【Mi Ying】that side

"Is this position okay?" A young woman with long flowing brown hair stood on the ladder, gesturing back and forth with her arm holding a lantern.

"Let's go a little further to the left..." Arthur had a worried look on his face, "Elizabeth, let me hang the lights?"

"Hmph, don't be joking." Elizabeth smiled smugly, "As long as you help Francis get these lights done, it can be used to pay for the drinks at this year's Christmas party. I won't miss this good opportunity."

"Hey, you did the same thing last year, right? You almost drank my brother to the point of losing money!" Francis, who was standing behind the counter, was handing out meals to his two evil friends, and complained.

"Okay! Thank you!" Elizabeth fixed the lighting, jumped down the ladder vigorously, and then patted Arthur on the shoulder, "Then change hands!" She lifted the box full of trinkets from the ground and put them in Arthur In her arms, "I will leave the job of decorating the Christmas tree to you." She pointed to the gate, where Alfred had already carried the huge pine tree into the center of the coffee house and was adjusting its position.

"Aren't you here to help?" Arthur looked back at the trio of evil friends who were idle next to him.

"I'll give you a discount on drinks anyway."

"We were busy enough last year, and we will give you the opportunity this year."

"Besides, who wants to come over and see how you and the American boy are tired." Arthur rolled his eyes at the Spaniard who was keen to mock him, and walked towards the American youth carrying a light box.

Alfred, who had secured the base and trunk of the pine tree with ropes, stood up and smiled at the Englishman. "Arthur."

"There are still three weeks before Christmas, and it's too early to prepare." Arthur took out a few gold thread embroidery balls and little stars from the box, and carefully tied them to the tree.

"This is the most important festival for everyone in the town." Alfred also picked out decorations from the box and hung them on higher branches.

Arthur has never been the type who is fond of festivals and parties. Things like coming to this lively French coffee house on a regular basis only gradually got used to it after he officially got together with Alfred.

"By the way, how did you spend Christmas in England?"

"I..." Arthur was at a loss for words.

He doesn't have very strong memories of Christmas.Trying to think back, it seems that I can only recall some fragments, the old manor villa, the deserted garden, and he sat alone at the dining table as if waiting for someone to arrive.

However, the fact is that he has no friends, and no family members who need to wait. The family column on his police file has always been blank.

Occasionally he feels that his nature is probably still indifferent.I always have a vague memory of my childhood past, and I don't care much about it, and I seldom think of people and things in the police academy.As for the middle school days that Francis had mentioned, he only vaguely remembered that he had a bad temper and almost bleak popularity at that time.

"...I don't remember very well," he replied, slowing his hand movements, "but I used to...not like partying very much." He used the past tense sparingly.

"I guess so." The American smiled knowingly, lowered his voice and asked, "Now?"

After Arthur's quick glance, no one was paying attention to them.So he replied in a low voice, "If it's with you... that's fine."

They walked out of the coffee shop, the glass door isolated the noisy crowd behind them.The fine icy cold fell on the tip of Arthur's nose. He looked up at the dark sky. At this time, there were little snowflakes that seemed to be floating, shining faintly under the street lamps.

"It's snowing," Arthur shrank his neck subconsciously, "Christmas is indeed coming soon."

From tomorrow onwards, it was time to take out the police uniform and put on the overcoat. He thought in his heart that if the clothes were a bit bulky, the patrols in the future might be a little troublesome.He sighed helplessly, breathing clearly visible in the cold air.

"Will it be cold?" Alfred took Arthur's hand and breathed on his fingertips.

The British hooked the American's hand back, and then pulled him forward: "Go back and make me a cup of hot cocoa." The corners of his eyes and the tip of his nose were pink against the snow.

On winter nights, the stove warms up the room, and you can do your own things in the same space with the person you like, and you don’t feel awkward if you only have occasional conversations.Probably couldn't have been a more pleasant scene, Arthur thought.

He sat on the soft cushion in front of the bed with his knees hunched, pinching the embroidery needle, guiding the blue silk thread across the white silk cloth, and the pattern on it was temporarily unrecognizable.

