guy behind the counter asked, sounding uninterested.

“Trafalgar Law.”

The guy looked at the three netted trees behind him and read the labels. “This one,” he said, holding one upright for Law to take over. As soon as Law had it in his hands, the guy turned towards the next customer. “How may I help you?”

Oof, this thing was heavy! How big a tree had they chosen for him? It didn’t seem extremely big, but it was hard to tell while netted, to be honest. Law wrapped his hands around the tree and with a lot of effort he lifted it from the ground, some of the needles poking uncomfortably through the net into his face. He looked at the shop employee for help, but the guy didn’t spare him a second glance, so Law realized he’d have to do this on his own.

Pulling the tree behind him towards his car cost about all his strength, and he had to take a moment to catch his breath before he could think about how he was going to get the tree home. He looked at his small, yellow car. Of course, he had thought about this up front, and he had realized tying it up on the roof would be the best idea, since there was not enough room to put it inside the car. Besides, if by some miracle he did manage to get it inside, his car would be a mess. But how the hell was he going to get it up the roof? He should have brought Bepo. The two of them would probably have no problem getting it up there – hell, maybe Bepo alone would succeed.

Law sighed, and grabbed the tree again, pulling it up as far as he managed. He had to be able to get it up the roof alone. With a deep breath and then a bit of a groan, he raised the base of the tree, lifting it up... and managed to get it pointing in the direction of the roof, no further. And he had to be careful too, because he didn’t want to scratch the coating of the car.

“No strength at all in those arms, have you?” an amused voice sounded from not too far away.

Law shot the man an annoyed look, not in the mood at all to be mocked by some dude who–

Law’s train of thought stopped abrupt when he laid eyes on the man who had just spoken. The redhead was leaning casually against one of the cars in the parking lot, grinning. It was the man he had seen the day before, the man who had been wearing the Santa Claus uniform, Law was pretty sure about it. The man who hadn’t called or texted him.

But he looked completely different now that he was showing off his own looks. He was not wearing the Santa uniform anymore, but his own clothes, including a rather ridiculous pair of pants and a fur coat. His hair stood up right, held up by a headband, his lips colored dark red, and black eyeliner framing his eyes.

Holy shit. Law wondered how he had ever thought it a possibility that this man was straight. And he was at least as hot now as he had been when Law saw him yesterday. Maybe even hotter.

Still, the man had made fun of him, which Law could not appreciate. But before Law could reply, having taken perhaps a moment too long to take in the man’s appearance, the redhead spoke again. “You a doctor, or what?”

Law frowned, confused, and reached towards his neck to feel if he had forgotten to take off his stethoscope. Of course he hadn’t. Besides, he was wearing a thick coat that would hide it. “How did you know?”

The man burst out laughing. “You’re a doctor for real?!” he laughed some more, which annoyed Law, because he couldn’t figure out what was so funny. “Well, that explains why I couldn’t read your note.” He put his hand in the pocket of his coat and took it out holding the piece of paper on which Law had scribbled his phone number the day before. “Seriously, is this a seven or a one?” he asked, pointing at the number.

Law huffed, a little offended, but he couldn’t help but smirk a little too. At least that was a good reason not to call or text him. And he did seem to have left an impression on Santa, since he still had Law’s number – despite not being able to read it – and he had recognized him immediately. Law squinted at the piece of paper. “A one, obviously.”

The man looked at the number again. “And this?” He pointed at the last digit. “Is this a four or a nine?”

Law raised his eyebrows, not believing this guy was serious. “A seven!”

The guy frowned. “That’s not a seven.” He looked at the paper more closely, and shook his head. “How is that a seven?”

“Have you ever learned to read numbers in school?” Law flung back. Sure, his handwriting might not be the neatest, but it wasn’t that bad.

Scowling, the man replied, “Oh, you’re not a nice boy at all, Santa was right in that.”

Law huffed amused. “I told him.”

“And he told me… how naughty you’ve been.” The guy pushed off the car and took a few steps towards him. “Said you deserved a hot redhead as present, nevertheless.”

“Santa’s too generous,” Law said sarcastically. Still, his heart was beating a little faster with every step the man took towards him. Oh, he would not mind having this man in his bed tonight at all.

“He’s a good-hearted man,” the redhead agreed. “So, you need help with that?” He nodded towards the tree that lay almost forgotten against Law’s car.

