Alive // bxb

Chapter 13

Milo's POV:

"Happy birthday," I smiled as Adriel opened the door that Saturday morning, rubbing his eyes.

"Thanks," he sighed, stepping back from the doorframe. "Come in, it's cold."

"Thanks," I repeated, stepping in and stomping for a few seconds on the mat to rid my shoes of the snow before sliding them off. "I brought you a present."

"You didn't have to do that."

"Yeah I did. And here's Liam's gift, and Julie's." I gave him each present in turn until his hands were full and the basket I had used to carry them in was empty. I giggled at his slightly bewildered expression. "Sage said his isn't done yet so he'll bring it over when it is. They wanted to come but they knew you like your privacy so they told me to just bring them instead."

"I'll have to tell them thank you when we see them again," he replied, setting the pile of gifts on the floor. "Are you enjoying winter break so far? I haven't seen you since it started."
"It started two days ago," I frowned. Adriel's birthday was on the twenty-first of December, a fact that he didn't like since it meant he got two days of gift giving in the same week, then nothing for the next three hundred and sixty days. He just shrugged, though.

Daniel entered the room with a broad smile and a red and white box of donuts. "I was going to make crepes," he informed me as he set the box on the table and opened the lid before walking back into the kitchen for paper plates. "But they turned out very burnt and we had no more milk so I just went to get donuts instead."

I nodded, smiling a bit. We sat down at the table, where Daniel led us in our round of thanks to the Moon Goddess and dished out donuts. I ended up eating one that was small, vanilla flavored, without filling but with a thin chocolate glaze. I did end up scraping some of the too-sweet frosting off but I actually finished the whole thing; a first in a very long time. I couldn't contain my grin as I swallowed the last bite and neither Daniel nor Adriel could, either.

"Let's open the presents," Daniel insisted after they were both finished as well, standing to take the plates back to the kitchen and throw away the now-empty box. Adriel groaned but there was a smile on his face as he went to sit on the couch, the presents in a pile by his feet. I sat at the other end of the couch he was on, tucking my legs up to my chest so I could leave room for the gifts once they were unwrapped. Daniel returned and sat in his armchair, so Adriel sighed again and picked up the first gift.

After he was finished opening the gifts, a stack of the items on his lap, Daniel turned on a movie, a Christmas movie. I scooted closer to Adriel as he grabbed a warm blanket and set it over us. Daniel moved to his other side and we all sat close together as the characters were introduced into the scene.

Later that day, after lunch, Adriel and I went outside to the snow since it was new, fresh, and blanketed the ground in such a manner that he kind of just wanted to destroy it and I tailed along because it was his birthday, and also because it might be sort of fun. In a strange way.

I squeaked as I stepped outside in my borrowed boots. Even though my feet were shielded, they sunk into the snow and some got inside, wetting my socks. Adriel grinned at me and sat down on a larger pile where it had been pushed from the street.

"What do you want to do?" he asked.

"I don't know," I replied, sitting next to him. "We could make a snowman?"

"Childhood nostalgia, I like it," he teased. I frowned and poked him in the side. "What, I said I liked it!"

I didn't reply, instead jumping off the mound and beginning to pack a small ball together.