Disclaimer: I do not own Super Smash Brothers: Brawl or any of the characters, and this piece of fanfiction is for the sole purpose of entertainment.

Dedication: To SSBBSwords/LilPurplFlwr.

Pairing: IkeMarth
Genre: romance
Part: 2/12
Rating: G (subject to change)
Words: 843
Warnings: AU, homosexuality, unabashed fluff, un-beta'd

A/N: My god, what have I gotten myself into? How did I ever think I could successfully write something every damn day for twelve days?! Clearly, I am suffering from some major delusions of success here.


Marth's Twelve Days of Christmas
Part 2: Two Turtle Doves

One of Ike's favorite holiday season hobbies was to browse home goods stores for ornaments and decorations. He didn't even buy that many—Ike just liked looking at them. He liked to surround himself with everything that was Christmas cheer, and in a way, that cheer was infectious.

Saturday afternoon found them inside of the home section of a major department store. Ike was currently hovering over what appeared to be an enormous cookie jar made in the likeness of Santa Claus. Marth had proceeded to cast his judgment on the tacky and severely overpriced ceramic jar, wondering just what type of rich person it took to buy something as ugly as that.

"It's kind of cute, isn't it?" Ike mused out loud, much to Marth's dismay.

"Yeah, if this was the dollar store," he retorted with no hidden contempt.

Ike laughed at him before setting the Santa-shaped receptacle back down into its place and moving on to a different display. "But babe, half of our decorations are from the dollar store."

Marth crossed his arms as he spared one last look at the offensive jar before trailing behind Ike. It was true that the majority of their decorations did come from bargain stores; however, in defense of the cheaply produced goods, they were actually tasteful (if somewhat prone to breaking).

"But they're actually nice," he deigned to remind his spouse. "But this… There's just no accounting for taste."

Ike's only reply was to laugh happily at him before picking up an extremely ornate candle holder.

The first time Ike convinced him to go Christmas decoration shopping, it was to their local dollar store six years ago. Marth was highly suspicious of being able to get anything remotely tasteful for 99 cents, but Ike had implored him to suspend his doubts and search the aisles without any preconceptions. Marth was planning to simply humor his then boyfriend, but much to his surprise, he found some fairly nice decorations (if you favor glitter) mixed in with the obviously cheap, tacky ones. After some careful selection and a shopping cart full of Ike's preferred mixture of red, green, gold, and sparkly, they managed to decorate their brand new apartment on less than $40.

They had even picked up their adorable penguin salt and pepper shakers that day—the same ones that Ike uses year round with the reasoning that "penguins always live in a holiday climate." Sometimes, it was better to just acquiesce.

"Marth!" Ike's voice rang out above the softly playing Christmas music, breaking Marth out of his reminiscing. (Oh god, he was getting old. Only old people reminisce!) "Look at this!"

Ike was thankfully not proffering something tacky when Marth located him amongst the scattered tables. Instead, he was carefully holding up a box containing a beautiful porcelain ornament: two pure white doves facing each other, beaks touching in a kiss with a sprig of holly hanging between their breasts. The craftsmanship and detailing on the ornament, from the feathers on the birds' wings to the tiny glass holly berries, was as stunning up close as it was from afar.

And the ornament, of course, came with a price tag to match its craftsmanship.

"It's expensive," Marth mumbled as he took the box from Ike's hand, upending it to stare at the price tag on the bottom.

Ike smiled sheepishly at him, transforming all at once back into the boyish teenager he first fell in love with eight years ago. "A little, yeah. But it's perfect, isn't it?"

Even if Ike weren't currently imploring him with his best impersonation of their dog, Lacey, Marth would have been inclined to purchase the ornament. It really was, as Ike put it, perfect. And it would match their omnipresent partridge and add a little more avian flair to their Christmas tree (not to mention maintain their white and gold ornament theme this year).

"Your sad puppy eyes no longer have an effect on me," he quipped cheekily as he made to put the ornament back down on its stand. He had every intention of buying it, of course; but he did love the way that Ike pouted at him when it seemed like he wouldn't get what he wanted.

Like clockwork, Ike's face fell even further into a pout before he resumed his lovably pathetic and pleading expression. "Don't say things like that, Marth!" he whined as he sidled up to his side, somehow managing to shrink in presence despite towering over Marth in physical height.

"I don't know," Marth sighed as he turned the box around in his hands contemplatively.

"Please?" The younger man had taken to nuzzling his cheek against the top of Marth's head as he sing-songed the request. When it came to Christmas, Ike really was a child in the most endearing way.

"Fine," he pretended to acquiesce with a sigh as he turned and headed towards the registers. "But you do the dishes tonight."

Marth stifled a smirk as Ike groaned behind him. The doves would look beautiful on their tree.


-tbc-

A/N: Lacey is omnipresent in SSBBSwords' and my IkeMarth headcanon, regardless of setting. It's just not right without her.