Law’s first reaction was to deny that. He did not want to look weak in the eyes of this hottie. He did not want to admit he needed help. But what other choice did he have? There was no way he was going to get the tree up on the roof of his car by himself. And if he said he didn’t need help, Law just knew the man would keep watching and see him make a fool of himself, and that was even worse. Besides, if there was anyone he wanted help from, it was this man.

“I don’t need it,” Law clarified, “but if you’re offering, I won’t say no.”

“Hm,” the man said amused, now standing only a foot away from him, looking intimidating to any person who’d let themselves be intimidated.

But not to Law. Holy fuck, it didn’t happen very often that Law was this attracted to a guy. He licked his dry lips and forced himself to keep eye contact while his heart was beating loudly in his chest. He had to say something, anything. “You hardly look strong enough to be of any real help though.” What a big fat lie. Even through the man’s thick coat Law could see he was he was built broadly, and was probably hiding quite some muscles under there. Law began to get a little hot in his own thick coat.

The man huffed, and frowned. “Really now?” He leaned over to grab the tree trunk with his right hand, and lifted it from the ground. He seemed to weigh the tree for a few seconds, before he hummed thoughtfully, and stepped a little closer to it. Using both his arms now, he pulled the whole tree from the ground, pushed it up with nothing more than a slight wince crossing his face, and put it up on his right shoulder.

He looked at Law a little smugly. “Where did you want it? On the roof?”

Law stared at him, swallowing hard. “So you’ve got brute strength… so what?” he mumbled, trying to act indifferent. Sure, it was certainly doing things to him, but at the same time he hated how much of a showoff this guy was. Law cleared his throat. “Yeah, the roof would be great.”

The man placed the tree on top of the car, and Law helped him get it in the most stable position, after which they tied it up so it couldn’t move. After a few minutes of working together, Law looked at their work, satisfied. “Well… thank you,” he said, and smiled a little flirtatious at the man. “I must admit you were stronger than I gave you credit for.”

The redhead chuckled. “Happens to the best of us. You weren’t as weak as you seemed either.”

At that, Law gave him the finger. No matter how hot the guy was, Law wouldn’t let him make fun of him. However, this gesture only made the man smirk widely, revealing a set of perfect, white teeth. “Is that the thanks I get?”

Law huffed amused. “You’re also welcome to join me for coffee at my home, so I can really thank you.” The words had left his mouth before he could think it through. Maybe it wasn’t the best idea to invite a stranger over to his home, but he couldn’t help but want this man. He not only wanted him in his bed, he wanted to get to know him too. He seemed like an interesting figure.

The man raised a non-existing eyebrow, his smirk still in place. “Are you always this direct?”

Law leaned against his car and smirked at him. “When I have to be.”

Chuckling, the redhead replied, “That’s uh...” he swallowed, “…good. I like it when people don’t beat around the bush.” He let his eyes wander from Law to his Christmas tree and then back again. Law didn’t miss how his eyes ran over his body, and he cursed himself for wearing a long coat that showed exactly nothing of his body in that moment. When the man looked at his face, he spoke again. “Well, I guess you could use some help getting that off your car again and into your home as well, so I could at least come with you for that… We’ll see what happens after that.”

Law’s smirk stayed, as he realized the man probably wanted him just as much, if his stare was anything to go by. “I could,” he agreed. He cocked his head towards the passenger’s side of his car. “Hop in then.”

While the man got into the car, Law zipped open his coat and took it off together with his gloves to throw them on the backseat, before he got into the driver’s seat himself. He had become quite hot from both struggling with the Christmas tree and staring at the good-looking man who was now in his car. Besides, he had already turned on the engine and heating a few minutes earlier.

Closing the door behind him, he looked at the man next to him, and the man looked back, once again letting his eyes travel over Law’s body, now that he could see more of it, and they lingered on his hands for a moment. He started unbuttoning his coat as well, mumbling something about it being quite warm in the car.

Law cleared his throat, wanting to ask something before he drove off with this man. “So… do you have a name, or should I keep calling you Santa?”

The redhead chuckled as he let his coat slide off his shoulders. “Eustass Kid,” he introduced himself.

So his name really was Kid? That was… unusual. “Trafalgar Law,” Law returned the introduction, since the man had told him his surname as well. “Nice to meet you, Eustass-ya.” He drove off into the direction of his home.

While driving, he cast short looks at his passenger every once in a while. “So… do you, uhm, exercise a lot? Do you do a lot of lifting?”

