Gifts from under Mistletoe
December 24th
Lagrange 3
Ptolemy II
Few months after Celestial Being escapes back to space.
"Surprise!" Mileina Vashti yelled with joy when the four Meisters and the entire crew of Ptolemy II gathered in a briefing room. It was now decorated with Christmas garlands of fir and fake snow, mistletoes and red gift socks everywhere. In the corner stood a ceiling-reaching Christmas tree, adorned with red and golden Christmas toys. There were also drinking tubes of all sorts of drinks floating around in the gravity-less air.
"Talk about a change of scenery" Lockon Stratos (a.k.a. Lyle Dylandy) whistled in surprise.
"It's December 24th" Mileina announced happily "Merry Christmas everybody!"
Five minutes in and everyone was having fun, Christmas songs jingling in the background. Tieria was complaining about this being a huge waste of time and got teased by Lockon and Sumeragi for that. Allelujah and Marie were trying to escape from Mileina, who desperately tried to hunt them down and push them under mistletoe she was carrying. Ian and Linda sighed, giving up on trying convincing their daughter to stop playing a match-maker. Saji and Lasse had a good laugh of Mileina's comic attempts.
And every little event was being watched by an eagle eye of Setsuna F. Seiei.
Christmas wasn't a part of his religion, but Setsuna somehow always found this occasion inviting and…appealing. It wasn't always this way though. Not until he joined Celestial Being, of course. After shooting his own parents, the former guerrilla didn't feel like having a right to a new one. And being so close to a bunch of happy people brought some sort of guilt, as if touching a forbidden fruit Setsuna wasn't even supposed to know about. Yet, he couldn't help but give in to this celebration and allow himself to get close. To imagine, that he really has a large family of brothers and sisters. A family he can protect and watch over every minute of his life, as if recollecting for the former one.
And so his protecting eagle eye noticed a flaw: there was one person short, although he was sure that person came in with everyone.
Without being noticed (everyone was too busy watching Tieria playing cards against Sumeragi), Setsuna slipped out of the noisy, cheerful briefing room into the cold and lonely corridors of Ptolemy II. He silently flowed through gravity-less air and reached his destination: the observation room.
Setsuna's senses didn't let him down: once he opened auto-doors, he spotted Feldt Grace, staring into the black nothingness outside the window. She turned around immediately.
"Setsuna" she looked at him with confused eyes.
"Why aren't you with everyone?" he inquired, flowing forward to stop near her.
"I…well…I was, but…" she hesitated, looking at Setsuna with eyes of frightened hind.
"You don't have to tell me" the young man stated, seeing her look. Naturally, he was used to people being afraid of his presence. Little did he know about Feldt's lack of fear of him.
"No, it's not that…we never had Christmas like this before and I just remembered my family and…I thought…" she smiled sadly turning her head back to the endless black distance "how nice it would be, if others were here with us"
Others. Setsuna's memory brought back a kind face of Lichty, cute, yet always a little sad smile of Christina, intelligent and cheerful look of Doctor Morino and…ever the good mood of Neil Dylandy.
And he smiled. Little, thin smile.
"Yes, that would be nice" he also looked at the space, where his comrades perished.
"Setsuna?" Feldt spoke again "do you have anyone you want to see Christmas with?"
"No. I don't" Setsuna answered shortly, feeling guilt knocking inside his chest again.
"That must be lonely"
The conversation went somewhat familiar way to five years ago. Back then, Setsuna said that he wasn't the one who's lonely. This time, nothing really changed.
But this time, he smiled. That's twice in about five minutes. What was wrong with him?
"Not really" he looked down at her, his light chestnut eyes meeting with her blue-and-green gaze that seemed like two precious stones, put there by Mother Nature herself.
Few moments of silence and staring at each other.
"Today, no one's lonely, right?" Feldt broke the silence, feeling how blush dusts her cheeks.
