"Let me make it Better."

Written By: Yanagi

Disclaimer: I don’t own the Gundam Boys. I just borrowed them

Rating: PG

Warnings: sap, fluff

Pairings: 1x2x1

Summary: It's Christmas and Heero and Duo are getting ready for the festive season

"Let me make it Better."

Duo eyed the Christmas tree. He wasn’t pleased with it. It was several years old. He’d bought it for his first apartment when he was living alone. It was too small for the living room, but it practically disappeared in the great room space.

Heero wandered in from his office to eye the thing. “Duo, I know you’re attached to that thing but we really need a new one.”

Duo blinked his big, blue eyes. “Um ... lover, what ever gave you the idea I’m attached to that tree?”

“The first year we were together, I suggested not using it ... you had a fit. I figured you were attached to it for some reason.” Heero handed Duo a cup of tea then settled on the couch.

“I’m ... um ... you said, and I quote, Let’s not have a tree this year, it’s too much trouble.” Duo managed not to pout.

“I ... no, I didn’t. I’m sure I said, Let’s not have THAT tree. It’s a pain to set up.” Heero sipped his coffee and frowned, he was sure he’d said ‘that’ not ‘a’.

Duo frowned too. He was equally sure that Heero had said ‘a’ not ‘that’. He decided it didn’t make any difference at this late date. “Well, never mind.” he turned a hopeful look on Heero. “We could get a new one.”

“Ok. Tomorrow?” Heero checked his data pad. “We don’t have anything planned and we’re not on duty.”

“Ok. Tomorrow’s fine. We have the grocery list yet?” Duo was all for getting as much done in one trip as possible. Especially this time of year. The crowds weren’t bad, yet, but in another week it was going to be chaos.

Heero nodded. “Sure do. You really think I'd leave mission planning until the last minute?”

Duo groaned, fell backward onto his back on the floor and kicked his feet in the air. “Oh, my God. Ack! Unplanned mission. No go, no go!”

Heero bopped him with a pillow, which he took and stuck under his head. “No, no unplanned mission. You’re an ass.”

“I am, but you love me.” Duo got comfortable. He was usually comfortable in almost any position, years of living on the streets then in sweepers quarters had cured him of many civilized affectations.

“I do. Now. Turkey, or beef?”

“Turkey. Beef is for New Year’s Day. And all the trimmings. Stuffing, potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce. All that stuff.” Duo tickled his chin with the end of his braid.

“Ok. All the trimmings. You want to invite the guys for Christmas dinner?” He held up a hand to stop Duo from running over him. “That’s a given. Anyone else?” Heero hoped not. They had to go to the politically necessary Preventer’s Christmas Ball, that was a given. But they always managed to avoid any other high profile do. It had been a battle to keep their Christmas dinner from turning into another ‘see and be seen’ necessary high society fling. Now they were very careful who they invited.

“No. I’ve fought off all sorts of people this year. A couple of senators, a prince, a bunch of neo-rich snobs ... and the usual assortment of Preventer brass and hangers on. Oh! And that singer ... you know ... the one who sounds like a pig caught in a blender?”

Heero made a face. “Holy shit! That woman? How did she get to be so popular?”

“No idea. Maybe we should start a band?” Duo got up, plopped down on the couch next to Heero and batted his eyes at him.

Heero shoved him off. “Ugh! You look like Relena when she’s drunk.” He then proceeded to tickle Duo into submission, not that he had to try hard.

When they were calm again, Duo announced, “We need to start now. We’re both not that happy in a crowd.”

“Right. So. Presents? Then frozen stuff. Fresh stuff needs to wait until the last minute, no matter.” He frowned at his list.

Duo agreed, “You’re right. But, I had an idea. What if we go late at night/ early in the morning. Not many people around then.”

“Good idea. Let’s get started.” Heero stood up. “Bed. Now.”

Duo just grinned at him. “By your command, Oh Great Leader.”

