Petra: This was supposed to be out around Christmas.
Kati: *looks at calender* Either the calender is wrong or you're really late...
Petra: *growls* Shut-up! No one asked your bloody opinion!
Kati: Yeah, yeah...
DEDICATED: To the innocent; they help us see what a truly beautiful world we live in.
WARNING: Slight angst
DISCLAIMER: Again, don't own Gundam Wing.
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Wish I Could See Christmas Through Your Eyes
"Life is all in perception . . . Do you see what I see?" -D.W.
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~Two Months Till Christmas~
"It's Christmas."
"What's Christmas?"
Duo supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, after all Heero wasn't the most noticeable person around, but for him to have completely missed Christmas last year… then of course, that was when Relena had gotten kidnapped. Duo sighed; still, decorations were put almost two months out in advance, so really, how could Heero have missed it?
"Matter's on your religion," Duo said, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "If you're Catholic it means that it's day that Jesus, the Son of God, was born. If not, it's just a time to spend with your family and get them presents to thank them for all the things they've done for you."
Heero cocked his head to the side, looking at Duo's drink. "What's that?"
Duo wondered if Heero would be alarmed if he went to find a wall to bang his head on. "It's hot chocolate. Would you like to try some?" Heero nodded and held out his hands for the mug.
Duo watched Heero take it as memories of the past year filled his mind. Actually, Heero's questions weren't really all that surprising, considering the past year, in which Duo had had to explain everything from Groundhog's Day to, most recently, Thanksgiving. Duo was just lucky that Heero had still been in the coma when Valentine's Day had rolled around. Duo had had a nasty shock when last year, after a year of not seeing Heero, the feelings that Duo had thought he had effectively killed were still alive and kicking… Kicking hard at that!
Duo smiled at the look on Heero's face as his partner took his first sip of hot chocolate. It was… bittersweet to be around Heero this year. Seeing Heero experiencing everything for the first time and the open expressions that came with them were slowly driving Duo crazy. "Do you want some?" Duo asked.
At Heero's enthusiastic nod Duo chuckled and signaled another waitress over. "Could we have another hot chocolate with extra whipped cream please… in fact, make that two," Duo said with another laugh as he saw that Heero was drinking the last of the hot chocolate in Duo's own cup. Duo couldn't help the slightly dreamy smile that came over his face, seeing Heero licking his smiling lips.
Heero, however, caught the look and asked, "What's that look for?"
"Nothing," Duo said and, despite his best attempts, he couldn't quite make the goofy smile go away. He had, as last year, been dreading this Christmas and the painful memories it would drag up; memories of Solo, Sister Helen, Father Maxwell, and so many more… but, maybe, with Heero, the pain wouldn't be as sharp…
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~One Month and a Half Till Christmas~
"Duo!" the loud cry caused Duo's head to whip around from where he was looking at a beautifully done golden hawk and dark jade lion. "Duo! What's this?" Heero was pointing at a Christmas tree and the other people in the store were giving him strange looks.
Duo couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he walked over to Heero. "That's a Christmas tree," he explained. "You're supposed to put one up where you live and the presents go under the tree."
"Presents? You've mentioned them before… but I thought you only got presents on your birthday…?" Heero looked at Duo with confusion on his face.
"No, you can get presents for any number of reasons. You can get presents for anniversaries, Christmas, birthdays, and sometimes for no reason."
"Anniversaries?" Heero asked, head cocked to the side slightly, something that Duo had noticed that Heero had started doing. It made him look young, something that two years ago Duo would never have thought about Heero.
"Yeah. Mostly between lovers and friends. They're dates that you celebrate, like the day you first met and… your first kiss." Duo felt his face begin to heat up slightly.
"Aa," Heero murmured, turning to look back at the tree and then he pointed to an ornament. "What're those?"
Duo sighed, ignoring the strange looks they were receiving, and launched into a long description of what an ornament was.
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~One Month Till Christmas~
"Who in the hell is that?" Heero asked, staring in a strange mix of horror and fascination at the Santa who was waving his bell a block away from the two men.
Duo laughed and couldn't seem to stop; he couldn't even thank Heero as the other boy moved him away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd to a wall so that the braided boy wouldn't get trampled.
