Notes: Ah, a Christmas story posted on Christmas. How ironic. Right.
Anyway, the charas aren't mine, but the plot I make them dance through is.
Enjoy, okay? And Merry Christmas.
Mistletoe
"Harry, will you stop twitching. You're gonna drive me crazy if you don't cut it out!"
"Sorry, Ron. I just hate Christmas, and the music they're playing sucks! It's so old!"
The MacDougal brothers were walking down a brilliantly lit street two days before Christmas. Music blared over the loudspeakers and twinkling lights cheerfully illuminated everything. Wherever one looked, there were plastic Santa's, wreaths and Christmas trees. Families walked around, bonding and enjoying the decorations. All in all, it was a rather nauseating sight.
One year and three months had passed since the Leyline incident. Harry now had a new body, identical to his original. Ron called it an early Christmas present. Harry hated it when he said that.
At the Leyline, he had found a form of peace, and was overall more mellow, but that didn't mean he liked his least favorite holiday.
"I don't get you, Harry. For such a spoiled brat, you'd think you would love Christmas because people buy you things."
Harry glared at his brother. "I'm not that spoiled."
Ron rolled his eyes, remembering all the times he had denied Harry something and then given in when Harry had whined. "Right. Not spoiled at all."
"Exactly."
"Well, I happen to like Christmas, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving you. You're no fun to be around right now." With that, Ron slipped off into the crowd, leaving Harry alone.
"Fine. Be that way," Harry spat. Then he shoved his hands deeply into his pockets, hunched his shoulders and continued stalking through the crowd, intent on getting back to the Shangri La and away from all the hustle and bustle of the raging capitalism.
He was about halfway home when a very familiar voice called his name hesitantly. "Harry?"
Harry spun around and came face to face with an angel. "Melfina."
Melfina smiled brilliantly and stepped forward to hug him tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive, Harry! I thought you were dead!"
Tentatively, Harry put his arms around her. "Only my body. I downloaded my mind and personality into the ships computer. Ron got me a new body and here I am," he explained.
"That's wonderful!" Harry could tell she really meant it by the glow in her eyes.
"I guess," he shrugged, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "So, um, how are you?"
"I'm doing very well. Starwind and Hawking is having a busy season, so Jim and Gene are in high spirits. I'm out tonight to do the Christmas shopping."
"Well, that's great." The false enthusiasm almost made Melfina think he didn't want to see her.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I probably just should have left you alone, shouldn't I?"
"No!" Harry quickly grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. "I'm glad to see you again! So, are you happy?"
Melfina positively shone. "Yes. Very."
"Good. I'm genuinely glad for you. Are you and Gene, um, married?"
She shook her head. "Engaged, but not yet married."
"I see. Does he make you happy?"
Melfina's eyes were sad, as she thought of how much her answer might hurt Harry, but then, she didn't want to lie to him either. "Yes. Very happy."
Harry nodded. "Good. I would have to kill him if he were making you unhappy."
"Harry."
"Do you need any help with your shopping?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"I- Yes. I could use some help. Would you like to join me?"
"I would like that."
"Great! Follow me!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along after her, almost childlike in her excitement.
First she dragged him to a weapons store. "Gene wants this new type of gun. He says it's called a-." She wrinkled up her face in thought. "A. Oh! I don't remember!"
"What features does it have? I may be able to figure out what gun you're talking about."
"Um. he said it had two barrels and a. personalized lock on the safety so an enemy can't use it against you."
"Oh!" The figurative lightbulb flashed on over Harry's head. "He wants the ZXF model. Follow me." As he led her through the store to a rack of guns, he explained, "I actually bought one of these earlier. They're good guns."
"How fortunate that I ran into you then!" Melfina smiled brightly and picked one up, as well as a small box of bullets for it.
Harry picked up a box of two hundred bullets and she shook her head. "On no, Harry. We may be doing well, but I don't have enough money to buy that big box as well as gifts for everyone else."
Gently he brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. "It's on me. Consider it my apology to Gene for all I put you all through."
"Oh, Harry." Her eyes misted slightly as she smiled at him once more.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Don't get all sappy with me. It's no big deal."
"Of course. Right," she agreed, brushing away the only tear that had managed to leak down her cheek.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly pleasant. Harry helped Melfina finish her shipping and even carried some of her bags. They stopped at a small café for hot chocolate and discussed all that had happened since they had last met. Melfina tried not to mention Gene too often, but when she did, Harry merely smiled and seemed to feel no pain over it.
