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"Coffee Shop Encounters"Written By: Ashkara Disclaimer: I sadly enough do not own them. Sigh. Rating: PG 13 Warnings: definitely an AU, Pairings: 1+2, 3+4, 5+SP, 6+IW Summary: Quatre Winner, the young CEO of Winner
Enterprises, meets and befriends four college students at Roberto's
Cafe. They turn out to be exactly what he needs to turn his life around. "Coffee Shop Encounters" CSE-6: Eggnog Latte A cold, blustery day in mid-December found Duo Maxwell
tucked into an armchair at Roberto’s Café, a grey and
green scarf wound around his neck to keep the chill away. The sight surprised Quatre, as he entered- hadn’t
Duo finished his finals by now? And if so, shouldn’t he have
been catching up on some much needed sleep, instead of indulging on
yet more caffeine? I wonder if Heero knows he’s here…
Waving hello to an ever present, grinning Roberto, the young blond
turned and made his way back to Duo’s chair. It was a well-known fact to those who knew him that
Duo hated winter time. It just brought up too many bad memories from
the past- days when he’d lived on the streets, after his parents
were killed. All the same, he never missed the first snow, and he’d
been known to play in the cold, white stuff whenever possible, as
long as he had somewhere warm to retreat to. Quatre had found this
out the hard way- he had been dragged into one of the braided student’s
notorious snow battles- he and Trowa had enjoyed being beaten wholeheartedly
by the combined strategic whirlwind of Duo and Heero. He figured that
a similar fight had brought Duo back to the coffee house… He was only steps away when his friend looked up and
gave him a bright smile, but his eyes were drawn to the notebook in
the braided young man’s lap. “Duo! I thought you were done
for the semester…” Duo looked down and gave a sheepish grin as he waved
his friend to one of the armchairs next to him. “Hiya, Quatre!
Well, yeah- I’m done with school for now, just… making a
list.” The blond leaned over and caught a peek of said list,
and sat back with a smile. “Make sure you check it twice!”
“Very funny. I don’t wear red suits!”
Quatre cocked his head, though. The braided administrator
had made a list of the kids in his care and was going over presents
for all of them, some of those presents clearly costing more than
the Programme allotted for this purpose. He gestured to a name on
the list. “A playstation? Duo, your Christmas budget doesn’t
cover all this…” Duo nodded and shot the other young man a bright grin.
“I know- but it’s his first Christmas without his parents,
I couldn’t get his grandparents to come here to see him, and…”
“He does dat every year, Quatre. But dose kids-
dey love him for it,” Roberto interjected with a grin as he brought
over two fresh coffees. “Still can’t get ‘im to dress
up, dough.” Roberto laughed at the very thought of such a thin
person in a Santa costume. “Enjoy de coffee!” Quatre picked his up and moved to down half of it automatically,
completely missing the amused gleam of his friend’s eyes. His
eyebrows shot up, though, as he tasted the beverage. Sputtering a
little, he put it back down. “What the… What’s in that?”
Duo laughed as he readjusted his scarf tighter around
his throat. “Egg nog. Tastes good, eh?” The blond took another sip and decided that his friend
was right about that. He nodded happily. Duo wisely didn’t tell
his friend how much alcohol was in it. The young man shrugged in reply. “It’s not
like I have any family to visit or anything like that, so the holidays
aren’t too expensive for me. The approved budget should cover
about three-quarters of this, and I’ll make up the difference.”
He grinned as the incredulous-looking blond. “In
fact, it’s probably fair to warn you that you’ve been enlisted
into the Duo Maxwell Package Wrapping Team. It’s a little joke
between us- on Christmas Eve, any of the guys who are in town come
over and we wrap everything. I don’t know who makes the worse
mess- us wrapping, or the kids tearing the crap off!” “Oh!” Quatre wondered for a moment if he’d
done something wrong as Duo grabbed the list from his hands and began
looking it over furiously. He relaxed, though, as the braided figure
found what he was looking for and quickly wrote a note next to someone’s
name. He pointed at the list. “I take it the stuff with check
marks next to it is the stuff you’ve already bought.” Duo nodded. “Yup. I started early this year- last
year, I didn’t finish shopping until Christmas Eve, and I coulda
sworn that Wu would never stay around for the wrapping ever again…”
Quatre asked. “Wufei will be here? Who else is
staying?” Duo stopped in mid-sentence. “Um, well- Wufei and
Heero are both staying, and Trowa’s been talking about hanging
around, too…” Quatre’s whole face lit up. “You all have
to come over on Christmas Day, then! We could have a real party…”
Duo smiled sadly. “Sorry, Q- Christmas belongs
to the kids. Too many of them are going to be feeling lonely…”
Quatre could read it in his friend’s face- Duo
knew what those kids would be going through from personal experience.
