Duran-kun and Kiyo-chan's Omake Theater
(featuring the Kuga-Fujino family pets)

Christmas Eve, Shizuru Fujino decided, was a lousy time to be alone in bed.

This was particularly the case given that this year was the second Christmas that she actually had someone to not be alone in bed with on this, the year's second-most-romantic of holidays. It was one thing when she had only had a dream phantom of Natsuki Kuga to hold two years ago, but now that she was sharing a home (and the big Western-style bed) with the genuine Natsuki, the absence of her girlfriend's snuggly warmth under the covers was a significant absence.

"Just how long can it take to put out milk and cookies for Santa Claus?" she muttered aloud.

From the floor next to the bed she heard the thump of a metal tail on the rug, Duran's interest aroused by the happy word "Santa" (or possibly "cookies"). Shizuru and Natsuki may not have had children, but they did have CHILDs, and Natsuki had gone full-in this Christmas, hanging stockings, putting up a tree, and all. Shizuru wondered if it was the influence of her American sister-via-mad-science, Alyssa, that had gotten into her.

Generally, this did not cause Shizuru any particular irritation. Natsuki being excited about things was heartwarmingly cute, and a Natsuki who was being cute was a teasable Natsuki.

But!

From the other side of the bed came a curious hiss. Shizuru propped herself up on one elbow and looked over the edge at the purple hydra curled up on her plush sheep-shaped pillow. Kiyohime's sixth head was looking up at her, and hissed again, while at least three other heads made pointing gestures towards the bedroom door.

"You know, you're right," she decided. "Christmas traditions are all well and good, but Natsuki should be nestled all snug in her bed."

She pushed off the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, glad that despite the chilly seasonal temperatures the house's heating system was keeping things comfortably warm (and come to think of it, why hadn't Natsuki turned the heat down for the evening?) so that she didn't need to immediately reach for a robe to keep from freezing. With Duran and Kiyohime in her wake, she headed for the bedroom door, down the tiny hall past the bathroom, and out into the living room.

Where she froze in her tracks.

The plate with milk and cookies had in fact been set out on the coffee table, so Natsuki had not been technically untruthful about her activities. She'd merely...omitted certain items.

Such as the small forest of lit candles set out on every surface high enough to avoid a canine tail, joining with the twinkling tree lights to bathe the room in a soft radiance.

Or the fact that Natsuki was no longer wearing her warm nightgown. Instead, Santa Claus appeared to have paid a visit to the Kuga-Fujino household. If, of course, one's impression of Santa Claus was of a young woman wearing a dress that could have been painted on, with a strapless, plunging neckline trimmed in white and a hem that was high enough to show off the lace-gartered tops of frosty-pale stockings. She wore scarlet heels that made it impossible to walk without a luscious sway of her hips, and she had on red satin gloves that came up past her elbow, but that left the first two fingers and thumb bare.

"N-Natsuki?" Shizuru babbled, coherent thought being a bit of a problem as the sultry vision approached her. "W-what's going on?"

"Well, Miss Fujino," Natsuki breathed in her ear, the warmth of her breath playing over Shizuru's skin, before a quick movement sent Shizuru falling back onto the couch. In a moment, Natsuki was kneeling astride her, one knee on either side of Shizuru's hips. "You don't think that after the year you've had, that you've managed to stay off Santa's 'naughty' list, do you?" She held up one hand. A coil of red-and-green silk cord dangled from her fingertip. Shizuru wriggled with delight. While blushing, hesitant, teaseable Natsuki was utterly adorable and charming and made her heart purr, confident and assertive Natsuki was everything she could have wanted under her tree.

Kiyohime took the snack platter between three of her heads, equally spaced out around the dish, and slithered towards the kitchen with Duran in tow. It was courteous of their mistresses, she thought, to have provided for the sound of crunching cookies to drown out other noises.

~X X X~

A/N: Merry Christmas, Tarma! Here's to twenty wonderful years of you being the best present under my tree!