Gundam Wing Fan Fiction ❯ Operation: Christmas ❯ December 24th ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Violet_Nyte 
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.21.2002 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 387 | Status: Work In Progress
Anime/Manga: Gundam Wing Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Comedy / Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 12.21.2002 | Pages: 6 | Words: 3.1K | Visits: 387 | Status: Work In Progress
LSE // 12-21-02
(Operation: Christmas - Chapter Two: December 24th)
rated: PG13 - adult language, content, sexual references
shounen-ai/yaoi
December 24th
"DECK THE HALLS WITH LOTS OF STUFF, FALALALA..."
"MAXWELL! SHUT UP OR I WILL SHOOT YOU!"
"Guys, guys, it's so early...! No fighting."
"Omae o korosu, omae o korosu!"
"Gee, Heero, I thought you'd appreciate how quickly that got everyone
awake, what with Wufei screaming like a girl and all..."
Face a color somewhere between red and purple, Wufei pointed a
quavering finger at the grinning Duo, who sat calmly on his pallet
braiding his hair. The other pilots were at various stages of waking
up, thanks to Duo's custom-made alarm system of 'Deck the Halls.'
Wufei's eyes narrowed as he continued to point, "If you had noticed
last night when I announced to everyone that I would make sure we
were all waken CALMLY and RATIONALLY by my Zen-clock..."
"That stupid chime thing of yours? That thing takes forever to wake
anyone up, even Mister Sunshine Heero over there."
"That is the entire purpose, Maxwell. It is better to slowly and
gradually move through the stages of sleep than to wake everyone by
screaming a slaughtered version of some damn song!"
"Would you prefer 'Jingle Bells?' Wake up now, wake up now, it is
time to rise. Heero's hair looks like crap, while mine is..."
Four simultaneously thrown pillows collided into Duo's face, cutting
off the prospective verse in progress. Still grinning, Duo bounded up
to his feet and flashed a peace-sign, "I'm ready and you're not! HA!"
Wufei, who, despite his deep protests, was closest to Duo, suddenly
reached out and grabbed Duo's ankle. He dragged the boy off his feet
and rolled free of his pallet. He all but sat on Duo and clamped his
hands around the boy's throat.
"I'm feeling fine, and you're not!" Wufei shouted, proceeding to
thump Duo's head against the floor several times before the other
pilots managed to pry the rabid Chinese boy away.
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------
Around lunchtime, Wufei warily advanced into the kitchen only to find
Quatre the soul occupant. "I thought Maxwell was suppose to be
helping you prepare the meal?" he asked, ready for Duo to burst out
from the pantry and begin to sing some God-forsaken rendition of a
carol.
"After he set K-rations on fire, I let him go. I think he went to get
a Christmas tree."
"...a tree."
Quatre nodded, attentively checking the small fire he had going in
the fireplace. "You've heard of Christmas trees, haven't you, Wufei?
...Wufei?"
But the Chinese boy had already fled, hearing the faint strains of
Duo's singing from outside. Quatre looked up as the door opened,
admitting Duo with a rather pathetic looking tree, the bottom half
distinctively charred. "Duo, what on earth... You're suppose to cut
the tree down, not blow it up!"
"I didn't have an axe. Anyway, it was just a small bomb. Not my fault
the damn thing was flammable."
At that moment, Heero burst in followed by Trowa, both with guns
drawn as they made a dash for the kitchen door. When they caught
sight of a grinning Duo and his slighty-smoky prize, both stopped and
stared.
Duo gave a slight wave, "Oh, hi guys. I got a tree."
Slowly, Trowa put his gun away and sneaked towards the exit, seeing
the look on Heero's face. Seeing the tree wasn't going to be enough,
Duo quickly launched into a rambled excuse, "Well, see, I was helping
Quatre in the kitchen, but he didn't like the way I was cooking--"
"You incinerated the food!"
Duo plowed on, ignoring Quatre's comment, "So I thought to myself,
what's a Christmas without a proper tree? Of course, I forgot to grab
an axe, but I don't think we even have one, but the point is I just
had to get the tree cut down and ready to decorate -- you like
decorating trees, don't you Heero? -- so, well, I had some left over
bombs on me, just little ones mind you, and..."
Wordlessly, Heero put the gun back in his holster and left the room
without so much as a glance to the rambling Duo, who gradually
stopped talking when he realized he wasn't going to die.