He smiled knowingly. “Well, we’ll see what happens. I lay
claim to St. Stephen’s Day, then, okay?” Duo smiled. “No problems with that here, Quatre!
Would I miss a party?” “Not unless Yuy chains you to the bed and does
unspeakable things to you,” a new voice interrupted from behind
them. They both turned their heads- Wufei was shrugging off a long
coat as he dumped his bag unceremoniously next to another armchair.
“Hi Maxwell, Quatre. Figured I’d find you here.” The young Chinese settled into his chair comfortably
and gave his friend Duo an exasperated look tempered by fondness.
“Has he enlisted you to help with his wrapping for the year yet?
If not, I suggest you quickly come up with something to do on Christmas
Eve…” Quatre laughed. “Actually, he did mention it already.
And what will your excuse be?” Wufei gave a small smile. “I would say Sally, but
she’s always there, herself. I guess that means I’m in.
But Duo,” he fixed the smiling braided young man with a stern
look, “you will keep your ribbons away from my hair this time,
is that clear?” Duo batted his eyelashes. “Sally thought it was
cute…” Wufei turned bright red. “I’ll dye every strand
of hair on your body bright red, Maxwell!” Duo ‘eeped’ and fell silent, but all three
were smiling. It was a familiar threat, and no one doubted that Wufei
would sooner admit to watching Pokemon than actually follow through
on it. As Quatre watched and listened to the plans Duo was
making, a plan of his own began to form in his head, and he smiled.
He’d need the others’ help on it- and Rashid’s, of
course. But it could work. And, judging from the smile on Duo’s face as he
talked about preparing for a Christmas Party, it would be completely
worthwhile. *** He loved Quatre like a son. He held the door open for the young blond and tossed
a wave to the green-eyed young man in the SUV before he closed the
door. Quatre was already halfway to the hall closet to hang up his
coat, and he rushed over. “Master Quatre! Let me help you…”
Quatre smiled as he put the coat on a hanger and passed
it to the taller man. “Hi, Rashid! How was your day?” The tall Arab smiled down at the young man. “Judging
by the look you’re wearing, it’s about to get more interesting.
What are you thinking, young master?” Quatre smiled as he shook his head- it was no good.
Rashid could read him like a book. “I want… I want to throw
a party, Rashid. A big one. How long has it been since we did that?”
The taller man smiled sadly. “Since before your
father passed away, Master Quatre. What’s the occasion?”
Quatre shot the taller man a look. “Christmas,
silly! And it has to be the best Christmas ever…” “Need help with the planning, then?” a joyful-sounding
female voice asked. Quatre spun around and grinned as he caught sight of
a blonde woman leaning against a doorframe. “Iria! You’re
home!” He launched himself across the hallway and tackled the
young woman in a tight hug. She laughed as she caught her breath- was this the same
little brother she’d seen only ten months before? I’ve
been away for far too long! Whatever has happened… thank God
for it! “It's great to see you, too, Quat!” She put
her hands on his shoulders to hold him still for a moment. “Now
let me take a look at you.” Rashid had told her the truth when she arrived earlier
that day- the dark circles under his eyes were vanishing, he wasn’t
quite so pale and tired-looking, and there was a definite sparkle
to his eyes that hadn’t been there before. “You’re
positively glowing! We’ve got some catching up to do, don’t
we?” He grinned up at his sister. “Do we ever!