Heero laughed. “Idiot.”

“Not.”

“Are.”

“Not.”

They continued in this fashion as they headed for bed. Heero won by the simple fact that Duo couldn’t talk when Heero was kissing him.

They fell into bed and went straight to sleep. It had been a hard day at work, paperwork on their last case had been a bitch, then making supper and Heero’s outside consultation had taken up the evening. Duo also did outside consultations. So they were tired.

Morning came, and with it the realization that they had to get moving if they wanted to get everything done. Heero knew that Duo would take hours to pick just the right new tree. And grocery shopping was an exercise in annoyance at the best of times. There was just the two of them so finding food in small containers, or ones that could be easily divided was a pain. He relaxed a bit when he realized that they were planning for five instead of two.

“What’s that smile for?” Duo loved to see Heero smile.

“Shopping just got a bit easier. We’re going to be cooking for all of us. We can plan for left overs for a week. No figuring out how to save what we can’t use before it spoils.”

“Great! I’d forgotten that. Sweet.” Duo grinned. “I can just taste it now. All those great things that are so hard to fix for just two. And we can make up some meals and freeze them.”

“That’s good. I really like home made dinners. Just pop it in the nuke and ... presto ... food.” Heero insisted on calling the microwave ‘the nuke’ and he never microwaved food, he nuked it. Duo thought it was cute.

“Ok. I was thinking...” Heero groaned. “Stop that. We could get two turkeys, it’s not like we don’t have the oven room. Lots of left overs to go with all the stuffing and gravy and such.”

Heero shrugged. “Ok. But ... why we have three ovens is beyond me.”

Duo laughed. “The guy who built this place was a great entertainer. He needed them. I actually use one to store pots and pans. We’ll have to move them to the pantry for awhile.”

Heero, who paid very little attention to the kitchen, beyond what it took to make a meal, said, “You say there’s three, so where are they?”

“One, the one we use most is in the range. The other two are built, up and down, behind that fancy paneling by the pantry. That’s why one side of the pantry is shorter than the other.”

Heero nodded. “Ok, I did wonder about that, but I figured it was enclosure for venting from the basement.”

“It is. The vent is in the back part and the ovens are in the front. The oven vents cut into the furnace vent, after going through a grease trap.” Duo knew all about the house. He’d been the one, with Heero’s approval, to pick it.

They made a quick breakfast of cold cereal and milk, orange juice and vitamins. Duo made coffee but they took it with them in thermos cups. They lived way out of the city, something that they’d both insisted on as neither one of them dealt particularly well with all the traffic noises and sirens of the city. The drive was easy, they were early for the daily commuters and Heero drove the SUV like he was piloting a Gundam. Duo was even worse, as he insisted on using his lights and siren, and drove like he was in hot pursuit. It usually took them from 30 to 45 minutes to make it to their favorite mall. Today, it took 25.

The mall was an all purpose shopping stop, as Duo called it. It had everything from a grocery store to a hardware store. There was a wine shop, right next to the cheese shop. And a coffee store that carried both coffee and tea; as well as pots and accessories for both.

Duo glanced at his list. “Ok, first thing. Quatre broke that tea pot that he really likes. The one we gave him at our first Christmas. I thought we might try to find him one like it, or at least similar. Ok?”

“Sure. I know he was upset about that. He really loved that pot for some reason. So finding him a new one is a good idea.” Heero glanced around at the stores, comparing them to his mental map of the mall. “The Coffee Pot is this way.”

“Right behind you.” Duo frowned for a moment. “Are you sure all the stores are open this early?”

“Yes, they’re open from 9am to midnight until Christmas Eve. Look.” Heero pointed to a store notorious for being open late and closing early. It was obviously open.

They’d long ago managed to keep their present list short. Quatre, Trowa, Wufei, Relena, an obligatory small something to Une and that was it. Quatre gave to his sisters and Trowa gave to a few from the circus. Wufei gave to the same list they did. Relena had staff and Une gave gift cards. If they hadn’t, they’d be giving to a list so long that they’d be broke for months.