Surely, she couldn't miss the fact that Setsuna had become an attractive man during those years. Or the fact that he actually cared about her (why would he be here?). And still, Feldt never thought of him THAT way. At least not until Lockon died and his brother came to replace him, breaking her already shattered heart by stealing a kiss. To her, it wasn't that much of a personal insult as an insult to Neil's memory. And that fact really messed up the remaining of her heart, which was now in pieces.
The real reason she came here was only one: Feldt didn't make it in time to collect those pieces, therefore finding herself in an impossible situation. Now she needed a cure, which died five years ago. Because now (and again) she didn't have a motive to go through this bitterness. Sounded weak, but…weakness just happens sometimes.
However, this weakness, bitterness and shatter kept her standing in front of this man, who was too cold, strong, sometimes cruel…and at the same time sad, lonely and caring…in his own way.
For the very first time, Feldt allowed herself to think that by some odd off-chance Setsuna will share his wounds with her. Because she knew what it's like to be hurt. Because she knew so much about being alone and feeling weak and vulnerable and unfulfilled all the time.
"Wrong" Setsuna frowned his eyebrows, making firm, yet concerned face "you are here"
"You're here too" Feldt glanced at the window again before looking up at Setsuna again "so, I'm not lonely" she rose her head, where Mileina's mistletoes were waiting to be…used "mistletoe" she whispered. Setsuna also looked up, not really seeing the plant. The gear inside his head, which was down for more than twenty years, now somehow got some fuel to start.
Lockon used to wear a suspiciously goofy smile while talking about Setsuna and Feldt in one dimension. At that time, the Kurdish boy was both, too young and too brain-washed to understand why. But he had the feeling he'd get it one day…especially when Allelujah said he would very often…but the goofy smile on his face also seemed suspicious.
Normally, Setsuna didn't act on moment's wish. Well, maybe sometimes, but those times always involved battles and mobile suits, never a living, breathing and (way more importantly) fragile human being.
But today wasn't a normal day to begin with: it was Christmas. The time of miracles…or so they say.
Setsuna looked back down and carefully closed in on Feldt. She didn't push or jump away, but instead, also moved closer, swiftly flowing through zero-gravity air…moving till their lips met softly, right under red berries of mistletoe.
The girl under his lips tasted much like fresh, sweet water he used to enjoy after a long work in a desert.
Only fresher and sweeter.
-x-
The party was at its full swing. Tieria ended up owing three chocolate Christmas cakes for loosing to Sumeragi in card game. Fortunately (or not really, depends on one's point of view), to Tieria's mood improvement purposes, Mileina placed a soft, friendly kiss on his pale cheek, holding a branch of mistletoe above them. This action made the Meister blush, which opened fields of freedom for Lockon to keep on teasing him.
In the middle of the room, seven Haros were spinning in a circle, dancing along "Merry Christmas Everyone". Saji tried not to get hit by their wild roulette, thus making Lasse almost choke on his drink when Saji lost control and bumped into the ceiling of the room.
Allelujah and Marie were finally in their own, private world, having safely escaped from Mileina's merciless kiss-under-mistletoe crusades.
The door to this mess opened and Setsuna flowed in, gently pulling Feldt after himself. He didn't let go of her hand even when they slipped past the Haro dance and safely made it to a corner of the room, where Setsuna used to stand and watched his comrades celebrating Christmas. Feldt attached herself to his arm, as if seeking protection, although her face and eyes shone with sincere happiness and tranquility. Setsuna slid his arm around her and pulled her near.
"I won't let go" he whispered to her ear. Feldt looked up at him with gratitude and softness and leaned in to kiss him again…
Kodak moments like these are usually spoiled by shrieks of overemotional girls, or giggles of people around. But that's what makes these moments worth remembering.
Allelujah slowly slid his hand through white hair of Marie, who rested her head on his shoulder. He watched the new couple from the other side of the room, where Christmas tree gave him and Marie a little privacy. Allelujah grinned to the sight.
Now he knows. Merry Christmas, Setsuna. You've just received the most precious gift.