Kid smirked. “What’s a lot? I do visit the gym a few times a week, yes.” He paused a moment before continuing. “Gotta keep my right arm in shape with my left.”

Law frowned, and looked at him again, specifically at his left arm. It was covered by a shirt and his hands were still clad in gloves, but he didn’t see anything weird about it. “Why? What do you do  with your left arm?”

“I’m just left-handed, you know,” Kid said, making a movement with his left hand as if he was jerking off.

Law snorted. “Okay… good to know.”

Kid chuckled. “Nah, I’m kidding. You’re a doctor, right? Touch my arm, I’m sure you’ll realize what I’m talking about.”

Law swallowed. He did not have to be asked twice to touch this man’s arm. Keeping his eyes mostly on the road, he reached out his right hand to wrap his vingers around Kid’s bicep, and squeezed softly.

He frowned, surprised to find the arm quite hard. Not as in muscle-hard, but even tougher. This was not how an arm was supposed to feel, and a hypothesis quickly started to form in his head. He let his hand wander down towards Kid’s elbow with interest. Definitely not a regular elbow. “It’s a prosthetic,” he concluded, pulling his hand back to put it on the wheel again.

“Hm-hm.” Kid took off his gloves to reveal a hand made of metal, and flexed the fingers. “Decided what shape I wanted it to be in when I got it, so now the other arm can’t stay behind.”

Law looked at it, curious to know more about it. He wasn’t at all surprised Kid was strong now, though, at least as long as he was pushing things. Pulling heavy items would probably be another thing, as he’d most likely just pull the prosthetic from his shoulder if the object was too heavy. Law tried to recall how he had gotten the tree on his shoulder earlier, but couldn’t remember clearly. However, Kid probably knew exactly what the best way to use his metal arm was. “Can you feel with it? Is it attached to your nerve endings?”

“A little,” Kid answered. “I can feel some with my hand.”

“Fascinating,” Law replied.

“It does feel interesting to jerk off with my left hand though,” Kid said with a grin. “From my dick’s perspective, I mean.”

Law snorted amused. “In what way?”

“Well, it’s incredibly different from a real hand. Harder, but also more textured, in a way,” Kid explained without any embarrassment. “It’s also influenced by temperature a lot. Like… on days like these…” He reached out and touched Law’s cheek.

Law chuckled, but tried not to get too distracted by the touch. The prosthetic was in no way a turn off for him. “That’s cold.”

“Hm-hm,” Kid said again, and pulled his hand back a little. “It can warm up pretty fast, though. So… whatever you’re in the mood for.” He let his hand go down and placed his fingertips on Law’s leg a little hesitantly, as if he still wasn’t quite sure if they were going there. Or maybe rather: not sure anymore. Why was this man telling him about his prosthetic unprompted anyway? Was he trying to make sure Law knew what he was getting? Kid hadn’t seemed like the insecure type of man, but Law guessed everyone had their insecurities.

But fuck, Law wanted more of his touch. He wanted to make sure Kid knew he was still into him. So, he moved his upper leg a little towards the metal hand in a quiet hint. “Warm is usually a little better, right?”

Kid seemed to get the hint, and let his hand slide a little further up his leg. “I’ll make sure to warm it up then.”

Shit, maybe this wasn’t such a good idea when he was driving a car. Focus on the road, Law! he told himself. He tried his best, but the touch really was distracting. And in his mind, he tried to decide whether this was going to be a hookup or more like a date. He didn’t think he wanted this to be just a hookup, to be honest, but on the other hand he really didn’t want this to be just a date either. Besides, he already kind of insinuated there was at least something going to happen to ‘thank’ Kid for his help. And he was rather looking forward to it.

However much Law tried to focus on driving and ignore the touch of Kid’s hand, which had softly started to caress his leg, he couldn’t help but notice the space in his pants had become awfully tight by the time they arrived at his home. Law took a deep breath and parked his car in front of his house. Then he turned towards Kid, who kept his hand on Law’s leg. They looked into each other’s eyes for a few silent seconds before Law swallowed. “This is where I live.”

Kid smirked. “I got that.” He finally pulled his hand back. “Let’s get that tree of yours inside then, shall we?”

“Hm,” Law replied, disappointed. The tree was not his first priority at all, but it did need to be done. It might be better to get that over with, so they could move on to more interesting activities. “Yeah.” He still kept holding Kid’s gaze, hoping the other man would maybe take initiative to do something else after all.