Alfred was lying on the bed doing his homework. After flipping through the textbooks piled half his head high, he raised his arms and watched the Englishmen's handiwork with great interest: "Arthur, sometimes I feel that your amateur interests are really interesting. It's very special."

"Oh... It's far worse than your skills." Arthur replied casually, remembering Alfred's appearance when he was carrying trees, repairing cars and making models, he smiled slightly, "I want to ask, are you still Is there anything you can't do?"

"Of course I do," Alfred was very pleased with this compliment, "I can't grow beautiful roses, I can't read poetry, I can't sing well... oh, and will I give Boyfriend embroiders a handkerchief—" He elongated his pronunciation on purpose.

The ridicule made the British shy, and he blushed and pouted: "Who, who said this handkerchief is for you, can I use it myself?"

Alfred simply stretched out his arms to wrap around Arthur's shoulders, and rubbed his head: "Then——what are you going to give your boyfriend?"

The cold touch of the glasses and the warm breath pressed against Arthur's neck at the same time, and the lips of the owner of the glasses began to move back and forth on his skin restlessly.

The British feel that their body temperature is higher than before.He put away the needle and thread in his hand, then turned around, and met the kiss of the American on his lips: "...that depends on my mood."

"Thank you, Mr. Arthur." Matthew took off his reflective vest.Arthur smiled, took off his uniform coat too, wiped it with a dry cloth, and hung it up in the locker.

Patrols in winter are easier to adapt than expected. The four-seater regular police car has replaced the original single-seater locomotive. As long as there is no snow or fog, the patrol efficiency can be improved a lot.

The town is as good and orderly as ever, and their work is even more peaceful in this quiet winter.

Arthur took out the party items from the locker, nodded at the Canadian, and they walked out of the police station together.

There was no snow on this Christmas Eve night, but the street lights and lively decorations on both sides did nothing to hide people's anticipation for the holiday.

A gust of cold wind blew in front of him, and the Canadian youth subconsciously took a step forward to block Arthur's side.Arthur has also learned to accept Matthew's almost habitual tenderness.

"What did Mr. Arthur prepare for the party?"

"Hmm... nothing special. Festive tiaras, and some flower bookmarks I made before."

"That's really good." Matthew stopped suddenly, turned to look at Arthur, "I brought orange peel jam and maple syrup. Mr. Arthur likes it very much, right?" The Canadian young man had a faint smile on his face, with purple eyes Slightly dark behind spectacle lenses.

The British were slightly confused: "It's true that I don't hate it, but how do you know..."

"It should be intuition." Matthew squinted his eyes and smiled. He reached out to take the bag in Arthur's hand, then turned and continued to walk forward.

The French coffee house is completely wrapped in festive costumes. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, you can clearly see the warm light and lively crowds in the house. The Christmas tree in the center is particularly spectacular.Gingerbread, fruit pudding cake and eggnog have been placed on the bar and table, and rosemary plants with red ribbons are decorated in the shape of Christmas trees and surround them.

These were all decorated by Alfred and himself, and the British policeman standing outside the house couldn't help but feel proud.He dug out the reindeer headdress from the bag and put it on, and tiptoed to help Matthew put on his Santa hat and white beard.The two police officers who had completely removed their working posture looked at each other and smiled. They pushed open the glass door and were immediately surrounded by warmth and voices:

"Merry Christmas!"

Arthur has fully felt the positioning of "the festival that everyone values ​​most". Most of the faces he is familiar with appear at this party: Francis and Gilbert, the hosts, stood at the bar chatting as usual.

Ludwig and Feliciano are putting freshly baked turkey on the buffet table on the left.Lovino was busy pouring the special tomato bolognese sauce on the pasta and macaroni of the guests, and it was Antonio's turn. The Spaniard was full of happiness. The Italian chef blushed.

Finn, who works at the post office, waved to Arthur from across the room with his fluffy pet dog in his arms.The British finally got a chance to see his Swedish homosexual face, and chose to keep his distance under the serious face of the other party.

Arthur glanced at the crowd and saw Alfred walking towards them through the crowd.The tall American youth is dressed in Santa Claus's all-red costume, with a huge white sack on his shoulders.

