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" Christmas Eve Blessings "Written By: CalicOcat Disclaimer: Duo and Heero and the rest of the
GW gang aren't mine. This story is. Nuff said. Rated: PG 13 Warnings: Yaoi, Fluff, Sap, Romance, Holiday Fic,
OOC, Swearing. Archives: Anyone who already has permission to
archive anything else of mine, go ahead. Anyone else, please ask. Author's Notes: These just keep getting later...
But better late than never, right? Feedback is appreciated. 'Thinking' "Speaking" ************ Time passing or scene change
" Christmas Eve Blessings "
Duo rolled over and turned off the alarm almost the
instant it went off. He slipped out of bed slowly, knowing that rising
too quickly would leave him lightheaded. He was becoming extremely
irritated with the lingering weakness. Weeks in the hospital had really
played havoc with his strength and stamina. "Duo?" Glancing back over his shoulder at the sleepy query,
Duo whispered, "Go back to sleep, Ro. It's not even six o'clock
yet." There was a tired mumble in response as Heero pulled
the covers up higher and rolled over. Duo chuckled softly and limped
off to grab some breakfast. 'We may not get to sleep in very often
but when the opportunity exists, he's just as willing to take advantage
of it as I am. It's a lot nicer when we get to sleep in together,
though...' Unfortunately, this was one morning that he couldn't
indulge himself. Duo sighed and stifled a yawn. 'No matter how much
I'd like to go crawl back in bed, I can't. I promised Father O'Brien
that I'd be there to help; they always needs extra help during the
holidays.' And although Duo wasn't particularly religious - he
only attended services once in a long while as a tribute to his memories
of the Maxwell Church - he *was* very appreciative of the community
services offered by various religious groups, including the ecumenical
association responsible for the All Faith Mission which ran the foodbank
and soup kitchen that he volunteered at on a monthly basis. Duo smothered another yawn as he sat down at the table,
toast and half a grapefruit in front of him. He really wasn't very
hungry but he knew that he would need the energy later on. As he took
the first bite of grapefruit, he heard the creak of bedsprings. Evidently,
Heero hadn't been able to go back to sleep. 'Damn. I didn't want to
wake him up; between spending virtually all his off duty hours with
me at the hospital and the overtime he's been putting in due to the
number of Preventers off with the flu that's been going around, he
hasn't been getting enough sleep lately...' Standing in the kitchen doorway, Heero asked muzzily,
"Why are *you* up so early? Aren't you coming back to bed?" Pointing towards the calendar, Duo reminded him, "December
24th? All Faith Mission? Christmas Eve dinner? Remember?" *** Abruptly wide awake, Heero demanded, "What?"
Duo couldn't possibly mean... "I'm volunteering at the Mission all day today,
helping with the Christmas Eve dinner, remember?" 'Oh no. No way. He's only been out of the hospital for
a few days!' "Duo, it's too soon. You are *not* going to spend
all day volunteering," Heero stated flatly. He almost missed
the rebellious flash in Duo's eyes at his dictatorial tone. Fortunately,
the keyword there was *almost*. Heero softened his voice immediately
and switched tactics. Dropping to the floor beside Duo's chair, he
slid his arms around him and pleaded softly, "Please, Duo, you
almost *died*; I know you're feeling a lot better but you still tire
easily and you *know* you're supposed to avoid crowds while your immune
system recovers..." Both the bullet wound and the knife wound that Duo had
sustained during their Thanksgiving Day mission had been relatively
minor. The blood poisoning that had followed those injuries had been
a very different story. Heero didn't think that he'd ever been so
scared in his entire life. 'And there wasn't a damn thing I could
do except stay by his side at the hospital...' He shuddered at the
memory of those terrifying hours - hours that had turned into days
- from the moment he'd received the call from Quatre while he'd been
doing some preliminary work on a new case at the office, to the moment
that the doctor had finally pronounced Duo out of danger. They'd been extremely fortunate that Quatre had dropped
by to visit Duo at the condo. Duo had been discharged from the hospital
the day before after a very brief stay. All had seemed to be going
smoothly in his recovery; he'd been headachy and a bit nauseous but
those were known side-effects of the medication that he was taking.