Finally Melfina confessed that she needed to go home, and Harry walked her to the door.
"I'll have one of the others help me carry it all in," Melfina told him. "I'm not sure it would be a good idea to have you do it. They may still be a little upset with you, and you might feel awkward."
Harry wrested his gaze from the mistletoe that someone, probably Gene, had hung in the doorway and nodded. "You're probably right. Merry Christmas, Melfina."
He turned to go, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. Quizzically, he turned back around to look at Melfina, who had a faint blush on her cheeks. "What is it?"
She blushed more deeply, but cast her eyes upward meaningfully. He couldn't believe it. "The mistletoe?" he asked incredulously.
Melfina nodded. "We're under it, and you haven't kissed me."
"Aren't you engaged to Gene?"
"Yes, but before I was with him, you tried to kiss me but faded out before you could. I don't consider it cheating on Gene. I think of it as paying you back for all that you did for me, for us, at the Leyline."
"Um, okay. If you put it that way." Nervously, he stepped closer to her, again placing his hand on her cheek. Then, slowly, terrified and half afraid it was only another dream, he leaned down and kissed her.
The kiss wasn't deep, or passionate. It was soft and tender, the type one could hold and cherish in their memory forever.
Before too long, he pulled away, smiled at her one last time, and left. Melfina stood at the door watching him until he was out of sight before she pushed open the door and announced, "I'm home!"
Gene came out to help her carry the bags in. "That was a nice thing you did, Melfina," he told her quietly.
"You saw?!"
"Yeah, but it's okay. I understand. Actually, I'm kinda glad to know that little punk is still around to cause trouble."
"I'm glad he is too," Melfina agreed.
Harry came home humming Christmas songs. "Hey, Ron! Merry Christmas!" he called cheerfully, before half walking, half dancing to his room.
Ron watched him go and groaned. "Oh no. Not this insanity crap again." Then he turned back to watching 'Miracle on 34th Street,' which was playing on TV. He wiped away a tear. "This movie gets me every time."
Mistletoe
"Harry, will you stop twitching. You're gonna drive me crazy if you don't cut it out!"
"Sorry, Ron. I just hate Christmas, and the music they're playing sucks! It's so old!"
The MacDougal brothers were walking down a brilliantly lit street two days before Christmas. Music blared over the loudspeakers and twinkling lights cheerfully illuminated everything. Wherever one looked, there were plastic Santa's, wreaths and Christmas trees. Families walked around, bonding and enjoying the decorations. All in all, it was a rather nauseating sight.
One year and three months had passed since the Leyline incident. Harry now had a new body, identical to his original. Ron called it an early Christmas present. Harry hated it when he said that.
At the Leyline, he had found a form of peace, and was overall more mellow, but that didn't mean he liked his least favorite holiday.
"I don't get you, Harry. For such a spoiled brat, you'd think you would love Christmas because people buy you things."
Harry glared at his brother. "I'm not that spoiled."
Ron rolled his eyes, remembering all the times he had denied Harry something and then given in when Harry had whined. "Right. Not spoiled at all."
"Exactly."
"Well, I happen to like Christmas, so if you'll excuse me, I'll be leaving you. You're no fun to be around right now." With that, Ron slipped off into the crowd, leaving Harry alone.
"Fine. Be that way," Harry spat. Then he shoved his hands deeply into his pockets, hunched his shoulders and continued stalking through the crowd, intent on getting back to the Shangri La and away from all the hustle and bustle of the raging capitalism.
He was about halfway home when a very familiar voice called his name hesitantly. "Harry?"
Harry spun around and came face to face with an angel. "Melfina."
Melfina smiled brilliantly and stepped forward to hug him tightly. "I'm so glad you're alive, Harry! I thought you were dead!"
Tentatively, Harry put his arms around her. "Only my body. I downloaded my mind and personality into the ships computer. Ron got me a new body and here I am," he explained.
"That's wonderful!" Harry could tell she really meant it by the glow in her eyes.
"I guess," he shrugged, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "So, um, how are you?"
"I'm doing very well. Starwind and Hawking is having a busy season, so Jim and Gene are in high spirits. I'm out tonight to do the Christmas shopping."
"Well, that's great." The false enthusiasm almost made Melfina think he didn't want to see her.