But no such luck. Kid kept looking at him with a smirk for a few seconds, but then opened the door and got out of the car. Law quickly followed his example as to not look stupid. He swallowed hard and recomposed himself. He wasn’t that desperate for this man’s attention.

As soon as he’d closed the door behind him, he started to undo the ropes that held the Christmas tree tied to the roof of the car. “So, how did you end up playing Santa at the mall?” Law asked, mainly to distract himself. “When I saw you yesterday, you didn’t particularly seem to enjoy it.”

Kid shrugged. “It’s a job. I work as a mechanic at the garage next to the mall, for a little less than a year now. Apparently, they always deliver a Santa Claus to entertain the kids on the weekends before Christmas. It’s a randomly chosen employee, but the person who does it gets a huge bonus, so I decided to accept when my name was drawn. But there are certainly times when I regret that decision.”

Law chuckled. “I bet. Especially when two grown ass adults stand in line to harass your elves.”

“Fortunately, that doesn’t happen too often.” Kid smirked. “Besides, that did make my day a lot more interesting.” He helped to get the ropes off on his side of the car.

“How often do you have adults in your lap?” Law asked, amused.

Kid narrowed his eyes at him. “As Santa, you mean?”

Law looked deadpanned back. “Yes, as Santa.” For once, he wasn’t thinking dirty like Kid apparently was.

The smirk was back on Kid’s face almost immediately. “Happened twice. But one of them was mentally still a child, so that doesn’t count.”

“Oh, come on,” Law said disbelievingly. “Not even jokingly?”

“Nah, most people don’t want to make a fool of themselves.” Kid threw the rope towards Law’s side. “An adult who sits on Santa’s lap… that’s kinda embarrassing.”

Law huffed offended. “Oh, is it?” He took the rope and threw it on the backseat of the car. “Well, if it’s that embarrassing, I’ll make sure to not sit in your lap again…” he made sure to say as suggestively as possible.

Kid frowned, and hummed disapprovingly. “I didn’t say I minded…”

“Oh no, Eustass-ya, I wouldn’t want to make a fool of myself.” Law would make sure to punish Kid for saying it was embarrassing. Kid had gone home with him, so Law was pretty sure he wanted him to sit in his lap again, preferably without clothes. But there was no way that was going to happen now… at least not without making Kid take back his words.

“Law,” a voice behind him interrupted them. Law turned around and saw his neighbor looking concerned at him. “What do you have standing in your windowsill? Everyone can see that, and I don’t think it’s family appropriate.”

Law looked at the butt plug shaped ornaments in his windowsill and smirked slightly, before straightening his face and turning back to his neighbor. “They’re glass Christmas trees… why wouldn’t it be appropriate? It’s the season for that, right?”

“They’re…” The woman slowly colored red as she too, gave them another look over. “…Christmas trees… of course.” From the corner of his eyes, Law saw Kid trying to look at his windowsill curiously, but he probably couldn’t see it well from his side of the car.

Law looked as innocently as possible at his neighbor. “Why? What did you think they were?”

If possible, she colored even redder. “Oh, no, I… I must have judged them too quickly. I only saw them in passing. I’m sorry.” She quickly walked on towards her own door.

Only when she had turned her back to him, did Law let the smirk back onto his face. He just loved making the neighbors feel uncomfortable.

“What was that about?” Kid asked curiously, while he started to pull on the tree to get it off the car.

“No idea,” Law responded, amused. He also grabbed the tree. “Wait a moment, you’re gonna scratch the coating like this!”

“Oh, I know a place where they can fix that,” Kid said innocently, but he did stop pulling the tree until Law had a good grip on it as well.

Law rolled his eyes. “I’d rather not have to have it fixed. But if you want me to stop by your workplace, you could just say so.” He got a firm hold on the tree. “Let’s lift it together in three, two, one…” They both lifted the tree, Kid at the base, Law higher up, and pulled it over the car to their respective sides– which made the tree turn, and hit Law in the face. “What the hell are you doing? Why would you move it to your side of the car? My home is on my side.”

“Well, I’m the one who’s carrying it, am I not?!” Kid argued with a frown. “Or did you want to give it another try with your pathetic little arms?”

Law clenched his teeth. “I dare you say that again.” The tree now lay on the car with one end sticking out on each side.

Kid smirked at him. “Admit it, you just want to see me carry this tree again. There’s no shame in that.”

