Pavel is normally the first one up on Christmas morning but the kids in the house beat Pavel to it, running into their room and starting to jump on the bed. Pavel laughs gently as he urges them off the bed. None of them seem remotely bothered that the two of them were cuddled up in each other's arms, they just want to start opening Christmas presents. They tell the kids they'll be down soon and they all run into the next room to wake Mariko and Aiko.
As they get dressed they can hear Mariko snapping at the kids for waking her up. Hikaru insists she's not usually in such a bad mood but Pavel really doesn't think that's the case. Pavel's waiting Hikaru to get out of the shower and he works on his cube quietly. The door opens again and it's Mariko this time.
"You could knock, lucky for you I wasn't naked."
"If you were I would personally see to your death. I'm not knocking for a reason." Mariko follows her statement with a word in Japanese, presumably an insult. The universal translator is off and too far away to pick up anything. She leaves and Pavel frowns.
Pavel decides not to mention the incident to Hikaru until later. It's Christmas, there are better things to worry about.
It's amazing how much joy Pavel gets from seeing the children rip happily into presents and play with them together. There is a lot of chatter going on and the universal translator is picking it all up, at once. He isn't entirely sure what's going on but everyone seems happy. Hikaru's sitting beside him with a glass of grape fanta (mixed with a tiny bit of vodka) and grinning as he commentates on everything that happens. Pavel sips his own drink of vodka-less fanta and grins. He's always loved Christmas, but having a huge family together and feeling a part of it is something differently entirely.
Mariko is alone in the kitchen when Pavel approaches. She looks at him and turns back to her drink, pretending to ignore him.
"I know we never started things off real well, but… Merry Christmas."
Mariko raises her eyebrow and looks carefully at the box Pavel hands her. She places her drink on the counter and removes the wrapping carefully. It's a small box with a necklace inside. There's a silver skull and cross bones with red glass eyes. Mariko melts a little when she sees it. Pavel's a genuine guy, something she wish she'd encountered more of in high school.
"You're a really nice guy Pavel," she mutters, smiling a little. Pavel helps her put the necklace on and she turns around and hugs him.
"I'm so sorry," she mutters, holding him tightly.
"Don't be. So no more coming into my room unannounced?"
"No promises."
They laugh and she lets go, picking her drink back up again.
"I really underestimated you Pavel."
He shrugs, "I'm used to it."
Mariko scoffs and Hikaru enters the kitchen, raising an eyebrow at the two.
"Is everything okay?"
Mariko nods and pats Hikaru's shoulder on the way out.
"You're a lucky guy," she says gently.
Hikaru looks at Pavel with a confused look. "What happened?"
Pavel shrugs. "We just talked. Oh, I have something for you."
Aiko retrieves the plant for Pavel and he gives it to Hikaru. For a few seconds he looks confused.
"Something wrong?" Pavel asks quietly.
"Did I tell you about…?"
"About what?"
He takes the universal translator out of Pavel's ear and says something to Aiko in Japanese. She responds and Hikaru laughs grinning at Pavel. He gives him back the translator and takes his hand, pulling him through the house.
"Where are we going?" Pavel asks, enjoying the fact Hikaru's still got a reasonably firm grip on his wrist.
Hikaru says nothing and takes him into the back yard. He lets go of Pavel and covers his eyes, walking him into somewhere warm. He uncovers Pavel's eyes and grins a little as the Russian looks around, stunned.
Hikaru's been maintaining his green room since he was about thirteen. He looked carefully after all the plants and flowers for years.
"I was going to do xenobotany but the class was full," he grins. "I love plants ha."
"Why did you never tell me?" Pavel asks, kneeling down and looking at the dozens of plants lining the shelves. "They're so beautiful."
"Thank you. I like your one the best though."
"Why?"
"Because you gave it to me of course."
Pavel looks up at Hikaru and smiles gently. He can't help but wonder why Aiko didn't say anything.
"Merry Christmas Pavel," he says quietly.
Pavel stands up and hugs him. Hikaru takes in a deep breath and enjoys his scent. Hikaru runs one of his hands through Pavel's hair and the Russian melts into his shoulder.
"Merry Christmas," he whispers quietly.
Hikaru loosens his grip on Pavel and takes a few moments to look directly into his eyes. He wants desperately to kiss the young Russian in front of him. Pavel's heart is beating a million miles an hour, he think he knows what Hikaru's doing, and he desperately hopes he's right.
Hikaru leans closer to Pavel when he's suddenly interrupted. He looks up and Aiko is standing there awkwardly. She clears her throat and the two separate.
"Mum wanted me to bring you inside, lunch is nearly ready."
"Thanks," Hikaru mutters, watching his sister leave. He sighs heavily and leans against the door frame.
"I'm really sorry I shouldn't be… Doing that. I don't know. I won't again, I'm sorry." Hikaru leaves quickly, leaving Pavel standing there, disappointed and sad. He decides not to linger in the greenhouse long and goes inside, washing his hands before lunch.