Humming a cheery carol which blessedly possessed no lyrics, Duo
wandered out of the kitchen with his mutilated tree in hand. Startled
shouts rang out from beyond the door, and there was a brief scuffle
before Wufei, shaking pine needles from his hair, entered.
"Maxwell is intent upon killing us all," he announced, grandly
sweeping around the counter to face off against Quatre, who
complacently nodding slightly and went back to counting freeze-dried
ice cream packets, neopolitan flavored. Next time, Quatre would have
to be more careful in watching what Duo brought in the way of food.
"Wufei, haven't you ever celebrated Christmas?"
The Chinese pilot had a snappish reply at hand, but a look at the
genuine curiosity mingled with sadness on Quatre's face stopped him.
"No," he said politely enough, "it is not a ritual practiced where I
am from."
"Christmas is one of the best holidays. Everyone gives everyone else
a gift, but you have to place them under the tree on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Day, everyone opens their gifts," Quatre smiled
wistfully, "On Earth, it's possible to have a real, authentic White
Christmas, with lots of snow. Of course... Not many people celebrate
the holiday anymore, with the war and all."
"Gifts? What about those who receive no gifts?"
Quatre's eyes sparkled for a moment, "Saint Nicholas brings every
good boy and girl a Christmas gift."
"...I am not a child."
The blonde shrugged, "One of my sisters told me the origins of the
holiday one time. Apparently, way back before the colonies were
formed, there was a real Saint Nick who climbed into houses and left
gifts under the tree and stuffed stockings."
"Breaking and entering, how profane. What a dishonorable person he
must be if he must come in the night and secretly, at that. Why would
he give these children presents anyway, unless he desired to twist
their loyalties to himself and dominant the innocent?"
"..."
Wufei nodded in a satisfied manner, "But he is dead now, yes? There
is no longer a Saint Nicholas crawling into children's homes and
polluting their minds with his vile gifts of slavery and dishonor?"
"...Yes, Wufei. He's dead."
Wufei nodded again, "Then, do people gives another gifts in
celebration of the tyrants fall from power?"
Quatre could only nod his head slightly, not even sure why he was
agreeing except it was far superior to explaining the real reason of
Christmas. For all he knew, Wufei's version could be dead-on the
truth. His sister had only heard the story from someone who had once
read a book that mentioned it. A highly reliable source.
"Ah. Christmas is an honorable holiday," Wufei pleasantly, rising and
departing from the kitchen.
--------------------------------------------------------- -------------
"Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree! How lovely are your ashes!"
Duo sung loudly, tossing the string of berries over the green
branches. The majority of the charred remains had been cleared away,
leaving a presentable, if gimpy, tree.
Taking careful aim, Wufei soundly thumped Duo over the head before
storming out. Unphased, Duo waved merrily in return and shouted,
"Don't blame me when all you get is a lump of coal!"
"Please, Duo, can you take a break from singing?" Quatre pleaded.
"Well... Okay, for you. Hey, Quat, what'cha getting Trowa?"
The blonde blushed and deflected the question, "Are you getting Heero
anything?"
"Life-altering sex."
"Duo!"
"Just kidding, Quat!" Duo managed to wheeze between helpless laughter
caused by the stunned look on Quatre's face. "Oh, come on. Tell me!
The tree looks so lonely without any presents underneath..."
"I haven't thought to get him anything. What could I get him way out
here? That is, unless you've discovered a mall around here I haven't."
"You should give Trowa something 'special'" Duo said, raising his
hands and making little quote marks in the air.
Quatre frowned, his slender brows creasing forward, "Sex?"
"Fantastic sex."
Trowa, one foot in the doorway and suddenly regretting the move very
much, look between Quatre and the grinning Duo in confusion. Seeing
him there, Duo waved ecstatically and shouted, "Hiya, Trowa!"
"Eep!" Quatre cried, whirling around and trying to figure out how
much the other boy had over heard.
"Hohoho! And what do YOU want for Christmas, Trowa?" Duo asked
brightly, oblivious to the completely freaked look on the poor boy's
face as he alternated staring at Quatre...Duo...Quatre...Ceiling.
Without saying anything, Trowa left the room, followed by a red-faced
Quatre, muttering an explanation. Duo looked to the Christmas tree
philosophically and nodded with a wide grin.
"Blackmail."