Unfortunately, they were also early warning signs for something else
- the onset of septicaemia - blood poisoning. Duo had been running
a high fever and experiencing severe chills when Quatre arrived and
had lost consciousness by the time that Quatre got him to the hospital.
He'd been in septic shock before Heero got there. 'It would have been
several more hours before I got home from work. If Quatre hadn't stopped
by...' Heero cut that thought off with another shiver. It had been
too damn close as it was. "Duo, please..." Heero repeated. Duo's stiff,
unyielding body finally relaxed and leaned into his embrace. "But I *promised* way back in November that I'd
help with the Christmas Eve dinner..." Duo objected unhappily.
"Father O'Brien said they're *always* shorthanded for it." Heero sighed and gave up his plans for an entire day
of coddling Duo. "If it will make you feel better, I'll take
your place," he offered reluctantly. He really did understand
why volunteering at the Mission was so important to Duo; he was just
terrified that Duo would overdo things and end up getting sick while
his immune system was still recovering from fighting the blood poisoning.
Spending all day working at the dinner - and it *would* be all day,
preparations for the meal were scheduled to begin in the early morning
although the meal itself would be served in the afternoon - would
be exhausting under *any* circumstances. And with the number of people
who would be passing through, the chances of being exposed to one
of the seasonal viruses making the rounds would be very high. "But... you *hate* having to deal with so many
strangers..." "I hate seeing you upset more," Heero admitted
quietly. "I know it's important to you and I wish that you could
go yourself. It's just too soon. You've only been out of the hospital
for a few days. You have to give yourself time, koi." "Yeah, yeah, I know." Duo sighed and laid
his cheek against Heero's hair. "Doesn't make the waiting any
easier, though." Silence fell for a few long moments. Heero forced himself
to stay quiet. No matter how much he might want to *make* Duo stay
home and rest, the decision really was Duo's to make. Finally, the pressure against his head disappeared as
Duo straightened. Duo's hands lifted to frame Heero's face, gently
tipping it up so that their eyes met. He smiled wryly. "Okay,
you win. You take my place volunteering at the dinner and I'll stay
home." "And rest?" Heero added hopefully. Duo scowled. "Fine. And rest." Heero still wasn't entirely happy with the situation.
Duo hadn't been alone since he came home from the hospital. Heero
hadn't been able to stay home himself; he'd had to work if he wanted
to be off-duty over the Christmas holidays. But either one of their
friends or one of Quatre's extended "family" - the Maguanacs
- had stayed with Duo at the condo while Heero was at the office.
"Why don't you call someone to come..." Fingers pressed firmly against his lips as Duo warned,
"Don't push your luck, Yuy." Wisely, Heero shut up. He'd just have to take other
measures to ensure Duo's well-being while he was away. *** Duo hated to give in to weakness. He'd hated to admit
that he really wasn't up to a day of volunteer work just yet. He *wouldn't*
have given in on the issue if Heero had kept up his dictatorial attitude.
But Heero hadn't. "Sorry, Choc," he apologized to the dog gazing hopefully at him. Heero had only had time to take the lab for a very short run this morning but, after promising to rest, Duo wasn't about to try even a short walk around the block. "Maybe we can play a little fetch in the yard after
I have a nap." Chocolate cocked his head and pricked his ears, giving
a single, insistent bark. Firmly, Duo told him, "Not now. Later." Ears drooped in response to Duo's tone and the lab flopped
down, heaving a loud sigh as he rested his chin on his paws and stared
mournfully at Duo. "Yeah, well I'm not exactly thrilled either, pal,"
Duo muttered as he pulled the fleece blanket off the back of the couch
and draped it over himself. He was sick and tired of being sick and
tired. *** Threading his way through the busy kitchen, Heero made
his way over to a black-clad figure. "Father O'Brien?" he
asked a bit uncertainly. He'd met the man very briefly during Duo's
hospital stay but he'd been completely focussed on his partner at
the time and hadn't really paid any attention to the stocky middle-aged
man. The priest turned to greet Heero, his expression startled.