After finally managing to get his control back, Duo replied, still laughing slightly, "That's Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, while everyone is sleeping, he comes into people's houses and leaves presents…" Seeing Heero's skeptical look Duo further explained, after a quick look to make sure there weren't any kids around, "It's just a myth that parents tell their kids but… the kids love it." Duo couldn't help the strong pull of memories as he remembered that first real Christmas morning, being waken by the older kids, only to come out of his room and be completely shocked by the large amount of presents stacked underneath the tree. A soft, sad smile curved up his lips before it was wiped quickly away, but Heero noted it with a soft smile of his own which he hid by turning to look in a store window.
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~Three Weeks Till Christmas~
"Heero! I'm home! I…" Duo trailed off as he stared in shock at the small apartment. Had he come to the right one? Had he accidentally stepped in the wrong apartment? The apartment was decorated festively, but not overly done, with streamers and lights and, sure enough, in one corner a tree that was only slightly taller than the short man was twinkling merrily. Heero came out of the bedroom and Duo snickered; the other boy was covered in tinsel and tape, and he had a disgruntled look on his face.
"No one said that wrapping was so hard…" Heero's cheeks tinged pink at the look Duo was giving him as he revealed the mess that was his bedroom. It was covered, literally covered, in wrapping paper. The floor, the chairs, even the bed was strewn with ripped paper. On the bed were several very messily wrapped presents and, despite the fact that that had to be the worst wrapping job Duo had ever seen, Duo couldn't help the tears that threatened to break through. Beautiful…
"Thank you… Heero…" Duo breathed, turning to look at Heero who was grinning rather goofily.
"Nothing to thank for! Those are presents that I missed the past three years. See," he pointed at one as long and wide as his hand, "That ones for our first anniversary of our meeting and there's the two Christmas' I missed… Oh! Here's your birthdays for the past seventeen years." Duo thought he would cry… he seriously thought that he would lose it right here, right now, and break down crying. Somehow, barely, he managed to rein it in and give Heero a smile.
Heero couldn't help the fact that he smiled back. Who wouldn't? Duo was standing there, tears making his eyes bright, hair framing his face from where it was falling out of the braid, giving Heero the most beautiful smile… How could Heero not smile at something so beautiful?
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~Two Weeks Until Christmas~
Duo walked wearily to his apartment door and rubbed at his eyes. God, but he was tired; he sure hoped that Heero was home because he wasn't sure that he could get the key in the lock. He opened the unlocked door gratefully and was immediately assailed by noise and smell. As he placed his briefcase down by the door he managed to separate the laughter of Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero. The sweet smell of baking cookies filled the air and Duo licked his lips unconsciously. He, somehow, managed to stumble to the kitchen where he was greeted with the most bizarre, yet heart achingly sweetest sight he'd ever seen.
Quatre was giggling madly, some cookie dough on his nose, as he stared at Trowa who was staring in horror at the frosting that now covered his shirt. Heero was standing in the corner with oven mitts on, as well as Duo's silly 'Kiss the Cook' apron. He was covered in flour which, from the white dust that was still rising in the air, appeared to be rather recent; he held a spoon in his hands that was covered in red frosting. Poor Wufei appeared to be caught in the middle and was now covered in both flour and frosting, glaring fiercely but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that, due to the white flour, the frosting on his face had turned pink.
Duo, not able to resist the temptation, picked up an egg and threw it right at Wufei, effectively covering the man. At the surprised look on their faces Duo shrugged and said, "The cookie's done, let's pop him in the oven."
Wufei, however, didn't find it that funny and, grabbing a hunk of cookie dough, flung it at Duo who, laughingly, dodged. "Can't cat-" and was promptly cut off as Trowa grabbed his own handful and caught Duo right in the face. That, apparently, was the signal for the food fight to begin.
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~One Week Till Christmas~
"We're what?" Duo asked in disbelief.
Heero shifted uncomfortably, suddenly wondering if he'd done the right thing. "We're hosting a Christmas party for us on Christmas Eve."
"Who're 'us'?"
"Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei."
Duo looked confused. "But why?"