How long are you staying?” She smiled back. “I’m not sure, yet- how long
can I stay?” “As long as you want!” he laughed. “And
I want you to meet everyone… Damn- I’m sorry, but I need
to get some sleep before tomorrow- meeting with the Budget Committee
at 8AM. Could you meet me for lunch, maybe?” Since when does he eat lunch? Who are you, and what
did you do with my workaholic little brother?! “Sounds like
fun- noon?” Quatre nodded. “Come by the office! Jules will
be thrilled to see you…” “Jules?” The small blond businessman blushed a little. “Calling
her that has been addictive. It’s all Duo’s fault.”
“Duo?” Rashid cleared his throat. “One of Master Quatre’s
new friends, Madam.” She simply nodded. Yes- much has happened here..
And I like what I’m seeing. “Off to bed with you, then!
I don’t want to hear that you fell asleep in the middle of a
meeting.” He rolled his eyes and shot her a grin. “As if!”
He turned down the hall with a wave of his hand and took off at full
speed. Iria turned to a smiling Rashid. “Are you sure
that’s my little Quatre?” The tall man nodded. “Oh yes, it’s him. Let
me give you a bit of background over a cup of tea- does that sound
agreeable to you?” She nodded and followed as Rashid turned to leave. Our
little Quatre is back- I knew he would be able to take control! And
whoever these friends are… I think I’d kiss them all as
a thank you! *** Trowa grinned as he saw it dawn over Heero’s face-
this was going to be the best! He could have told Quatre that Heero
would agree to his plan without asking, but the blond had been adamant
about getting his approval before they started putting plans in motion.
Sally and Wufei, as well- he had talked to them over the phone that
morning, already. Both had agreed immediately. Heero cocked an eyebrow. “You really think he won’t
realise that something’s up? He’s preoccupied, but not that
bad!” Trowa shook his head. “That’s where you come
in. Distract him for us!” Heero was wearing a full grin by now. “I can definitely
do that. Okay, no problem. But we need to talk to one other person.”
“Who?” Trowa asked, suddenly concerned about
how they could possibly keep this a secret. “Hilde. We’ll need her help.” Trowa saw the logic in that- Hilde was one of Duo’s
best assistants and strongest supporters. It was always helpful to
have a social worker like her on your side- especially given her way
of dealing with higher ups who didn’t believe someone of Duo’s
age should be an orphanage administrator. The green-eyed young man smiled in acceptance. “Could
you possibly talk to her for me? I have to meet Quatre at his office
in fifteen minutes…” Heero laughed. “And the way you drive, you’ll
be there in five. Go! Enjoy lunch!” Trowa waved as he headed to the bar to pay for his coffee.
*** Iria stepped off the elevator wearing a broad smile.
Julia had been with WEI for years and was almost like a member of
the extended family, especially to some of the younger children, such
as herself and Quatre. The woman was smiling at her as she walked
over. “Julia! I’m so happy to see you again!” The woman stood and gave her a hug. “Miss Iria!
I was thrilled when Quatre told me you’d be in today- he’s
in there right now with young Trowa.” Iria’s eyebrows shot up- Rashid had informed her
of her brother’s boyfriend, and she was dying to meet him. She
directed her gaze into Julia’s eyes. “Tell me- what do you
think of him?” Julia’s face softened into a smile. “Oh- he’s
a wonderful young man- so polite and sweet. I think you’ll like
him- he’s studying to be a vet. Go on in- he’s probably
as nervous about meeting you as you are about meeting him!” She smiled once more before she turned to the doors
and knocked politely before pushing one open- “She’s here! Iria- hi! Um, Iria, this is Trowa. Trowa, this is my sister Iria!” Quatre managed to say in one breath of air. Hitting the coffee again, little brother? But she turned her gaze to the other person in the room…
and felt a smile blooming over her face almost instantly. Trowa Barton…
was well-dressed and athletic-looking, with a sculpted face and bright
green eyes. But hat really struck her was the way he looked at her
brother- she could see in his face the tender, loving look she had
yet to encounter on her own behalf. Ever. Trowa stood and approached her with a slightly hesitant
smile. “Quatre’s told me a lot about you, Iria. It’s
a pleasure to meet you!” He shook her offered hand warmly. She returned his smile without reservation. “So
you’re the one I have to thank for the way my baby brother has
changed!” She turned to Quatre and winked. “You have good
taste, Quat!” Both boys blushed, much to her amusement. Trowa smiled,
though, and pulled her into a gentle hug. “Okay- come on! Lunch! Party planning! We have
so much to do…” Iria and Trowa shot each other amused looks
as they allowed the shortest member of their party to herd them out
the door. “Where are we going, Quatre?” Iria asked.
