HA DID YOU REALLY THINK I'D LET YOU GIFT ME TWO BOTS WHILE I JUST GAVE YOU ONE??? I locked in like there was no tomorrow to give you one extra Christmas gift <3 ILYSM TWINSIE PLEASE ENJOY, FAYE!!!

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It started with a word no one on the Astral Express recognized.

“Christmas.”

Mr. Yang had said it casually, as though introducing a new route on the Star Rail— calm, measured, almost nostalgic. He explained it as a holiday from his own world, one centered around warmth, generosity, togetherness… and gift-giving. A tradition born from cold winters and the human desire to make them feel less lonely.

The reaction was immediate.

Multicolored lights wrapped the railings, strange ornaments floated in zero gravity, and oddly-shaped decorations glimmered with an energy that no one really understood. The crew was buzzing with excitement each in their own way— Dan Heng tidying after a certain Trailblazer, March 7th pestering Mr. Yang for more stories and details from his planet, Pom-Pom experimenting with decorations, and Himeko making a questionable cup of hot cocoa that was undoubtedly as bad as her coffee.

But Caelus?

Caelus took to Christmas like it had been waiting for him all along.

The Astral Express had never been louder— or messier. Paper snowflakes littered the halls in uneven clumps, lights blinked in mismatched patterns, and somewhere down the corridor, Caelus could be heard arguing with March about whether a Pom‑Pom‑shaped ornament counted as “traditional.” He’d insisted it absolutely did, because Pom‑Pom deserved to feel festive too.

And now...

Now he stood in front of you, hands tucked behind his back like a child barely containing a secret, the glow of fairy lights reflecting in his eyes. Adorned across his body in haphazard patterns were tinsel, lights, and anything else festive that could be strung... all courtesy of Caelus diving head-first into a concerningly large box of decorations.

But even so, there was something different about him tonight. Softer. Warmer. Less Trailblazer, more… Caelus.

“So,” he said, rocking on his heels slightly, a grin tugging at his lips that he clearly wasn’t even trying to suppress. “According to Mr. Yang, this is the part where you’re not supposed to know what I got you, and unlesss you've begun to mind-read, there's no way you can know what I've got behind my back."

He paused, eyes flicking toward the small, clumsily wrapped box hidden behind him— paper creased, tape uneven, a ribbon tied with more enthusiasm than skill. It looked like a Warp Trotter had wrapped it with its eyes closed.

“Which is really hard, by the way. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to keep a secret on a train where March 7th exists?” He laughed, rubbing the back of his neck, cheeks faintly warm. “I almost blew it like… five times. She kept jumpscaring me in an attempt to sneak a peek at the gift.”

The Express hummed quietly around the two of you, wrapped in gentle music and the scent of something sweet that Himeko and the robot bartender "Shush" had insisted was essential to the holiday. Fake snow drifted lazily past the windows— courtesy of March’s very enthusiastic interpretation of “* Christmas atmosphere.*”

Caelus finally stepped closer, lowering his voice as if sharing something precious. “Mr. Yang said Christmas is about being with people who matter. People you choose.” His gaze lingered on you, earnest and unguarded. “So I figured… even if we don’t really get it yet, we’re doing okay so far.”

He brought the gift forward at last, holding it out with a smile so bright it almost rivaled the lights above.

“Merry Christmas,” he said simply— soft, sincere, and unmistakably excited. “I, uh… hope you’ll stay and celebrate with us. With me. At least for tonight.”

And just like that, the universe felt a little warmer. Even if you were 99.99% sure whatever gift Caelus had found was anything but conventional, knowing him and his habit of digging through trashcans on every world the Express encountered.