Heero also looked confused as he said, "You said… a least, I thought you said that Christmas was meant to be spent with your family… Was I wrong?" Heero was suddenly… scared. Maybe that was why the other guys had given him strange looks. Maybe he had gotten something wrong…
"No… Heero… it's just…" Duo stopped. How did he explain how incredibly bittersweet the whole thing was? How did he explain that it made him happy to know that Heero thought of them as family? How did he explain that that also made him sad, that Heero saw him only as family? Duo sighed, and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thank you, Heero. It's just perfect."
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~Two Days Till Christmas~
"Mistletoe? What the hell is mistletoe?" Heero asked, rather irritable at the idea of missing something.
Quatre smiled sweetly, completely innocent of course, as he replied, "Mistletoe is a Christmas tradition and when we were over here two weeks ago I noticed that you didn't have any. So I brought some!"
Heero watched as Quatre hung one above every doorway in the entire apartment. "It's pretty, I guess…"
Quatre laughed. "It's not just decoration!" Heero raised an eyebrow. "You see… when two people get under it at the same time you're supposed to kiss the person."
Heero looked at Quatre disbelievingly. "You're supposed to just kiss the person?"
"Yes… but it matters on how close you are to the person. Most people just give people kisses on their cheeks but, if you really love a person, you give them a kiss on the mouth." Heero still didn't look like he believed Quatre. "Look! If you don't believe me go look it up on the internet!" Which is just what Heero did.
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~Christmas Eve~
"Cheers!" the five ex-gundam pilots yelled, as they clinked glasses together. Heero, after many long hours of studying on the internet and practicing, had created a beautiful Christmas dinner, with everything from Turkey to eggnog.
It felt… right, Duo reflected, watching with a happy smile as the four other pilots talked.
"We should really do this more often," Trowa voiced Duo's thoughts and everyone nodded enthusiastically.
"It feels like coming home," Duo said, with a wistful little smile. Everyone smiled.
Quatre laughed and then went to go get the gifts out of the cars while the rest of the ex-pilots cleared the table and got the dishwasher going. Trowa was the last to come out of the room and, it just so happened, came into the room at the same time, and through the same doorway, as Quatre. Heero, without even a smile said, "You have to kiss." Duo and Wufei turned to Heero in shock and, in response, he simply pointed to the mistletoe that hung over their heads.
Quatre, very enthusiastically, dropped the presents and, not even giving Trowa a chance to think, planted a kiss on Trowa… a kiss that got increasingly long and heavy. By the time it ended Wufei was cursing and holding a rapidly reddening tissue to his noise, Duo was giggling insanely while chanting that he was right, and Heero just looked confused.
Quatre blushed slightly and said, "We were planning on telling you anyways… but Trowa and I are together…"
Duo, who had just managed to calm down, promptly fell on his ass laughing again and managed to choke out, "Really? I never would have guessed!"
Heero couldn't help asking, "What do you mean, together?"
Duo wasn't surprised but he could tell that the other guys were so, before the other men could ask questions that might make Heero feel stupid, he hastily explained to Heero, "That means that they're in love with each other. They're more than friends. They want to have fun together still, but they also want to touch each other and kiss each other and… do more…" Duo trailed off, his cheeks only lightly red.
"What do you mean, more?" Heero asked, completely oblivious to Quatre who was trying very hard, and unsuccessfully, to hide his laughter. Trowa was holding Quatre, a smile of his own telling Duo that he found this extremely funny and Wufei was looking at the box of tissues as though they were the most beautiful things on the face of the planet. Traitors, Duo thought.
"They want to make love, have sex, with each other."
"Oh…" Heero knew the basics concept of sex… "But they're both males."
Duo thought that his face would burn off and he was pretty sure that Wufei was about to die from blood loss. "I'll explain later… okay…?" he said, nodding in Wufei's direction.
There was a long silence before the abruptness of Quatre throwing himself on top of Duo started the joking all over again and, soon, the living was littered with wrapping paper as they tore into their presents. However, Heero's mind wasn't totally on the presents anymore, but on the explanation Duo had given him. It had almost seemed like there was a little… longing in Duo's voice…
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~Christmas Day~
"DUO!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!" A heavy body was suddenly flung down on top of Duo's, cutting off his air supply.
"Wha? Who? Huh?" Duo's attempt to sit up was foiled as the warm body got back up only to throw itself back on top of Duo. "What the fuck?!"
