Our First Christmas
Disclaimer: I do not own Golden Sun, they belong to the wonderful people of Camelot.
Warning: Shounen-ai. Robin/Ivan. Do not like, do not read but please do not flame. Have a heart, this is a Christmas fic after all.
I wanted to share my favorite time of year with my favorite characters. I originally wrote a different version of this story but this is a little cuter and makes Robin a little less brooding. Well, Happy Holidays from me and the GS crew! Thanks for the wonderful year everyone! And please note, to those who do not know already, I use the Japanese version for the character's names and the villages/towns that appear in Golden Sun. And no--it is not because I hate their English names, it is just that I think they got a little lazy since none of the names--aside from Robin's--is actually Japanese. Go figure.
Enjoy! Read and review please.
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It is that time of year again, when family and friends get together and just enjoy each other's company late into the night. I rarely look forward to this time of year, though, mainly because I feel that everyone has lost sight of the bigger picture. It could be that I am the one who has lost sight of what Christmas really means. Whatever. Either way, I do not like it. I think there is another reason, usually around Christmas time, it is a big event at my house, mainly because my father loved it and his enthusiasm is like an infectious disease, it just manages to spread to everyone he comes into contact with. My mother told me that I was a lot like that before. Even since my father died, I did not see the reason in pretending to be happy anymore, even if my mother tries her best to put on a brave face.
This year is different, thanks to Satyuros and Menardi. We have been traveling well over a month now and we are still no closer to catching them than we were at Mercury Lighthouse. That knowledge along could dampen anyone's cheerful Christmas spirit in an instant and knowing that you are partly responsible for them getting their hands on three of the four Elemental Stars does nothing to improve your outlook on things.
Since Christmas is steadily drawing near, Mary suggested that we stay in Xian for a couple of days, when she saw that I was hesitating, she continued to say that it might snow and it would not be wise to get caught in a snowstorm. I finally relented when Ivan started to help her out, smiling up at me innocently and dragging out a soft 'please'. I think he has realized that I cannot deny him anything. So here we are in the Inn at Xian, waiting patiently for Christmas to pass, of course, I am the only one dreading it, the others are very cheerful about it and even Ivan is more talkative than usual.
There is another reason why I dread Christmas so much. My birthday falls on the same day, talk about luck of the gods. My parents made such a big deal out of it, and I was glad for all the attention when I was younger but as I grew older, I shied away from their affection increasingly each day. When my father died, I fully withdrew into my own protective shell and tried not to allow people to worm their way into my heart. I never wanted to become so attached to someone again that I could not bare to lose them. Of course, having Gerald, Mary, and Ivan with me does not help matters much. I have already grown accustomed to them--especially Ivan since he is so mature for his age and occasionally stays up late with me just to talk about random things that happen to be on our mind at the moment. I worry that if we do end up fighting Satyuros and Menardi that I will not be strong enough to protect them if something bad happens.
That does not really have much to do with me disliking Christmas. I cannot really explain it but I will not be celebrating it this year. I did not tell Mary and Ivan about it and I seriously doubt that Gerald remember that my birthday was coming up soon, before, when we were still little, Garcia and Jasmine were the ones who had to constantly remind him so that he did not forget, even his kid brother reminded him one time. I never thought that I would be glad for Gerald's absentminded ways. My mother is probably sad. This will be her first Christmas alone and I think that she would have wanted to celebrate this year most especially since I will finally be turning eighteen. Yes, I will officially be the oldest in the group and finally the same age as Garcia.
I suddenly become aware of my surroundings when I feel something heavy fall onto my lap. I look down and spot Ivan, grinning up at me, his cheeks flushed as he giggles. I cannot help the smile at creeps onto my lips at the sight of him. Maybe it is not such a bad thing, getting to see Ivan so laidback instead of his usual, solemn expression. He jumps up, dancing back to where he and Mary were playing a game of chess. Gerald is sitting in a large chair next to me, grinning at them, taunting Mary since she had been losing to Ivan ever since they started playing this morning.
We are sitting in the common room, a large Christmas tree with hundreds of decorations to light it up was set up by the fireplace, a roaring crimson flame burning in the hearth. There is a mistletoe hanging in the doorway but so far, I have been careful not to be caught under it. Mary and Gerald already shared a quick kiss and Ivan dashed from the room before Mary could have given him a kiss when they walked through the doorway together.
