Note: I do NOT own Galactik Football

Christmas Memories

'Ok, its Christmas Eve and I still haven't got my girlfriend a present. What to do, what to do…' Rocket genuinely had no clue what to get his girlfriend Tia for Christmas. It was their first Christmas together as a couple and it was also his first Christmas with his mother, uncle Aarch and the rest of the team. Unfortunately for Rocket, it was now Christmas Eve and he had failed so far to find the perfect gift for his beloved Tia. He asked for the opinions of his mother and Mei but both had said the same thing: in order to make it special, he had to pick it out on his own. He had stated firmly to them beforehand that he wanted it to be special and he was now left with only two options which were to find something on his own or two question his teammates (Norata and Aarch were hopeless at choosing gifts for girls) which Rocket did not want to do. One reason was due to the fact he knew his friend's would tease him in secret for being so specific on a gift for his girlfriend and not get her any old thing. That was without a doubt the main reason he didn't want to come to them. That, and the fact he had decided after persuasion from the two woman he had confronted that it would only be special if he picked it and once he picked it, she would think of it as special even if she didn't like it. Rocket did want her to like it but and so far he had failed to find something that caught his eye.

So here he was, walking around the busy streets of Akillian looking for that something special for his special someone. As he entered the main shopping mall, he looked around at the shops and the first one's that he caught sight of were clothes shops. He approached one of them and examined the outfits in the window. He had to admit he liked some of the outfits and he could picture them well on Tia but he quickly decided not to go with anything to do with clothes since it didn't feel special enough. He did however decide he was going to take Tia in there after Christmas to get her something for the New Year's party in Planet Akillian should she be there with him. Her and her parents were staying in their Akillian home, close to Rocket's that they had purchased after the Cup, for Christmas but Tia had informed Rocket of the chance she might be dragged back to the Obia Moon for New Years for some Diplomatic party thing. He had asked if she wanted him to come along but Tia refused him by saying it was a family time which Rocket was tempted to reply by telling her she was family now but kept his mouth shut for his own safety.

Back on to the shopping, he was going to buy Tia something in that clothes shop for some occasion but at a later date. Right now he was looking for that one special gift. He glanced at a few different stores but never seen anything he wanted until he stumbled upon a small but fancy looking jewellery story and having nothing to lose, he entered and start looking around at some of the gems they had in stock. He wasn't an expert when it came to picking jewellery (in fact this was the first time he had ever looked for a women's gift in jewellery) but he knew some of the items were pretty spectacular. He had looked at a look of the big diamonds and stuff but Rocket knew that Tia would prefer something small and simple so that's what he looked for. He soon came across a cabinet with exactly what he was looking for and some of the items, like a simple silver 'T' with a diamond encrusted on it, he really loved but there was one thing in particular that caught his eye. Knowing it was the gift he wanted to by her and that she would in fact like (or at least he hoped she would), Rocket asked the lady at the counter if he could look at it and once she handed it to him, Rocket quickly asked her to wrap it up for him.

It was a simple small, silver heart with an emerald encrusted heart-shaped diamond in the middle matching the colour of her emerald eyes. Rocket loved it and it felt special. He hoped she would feel the same way too, even though she didn't wear jewellery that much; he hoped maybe it would be a safe-keeping she could wear for dates or parties or things like that. He knew the necklace would be expensive but he didn't take note of the price as he asked the woman serving him to wrap it to save him the hassle. She was happy too (she clearly loved seeing teenage boys coming in and buying jewellery for their girlfriends, for whatever reason) and Rocket waited contentedly for her to finish so he could return home and arrange to meet Tia later so they could discuss their plans for Christmas Day. From what they had discussed so far, the two families would spend the morning on their own together before they would all meet at Rocket's place to exchange gifts and for dinner when finally they would meet the team and their families at the Academy that evening. Rocket just wanted to confirm all that with Tia and also spend some time with her in the process. Engrossed in his thoughts and considering there were many other people in the store, Rocket never noticed someone in particular enter the store until someone's arms were suddenly wrapped around him.

'What-?' Rocket exclaimed as he turned round but stopped when he registered the face in front of him.

'Hey! What are you doing here?' the playful blond exclaimed. Getting your freakin' Christmas present, Rocket thought nervously but refused to show it. He smiled delightfully as he took in her full complexion. It was clear she had only just cone inside and seen him as she was wearing a hat which still had bits of melting snow all over it. She was wearing gloves to for once and had a light jacket on over her orange body warmer which Rocket was glad to see.