"It's Christmas!" Heero said as Duo managed to finally focus on the boy in front of him. "Come on! It's Christmas!" Heero took hold of Duo's hand and promptly tried to drag him out of bed only to be stopped as Duo refused to move.
"Let me get in the bathroom first," Duo explained at the hurt look on Heero's face.
"Well… hurry!" Heero said, practically bouncing from foot to foot in his excitement. Duo laughed and hurried. When he finally came out Heero grabbed hold of his hand again and started tugging him out of the room.
"Where are we going?" Duo asked.
"Santa came! We have to open our presents!"
"What are you…" Duo stared in shock as they entered the living room. The entire living room was covered in presents. "Heero! What the…? How did you…?" Finally he went with, "I don't understand."
"You… always seemed to sad when talking about Christmas, even though I know that it's supposed to be happy. So… I wrote Santa a letter and…" Heero motioned.
Duo couldn't help laughing. "You sent Santa a letter, huh? Why do I get the feeling that it wasn't Santa Claus but Santa Quatre." Heero smiled at him but didn't say anything, motioning Duo inside.
"Presents!" Heero said, a twinkle in his eyes that Duo hadn't seen in his own eyes for many years. As Duo watched Heero tear into package after package he couldn't help but wish that he could see Christmas through Heero's eyes. What would it be like to see it through the eyes of someone who was having their first Christmas?
Duo smiled a little sadly but hid it, not wanting to ruin Heero's day and, after Heero was finished and Duo only half done, Heero told Duo to keep going and that he would make breakfast, that that was part of Heero's present for Duo.
Duo had been surprised last night when Heero, after at least twenty presents (Duo had lost count after number ten), had told Duo that he still have one more present left, but that he would give it to Duo on Christmas morning.
Duo finished opening his gifts, smiling at the shirt that he quickly pulled on, before he turned to help Heero in the kitchen. He was in the doorway before Heero saw him, putting the finishing touches on a tray. Picking it up, Heero moved toward Duo, taking hold of his wrist. "No, we're eating in the living room." However, he paused in the doorway, the hold on Duo's wrist making it so that he also had to stay where Duo was.
"Heero… what…?" Duo trailed off at the strange look at Heero was giving him.
"Duo…" he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Duo's lips, leaving the other boy breathless and surprised.
"What…?"
"There's mistletoe…" Heero said as explanation and Duo felt the disappoint so acutely he wondered if Heero could hear his heart break. Then, Heero leaned in and kissed him again. "There's me…" And then kissed him again. "There's you." Duo was completely silent and Heero was suddenly very scared that he had been reading Duo wrong… but he had to finish it… "I want… what Trowa and Quatre have. I want to touch you and kiss you and…" Heero's cheeks tinged pink remembering the halting, rather embarrassed, explanation Duo had given him as he finished with, "Do more…"
Duo stared at Heero… this was some strange dream… wasn't it? But he couldn't stop his heart from responding to what Heero was saying and, without realizing he was doing so, he pulled Heero forward, breakfast falling to litter the floor. He captured Heero's lips in another kiss, this one deeper and longer. Maybe he didn't need to see Christmas through Heero's eyes if Heero was with him… to show him what it was all about.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.
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Petra: I know that this is a little sappy... but it's cute... ne?
Kati: Just a little.
Petra: Did I ask for your bloody sarcasm?
Kati: No... but you're going to get it anyways!
Petra: Anyways, tell me what you think.
Kati: Yeah... we may continue this and write more but don't hold your breath.
Petra: There just isn't time and I would never be able to get the out on time.
Kati: As this piece is an example of!
Petra: Do you ever shut-up?
Kati: No.
Petra: Brat.
Kati: Hey! Readers! Review!
"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."
-Rose Marie Ledam
~Petra Megami Assari~
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess*
Kati: *looks at calender* Either the calender is wrong or you're really late...
Petra: *growls* Shut-up! No one asked your bloody opinion!
Kati: Yeah, yeah...
DEDICATED: To the innocent; they help us see what a truly beautiful world we live in.
WARNING: Slight angst
DISCLAIMER: Again, don't own Gundam Wing.
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Wish I Could See Christmas Through Your Eyes
"Life is all in perception . . . Do you see what I see?" -D.W.