I lean back and watch Ivan as he proceeds to beat Mary at their little game of chess, his mind may not have seemed set on the game because he was laughing and teasing Gerald so that he would leave Mary alone. If you looked at him closer, you could see an intense look in his eyes and you knew he was taking the game seriously. I smiled at him and he turned just in time to catch my gaze. He flashed me a innocent smile, holding my gaze for a long time before turning away, almost reluctantly.
I turn away and look back at the fire before I feel a pair of eyes on me. "What?" I look over at Gerald to see him grinning at me, as if he knew something about me that I did not know. He nodded and then threw a glance over at Ivan, winking. I furrow my brows and narrow my eyes at him, "What is wrong with you?"
"I know something you don't know." He taunts in a singsong voice, laughing mischievously. I roll my eyes, folding my arms neatly over my chest before leaning back again the couch. He continues to hum to himself happily before saying, "You know, tomorrow is Christmas. Did you remember to get something special for Ivan?"
It might have been the way he said that but I feel my cheeks warm at the last statement. Something special for Ivan? What in the name of Venus could he have meant by that? I nod slowly, quickly going over what I had gotten everyone for Christmas. "He got you something very special for Christmas, I bet you'll be dying to unwrap it as soon as if find out what it is." Again, I feel as if there is a hidden, perverted meaning behind his words and it annoys me when I realize that he does know something that I do not. Damn him for managing to get under my skin. He may not be an observant person but I guess after spending so many years around me, he realized just what pisses me off the most.
Mary groans and we turn to see that Ivan has beaten her once again--no surprise there. The young teen smiles at her, laughing softly as she looks up at him, her chin resting on the chessboard. "Are you sure you never played this game before, Ivan? All I did was explain the rules to you once…and you've been beating me ever since we started."
"I guess I am just a quick study." He rubs the back of his head; cheeks flushed again, this time from the attention he was receiving. I frown. That's right. Ivan never really had friends before he met us and he was Lord Hammet's servant, one of the reason I have never been on good terms with Lord Hammet--even if I have never met him but just hearing his name gets me in a bad mood. I admit that Ivan would probably never have been so humble if he had been raised differently but that still does not excuse the fact that he was Lord Hammet's servant. The fact that people were afraid of him does not help either.
Ivan stands up and smoothes the wrinkles out of his tunic before walking over to me and sitting down on the couch, only leaving a couple of inches between us, our shoulders almost touching. Mary smiles at us and stretches, covering her mouth as she yawns. "I think I am going to call it a night. Santa won't come if we say up too long, you know." She waves to us and heads out the room but before she leaves, he whacks Gerald's arm. He jumps at the sudden slap but his eyes widen and he mouths a quick 'Oh!' before getting up and waving to us.
I blink after them before turning to give Ivan a bemused smile, "What do you think that was about?" He returns my smile, shaking his head gently.
"Dunno, they have been acting very strange lately." Now that he mentions it, I have noticed that the two of them have been acting but it mainly has been whenever Ivan and I are together, then again, we rarely are not together, so I guess it could be anything.
Ivan does not seem too worried about their behavior, though. He merely stretches his arms and legs out, sliding down along the couch so that his back is now resting on the cushions he had been sitting on. His eyes are now trained on the fireplace, a crimson glow in his violet eyes. In this light, he looks very attractive, hell, he looks attractive even in the dark--wait…that sounds like it is implying something. I mentally kick myself for allowing my thoughts to get out of hand, especially about Ivan, he seems too innocent for that, even if it is just my thoughts. Then there is the fact that, if he wanted to, Ivan could read my mind and find out what I am thinking with me barely knowing it. His powers have grown these past weeks, all of our powers have advanced from what they used to be, but Ivan's progress is astonishing.
"What did you get me for Christmas?" He asks, almost as if looking for something to say but throwing that out instead of what he really wanted to say. I look at him and see that his cheeks are flushed--still--then again, his cheeks have been that way for a couple of hours now, I was beginning to wonder if Gerald had put something funny in his hot coco.
I smile at him, "No way, I'm not going to tell you that."