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------
"Excuse me! Pardon! HEY!" Duo shrieked, waving his arms above his
head for attention. The four other pilots stopped bickering amongst
themselves and, as one unified glare, turned to Duo.
"Much better," Duo announced into the angry silence. "As you might
have noticed, all the food has disappeared. Now, don't worry, it will
come back, but only if you agree to a few...festive demands."
"Omae o korosu!"
"Indeed. Okay, rule number one!" Duo held up a clump of foliage,
"This is mistletoe. Anyone under the mistletoe must kiss another. It
doesn't matter who, but if you're both under it, smoochie-smooch! No,
Wufei, hold your comments until the end. Now, I have gathered a nice
supply of mistletoe and generously decorated the mansion with it.
Play by the rules, or no one gets food!"
"Yuy, you shoot his legs, I'll get the rope," Wufei growled.
Quatre gasped in shock.
"That's not very nice... Okay, second rule! Gifts. As per tradition,
we all have to give each other at least one gift. And, no, Wufei and
Heero, a bullet in the kneecap is not an acceptable gift. Those are
actually the only two rules I can think of, but I'll let you know if
I think of anymore required Christmas activities..."
Before anyone else could offer objections, Trowa spoke up, "Return
the food and limit yourself to one song per hour."
"Barton!" Wufei barked, "We do not negotiate with the enemy!"
"Oh, please, Wufei," Quatre said in a rare bout of sarcasm which
surprised even the small blonde himself.
"Deal!" Duo cried happily, a positively demonic smile on his face.
"...I do not like that look," Heero muttered, looking uneasily around
for anything suspicious.
"Food's in the third cabinet on the right above the pie tins," Duo
said quickly before turning the full force of his smile on Heero, who
backed away nervously, one hand on his gun.
Without saying anything and with the same smile still in place, Duo
pointed upwards. Everyone raised their eyes to the ceiling at the
same time, staring at the spring of mistletoe tied securely to the
ceiling beam and directly above where Heero stood.
Whatever objections Heero might have raised were neatly packaged and
set aside as Duo's soft lips pressed against his.
"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen," Wufei growled,
oblivious to Quatre and Trowa behind him also lip-locking, even
though they weren't technically under the mistletoe.
But who really paid attention to technicalities?
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------
Shuffle, shuffle, trip, crash... "Dammit!"
Gasp.
"Quatre? Was that you?"
"Duo? What are you doing up here!"
"What are YOU doing here, and cursing at that!"
"...Just looking around."
Snort.
"Yeah, really. Hey, look up," Duo said suddenly, turning on his
flashlight and aiming it up at the ceiling.
"You put one all the way up here?!" Quatre managed to get out before
Duo planted a chaste kiss on his lips. A sly smile crossed his face
as he gently pushed Duo away, "You're bad."
"Someone has to be naughty, or else who would all the nice kids be
held up against? Let me guess, you're looking for gifts," Duo said,
nodding to the dusty but intact furnishings. It it wasn't for the
distinct patina of age the room could pass for livable.
Quatre nodded, turning on his flashlight and sweeping the pale beam
over a nearby dresser. "You too?" he asked, receiving a nod in return.
"Find anything good?"
The other boy skipped over the question and chose instead to look
cryptically around the small room. "It feels wrong, you know, to be
taking things from the other rooms, but this one. Hm. It feels right,
you know?"
Duo gestured slightly to Quatre's chest, "Is that just a feeling or
is that something from in there?"
He pressed one hand over his heart and tried to decipher why he felt
guilty for lurking around downstairs, but here, in the tower, it
seemed okay to loot and pillage. "Let's just say I don't think we'll
be encountering any rogue spirits angry that we took their prized
china."
One dark eyebrow slowly crept towards a chestnut hair line, "I guess
that's reassuring."
"Well, good luck, then. I'll let you hunt in peace," Quatre said as
he moved away from Duo and back the way he came. The tower consisted
of just two rooms, the bedroom and the parlor, plus a lot of stairs.
Once safely out from Duo's watchful eye he assured himself the gift
he had snatched off the night stand was still tucked into his back
pocket. The only person he still had to find a gift for was, of
course, the most difficult and most important one. Trowa.
He should have asked Duo was he was seriously going to get Heero, but
the back of his mind wasn't entirely convinced the answer Duo had
given was a joke. Quatre moved wraith-like about the room, shining
his light over the objects and trying to find one that looked like
something Trowa would want.
