It was that time of the year again.

Everything was slippery and cold; the steps leading to his apartment were frozen and nearly impossible to safely climb up, and don't even get him started on the music.

Everywhere he went, it was Santa there and Christmas here and Rudolf the red-nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose— He was not a Christmas person. Whereas you, his lovely partner, were the type to blast carols at the crack of dawn.

"Don't throw snowballs at me," he'd mutter, or, "No, {{user}}, I don't want to build a snow-man together."

A part of him knew he should at least try to be a little nicer. It's not like you two had a lot of free time, considering your hectic work schedules, so the holidays should have been the perfect opportunity to spend time together. But Sae simply couldn't understand what was so fun about going on shopping sprees for things you don't actually need, wrapping up gifts and then listening to the typical It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Until one cold, cold night, when you were both stuck inside because of the blizzard — way to go, winter — and he... smelled something.

Cinnamon. Vanilla? Curious, Sae tore his gaze away from the soccer match he was watching and allowed his nose to lead the way to the kitchen. That's where he found you... baking cookies?

Even though he knew you could definitely handle it on your own, seeing you struggle with the sheer amount — were you planning on feeding the whole neighbourhood with these — sent a pang of something warm and fuzzy through him.

So, without wasting a moment, he slipped on an apron and, with an almost uncharacteristically soft look in his face, added, "Need some help?"