AN: Merry Christmas, everyone! And for those of you who don't celebrate, merry December 24th! I don't have much to say about the story... it's just some fluffy holiday-themed Usagi/Mamoru romance. :) Enjoy, and please review!

Usagi Tsukino hummed to herself as she hung up a string of tinsel. It was Christmas Eve and she was helping Motoki decorate the arcade for the Christmas party they were having later that day. The smell of nutmeg wafted through the air, she was on break from school, it was snowing outside, cheery holiday music was playing… this was going to be a very good Christmas. She just knew it.

The bell over the door chimed, announcing someone walking in. "What is all this? It looks like Santa threw up in here."

Usagi's heart sank. She would recognize that voice anywhere. Mamoru. Well, no matter, she was in too good of a mood to let him ruin everything. "A Merry Christmas to you, too, Mamoru-baka." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"And what is this noise? Do you honestly call think it qualifies as music? If you have to play Christmas music, you may as well play the classic carols, not… this schmaltzy crap." He wrinkled his nose in distaste. He seemed to suddenly take in Usagi's appearance, because he did a double take. "And what in God's name are you wearing, Odango?"

"I'm dressed as a Christmas elf," Usagi said, giving a little twirl. She was wearing a short, sparkly green dress with red tights and pointy-toed shoes. "Obviously. Just because you're too much of a Grinch to get in the holiday spirit doesn't mean you have to ruin it for everyone else."

"If you're an elf, why do you have antlers?"

"Ugh!" Usagi threw her hands up in the air. "It's called being festive, you baka!"

Mamoru opened his mouth to say something else, but the chiming of the door cut him off.

"Usagi, I couldn't find real holly branches, that's apparently not a thing stores sell, so you'll have to make do with artificial," Minako was saying as she walked in the door. She paused, taking in Usagi's red face and Mamoru's raised eyebrow. "Are you two going at it again?" She shook her head.

"I'm being perfectly civil," Usagi said. "It's not my fault some people are the Grinch incarnate." She couldn't resist sticking out her tongue again.

"You look reasonably dressed, Minako. Perhaps you could explain why the Odango looks so utterly absurd?"

Minako rolled her eyes, not dignifying either of them with a response. "Whatever. Where do you want the holly, Usagi? You're in charge."

Mamoru smirked. "Whoever thought it would be a good idea to put the Odango in charge of anything?"

"I'll have you know I'm perfectly accomplished!" Usagi said, waggling her finger at him. "I'm—" a loud beeping coming from the kitchen interrupted her, and she clapped her hands together in delight. "Ooh, that's the timer for the mulled cider!"

"Ohh no." Mamoru groaned and buried his head in his hands. "She's cooking?"

"I heard that!" Usagi yelled from the kitchen. She emerged a moment later, her hands planted firmly on her hips. "Besides, it's just mulled cider. You can't mess it up."

"Oh, I'm sure you could find a way…" Mamoru muttered.

"We're here!" Makoto called out as she, Ami and Rei rushed into the arcade. "Sorry we're late. It's really starting to come down out there!"

Usagi looked up from her decorating to peer out the window. The snow was coming down hard and fast, thick, fluffy flakes coating all surfaces in a blanket of white.

"Oh, this is perfect!" she said. "It will make our holiday party even cozier. Speaking of which, Mamoru, you should probably leave now. The weather doesn't look too good, and I'd hate for you to have to be stuck here. Like, really hate it."

Mamoru smirked. "You didn't know, Odango? I'm here for the party."

"But…" Usagi's eyes narrowed as she trailed off. "Motoki!"

"Yeah?" Motoki said a moment later poking his head out from the door leading to the back, where he'd been doing some last-minute cleanup.

"Why does Mamoru-baka think he's invited to the party? Can't you tell him to leave?" Her tone bordered on a whine.

"Um… I kind of invited him?" Mamoru scratched the back of his head nervously. "He is my best friend, and I'm hosting the party, so…"

"Ugh Motoki!" Usagi said with a pout. "He'll ruin everything!"

"Relax, Odango," Mamoru said, plopping down into one of the nearby chairs and putting his feet up on the table. "Even I'm not that skilled. I highly doubt I could ruin everything."