"What is your Christmas wish then?" I turn away from him and mull the idea over. I never really thought about what my Christmas wish was, mainly because for the past three years, I have wished for my father to come back. I cannot do that this year because I know no matter how hard I wish, he is never coming back. I do not want to say that I want the Elemental Stars back, I know…I am being selfish when I say that. I do not want them back because they have given me a reason to leave Haidia Village. I would have left eventually, the first chance I got even if they had not been stolen, I was just waiting for the opportune time and then…
I always thought of it this way, I wanted to leave Haidia Village so much because of the meaning of the village's name 'Farewell'1. It is somewhat depressing, when you think about it that way. Regardless, I always felt as if I were missing something from my life while I was there, even before my father died. I lost that feeling as soon as I walked through the gates of Haidia Village. I am afraid that that might come back if I ever return.
"I never really thought about it." I say finally, deciding to be truthful, there is no point in lying to an Air Energist. Ivan shrugs his shoulders and sit up, resting his head against the back of the couch again. "What about you?"
"I always wanted a white Christmas." I blink at him, a little surprised to hear that. It usually snows in Karei Town around this time but I heard that the snow does not last long and rarely sticks to the ground for Christmas. Ivan smiles as he brings his legs up to his chest and tucks his knees under his chin. "It sounds sort of corny, I guess."
"Not really, you're entitled to that." Ivan looks at me hesitantly before muttering and nodding to himself. I blink at him and go to say something when he uncoils from his previous position and rests his head against my shoulder, wrapping his arms around my waist. No one has ever touched me like this before, only my parents, and it is different for Ivan. A warm feeling runs through me and even though I tensed up when he first touched me, I am starting to relax slowly.
"We're friends, right, Robin?" He asks so softly that I was not quite sure that I heard him correctly. He seems unsure of himself and I think he is doing this in attempts to figure out what kind of relationship we have.
I nod at first but decide to voice it as well, "Yes, of course we are." He smiles and nuzzles my shoulder. Instinctively, I drape an arm around his shoulder and pull him closer. "And I am not afraid of you, if that is what you are thinking. In fact, I like you a lot. I mean, you are the first person I have touched in a long time." I feel him shift against me, adjusting himself so that he can look up at me.
"I was wondering…if I could give you my Christmas present a little early." I blink at him again and nod slowly. He pulls away from me, taking my hand and leading me away from the couch and towards the doorway. My mind goes blank as he stops us in the middle of the doorway and he looks up at me nervously. He rocks back and forth on the balls of his feet, his eyes darting around the room, avoiding my gaze. "Y-you know what we're standing under, right?"
"A roof?" I ask, not sure what he wants from me. He smiles quickly but it fades and he shakes his head, tightening his grip on my hand. With this free hand he points up and I follow his finger to see that we are standing under…
My heart catches in my throat. "…Mistletoe…"
"Yeah…" He licks his lips and clears his throat as I look back at him, smiling as it dons on me. I lean down before he has the chance to change his mind and dash from the room in a blur of color. I hold his hand in mine while placing my other hand on his hip, keeping him steady. "Robin…" He whispers just before I press my lips to his, lingering only for a moment and then pulling away.
"Thank you for the present, Ivan. I loved it." His cheeks color and I thought he would had ran away from me but he throws his arms around my neck and pulls me down for a second kiss, this one more passionate and lasting than the first one. When he finally pulls away, we are both breathing heavily.
"Merry Christmas, Robin. Happy Birthday." I shake my head, laughing. He hugs me and I smile, looking over at the window, starting slightly when I see something strange falling outside of the window.
It looks like Ivan is going to get his white Christmas after all. "Merry Christmas, Ivan." Maybe Christmas is not as bad as I thought it was. As long as I can spend it with Ivan, I think I can manage.
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Miles away, standing on a hill, Alex is smiling at the small town of Xian. "Don't tell me that I did not do you any favors, boys. Merry Christmas." He lingered for a while before disappearing.
-Owari-
1Vale is Latin for 'Farewell' so I am going by the English version for the translation. I have no idea what "Haidia" means--if it means anything at all. I am too lazy to look it up XD
See? Alex can be nice when he wants to be. Well, this is my first Christmas fic If I find time, I will write a Christmas fic for the Garcia(Felix)/Picard fans before Christmas and post that as well. I still have time and I have nothing better to do while I am up in Ohio.
Happy Holidays! ::giggles:: I get a white Christmas this year, too! Hopefully 0 They said it was supposed to snow tomorrow night. crosses fingers