Pavel sits in between Mariko and Hikaru's grandmother at the table. Hikaru is opposite him and seems to be avoiding eye contact. They all say 'itadakimasu,' which Pavel remembers as 'thank you for the meal' and 'kanpai' not long afterwards, when everyone's started drinking. Hikaru has added a considerable amount of alcohol to his drink, and by the same token, Pavel is drinking what people think is a glass of water. It is certainly not just water.
The kids are playing the video game 'Paberu' gave them. Having both a 'v' and an 'l' in his name are causing pronunciation issues. He doesn't mind, of course. Every time he says 'Hikaru' it sounds a lot more like 'Heekaru.' He plays the video game with them despite the fact his vision is a little blurry. Hikaru is laughing about something stupid on the lounge with Mariko, nearly in tears. Aiko is sitting near them, but is completely sober. She doesn't drink but thoroughly enjoys watching her siblings acting so stupid. A few of Hikaru's older family members have gone to lay down and the house is reasonably quiet with the exception of the children. They're finally beating Pavel and it doesn't bother him as much as it normally would.
Mariko ends up on the floor beside Pavel when Hikaru's in the bathroom. She starts putting her hands around him and he tries to remove them without making too much of a fuss. She cups his face and tries to pull their faces together and Pavel gently pushes her off.
"We should make out."
"What? I'm gay remember?" Pavel asks irritatedly, trying to shuffle away from her.
"You're pretty though."
"Thank you?"
Hikaru comes back out and Pavel mouths 'help' as Mariko pushes him onto the floor. She sits on top of him and starts trying to kiss his neck.
"Mariko, stop! Please!" Pavel struggles uncomfortably, trying to get away from Mariko without hurting her. Hikaru pulls her off and Pavel instantly retreats to their bedroom. The idea of getting kissed by a girl scares him. He wonders what was getting to him the most, the fact that Mariko is a girl, Hikaru's sister, or just not Hikaru. All of them were probably contributing. He lays down on the bed and sighs.
Aiko knocks on the door frame. Pavel looks up and realises he didn't shut the door.
"Hey, I'm sorry about Mariko. She gets a little horny when she's drunk."
Pavel laughs. Aiko comes and sits on the edge of the bed. "I'm really sorry about before. I didn't mean to interrupt. I probably should have just left and let it happen."
The Russian shrugs. "No, it's probably best you did stop it. Hikaru seems like he's glad it didn't happen, like he would have regretted it if it did."
"I doubt that," she says quietly. "I see the way he looks at you when you're not looking. He really likes you Pavel. I know you feel the same."
"Thank you, and yeah I do." Pavel's starting to get a headache from the alcohol and Aiko smiles sympathetically.
"Try get some rest maybe. You probably need it after today."
"Thanks," Pavel says quietly. "I might lie down for a while."
Pavel can hear giggling when he wakes up. Hikaru's shirtless next to him and is cooing his name. He thinks his imagining it for a second but his headache confirms he isn't. He can't make out what Hikaru's saying partially because it's in a mix of Japanese-English and partially because he's slurring badly.
"I did five more shots," he laughs, pulling Pavel into a sitting position.
"I can tell," Pavel mutters, rubbing his eyes.
"Wanna make out?"
Pavel rolls his eyes. "You're a horny drunk too?"
"Only if I'm really drunk."
"I see, and no making out tonight. You'll regret it later."
"But you're pretty."
"So I've heard," Pavel mumbles sarcastically, removing Hikaru's hand from his cheek. He really can't be bothered dealing with drunk people, especially when he's still a little out of it.
"Oh," Hikaru laughs. "I never gave you your Christmas present. That's stupid of me, Christmas is nearly over."
Pavel raises an eyebrow as he pulls a shirt on over him. Hikaru fumbles through a drawer for a while and the Russian watches him carefully. Hikaru eventually passes him two small wrapped items and gently encourages him to open them.
"Maybe we should wait till you're sober?"
"You're no fun."
"I know," Pavel smiles. "You should try and sleep. You'll need it tomorrow."
Hikaru mutters something Pavel can't understand and lies down in bed. Pavel leaves him to sleep for a while and enters the lounge room. Mariko has passed out on the couch and Aiko grins from across the room.
"Happens every year," she laughs.
Hikaru is sitting beside the toilet in the morning and groaning.
"Had a good night?" Pavel asks smugly, reading through an email on his PADD.
"You're a bastard," Hikaru laughs. "I feel like shit, what did I drink?"
"Umm a few grape fanta and vodkas and about seven shots."
"Shit," he mutters quietly, rubbing his pounding head. He can't remember anything from after lunch and he swear he will never drink again.
(Author's Note)
I didn't bother uploading the rest of this piece years ago not realising there was actually a hand full of people who read it. I'll upload the rest, providing my computer doesn't keep ruining the formatting.
Enjoy
-Clover