The perfect gift - Doc/Lion
The small slip of paper weighed on his pocket like it was made of lead. The chance of getting this person on the Secret Santa was less than a three percent, and yet the name written on paper in scraggly handwriting left no doubt: Gustave Kateb.
When Lion agreed to take part in this event, he'd done so only because Finka and Montagne both convinced him it would be both fun and good for him. He knew he wasn't the most popular guy at the base, but Lion failed to see how participating in an anonymous gift game would improve his popularity. However, they were probably right in saying he should take part, being the only operator out of the event would single him out horribly.
His goodwill was repaid by drawing Doc's name out of all the forty-plus possibilities.
The problem wasn't their feud. No, that was solved and buried in the past. Doc still yelled at him sometimes, but Doc yelled at everyone when he thought people were overworking themselves and didn't heed his advice to take a break and rest. The problem was that now they actually talked to each other, Lion couldn't stop thinking about his teammate. Doc was insightful and knew how to listen. He also had a dry wit that paired rather nicely with Lion's often acerbic comments. They still weren't close friends, but Lion found himself craving Doc's approval and attention. He was embarrassed by how much he thought about it.
Lion knew he was a terrible gift giver. He had the regrettable tendency to never pick the right choice, which only stressed his fears that he didn't know people enough, no matter how close he thought they were. He'd disappointed his family before, especially his own child who he barely saw. This would be no different. Nevermind the little voice in the back of his head reminding him the gift was anonymous, so who cared really if it ended up being disappointing. Still, Lion wanted to gift Doc something special, something he'd love, and perhaps Lion would find the courage to reveal it had been his. Then Doc would… Well, Lion was reluctant to state his hopes even within the sanctity of his own mind. Daydreaming about impossibles would accomplish nothing.
After days of mulling over it, Lion was sure he had finally found the right answer to his conundrum. Right as he was about to fall asleep. The idea filled him with glee and relief; it was perfect. He'd need to ask for some favours, but Lion was confident he could find a professional to work on his idea. It also would probably exceed the budget that had been generally agreed upon, but nobody needed to know that.
Despite the excitement he felt at first when he came up with the idea, as soon as Lion set his plan in motion he started having doubts. What if Doc hated it, or thought Lion was overstepping a boundary? Perhaps none of those would happen, or maybe Doc would think it was a lazy gift. In any case, it was too late now. He had nothing else prepared and, in his not-so-humble opinion, the final result was amazing. There was no reason why Doc would hate this. Lion banished his most pessimistic thought and wrapped the present before delivering it to the event organizers, Ash and Thatcher. It was out of his hands now.
The fateful day arrived and Lion kept the doubts out of his head for most of the morning. Sparring with the Spetsnaz demanded absolute concentration on what he did, and was still an invitation to end flat on his ass and bruised more time than he cared to admit. Then he focused on his overdue reports, successfully blocking the whirlpool of thoughts on the back of his mind. At least for a while, until a polite knock on the door heralded Doc coming in.
Lion stood like a deer caught in the headlights as Doc strode up to him and put an antique silver pocket watch on top of the desk. Lion looked at Doc and blinked. Doc looked back at him, unblinking. He wanted to break the silent stalemate, but he didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if Doc was angry or happy or confused. If Lion had been sitting behind his desk, he would fidget with one of the pens. However, since he was standing in front of it and facing Doc, he clenched his fist instead, blunt nails digging lightly against the palm.
"I don't know how you did it, but it looks as if it never broke."
The raw gratitude in Doc's voice was almost too much for him to handle. "Why do you think it was me?"
"You're the only person who knows what this watch means for me."
Oh. Well, that was unexpected. Lion remembered with pristine clarity how and when the pocket watch was broken. It happened on that hellish mission in Amsterdam, where they were separated from the rest of the team and found themselves fighting back to back, cornered by the White Masks. A bullet hit Doc squarely on the chest, and despite all the layers of protective armor they wore, his pained gasp made Lion fear the worst. Lion fought like his namesake, eliminating all the terrorists before worriedly running next to Doc. Fortunately, the armor had slowed down the bullet and the only casualty was Doc's pocket watch. He still remembered Doc's words like he had just spoken them, "It survived my grandfather and father. I never imagined it would save me from a bullet."
Hesitation shadowed Doc's face before he took a final step forward and enveloped Lion in a tight hug. "Thank you, my friend. This is the best gift I've received in years."
Lion didn't fight his instinct for once and melted into the embrace, feeling a rush of happiness. There was a sense of rightness in their embrace and, for the first time, Lion's fears that Doc secretly still hated him seemed completly ridiculous. This was also the best present Lion had received in a long time.