"Mamoru," Motoki sighed. "Could you please try not to antagonize Usagi too much? Christmas is supposed to be about family and friends and good cheer. And Usagi, don't let him rile you up too much. He just does it to get a rise out of you." He paused and frowned. "And get your feet off the table, Mamoru, I just washed it earlier, and that's not very sanitary."

Mamoru obliged, and then turned reluctantly to Usagi. "Fine. A truce, in the spirit of Christmas?"

Usagi eyed his outstretched hand, distrustful. Hesitantly, she grabbed his hand and shook it. "Fine. A truce."

"Not to ruin this surprisingly pleasant moment, but… you still haven't told me where you want this." Minako held up the holly garland she was holding.

"Oh! Right over the archway leading to the kitchen is where I was envisioning it," Usagi said.

Rei sniffed the air. "What's that smell?"

Usagi frowned, picking up on the scent as well. It smelled like something was… burning. A thin tendril of smoke was coming from the kitchen.

"Oh no!" Usagi clapped her hands over her mouth in horror. "My mulled cider! I forgot to turn the heat off!" She ran off into the kitchen, and a second later, a high-pitched wail could be heard. "It's ruined!"

Makoto and Ami exchanged a look and followed Usagi into the kitchen. Usagi was standing at the stove dejectedly, stirring the big pot of mulled cider. A foul smell was rising from it.

"I'm sure it's salvageable," Ami consoled, grabbing a mug and ladling some cider into it. "See? It's—" she cut off as she took a sip and clapped a hand over her mouth.

"It's horrible, isn't it?" Usagi sniffed. "It's all burned. And I think I added too many cloves. I wanted this to be perfect!"

"It still can be!" Makoto said. "We'll just make some more, and I'll help you this time."

"We don't have any more!" Usagi wailed. "I used all of the cider."

"I knew you could mess it up," Mamoru said, appearing in the doorway and shaking his head. "You have quite a talent for it, Odango."

Apparently, that was the final straw, and Usagi burst into tears. "You baka! You absolute baka! I hate you! This is all YOUR fault!"

"What did I do?" Mamoru said.

"You… you distracted me! If you hadn't been constantly making mean comments about me, I could have focused on the cider and remembered to turn off the heat!" she angrily wiped at her eyes. "And you broke the truce! I genuinely thought you were going to make an effort to be nice! You ruin everything!"

Mamoru, for his part, did look a bit chagrined. Everyone had gathered in the kitchen now, and Motoki was glaring at him.

"Fine," Mamoru said. "I can go get more cider."

"It's practically a blizzard out there," Usagi sniffed. "Even I don't want you to die out there. Especially not just for the sake of some stupid cider."

"It's fine," Mamoru said. "My car has snow tires, and there's a grocery store not too far away."

"Thanks," Usagi said with a sniffle, her tears slowly drying up. "I guess."

Mamoru shrugged. "Whatever. It's purely selfish; I was looking forward to some mulled cider. I'd better get going, before the weather gets any worse."

Usagi nodded in recognition of his words, but didn't say anything else as Mamoru piled on his winter clothes and walked out the front door.

Mamoru had a serious problem. The problem wasn't that he was out in a blizzard, driving 5 miles an hour without being able to see more than a foot in front of his face, all to grab some cider. Though, that did stem from his problem, so he supposed it was all related.

No, his problem was that he thought he might be slightly in love with Usagi.

It was ridiculous, of course; this was Odango he was thinking about! She was obnoxious and whiny and incompetent and bratty… and also sweet and kind and beautiful and surprisingly tenacious.

He'd been battling these feelings for a few weeks now, but tonight was worse than usual. Maybe it was her ridiculous elf costume and antlers headband. It should have been ridiculous, and on anyone else it likely would be, but somehow on Usagi it was… playful. Charming. Attractive. She owned the ridiculousness and she made it work.

Or maybe it was the look on her face when he said that she was talented at messing things up. As soon as he said it, he knew he'd gone too far. Mamoru bashed his head against the steering wheel in frustration. Why couldn't he talk to Usagi like a normal, sane person? Why was it that whenever he tried to say something nice to her, it came out as an insult?

He was hopeless.

Hopelessly in love.

He had to be, to have agreed to this. His car hit a patch of ice, and it skidded into a snow bank. Mamoru cursed and slammed the steering wheel.

