Disclaimer: I don't own the power rangers characters or concepts and no money is being made from this fic.
A/N: Many, many thanks to my wonderful beta lilyleia78 .
Andros paced between the brightly lit stalls, his eyes taking in the wares on display, rapidly assessing and discarding; it had to be perfect.
He pushed his hands deep into his jacket pockets, wishing again that he had brought his gloves and that he had listened when TJ promised him it was going to take more than ten minutes to find something. Why was he so hung up on this anyway? He hadn't found it so difficult to pick out a gift for Cassie or TJ; even Ashley's gift hadn't presented this much of an issue. So how had it come to be that on Christmas Eve he was pacing the rows of stalls at the Angel Grove Christmas market looking for the perfect gift for Carlos? He frowned; it was a silly question of course, he was doing it because the Hispanic teen had smiled at him.
The stall at the end of the row was decked out in festive shades of red, the pool of golden light spilling out around it warm and welcoming, and the blond teen made his way over to see the wares on display, following the natural flow of the crowd around him.
The polished silver of the jewelry on display filled with life as it caught the myriad of lights bordering the stall, the surface seeming to melt until it flowed smoothly in rivers forming the chains and other intricate designs. Andros picked up a single chain, admiring it until he caught himself thinking about how the bright metal would look against the warm caramel tones of Carlos' skin. He quickly slipped it back onto the stand and turned from the stall, walking briskly away. What was he doing? Was he actually attracted to his teammate?
*******
The megaship wasn't short on rooms to hide in when you needed some privacy and after lunch the rangers had all made their excuses, slipping out quietly to complete their Christmas wrapping. Andros was working in the storage bay when Carlos found him, and he looked up quickly at the sound of the door opening, automatically shielding the small pile of gifts from view before belatedly realizing that there was nothing there for the black ranger.
"Sorry to disturb you," the Hispanic youth started, seeing his friend's fluster and remaining beside the door. "T.J wanted to know if you could pick up some chestnuts while you were in Angel Grove this evening. I'd go myself, but I wanted to finish the overhaul on the α-section relays before dinner."
Andros put a hand to his forehead, mentally revising his plans to accommodate the request before nodding to the other boy. "No, don't worry I can do that. I know how important it is to get the relays finished." He smiled as he added "and then, I believe that's the last of them. You've done really well to get them all finished this quickly Carlos; I'm impressed. Just make sure you get some rest tomorrow, ok?"
The black ranger smiled politely at the compliment but with his business concluded, he still remained leaning against the wall just inside the doorway, a thoughtful expression on his face.
In the pause, Andros felt a familiar sensation beginning in his chest. Incredibly aware of the other boy's presence, he tried to break the chain of thought that had started to form in his mind."I'm going into town to finish my Christmas shopping. I've had trouble finding gifts for some people, including you," he admitted, "What would you like?"
The other boy just smiled. "Surprise me," he'd said.
******
Casting another look around the stalls, Andros knew he was only keeping up pretence now; the decision was already made.
Thirty minutes later he was placing the silver chain in its box on Carlos' work station, taking a moment to observe with satisfaction the way the black paper offset the silver ribbon wrapped around it. Cassie had helped him get the bow just right – though he had wondered at the necessity of that. The pink ranger had only smiled knowingly at him and told him that that was how it had to be; he did admit it looked better this way.
******
"I thought I'd find you here." Andros felt the other boy's voice roll over him, rich and smooth as molasses, and he looked up as Carlos stepped into the room.
Carlos held up the box Andros had placed in the engine room before dinner. "Thank you for the gift," he said, "although it makes me wish I had gotten you something more." Andros automatically started to protest that he was very happy with the warm jacket Carlos had handed him earlier, when a thought occurred to him. The other boy had stopped less than a foot away; so close that it would take very little effort to....
He saw the Hispanic boy's eyes dilate into pools of velvet darkness as they both came to the same conclusion. The other boy stepped in closer still, so that Andros could feel the strength of his aura and the air's vibration as he spoke. "What would you like?"
Unconsciously, the red ranger wet his lips. "Surprise me," he said, though his voice seemed suddenly to be failing him.
The other boy's smile became wolfish as he stepped in closer, pressing Andros up against the wall.
"Merry Christmas," Carlos whispered against his lips, the sensation of soft skin brushing delicately against his sending tingling awareness through him. When the black ranger finally pressed their lips together, in a kiss that was as warm and sensuous as Andros had imagined, the blond was certain he could hear cheering in the corridor outside
A/N: C'mon guys, I don't bite! Just hit that button :: Points:: right there and tell me what you think :)