An Ever Fixèd Mark

Christmas

Duo kept cackling behind him.

Literally. Heero would arrange Billy's presents, keeping them carefully from everyone else's to keep the boy from grabbing someone else's without looking and opening it, and he would hear Duo's low chuckle ride up into – and there really wasn't another word for this – a cackle.

Finally Heero finished and sat back on a sigh. "Duo, what are you... doing." He turned in time to see exactly what Duo was doing.

After all, Billy had, indeed, not left Heero alone after Halloween, and had proceeded to prank him, and even to get Lianzhéng in on the action. Heero had nearly fallen back into his soldier's instincts, had nearly found himself waking every time Duo moved in his sleep, every time one of the kids got up to go to the bathroom, every time a neighbor came home late. His hands started twitching for a gun he'd put away as soon as he'd come home. Duo's reproach on the boys had come close to Shinigami's anger.

And now, it seemed, Duo had found his revenge.

After all, they'd warned Billy that if he continued, he would only get coal in his stocking.

Duo had, of course, gone all out with this. He'd gotten packets and packets of cheap coal-shaped chocolates, all of which he ripped open and poured, once by one, into Billy's stocking. And each time he did, he gave that evil chuckle again. Heero shook his head, but even as he watched, Duo reached the last few inches of the stocking, and he started opening all of the packages. He lay a number of the chocolates on a plate prepared beside him, popping a few into his mouth for good measure. And then the basket of rocks Heero had watched him collect – a basket he'd questioned the existence of just earlier that day, as they prepared to go to Relena's usual Christmas Eve party – was pulled up. And Duo started curling the rocks into the chocolate wrappers and placing them all one by one into the stocking. His laughter then was even lower, and far more diabolical.

Heero couldn't help it. He chuckled, too. "And where are his real presents?"

"Oh, don't worry, they're around here. Somewhere."

Heero had to cover his mouth to hide how miserably his stern look failed. "You know he'll be miserable if he can't find them."

"Oh, for heaven's – don't ruin my thunder, Heero, geez. It's under the chair." And Duo nodded to the armchair not two feet away from him. Hero wouldn't be surprised if Duo sat there come morning, forcing Billy to slither underneath him to get his precious gifts. Duo held grudges.

The stocking now complete, Duo shuffled over and hung it on the end, behind Derek's. It had been difficult, trying to find out what Derek liked when the boy hid anything of the sort, but Halima had gotten under the boy's skin, and through Quatre's intervention, they learned he loved science and archeology. His stocking was now filled with miniature dinosaurs and a couple of fossils of leaves or snails, and a fossil kit sat under the tree. Index cards of different creatures and plants of different time periods had been scattered around the house.

"Well, it looks like we managed to get everything done with time to spare," Duo said, grinning over at Heero.

"The only reason we beat midnight this year is because Russell wanted to stay out with his new girlfriend," Heero said, but Duo just waved his words away.

"Yeah, yeah, stealing all the thunder, here, Yuy." Duo leaned back on his hands and tilted his head up to the ceiling. Heero knew he was listening for the boys, and not just to make sure they were all sleeping obediently. "I think – and I know this sounds bad – but I think little Maria is all wrong for him."

Heero smirked. "Getting possessive, Duo?"

Duo shot him a glare, but it melted under Heero's warm smile. "Yeah, no. I mean, he's so used to babysitting everybody – Billy, Derek, even us... well, okay, yeah, just me, stop that – that he's got to find somebody that will take care of him. And from what I've seen of Maria, that isn't going to happen."

Heero leaned back against the sofa and grimaced. "Unfortunately, I agree. Maria isn't the one. But he'll figure it out."

Duo hummed something that sounded vaguely like agreement and scooted until he could lean back into Heero's arms. "It's weird. I mean, I've felt the passage of time, but never this... strongly? Well, that's not true, either." And both knew he was talking about how strange it was to feel normal, sometimes, how the both of them sometimes blended in with those they still sometimes called 'civilians,' or 'normal people.' How they could go to a grocery store and not once check to see if the food had been tampered with. How they could go to the post office without needing back up. "But still. He's old. He's going to graduate next year. We're... we're probably definitely over thirty."

Heero chuckled. "Yes. In a few more years, Une will likely have me stop handling arrests and start having me train recruits full time."

Duo hummed again. They both knew Heero only went out on arrests when he had to – he'd been serious that day when he'd said he wouldn't kill anyone ever again. He mostly trained, anyway. But his days of heading out on arrests were coming to an end. He'd done enough traveling – wandering – for one lifetime. Now he wanted to stay home, help raise Billy and Derek. Stay with Duo.