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~Two Months Till Christmas~
"It's Christmas."
"What's Christmas?"
Duo supposed he shouldn't have been surprised, after all Heero wasn't the most noticeable person around, but for him to have completely missed Christmas last year… then of course, that was when Relena had gotten kidnapped. Duo sighed; still, decorations were put almost two months out in advance, so really, how could Heero have missed it?
"Matter's on your religion," Duo said, taking another sip of hot chocolate. "If you're Catholic it means that it's day that Jesus, the Son of God, was born. If not, it's just a time to spend with your family and get them presents to thank them for all the things they've done for you."
Heero cocked his head to the side, looking at Duo's drink. "What's that?"
Duo wondered if Heero would be alarmed if he went to find a wall to bang his head on. "It's hot chocolate. Would you like to try some?" Heero nodded and held out his hands for the mug.
Duo watched Heero take it as memories of the past year filled his mind. Actually, Heero's questions weren't really all that surprising, considering the past year, in which Duo had had to explain everything from Groundhog's Day to, most recently, Thanksgiving. Duo was just lucky that Heero had still been in the coma when Valentine's Day had rolled around. Duo had had a nasty shock when last year, after a year of not seeing Heero, the feelings that Duo had thought he had effectively killed were still alive and kicking… Kicking hard at that!
Duo smiled at the look on Heero's face as his partner took his first sip of hot chocolate. It was… bittersweet to be around Heero this year. Seeing Heero experiencing everything for the first time and the open expressions that came with them were slowly driving Duo crazy. "Do you want some?" Duo asked.
At Heero's enthusiastic nod Duo chuckled and signaled another waitress over. "Could we have another hot chocolate with extra whipped cream please… in fact, make that two," Duo said with another laugh as he saw that Heero was drinking the last of the hot chocolate in Duo's own cup. Duo couldn't help the slightly dreamy smile that came over his face, seeing Heero licking his smiling lips.
Heero, however, caught the look and asked, "What's that look for?"
"Nothing," Duo said and, despite his best attempts, he couldn't quite make the goofy smile go away. He had, as last year, been dreading this Christmas and the painful memories it would drag up; memories of Solo, Sister Helen, Father Maxwell, and so many more… but, maybe, with Heero, the pain wouldn't be as sharp…
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~One Month and a Half Till Christmas~
"Duo!" the loud cry caused Duo's head to whip around from where he was looking at a beautifully done golden hawk and dark jade lion. "Duo! What's this?" Heero was pointing at a Christmas tree and the other people in the store were giving him strange looks.
Duo couldn't help the smile that crossed his face as he walked over to Heero. "That's a Christmas tree," he explained. "You're supposed to put one up where you live and the presents go under the tree."
"Presents? You've mentioned them before… but I thought you only got presents on your birthday…?" Heero looked at Duo with confusion on his face.
"No, you can get presents for any number of reasons. You can get presents for anniversaries, Christmas, birthdays, and sometimes for no reason."
"Anniversaries?" Heero asked, head cocked to the side slightly, something that Duo had noticed that Heero had started doing. It made him look young, something that two years ago Duo would never have thought about Heero.
"Yeah. Mostly between lovers and friends. They're dates that you celebrate, like the day you first met and… your first kiss." Duo felt his face begin to heat up slightly.
"Aa," Heero murmured, turning to look back at the tree and then he pointed to an ornament. "What're those?"
Duo sighed, ignoring the strange looks they were receiving, and launched into a long description of what an ornament was.
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~One Month Till Christmas~
"Who in the hell is that?" Heero asked, staring in a strange mix of horror and fascination at the Santa who was waving his bell a block away from the two men.
Duo laughed and couldn't seem to stop; he couldn't even thank Heero as the other boy moved him away from the hustle and bustle of the crowd to a wall so that the braided boy wouldn't get trampled.
After finally managing to get his control back, Duo replied, still laughing slightly, "That's Santa Claus. On Christmas Eve, while everyone is sleeping, he comes into people's houses and leaves presents…" Seeing Heero's skeptical look Duo further explained, after a quick look to make sure there weren't any kids around, "It's just a myth that parents tell their kids but… the kids love it." Duo couldn't help the strong pull of memories as he remembered that first real Christmas morning, being waken by the older kids, only to come out of his room and be completely shocked by the large amount of presents stacked underneath the tree. A soft, sad smile curved up his lips before it was wiped quickly away, but Heero noted it with a soft smile of his own which he hid by turning to look in a store window.