He smiled as he shrugged into his overcoat. “Roberto’s.
He’ll never forgive us if we leave him out!” Iria simply followed the other two. She had a feeling
that she had a lot to learn. *** Trowa felt a little strange driving his boyfriend’s
older sister across town, but there he was- she had insisted on going
to the Hope Home that very afternoon. All the same, it was a good
time for a visit- by now, most of the kids would be home from school,
and they’d be helping Duo and his staff put up the holiday decorations…
She smiled at him graciously as he held her door- Iria
Winner had never been to that part of town before. It was a little
unnerving, to say the least! Dirty, dark buildings and unhappy-looking
people… The orphanage looked distinctly out of place and, at
the same time, she could instinctively tell that the residents of
the area took a great deal of pride in helping to keep it in such
good condition. A young face was peeking past a curtain at her as
a child put one of those electric candle lamps on the windowsill.
Trowa smiled and waved, and the small face smiled back
before it disappeared. He turned to Iria and gave a dramatic sigh.
“Well, they know we’re here, and the kids have got
to be curious about you! Shall we?” Even as Iria took his arm, she felt a thrill going through
her- she couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate young man for
her brother to fall in love with! He greeted his friend warmly and then turned his eyes
to her- she drew in a deep breath. Yes- this is the one who’s
brought out the child in Quatre again! He had the sort of electric
smile that you had to work hard not to smile back at, and such expressive,
bright eyes… He opened the door wide. “Quatre’s sister!
Wow! It’s a pleasure- please, come in! We’re in the middle
of decorating, as you can see…” That they were. At that particular moment, Heero was
holding a small girl on his shoulder so that she could put an angel
at the top of the Christmas tree, while Duo was overseeing the process
of be-garlanding the rest of the house. It was ordered chaos, but
Iria had the distinct impression that everyone had a job to do. It looked positively beautiful. Her brother’s plans
suddenly seemed much more logical and important in her mind. Another woman- this one with inky black hair and bright
blue eyes- was there almost immediately, and Duo and Heero extricated
themselves from the crowd as quickly as they could. Iria shook hands
with the young Japanese man. “Quatre told me about you and how
you helped him a couple months ago.” Iria gave a small laugh. “Oh- I’m safe! It’s
all kept in the family.” She turned to Duo. “How many kids
live here right now?” He answered glibly, “Forty-seven- 31 boys and 16
girls, all aged three through fourteen.” She whistled sharply. “Wow- how large is the staff?”
Duo smiled. “Well, I have four full-time employees
who live here with us and help manage the kids, two cooks, a doctor
who is almost always on call and a team of five social workers that
I work with to get as many of these little ones as possible into families
as fast as we can. Quite a bunch!” She did the mental math- thirteen employees and forty-seven
kids. Sixty people, plus Quatre and herself, not to mention Duo and
the others, themselves… She hoped Rashid was up to this! They all turned, though, as there was a loud crash around
the corner- Duo’s smile faded as his ears picked up the tell-tale
sound of a child starting to cry. He turned back to Iria apologetically.
“Sorry- I’ll be back in a few!” He spun and left, his
braid trailing behind him like a banner. Trowa smiled at her and she returned the gesture. “I
see what you mean! What a place- and he must be quite something to
keep up with all this.” Heero was still shaking his head slowly, a small smile
on his face as he stared at the spot his boyfriend had just vacated.
“You don’t want to know how much coffee he drinks, trust
me.” She gestured around them. “This place is phenomenal,
considering the area. Isn’t it a little dangerous around here?
