(leans so far into hamper she nearly falls in, before emerging with the final present)
Merry Christmas to … AnimeQueen48! (Hands gift-wrapped fic and hugs tightly)
For you, Lily, sis, a Miguel/Raul! It's my placation for having promised you one for something like 3 or 4 months! (Grovels)
Long live this pairing!! It's my first shot at really writing anything involving these two, (Foster care doesn't count!) so I hope I do them justice!
Please enjoy it!
Raul didn't like crowds. Being watched by them was great. He loved that. Admiration made him always want to improve, push himself, hear the applause get even louder. But being in crowds, squashed in amongst the many people who all seemed to be bigger and stronger than him and who smelt of cigarette smoke, drink and sweat, no he didn't like that at all.
With an ingenious combination of elbows and sharp kicks, he fought his way out of the crush, heading for the door. He stopped to steady a reeling Daichi, and curse Lee, Michael and Rick for their "game" of spiking people's drinks with vodka.
"Daichi? Maybe you should go and sit down for a bit?" he suggested. Daichi's eyes flashed brightly with outrage and he pulled himself free from Raul's support.
"Nya, don' worry 'bout me, I'm fine!" he slurred loudly. Raul pulled out his last card.
"I'll get Hilary."
"You jus' try it! I c'd take her any day, jus' you watch me!" The boy started ducking and weaving, fists held high. Predictably, he fell, and sat on the floor looking puzzled. "'K, maybe I should go siddown …" he conceded at last, his eyes following a spinning movement only he could see.
"That's a good idea." Raul agreed, hauling Daichi to his feet and pointing him in the right direction. He waited long enough to see Hilary spot Daichi's unsteady wobbling and hurry over, scolding as she walked, then turned and walked quickly to the door, wanting out before anyone or anything else bumped into him.
He breathed in deeply, swallowing to warm his throat. It was better out here. Colder, admittedly, which was a downside, but quieter. He had been getting a headache in the stuffy atmosphere.
Sitting on the wooden platform that stretched all the way around the dojo, he sighed and tipped his gently pulsing head back, gazing dreamily at the night sky.
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"Hey." Brought back to his senses with a jolt, he looked around for the voice. "Raul, you ok?"
"Yeah." Raul replied, finally finding his boyfriend, who was standing behind him. He patted the wood next to him invitingly. Obediently Miguel sat down next to him. "Better out here, isn't it?" he said after a few moments of comfortable silence. Raul nodded and put his head on Miguel's shoulder.
"Getting drunk is not my idea of fun."
"Same here, although your sister certainly seemed to be … enjoying herself." Raul rolled his eyes.
"She would!" he complained. Miguel put an arm round him and hugged him lightly. "Rick and his lot probably got to her too." Raul muttered. At Miguel's questioning look, he began to explain the drink spiking, and how he had needed to give Daichi a push in the right direction, literally.
"You worry too much!" Miguel said easily. "Just let them get on with it!" He found himself moving away as Raul's rare, fiery temper began to blaze brightly in his green eyes.
"And that's the reason you could cheat, that "I-don't-care-what-happens-to anyone-as-long-as-I-get-what-I-want" attitude!"
Hurt stabbed Miguel in the chest like a knife, and he retaliated, wanting to return the pain.
"Says the kid who needs his older sister to tell him what to do!" He had deliberately pressed the largest anger button Raul possessed. His sister.
Sapphire and emerald clashed, as hard as each other, as unforgiving as each other.
Raul stood up and glared down at Miguel with hot fury.
"What would you know about having a sister?" he demanded. "That's my business, not yours, so shut the hell up!" Miguel stood up as well, unable to suppress a nasty grin of satisfaction as Raul lost his previous height advantage and was forced to look at him from below.
"And what the fuck would you know about why I let Barthez tell us what to do?"
"I know exactly why!" Raul screamed. "You wanted to win!"
"There was more to it than that!"
"No there wasn't!" Too angry to think straight, Miguel took hold of Raul's upper arms and slammed him into the wall.
"Yes - there - was." he ground out. Suddenly, he felt a light tickle on his neck.
"Let go of my brother, please, or I'll hurt you." He turned his head to see Julia smiling sweetly at him, Thunder Pegasus aimed at his neck. With no other option, he let go of Raul and stepped away, anger still heating his face and inflaming his temper. From the glare Raul shot him, it was obviously that neither of them had cooled down.
"Ow!"
"Ow, Julia!"
They yelled in pain and irritation, clutching at their heads where Julia had taken hold of their hair and calmly brought their heads crashing together.
Julia faced two sets of glares with a faint smile on her lips.
"You two needed that." She shrugged and turned to walk away. "If you will go for each other's weaknesses, how can you expect not to fight? Learn to leave well enough alone."
"How would you know?" Miguel asked angrily, backed up by Raul's vigorous nod.
"Trust me, boys." she drawled. "Bye now, I've got places to be." She raised a gloved hand in farewell.
-----
"Yeah, and whose bed would that be in?" Miguel muttered. Raul laughed and put his chin on Miguel shoulder.
"With her, no telling." Miguel grunted in agreement. Then, his eyes widened.
"She made us stop arguing, didn't she?" Raul thought for a second, then nodded. "Manipulative bitch."
"My sister." Raul reminded him playfully.
"Ok, your sister is a manipulative bitch. Better?"
"No!" Laughing, they hugged for a few seconds, then kissed deeply. "You'll always be selfish, won't you, Miguel?"
"Probably. And you'll always be over-protective of someone who can do a damn good job of protecting herself!" Raul shrugged and kissed him again.
"She's my sister." he repeated.
"And I'm what?"
"You're my selfish boyfriend."
"Who's a good kisser?"
"Don't know, we might need to test that out a little bit …"
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Julia watched them from the other side of the door. Silly, silly boys, she sighed mentally.
Me no like this. It was supposed to be fluffier! (Wails) And at least a page longer! (Wails louder) Sorry LiLi!!! (Hugs tightly) See? I do write crap :(
Anyway, hope you enjoyed it, despite my ramblings just there! I have to say, I think Miguel is a selfish prick myself, so that was good to write. :)
Thanks for reading! Please remember to review! (hands out glittery wrapping paper.)
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So, there ends my offering of presents to the fanfiction world. Hope you enjoyed them all, or maybe only the one or two that you read. Whatever you think of them and/or me, have a very merry Christmas!! (Two or three days early, who cares?)
A Merry Christmas To Those Who I Couldn't Present With A Oneshot (through my own laziness or otherwise)
Shin Rigel
Yazzy
Vampireycent
Nedunque
Beautiful-Crying-Angel
Miaka Akito
eMpTy-ShElLs
Whispering Nights
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Bye, all!