"Yes?" He took a closer look at Heero, clearly trying to
place him. "I'm here to fill in for Duo Maxwell," Heero
explained. "He wanted to be here himself but he's - not quite
up to a day of *this*," he gestured at the bustle filling the
room, "just yet." "Goodness gracious, he certainly wouldn't be!"
Father O'Brien snapped his fingers, a look of recognition crossing
his face. "Ah, now I remember you. You're Duo's partner; you
were arriving just as I was leaving his room one day." Heero nodded in acknowledgement, unconcerned about exactly
which definition of "partner" the priest was assuming applied.
He and Duo were partners in every way possible. "Duo was concerned
that you would be shorthanded today. He didn't want to leave you in
the lurch. So..." Heero shrugged, "here I am, ready to work
in his place." "Very admirable and the act of a true friend,"
the man responded. "Well then - let's put you to work." *** The phone rang. Dragged from a light doze by the noise,
Duo groaned and pulled the pillow up around his head in a vain attempt
to block out the racket. 'No, no, no...' He seriously debated ignoring
it. 'But if it's Heero, he'll assume something's wrong and then there'll
be emergency vehicles and everything else to deal with.' Okay, slight
exaggeration there. But he'd probably have a worried Quatre on the
doorstep at the very least and that would be almost as bad. Hell,
he didn't want *anyone* on the doorstep. Well, other than Heero obviously,
and Duo didn't want him racing home early because he was worried.
In fact, a tiny bit of him was quietly and guiltily grateful that
Heero *was* going to be gone most of the day. Duo loved him dearly
but after weeks of the hustle and bustle of a hospital and being fussed
over to the point of sheer exasperation - both during his hospital
stay and since his return home - by a host of well-meaning friends,
a day of peaceful solitude was actually pretty appealing. The phone rang again. 'Well, it would be if people actually
left me *alone*...' he qualified grumpily. Raising himself up on one
elbow, Duo scowled across the room at the phone. He'd *just* gotten
comfortable and dozed off; he really didn't want to have to get up
to answer the damn phone. "Hey, Choc - phone, boy. Fetch it here."
Chocolate perked up his ears and stood. A moment later, the dog pushed his saliva-slimed ball
against Duo's arm. The phone kept ringing. "No, not ball. *Phone*.
Get the phone and fetch it here," Duo said encouragingly, pointing
towards the device. Chocolate gave him an eager but confused look
and whined once before darting off down the hall. Duo sighed in resignation. "No go, huh. Guess I
need to add 'phone' to the list of commands to teach you, fella."
"Duo! How are you feeling today? Are you okay?
Does someone need to come over for a while?" 'Dammit, Heero... Not fair siccing Q on me!' He should
have known that Heero had given in too easily. "Quat, I'm *fine*.
In fact, I *was* having a nice little nap till *someone* called and
woke me up. And no, I do not need anyone to come keep me company.
I told Heero I'd stay home and rest and I will. Assuming that I don't
have to spend the whole day answering the damn phone instead!" The click of toenails down the tiled hallway distracted
Duo's attention from Quatre's response. He watched curiously as Chocolate
returned to the livingroom. A moment later, Duo moved a hasty step
backwards as, with a solid thud, the dog deposited a large rawhide
bone at his feet. He couldn't help snickering slightly as the lab
sat and looked up at him expectantly. Chocolate had obviously decided
that "phone" sounded an awful lot like "bone".
Duo stroked the dog's head affectionately. "Close enough, boy.
Can't expect you to know a word I haven't ever taught you. Good dog,
Choc." "What did he do?" Quatre's curiosity was evident
in his tone. "Oh, I tried to get Chocolate to go get the phone
for me and he took off down the hall. He just came back and proudly
presented me with his rawhide bone," Duo explained, chuckling.
"Silly mutt," he murmured, tugging gently on one silky ear.
He bit off a pained gasp as the dog leaned heavily against him, jarring
his bad leg and setting off a muscle cramp. Lurching over to the nearest
chair, he dropped into it before attempting to massage out the cramp
one-handed. He didn't dare put the phone down and use both hands;
Quatre had heard that gasp and was making alarmed demands for an explanation.