For these kids?” Heero steered them towards Duo’s office as they
talked. “It’s a bad section of town, but most people steer
clear of this place and they’ve learned to keep their drugs far
away from the Home’s kids. No- most people are great- they help
out where they can. Especially since Duo took on the Senate a couple
months back- help has been pouring in.” The door closed behind them, neatly lowering the amount
of sound a voice had to compete with, and they took seats around the
cluttered desk. Trowa gave his friend a serious look. “Are you
still in for the Christmas Party?” Heero nodded. “Absolutely! But Duo will freak if
he stays up all night wrapping presents, and comes back to find them
all gone…” Iria gave a small frown of concentration- she didn’t
see how they were going to pull this off without the braided young
man knowing about it, as Quatre wanted to. “Tell me something,”
she mused, “If we were to ask various parts of the staff to help
us in keeping it a secret from Duo, maybe even some of the older kids,
do you think they would?" Both young men nodded. “Sure! They’d probably
love it,” Trowa replied with a smile. “What are you thinking?”
“Well, how about this…” Her voice sunk
low as she whispered to the other two, forcing them to lean closer
to hear her. All three sat back with smiles on their faces. It would
be precious! It would be wonderful! It would be a Christmas to remember. ~*~ It was 10:30 PM on Christmas Eve, and a motley group
was gathering outside the Hope House. By this time, Iria had met them
all- Wufei and Sally, Roberto, Hilde and her co-worker, a friendly
blonde named Relena. Iria edged closer to where Quatre and Trowa stood,
side by side. “Why are we waiting?” Trowa answered, “On Christmas Eve, all the little
kids gather around and they read ‘A Christmas Carol’ out
loud. When it’s over, everyone gets hot chocolate, and the little
ones go to sleep and some of the older ones stay up to help with the
gifts.” “How sweet!” Iria said, her eyes shining.
“Duo’s idea?” “Yes- they used to do it when he was a kid, at
the Maxwell Orphanage,” Wufei called from off to the right, but
anything else he might have wanted to say was cut short as the door
opened quietly and Heero stuck his head out. “Come on in!”
They filed in quietly, and Quatre was hard-pressed to
keep from clapping in excitement at the way everything was decorated.
Iria had told him about it all, but he hadn’t thought that anything
could look so cheerful. It was actually kind of sad- all that cheer
was completely necessary in order to keep young minds from feeling
the pain of being separated from loved ones on this coming holiday.
Duo finally made an appearance- he had broken his traditional
black outfit and was wearing a warm-looking cranberry-coloured sweater,
one overly-long sleeve dangling over his hand while the other was
pushed up to his elbow. His eyes glinting in mirth, he beckoned them
all into the main room, where the tree was. It was a gorgeous tree- not too big, but decorated with
what looked like home-made ornaments, interspersed with small toys
attached to bits of string. Most conspicuously, Quatre noticed a silver
cross, hanging from a high branch by its chain. Duo’s cross!
But he never takes that thing off! This must mean so much to him…
The floor was a real mess- there were boxes and packages
everywhere, all with a small name tag already made out and attached
to it. Duo spoke to them all in a hushed voice. “Okay- so here’s
the dealie. I already made out the tags, so we can’t possibly
get as confused as last year…” several people groaned at
the very thought. “Paper’s over here,” he gestured
to a box right next to him, “along with tape, ribbons and all
that.” He eyed Wufei’s sleek ponytail, as though wondering
if it would be possible to… Wufei gave a slight growl, and he quickly decided not
to! “All kindsa stuff to drink if you want it. Thanks,
people!” His whole face was shining. “They will really love
this!” Iria watched, her throat suddenly tight, as Heero’s
hand found the end of the long braid and held it gently, as though
lending strength to the slender young man at his side. They had been
very careful to explain everything to her and Quatre before they walked
into this wrapping party- Christmas was a very rough season for Duo,
and while he went through all this trouble for the kids, a large part
of the meaning of the whole ritual was deeply personal, a reminder
of the pseudo-family he had once had, himself. Quatre felt very happy to be part of this little group.