He climbed out of his car, and surveyed the damage. The car had managed to wedge itself pretty firmly into the snow bank, he wasn't going to be able to get it out. Luckily, the car itself didn't seem to be too damaged, but he would definitely need a tow truck, and he knew there was no way he'd be able to get one out here now.

Groaning, Mamoru looked around at the snow-covered streets. The snow-covered everything, really. What had been 'practically a blizzard', in the words of Usagi, was now a full-blown blizzard.

A gust of wind ripped through the air, making him shudder, and he pulled his coat tighter. He had two options now. He was about halfway between the grocery store and the arcade, so he could head back, apologize and explain that it wasn't possible to get to the store. Or, he could trudge through the feet of snow, make his way to the grocery store and hope that they had apple cider, and that he hadn't doubled his trip for nothing.

Mamoru weighed the desire to be safe and warm indoors with the desire to see the look on Usagi's face as he saved the day with more apple cider. The desire to maybe impress her a little.

It was hardly a choice, really.

Sighing, he pressed on, headed for the grocery store.

Usagi would never admit it to anyone, but she was a little bit worried about Mamoru. The snow was coming down really hard, and it didn't look like it was very safe to be outside. Besides, he'd only gone out because of her, because he'd felt guilty. She'd feel doubly guilty if he died out there.

She'd lashed out at him, and yes, his comment had been a little hurtful, but she was mainly mad at herself for having ruined the cider.

"Usagi?"

Sighing, Usagi tore her head away from the window.

"Want to help decorate the gingerbread cookies I made?" Makoto asked. Seeing Usagi's forlorn expression, she smiled. "Don't worry, I'm sure Mamoru will be back soon."

"I'm not worried about him," Usagi said instantly. "Please. Like I could ever be concerned about that baka."

But the words sounded false even to her own ears, and Makoto just raised an eyebrow in response.

"Let's go decorate some cookies!" Usagi hopped off the chair she'd been sitting in, and dragged Makoto over to the counter, where Motoki had set up the cookie station.

"Minako, that is not appropriate!" Ami admonished, looking at the cookie Minako was decorating. "You should be ashamed of yourself!"

"What's wrong with an anatomically correct snowman cookie?"

"Honestly, that doesn't even deserve a response." Ami shook her head.

Minako snickered, and bent her head over the cookie again, carefully piping on the frosting.

"Nice job," Rei said, grinning as she looked at Minako's cookie. "I like the little extra touches you put on there. It gives it an authentic feel."

Minako didn't look up from her cookie, but she raised her hand to high-five Rei as Ami sighed and turned away.

Usagi grinned at the whole affair, suddenly feeling so very grateful for her wonderful, silly friends. She grabbed a star-shaped cookie from the pile and was just starting to frost it when the bell over the door rang.

"I survived," Mamoru said, stomping his feet as he walked in. He shook the snow out of his dark hair as he unwound his scarf, and Usagi envisioned herself running her fingers through it. And where had that thought come from? Since when did she fantasize about Mamoru-baka? Perhaps she was going crazy.

"I have some good news and some bad news," Mamoru said, oblivious to Usagi's sudden thoughts about him. "The good news is, I have apple cider." He held up the gallon he'd bought. "The bad news is, I don't think anyone is going to be leaving the arcade any time soon. My car broke down halfway to the store, and I had to walk the rest of the way. It's too dangerous to be driving anywhere."

"Well… I guess it's a sleepover, then," Minako said. "That's not too bad. We can make it cozy!"

"Here's the cider you insisted upon, Odango," Mamoru said with a roll of his eyes, tossing Usagi the gallon.

"Th-thanks," she stammered. What was wrong with her? Why couldn't she act normal around Mamoru? Mamoru was looking at her strangely, so she swallowed her nerves and spoke again. "I mean, it's the least you could do after ruining everything, you baka."

"C'mon, I'll show you how to make proper mulled cider," Makoto said, diffusing the tension between Usagi and Mamoru, for which Usagi was very grateful.

"The trick is to set it on a really low heat," Makoto said as they entered the kitchen. "That way it won't burn. Also, go easy on the cloves. They add some delicious spice, but they're strong. Less is more."

Usagi nodded, but she was only half-listening. Why couldn't she stop thinking about Mamoru?

"Is everything alright?" Makoto asked. "You seem a little… distracted."