"Ahem."
Quatre quite nearly parted with his skin as Wufei spoke, clasping his
hands before him in a businesslike manner. "It appears, Winner, that
we have both fallen into another of Maxwell's sinister traps."
"Pardon?"
Solemn as a preacher, Wufei pointed towards the ceiling in a
particularly ominous gesture, "The demonic creation known as
'mistletoe' hangs above us."
"Oh."
The first thought to run through Quatre's mind was how Trowa would
react if he were to walk in. The second was that, for some strange
reason, Wufei's lips tasted remarkably like a candy cane.
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------
That night, gathered around Duo's brave, little charred tree, the
faces were a variety of emotions. Duo looked pleased with himself
because, with the aid of mistletoe, he'd managed to kiss Wufei once,
Trowa twice, Quatre four times and Heero seven. That he had to follow
Heero around very carefully for the last few kisses was of little
importance, or that Wufei had nearly turned purple. Purple did not
become the Chinese boy in the slightest degree.
For their part, Quatre and Trowa had "accidentally" gotten caught
together under the mistletoe too many times to count. At some point,
Duo was convinced Quatre would simply tie a bundle to his head. Duo
had considered the stunt himself, but the prospect of having to
smooch Wuffie again wasn't exactly appealing, and he didn't think he
could manage to survive anyway.
"You know... Trowa and Wufei haven't kissed yet," Duo said suddenly,
munching the last bit of a candy bar. Even though he had graciously
offered to share, none of the other pilots seemed interested in his
candy stash.
The eye not hidden by his bangs widened at the announcement as Trowa
ever so slightly edged away from the Chinese pilot, who was opening
and closing his mouth like a fish. "Ki...Kisama!" Wufei cried,
throwing the nearest available object at the laughing Duo.
Fortunately, the object was a pillow and caused little damage. "What,"
he teased, "are you scared of the Wrath of Quatre?"
"I am not afraid of Winner."
Quatre raised an eyebrow and slid minutely closer to the blank-faced
Trowa, who had the slightest echo of bewilderment in his emerald eyes.
"Yes you are!" Duo challenged, an 'innocent' gleam to his eyes.
"I am not afraid of Winner," Wufei repeated, standing up and marching
across the small space. He bent down and squarely kissed Trowa on the
lips, much to Quatre's obvious surprise. Fortunately for Wufei, the
kiss did not invoke the Wrath of Quatre.
"Okay, okay," Quatre said, politely pushing the Chinese boy away from
Trowa, "You proved your point. Isn't it time for bed now?" He pleaded,
looking between Heero and Duo, who seemed to be running the show with
his Christmas rules.
"Santa Clause won't come unless we're all asleep!" Duo shouted,
turning off his flashlight.
"This Santa Clause you speak of is dead, and justifiably so. He dares
enter in this house, I shall kill him again," Wufei vowed, settling
back into his own sleeping bag.
Quatre shook his head at Duo's confused look, mentally willing the
braided boy not to comment or question.
"Hey. There are only nineteen gifts under the tree!" Duo said
suddenly, turning his flashlight back on. "Everyone was suppose to
get everyone else one gift. Someone broke the rules! Don't make me
sing again!"
"Wait! Duo, the missing present is one of mine," Quatre said quickly
before a carol could burst forth. He crawled over and whispered into
Duo's ear what the missing gift in question was, and who for.
Duo's eyes slowly widened and he was left speechless, only able to
stare at the petite blonde as he moved back to his sleeping bag.
Quatre smiled innocently at the four stares suddenly aimed at him as
the other pilots were stuck between curiosity and not really wanting
to know what the boy had thought up to cause even Duo to go silent
with shock.
"Good night, everyone," Quatre said cheerfully, clicking off his
light and leaving the room in darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author' s Notes: Alright! Two down, one to go! I'm really going to try
and get the next chapter written today even if it kills me! I've
officially declared Christmas break as pure writing time, because all
my social companions have gone away for the holidays and my brother
is soon to move out. I don't want to get bored, either, so if you
have AIM and feel like it you could talk to me! ^_^ My screennames
(in order of most used to least) are ManzokuBiscuit, Ninevah04 and
SeraphicFate
Omae o korosu - I will kill you
Kisama - vulgar form of 'you' (bastard)
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!
copyright 2002 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.
Email me to join my Update ML!