He glared, though, as Trowa nudged Duo with his elbow
and said, “You know- I don’t think Quat’s ever wrapped
a present in his life!” The braided young man laughed at that. “Not like
it’s hard, Tro! Give ‘em a break!” He wrapped an arm
around Quatre’s shoulders and hugged him. “Right, Quat?”
The blond laughed back at his friend. “Right! This
place looks great, Duo!” Duo smiled. “Yeah- it really does! God- I love
this!” They stared after him as he moved over to where two girls
were fussing with a package and dropped down next to them to help.
Iria clapped her hands together once before she reached
for the nearest package. “Well… Shall we?” ~*~ They weren’t kidding about the mess. It was three AM, and the room was covered in paper clippings,
small bits of ribbon, tape spools, empty plastic cups and aluminium
cans, shopping bags and a large bag of Holiday M&M’s. Roberto attached a bow to his last package with a flourish.
“Dere! How does it look?” Sally spared him a glance. “Like a wrapped-up giraffe
with a perm!” Sally shared a long look with Iria, who had helped her
wrap the present- why was it that men didn’t understand? Sure,
their package looked a little strange, but it hadn’t taken them
close on a half hour to wrap it, at least! She turned to look around- even Duo’s enthusiasm
was flagging, to the point that he was simply allowing one of the
few kids still up to braid a Christmas plaid ribbon into his hair
as he leaned against Heero’s shoulder. Sally nudged Iria and
pointed at the cute little picture they presented with her chin. “Ain’t
that sweet?” Iria nodded. “Are you sure we’ll be able to
pull all this off, though? Church can’t last all that long…”
Sally grinned. “A couple of the kids are going
to help us by keeping Heero and Duo out as long as they can. We’ll
just have to rush a little.” Wufei, listening from not far away, whispered to them,
“It will work- and I can’t wait to see the look on his face…”
He wrapped an arm around Sally’s waist and pulled
her closer against his side. “We should get some rest before
tomorrow.” She smiled before she kissed his cheek. “Yeah-
you’re probably right. Even with Roberto’s coffee…”
They had all been yawning for a while now. As Wufei left to retrieve their coats, Sally turned
back to Iria. “They always go to the 10:00 mass at St. Christopher’s.
Don’t be late!” The blonde woman glanced over at her brother and the
tall young man at his side. “We won’t be. Have a good sleep!”
The party broke up soon after that, exhausted people
dropping into bed for a few hours before the chaos and fun began.
~*~ “Presents! Yeah!” Duo’s eyes cracked open as he heard voices outside his door, kids trying to be quiet in their excitement, since he obviously wasn’t up yet. He yawned as he sat up- two and a half hours of sleep-
not bad for Christmas! He smiled as he glanced down at a still sleeping Heero,
curled up next to him. It was funny- at the happiest moments of his
life, he always had tears in his eyes. Such as now- he had a very
hard time trying to describe how it felt to know that someone loved
you. It was a feeling that most people took for granted- growing up
in normal homes with two parents and a dog… On Christmas, he
never failed to think of Father Maxwell and his first family. His
first home. In fact, he could almost swear that he could feel the
priest’s spirit watching him from Heaven. But now he had Heero. It brought yet another smile to
his face, despite the remaining tears that fell from his eyes. On
Christmas, he counted his blessings, and Heero was at the top of that
list, the source of many of the other items. Love, happiness, constant
support, strength… He leaned over and brushed a light kiss on
Heero’s lips. “Merry Christmas, love.” Prussian blue eyes opened slowly to focus on him, and
a smile formed on the Japanese student’s face. “Morning,
Duo. Merry Christmas to you, too.” One hand worked its way up
into Duo’s hair to pull him close for another kiss. They shared a smile as they pulled apart- Heero had
been awake the whole time, as well, but he knew that Duo needed those
first few moments of the day for himself. Father Maxwell still lived
in Duo’s memories, but on this day, his absence was felt all
the more keenly. “Think they’re up yet?” A loud noise from downstairs answered that question-
both young men laughed as they heard one boy’s voice: “Aw-
can’t we just open something up? It’s Christmas…”
Duo reluctantly pulled himself away from his boyfriend
and stretched as he stood. “I’d give us five minutes before
all Hell breaks loose down there… EEP!” Smiling, he gave in to it. Why bother resisting? ~*~ RING! Quatre grabbed at Trowa’s cell phone before the
green-eyed man had a chance. “Yeah?” Sally’s voice came over the line, “Minivan
just left- the coast is clear! Get your asses over here! Oh- and Merry
Christmas!” He laughed. “Merry Christmas to you, too! We’ll
be there in a few.” He turned to look at his sister, holding
a huge cake in her lap, as he hit the [END] switch. “They’re
ready for us.” “Then what are we waiting for?” She asked
rhetorically. Trowa just smiled and pulled out into traffic. ~*~ “To save us all from Satan’s power, when we
were lead astray! Oh, tidings of comfort and joy…” Duo was
carolling as they finally pulled back up in front of the Orphanage.