So Duo was in charge of the list, he enjoyed it. Heero was in charge of wrapping things. Duo hated it, Heero enjoyed the precision required to get all the corners square and the edges of the paper straight.

They went into the Coffee Pot and found that there was a new clerk, not that unusual this time of year, who seemed to think they were the cutest thing since puppies. She followed them all over the store, asking if she could help them every few minutes. Duo ignored her, Heero glared at her. She wasn’t put off by that at all.

“Deary, you can glare all you want. I’m supposed to help you. That’s what I’m here for.” She gave him a benign smile and folded her hands in front of her, waiting to see what they really wanted.

Duo shrugged. “I’m looking for a tea pot for a friend” he described the pot.

The clerk thought for a moment. “I remember those. They’re from a borosilicate glass company that specializes in cookware but they don’t make those anymore. They add two new designs and retire two every year. That was retired three or four years ago. But ... we have several from the same company that work the same way. Would you like to take a look?”

Duo nodded. “Yes, please.”

She led the way and they found something that was just as nice and included a warmer.

Heero took the box and carried it to the check out, Duo thanked the lady and started to follow. She stopped him with a hand on his arm. “Honey, it’s Christmas. Take it easy. You’re all upset over something, don’t be. Just do your best and everything will work out. All the running around and frantic shopping isn’t good for you. Just be happy. Ok?”

Duo looked at her for a moment then smiled. “You’re right. We’re hosting a dinner for some friends, need to get supplies, a new tree, presents and ... but you’re right. We’ve eaten canned Spam out of the can and given each other ammo for a present. It can only go up hill from that.” He gave her a quick hug and went to find Heero.

Heero was glowering at the checker as she struggled with an unfamiliar register. He wasn’t particularly mad at her, he just didn’t understand why she couldn’t get the register to work.

Duo watched her then whispered to Heero, “I bet she got about two seconds training then got thrown in the deep end. Poor kid. She can’t be more than 16.”

Heero snorted. “You’re right. And she isn’t like us. Operation Meteor at 15, but we’d been trained.”

Duo peered at the register, it was frozen. “Here. Let me fix it. I know this system.”

She glanced at him then gave it up. The woman she was waiting on was huffing her irritation and sounded like a ruptured boiler. Heero turned and glowered at her instead. She recognized him and turned pale. She settled in to wait as patiently as she could for Duo to fix the register.

Duo, for his part, was taking the other clerk’s advice to heart. “Ok, look, here’s what you did wrong. And it’s not your fault. Everyone thinks that backing out an item is done that way. And it is, unless there’s a coupon or it’s a sale item that you have to do that extra step for. I hate this system with a purple passion. I wrote a much better one two days after I had to use this one on an undercover. It sucks majorly. Most stores have already downloaded the change. So, since you have the old system you have to back out the coupon, sale, whatever, as a separate step and do it first, or the system freezes.” he punched more buttons. “There. Now, rescan the merchandise and we’re home free.”

The checker scanned the offending item, which was not on sale, no matter what the woman said and finished the transaction with a forced smiled and a flat, “Thank you for shopping with us. Please come again.” She waited until the woman was out of earshot then added, “Not.” She sighed then said, “Sorry about that. Christmas seems to bring out the worst in some people. Seriously. So...” She pushed her hair out of her face. “Let’s get this thing done.” She picked up the box and ran the scanner over it. The register dinged and the price came up. “Oh, you’re in luck. If you have a coupon, you get 20 percent off.”

Duo shrugged. “No coupon. Worse luck.” He loved coupons and was, as Heero said, scissors mad the second the paper came through the door.

The clerk smirked a bit then rummaged under the counter. “I found this on the floor. I asked around a bit but no one claimed it. So...coupon!” She brandished the bit of paper in the air. “And ... it’s for 30 percent off on any one item.” She scanned it and it worked. “Yay!”

