Summary: The year is after Colony 198, and it's a Christmas spent with friends. Mainly Heero/Relena and Quatre/Trowa. Also contains Milliardo/Noin, Une/Treize and maybe a little unintentional Duo/Hilde. Has a lot of characters. Some yaoi, some het. Read at your own risk. Nothing beyond kissing.
Len: Merry Christmas! Rea and I cooked up something this morning after presents. This is very fluffy....
Rea: It's got a lot of pairings, so please read the summary.
Christmas Cake and Flowers
Trowa had tried nearly everything. He was finding it slightly confusing that Quatre wasn't really responding to his special treatment. Duo had assured him that Quatre was quite taken with him. And Duo doesn't lie.
The year is after Colony 198. Quatre, besides working on several projects in constructing Colonies, has been mostly working on leading the resource satellites his late sister and father had left behind. Of course, his other sisters have also been working with him, for the most part. He still hasn't met a few, but being the youngest, meeting them all is a chore. Wu Fei has gone missing, but Duo always has the scoop from Sally, and has assured his new room mate that he won't cause any more trouble. And that he knows who Nataku was before she was a Gundam. Heero's new room mate has been in and out decorating and insists that he go see Relena. But all Duo has earned for his efforts is to see Heero staring at the snow in thought, mumbling her name softly to the wind. Trowa is still at the circus, of course. However, this is only when he isn't sending Quatre sweet treats and flowers with his pay check, and a little help from Catherine, who has been his main lending hand in the matter.
"Christmas cake, Trowa." She says this time, pointing at the display in the shoppe. "And flowers, but green and red painted." She winks once at Trowa, who follows her advice without fail every time. He puts Quatre's address on the table as he orders, and the man at the counter promises that the cake and flowers will be received. He is used to Trowa's presence here.
Relena is more confused, of course. But not in the same way. She knows of love, and of torn letters and of teddy bears. She knows of hints of death transformed to the whispers of a lover. Of the soft "I'll kill you" becoming the still softer "I love you." She does not know when he will visit. She waits. She keeps her eyes open. She drinks every glass of tea in front of her- if she is poisoned and captured, he will appear.
She looks out her window, watching the snow, and she does not shiver with cold. His name is on her lips again. After all, she heard him call first. And she opens the window, and she shouts out to the man calling her name. "Come and kill me Heero!" She says, again, and for the last time. "I'm waiting right here for you!" And he answers. And she is silent. She waits.
Heero closes his eyes. He hears her call. He says "I will." This time. Duo looks up at him. He has been trying to hand Heero a cup of chocolate for the last ten minutes. Trying to break his trance. But Heero will not have it until that moment.
"What?" Duo asks, and Heero turns to him.
"I will." He says simply. He ignores the hot chocolate, and he puts on his coat. "Are you coming with me?' he asks Duo.
Duo smiles and poses cute like he does sometimes, and he nods. "Don't worry. I'll leave you two alone after we get there." he adds, and they order a shuttle down to earth.
Quatre receives his cake at noon, just before the next showing of the circus. He brings the flowers with him, and sits in the front seat on his day off, holding them. Catherine is on first, and that's why she see him. She decides not to tell Trowa.
Milliardo gives Noin a Christmas kiss over coffee. She blushes just a little. He smiles at her, and she says "I've been waiting too long. And I'm not going to wait any longer." She kisses him this time.
Lady Une lays flowers on Treize's grave. Mariemaia is giving them privacy.
Quatre is still holding the flowers at the Christmas show when Trowa comes in. He glances into the audience for a mere seconds, but Quatre's glow is unmistakable. For the first time, he smiles on stage. Catherine knows he has seen him.
"Why didn't you come before?" Trowa asks backstage, a little annoyed with Quatre's distance. "Haven't you gotten anything but the flowers." Quatre smiles.
"I wanted to wait until Christmas." He states happily. "Or it would be a Christmas First Kiss." He leans in and Trowa closes the gap. The innocent-looking pilot seems no longer innocent. He pushes Trowa back against the boxes to deepen the kiss. Catherine is watching quietly, but two or three maganac bodyguards can't keep their mouths shut.
Trowa smiles slightly again, and Quatre blushes as he is pulled behind some materials. Catherine and Rashid stop the guards from advancing their teasing.
Milliardo insists on buying Noin flowers and dinner. She looks at him softly and gives in.
Lady Une sheds only one tear before turning back to take her adopted daughter home. Mariemaia is on the phone with Sally.
Duo takes a walk through the central parks and streets, enjoying the snow. He has called a freind. He smiles. Hilde is waiting for him at the street corner. They go arm in arm.
It's just past Christmas. One in the morning, the 26th. Heero's shuttle has arrived on Earth. Duo has headed out. Despite the trip from nine that morning to now, both pilots are wide awake. Relena is waiting. Heero is escorted into the Vice Foreign Minister's house. He walks gracefully up the steps, dressed in his black suit. It's the same suit he wore so many years ago in their dance. And Relena is waiting. For the occasion she is dressed in that blue dress- the one she always wanted to wear. She wraps his arms around his shoulders, and he returns her action, but to her waist.
As they begin the waltz, Relena thinks of Mariamaia, and of everyone who saved Earth and the Colonies. And of him. They dance alone in the large ballroom. There is no music. They go to dinner.
Quatre pays for Trowa's dinner. And Rashid's and Catherine's, who are there for the company. They have Trowa's Chrismas cake for desert.
Milliardo gets on one knee and presents a marvelous ring to Noin in that expensive restaurant she allowed him to pay for. Christmas cake is served to them after the ring is neatly placed on her finger.
Duo and Hilde look up at the stars, and Duo knows that something has just happened. Several things. He senses a presence, and soon Sally and Wu Fei are beside them, taking the day off. Duo hugs Wu Fei and the other doesn't know how to respond. As Une and Mariemaia join their company, and Hilde is introduced to everyone, Mariemaia and Une invite them inside. They stay not far away. It's not too late to celebrate Christmas. Chrismas first, duty later, says Mariameia. And Duo agrees. Wu Fei isn't so sure. When Une mentions Christmas Cake, it sways him. Dorothy is waiting at the door when they arrive. Wu Fei looks put off for a second, but Une assures them she is invited. Dorothy has brought flowers. She feels a bit silly.
Heero and Relena take out cards for each other at just the same moment. Heero looks surprised. Relana seems have known it would happen. They both hand each other thier cards over the table, and read the cards at the same time. They look at each other. Not because they are the same card, which they are not. But because they have both torn theirs in two at the same time. Tears come to Relena's eyes.
"I can't kill you anymore." Heero says, laying the torn paper on the table next to his dinner plate. "I will never kill again."
She nods as the maid serves them Christmas cake.
"But I still love you." He adds.
She smiles and the tears come down this time. Heero lays the flowers he bought for her on the table. She smiles through her tears of joy.
"Merry Christmas." They both say, and finally Heero laughs. There have been too many perfections and jinkes tonight not to. Suddenly, they feel it. Peace on Earth. Love. Someting is happening. Something important.
And no one is spending Christmas alone.
Rea: For those of you wondering about who Nataku was, she was a Wu Fei's wife. I'm not kidding. Read Episode Zero. Wife. Yah.
Len: We hope you enjoyed our Christmas story. I know it's real...sappy. Next years will probably be longer and planned and have a plot. And maybe get everyone together, which just wasn't possible once we set up where everyone was. Please review, and have a good rest of the year!