If he didn't respond, he'd have company for the rest of the day whether
he wanted it or not. "Duo? Duo, what's wrong? Are you okay?!" Quatre
demanded anxiously. Chocolate whined and pressed his head against Duo, sensing
his master's distress. Touching though the animal's concern was, Duo
really wished he would just go lie down; he was interfering with Duo's
attempt to soothe his painful muscle. "Duo, I'm on my way over there." "NO!" Exasperated, Duo gritted between clenched
teeth, "Chill, Quatre. Just a leg cramp." As the muscle
spasm eased a bit, he managed to continue, "You *know* what these
kind of injuries can be like. Spending the better part of the past
few weeks in a hospital bed hasn't helped matters any. It'll get better
now that I've started physio." "Well... If you're sure that you're okay..." "Believe me, I'm *sure*." "It really wouldn't be any trouble at all for someone
to come..." Duo cut him off a bit sharply, "I don't want any
company, Quatre." With an effort, he softened his voice, "Look,
Q, I appreciate the offer. But I really just want a quiet day *alone*,
okay? I appreciate everybody's concern and support but all the fussing's
getting kinda old. I'm okay now; it's time for things to start getting
back to normal." *** Heero lifted the huge pot full of peeled and sliced
potatoes and set it aside. Dodging through the busy kitchen, he retrieved
another large sack of potatoes and lugged it back to his work area.
Within a few minutes, he was resuming his previous routine. Scrub,
peel, slice, then on to the next potato. Not a difficult task, just
a highly repetitious one. Considering how quickly he was working his way through
the potatoes, Heero was betting that he'd get the job of cleaning
and chopping vegetables for salad. He was pretty handy with a knife.
'Of course, if Duo was here and in peak condition, he'd have finished
*all* the potatoes now. He's even more efficient with a knife than
I am.' Heero suppressed the urge to sigh. He wished that Duo
*was* in good enough shape to be here. Or that at least he could be
at home with Duo. This really wasn't the way he'd intended to spend
the first day of his Christmas holiday; he'd been looking forward
to a day of taking care of his partner. Plying Duo with his favourite
foods, curling up on the couch together and watching classic Christmas
movies... Coddling his lover and just letting it sink in that Duo
really *was* safely home and getting better... 'But this is important to Duo. He never forgets just
how important the church's community service work was to him and the
other homeless. Doing his part to pass those benefits on to others
means a lot to him...' Enough that Heero had known Duo wouldn't be able to
really rest today if Heero didn't take his place. 'I just hope that
he *is* resting. And that Quatre was able to persuade him to let someone
come over and stay with him for the day.' He hadn't even had to suggest
it. As soon as Heero had called to tell Quatre that he would be gone
all day taking over Duo's volunteer duties, the blond had immediately
volunteered to make sure that Duo was alright. Though that still didn't
stop Heero from worrying. 'Maybe I'll take a short break once I'm done with the
potatoes. Call home just to make sure that everything's okay.' *** "Sit. Wait." Duo ordered firmly. Chocolate
quivered with excitement but obeyed. Duo swung his good arm cautiously,
careful not to stress his bad leg as he shifted his weight, then gave
the ball an underhand toss and released the dog with a sharp, "Go!"
Chocolate took off like a shot, racing the length of the small backyard
and snatching the ball out of the air with an exuberant leap. Duo grinned as the lab turned and tore back to him at
top speed. He gave a silent, one-handed signal as the dog approached.
Chocolate obediently threw on the brakes and dropped to a sit directly
in front of him. Duo held out his hand and ordered, "Give."
He frowned sternly and cleared his throat when the ball was not immediately
released. After a brief hesitation, Chocolate let go and the ball
dropped into Duo's hand. "Good dog," he praised immediately,
relieved that Chocolate hadn't decided to play keep-away as the young
dog occasionally did. There was no way that he was in shape to wrestle
the ball away from fifty-plus pounds of energetic Labrador. Another hand signal was given and the dog darted around
behind Duo, plopping back into a sit once he was in proper heeling
position. Duo gave him a quick scratch behind the ears as reward before
repeating the whole exercise. 'I'll just heat up some soup for lunch, then take another
nap,' Duo decided as he shrugged out of his coat. He wanted to be
well-rested and relaxed for tomorrow. Not so much because it was Christmas
as because Heero would be home all day. If Heero was still in full-blown
worrywart-mode, he was going to need every bit of patience that he
possessed. It wouldn't be fair to lose his temper at his lover just
because Heero was concerned for his welfare. *** "Hello?" Heero frowned slightly. Duo sounded a bit out of breath.