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~Three Weeks Till Christmas~
"Heero! I'm home! I…" Duo trailed off as he stared in shock at the small apartment. Had he come to the right one? Had he accidentally stepped in the wrong apartment? The apartment was decorated festively, but not overly done, with streamers and lights and, sure enough, in one corner a tree that was only slightly taller than the short man was twinkling merrily. Heero came out of the bedroom and Duo snickered; the other boy was covered in tinsel and tape, and he had a disgruntled look on his face.
"No one said that wrapping was so hard…" Heero's cheeks tinged pink at the look Duo was giving him as he revealed the mess that was his bedroom. It was covered, literally covered, in wrapping paper. The floor, the chairs, even the bed was strewn with ripped paper. On the bed were several very messily wrapped presents and, despite the fact that that had to be the worst wrapping job Duo had ever seen, Duo couldn't help the tears that threatened to break through. Beautiful…
"Thank you… Heero…" Duo breathed, turning to look at Heero who was grinning rather goofily.
"Nothing to thank for! Those are presents that I missed the past three years. See," he pointed at one as long and wide as his hand, "That ones for our first anniversary of our meeting and there's the two Christmas' I missed… Oh! Here's your birthdays for the past seventeen years." Duo thought he would cry… he seriously thought that he would lose it right here, right now, and break down crying. Somehow, barely, he managed to rein it in and give Heero a smile.
Heero couldn't help the fact that he smiled back. Who wouldn't? Duo was standing there, tears making his eyes bright, hair framing his face from where it was falling out of the braid, giving Heero the most beautiful smile… How could Heero not smile at something so beautiful?
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~Two Weeks Until Christmas~
Duo walked wearily to his apartment door and rubbed at his eyes. God, but he was tired; he sure hoped that Heero was home because he wasn't sure that he could get the key in the lock. He opened the unlocked door gratefully and was immediately assailed by noise and smell. As he placed his briefcase down by the door he managed to separate the laughter of Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, and Heero. The sweet smell of baking cookies filled the air and Duo licked his lips unconsciously. He, somehow, managed to stumble to the kitchen where he was greeted with the most bizarre, yet heart achingly sweetest sight he'd ever seen.
Quatre was giggling madly, some cookie dough on his nose, as he stared at Trowa who was staring in horror at the frosting that now covered his shirt. Heero was standing in the corner with oven mitts on, as well as Duo's silly 'Kiss the Cook' apron. He was covered in flour which, from the white dust that was still rising in the air, appeared to be rather recent; he held a spoon in his hands that was covered in red frosting. Poor Wufei appeared to be caught in the middle and was now covered in both flour and frosting, glaring fiercely but the effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that, due to the white flour, the frosting on his face had turned pink.
Duo, not able to resist the temptation, picked up an egg and threw it right at Wufei, effectively covering the man. At the surprised look on their faces Duo shrugged and said, "The cookie's done, let's pop him in the oven."
Wufei, however, didn't find it that funny and, grabbing a hunk of cookie dough, flung it at Duo who, laughingly, dodged. "Can't cat-" and was promptly cut off as Trowa grabbed his own handful and caught Duo right in the face. That, apparently, was the signal for the food fight to begin.
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~One Week Till Christmas~
"We're what?" Duo asked in disbelief.
Heero shifted uncomfortably, suddenly wondering if he'd done the right thing. "We're hosting a Christmas party for us on Christmas Eve."
"Who're 'us'?"
"Quatre, Trowa, and Wufei."
Duo looked confused. "But why?"
Heero also looked confused as he said, "You said… a least, I thought you said that Christmas was meant to be spent with your family… Was I wrong?" Heero was suddenly… scared. Maybe that was why the other guys had given him strange looks. Maybe he had gotten something wrong…
"No… Heero… it's just…" Duo stopped. How did he explain how incredibly bittersweet the whole thing was? How did he explain that it made him happy to know that Heero thought of them as family? How did he explain that that also made him sad, that Heero saw him only as family? Duo sighed, and smiled, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Thank you, Heero. It's just perfect."