Heero smiled at her and got a pleased grin back. Duo happily bagged his purchase and prepared to leave the store. Before he could, he caught sight of the first clerk. She smiled at him and he nodded to her. She patted him on the shoulder again and said, “Try to make things better. Ok?”

Heero, overhearing her, turned and nodded. “She’s right. All this rushing around for stuff ... it’s silly. We don’t need a lot. And the guys really won’t care. Come on. Groceries.” He pointed to a men’s shop. “I know what to get for Trowa. He needs a new belt and they’ve got one with a zip compartment that will hold his ‘emergency money’.”

Duo couldn’t help himself, he gave the clerk a hug, which she returned gently. “Go on, honey, have a good Christmas.”

They left the store and walked, hand in hand, to the men’s store. This store was one of those snobby places that catered to the very rich, very exclusive upper crust. All the Gundam pilots avoided it like a plague. Quatre even turned down free things so as not to give them the opportunity to claim ‘as purchased by Q.R. Winner’. But it was the only place Heero had seen this particular type of belt.

Trowa had few quirks from the wars, but one he did have was the need to have a hidden stash of money on his person. This belt had a zippered compartment that was accessed from the inner side of the belt. It would only hold a few bills but it was enough to give him that sense of security that he needed.

The clerk in this store was a very snobbish man of about 40 who seemed to think that either Heero or Duo was about to steal something. Duo could have made off with the whole store without a hitch, but he didn’t need it. Preventers paid them very well and they still had a lot of the trust that the Mad Doctors had set up for them. They weren’t as rich as Quatre by any means, but they sure weren’t poor either.

Duo pointed to the style belt they wanted. There was only one of anything on display, the store specialized in bespoke clothing. “I’d like to see that, please.”

The clerk looked down his nose at Duo. “I’m sure you would. But we don’t want your sort dirtying the goods.”

Heero eyed the man for a moment then offered, “We can pay, or we wouldn’t be in here.”

“I’ll need to check your credit.” He thought that would send them away but Heero just got out his card and handed it over. The clerk ran the card then blinked at the display. “Oh. I see.”

Duo looked around. “Heero, do we really want to do this?”

Heero thought for a moment. “I’m not sure. It’s a bit too snobbish for me. But Trowa would really like that belt.”

“I know. It’s just ...” Duo eyed the clerk. “He’s so rude.”

The clerk, who’d turned his back to get the belt out of the display, heard them but didn’t say anything. He turned back around with the belt in his hand. “It is bespoke, so I’ll need the waist size. It can be ready in three days. If you want it mailed, I’ll need the address.”

Heero shook his head. “It will be done by ...” he glanced at his watch. “four or we’ll not buy it. We’re not coming back into this madness until after Christmas.” He knew the time frame was more than a bit short. “We’ll pay extra.”

The clerk, ready to get defensive, seemed to deflate. “I see. I’ll ask Tonio, that’s our leather smith. He’s in the back. Excuse me.” he stalked off, back stiff. Tonio was difficult at the best of times. He’d been wounded in the wars and was now in constant pain, which no doctor seemed to be able to do anything for. On good days, he was easy to deal with; on bad days, not so much.

Tonio came out, ready to argue, then he saw who they were. “Well, well. I never thought I’d see you again.”

Duo couldn’t help the smile that lit up his face. “Anthony! Wow! Look at you. How ya doin’?”

“Some good days, some bad.” He winced. “This one ... not so good.” The starchy clerk brought over a stool and Tonio sat down on it. “So, what’s up?”

Heero remembered the Gunnery Mate, too. “Belt, for Trowa.”

“Mmm, I can’t get it done by three. I can mail it to you. On me.”

Duo shook his head. “We pay our way. Got enough.”

Tonio shifted and winced.