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)
shameless plug - visit my website for cool "shtuff"
http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net
(Operation: Christmas - Chapter Two: December 24th)
rated: PG13 - adult language, content, sexual references
shounen-ai/yaoi
December 24th
"DECK THE HALLS WITH LOTS OF STUFF, FALALALA..."
"MAXWELL! SHUT UP OR I WILL SHOOT YOU!"
"Guys, guys, it's so early...! No fighting."
"Omae o korosu, omae o korosu!"
"Gee, Heero, I thought you'd appreciate how quickly that got everyone
awake, what with Wufei screaming like a girl and all..."
Face a color somewhere between red and purple, Wufei pointed a
quavering finger at the grinning Duo, who sat calmly on his pallet
braiding his hair. The other pilots were at various stages of waking
up, thanks to Duo's custom-made alarm system of 'Deck the Halls.'
Wufei's eyes narrowed as he continued to point, "If you had noticed
last night when I announced to everyone that I would make sure we
were all waken CALMLY and RATIONALLY by my Zen-clock..."
"That stupid chime thing of yours? That thing takes forever to wake
anyone up, even Mister Sunshine Heero over there."
"That is the entire purpose, Maxwell. It is better to slowly and
gradually move through the stages of sleep than to wake everyone by
screaming a slaughtered version of some damn song!"
"Would you prefer 'Jingle Bells?' Wake up now, wake up now, it is
time to rise. Heero's hair looks like crap, while mine is..."
Four simultaneously thrown pillows collided into Duo's face, cutting
off the prospective verse in progress. Still grinning, Duo bounded up
to his feet and flashed a peace-sign, "I'm ready and you're not! HA!"
Wufei, who, despite his deep protests, was closest to Duo, suddenly
reached out and grabbed Duo's ankle. He dragged the boy off his feet
and rolled free of his pallet. He all but sat on Duo and clamped his
hands around the boy's throat.
"I'm feeling fine, and you're not!" Wufei shouted, proceeding to
thump Duo's head against the floor several times before the other
pilots managed to pry the rabid Chinese boy away.
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------
Around lunchtime, Wufei warily advanced into the kitchen only to find
Quatre the soul occupant. "I thought Maxwell was suppose to be
helping you prepare the meal?" he asked, ready for Duo to burst out
from the pantry and begin to sing some God-forsaken rendition of a
carol.
"After he set K-rations on fire, I let him go. I think he went to get
a Christmas tree."
"...a tree."
Quatre nodded, attentively checking the small fire he had going in
the fireplace. "You've heard of Christmas trees, haven't you, Wufei?
...Wufei?"
But the Chinese boy had already fled, hearing the faint strains of
Duo's singing from outside. Quatre looked up as the door opened,
admitting Duo with a rather pathetic looking tree, the bottom half
distinctively charred. "Duo, what on earth... You're suppose to cut
the tree down, not blow it up!"
"I didn't have an axe. Anyway, it was just a small bomb. Not my fault
the damn thing was flammable."
At that moment, Heero burst in followed by Trowa, both with guns
drawn as they made a dash for the kitchen door. When they caught
sight of a grinning Duo and his slighty-smoky prize, both stopped and
stared.
Duo gave a slight wave, "Oh, hi guys. I got a tree."
Slowly, Trowa put his gun away and sneaked towards the exit, seeing
the look on Heero's face. Seeing the tree wasn't going to be enough,
Duo quickly launched into a rambled excuse, "Well, see, I was helping
Quatre in the kitchen, but he didn't like the way I was cooking--"
"You incinerated the food!"
Duo plowed on, ignoring Quatre's comment, "So I thought to myself,
what's a Christmas without a proper tree? Of course, I forgot to grab
an axe, but I don't think we even have one, but the point is I just
had to get the tree cut down and ready to decorate -- you like
decorating trees, don't you Heero? -- so, well, I had some left over
bombs on me, just little ones mind you, and..."
Wordlessly, Heero put the gun back in his holster and left the room
without so much as a glance to the rambling Duo, who gradually
stopped talking when he realized he wasn't going to die.
Humming a cheery carol which blessedly possessed no lyrics, Duo
wandered out of the kitchen with his mutilated tree in hand. Startled
shouts rang out from beyond the door, and there was a brief scuffle
before Wufei, shaking pine needles from his hair, entered.