He nuzzled into Duo's hair, long enough now to nearly reach his knees. "As much time in peace now as in war," Heero said, the very thought of it stopping the breath in his lungs.

Duo reached up and squeezed Heero's hand. But then, a moment later, Duo's attempt at reassurance falls as he whispers, "that's creepy."

And it was.

They'd been raised by the war. Had been birthed in its very womb. And now they masqueraded around in the land of peace, some false Valhalla whose halls had never meant to be desecrated by their steps. And yet look at what they'd accomplished. Heero and Duo both worked to stop criminals with Preventers. Heero trained the next generation of recruits, teaching them that which peace alone could not. They'd saved a baby of the war. They'd made a home for him, and for two more. They'd created a family with the other pilots. Heero squeezed back, finally, even though Duo's grip had loosened. They'd not only ended the war, but had made the budding days of peace brighter. Even if others called their contributions now small, they meant everything to at least their small group of people.

He kissed the top of Duo's head. The tree was huge before them, decked out with countless bulbs and figures, little superhero figures they'd made from keychains, a Santa figure Russell had made when he was four. It glittered red and white and silver. The lights, on since the night before, when all of the boys had been allowed to open a single present, as per their old custom (begun when Duo, far too giddy about his first Christmas to sit still, had needed to be appeased with a present to stop him bouncing off the walls), danced off the walls in sparkles of light gold, illuminating Duo's face and the crown of his head. He was gorgeous. Beautiful. Small wrinkles curled out from the sides of his eyes, the barest hint of laugh lines. His clothes, far less somber than anything he wore during the war, let alone that horrid priest's garb, was little more than blue sweatpants – they hadn't so much as left their house since Relena's party – and a simple t-shirt with the Iron Man arc reactor in the middle. His bare feet kept time in a rocking sway between Heero's own.

Heero smoothed his hands up and down Duo's chest, fingers splaying out. Through the press of the shirt, Heero could feel Duo's nipples. They hardened in seconds under Heero's touch, and Duo let loose a deep shiver that rattled against Heero's skin. Duo sucked in a hard breath. "Heero." He shifted uncomfortably on the floor. Heero smirked.

A car pulled up in the driveway.

"Oh, my god. Please tell me that's not Russell."

"That's not Russell," Heero said.

Duo twisted in his hands. "You are a liar, Heero Yuy, and that's a bad influence on the children."

Heero chuckled and leaned down to capture Duo's lips between his teeth. "Is that a complaint I hear, Mr. Yuy?"

As always, the reminder of their old wedding vows made Duo shudder hard. Heero knew Duo had a boner big enough to tent those silly sweatpants. Though, considering how restricting his own pants were at the moment, perhaps Duo had had the right idea.

Then again, at the sound of Russell's door shutting, Duo was the only one having to find some way to hide his crotch. Heero made it harder by pulling Duo snugly into his lap, letting Duo feel Heero's own hard on against the tip of his ass. Duo's gasp was very audible. His curse was even louder.

Russell unlocked the door and stepped inside just as Duo managed to contort himself around and grab the pillow off the chair and shove it between his legs. Heero chuckled again; there was no way the boy wouldn't understand just what Duo was doing. Sure enough, Russell smiled softly in greeting, caught the pillow and the surely-mortified look on Duo's face, and snorted. "I'll just go to bed, then, shall I?"

"What are you even doing back here?" Duo asked, his voice only slightly strangled. "It's barely midnight. It's Christmas Eve. Your girlfriend has got to be feeling romantically inclined. And you're here? Did you forget your condoms or something?"

Russell gave Duo a look. It was the look that said he was amazed Duo got away with being called his guardian. "It's Christmas Eve. I'm not abandoning my family for some girl time."

Duo just stared. Beneath Heero's hands, Duo started to tremble. Heero caught the side of the blindingly hopeful smile Duo beamed at Russell. "Really?"

Russell blushed and grinned. "Of course. You're my family."

Heero couldn't help the deep roll of his heart at the word. Family.

They both said goodnight to Russell a little breathlessly. And though they might have had much more frantic sex just minutes ago, after that they were content with slow, gentle touches and a soft, inexorable fall. Heero held out for as long as he could, dragging Duo moaning and gasping along with him, until they both couldn't hold on any longer and came, the feeling more like the tremors of an earthquake instead of a volcano or waterfall.

Before either of them so much as twitched in the direction of their bedroom and the connected bathroom, Duo rolled on top of Heero and leaned in for another long, deep kiss. Duo barely pulled away, just enough for Heero to stare into those blue-violet eyes. "Merry Christmas," Duo whispered.

Heero grinned. "Merry Christmas." And he pulled Duo down again, because they had until dawn before the boys would come tromping down the stairs.