Fuck this guy! No, but seriously… why was that exactly what Law wanted to do, fuck this guy? He was a bit too boastful to be sympathetic, and that was something Law usually couldn’t appreciate at all. Still, Eustass Kid was different in a way that Law couldn’t quite put his finger on. His behavior only made Law want him more.

In a moment of inattentiveness, Kid saw his chance, and heaved up the tree again to put it on his right shoulder once more.

Well, fuck. The fact that Kid was right, only made it worse. It was a sight to behold. Law cleared his throat. “Well, I’ll have to unlock the door, and I can’t do two things at once, so I’ll let you carry the tree for now.”

Kid followed him to the door with a smirk, and went to stand right behind him as Law got the keys out of his pocket and tried to get them into the keyhole of his front door. “I’ll accept that excuse,” Kid said quietly and way too close to Law’s ear.

A shiver went down Law’s spine and his dick twitched, but Law decided to ignore all that for now. He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and held the door open for his guest. “Welcome to my home.”

Kid stepped inside and let his eyes wander around curiously. “Where do you want your tree?”

Closing the door behind him, Law quickly walked towards the living room where his friends had said they made room for it while he was at work – leave it up to them to abuse their ownership of the spare key like that. “Follow me,” he said, noticing how they actually chose a pretty convenient spot to set up the tree stand, he had to give them that. “Can you put it directly in the stand?”

“Sure,” Kid replied, and without problem he placed it in the middle of the stand Law’s friends had made ready. “I’ll hold it up right while you fasten the screws.”

“Thanks,” Law said as he crouched down. A few moments later, and he had tightened all screws as much as possible. He looked up at Kid, who was holding the tree up with his left hand. “I think you can let go now.”

They both watched carefully as Kid pulled back his arm, but to Law’s surprise, it kept standing up right. Not bad, for someone who’s never done this before, Law thought a little proudly.

Only when he was done he realized how hot it was inside his home. Dammit, Penguin! He always turned up the heat to an ungodly level. He could at least have turned it down again when he left! It was expensive enough to heat up his house the normal amount already. “I’m sorry it’s so hot in here,” Law said, eying the coat Kid had thrown on again when leaving the car. The man had to be close to a heat stroke in that thing. Law walked up to his thermostat. “My friends were here earlier and they like a little warmth.” When he saw the temperature on the display, his eyes widened. 23 degrees Celsius?! What the hell was wrong with them?

Law quickly turned it down five degrees, but it was not enough. “You can take off your coat, I can imagine it’s hot,” he said, while pulling his own sweatshirt over his head, giving his arms some much needed air. He pulled the tank top he was wearing underneath straight, and folded up his shirt to place it neatly on the armrest of his couch.

“Uh… yeah,” Kid answered, taking off his coat. “It is pretty hot.” Law noticed Kid staring at him. “Your… eh… your arms are not as pathetic as I thought.”

Law smirked, glad Kid seemed to like the look of him. “Glad you’ve seen the light.” He took Kid’s coat from him. “You can take off more too, if you’re hot.” He walked towards the hallway to hang up the coat, and when he came back into the living room, Kid had taken off his top layer as well, leaving him in just a T-shirt that hugged his chest tightly. This gave Law a good look at his prosthetic arm, which seemed to start just below the hem of his sleeve. Law let his eyes wander over the other arm and Kid’s chest as well. Hot damn.

Law took another step towards him and carefully let his fingers run up Kid’s flesh arm, and eventually looked up to his face. “Yeah, turning down the heat doesn’t really do anything like this.”

Kid was taking slow but heavy breaths while returning Law’s gaze. “At least it’s better for your tree… which you still need to water, by the way. And maybe cut away the net. Dunno what your plans with it were, but people usually remove the net.”

Law chuckled. “Who knew you were so caring.”

“It would be a waste of my efforts letting this tree die immediately,” Kid replied, licking his lips, and bringing up his metal hand to touch the heart shaped tattoo on Law’s shoulder.

Law gasped softly at the touch. The hand wasn’t as cold as before anymore, but it was still in stark contrast to his own heated skin. “I’ll get scissors and some water for the tree then. Do you want anything hot to drink? You know, to warm up your hand?” he said suggestively.