"IthinkImightbeinlovewithMamoru," Usagi blurted out, then clapped a hand over her mouth in horror. Had she really just said that? And… meant it?

Makoto smiled and shook her head. "Really now? You've only just figured this out?"

"I don't know why!" Usagi wailed. "I mean, I don't even like him! Wait." She paused as Makoto's words sunk in. "What do you mean?"

"It's been insanely obvious to everyone else," Makoto said. "One second." She poked her head out the door to the main room of the arcade. "Hey, Minako, Ami, Rei. Could you come back here for a minute? Usagi and I need some help with the food."

"Want me to help?" Motoki asked. "I'm not doing anything important."

"It's fine," Makoto said. "I just need Minako, Ami and Rei." The three girls got up and followed Makoto into the kitchen.

Once everyone was in the kitchen and the door was firmly shut, Makoto turned to Usagi. "Now. Tell them what you told me."

"I… I think I'm in love with Mamoru," Usagi admitted. She expected gasps of horror, shocked looks, maybe people asking if she'd lost her mind. She was not expecting blank looks.

"So?" Rei looked bored. "Is this supposed to be news? Everyone already knew that, Usagi."

"But… I didn't know it!" Usgai protested. "How did you?"

Rei arched an eyebrow. "You really want to know? Let's see… you talk non-stop about him. Whenever he's in the room, you constantly stare at him. You're always flirting with him—"

"What? I am not! I don't flirt with the baka!"

"Your little 'arguments' aren't fooling anyone," Rei said. "It's just barely concealed flirting."

Usagi shook her head. "Ami. You're sensible. I don't flirt with Mamoru! … Do I?"

"Well…" Ami trailed off. "It certainly could be interpreted that way, or…"

"Or?" Usagi clung on to the ray of hope that word offered.

"Or… no, I'm sorry, there's really no other way of putting it," Ami said. "You do flirt with him. A lot."

"Ugh!" Usagi buried her head in her hands. "What's wrong with me?"

"You're in love!" Minako said. "That's never a bad thing."

"But… this is Mamoru we're talking about," she pointed out. "My sworn enemy. How can I love him when I don't even like him?"

"Love works in mysterious ways," Minako said sagely. "But if it's any consolation, it's pretty obvious he's in love with you, too."

"Really?" Usagi snapped her head up. "Do… do you really think so?"

"Please," Rei snorted. "The boy walked through a blizzard just to buy some apple cider to cheer you up."

"And he's been staring at you all night," Makoto said.

"Practically undressing you with his eyes," Minako agreed.

"Minako!" Ami said. "You shouldn't say that!"

"What? It's true! He totally has been. Take it from me, I'm the Goddess of Love."

"Um, what? You so aren't the 'Goddess of Love,'" Rei said.

"Whatever," Minako waved away the criticism. "Senshi of Love, Goddess of Love… basically the same thing, right?"

"No."

"Can we maybe get back to the problem at hand?" Usagi said. "What am I supposed to do about Mamoru?"

"Tell him how you feel?" Ami suggested. "It's always good to be straightforward."

"Or you could just snag him for a kiss under the mistletoe," Minako said. "Nothing like a romantic, holiday smooch to get things going…"

"The mistletoe!" Usagi exclaimed. "I forgot to hang it up!"

"Is everything alright in there?" Motoki asked through the door. "You guys have been holed up in there for awhile."

"We were just finishing up," Minako said, flinging open the door with a bright smile. "There will be some hot, mulled cider soon!"

"Where did you put the stepladder, Motoki?" Usagi asked. "I need it to hang up the mistletoe."

"It should still be out behind the counter," Motoki answered. "I haven't moved it."

Usagi rushed out to the main room of the arcade, and hauled the stepladder over to the middle of the room. There was an archway separating the arcade area from the food area, and it was the perfect place to hang some mistletoe.

"More holiday decorations?" Mamoru said, looking up from the book he was reading. "Isn't there already enough?"

"I forgot the mistletoe," Usagi said. "And obviously, you can't have a holiday party without mistletoe."

"Mistletoe, eh?" Mamoru said. "Hoping to kiss someone this holiday season, Odango?"

"Maybe," Usagi mumbled, blushing slightly at the thought of kissing Mamoru under the mistletoe.

"Really? Who?" Mamoru's tone was suddenly sharp.