'Just doing some last minute shopping, what about you? I was going to call you later to see if you wanted to meet or something?' he explained to her as he continued to wait for her gift to arrive. He knew she wouldn't see the gift and he could lie to her easily right now but what he was afraid of was Tia overhearing the price. When he gave her the gift, he knew she would easily make the connection.

'Well, I'm free from now until tonight if that's ok?' she asked and despite himself, a happy smile spread across his face and he nodded. Suddenly, the woman serving him returned and Rocket had to think fast.

'Can you give a minute please Tia?' Rocket asked her innocently and she nodded.

'Of course!' she replied and then backed off from the counter to look at some of the jewellery on display. Rocket then paid for the necklace and was happy with the price since it was reasonable for the type of item it was and he was expecting it to be at least slightly more if he were perfectly honest. Finally, all was paid for and sorted and he thanked the woman before going over to his girlfriend who was examining the items in the cabinet where he had bought her unique necklace (he had bought the last one so Tia would still have no idea thankfully). 'They have some gorgeous stuff!'

'Yeah, they do,' Rocket smiled cheekily but tried not to show it to Tia who was now suddenly interested in his new purchase.

'So what did you buy?' she asked innocently as she nosied into the bag and Rocket had to bite his tongue so he wouldn't laugh.

'My mum's Christmas present,' he lied. It was a Christmas present; just not his mum's but he wasn't going to tell Tia it was hers he had just bought of course.

'Well, I'm sure she's going to love it since you clearly went to great lengths to get it and it's from you! Besides, anyone would be happy with anything bought in here because all of this stuff is amazing! I should come here more often!' Tia laughed as Rocket guided her out of the store but he said nothing. Instead he just walked, and smiled...

After leaving the jewellery store, Rocket and Tia then went to their usual Starbucks to pick up a coffee (Planet Akillian was too far away to walk and they were both cold and thirsty so when out shopping, they would go to the closest Starbucks).

'Ok, so what are our plans for tomorrow then?' Tia asked as she hopped on to the ledge of the tiny bridge that went across the short river. It was a short enough rover and not very wide but Rocket and Tia often came here for peace and quiet since it was rare to see people around at certain times and the two quickly became aware of the times they could be alone. Just like they always did, Tia sat herself on the ledge and Rocket had protective arms on either side of her so she wouldn't fall in as they drank their coffee. Rocket explained to her what they had discussed in detail this time and they agreed on time and things like her going to his place and stuff. Then after that, Rocket suddenly thought of something.

'What will I get your parent's?' he asked and surprisingly, Tia gave him a wide eyed look.

'You don't have to get them anything,' Tia explained which reversed the expressions allowing Rocket to now give her a wide eyed expression.

'Of course I do! You're my girlfriend and they're your parent's and they're coming over to my house on Christmas Day. Why would I not buy them anything? Did you get my parent's anything?' Rocket was aware that Tia had her way of doing things and that may not involve him having to get her parent's anything but he thought differently. Tia was also aware of the gentleman Rocket was and he had mentioned a few times that he wanted to make a good impression with her parent's. Of course she knew he would want to make a good impression anyways but she could tell that since her parents were high class Diplomats, Rocket wanted to make an extra special impression and had done well so far as her parent's adored him and had invited him out for dinner multiple times and to some top class parties as Tia's date and had always made an effort to see Rocket when they were on Akillian at all. So she understood Rocket's point of view on the matter they were currently discussing.

'Of course I did but that different.' That was pretty much the best excuse the blond teen could come up with.

'How so?' Rocket teased her as he leaned in closer to her face so she wouldn't be able to breathe and she would give in ever so easily. Tia gulped as she realised his not-so-secret plan was working without a hitch.

'Fine,' she gave in and he then pulled back with a victorious grin on his face so she could breathe.

'Good. So you'll help me,' he said in a statement rather than a question and his girlfriend was quick to point this out.

'I said no such thing,' Tia said in a very diplomatic tone which made Rocket raise an eyebrow to tell her what was coming next. In realising this, she went scarlet with embarrassment before Rocket burst into his fit of laughter. He thought it was just so cute (and funny) when she spoke with that tone!

'Well then, maybe I can convince you around it...' he teased after the laughter had died down and she was angrier now than embarrassed. Slowly he leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips. She stubbornly refused to oblige at first but after one kiss, she couldn't stop herself from delving into another one and allowing her lips mould with his. She wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him to her and he helped her out by placing his hands securely around her waist to keep her supported and allow him to be almost right up against her. The two kissed passionately for quite some time before slowly releasing their lips from the other.

'Fine. Let's go!' Tia sighed in defeat. All he had to do was kiss her and he had her at his feet. Smirking, Rocket helped his girlfriend down and grabbed her hand as they went back into town where their grip on each other was soon released the second people came into view...