Kid let the hand run up from his shoulder, over his neck, to his jaw, holding it in a position where Law couldn’t look away from him anymore. The touch made Law forget about the tree almost instantly. When Kid leaned in, Law wanted nothing more than close the distance between them. However, he didn’t want to come across too desperate, so with a lot of willpower, he moved himself out of Kid’s hold. He could make Kid work a little harder for it. “So, coffee?”

Kid grunted displeased at the loss of contact. “If you can’t handle a little cold…” he said challenging.

Law smirked. “You said whatever I preferred, so…” He walked towards the kitchen. “I’ll get us some coffee. Or are you in a hurry?” Law would love to get to know Kid a little better, but if the man had other things to do, he wouldn’t mind getting straight to the point.

“Nah, coffee’s fine,” Kid answered from the living room. “I don’t have to be anywhere.”

While Law started preparing the coffee and filling up a can with water for the tree, he got a message in his friends’ group chat. ‘@Law did you get the tree? Do you need help with it?’ It was Bepo who asked.

‘A little late for that, isn’t it?’ Law answered. ‘Yes, I got the tree.’

‘I’M SO SORRY! DO YOU NEED HELP? OF COURSE YOU NEED HELP IT’S A BIG TREE IT’S HEAVY!’

‘Bepo, calm down,’ Law replied, turning off the tab because the can had been filled to the brim. ‘I’ve had help from someone else.’

‘Sorry, Law, we should have thought about that,’ Shachi apologized. ‘We can help you set it up, though! We can help you decorate!’

‘Yeah, we’re leaving now!’ Penguin added. ‘We’ll be there in ten.’

‘No.’ Law was quick to type. ‘Stay away from my house.’

‘What? 🥺’ Shachi texted.

‘Are you angry?’ Penguin asked. ‘I’m sorry, I just realized I forgot to turn down the heat. I didn’t mean to.’

Law snorted, and cast a quick look into the living room, to check if Kid was still there – which he was. ‘I’m not angry, I’m just not alone.’ He turned back towards the coffee machine, seeing that the coffee was almost done. ‘And thanks for making it unbearably hot in my home. It was a good excuse for both of us to take off our shirts 😉’

‘😳’ was Bepo’s reaction.

‘OMG,’ Shachi followed.

And Penguin asked, ‘Is it Santa?’

‘It is,’ Law confirmed. ‘So please stay away.’

‘😮 They gonna…’ Shachi said.

‘They gonna…’ Penguin repeated.

And then Shachi reacted with a gif.

Law rolled his eyes and put his phone away. He was sure the two of them would spam the chat with gifs like that from now on, and knowing them, the gifs would only get more and more obscene.

He poured two cups of coffee and held them in one hand while he carried the watering can in the other, walking back towards the living room. He saw Kid standing in the doorway between the living room and the hallway, turning something around in his hand. Law emptied the watering can into the Christmas tree stand, and put it down next to the tree before looking at Kid again. Only then he noticed, amused, Kid was still casually standing in the doorway that had the mistletoe hanging from the top of it.

“So… was this the decoration your neighbor was complaining about?” Kid held up one of the glass trees that had been decorating Law’s windowsill.

Law smirked. “Probably.”

“They’re butt plugs,” Kid stated.

Law chuckled. “Obviously. Not safe for use, though… hollow glass.”

Kid looked at the object in his hand again and frowned. “Why do you have butt plugs you can’t use, and why do you have them on display for everyone to see?”

Law took a few more steps towards him, but stayed out of his reach on purpose. He was curious to see how long Kid would keep standing underneath the mistletoe, obviously hoping Law would join him, but pretending he hadn’t noticed the plant at all. “Believe it or not, I actually found them in a Christmas department. They’re legitimate Christmas decorations.”

Kid raised his non-existing eyebrows. “But you bought them because they look like butt plugs.”

“Absolutely.” Law held out a coffee cup to him.

“And you put them in your windowsill to make your neighbors uncomfortable?” Kid reached out with his metal hand to take the cup from him.

“Absolutely,” Law confirmed again.

A grin appeared on Kid’s face. “I like you.” Immediately a blush colored his cheeks. “I mean… I can appreciate that thought. Would have done that too.”

The amused smirk on Law’s face only grew, but seriously, could Kid stop blushing? Law already thought he was hot; he did not have to think of him as cute too.

“Do you take sugar in your coffee?” Law asked. “Or… milk?” He realized, as he asked, that he had no milk in his home anyway.

