It was Christmas Eve. Machi never had much time to indulge herself in ordinary celebrations, but deep inside she sorta had mixed feelings about this particular date. The Christmas lights, people getting together, sharing food, gifts, smiles… Machi hated to admit it, but that was the only day she somehow wished she had a normal life for a change.

It was hard getting all the members of the Troupe together for occasions that didn't involve massive killing or stealing. The group never cared much for holidays. Maybe some of them would hang out, get some drinks, steal some stuff, just as they would do any other day of the year, but that was it. Never a special celebration, not even a single mission to require their assembly that day.

Machi forced herself to never mind these futilities. It was just a day like many others, after all. Who needed hot chocolate with marshmallows by the fireplace or a Christmas tree? She was an outcast, she didn't belong to society, and those traditions didn't belong to her either.

Still, Machi couldn't stay put. Sitting by herself was just making everything worse, flooding her head with oddly depressing thoughts and making her feel miserable. So she decided she oughta go for a walk.

It was already dark by the time she got to the streets. Trees and poles were all lighted up with blinky lights, and Christmas decorations were all over the place. It was still a bit depressing to her, but at the same time, strangely warm — even in spite of the chilly weather.

Machi strolled down the lane, holding her arms in front of her body and mentally being thankful for her new winter boots. Each store she passed by brought to her ears a second or so of a cheesy Christmas song, and when some kid opened the door of a local cafe, she could feel the sweet and chocolatey aroma going right into her nose.

Machi stopped and turned to the coffee shop. Through the windows, she could see the red and green decorations and the festive menu above the counter. She smiled a bit and headed to the door. Machi was about to open it when something she saw suddenly changed her mind.

It was Hisoka. He was inside the coffee shop, holding a paper cup in one hand and a sugar cookie with the other. Machi's grin promptly turned into a frown. She let go of the handle and took one step back.

Almost at the same time, he saw her. His golden eyes looked right at her face through the glass door. Hisoka narrowed his lips in amusement and took a provocative bite of the cookie while staring at her, watching Machi's eyes burn in anger.

She was not in the mood for Hisoka tonight. In fact, she was still pissed by his obsession in fighting Chrollo — not that the Danchou couldn't handle him, of course. It was that fetish-like fixation of his that made her mad (plus all the freaky aura around him that sometimes was just too much for Machi).

So she rushed away from the place, even knowing that it wouldn't matter a bit for Hisoka. He saw her, and he was going to go after her. Machi expected that as much as she despised it.

When she heard the door being opened again and felt the heavy hand landing on her shoulder, the 'I-knew-it!' thought that popped in her head almost made her smirk. Instead, she rolled her eyes and turned to him.

"Care for a Christmas treat, Machi?" he said, holding the half eaten cookie in front of her.

"I lost my appetite," she replied with a dry tone.

"Too bad," Hisoka said and took another bite at the cookie.

Machi stood there, watching as the magician finished eating. He still had the paper cup in his hand, and she wondered what type of coffee drinker Hisoka could be. Would he take it just black — bitter and strong? Or would he have a sweet tooth?

Machi shook the questions out of her head. "I gotta go," she said and turned her back against him.

"Wait," he asked. Hisoka put his arm around her shoulders, and the hand with the paper cup got closer to her face. A decadent smell of chocolate rose to her nostrils. "It's Christmas Eve. Would be a shame to spend the night alone... don't you think?" he said.

Machi crossed her arms. "I'm not in the mood for your games," she said, avoiding his gaze.

"Who do you take me for, Machi? I'm not toying with you," Hisoka replied with a bit of resentment in his voice. His eyes, though, were still smiling at her.

Machi started to walk, her head up front. Hisoka kept his arm around her shoulders and strolled along, looking rather amused by Machi cold manners. "But I can forgive that if you stay with me for the night. We can have some Christmas fun... our way" he added.

"I hate Christmas," she said. Machi wanted to push him away and get rid of the bulky arm still up on her shoulders, but she refrained. The cold was getting into her bones, and for once, it was good to have his body heat to warm her a little.

"That's because you never spent it with me," Hisoka said, pulling Machi closer. He squeezed her body towards him, but she held back and managed to free herself from the unwanted hug. "Do you always have to be so cocky?" she asked. Machi stepped away from his arm. She was now freezing again, but way too proud to reach for his comfort once more.

He didn't care to reply out loud. Instead, Hisoka only glanced at her. In his golden devilish eyes, she could read his answer — and it was a big and blatant YES.

Hisoka suddenly stopped, and Machi, caught by surprise, stopped beside him. When she looked up, she saw a huge Christmas tree in the middle of the square they've just reached. It was enormous, the biggest and most beautiful Machi had ever seen. The tree was decorated with ornaments of all colors and shapes, and topped with a sparkly golden star.

Machi gasped at the sight of it. She was amazed by its size and colors, by the bright decoration, by the lights that surrounded every branch and blinked in an elegant and jolly sequence. The tree was mesmerizing, and Machi spent a whole minute just admiring it.

She then felt silly as a young kid and blushed when she remember whom she was with. Machi turned to Hisoka, expecting to see a patronizing look on his face, but he wasn't looking at her at all. Hisoka was rather staring vaguely at the tree in a thoughtful manner — no sharp eyes, no wicked smile, no perversion. Just a blunt and honest semblance.

Machi frowned her eyebrows, unable to hide her astonishment. She wondered what kind of emotions that tree could be bringing him. Old memories, perhaps? That would be unusual — Hisoka is definitely not the type of person that likes to dig out his own past. And watch him like that just gave Machi even more awe.

He was a human being, after all. A sadistic, selfish and fucked up human being, yes, but still a person. And for that split second, Machi felt something warm inside of her. A feeling that she couldn't exactly describe, but that kinda explained why she was always drawn to him at the end. And Machi understood, even though she couldn't explain. She just knew.

"Hisoka..." she started. Hisoka turned to her, and his face lighted up again. He was back to normal.

So Machi smiled back. She wanted to say she was sorry for acting like a bitch sometimes, but she knew he would never let her get away with that (and would make her life a living hell by constantly reminding her of that). So Machi didn't say anything else. She just grabbed his neck, stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

Hisoka held her firmly, not seeming even a bit surprised by her gesture. It was almost like he was expecting that.

You're one damn hotshot, Machi thought, feeling the warmth of his body surrounding hers. She would smile again if her lips weren't so busy.

"I'm glad you changed your mind," Hisoka said after a while.

"Don't make me regret this," she replied right before kissing him again. The chocolate taste was still in his mouth.

And many hours later, Machi would still have that sweet aftertaste on her tongue. The Christmas tree at the square was already covered by snowflakes when the clock struck midnight, but Machi didn't need her winter boots anymore. Now she had the heat of Hisoka's bare body for her to snug in.

And that, she realized, was everything she ever needed.