"Maxwell is intent upon killing us all," he announced, grandly
sweeping around the counter to face off against Quatre, who
complacently nodding slightly and went back to counting freeze-dried
ice cream packets, neopolitan flavored. Next time, Quatre would have
to be more careful in watching what Duo brought in the way of food.
"Wufei, haven't you ever celebrated Christmas?"
The Chinese pilot had a snappish reply at hand, but a look at the
genuine curiosity mingled with sadness on Quatre's face stopped him.
"No," he said politely enough, "it is not a ritual practiced where I
am from."
"Christmas is one of the best holidays. Everyone gives everyone else
a gift, but you have to place them under the tree on Christmas Eve.
On Christmas Day, everyone opens their gifts," Quatre smiled
wistfully, "On Earth, it's possible to have a real, authentic White
Christmas, with lots of snow. Of course... Not many people celebrate
the holiday anymore, with the war and all."
"Gifts? What about those who receive no gifts?"
Quatre's eyes sparkled for a moment, "Saint Nicholas brings every
good boy and girl a Christmas gift."
"...I am not a child."
The blonde shrugged, "One of my sisters told me the origins of the
holiday one time. Apparently, way back before the colonies were
formed, there was a real Saint Nick who climbed into houses and left
gifts under the tree and stuffed stockings."
"Breaking and entering, how profane. What a dishonorable person he
must be if he must come in the night and secretly, at that. Why would
he give these children presents anyway, unless he desired to twist
their loyalties to himself and dominant the innocent?"
"..."
Wufei nodded in a satisfied manner, "But he is dead now, yes? There
is no longer a Saint Nicholas crawling into children's homes and
polluting their minds with his vile gifts of slavery and dishonor?"
"...Yes, Wufei. He's dead."
Wufei nodded again, "Then, do people gives another gifts in
celebration of the tyrants fall from power?"
Quatre could only nod his head slightly, not even sure why he was
agreeing except it was far superior to explaining the real reason of
Christmas. For all he knew, Wufei's version could be dead-on the
truth. His sister had only heard the story from someone who had once
read a book that mentioned it. A highly reliable source.
"Ah. Christmas is an honorable holiday," Wufei pleasantly, rising and
departing from the kitchen.
--------------------------------------------------------- -------------
"Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree! How lovely are your ashes!"
Duo sung loudly, tossing the string of berries over the green
branches. The majority of the charred remains had been cleared away,
leaving a presentable, if gimpy, tree.
Taking careful aim, Wufei soundly thumped Duo over the head before
storming out. Unphased, Duo waved merrily in return and shouted,
"Don't blame me when all you get is a lump of coal!"
"Please, Duo, can you take a break from singing?" Quatre pleaded.
"Well... Okay, for you. Hey, Quat, what'cha getting Trowa?"
The blonde blushed and deflected the question, "Are you getting Heero
anything?"
"Life-altering sex."
"Duo!"
"Just kidding, Quat!" Duo managed to wheeze between helpless laughter
caused by the stunned look on Quatre's face. "Oh, come on. Tell me!
The tree looks so lonely without any presents underneath..."
"I haven't thought to get him anything. What could I get him way out
here? That is, unless you've discovered a mall around here I haven't."
"You should give Trowa something 'special'" Duo said, raising his
hands and making little quote marks in the air.
Quatre frowned, his slender brows creasing forward, "Sex?"
"Fantastic sex."
Trowa, one foot in the doorway and suddenly regretting the move very
much, look between Quatre and the grinning Duo in confusion. Seeing
him there, Duo waved ecstatically and shouted, "Hiya, Trowa!"
"Eep!" Quatre cried, whirling around and trying to figure out how
much the other boy had over heard.
"Hohoho! And what do YOU want for Christmas, Trowa?" Duo asked
brightly, oblivious to the completely freaked look on the poor boy's
face as he alternated staring at Quatre...Duo...Quatre...Ceiling.
Without saying anything, Trowa left the room, followed by a red-faced
Quatre, muttering an explanation. Duo looked to the Christmas tree
philosophically and nodded with a wide grin.
"Blackmail."
-------------------------------------- --------------------------------
"Excuse me! Pardon! HEY!" Duo shrieked, waving his arms above his
head for attention. The four other pilots stopped bickering amongst
themselves and, as one unified glare, turned to Duo.
"Much better," Duo announced into the angry silence. "As you might
have noticed, all the food has disappeared. Now, don't worry, it will
come back, but only if you agree to a few...festive demands."