"Well, if you must know, Tuxedo Kamen," she said. There. That wasn't really a lie; she would also happily kiss Tuxedo Kamen.

"You do realize Tuxedo Kamen isn't presently here, right?"

"I know he's not here, you baka. I just figured that it can't hurt to dream. Besides, if there's no mistletoe hanging then there's really no chance of kissing him. If there is mistletoe, well… you never know."

"Hmm." Mamoru turned back to his book without saying anything else.

Usagi grabbed the mistletoe from the table she'd set it on, and climbed up the stepladder. Unfortunately, she found she still wasn't high enough, and couldn't reach the top of the archway.

Frowning, she contemplated her options. There was another rung of ladder she could climb, though technically you weren't supposed to step on it. But it couldn't hurt, right? She wasn't going to be standing on it for very long.

"Be careful," Ami warned as she saw Usagi climbing the ladder. "That doesn't look very stable, Usagi."

"Let me do it," Makoto said. "I'm taller, I can reach."

"It's fine, I got it," Usagi said. Even on the very top rung, she was still just a tiny bit too short. "Hmm… so close…" she stretched up onto her tippy toes, leaning forward as she secured the mistletoe. "Aha—aaaaa!"

Her triumphant declaration turned into a scream as the ladder started to topple, bringing Usagi down with it. She closed her eyes, waiting for the impact of hitting the ground, waiting for the ladder to fall on top of her.

Instead, she found she landed with a soft thud, someone's arms wrapped tightly around her, shielding her from the falling ladder, which landed with a harmless clank.

Usagi opened her eyes, and found herself looking directly into Mamoru's face. She hadn't even realized he'd been standing nearby, she thought he was still lounging in the chair with his book.

"Mamoru," she breathed, finding herself suddenly short of breath as she looked up at him, his dark blue eyes filled with concern.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you."

For a minute, they were both lost in the moment, both slightly breathless and slightly flushed. Then, all of a sudden, Mamoru seemed to realize he was still holding Usagi and that there was no longer any reason for it.

"Well, then," he said, clearing his throat as he set her down.

"I think I need some eggnog," Usagi said, making a beeline for the punchbowl they'd set out on one of the far tables.

"Say, is the cider ready yet? I would love a mug," Mamoru said, rushing off in the opposite direction, towards the kitchen.

"Usagi, Usagi, Usagi…" Minako sighed as she followed Usagi to the eggnog. "You had him right there! It was the perfect opportunity to kiss him."

"But… everyone was looking, and… what if he doesn't like me?" Usagi said. "What if I kiss him and he doesn't want to?"

"Seriously, Usagi?" Rei raised an eyebrow. "Did you not notice the way he rushed to catch you in his arms? Or the way he didn't put you down for a very long time? Honestly, it would only be more obvious if there was a neon sign hanging above his head that read 'I am madly in love with Usagi Tsukino.'"

"Maybe you're right…" Usagi gnawed on her lower lip.

"I know I am," Rei retorted.

"Okay." Usagi squared her shoulders and knocked back her glass of eggnog. "A little liquid courage is all I need. I got this."

"You do realize the phrase 'liquid courage' refers to alcohol, right?" Rei said. "And since Ami stopped Minako from spiking the eggnog, you're using the phrase incorrectly."

"Whatever. I get my liquid courage in the form of sugar."

Rei rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything else.

Usagi wandered back over to the main area, where Ami was carefully decorating more cookies and Motoki and Makoto were chatting animatedly about different kinds of gingerbread recipes, and the merits of sifting the ingredients together versus blending them.

"This is some good mulled cider, Odango," a voice from behind her said. "I'm surprised."

"Oh!" she jumped a little. "Thanks. But it's mainly Makoto who made it. And thanks for getting it; I'm sure it wasn't easy with the weather.

Mamoru shrugged a little, and despite his nonchalant exterior, he kept looking at her intensely, and it made her shiver in the most delicious way.

"Look, Usagi, I…" Mamoru started to say.

Just then, Usagi noticed where they were. Hanging right above their hands was the mistletoe. It would be a shame to let it go to waste, wouldn't it? Especially after all the effort it took to get it up. Before she could second-guess herself, Usagi leaned in and pressed her lips to Mamoru's.

