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Hifumi buries his chin into his thin jacket as he trudges through town. His boots, worn through at the soles, and his threadbare socks do nothing to protect his feet from the snow on the pavement, but he tries to focus on potential customers instead of the cold seeping into his bones. He perks up at the sight of a figure walking briskly in his direction.
“Evenin’, sir, and Merry Christmas to you! Box of matches to light a warm fire at home tonight?” He shakes the small box cheerfully, hoping it doesn’t show that his hand’s shaking more from the cold.
A biting wind rises, cutting to the bone and whipping up a flurry of snow that forces his eyes shut for a moment.
When Hifumi opens them again, the man is gone.
And so are the few dollars he had earned since this morning.
The freezing air stings and brings tears to his eyes - or so he tells himself - as he continues on his way. He has to earn some money before he heads home, otherwise… He shivers - from the cold, of course.
Peering through the heavily falling snow, Hifumi picks out the form of a child his size heading towards him, pulling a heavy load behind them.
“Hullo and Merry Christmas!” he greets enthusiastically with a wave. “Wanna buy some matchsticks to light a fire for tonight?”
Tired teal eyes gaze back at him forlornly from under a scarf. “N-no, sorry…” The boy shakes his head slowly and snow tumbles off his rust-red hair. He rubs his nose with an ungloved hand, fingers blue with cold. “B-but would you like to buy some f-firewood?”
Hifumi cocks his head slightly, considering. “Nah, we don’t have a fireplace. But you look like you’re freezing !” He grabs the boy’s wrist, ignoring his surprised cry, and holds out his own (almost numb) hand against the boy’s. “Look, our hands’re the same colour!”
He leans in closer. “And I can hear your teeth chattering…” He straightens with a determined nod. “Let’s get outta this wind and warm up a little!” Keeping his grip on his new friend’s wrist, he makes his way to one of the more deserted alleys, slightly more out of the wind than most, and they squeeze into a corner together.
Now that they’re settled down, Hifumi pulls out his matchbox again and knocks out a matchstick. But the cold has settled too deeply into his fingers, and he fumbles it, dropping it into the drain by their feet. “Oops! Guess that one can’t be lit anymore,” he casts a sheepish grin at his companion - “Doppo,” the redhead had murmured when Hifumi nudged him for his name on the way over - and carefully picks up a second one.
Hifumi manages to strike the match clumsily, and a small flame sparks to life. The two of them warm their hands around it, enraptured by the gentle light.
But it sputters out all too soon, and the winter night presses in on them again.
Hifumi glances curiously at Doppo, trying to keep his teeth from chattering too much. “Did you see what I saw?”
Doppo’s eyes widen. “You saw something too?”
“Yeah! Tell me what you saw first, though!”
“I saw…” Doppo’s eyes sparkle in the dark as they relive the scene he had just witnessed. “A warm house, with a huge, roaring fireplace!”
Hifumi nods enthusiastically. “Me too! And soft beds with thick, fluffy covers!”
The two children look at each other in excitement.
Doppo speaks up hesitantly. “Are your matchsticks magic…?”
“Maybe!” Hifumi’s light laughter rings out in the alley, muffled only by the snow still drifting slowly to the ground around them. “Let’s light another one to find out!”
“R-really? But don’t you have to sell--”
“It’s fiiiine, I can’t sell these matchsticks if I’m frozen!” the blond grins cheekily, his excitement at seeing another vision pushing any thought of punishment out of his mind.
Their second flame flickers to life, and both children gasp audibly at the platters upon platters of piping-hot, mouthwatering dishes laid out before them on a long banquet table. Fragrant, succulent meat, dainty dishes of cakes and beautifully-wrapped candy, colourful glasses of juices and drinks to quench their thirst--
When the match burns out this time, they find themselves looking up at a teenager towering over them.
Hifumi’s the first to break the silence. “Merry Christmas!” he exclaims. “Wanna buy some matchsticks? Or firewood?” he adds, remembering Doppo’s heavy trolley.
