A Gravitation Christmas

-o-o-o-

I wrote this one shot on Christmas Day sitting in my luxury resort apartment in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. What a way to spend my Christmas vacation!

Disclaimer: This is an original work of fiction, but the characters of Shuichi Shindou, Eiri Yuki, Hiroshi Nakano, Suguru Fujisaki and Mika Seguchi are borrowed from the Gravitation manga and TV series by the illustrious Maki Murakami.

-o-o-o-

"Hiro, what do you think I should get Yuki for Christmas?" Shuichi stared through the department store window at the displays of Christmas gifts. "He has everything and if I get him something stupid, he'll just call me an idiot and throw it away." Shuichi turned around and leaned against the window with a long sigh. "I want to get him something nice; something he'll like. But I don't have any ideas."

"Maybe he would appreciate not getting a Christmas gift," Hiro smiled. "Yuki-san is so determined not to enjoy the things other people do. Except for sex," he added with a chuckle.

Shuichi blushed. "I guess it seems like that, doesn't it?" He turned back around to stare through the window again. "Still…"

"Have you tried asking him?"

"I want it to be a surprise!"

"Shuichi, you're about as subtle as a brick through a window. Yuki-san probably knows already that you're planning to get him something."

"Oh, you're right! I should just give up." Shuichi signed. "Why can't we be like a normal couple?"

Hiro put at an arm around Shuichi's shoulders. "Because neither one of you is particularly normal. Come on, we're supposed to be in the studio already."

Shuichi let Hiro pull him away from the Christmas displays. There was so much to choose from and it was all wrong, wrong, wrong!

-o-o-o-

"Are you going to buy Shuichi a Christmas present?" Mika asked.

"Why the hell would I do that?" Yuki glowered at her over his drink. "Is that why you wanted to see me? To ask a stupid question like that?"

Mika frowned. "No, I wanted to ask when you were planning to go see Father again. He's not getting any younger, you know."

"But he's not dying any quicker."

"Eiri!"

"If that's all you wanted to talk about, I'm leaving." Yuki drained his glass and stood up. "And next time you want to talk to me, pick a nicer bar. There isn't a single chick in here worth looking at."

"Damn you, Eiri!"

"Merry Christmas to you too, Mika."

-o-o-o-

"Shindou-kun, you sound like crap!" Fujisaki complained. "My beautiful music is being overpowered by your off-key vocals."

"I'm sorry!" Shuichi flopped down in the nearest chair dejectedly. "I just can't stop thinking about Yuki's Christmas present."

"I thought you decided not to get him one," Hiro said.

"I did, but know I don't know. I want him to know how special he is to me."

Hiro chuckled. "I think he already knows, Shuichi. One Christmas present isn't going to change that."

"I know." Shuichi slumped down further in the chair. "I just wish I knew for sure if he really likes me."

Fujisaki stared. "You've been living with him for months and you don't know if he likes you?"

"Well, I'm pretty sure he does, but sometimes I feel like he wishes I wasn't there. Maybe that's what I should give him for Christmas: a day off from me."

"I would certainly appreciate that gift," Fujisaki muttered. More loudly, he continued, "Can we please get back to rehearsal? And Shindou-kun, would you try harder to sing in the same key that I'm playing?"

Shuichi climbed to his feet and shuffled over to the microphone. "All right."

-o-o-o-

Shuichi arrived home on Christmas Eve empty-handed. He'd been to every store within a ten kilometer radius and hadn't found anything appropriate. Every time he'd picked something up to look at it, he could hear Yuki's sarcastic voice in the back of his mind: "What the hell is this piece of junk?" It was so depressing. Shuichi closed the front door quietly and listened as he took off his shoes in the entryway. He could hear Yuki typing in his study. Shuichi crept to the door and peeked in.

Yuki was wearing his glasses, as he usually did when he was reading or typing. He looked so handsome and intelligent. Shuichi's heart skipped a beat.

"Are you going to just hover there or are you coming in?" Yuki growled without looking up.

Shuichi stepped into the doorway. "I didn't want to bother you. Are you hungry? I'll make dinner."

Yuki sat back and took off his glasses. "No, but you can bring me a beer."

"Ok!" Shuichi hurried to the kitchen. "He looks so tired!" he whispered to himself. "Maybe I should go somewhere tomorrow and let him have Christmas Day to himself." He popped open the beer as he returned to the study. "Here you go."

Yuki took the beer without a word and promptly chugged half of it.

"Um, Yuki, I was thinking… For Christmas, I thought maybe you would like to have a whole day of peace and quiet, so I thought maybe I could go somewhere tonight and come back the day after Christmas. What do you think?"

Yuki didn't look at him. "Where would you go?"

"I don't know. I'll find a hotel or something."

"You don't want to spend Christmas with me?"

"I do! But I wanted to get you something you would like and I know I can really be a bother sometimes, so I thought you would like to get some time alone."

Yuki turned in the chair to look at him. "So that's my Christmas present? A whole day without you bugging me every five minutes?"

"Yeah." Shuichi bit his lip.

"You surprise me, Shuichi. You actually got me something I could use."

Shuichi brightened. "Really? That's great! Then I'll go throw a few things in my backpack…"

"I'm not accepting your gift."

"What?" Shuichi froze and his face fell. "Why not? You said it's something you could use."

"It is." Yuki stood up and crossed the room to place his hands on Shuichi's shoulders. "And in return, I'll give you what you want. We'll spend the whole day together. We'll watch old movies, eat junk food and play board games. And we'll only have sex if you want to."

Shuichi stared. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

Yuki kissed him on the forehead. "Yes, but don't get used to it. This is just for Christmas."

"Oh Yuki!" Shuichi flung his arms around Yuki's waist. "I love you!"

"Yeah, yeah!" Yuki almost smiled. "Merry Christmas, you damn brat."

"Merry Christmas, Yuki!"