Christmas Day

Rocket had to admit he was nervous upon the hour Tia and her parents were set to arrive but once they came and things got going, he felt more relaxed and was nice and calm when it came to the giving of gifts. Rocket and Tia had already decided to give theirs to each other privately but they did hand out the presents amongst their parent's and everyone in the room was delighted. As the four adults began to chat about some old Christmas traditions they had, the young couple sneaked up to Rocket's room so they could exchange gifts privately. However, as they sat on the bed, their lips had already been moving together a few steps ago and Rocket wasn't keen on ending it so they kept the make-out session going for a while until they almost couldn't breathe. Finally then, they decided to unveil their gifts and this decision was Rocket's as he handed her the box first before she could say anything. She smiled sweetly at him before gently taking the box from his hand and started to unwrap it. Rocket held his breath as she opened the box but relaxed when she let out a gasp and looked at him with a shocked yet delighted expression.

'Rocket, it...it's... Wow!' she stuttered out. She examined the heart shaped pendant closer with an amazed expression.

'You like it?' Rocket asked his girlfriend just to be sure of her opinion ending a huge smile she replied.

'I love it Rocket, thank you! Really!' she replied happily as she pulled her boyfriend into a hug. Rocket couldn't stop a blush coming on his cheeks as it wasn't common for him to get appreciation to this level especially trims girl. He would enjoy it though considering it was his beloved Tia. Her usually shy self seemed to be demolished as she placed a big kiss on his cheek with not a hint of redness in her cheeks as she pulled back. Rocket on the other hand was almost scarlet red which Tia did her best to take his focus away from. 'Will you help me put it on?' With a smile, Rocket nodded as Tia moved around on the bed so her back was to him and he could put it on. He carefully secured the chain around her neck before he connected the two ends to keep it secure. Gently, he took his hands away from her neck but allowed them to roll down her arms and her waist making her inhale sharply as he placed a tender kiss on the base of her neck.

'That's for you to remember that my heart is always yours,' he whispered into her ear as his hand moved back up slowly and gently across her arms and she moved her head to face his allowing him to take the chance to kiss her softly on the lips. The kissing slowly continued as Rocket began to push her down on the bed so they could enjoy a little make-out session but that was soon interrupted when Tia broke the kiss.

'I still have to give you your present,' she announced suddenly as she sat back up. In other situations, Rocket would've began to sulk so she would give in and make-out with him passionately but he had to admit that yes, Christmas was about spending time with the people you love but he was rather looking forward to seeing what Tia got him and then speeding time with his lover after. She too handed him a small box that was wrapped so he carefully unwrapped it and took out the small black box before flipping the lid open to reveal his gift.

'I don't know if you like it and if you don't I have some other ideas I thought I could get you but-'

'Tia. No, it's beautiful. I finally have a lucky charm bracelet!' Rocket declared as he examined the woven bracelet closer. 'Luck from heart' was engraved on the metal plate in the middle of it telling him it was a lucky bracelet and it came from his sweet Tia; the woman with his heart.

'I'm glad you think so. It's basically way of telling you I'll always be there...and my luck?' she laughed before finishing. 'But mainly my heart is yours...always.' As she said this, Rocket was listening intently as he secured the bracelet around his wrist and at the end, he had pulled her into a deep kiss.

'My heart has been yours from day one,' Rocket informed her with a smile before the two embraced into a passionate kiss...

'You know what I love about the Akillian sky at night? It's always so bright and never changes but it never gets old either. It's so fresh and bright, makes me smile...' Tia announced randomly as she lay in Rocket's arms as they gazed up at the sky from the rooftop of Aarch Academy. The party was going on and everyone was dancing and getting drunk but the couple soon vanished to get some peace and more importantly time alone. Rocket smiled after Tia's random outburst and gently kissed her head making her turn her face up towards her lover. 'Our first Christmas together.'

'Yeah. And hopefully the first of many,' Rocket smiled before Tia wrapped her arms around him and snuggled into his chest.

'I wonder what it'll be like when we're older...' Tia thought aloud and Rocket to began to think as to them it was an interesting idea.

'I don't know... But what I do know is that we'll be loved up more than ever!' Rocket confirmed and Tia smiled delightfully before leaning up and allowed to close the gap as they exchanged a passionate kiss...

Part 1 is finished! Basically this a short series of one-shots put into three chapters, all with a Rocket/Tia theme and linked in with the previous one and I hope to have all three written over the holidays. I finished school today so hopefully I can get one done before and the other after Christmas! So this was their first Christmas, and then in the next one we'll skip on to a few years later. Hope you enjoyed and tell me if you think this one was a little rushed! ^_^