Genre: Friendship/Romance

Characters: Dave L./Kick-Ass, Mindy M./Hit Girl

Mako's Message: MERRY CHRISTMAS! Merry Christmas readers! Merry Christmas people who read and never review! Merry Christmas fellow authors! And Merry Christmas to all the fics I don't read!
I just got done watching It's A Wonderful Life, can you tell? But aside from reminding me how lucky I am to have all you reading my work(among many other things) that doesn't have anything to do with this chapter.

Actually, it does, serendipitously. You see, the inspiration for this fic came from the B:TAS episode; Christmas With The Joker, in which Richard G./Robin just wanted to go home and watch It's A Wonderful Life.
I guess you could also say it applies to [Redacted/Spoiler]

ANYWAY! I hope you had a merry Christmas, whatever your religion(or non-religion) as it's still Christmas whether you celebrate it or not, filled with love and friends and family.
Preferably exemplified by the giving of expensive items. :P

Enjoy the chapter!

The night air was crisp and cold, with light flakes of snow swirling in the wind as last minute shoppers scurried about the city. There were two people out on the street that night, that weren't there to spend, or earn, any money. They were there to watch over everyone else. Two people who took it upon themselves to protect the weak, the innocent, and the kind, and to punish those would prey on them.

These two people were very cold.

"I swear if it gets any colder I'm gonna have to get another pair of thermal underwear."

"Oh stop being such a pussy. Have you ever seen Batman complaining about the cold?"

'No, but I have seen Spider-Man do it."

"Oh shut up and toughen up."

"Your lips are starting to turn blue."

"They are not!" Even if they were he shouldn't have been able to see it under her lipstick. Not an obvious, bright, hooker red, but a more natural shade chosen for this exact reason. And if it happened to make her look more attractive to her partner, so much the better.

"Look, it's ten on Christmas Eve. I say we pack it in for the night."

Hit Girl actually stopped in her tracks to look at him, "Are you shitting me? We've only been out here two hours, that's not even half our usual patrol!"

"It's Christmas Eve."

"Exactly! Which means there's still going to be plenty of last minute shoppers out on the streets carrying all sorts of expensive stuff in bags they can barely carry.

Kick-Ass sighed, "All right, we'll stay out."

Hit Girl allowed one of her rare public smiles and started walking again, a new spring in her step.

Two hours later, more or less, Hit Girl and Kick-Ass were finishing up checking a parking complex for predators. "Alright," he said, "I think that's enough for tonight. Let's get home."

Hit Girl, who by now had reached the limits of even her stoicism and wa blowing into her hands, cupped over her mouth, in an effort to warm her face, snapped her head up, "Are you fucking kidding me? This is when we're needed the most! The last of the shoppers out, still desperate for that last perfect gift. Ya never know when some soccer mom, desperately hunting for that last Wii U for little Timmy watches the last one in the city sold to the woman ahead of her. It's enough to make a person snap and stab someone with a screwdriver."

Kick-Ass stopped and starred at her, "You've put a lot of thought into that argument haven't you?"

She shrugged, "A little."

He shook his head and said, "Fine. We'll stay out for a little longer."

Hit Girl gave him a small smile as they headed to check a nearby subway station.

"I seriously doubt anyone is going to stab someone over a Wii U though."

Hit Girl's laughter echoed through the night.

It was nearing two AM and both heroes were visibly shivering, "We need to g-go in now."

N-no way! This is- This is when we're needed the most! All those poor, lonely, fucks drinking the night away in bars, about to be kicked out into the street. E-easy prey for anyone who wants to take advantage."

"Okay, no. This is Chr-Christmas fucking Eve. Statistically the safest night of the year. Going b-back decades. There is no NEED for us to be freezing our nips off out here."

"Bu-"

"No! Even the fucking Motherfucker didn't pull anything on Christmas. WHY are you insisting we stay out here?!"

Hit Girl was shaking, but he was sure that at this moment it had nothing to do with the cold, "Because...because you're going to spend Christmas with HER!"

Kick-Ass blinked.

"Tomorrow- Today- WHATEVER! - We already agreed we weren't going to go out on Christmas Day, and if we weren't out now you'd be with her right now! This is- this is the only way I'll be able to spend any of the Holiday with you."

His face went completely blank as he looked at her, "This is a new low for you. I mean, seriously, keeping us out in this weather just because you want to spend time together? Because you think I wasn't going to spend any of Christmas with you? Do you ACTUALLY believe that?"

Hit Girl rubbed at her arms without looking at him, "The bitch was out of town our first Christmas, I was out of town last Christmas and you spent it with R- her. This is the first time you've had a choice, and you've made it rather clear your not interested in me, so why wouldn't you spend it with her?"

Kick-Ass sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "Who have I spent every Thanksgiving with?"

"...me."

"And who have I spent six hours freezing my balls off with on Christmas Eve?"

A smirk twitched onto her face, "Me."

"So yeah, I'll probably be spending some of Christmas with Her, I kinda live with Her. But if you think that means I'm not going to spend any of Christmas with you I think your brain has frostbite."

The smirk evolved into a smile and she bit her lip trying not to laugh, both at his lame joke and at the sense of relief she felt.

"So can we pack it in now?"

"Yeah."

"Thank GOD. I wasn't joking about freezing my balls off. If I'd taken a low blow I think they'd have shattered." He put an arm around her shoulders and started steering her home, "Now, let's go home, and I'll make us some double strength hot chocolate with extra-extra-marshmellows."

"So thick we'll have to eat it with a fork?"

"You know it."

She smiled up at him, wrapped an arm around him as well and said, "Sounds great."

And the two protectors of the city headed home to thaw out, sleep it off, and have a Merry Christmas.