Me: Kanda, will you do the honors?

Kanda: Che, whatever, Crowsnight doesn't own DGM or the characters, just the plot.

Me: Thank you, and on to chapter 24!

Situation

Chapter 24: Christmas Crisis!

My eyes flicker open to afternoon light flooding the bedroom. It was the fifteenth which meant one thing in my mind: Christmas shopping.

It was a tradition of mine to go Christmas shopping on the fifteenth and this year, I was getting my own Christmas tree. It was my birthmas present to myself. I sit up sleepily, rubbing my eyes. The bluenette beside me wasn't awake yet, but when I look down at him, his pretending to sleep face was plastered to him. I say, "Okay, for the last time, I know when you're awake, Kanda."

"Can't hurt to try," he mutters, opening his dark eyes. "You seem oddly excited this morning."

I nod, "Today is when I go Christmas shopping." I think about it for a moment, and sigh. Kanda probably didn't celebrate Christmas, let alone buy decorations. He probably didn't want a gigantic tree in his room, either.

I whimper, "Am I allowed to have a Christmas tree?"

"Of course," he says. "It's our room after all."

I grin, "Thanks Kandy! I promised that I would get one as my birthmas present this year."

"Birthmas?" he asks, raising an eyebrow. I nod and quickly explain, "Since my birthday is on Christmas, Mana always called it Birthmas."

He chuckles, "Okay, consider it my present then, too."

That surprised me. Generally, I didn't think the Order really acknowledged Christmas other than the twenty-foot tree in the cafeteria that someone put up the day after Thanksgiving. I tell Lavi and Lenalee that their presents are just friendship gifts, and I didn't give Kanda anything for obvious reasons.

I smile, "Really? You're getting me a present?"

"Well, the other one I can't tell you about, now can I?" he smirks at the joyous look on my face. This was going to be the best Christmas ever!

I give him a quick kiss on the cheek and hop up from the bed, beginning to dig through my dresser for something to wear. Once I had what I wanted, a red turtleneck and black skinny jeans, I slipped into the bathroom and changed out of the white button-up, which may or may not be Kanda's, and sweatpants.

I opened the door, the bluenette already in jeans and another white button-up that was still open. It hadn't taken long for me to learn that he liked to put on his clothes then fix them, as the case with his undone shirt and unzipped jeans. Happily, I prance over to him and begin to zip his jeans up myself, followed by the button and shirt. He smirks, "You know, I prefer you undressing me better."

I stick my tongue out at him, "Well, you can't go to Wal-Mart naked can you?"

"Technically I could, though I'd be arrested. You must like to undress me though, since you steal my clothes," he said as I fixed the second to last button and left the next one undone.

"I happen to think your shirts are comfortable." I guess I was caught with the shirt and he replies, "I wonder why. With all the skinny jeans and tight shirts you wear, I'm surprised you don't suffocate."

I smile devilishly, "Well, I have eyes in the back of my head."

"And?"

"And I know that you keep your eyes glued to my butt when I'm not looking."

He smirks, "So? If you knew then you must like it since you never stop me." He emphasizes his point by slapping my butt hard, and then he presses my body between his and the wall behind me. I feel like he was crushing my pelvis from the pressure, and he mutters in my ear in a husky voice, "I want you to admit it."

I choke out, "What?"

He possessively runs his hands over my butt, increasing the pressure on me as he slips one of them into the back of my jeans, but not underwear. I moan quietly and he growls, "Admit that you like it. That you like my hands on you. That you like my eyes on your butt. That you like my body on yours."

Even though I was in no shape to protest, I still say, "Not until you admit that you like your hands on me. That you like watching my butt in my tight jeans. That you like your body on mine."

"Challenge accepted," he bites down on my neck, definitely leaving a mark.

An hour later, as we put our clothes back on, I say, "Hmph, you cheated."

He smirks from where he was lying on the bed, his shirt open again, and his jeans unzipped, "You say that a lot, but I didn't cheat."

"Keeping me from…from…doing what my body was supposed to do is cheating!" I protest, not thinking of a better word for it. I wasn't going to say that other word. Uh, they could have made a better word than "ejaculation" for it, and I wasn't going to use that word in my argument. He shrugs, "It's a right that the uke must give up."

"I already proved I could be seme, and you know it! You are a cheater!" I didn't like losing, especially to my arrogant boyfriend. He just keeps that stupid smirk glued to his face and I mutter, "Stop it!"

