Part 2

"Hey Far," Schuldig shouted through the Schwarz safehouse, "Crawford's gone mad and is taking us to the bahamas for Christmas."

"Feck," Farfarello swore, "nah, you must have misheard him." Crawford lowered his head in his hands and started counting.

"The Koneko." Crawford enunciated the word very carefully. "Not Kokomo."

Schuldig looked crestfallen, "I thought it was too much to hope that you had said Kokomo, but then I thought about it and knew there was no way you'd take us to the Bahamas." He thumped the side of his head with the butt of his hand, "he's finally stopped singing but I swear I still have It's Cold Outside ringing through my head, and why are we going into the lair of our worst enemies for Christmas?" He raised a brightly coloured eyebrow, "and who's going to look after the cat?"

"I got puppy dog eyed." Crawford snapped. "And we can take the cat with us, we're only going to the Koneko not the moon, and you say no when both Prodigy and Bombay unleash the super kawaii you just kicked my puppy and I'll cry if you say no look at you."

"And this has nothing to do with Abyssinian?" Schuldig pressed.

Crawford took off his glasses and squeezed the bridge of his nose in a long suffering manner. "Nothing whatsoever, the children want a family Christmas, and come hell or high water we will supply them one."

"Why?" Schuldig asked, "and can I still go to the Bahamas? I'll pay for my own ticket, I have enough saved."

"You are going to the Koneko, and you will have Christmas with them and you will enjoy, we are legitimate members of Evil Incorporated and I have checked the handbook and Family Christmases are mentioned as a perfect example of perfect unhappiness crystallised down into three days, and if I have to suffer it the pair of you are as well." Crawford snapped.

"But what about the Evil Incorporated Christmas bash?" Schuldig asked. "It's always a scream, and we have to celebrate the mass marketing of Harry Potter this year, we've got him on tooth brushes."

Crawford looked up "Feck." He said quite clearly. Then he thought about it, "feck, feck, feck, feck, feck, and feck, with feck on top."

"Hey," Farfarello said coming into the room, he had now dressed himself as a reindeer complete with horns and a stick on red nose, with a plush robin on his shoulder. "That's my line."

Crawford looked him clear in the eye. "Oh, just feck off."

For a whole moment Farfarello's lip quivered and then he ran out of the room crying.

"Now look what you've done." Schuldig said looking at the retreating form of the Irish lunatic (who was conspicuously dressed as a reindeer for Christmas), "You've made Far cry."

"Schuldig," Crawford started and the rest of his speech was nicely cut off by Nagi coming in with his kitten in his arms.

"Hey, what's wrong with Far, did you tell him that we're going to the Koneko for Christmas."

Crawford gave Nagi a death glare but it just rolled off, but he bit his lip to prevent himself swearing, it was one of the few house rules that no one swear in front of Nagi and no bringing hostages home- they made a terrible mess.

"That's it." Crawford said, looking around. "feck the lot of you, I'm going drinking." He looked around the room one last time, "and feck Christmas."

Aya answered his cell with a grunt. "I'll meet you there." He turned to the rest of Weiss, "I'm going out, none of you are coming with me, make sure Yohji doesn't kill himself. I won't kill myself until I kill Takatori." He then went to go up the stairs.

"Aya," Ken began, a bit worried to talk to Aya with the mood he was in. "But the door's downstairs."

"I am getting changed, Ken," Aya said in a slow patient manner, "I have been working in the flower shop all day and I smell of poinsettas, I'm going to change and then I am going out to meet my katana instructor. I will be back later, any other questions before I kill you all and send parts of your bodies to members of Esset with golden bows on, and the expensive gift tags Omi bought."

"Really Aya, you should do something about your stress level." Omi said.

"Ichi, ni, san," Aya said as he walked up the stairs, he closed his bedroom door on Kyuu.

Crawford looked up when Aya entered the bar, he was sitting quietly getting more and more tense as people about him were more and more happy and more full of the joy of the season. People cleared away from Aya as he walked through the bar, then when he saw Crawford he gave a tight smile, a smile that suggested he was glad to see him but would much rather spend his free time carving something fleshy and annoying, like possibly Balinese.

"I got you a drink." Crawford said as Aya leant over to kiss him on the cheek before sliding into the booth next to him. "I figured if your day was like mine, you needed it."

Aya looked at the small glass that was full of some kind of liquor and cola, and then knocked it back and called over the waiter to ask for another. "Don't even go there, I tried to explain the rules for Christmas and they laughed at me, there is no respect, and then I instigated the buddy system like Kritiker suggested, to stop them killing themselves over Christmas, and Yohji came on to me." He sounded like he was about to weep rather than explode. "And now Omi thinks I'm stressed." He looked at his boyfriend. "It's just so hard."