“Nah, black’s fine.” Kid looked at Law as if he tried to get him to join him under the mistletoe just by thinking about it really hard, and Law had to restrain himself from doing so. He wanted Kid badly, but he also loved teasing the man a little bit more.

“You still haven’t removed the net,” Kid changed the topic casually.

“I only have two hands,” Law defended himself. He hadn’t had room to carry scissors too, after all.

Kid shrugged. “’S more than me.”

A laugh escaped Law’s lips. He could definitely appreciate a man making jokes about his own disability. Although Law didn’t get the feeling Kid was obstructed in any way by his missing arm. The prosthetic seemed to work about as well as a real arm.

“Fair. You can sit down, you know.” Law took a sip of his coffee. “You don’t have to keep standing there.”

The look of annoyance that crossed Kid’s face as he realized either Law wasn’t going to join him or Law hadn’t even noticed him standing underneath the mistletoe, made Law feel victorious. But he wouldn’t let it show, and he walked towards the cabinet where he stored a pair of scissors.

“I’m standing here fine, thanks,” Kid answered, not able to keep the annoyance out of his voice either.

“Suit yourself.” Law smirked while he pulled open the drawer containing the scissors. Or at least, it should be. The lack of scissors stared back at him, and Law had to take a deep breath to remain calm. He was going to change the locks tomorrow and not give his friends any keys. They always managed to misplace things when they were left unchecked in his home.

“Did you see a pair of scissors lying around somewhere?” he asked, turning back to Kid.

Kid let his eyes wander around the room while drinking his coffee. “No.”

Law frowned, also looking around. “Where the hell did they put it?”

With a sigh, Kid stepped away from his place in the doorway to walk towards Law and the Christmas tree. He took another sip from his coffee before he put the cup down, as well as the glass decoration he had been holding, and then Law saw him touch his prosthetic arm.

The next moment, a small, but sharp looking blade popped out of his wrist joint. Kid grabbed the net around the tree with his right hand and slashed it open with his left in two swift movements. “There you go,” Kid said, already returning the knife to its hiding place as if it was the most normal thing ever. Law followed the movement with interest, noticing how the blade was securely hidden in a way that didn’t make it possible to come out unwanted. “Who needs scissors anyway?”

Law stared at him for a moment. “That’s… uh… convenient.” Then he looked at the tree, which had folded out its branches widely. Oh wow. The tree was beautiful. Huge, but beautiful, he had to give his friends that. Law bend over a little to rearrange some branches that had not fallen in place exactly right yet.

“What’s the fun of having a prosthetic if it doesn’t contain a little gadget or two?” Kid took another sip of his coffee while he also admired the tree. That, or he was looking at Law’s ass, Law couldn’t be sure. He kinda hoped the latter.

“Well, that’s standing,” Kid said, as if announcing the tree part of this day was over, and so, they could focus on other things.

Law smirked and walked towards him. “Right? Time to decorate.”

Seeing his chance, as Kid was not standing underneath the mistletoe anymore, Law walked towards the hallway to grab the box of Christmas tree decorations he had put there the day before. He picked it up, but when he turned around, he saw Kid was already standing in the doorway again, smirking at him. “Really?”

Law chuckled inside his mind. Was Kid really going to try and trap him? Well, maybe this game had lasted long enough already. Law didn’t really want to spend an hour on decorating the tree now anyway.

He opened the box, and after a moment of searching, found one of the most obscure ornaments he had bought – at least according to his friends. He took out the dark red ornament shaped like a heart – the organ this time, not the geometric shape – and put the rest of the box down. “I’ve bought a lot of tree ornaments yesterday.” He showed Kid the heart while he walked towards him. “Don’t you want to help me decorate?” Law stopped about one step away from the doorway.

Kid looked at the ornament and raised an eyebrow. “Okay, that is a funny tree ornament.”

Funny? That wouldn’t be the way Law would describe it… He thought it was pretty cool and original.

“But no,” Kid continued, answering Law’s question. “I do not want to help you decorate your Christmas tree. Not now, at least. Maybe later.”

Law smirked, but feigned ignorance. “Oh? What were your plans for right now, if I may ask, Eustass-ya?”

Kid narrowed his eyes at him, and the next moment his hand shot out to grab Law’s wrist, and he yanked him forward. Law was caught by surprise for a moment and just barely managed to not fall over. Instead, he stumbled awkwardly into Kid.

“You’re a damn tease, you know that?” Kid said, eying him hungrily. “And to think you were so direct when you lured me into your car.”