"Duo? Are you okay? You sound..." An exasperated voice cut him off. "Ro, I'm *fine*.
I just had to hurry to get the phone 'cause I didn't want somebody
panicking if it went to the answering machine. After all, it might
have been Quatre calling *again* worrying about poor helpless little
ol' me being home all alone. Gee, wonder how he found out *that* little
piece of information, huh?" Wincing at the sarcastic tone, Heero decided unhappily
that any chance of spending any part of today coddling his partner
had just vanished. Duo's tolerance for being fussed over had finally
run out. "I'm sorry," he began. Duo cut him off again, "No, you're not. You're
just sorry you got caught." Sometimes, Duo knew him a little *too* well. "I..." "Heero. I am an adult. I am perfectly capable of
spending the day by myself. Yeah, I was pretty sick but I'm okay now;
they wouldn't have let me out of the hospital if I wasn't. Stop being
such a damn worrywart, for god's sake!" 'Shit. He's really pissed off...' Heero fumbled for
words, not sure what he could say that wouldn't end up making Duo
even more upset with him. Maybe there wasn't anything "safe"
to say. Maybe he'd better just get off the phone and let Duo cool
off. Worry about smoothing things over in person after he got home.
Quietly, Heero said, "You were right, they were
shorthanded. It's a good thing that I came; I'd better get back to
work. I just... "I just wanted to hear your voice so I'd know that
you were okay." The admission slipped out almost involuntarily.
Hastily, worried that Duo might take his remark as an attempt at emotional
blackmail rather than a confession of simple truth, Heero continued,
"I shouldn't be too late getting home; there's another shift
of volunteers coming in to help serve and handle cleanup. I'll see
you later, bye." He disconnected the call without waiting for
a response. He'd *hated* that feeling of helplessness, of uselessness.
Now that Duo was home, Heero had hoped that he would be able to take
care of him, make a fuss over him, be able to actually *do* something
to help him get better. But circumstances had dictated that he'd had
to work during Duo's first few days home, days during which Duo had
tolerated the coddling lavished on him by their friends, and now it
looked like he'd missed his chance. 'I know that I have to back off
or he'll just end up pushing himself too hard trying to prove a point...'
Heero admitted reluctantly. *** "Aw, *crap*." Duo stared at the phone and
wished that Heero hadn't been quite so quick to hang up. "Now
I feel like an absolute asshole," he muttered guiltily. He knew
that Heero's worry was in direct proportion to how much Heero cared
about him and that Heero's overprotectiveness was just the result
of Duo's illness having scared the hell out of him, that it didn't
have anything to do with Heero thinking that he was weak or helpless.
He just... "I just can't put those damn street instincts completely
behind me..." he admitted out loud. On the streets, it hadn't
mattered how sick or weak you were, you *always* looked after yourself.
The slightest sign of vulnerability spelt disaster, especially for
a kid on his own as he'd been during his second period on the streets.
And even in a gang, it was important to resume full independence as
quickly as possible after an illness or injury. Even the most loyal
of gangs couldn't afford to support a weak member indefinitely. It
simply wasn't possible. Chocolate's damp nose nudging his hand insistently drew
Duo out of his introspection and he ruffled the dog's ears affectionately.
"Yeah, Choc, I know. Things are different now. I know Ro'd look
after me forever if he had to, 'cause I'd do the same for him. Changin'
habits - *instincts* - isn't quite as simple as knowing that, though..."
Much as he wished that were the case. Duo sighed and gave the lab
a final pat before limping off to fix lunch and take his noon dose
of medication. This wasn't the first time that he and Heero had run
into difficulties with issues from their pasts and it sure as hell
wouldn't be the last, either. At least past experience meant that
Duo knew how he needed to handle this one in order to start working
through it. He owed Heero both an apology and an explanation for starters.