Everyone wore broad smiles, and Duo completely missed how Heero winked
at several of the children as they stepped from the vehicle, cheeks
pink from the cold bite of the air… Duo stopped short- he hadn’t put any lights up
on the building, and it was somehow strewn with them now, twinkling
at him in the gloom that announced the advent of another snowstorm
in the very near future. He turned quickly. “Heero! Where did
those come from?” The Japanese man was hard-pressed not to smile. “Let’s
go in and ask, okay?” Duo was not fooled- he could feel it like a cold pit
in his stomach- his boyfriend had planned something and he’d
managed to miss it all… He moved to the door after helping a couple small kids
from the car and locking it, belatedly noting that the stereo was
blaring at him- jazzy sounding Christmas music. His face spread into
a smile as he turned the doorknob- “DUO! Merry Christmas, buddy!” His mouth dropped
open in amazement as he stared at his home- Quatre was standing there,
beaming at him like a small child with a new toy, Trowa smirking at
his side, and then… “Duo’s home! Hey- you guys, he’s here…”
He was surrounded by orphans, all of them smiling brightly as they
chanted it to him- “Happy Christmas! Isn’t this great? Are
you surprised? CAN WE OPEN OUR PRESENTS NOW?!” Arms wrapped themselves around him from behind, and
Heero’s voice whispered in his ear, “Your whole family wanted
to wish you a Merry Christmas, Duo.” He was speechless. Heero smiled as he saw the telltale
tears in Duo’s eyes for the second time that day- he closed his
eyes and held on tightly as Duo pulled all his friends close for a
huge, tearful hug. “You guys are the best! I never… God-
Merry Christmas! My family…” Wufei laughed as he pulled back. “Don’t tell
me we actually managed to surprise you…” Duo grinned back, “Do I just burst into tears for
no reason, in your experience, Wu?” He stopped teasing, though,
as he felt a small hand tugging on the side of his coat. Duo turned- a large set of eyes was staring up at him
from a small child’s face. “Don’t you have a family,
Mr Duo?” He knelt down quickly so he would be on eye level with
the boy. “Yeah- I do. All of you- my friends, too- you guys are
my family. Family… it’s less about really being related
by blood, I think, than it is about caring deeply for someone.”
“Is that why you and Mr Heero were so late to breakfast?”
Duo blushed a deep red as everyone else over ten in
the room burst out laughing. “Um… yeah. Because I care about
him an awful lot.” He stood up quickly, hauling the small boy
up onto his shoulders. “But something smells awfully good in
here! Let’s get some food, okay? I’m starved!” Trowa and Quatre smiled to each other as they watched
their friends walk away down the hallway, a small boy tucked in Duo’s
arms and the end of Duo’s braid caught in Heero’s hand.
Trowa kissed the small blond gently. “D’you know what Heero’s
bought for Duo this year?” Quatre’s expression quickly turned to deep curiosity.
“No- what?” Trowa leaned closer, not wanting the news to spread
further than it had to. “Something that will hopefully make their
little family a bit more… official.” Aquamarine eyes lit in mirth and joy. “You’re
kidding! Oh my God! That’s… that’s great! When’s
he gonna Pop The Question?” Trowa smiled back, planting a light kiss on Quatre’s
forehead. “After dinner- in front of everyone.” Quatre beamed. “Glad I brought the non-alcoholic
champagne, then! He’s gonna be so happy…” “I love you, Quatre Winner.” The blond stopped and hugged his boyfriend tightly.
