The Sun, The Moon and The Stars
by Ponderosa
[AC 197 - 10:22a - Approaching Christmas]
"What's this?" Heero asked. A small gift, about the size of his fist,
sat in the middle of his ink blotter staring at him. Green paper, decent
wrapping job, little silvery bow, a tag hanging off that proclaimed
quite plainly "For Heero", it was definitely a gift, and definitely for
him.
"It's your Christmas present," Duo answered. He lifted his side of the
lights higher as Trowa used his height advantage to loop them around the
fixtures hanging from the ceiling.
"From who?"
Duo moved back a few steps, careful not to crunch the string of lights
beneath his bootheel. "From me."
"Oh." Heero picked up the little package, flipping it around in his
fingers and trying to stare through the wrapping. "I didn't get you
anything."
"I didn't expect you to," Duo replied with a laugh. "Don't stress about
it Heero, it's no big deal."
The Japanese man set the gift aside, perching it atop his computer
monitor and eyed Duo. "I should get you something anyway, what do you
want?"
"It's the thought that counts."
"I have to get you something."
"Fine, get me the moon," Duo snorted.
The next day, a small gift, about the size of a man's fist, was waiting
on Duo's desk.
-=*=-
[AC 198 - 12:05a Universal Standard Time - Christmas]
Heero sat down heavily. Four hours of debriefing and he hadn't even had
a shower.
He set his elbows on his desk and buried his face in his palms. How long
had it been since he went undercover? Three months? Four? He took a deep
breath, not even noticing the smell of dried blood that stained beneath
his fingernails.
"Hey pal." A hand fell on his shoulder and Heero lifted his head up
slowly.
"Duo." The exhaustion was plain in his voice, if it wasn't already
apparent in his lack of bodily reaction.
"Glad you made it back," Duo said.
Heero nodded and scrubbed at his face, trying to muster some energy to
talk to a friend he hadn't seen in far too long.
"Merry Christmas."
It was that time of year already? The decorations around the office
suddenly became visible to his eye and Heero tightened his fingers
around the little gift that Duo had just pressed into his hand.
"Need a ride home?" Duo asked, stepping back and shoving his hands into
the pockets of his uniform jacket.
"Thanks," Heero said. Everything else could wait until he was showered
and had some sleep in a real bed.
"Hey, what are friends for," Duo said with a warm smile.
Weary of mind and body though he was, that smile found a little echo on
Heero's lips and he kept the present with him as he stood up and walked
with Duo towards the elevators.
"What do you want for Christmas?" he asked as they stood in the hall and
watched the numbers flash above the doors.
"Nothing," Duo said. "Don't bother thinking about it right now."
"I want something to think about," Heero said and Duo looked over to see
the shadows that haunted his dark blue eyes.
"Well then," said Duo. He pursed his lips thoughtfully. "You managed to
get me the moon last year, lets see how you do with the sun."
-=*=-
[AC 199 - 10:15a Universal Standard Time - Approaching Christmas]
"What is it this year, Heero?" Trowa asked.
"He asked for the stars."
"Naturally." Trowa leaned against the wall and lifted his cup to his
lips. "Got something already?"
Heero chuckled and dropped a lump of sugar into his coffee. "Yes."
"Well...?" Trowa snagged the last custard donut from the box on the
table and eyed Heero curiously.
"Dinner."
"Dinner?" Trowa queried, then held up his donut and shook his head.
"Wait, don't say it."
"What?" Heero replied, picking through the remaining donuts. "Under the
stars?"
Trowa groaned and gave Heero a look. "So this means you're going to
finally make more out of all the disgusting flirting the two of you do
during office hours."
"Something like that," Heero said. He finally chose cake with rainbow
sprinkles and gathered it up in a napkin to take back to his desk.
"The future looks bleak," Trowa remarked. "You guys are sappy enough as
it is right now."
"Says he who plans to give the gift of poetry."
Trowa choked on his donut.
-=*=-
[AC 200 - 11:54p Universal Standard Time - Christmas Eve]
Duo glanced at his watch. It was almost two years old now, and had seen
hell and high-water, but Heero hadn't skimped on quality and the glass
was unscratched and the gold untarnished.
"Six minutes to Christmas," he said loudly, voice raised to carry.
Warm orange light from the fireplace cast shadows throughout his living
room. It was decorated rather simply with a few lights around the
window. No tree, but the mantelpiece was covered with pine boughs,
carefully placed to not obscure a small holo-projecter that cast the
softly glowing face of the moon across the ceiling.
"Can I have my gift early this year?" he asked. He kicked off his boots
and stretched his legs out, propping his arms across the back of his
sofa and crossing his feet at the ankle. Looking up, he thought, not for
the first time, that the moon ghosted on the ceiling looked eerily
beautiful.
"No you can not," Heero replied firmly. He kept one eye on the clock on
Duo's bedside table and one hand on the doorknob. As soon as it hit
12:00, he pulled open the door.
Duo was there in a flash, and the wide velvet ribbons that Heero had
spent twenty minutes artfully arranging, fluttered to floor before they
even made it to the bed.
"Next year," Duo whispered, as he pulled his lover down on top of him,
angel wings and all, "I'm definitely asking for Heaven again."
"And the year after that?" Heero replied.
Duo shrugged and cracked a smile. "I'll think of something."
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