Touhou Christmas Novels & Stories

After he had recovered his power of speech and had brought Nocturne to climax, he tackled the subject of the winter holidays. “Is there any chance that you’re less busy over Christmas?” he asked hopefully. “I’ll be free, but I read that more people die at Christmas than any other time of year.” Nocturne grimaced. “This time of the year does produce a longer list of names than usual. Normally I do not mind because it keeps me busy all day and I cannot get tired. Now I find it annoying.” That killed his dreams of a Christmas Day date in his bedroom. Leo pouted.

Our breaths were finally getting back to normal as Winter started drawing light little circles on my chest. I glanced over at the wall clock and saw it was after midnight. Winter was still awake drawing little circles on my chest, so I took my finger under her chin to look up at me. "Merry Christmas, my love." I whispered as I kissed her. "Merry Christmas, baby." Winter smiled against my lips. Before long, we both fell asleep in each other's arms. I woke up to a little bit of sunshine shining in the room. I turned over and noticed Winter wasn't in bed. I started to panic until the bathroom door opened revealing my sexy mate in a towel. She had already gotten a shower.

Not with the paycheck. Christmas just got a whole lot fucking worse.

The snow keeps falling, heavy and suffocating. When I finally gather enough courage to walk home, my nerves are shredded. My thoughts got tangled. My chest tightened I reach my doorstep, fumbling for my keys. And there,lying on my welcome mat—is something small, wooden, and dusted with snow. A Christmas ornament. Hand-carved. Shaped like a house.Burning. A single number etched into its back: 24 The countdown has begun.

On Christmas Eve, I finally dragged myself out to beg for food. The giant screen outside the mall was blasting headlines about Leon and Chloe. Apparently, to welcome Chloe to the family estate, Leon had dropped a ridiculous amount of money lighting up the entire city. Everything would go off at midnight. Under the screen, a kind shop owner handed me a bread roll. I scarfed it down, thanking him again and again. Didn't matter that I stayed tucked in a corner. Security still came over and chased me off. Night fell. My whole body shook as the last bit of warmth drained out of me.

Christmas break was just around the corner. A high school group chat that had been dead for years suddenly became lively again. Messages flooded in by the hundreds within minutes. Some people talked about how excited they were to reunite, while others sighed nostalgically about how beautiful those years had been. The class president sent me a private message again, insisting that I attend no matter what. I had ignored every invitation before, but this time, I agreed. Because I wanted to see what they looked like once they failed and had nothing left.

Nicholas “Merry Christmas!” shouted a smiling street performer, handing out small candy canes. “No, thank you,” Nicholas Kerstman said, shaking his head as he walked past. “But it's Christmas time! Take one,” the performer urged. “Embrace the season.” Nicholas sighed. Why did Christmas have to come every year? “Sure. Why not?” Nicholas said with a shrug as he took the candy cane into his hand. When he thought the street performer couldn't see him, he threw the candy cane into the nearest trashcan.

2 Weeks Later Laila sat curled into the corner of her sofa, a soft cream-colored throw blanket draped across her lap as Laya leaned heavily against her side. The Christmas lights she hadn’t quite found the heart to take down yet glowed softly around the living room, casting warm gold and red reflections across the walls. The tree was gone, the ornaments packed away, but the lights remained—small reminders of a season that had changed more than just the calendar. Her phone, propped up against a candle on the coffee table, rang, vibrating slightly against the wood.

I learned to be thankful and quiet. That acceptance made me hate Christmas. Love songs made my skin crawl. The lights under our tree looked like glass eyes. The ribbons on the presents were traps. Every year, the house tuned itself to cheer and I pretended to enjoy it. The twenty-fifth became the night when a new kind of cold touched my bones. It was the day the truth had crawled out at me like an animal. It was the day I had learned how much of my life had been decided by other hands.

A/N: Dear Reader, This chapter is not in any way related to the plot of this story. It's a little gift to add to your Christmas happiness. Please don't pay for this chapter. It's free (Free-To-Read) "Merry Christmas, Maria," Romeo exclaims, his voice waking the sleepy Maria. "Merry Christmas, Romeo, and thanks for stealing my sleep," she cackles. She sits up and sees Romeo holding a small cheesecake with a big candle in the middle.