It was a chaste kiss, and she was about to pull away when Mamoru snaked an arm around her waist and deepened the kiss. Suddenly, Usagi was melting. His mouth was soft and warm against hers, and it was far better than any of her fantasies. Feeling bold, she snuck her hands up and tangled them in his hair.

Eventually, they had to pull away, Usagi flushed and breathing heavily. She absentmindedly licked her lips, and was about to say something, when everything went black.

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion. The music had stopped playing and all the lights were out.

"The snow storm must have knocked out a power line," Motoki said, looking out the window. "There aren't any lights in any of the other stores or houses nearby."

"We're going to need to conserve heat," Ami said. "Who knows how long the power will be out for, and it could get cold in here. Do you have any blankets, Motoki?"

Motoki shook his head. "No, I don't have anything useful, I'm afraid. Blankets aren't really standard café/arcade fare."

"There's a general store only two blocks from here," Mamoru said. "I could go see if they have any blankets."

"Are you sure, Mamoru?" Motoki asked. "I don't want to make you go out in the snow again…"

"It's fine," he said. "I don't mind."

"I'll come with you," Usagi said suddenly. She wasn't sure what possessed her to say it, as she didn't really love the idea of trekking through many feet of snow to go buy some blankets, but she did want the chance to talk to Mamoru.

"You don't have to…" Mamoru started to protest, but Usagi cut him off.

"I want to," she said. "It will be an exciting adventure!"

Mamoru shrugged and didn't say anything else. "We should get going, other people are likely going to be trying to get supplies, too."

Usagi was already taking off her pointed slippers and tugging on her sturdy winter boots. Within a few minutes, she was bundled up in a puffy coat, thick wool scarf and fluffy pink earmuffs. Mamoru looked her over, a hint of a smirk on his face, and she grinned back.

"Come on, let's go," he said.

Mamoru shoved the door open, pushing against a snow bank that had mounded up against the door. A gust of wind picked up the snow, momentarily blinding them as it landed in their eyes. However, once Usagi's eyes cleared, she gasped in awe.

The snow had mostly stopped, there were only a few small, light flakes falling now. There were snow banks three feet deep, more in places where the snow had mounded up. With the power outage, everything was so dark, so still, so beautiful.

There was a full moon that evening, and the light from it made the snow glitter like diamonds. There was no one else out, and the world was silent. Peaceful.

Usagi looked over at Mamoru to see if he'd been admiring the beauty of the evening as well, only to find that he was watching her, a smile on his face. She blushed and looked down at her feet.

"Come on, the store's this way," Mamoru said, inclining his head towards the right.

They walked in silence for a few minutes, Usagi admiring the beauty of this new world. If she was being perfectly honest with herself, it was also serving as an excuse to avoid talking to Mamoru, which was the whole reason she'd come on this trip.

But she knew she'd have to broach the subject sooner or later, so she took a deep breath and dove in. "Hey, Mamoru?"

"Hmm?" he looked over at her.

"Um, I was wondering…." Usagi blushed and looked down at her feet again. Why couldn't she just get the words out? This was Mamoru. She never used to have any trouble talking to him. "About earlier. The…. the kiss. I mean, we were right under the mistletoe, and you had just saved me from likely breaking something earlier, so I figured I'd kind of just go for it, but…." she trailed off, gnawing on her lower lip.

"But?" Mamoru prompted.

"Well, I guess I wanted… no, I really need to know whether it was just a silly holiday thing, and tomorrow we'll go back to slinging insults at each other, or if… if it meant something. Because—" She broke off as Mamoru gently cupped her face and kissed her again.

"Usagi," he said as he pulled away, his voice rough. "I have been wanting to kiss you for a very, very long time. So no, it wasn't just some holiday thing, and I have no intention of going back to how we used to be. Unless you want to, of course, but…" Now it was his turn to look nervous, and Usagi grinned.

"Mamoru," she said seriously. "I have been wanting to kiss you for a very, very long time, too."

"Well then," he said, smirking at her. "I guess that's settled then."

And then he kissed her again, and somehow, inexplicably, it was even sweeter than the first time. Reluctantly, Usagi pulled away.

"We should really go get the blankets," she murmured against his lips.

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers. "You're right."

Feeling a little bold, Usagi snuck her hand out and grabbed his as they started walking again. Mamoru looked over at her, and she smiled contently, resting her head against his shoulder briefly.