“Look, man, you can tell me to mind my own business but ...” Heero fished around in his wallet for a moment then handed over a card. “Go see this guy. He’s great with phantom pains. You got your spine damaged, right?” The older man nodded. “Well, I’ll bet you've got a pinched nerve. That’s harder than hell to diagnose. You give that card to the receptionist and you’ll get preference. And don’t shake your head, you earned it, you deserve it. Merry Christmas. Oh, and our address, email and such is all on the back. Don’t lose it.”

Tonio eyed them for a moment then tucked the card away. “Clyde, ring them up. Usual price, free mail.” He waved a hand at Heero’s scowl. “Can’t get it done by three, said that already.” He turned to Clyde. “Get that stick out of your ass. You’re scaring off the customers. Not every millionaire always dresses like a clothes horse. You should have seen Winner in that damn pink shirt and desert vest.” He eyed Heero. “Not to mention his bike shorts and that ugly green tank.”

Duo snickered, “And those boots. Yellow? I ask you.”

Heero just shrugged. “They were comfortable and had steel toes.”

Duo eyed Clyde, who just looked tired. “You sure you should talk to him like that? What if he complains to the boss?”

Tonio smiled, “Well, I’m the leather smith, but I’m also the owner. So, tough.” He eyed his employee. “I still don’t know what the hell he expects to accomplish by acting like that.” He turned. “So tell me. Why?”

“Ambiance. Most people expect us to be ... stuffy. I try ... I really do. But it’s so annoying when people who can’t afford it come in and handle the merchandise leaving it dirty.”

Tonio shook his head. “Some come in to look and wish, others to see if it’s worth saving up for. Stop being such a ... crabapple. Let ‘em look. If they finger it dirty, we’ll clean it. If the stains don’t come out, we’ll put out another. Keep wet wipes around and ask them to wipe their hands off. If they get pissed about that, run ‘em out.”

Clyde looked so happy over this that Duo felt a bit bad about his previous comment. “Look, man, I just realized that you were only trying to do your job. Sorry I was snarky.”

Clyde waved that away with a flick of his hand. “No. I’m glad. Now everything is cleared up. I don’t have to worry about turning people away, except if they’re truly dirty handed. It’s good.” His smile made him look like a completely different person. He turned to ring up the purchase then turned back around with the register slip in his hand. “Here you go. It will be there by tomorrow.” He gave Duo the slip and pressed something else into his hand.

Duo glanced down and smiled, there, in the palm of his hand rested two peppermint hard candies. He handed one to Heero and popped the other into his mouth. He said, “Merry Christmas.” around it.

Heero also ate his right away. “Merry Christmas from me too. Anthony.” A nod to each man received smiles in return and they left the store, well satisfied with their transaction.

Duo dragged Heero off to listen to the early choir sing for a bit. He consulted his list after they retired from the set.

“Well, Quatre, Trowa ... done and done. That leaves Wufei and groceries. Any idea for Wufei?”

Heero shook his head. “Not a one. Let’s just walk around a bit.”

They wandered around, dodging other shoppers and looking in windows. The mall was getting much busier now and the crowds were building. Some stores were so crowded that they decided not to even try to enter.

They wandered for an hour or more then went to the food court to get something to eat. It was early so it wasn’t jammed. They eyed the different booths and finally decided on Chinese. The area was clean and an older man was busily bussing the tables.

They placed their orders and settled to stand and wait until their food was done. The older man smiled at them and said, “Go. Sit. I’ll bring it out to you when it’s done.”

Heero glanced at Duo, who shrugged. He turned back and said, “Thank you.” they seated themselves and began a discussion of what to get Wufei. They considered and rejected several ideas and were beginning to wonder if they’d ever figure it out when the old man brought their food out.

He put the tray down and began to place the dishes carefully on the table, arranging them in some design that seemed to please him.

Duo had a sudden inspiration. “Look, this is going to sound like a stupid question, but you are Chinese, right?”