"Schuldig thought I said Kokomo and was all up to go to the bahamas and then Farfarello started crying and the only one of them in any way sane is Nagi, so I started swearing and walked out." Crawford joined in with the commiseration. "I'm half convinced I should just buy them the tickets and send them to the bahamas, but then Nagi would cry and I would be the villain, and because I'm going to yours on Christmas eve, and I'm happy to spend Christmas eve with you, I'm going to be missing the Evil Incorporated Christmas party and I'll hear that throughout the new year."

Aya downed the second of the drinks the waiter put in front of him. "I say screw the lot of them, if it wouldn't make Omi cry I'd say screw Schuldig and you and me run off to the Bahamas." He frowned, "I bloody hate Christmas."

"Me too," Crawford admitted, "the shopping, do you know I came this close," he pressed his thumb to his forefinger, "to shooting this nasty little salesman in Shibuya today because I was trying to buy a Christmas present for your sister."

At that Aya veritably melted, his lip quivered and then he flung his arms around him and kissed his over and over on the face. "Thank you," he said, "thank you, thank you, thank you." He punctuated his words with kisses over his cheeks and forehead. "No one ever remembers Aya." Crawford kept quiet, it had been Nagi that remembered Aya not him. He just tilted Aya's head and kissed him properly. No one in the bar noticed, Crawford was convinced that half of them thought Aya was a woman and the other half were checking him out. Aya looked fantastic, he had pulled on a pair of tight dirty blue jeans and a white shirt that was open at the collar and cuffs. "I'll rearrange the buddy system," he murmured in Crawford's ear, his deep voice hot in his hear, "I'll be your buddy over Christmas, and that way we can go together to the Evil Incorporated Christmas party."

"I thought of the absolute best Christmas present ever." Crawford murmured back, his arms around Aya's waist, "not yet, but I have decided to let you kill Takatori, I'd be in serious trouble to help, but soon," he murmured into Aya's hair, "I always knew you'd kill him, I saw it, but I could stop it." Aya kissed him again, his hands making obscure designs on his back, up under his jacket. "You're going to have to stop that." He said, pulling away somewhat unwillingly. "But I'll be your buddy." Aya was not letting go in any way. "And I have a little something for you under the tree."

Aya took another mouthful of the liquor. "Maybe I have something under the tree for you." It was an obvious euphemism and Crawford swallowed, then taking a mouthful of his own whiskey. "Are you going to get drunk and sing to me?" He asked softly, Aya was very rarely this affectionate.

"It's snowing." Someone shouted, and the crowd moved to the door.

Crawford took Aya's hand in his, "follow me." He said. He pulled him across the emptied dance floor to the fire escape.

"Won't we get in trouble?" Aya asked shyly as he pushed open the door.

Crawford only smiled as he stepped out into the snow.

The roof to the night-club was flat and here and there were fake gargoyles. He took Aya's hands in his as he looked up at the few snow flakes. "Omi will be in the alley screaming and dancing like a fairy."

"Enough talking about Omi," Crawford said.

"I bet Nagi will be doing the same." Aya added.

Crawford's face softened a little. "He has barely seen snow." He admitted, "but this is probably the last time we can be alone till after Christmas."

Aya stole a soft kiss, "Dance with me." He said, taking Crawford's hands and placing on one his shoulder and the other on his hip, "and sing for me, I really like it when you get drunk and sing to me."

"You're not wearing a wire are you?" Crawford asked.

Aya looked offended.

"Come on, I live with Schwarz, if they asked me they would be wearing a wire."

"Lets make our own music, I want to dance with you." Aya said, pressing up against him.

"Sing with me." Crawford said, unsure what else to do under the pressure of Aya's violet gaze and repeated pressure he began to sing, "Night time sharpens, heightens each sensation, Darkness stirs and wakes imagination, Silently the senses abandon their defences." And Aya melted into his arms as they danced in the snow.

Author's note

Feck: For those of you have read AA&W baby you'll know Farfarello is a huge fan of Father Ted and because Channel 4 wouldn't let them have Father Jack (my Far's life model) swear so he says Feck, it kept it nicely PG and I just stole it, if I didn't admit it in the story it would be plagiarism I stole it that bad, and believe me, for those of you who haven't seen it Far would love it, it's about three priests who live together on an island and is one iota short of complete and utter blasphemy. Lets just say "go straight to Hell, do not pass go, do not collect 200 dollars" should be printed on the DVD box, however it is also very funny.

Learning Japanese with Seraphim Grace. Dai Nikka (Lesson 2)

Ichi, ni, san - Aya is actually counting, it means 1,2,3. Kyuu is 9.