The teenager shakes his head in mute surprise, his purple hair swaying slightly in the wind. “...I would love to...but I don’t have any money on me right now.” He gestures to his school uniform in slight embarrassment. “My apologies. Actually,” he speaks slowly, small puffs of air accompanying his words. “I was wondering if you two were cold, and if you would be more comfortable with my blazer and scarf. It seems like it will snow very heavily tonight.”
Doppo and Hifumi blink in surprise. The stranger before them is barely dressed in any winter wear - why would he be offering such a thing?
Hifumi flashes him a grateful grin. “You’re so kind, um--” - “Jakurai,” the teenager completes hesitantly - “Jakurai! But,” he quickly adds, holding up a hand when he sees their new companion start to shrug off his blazer, “No thanks! We have everything we need to keep us warm!”
“Are you sure? But your lips are blue, and--”
Next to Hifumi, Doppo nods firmly, then stares at his feet as he mumbles, “So are yours…”
Jakurai pauses with a surprised laugh. “That’s not importa--”
But Hifumi’s mind has moved on to other matters. “What’re you doing out here on Christmas night anyway? Aren’t you s’posed to be celebrating it with your family?”
An odd look, a mix of longing and regret, crosses the teenager’s face as his eyebrows pinch together slightly. “My family, huh…” His words fade, his eyes focused on a distant memory.
Hifumi considers him for a moment. “Welp, you must be feeling just as cold as us, right? You don’t even have a coat or anything… Come join us - we’re just warming up!”
Hifumi lights a bunch of matches and they huddle together, sharing in the brief light and warmth. Not wanting to sound silly in front of someone older, Hifumi keeps the vision he sees this time to himself, though he and Doppo share a secret smile because they know they both saw the same thing - a warm, loving family embracing each other with such deep affection that Hifumi feels a lump rise to his throat.
Jakurai’s low voice cuts through Hifumi’s longing. “I hope this won’t be considered presumptuous of me, but why don’t we use some of Doppo-kun’s firewood to build a small fire?” He smiles down gently at the redhead. “If you don’t mind, of course. The fire would last much longer, and we wouldn't use so many of Hifumi-kun's matches...”
“Huh!” a surprised puff of air escapes the lips of Hifumi’s friend. “B-but--”
“Oooh what a brilliant idea!! Just as expected of a high school student~” Hifumi bounces lightly on his toes. “Let’s do it, Doppo! We’ll be toasty warm!”
“O-okay…” Hands regaining some feeling from the fire, Doppo arranges some of his firewood in a neat pile, then steps back as Hifumi lights a few matchsticks and throws them in with a flourish. “Toasty, toasty~ We’ll be toasty warm~” he sings to himself.
What sort of vision would they be treated to this time…? Hifumi stares eagerly into the flames that devour the firewood, burning higher and brighter than any of their previous ones.
But no matter how hard he looks, no vision presents itself.
Confused, Hifumi wonders for a moment if Doppo’s firewood has cancelled out the magic of his matchsticks, until he spares a glance at the faces of the two surrounding him, lit up by the flames.
Doppo’s eyes are closed, a look of deep relief on his tired features as he stretches his hands and feet towards their bonfire. Hifumi giggles to himself as he realises that Doppo’s red hair looks almost like it’s on fire, too. Next to him, Jakurai gazes into the fire, a pensive but peaceful look on his youthful yet weathered face.
And Hifumi realises that this is his favourite vision.
It does snow heavily that night. But when a freezing wind blows up a flurry of snow around them, Hifumi doesn’t squeeze his eyes shut. He admires the fractal beauty of each snowflake instead. Their swirling dance calms and lulls him into a sense of peace.
“Doppo, Jakurai…” Through the creeping fog of sleep, he reaches for his new friends’ hands. “This is a wonderful Christmas.”
Their fire burns bright, small flames rising and drifting away in the frigid winter air like a sea of fireflies. And the three of them fall asleep with smiles on their faces, safe and warm in the knowledge that the flame in their hearts will not burn out like the one crackling before them.
Even if they each feel alone, they are together.
Family.