The old man laughed, “Yes, with a name like Wong, I believe I am.”

He didn’t seem offended but Duo apologized anyway. “I’m really sorry. I’m ashamed to admit that I really can’t tell the difference between Chinese, Japanese, Korean or anything else.” Duo motioned, “Could you take a seat for a moment?” Mr Wong sat down, took the offered cup of tea and waited. “Well, see, we have a friend, Chang Wufei. And he’s hard to buy a present for. We’ve been thinking and thinking but haven’t come up with a thing. Help a guy out?”

Mr Wong shrugged. “Ok. Tell me a bit about your friend.”

Heero did, efficiently outlining Wufei’s personality and likes and dislikes the best he could.

“Mmmm, was a student, you say? A poet? And a scholar. Does he write Han-Tzu?” He glanced from Heero to Duo. Duo nodded. “So, does he have a good writing set? Not one of those little 1x3x7 boxes with a sliding lid, a real set with a drawer for paper.”

Heero shook his head. “No, I don’t believe he does. He’s got a box about this size ...” He sketched a box about 2x4x6 with his hands. “It's got two brushes, an ink stone and an ink stick. It’s got hinges but ... it’s really old, looks like something a school boy would use. And the brushes are worn, the stick is nothing but a stub and the stone is slick.”

Mr Wong nodded. “Well, there you have it. Get him a new box. Merry Christmas.” And with that, he was off to collect another table of dirty dishes.

Heero smiled at Duo. “Well, that was easier than I expected and I know just the place to go. It’s in the same strip as the grocery store. Let’s go.”

Duo grinned. “I love this complex, it’s got everything. You want to move the SUV?”

Heero thought about that for a moment. “No, we’re parked just about half way between. If we get enough groceries that it’s a problem, you can stay with our stuff and I’ll just drive over and pick you up.”

“Ok, sounds good to me.”

Heero left a tip on the table and they took off. They didn’t see Mr Wong pick up the money, smile and drop it into the Preventers Toy Fund jar.

It was just a short walk to the store that Heero was thinking of and it took them less time than anyone would have thought as they darted out into the parking lot and jogged. The sidewalk was crammed with window shoppers and taking to the lot avoided all that. They were careful to keep an eye on the traffic but that was light just then.

They laughed as they darted across the street in front of the store. Someone honked at them but it wasn’t a nasty blare, more of a watch out. Duo waved at the honker and got a shouted, “Merry Christmas,” in return.

When they entered the store, the first thing they did was smell frankincense and myrrh. Duo sighed, but Heero sneezed. Then he laughed. “Incense always makes me sneeze.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. Should I put it out?” The question came from the back of the shop.

Heero shook his head. “No. I’ll just sneeze the one time. It’s ok.”

An older Chinese woman stepped out of the back of the shop, pushing aside a cloth curtain to do so. “How may I help you?”

Duo explained what they wanted and the lady nodded. “I have several sets. Some are like the one you described and, yes, they are for students. I also have several better sets. Some have colors and are intended for sumi-e artists, others are for scholars and only have black ink in sticks. Here.” She pointed to a case that had several boxes in it. Several were about the size of two paper back books stacked on top of each other, others were larger. She took out two. “Here is one with colors and another without.” She put them on the counter top.

Heero eyed them both then opened one. It was nice, made of hard cedar wood with brass fixtures. The top opened up to show several depressions which held an ink stone, a small dropper pot for water, a box and long, narrow metal sticks.

Duo eyed them and asked, “What is all this?”

Heero smiled. “You can figure out most of it ... but this ...” he touched the box. “is for ink sticks and these ...” he took out one of the metal sticks, “are paper weights. You put them on the paper to keep it from curling or moving while you work.”

Two drawers came out, one from each side. “And this ...” Heero fiddled for a moment then pulled up a rack with two levels, each holding four brushes, “brushes and the other has a roll of paper.” He closed the box up and turned to the other.