“I love you, too, Trowa. Happy Christmas.” ~*~ Quatre was surprised that the children managed to eat,
with the prospect of opening presents looming ahead of them as it
was. But it was part of the tradition, just as reading ‘A Christmas
Carol’ had been, and everyone seemed to understand how important
it was to the now beaming young American, as he slipped on a floppy
Santa hat… “So you’re the one who stole my hat! Give
that back, you…” Duo turned, surprise showing clearly on his face, as
Rashid’s voice boomed through the room- the tall man was dressed
in a splendid red Santa suit, fake beard and moustache attached to
him and a broad smile. He looked immensely pleased with himself as
he snatched the red hat back. “Merry Christmas! Ho ho ho! We
better start handing all these gifts out to the good boys and girls…”
The five boys and Sally and Iria watched happily as
Rashid went to work. Who would have thought that the huge man would
have made such a wonderful Santa Claus? But he certainly did. All the same, the best was saved for last. Quatre watched
with growing glee as Trowa gave a glance to Hilde- the champagne was
ready. It was time for the Big Gift. Rashid stood back dramatically, his hands on his hips.
Everyone had opened a few presents and looked happy, but he knew that
this was definitely going to be the best part of the evening…
“Wait a minute! I think there’s something missing!”
He clapped his hands together. “Yes! There’s one more gift
to be given tonight! Now where is it…” Wufei’s stomach made a couple flips as Heero finally
spoke up, “It’s right here.” Everyone turned- those who were in on it with bright
eyes and smiles- as Heero reached into his pocket and pulled out a
small package. He picked up Duo’s hand and placed a careful kiss
in his palm before putting the box there. “Merry Christmas, Duo.”
The braided young man’s hands were shaking as he
realised what this had to be- Oh My God! Oh God- please say this
means what I think it means… Oh Heero! He carefully tore
off the wrapping paper, his cheeks flushing with excitement as he
realised that he was now holding a small, navy blue velvet box in
his hands. He almost had to command his heart to stop beating so quickly
as he opened it- The room was silent, completely silent, as he gasped,
turning shining eyes on his boyfriend. Heero dropped to one knee.
“Will you marry me, Duo?” He plucked the ring from its box
and slid it onto Duo’s finger. Duo always cried when he was the happiest, and this
was no exception to it. Tears leaked from his eyes as he reached his
hand to touch Heero’s face. “Yes- absolutely! Heero!”
Even the kids burst out clapping as the braided man
hugged his now fiancé hard. Heero laughed out loud as he hugged
back, burying his face in Duo’s hair. “I love you so much…”
Several of the smaller kids said, “Yuck!”
as the two kissed, but even Santa was wearing a ‘how sweet!’
look as the two shared a passionate kiss right there, in front of
everyone. Both Duo and Heero wore radiant smiles as they pulled
apart again, faces flushed and eyes shining. Duo blushed even deeper
when he remembered that all the kids were still there. Quatre laughed,
though. “I think we need to celebrate this- Hey Santa, where’s
the champagne?” Rashid just pointed to Hilde, who beamed at all of them.
Duo gave his friend a look, but Quatre stopped him before
he could say a word. “Don’t worry- it’s non-alcoholic!”
“May I propose a toast, then?” Wufei asked,
holding a glass up as everyone was served. “To Heero and Duo,
to love, to family, to friends, and to life!” “You forgot something, Wu,” Duo called, just
before everyone drank. They all stopped to look at him “What did I forget?”
Duo smiled as he hugged Heero’s arm tighter. “To
the future and everything it brings!” As they all drank, Quatre felt a warm happiness unlike
anything he had ever felt before. And as Trowa’s arms tightened
around his shoulders, he knew what it was. He had a place where he belonged. Not as the CEO of
his company, or even the heir to his fortune. As Quatre Winner, the
person. He watched in silent approval as Duo and Heero smiled
at each other as though the rest of the world didn’t exist. That was what it was all about. owari
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