"Omae o korosu!"
"Indeed. Okay, rule number one!" Duo held up a clump of foliage,
"This is mistletoe. Anyone under the mistletoe must kiss another. It
doesn't matter who, but if you're both under it, smoochie-smooch! No,
Wufei, hold your comments until the end. Now, I have gathered a nice
supply of mistletoe and generously decorated the mansion with it.
Play by the rules, or no one gets food!"
"Yuy, you shoot his legs, I'll get the rope," Wufei growled.
Quatre gasped in shock.
"That's not very nice... Okay, second rule! Gifts. As per tradition,
we all have to give each other at least one gift. And, no, Wufei and
Heero, a bullet in the kneecap is not an acceptable gift. Those are
actually the only two rules I can think of, but I'll let you know if
I think of anymore required Christmas activities..."
Before anyone else could offer objections, Trowa spoke up, "Return
the food and limit yourself to one song per hour."
"Barton!" Wufei barked, "We do not negotiate with the enemy!"
"Oh, please, Wufei," Quatre said in a rare bout of sarcasm which
surprised even the small blonde himself.
"Deal!" Duo cried happily, a positively demonic smile on his face.
"...I do not like that look," Heero muttered, looking uneasily around
for anything suspicious.
"Food's in the third cabinet on the right above the pie tins," Duo
said quickly before turning the full force of his smile on Heero, who
backed away nervously, one hand on his gun.
Without saying anything and with the same smile still in place, Duo
pointed upwards. Everyone raised their eyes to the ceiling at the
same time, staring at the spring of mistletoe tied securely to the
ceiling beam and directly above where Heero stood.
Whatever objections Heero might have raised were neatly packaged and
set aside as Duo's soft lips pressed against his.
"That is the most disgusting thing I have ever seen," Wufei growled,
oblivious to Quatre and Trowa behind him also lip-locking, even
though they weren't technically under the mistletoe.
But who really paid attention to technicalities?
-------------------------------------------------- --------------------
Shuffle, shuffle, trip, crash... "Dammit!"
Gasp.
"Quatre? Was that you?"
"Duo? What are you doing up here!"
"What are YOU doing here, and cursing at that!"
"...Just looking around."
Snort.
"Yeah, really. Hey, look up," Duo said suddenly, turning on his
flashlight and aiming it up at the ceiling.
"You put one all the way up here?!" Quatre managed to get out before
Duo planted a chaste kiss on his lips. A sly smile crossed his face
as he gently pushed Duo away, "You're bad."
"Someone has to be naughty, or else who would all the nice kids be
held up against? Let me guess, you're looking for gifts," Duo said,
nodding to the dusty but intact furnishings. It it wasn't for the
distinct patina of age the room could pass for livable.
Quatre nodded, turning on his flashlight and sweeping the pale beam
over a nearby dresser. "You too?" he asked, receiving a nod in return.
"Find anything good?"
The other boy skipped over the question and chose instead to look
cryptically around the small room. "It feels wrong, you know, to be
taking things from the other rooms, but this one. Hm. It feels right,
you know?"
Duo gestured slightly to Quatre's chest, "Is that just a feeling or
is that something from in there?"
He pressed one hand over his heart and tried to decipher why he felt
guilty for lurking around downstairs, but here, in the tower, it
seemed okay to loot and pillage. "Let's just say I don't think we'll
be encountering any rogue spirits angry that we took their prized
china."
One dark eyebrow slowly crept towards a chestnut hair line, "I guess
that's reassuring."
"Well, good luck, then. I'll let you hunt in peace," Quatre said as
he moved away from Duo and back the way he came. The tower consisted
of just two rooms, the bedroom and the parlor, plus a lot of stairs.
Once safely out from Duo's watchful eye he assured himself the gift
he had snatched off the night stand was still tucked into his back
pocket. The only person he still had to find a gift for was, of
course, the most difficult and most important one. Trowa.
He should have asked Duo was he was seriously going to get Heero, but
the back of his mind wasn't entirely convinced the answer Duo had
given was a joke. Quatre moved wraith-like about the room, shining
his light over the objects and trying to find one that looked like
something Trowa would want.
"Ahem."
Quatre quite nearly parted with his skin as Wufei spoke, clasping his
hands before him in a businesslike manner. "It appears, Winner, that
we have both fallen into another of Maxwell's sinister traps."