He laughs at me and begins to button his shirt, purposely taking longer than necessary. I finish pulling on my shirt and say, "Hurry up or I'm leaving you here."

"Then who would carry the tree?" he countered, finally ready and making his way toward the door. I follow and grumble, "I would find someone, or I'd make two trips."

He knows I'm a lot stronger than I look, and doesn't argue. We stop by the cafeteria and eat, sitting with Lenalee and the rabbit. To my relief, Lenalee was actually talking to me again, even just a little, and it brightened my mood five times more.

Oo_oO_Oo_oO

"What kind of tree do you want?" I ask as we walk into Wal-Mart. Luckily, Lenalee and Lavi were going to buy decorations, too, and they apparently were getting presents this year. That meant that Komui sent Reever as the driver of a limo that I had no clue we had. That scientist scares me sometimes.

Anyway, Reever waited in the car and the groups split to different parts of the store. Kanda shrugs, "It doesn't matter. I thought there was just one kind anyways?"

I shake my head, "No, we could get a white one, green, pink-"

"No pink," he muttered as we turned the corner to the Christmas trees. I giggle, "Okay, no pink. I don't really want a realistic one though. I like white pretty well."

In response, he ruffled my snowy hair, "Wonder why?"

"Shut up," I mumble, looking up at the options. There were only six that were small enough to fit in our room, all very beautiful. One was green, white, pink, baby blue, lavender, and even black. Kanda's attention turned toward the black one, "Since when are there black Christmas trees? Doesn't that defeat the purpose?"

"I don't know, but I like the blue one," I say. They all were pretty much identical except for the color, but the problem with the blue was a limited option with lights. "Which do you like best?"

"The blue and white," he replies. I nod, "Okay, let's look at the lights and see how many have a blue cord."

He raises an eyebrow at me as I drag him towards the lights and ornaments in the lane behind us, but says nothing. It takes a second, but I find the blue-corded lights, and I was very happy with the results. The store carried multi- and white-colored lights with a blue cord and I say, "Blue it is then. What color theme?"

"You give this far too much thought," he mutters and thinks for a moment. I grumble, "Well, this is the tree we'll have for years, mind you."

He nods and replies, "What about multi-colored lights, blue and white ornaments, and white beads."

"Did you just come up with that?" I ask, loving the idea. He nods, "Yeah, but I grew up with an artist as a foster father, remember?"

I giggle, "Okay, I love the color scheme."

I dash to the end of the lane, grab a basket, and begin picking out the things Kanda had suggested. I didn't think we'd have the luck of finding blue and white tie-dyed confetti on sale on top of everything else, but I know that we left Wal-Mart enraptured. Well, I was. I think Kanda was aggravated that Christmas trees weighed so much, but he refused to let me help him.

After we stuck the tree and extras in the back of the limo, my boyfriend and I clambered into the next to last seat. There were probably seven more seats between us and Reever as we waited for Lenalee and the rabbit to come out, and he was blasting rap music in the front. Who would have guessed Reever could sing Berserk by Eminem without a flaw?

Kanda nudged me, "I thought you were doing all your shopping today."

"I got Lavi and Lenalee's gifts already, and I'm not stupid enough to buy yours now," I roll my eyes. "Besides, I still haven't made up my mind."

"I like books and you. That's about it," he mumbled, absently tightening his ponytail.

"Okay, I'm not going to tell you what book I'm going to buy then," I say.

He smirks, "You know you could always get me another gift instead."

I smile, and switch from sitting beside him to straddling him, "Oh really? What would that be, Kandy?"

"I wouldn't mind a Kitten to play with," he says as he claims my lips as his own. I move my arms around his torso, pulling us closer together as he bruises my lips roughly. When he nibbled on my bottom lip, I opened my mouth willingly, knowing that in the position I was in, my butt was in the air begging to be spanked. I was smart enough to know that if I refused, he wouldn't show any mercy on me, and I didn't care that I looked like a total ho.

I didn't put up a fight in the battle of dominance, and he pulled back, took a breath, and began biting and kissing down my jaw and neck, pulling down the fabric that got in his way. I moan loudly, "Kanda…."

"Sorry to intrude," said a very annoying voice and Kanda froze. The couple sits in the seat across from us, the set up of the limo somewhat like a school bus. Though Kanda obviously wanted me to move, I stayed were I was, putting my hands on his shoulders and my cheek to his chest. I say, "Yeah, I definitely liked it better when we were alone, but I guess we have no choice, but to continue."

