summary: When old traditions die, new ones take their place.
disclaimer: I don't own AnE

Traditions

The apartment was nice, homey and neat with an open-concept design. Hints of modern technology mixed in subtly with the traditional feel of the space in the form of a sleek flat screen TV above the fireplace, the small laptop on top of a pile of books on the dining table, and the blinking lights on the Christmas tree beside the balcony window. Behind the living room and dining room lay the kitchen, separated by an island with a deep sink and preparation area. Hugging the walls were shiny, steel state-of-the-art appliances that should've seemed at odds with the rest of the decor, but for the colours which flowed with the other little things in the space, such as the cute little cat bookends on the book shelves.

Rin gave a low whistle at the sight of the impressive kitchen. He set down his bags onto the kitchen counter, glancing appreciatively at the flat. A quick search of the cupboards and fridge confirmed his hypothesis: Yukio had absolutely nothing in terms of food anywhere in his apartment. "You're lucky I brought stuff over, Yukio!" Rin shouted loudly. He snickered when he heard an answering stream of curses from the vicinity of the bathroom. "Ah, Yukio, Yukio. How do you live without your big brother around?"

Opening the bags he brought along, Rin laid out the ingredients and started dicing and slicing, humming a little tune under his breath. Letting the thick vegetable soup simmer on the stove top, he placed a pre-made pie decorated in green into an oven and set it at a low temperature, mouth already watering at the fragrant aroma of the strawberry filling. With that done, he focused on the task of making the mashed potatoes and turkey stuffing.

Yukio stumbled out into the living room, in the process of pulling a red sweater over his head. "You should've rung the bell," he muttered, rubbing the mist from the shower off his glasses.

Rin grinned. "Now why would I do that when I can just come in?" He tossed a key back at Yukio.

The younger brother caught it with a scowl. "Why do you have my apartment key?"

Rin made a "tsk tsk" noise. "You should know better than to leave a key under the mat. Do you know how many stalkers exist out there?" He said cheerfully, pausing to check on the state of the boiling potatoes. "And you've always been harping on about how I should try to make appointments on time. See? I'm actually early today!"

The scowl on Yukio's face deepened. "Yeah, by about two hours."

"Oh, it's just so that I can finish making all this stuff by eight," Rin gestured at the food around the kitchen. "I even made enough for tomorrow's meals too," he added.

Yukio took a seat at the dining table and opened his laptop, deigning to ignore his brother's presence.

Rin just grinned.

The hours passed by in comfortable silence, with Rin finishing up the cooking and Yukio abandoning the pretense of working to stare at his brother. The past couple of months have been busy for both of them, with Yukio settling into his new apartment and Rin still working from the Academy. Christmas was the only time they were both free, and Rin had agreed to Christmas dinner at Yukio's. He just didn't think that his brother would make the dinner here.

He was brought out of his reverie by the ding of the oven. Yukio busied himself with clearing off the dining table and setting the table while Rin brought the food. They both settled in and started to eat. Relaxing conversation floated between bites, and before long, they were both comfortably full.

Rin placed the leftovers in the fridge and Yukio put the dirty dishes into the dishwasher. The brothers finally made their way to the couch with a cup of eggnog in both of their hands. Yukio grabbed a large blanket and handed the remote over to Rin. The TV flicked on, and Rin changed the channel to one playing re-runs of the entire Home Alone series. Rin pulled the blanket up both of their bodies and snuggled into his brother's shoulder as the opening credits rolled on.

Yukio smiled softly into Rin's hair.

-A CHRISTMAS SPECIAL-

The digital clock on the coffee table blinked 12:03 A.M.

Rin was already asleep, and Yukio turned off the TV and carefully shifted so that his brother could lay down across the sofa more comfortably. He placed the blanket over Rin's body, but was stopped by a hand around his wrist. Sleepy blue eyes blinked up at him. Rin scrunched up his nose, and then smirked. With his other hand, he pointed at something past Yukio's head. He followed the line of Rin's finger up...

"Mistletoe. Now we have to kiss," Rin muttered playfully.

Yukio chuckled. "Go to sleep, Rin-nii-san," he said fondly, placing a kiss on his brother's brow.

Rin's eyelids fluttered shut, and he gave a contented sigh before snuggling into the soft couch.

A soft smile played on Yukio's face and he succumbed to a yawn. A sudden thought came to mind, and he went into his bedroom to fetch his futon, pillows and a blanket. "Why do I do this every year? I actually have a bed this time too. If only you could see me right now, nii-san, talking to myself," Yukio laughed quietly. "Good night, Rin."

He fell asleep listening to the sound of soft snores.

a/n: well, I promised, didn't I? Merry Christmas and happy holidays!
more writing to come (hopefully)!