Then he stopped in front of Arthur, took off Santa's ornamental beard, and kissed the Englishman on the cheek with a broad smile.

Arthur looked at his attire, only felt a strange familiarity, but couldn't explain it.He had no choice but to pinch the American's face with his backhand: "I always feel so strange, as if it's not the first time I've spent Christmas with you... It's not even the first time I've seen your silly Santa Claus appearance."

"Oh—that's probably because my handsome appearance has penetrated into your heart." The American made a gesture of shooting, which made Arthur laugh.The Brit scratched the older boy's cheek with his finger: "You have a thick skin."

Alfred obviously enjoyed Arthur's little gesture of intimacy: "I'm speaking from the facts. Besides, you look stupid when you comment on others, and you look good in reindeer horns." Before Arthur puffed his cheeks and refuted , he quickly added, "But it's cute!"

"Cough." Waxiu coughed lightly and walked towards them, Elizabeth followed beside him.Alfred took a half step back wisely, and distanced himself from Arthur.

The always serious Swiss was still wearing a police uniform, frowning slightly.Elizabeth rang the bell in her hand, and the crowd around her gradually fell silent.Waxiu took a few steps forward, raised his wine glass to everyone, and said in a much gentler tone than before: "Merry Christmas, fellow residents and colleagues."

"Merry Christmas!" The crowd toasted, with blessings and cheers one after another.

"There is Sadiq at the police station for the time being, and I will go back in half an hour." Waxiu resumed his usual tone and conveyed orders to his subordinates.

Seeing Arthur's puzzled face, Matthew added: "Because of his different religious beliefs, he doesn't have the habit of celebrating Christmas."

"You guys have a good time." Wa repaired the collar, and Arthur saw the handle of the gun exposed from the inside of the uniform. "If there is any emergency, we can rush there immediately."

After the Swiss youth finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the other side of the coffee shop. Arthur found that the girl who ran a flower shop in the mall was sitting in the corner seat, and was nodding gently to them.

Elizabeth waved at the girl, turned her head and explained to Arthur, "That's the captain's sister." Looking at the soft profile and eyes of the Swiss youth, Arthur instantly understood.

That is probably the tender home that everyone has in their hearts.As is the case with the Swiss, so is he.

Arthur raised his eyes to look at Alfred in the side and rear, and the American was also looking at him.Their eyes met in the warm air, and the heart of the Englishman was as soft as a feather.

He and the Americans restocked the plates, chatted with acquaintances now and then, and cracked silly jokes.After the Americans swept a few rounds of food to fill their stomachs, they each took a glass of champagne, and then hid in the back door of the coffee house away from the Christmas tree, keeping a close distance from the crowd.

The rear door panel is simply decorated with a circle of mistletoe, small white berries and small bells hanging under the feathery leaves, which is simple and lovely.Arthur opened his eyes and looked at the small plants on the wall. Alfred reached out and moved his wine glass horizontally, and before the Englishman had time to react, he leaned over and kissed his lips.

Tossing and turning slowly, like their first kiss on the seashore, gentle and serious.

Arthur subconsciously squeezed the wine glass tightly. He half-closed his eyes and responded to the Americans, feeling a little flustered physically and mentally.It wasn't until another wave of noise from the crowd came that they separated slightly panting.

"Whoever drinks from an overflowing cup will often overturn pots—"

The usually serious German seemed to be drunk, and he stood on the bench and recited poetry aloud.Gilbert patted his brother on the shoulder and laughed, and Feliciano took the opportunity to refill everyone's wine glasses.

"That's why I said, this is a festival that everyone attaches great importance to. Look, you can see a lot of fun scenes, right?" Alfred said with a smile while stroking Arthur's cheek with his fingers.

"I can feel it." Arthur chuckled, picking up his glass again.Bubbles in the golden liquid bubbled gently, and he took a sip, as if tasting the stars.

After drinking a glass of wine, he cleared his throat, took out a thin gift box from his pocket and handed it to Alfred: "Merry Christmas."