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~Two Days Till Christmas~
"Mistletoe? What the hell is mistletoe?" Heero asked, rather irritable at the idea of missing something.
Quatre smiled sweetly, completely innocent of course, as he replied, "Mistletoe is a Christmas tradition and when we were over here two weeks ago I noticed that you didn't have any. So I brought some!"
Heero watched as Quatre hung one above every doorway in the entire apartment. "It's pretty, I guess…"
Quatre laughed. "It's not just decoration!" Heero raised an eyebrow. "You see… when two people get under it at the same time you're supposed to kiss the person."
Heero looked at Quatre disbelievingly. "You're supposed to just kiss the person?"
"Yes… but it matters on how close you are to the person. Most people just give people kisses on their cheeks but, if you really love a person, you give them a kiss on the mouth." Heero still didn't look like he believed Quatre. "Look! If you don't believe me go look it up on the internet!" Which is just what Heero did.
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~Christmas Eve~
"Cheers!" the five ex-gundam pilots yelled, as they clinked glasses together. Heero, after many long hours of studying on the internet and practicing, had created a beautiful Christmas dinner, with everything from Turkey to eggnog.
It felt… right, Duo reflected, watching with a happy smile as the four other pilots talked.
"We should really do this more often," Trowa voiced Duo's thoughts and everyone nodded enthusiastically.
"It feels like coming home," Duo said, with a wistful little smile. Everyone smiled.
Quatre laughed and then went to go get the gifts out of the cars while the rest of the ex-pilots cleared the table and got the dishwasher going. Trowa was the last to come out of the room and, it just so happened, came into the room at the same time, and through the same doorway, as Quatre. Heero, without even a smile said, "You have to kiss." Duo and Wufei turned to Heero in shock and, in response, he simply pointed to the mistletoe that hung over their heads.
Quatre, very enthusiastically, dropped the presents and, not even giving Trowa a chance to think, planted a kiss on Trowa… a kiss that got increasingly long and heavy. By the time it ended Wufei was cursing and holding a rapidly reddening tissue to his noise, Duo was giggling insanely while chanting that he was right, and Heero just looked confused.
Quatre blushed slightly and said, "We were planning on telling you anyways… but Trowa and I are together…"
Duo, who had just managed to calm down, promptly fell on his ass laughing again and managed to choke out, "Really? I never would have guessed!"
Heero couldn't help asking, "What do you mean, together?"
Duo wasn't surprised but he could tell that the other guys were so, before the other men could ask questions that might make Heero feel stupid, he hastily explained to Heero, "That means that they're in love with each other. They're more than friends. They want to have fun together still, but they also want to touch each other and kiss each other and… do more…" Duo trailed off, his cheeks only lightly red.
"What do you mean, more?" Heero asked, completely oblivious to Quatre who was trying very hard, and unsuccessfully, to hide his laughter. Trowa was holding Quatre, a smile of his own telling Duo that he found this extremely funny and Wufei was looking at the box of tissues as though they were the most beautiful things on the face of the planet. Traitors, Duo thought.
"They want to make love, have sex, with each other."
"Oh…" Heero knew the basics concept of sex… "But they're both males."
Duo thought that his face would burn off and he was pretty sure that Wufei was about to die from blood loss. "I'll explain later… okay…?" he said, nodding in Wufei's direction.
There was a long silence before the abruptness of Quatre throwing himself on top of Duo started the joking all over again and, soon, the living was littered with wrapping paper as they tore into their presents. However, Heero's mind wasn't totally on the presents anymore, but on the explanation Duo had given him. It had almost seemed like there was a little… longing in Duo's voice…
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~Christmas Day~
"DUO!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!!!!!!" A heavy body was suddenly flung down on top of Duo's, cutting off his air supply.
"Wha? Who? Huh?" Duo's attempt to sit up was foiled as the warm body got back up only to throw itself back on top of Duo. "What the fuck?!"
"It's Christmas!" Heero said as Duo managed to finally focus on the boy in front of him. "Come on! It's Christmas!" Heero took hold of Duo's hand and promptly tried to drag him out of bed only to be stopped as Duo refused to move.
"Let me get in the bathroom first," Duo explained at the hurt look on Heero's face.