Kanda gave me a horrified look, and I quickly attacked his neck, eliciting a soft groan from the victimized samurai. Barely opening my eye, I steal a glance at Lenalee and Lavi, both staring at what I was doing like it was porn or something with blood dripping from their noses.

I move up to his ear and whisper, "Play along, Kandy. I'm giving them a nose bleed."

He doesn't say anything, but he bucks upward forcefully. I smile and unzip his jeans, trailing my hand down. I didn't do anything because my leg hid that general area and I set my hand on his thigh, but Kanda did a very convincing job of making it look like I was. "Alle- AHH!"

With that, I removed my hand and moved to sit beside him, zipping his jeans as I went. "Okay, how was your shopping?" I ask as if nothing happened. Lenalee was holding her nose, and Lavi had his bandana around his neck, also squeezing his nose.

"It was good," the pig-tailed girl said, her voice sounding like a duck to some extent. I nod, "Same for us."

"I think they did more than sho-OW!" Lavi's smart comment was cut off as Lenalee stomped on his foot, smiling innocently.

oO_Oo_oO_Oo

"I never thought you could act that well," I say, setting down the bags by the bed as Kanda heaved the tree into the center of the room. He mutters, "I've had some practice, considering normally it wouldn't have been an act."

I blush and place a kiss on his cheek before sitting on the bed. He looks down at the tree, "How do you put it up?"

I sweatdrop anime style, "Really? You never put up a Christmas tree?"

"No," he shakes his head. I had to explain how we had to hook the arms to the tree frame, and before we could start, we have to move his dresser over beside mine. It took a little work but we managed and now the corner was the perfect size for the tree. Though, I kept hearing a tinkling noise from inside his dresser, but he said he didn't hear it. My mind must be playing tricks on me, or maybe I left my collar in his dresser on accident.

I hastily open the tree's box, making sure not to rip it. As it finally opens and Kanda helps me sort through the branches by the color on the metal, I remember the two items I had slipped into the checkout. I say, "Just a second."

He continues piling different sized blue branches in separate stacks like I hadn't said anything, and I pull out the red and white accessories out of the bag. After topping my head with mine, I sit beside Kanda, careful not to step on anything, and pull out his hair tie. He faces me, confusion present on his face as I arrange the Santa hat on his head. He huffs and I ask, "Are you my Santa Baby?"

"Whatever you say, but I'm pretty sure the Santa Baby is supposed to be shorter," he smirks and I say, "Nope, the Santa Baby is the guy, and unless you want to be the girl of the relationship, then I'm going to go with you being the Santa Baby."

He rolls his eyes and says, "Okay, but I'm not getting you a yacht or a convertible or whatever else that song says."

I grin and begin to pull out the last of the branches. He says, "Okay, what now?"

I grab the poles in the bottom and set them up. I was about to explain when Kanda chuckles, "You aren't going to pole dance and do a strip tease, are you?"

"No! This is what the branches connect to," I explain, images of Kanda and I...stop it, Allen! I growl, "Besides, at the moment, I would prefer doing that with someone else."

"Right, I can see that happening," he smirks and hauls the biggest and longest-branched pile closer to me. Taking one off the top, I show him how to poof it out and then attach it to the tree. He catches on quickly, getting the branches on two for one of mine just as beautifully.

After about fifteen minutes, the tree was up and I grab the lights, tossing a box to Kanda. It took a bit of coordination to get the lights on the tree since my boyfriend wanted to see me lit up, and at one point I was tangled in them and he plugged them in. It felt like me eyes were glowing, too, and I glared at him as he laughed at me. I got my revenge later, dangling ornaments from his ears so he looked like he was wearing super girly earrings.

At long last, I gazed at the blue tree with the flickering lights, white beads, confetti, and blue and white ball ornaments. I smile and throw my arms around Kanda, "Thank you!"

"I didn't really do anything," he says, wrapping his arms around my waist. I reply, "You helped with it. I haven't put up a Christmas tree since the December before Mana died, and I've wanted another one for a long time. I didn't want to spend Christmas and my birthday alone again this year."

"And you'll never be alone ever again," he whispers, softly pressing our lips together.

Author Note: Sorry about the late update, but I'm going to make up for it. The person who can guess what grade I'm in gets to choose what Allen gets Kanda for Christmas. It has to be the right grade, not one off! I'll give you a hint; it's between kindergarten and a master's degree. I ruled out preschool! Please, Please, PLEASE R/R, and guess my grade!