There are as many stars in the eyes of the American as champagne, and he unwraps the gift in twos and twos.It was a white handkerchief with letters embroidered on the corner, "AFJ" - the abbreviation of American names, and the lines outlined by blue silk thread were elegant and smooth.

"Huh——" the American youth whistled in feigned surprise, with the corners of his mouth raised high.Folding the handkerchief and putting it in his pocket, he held Arthur's cheeks with both hands: "Didn't you say that this handkerchief was not embroidered for me?"

The eyes were fixed on Arthur's face, and the seriousness was unbearable: "...idiot." The British muttered without any confidence.

"You're so cute, Arthur."

The British "hummed", and was about to turn his face away to refute a few words, but was stopped by Alfred.The American stuffed his gift into the hands of the British: "Come!" His face was full of anticipation of "unwrap it soon".

The simple packing box, when opened, is a small crystal ball: inside the transparent sphere are street lamps and a red mailbox, a light brown lop-eared rabbit with its head down halfway, looking lonely, as if waiting for a letter.Arthur shook the crystal ball, and the small crystal fragments fluttered one after another, and the spherical white small world was like snow.

"Don't you think it looks like you?"

"...Where does it look like?"

"It looks like it to me. Cute, but... lonely." Alfred blinked and held Arthur's hand.

There was an indescribable ache in Arthur's heart—another unexplainable heartache that made his eyes burn.He took the American's hand back firmly, and continued to shake the crystal ball gently with the other hand.

"You should put it in the office, it doesn't take up much space anyway. Then, when you see it, you will think of me."

"Alfred F. Jones, you're so self-righteous." Arthur pursed his lips, and replied inappropriately.

"Arthur Kirkland, you're really awkward." Alfred scratched the tip of Arthur's nose with his fingers, and the Englishman feigned anger and frowned, but he still smiled.

"Let's slip away quietly."

"What about the others? Just leave it alone?"

"Yeah, don't worry about them."

Alfred quickly walked through the crowd, retrieved their coats, opened the back door of the coffee shop, and led Arthur away.

The British glanced back at the crowd behind him, and his gaze happened to meet Honda who was standing in the corner silently watching the crowd.The Japanese gave Arthur a friendly smile, then bowed his head, as if lost in long thought.

Arthur couldn't see Honda's expression clearly, he just felt that the oriental people at the Christmas party were more silent than usual, maybe it was because of the cultural differences in how they treated festivals.He thought to himself, following in the footsteps of the Americans and leaving the whole bustle behind.

Thin snowflakes floated outside the door, but the air was not very cold.

Alfred ran with him laughing all the way, and when he ran back to the apartment, the British even had beads of sweat on his forehead.

Use the backup key to open the front door of the British apartment, and they step into the house one after the other.Alfred helped Arthur sweep away the inconspicuous snow scum on his coat, and Arthur's breathing gradually calmed down.

This night, he only drank a glass of champagne slowly. With a small amount of alcohol and the vigorous running just now, he felt both warm and light-hearted.

Alfred probably drank two or three more glasses of wine than him, but he was still in good spirits.When Arthur's arm climbed onto the American's shoulder, he raised his hand and easily lifted the British's buttocks, pressing his hot lower body close to him.

Arthur helped Alfred take off his glasses, their eyes intertwined with each other's brows and eyes, and then they kissed passionately, licking each other's lips and tongues.Alfred sucked on his earlobe, fingers tenderly touching every sensitive spot on his body.

When the clothes on his upper body were completely taken off, Arthur's arms reflexively had goosebumps, but Alfred's burning palms quickly covered his skin, and the warmth almost made him cry.

"Merry Christmas, dear Arthur." The American leaned over him, a smile in his voice.

This love is like a ray of light penetrating into a deep forest; it is also like magic, with a light and warm light of magical magic, soothing his indifference, anxiety and loneliness.

How did you spend Christmas in your hometown?What kind of childhood did you spend in that country called "England".Arthur could hardly recall these episodes in his not-so-long life—but at the moment, none of it mattered.

"Merry Christmas--"

A small floating light penetrated the dark sea and floated lightly near his cheek.Their voices are so light: "Merry Christmas--poor Ying..."

He fell asleep in Alfred's arms.