"Well… hurry!" Heero said, practically bouncing from foot to foot in his excitement. Duo laughed and hurried. When he finally came out Heero grabbed hold of his hand again and started tugging him out of the room.
"Where are we going?" Duo asked.
"Santa came! We have to open our presents!"
"What are you…" Duo stared in shock as they entered the living room. The entire living room was covered in presents. "Heero! What the…? How did you…?" Finally he went with, "I don't understand."
"You… always seemed to sad when talking about Christmas, even though I know that it's supposed to be happy. So… I wrote Santa a letter and…" Heero motioned.
Duo couldn't help laughing. "You sent Santa a letter, huh? Why do I get the feeling that it wasn't Santa Claus but Santa Quatre." Heero smiled at him but didn't say anything, motioning Duo inside.
"Presents!" Heero said, a twinkle in his eyes that Duo hadn't seen in his own eyes for many years. As Duo watched Heero tear into package after package he couldn't help but wish that he could see Christmas through Heero's eyes. What would it be like to see it through the eyes of someone who was having their first Christmas?
Duo smiled a little sadly but hid it, not wanting to ruin Heero's day and, after Heero was finished and Duo only half done, Heero told Duo to keep going and that he would make breakfast, that that was part of Heero's present for Duo.
Duo had been surprised last night when Heero, after at least twenty presents (Duo had lost count after number ten), had told Duo that he still have one more present left, but that he would give it to Duo on Christmas morning.
Duo finished opening his gifts, smiling at the shirt that he quickly pulled on, before he turned to help Heero in the kitchen. He was in the doorway before Heero saw him, putting the finishing touches on a tray. Picking it up, Heero moved toward Duo, taking hold of his wrist. "No, we're eating in the living room." However, he paused in the doorway, the hold on Duo's wrist making it so that he also had to stay where Duo was.
"Heero… what…?" Duo trailed off at the strange look at Heero was giving him.
"Duo…" he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Duo's lips, leaving the other boy breathless and surprised.
"What…?"
"There's mistletoe…" Heero said as explanation and Duo felt the disappoint so acutely he wondered if Heero could hear his heart break. Then, Heero leaned in and kissed him again. "There's me…" And then kissed him again. "There's you." Duo was completely silent and Heero was suddenly very scared that he had been reading Duo wrong… but he had to finish it… "I want… what Trowa and Quatre have. I want to touch you and kiss you and…" Heero's cheeks tinged pink remembering the halting, rather embarrassed, explanation Duo had given him as he finished with, "Do more…"
Duo stared at Heero… this was some strange dream… wasn't it? But he couldn't stop his heart from responding to what Heero was saying and, without realizing he was doing so, he pulled Heero forward, breakfast falling to litter the floor. He captured Heero's lips in another kiss, this one deeper and longer. Maybe he didn't need to see Christmas through Heero's eyes if Heero was with him… to show him what it was all about.
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IMPORTANT NOTE: For those of you that wish it, DUE TO MY SPORADIC postings, I am offering you, the readers, A MAILING LIST to sign up to. When I finally UPDATE, I will SEND OUT AN EMAIL informing those of you that are on the list that I have finally updated. I need you to EMAIL me, telling that you wish to sign up, and whether it's for ORIGINAL FICTION or FANFICTION. I WILL NOT accept those people that ask to be up on it in a review because I can't be sure that email is real. The mailing list will ALSO OFFER the TITLES of those works that I am posting, the COUPLES (if any) that are in it, which FANDOM it is from, and whether it is a SEQUEL to anything.
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Petra: I know that this is a little sappy... but it's cute... ne?
Kati: Just a little.
Petra: Did I ask for your bloody sarcasm?
Kati: No... but you're going to get it anyways!
Petra: Anyways, tell me what you think.
Kati: Yeah... we may continue this and write more but don't hold your breath.
Petra: There just isn't time and I would never be able to get the out on time.
Kati: As this piece is an example of!
Petra: Do you ever shut-up?
Kati: No.
Petra: Brat.
Kati: Hey! Readers! Review!
"I dream of a day when I can open my eyes, and my dreams won't disappear."
-Rose Marie Ledam
~Petra Megami Assari~
*The Gentle Tiger Goddess*