Law recomposed himself quickly, and chuckled. “Lured? Is that how you see it, Eustass-ya?” He leaned back against the doorpost opposite to the one Kid was standing at, and let his eyes travel upwards not so subtly. He looked from the mistletoe back to Kid’s face, and smirked. “Well, now that you got me here… rules are rules.”

He had barely finished speaking when Kid’s lips were on his. Law gasped in surprised pleasure as he was pinned by the large, strong body of the other man, and Kid used this to his advantage by pushing his tongue into Law’s mouth. Law eagerly responded with his own. Oh, fuck yeah!

The kiss continued for a long while, driving Law wild. Shit, this man was a good kisser. Law’s dick was rapidly awakening again, and he couldn’t help but moan softly into Kid’s mouth.

When they finally parted again, both men were panting and looking into each other’s eyes with a lustful gaze. When he’d caught his breath, the corner of Law’s mouth curled up. “Well, I did promise to thank you properly for your help…” He licked his lips, and without breaking eye contact, Law dropped to his knees.

It was Christmas Eve; a night Law spend with his friends – the closest thing he had to a family. He was half listening to them talk, while looking at the Christmas tree he had decorated together with Kid, later that day when he had helped him get it into his home. The activities they had done before the decorating had certainly pleased both of them as well. So much that Law was still thinking about it now, even though it was almost two weeks ago, and he hadn’t heard from Kid since.

Well, he had to admit, that hurt a little. Law had enjoyed their time together, both in and out of the bedroom, and he had hoped, no, he had thought Kid felt the same. But still, no message or call or whatever. Of course, Law knew where Kid worked, but Kid had his phone number and if he didn’t call, Law didn’t want to come across as desperate or needy by showing up at his job.

A noise coming from his front door attracted his attention. It sounded like something heavy fell on his doormat. Curious, he got up to see what it was.

There was a thick envelope laying on the doormat that seemed like it had barely fitted through the letterbox in his front door. Law picked it up and saw that it was indeed addressed to him. Wasting no time, he tore the envelope open, while he walked back to the living room where his friends were. The first thing that he noticed when looking into the package, was a metal Christmas ornament.

He took it out and studied it with interest. It was a depiction of a yellow car with a Christmas tree on top of it, and a wire attached to the top so he could hang it up in his tree. It was a nice ornament, and definitely not as glittery and cheap looking as most ornaments they sold at the shops Law and his friends had visited. But when Law looked a little closer at it, he noticed something else; the car looked an awful lot like a miniature of his own car. That was pretty cool!

Law looked at his friends. “Did any of you sent me this?”

They all looked at him with a curious look on their faces. “No, not me,” Shachi said, and the other two agreed.

“Did it come in the mail?” Penguin asked, getting up to get a closer look. He didn’t seem to expect an answer, though. “Is that your car?”

“Seems like it,” Law said, still a little confused.

“But no idea who send it?” Penguin grabbed the envelope from Law’s hand and studied the back.

Law had already seen there was no return address, though. “Not a clue.”

Penguin opened the envelope and looked inside. He got a victorious smile on his face when he pulled out a card. The front of the card showed a painted picture of Santa Claus that could only be described as ‘naughty’, with some panties dangling from his finger and a wink towards the camera.

Law frowned, and tried to take the card from Penguin’s hands, but his friend was quick and turned away from him while he flipped the card around to see what was written on the back. “I couldn’t find your phone number for the life of me, so here’s mine,” he read out loud. “Give me a call or text if you wanna repeat or continue our evening together sometime. I hope you enjoy this little memento of our day and maybe put it in your tree, if it’s still alive.” Penguin snorted, and then looked suggestively at Law, while the latter finally managed to steal the card back. However, this didn’t stop Penguin from ending in a singing voice, “Loooove, Eustass Kid.”

Law frowned as he stared at the card while his friends started making annoying whooping sounds. It definitely didn’t say ‘love’, but just Kid’s name and phone number at the bottom of the card. He read the text for himself, trying to tune out his friends. He chuckled. Kid insinuated he couldn’t keep his tree alive while he himself couldn’t even hold on to a piece of paper with his phone number?!

Still, Law had to admit it made him happy to read this. So, he hung up the metal car at a clearly visible spot in his tree, and snapped a picture with his phone. He immediately added Kid’s number to his contacts and send him the picture with a little text. ‘It’s a perfect fit. Got any time this week?’