The walk to the store was slow and arduous, as it involved climbing over snow banks and forcing their way through 3 feet of snow. Given how short Usagi was, it was especially difficult for her, and eventually Mamoru picked her up and slung her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Put me down!" she giggled.

"I don't know, I rather like it this way," he said, and even though she couldn't see his face, she could tell from his voice that he was giving her that infuriating smirk she loved so much.

"Fine, then," Usagi said, an idea coming to her. Mamoru was walking slowly, given all the snow, so when they passed a tree, she easily grabbed a handful of snow from off its branches. And dropped it down the back of Mamoru's shirt.

"Ahh!" he yelled as the cold snow slithered down his back. "You have just made a grave mistake."

"Hey. Where are you going? Hey. HEY!" Suddenly, Usagi found herself being unceremoniously dumped into a snow bank. She spluttered, spitting out the mouthful of snow she'd accidentally inhaled. Above her, Mamoru was smirking.

"You." She couldn't even form words right now. "That does it." She grabbed Mamoru's legs and pulled him down in the snow with her.

"You fight dirty," he complained, and she grinned at him.

"And you love it."

"I most definitely do," he said, pulling her in for a kiss. She snaked her hands through his hair and gasped as he shifted his weight, tipping her over and pressing her up against the snow.

Somehow, his lips managed to find a small part of her neck that wasn't buried underneath her scarf, and she suddenly found herself feeling lightheaded. She never wanted it to stop.

But eventually, she became aware of the cold seeping through her jacket, and she shivered a little, causing Mamoru to pull away.

"Sorry," he said, looking a little chagrined. "I got a little… carried away."

"I don't mind," Usagi grinned. "But we really should go get those blankets. I'm getting a little cold."

They stood up, each helping the other brush snow from their clothes, and Mamoru pressed a chaste kiss to the tip of her nose. "Alright. Let's go get some blankets."

Eventually, they managed to get to the store, purchase a few blankets, a space heater and a battery-operated lantern, and get back to the arcade.

When Ami opened the door, they were both soaking wet and holding hands with stupid grins on their faces. She didn't say anything, she just rolled her eyes and held out of her hand for the items.

Once Usagi and Mamoru were safely inside, they began stripping off all their wet, outer layers of clothing. Luckily, due to the volume of clothing they'd been wearing, their clothes underneath were mostly dry.

"Come on, I'll get the space heater set up," Ami said. "You should stay by it for awhile, I don't want anyone getting sick."

Usagi yawned. "I'm a little sleepy."

"It's getting kind of late," Motoki said. "We were just thinking we should head to bed as soon as you guys got back."

"Bed sounds good," Usagi agreed.

Makoto and Motoki moved some of the tables to the edges of the room, so they'd have more space for sleeping, while Rei set the lantern in the middle of the floor, providing a decent pool of light. Minako spread the blankets around, creating makeshift bedding, and Ami set up the space heater.

Usagi was just trying to decide where to sleep, when Mamoru patted the ground next to him.

"Come on, over here."

She padded over and sat down with a soft thud, smiling up at him.

"Cold?" he asked.

"A little," she admitted, and he wrapped a blanket around them both.

"Okay, lights out!" Rei called once everyone was settled and she turned off the lantern.

Usagi lay down, snuggled up against Mamoru, and he adjusted the blanket around themselves. She sighed happily as he traced patterns on her back.

"It's weird," she whispered. "I was feeling so tired just a minute ago, but now I feel like sleep is the last thing on my mind."

"Mm, I agree," he said. "You know what else is weird?"

She rolled over to face him. "What?"

"How we've spent months arguing and yelling and insulting each other when we could have been doing this." He captured her lips with his one more time. It wasn't the thrill of their first kiss, or the frenzied excitement of their snowy make out session, it was just…. nice. Sweet and delicious and something Usagi never wanted to stop doing.

"That is weird," she agreed when they pulled away. She yawned a little. "Huh. I guess I am tired after all. What time is it?"

"Let's see…." Mamoru fished his phone out of his pocket. "12:25. It's officially December 25th. Merry Christmas, Odango."

"Merry Christmas, baka."

Usagi settled into the blankets, and a moment later she was fast asleep, nestled safely in Mamoru's arms. Things had certainly taken a turn for the unexpected, but it had indeed turned out to be a very good Christmas.

AN: Please review and let me know what you think!