Then they'd spend the rest of the day curled up together on the couch,
sipping hot chocolate and talking things through while the stereo
played Christmas music quietly in the background. *** Wearily - and a bit warily - Heero opened the front
door and entered the condo. Soft strains of an instrumental Christmas
arrangement were faintly audible as he stored his coat and boots in
the closet. With a sigh of relief, Heero relaxed. Duo must be in a
better mood. Glancing into the livingroom as he headed down the hall,
Heero spotted Duo stretched out on the couch, a warm fleece blanket
draped over his sleeping form. Lying quietly on the floor beside Duo,
Chocolate thumped his tail without offering to get up. Heero smiled
softly, then slipped down the hall in search of his camera, wanting
to capture the peaceful scene. In the bedroom, his favourite sweats were laid out on
the bed along with a note suggesting, "Hot chocolate and a cuddle
would be a nice wake-up call." The smile turned to a grin. Duo
was *definitely* in a better mood. And it sounded like maybe he was
even prepared to put up with a bit of coddling along with the cuddling.
'Take that photo, grab a quick shower, then I'll be more than happy
to fulfill his request,' Heero thought, his earlier weariness fading
rapidly. Maybe some of his previous plans for the day could be salvaged
and Christmas Eve wouldn't be a total loss after all. *** "Mmm..." Duo hummed contentedly. He parted
his lips in invitation and the kiss deepened briefly. He opened his
eyes slowly, blinking away the last traces of sleep as Heero ended
the kiss. Raising one hand to caress Heero's cheek, Duo murmured,
"Just what I wanted for Christmas. Chocolate-flavoured kisses
from the man I love." "Wish you'd told me that before I braved the mall..."
Heero teased. Duo gave a quiet huff of laughter. "Ah hah, did
you hear that, Choc? Now I *know* he loves me - he braved the *mall*
for me," he proclaimed loudly and dramatically. The dog barked
sharply in response to Duo's exuberant tone. "You warned me not to push my luck..." Heero
responded quietly. "I didn't listen. I should have respected
your wishes." Duo sighed. "Yeah, well, calling Quat so that he'd
check up on me was kinda out of line. If he hadn't called already,
I wouldn't have gotten all bent out of shape by your call. I really
am okay on my own, Ro; I don't need a babysitter. "You're welcome." Silence fell for a few minutes as they simply soaked
in each other's presence, letting go of the tension caused by the
earlier dissension. Chocolate flopped down on the floor at their feet
and tipped onto his side, stomach facing them, to demand a belly rub.
Heero gave a soft snort of amusement and complied. "Sometimes I wonder who's training who around here..."
Duo muttered as the dog thwapped his foot with one paw, clearly demanding
that Duo pay attention to him too. "Only sometimes?" Heero queried as he leaned
over to snag the mugs of hot chocolate from the coffee table. Duo accepted his and sipped at it cautiously. Good.
It had cooled just enough to drink without burning his mouth. "Well,
okay. Maybe more like 'most of the time'," he admitted in rueful
amusement. "It's an ongoing struggle not to spoil him rotten." "I wish you'd let me spoil you a little bit, especially
right now..." Grimacing at the wistful tone, Duo offered, "Ro,
I'll try. I don't know how much fussing I can put up with, though." "I don't understand why it's so hard for you to
let me take care of you..." "I've been doin' a little thinking about that.
See, on the streets..." As Duo launched into his explanation,
he was very aware of how much his life had changed from those days,
of how fortunate he'd been. At the church, Father had made them count
their blessings on Christmas Eve - probably in hopes that it would
lessen the disappointment of the oh-so-practical gifts on Christmas
Day. Tonight, Duo was very aware of his blessings. Of how blessed he was to be here, like this, right now.
Blessed to have a home and enough to eat. Blessed to have good friends
like the other former Gundam pilots. Blessed to be alive and on the
road to recovery, however long and frustrating it might seem at times.
Blessed to have a life partner who loved and accepted him, quirks
and faults and all, and who he loved just as unconditionally in return.
Their relationship wasn't always easy. But neither of them took it
for granted; they kept working at it and it continued to deepen and
mature. No matter what sort of presents Christmas Day might
bring, Duo knew that he wouldn't be disappointed. His Christmas Eve
blessings were all that he needed. And they would stay with him all
the year through. ~ * ~
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