"I'm sorry, Harry. I probably just should have left you alone, shouldn't I?"
"No!" Harry quickly grabbed her arm, preventing her from leaving. "I'm glad to see you again! So, are you happy?"
Melfina positively shone. "Yes. Very."
"Good. I'm genuinely glad for you. Are you and Gene, um, married?"
She shook her head. "Engaged, but not yet married."
"I see. Does he make you happy?"
Melfina's eyes were sad, as she thought of how much her answer might hurt Harry, but then, she didn't want to lie to him either. "Yes. Very happy."
Harry nodded. "Good. I would have to kill him if he were making you unhappy."
"Harry."
"Do you need any help with your shopping?" he asked, abruptly changing the subject.
"I- Yes. I could use some help. Would you like to join me?"
"I would like that."
"Great! Follow me!" She grabbed his hand and pulled him along after her, almost childlike in her excitement.
First she dragged him to a weapons store. "Gene wants this new type of gun. He says it's called a-." She wrinkled up her face in thought. "A. Oh! I don't remember!"
"What features does it have? I may be able to figure out what gun you're talking about."
"Um. he said it had two barrels and a. personalized lock on the safety so an enemy can't use it against you."
"Oh!" The figurative lightbulb flashed on over Harry's head. "He wants the ZXF model. Follow me." As he led her through the store to a rack of guns, he explained, "I actually bought one of these earlier. They're good guns."
"How fortunate that I ran into you then!" Melfina smiled brightly and picked one up, as well as a small box of bullets for it.
Harry picked up a box of two hundred bullets and she shook her head. "On no, Harry. We may be doing well, but I don't have enough money to buy that big box as well as gifts for everyone else."
Gently he brushed a lock of her hair out of her face. "It's on me. Consider it my apology to Gene for all I put you all through."
"Oh, Harry." Her eyes misted slightly as she smiled at him once more.
Feeling slightly embarrassed, he waved his hand in a gesture of dismissal. "Don't get all sappy with me. It's no big deal."
"Of course. Right," she agreed, brushing away the only tear that had managed to leak down her cheek.
The rest of the evening was surprisingly pleasant. Harry helped Melfina finish her shipping and even carried some of her bags. They stopped at a small café for hot chocolate and discussed all that had happened since they had last met. Melfina tried not to mention Gene too often, but when she did, Harry merely smiled and seemed to feel no pain over it.
Finally Melfina confessed that she needed to go home, and Harry walked her to the door.
"I'll have one of the others help me carry it all in," Melfina told him. "I'm not sure it would be a good idea to have you do it. They may still be a little upset with you, and you might feel awkward."
Harry wrested his gaze from the mistletoe that someone, probably Gene, had hung in the doorway and nodded. "You're probably right. Merry Christmas, Melfina."
He turned to go, but was stopped by a hand on his arm. Quizzically, he turned back around to look at Melfina, who had a faint blush on her cheeks. "What is it?"
She blushed more deeply, but cast her eyes upward meaningfully. He couldn't believe it. "The mistletoe?" he asked incredulously.
Melfina nodded. "We're under it, and you haven't kissed me."
"Aren't you engaged to Gene?"
"Yes, but before I was with him, you tried to kiss me but faded out before you could. I don't consider it cheating on Gene. I think of it as paying you back for all that you did for me, for us, at the Leyline."
"Um, okay. If you put it that way." Nervously, he stepped closer to her, again placing his hand on her cheek. Then, slowly, terrified and half afraid it was only another dream, he leaned down and kissed her.
The kiss wasn't deep, or passionate. It was soft and tender, the type one could hold and cherish in their memory forever.
Before too long, he pulled away, smiled at her one last time, and left. Melfina stood at the door watching him until he was out of sight before she pushed open the door and announced, "I'm home!"
Gene came out to help her carry the bags in. "That was a nice thing you did, Melfina," he told her quietly.
"You saw?!"
"Yeah, but it's okay. I understand. Actually, I'm kinda glad to know that little punk is still around to cause trouble."
"I'm glad he is too," Melfina agreed.
Harry came home humming Christmas songs. "Hey, Ron! Merry Christmas!" he called cheerfully, before half walking, half dancing to his room.
Ron watched him go and groaned. "Oh no. Not this insanity crap again." Then he turned back to watching 'Miracle on 34th Street,' which was playing on TV. He wiped away a tear. "This movie gets me every time."