"Pardon?"
Solemn as a preacher, Wufei pointed towards the ceiling in a
particularly ominous gesture, "The demonic creation known as
'mistletoe' hangs above us."
"Oh."
The first thought to run through Quatre's mind was how Trowa would
react if he were to walk in. The second was that, for some strange
reason, Wufei's lips tasted remarkably like a candy cane.
------------------------------------------------------------ ----------
That night, gathered around Duo's brave, little charred tree, the
faces were a variety of emotions. Duo looked pleased with himself
because, with the aid of mistletoe, he'd managed to kiss Wufei once,
Trowa twice, Quatre four times and Heero seven. That he had to follow
Heero around very carefully for the last few kisses was of little
importance, or that Wufei had nearly turned purple. Purple did not
become the Chinese boy in the slightest degree.
For their part, Quatre and Trowa had "accidentally" gotten caught
together under the mistletoe too many times to count. At some point,
Duo was convinced Quatre would simply tie a bundle to his head. Duo
had considered the stunt himself, but the prospect of having to
smooch Wuffie again wasn't exactly appealing, and he didn't think he
could manage to survive anyway.
"You know... Trowa and Wufei haven't kissed yet," Duo said suddenly,
munching the last bit of a candy bar. Even though he had graciously
offered to share, none of the other pilots seemed interested in his
candy stash.
The eye not hidden by his bangs widened at the announcement as Trowa
ever so slightly edged away from the Chinese pilot, who was opening
and closing his mouth like a fish. "Ki...Kisama!" Wufei cried,
throwing the nearest available object at the laughing Duo.
Fortunately, the object was a pillow and caused little damage. "What,"
he teased, "are you scared of the Wrath of Quatre?"
"I am not afraid of Winner."
Quatre raised an eyebrow and slid minutely closer to the blank-faced
Trowa, who had the slightest echo of bewilderment in his emerald eyes.
"Yes you are!" Duo challenged, an 'innocent' gleam to his eyes.
"I am not afraid of Winner," Wufei repeated, standing up and marching
across the small space. He bent down and squarely kissed Trowa on the
lips, much to Quatre's obvious surprise. Fortunately for Wufei, the
kiss did not invoke the Wrath of Quatre.
"Okay, okay," Quatre said, politely pushing the Chinese boy away from
Trowa, "You proved your point. Isn't it time for bed now?" He pleaded,
looking between Heero and Duo, who seemed to be running the show with
his Christmas rules.
"Santa Clause won't come unless we're all asleep!" Duo shouted,
turning off his flashlight.
"This Santa Clause you speak of is dead, and justifiably so. He dares
enter in this house, I shall kill him again," Wufei vowed, settling
back into his own sleeping bag.
Quatre shook his head at Duo's confused look, mentally willing the
braided boy not to comment or question.
"Hey. There are only nineteen gifts under the tree!" Duo said
suddenly, turning his flashlight back on. "Everyone was suppose to
get everyone else one gift. Someone broke the rules! Don't make me
sing again!"
"Wait! Duo, the missing present is one of mine," Quatre said quickly
before a carol could burst forth. He crawled over and whispered into
Duo's ear what the missing gift in question was, and who for.
Duo's eyes slowly widened and he was left speechless, only able to
stare at the petite blonde as he moved back to his sleeping bag.
Quatre smiled innocently at the four stares suddenly aimed at him as
the other pilots were stuck between curiosity and not really wanting
to know what the boy had thought up to cause even Duo to go silent
with shock.
"Good night, everyone," Quatre said cheerfully, clicking off his
light and leaving the room in darkness.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Author' s Notes: Alright! Two down, one to go! I'm really going to try
and get the next chapter written today even if it kills me! I've
officially declared Christmas break as pure writing time, because all
my social companions have gone away for the holidays and my brother
is soon to move out. I don't want to get bored, either, so if you
have AIM and feel like it you could talk to me! ^_^ My screennames
(in order of most used to least) are ManzokuBiscuit, Ninevah04 and
SeraphicFate
Omae o korosu - I will kill you
Kisama - vulgar form of 'you' (bastard)
Feedback/reviews are very much appreciated!
copyright 2002 - Gundam Wing and characters copyright other people.
Email me to join my Update ML!
LSE - Violet Nyte (ManzokuBiscuit@aol.com)
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http://violetnyte.fallenweb.net