This box was nearly identical to the other, except it had another drawer. This drawer was under the two sideways drawers but pulled out straight forward. It had a porcelain pallet in the front part and the back held several tubes of watercolors. The pallet had two small depressions for each color, one a deep well to hold a dab of the color and the other a shallow rectangular one to make a wash in.

Duo eyed the two then decided. “The color one. I know Wufei paints as well as writes. He’d really like that one. He could take it on his assignments. And we need to get him some paper too.”

The lady nodded. “Good, good. It’s a bit pricy but very fine quality. Made to last a lifetime. Paper is here. I’d suggest getting the biggest roll that will fit in the drawer.”

Heero selected a roll and handed it to her. “Can you wrap it in a furoshiki? I don’t have any. Wufei would much prefer the cloth wrapping to paper.”

“Oh, certainly. I can do that. I have a lovely piece with a cord. Very fine work.” She brought the square of fabric out and showed it to them, at their nod, she efficiently wrapped the box in the fabric, tying the ends in a fancy knot. “There you are.”

Duo oo’ed and aa’ed a bit, making her smile. She rang them up and they left, calling, “Merry Christmas.”

Duo eyed their packages for a moment then announced, “I’m not dragging all this through the grocery store. Lets go to the SUV and lock this all up.”

Heero agreed and gave the teapot to Duo to hold while he unlocked the back hatch. He opened the armored locker that actually was intended to hold guns and ammo, but was empty for now. “Here.” He tucked the boxes away and locked everything back up.

Then they headed for the grocery store. Duo pulled his list out of his pocket and consulted it.

“Ok, turkey, stuffing, potatoes ... no sweet potatoes, those were a disaster. And ...” he mumbled away as he checked the rather mangled page.

Heero just got out a cart. “Duo, this way. You always go wrong way around, counter clockwise is right.”

Duo looked up, saw the crowd in the store and sighed. “Ok. I think the other way around. It’s more alphabetical.”

Heero snorted. “This way you go by frozen and fresh last. Keeps it colder. Not that it matters that much in this weather.”

Duo pointed. “Ok. First, stuffing mix. I’m not doing the from scratch shit anymore. This is just as good.” He tossed six boxes into the cart. “Half cornbread, half cranberry/pecan. Ok?”

Heero nodded. “Ok. It was really good last year. Even if we did have a mess from baking the damn cornbread. Who knew it would rise that much?”

“Not me.” Duo laughed. “I really, really hated cleaning that oven, all that baked on goo.”

A lady, overhearing this, turned around and said, “I know I’m minding your business, but didn’t your mother teach you any cleaning tricks?”

Duo smiled. “I’m an orphan, the only cleaning tricks I learned were in the military.”

“Oh, dear. I’m so sorry.” The lady looked upset.

“Don’t be. It’s ok. You had a hint?” Duo’s hopeful look made her smile.

“Ok. Here. If you bake goo, as you called it, onto your oven. Turn your oven on and heat it to about 250. Put a pan of boiling water in it and turn it off. Leave it for twenty minutes or so. Then use the hot water to wash the oven out. Works wonders and you don’t have to use that smelly oven cleaner. If the boiling water trick doesn’t work, I’m afraid smelly chemicals are your only hope. Merry Christmas.” She turned and walked off, pushing her cart.

Duo and Heero called, “Merry Christmas,” after her and went back to shopping.

They made it all the way through the store without an incident, no one ran into them, pushed or shoved them. It was great. But now, they were trying to decide how much turkey they were going to need and couldn’t find anyone to help.

Duo finally just turned to an elderly couple and asked, “Excuse me. We’re really stuck. How much turkey would we need for five healthy appetites with leftovers for later?”

The woman smiled a bit wistfully. “I remember when we had all the kids at home. That was nine of us. We bought a huge ham. But, if you want turkey, you should allow about a pound per person. That’s meat not whole turkey. You’re going to lose some weight to bone and such. That leaves enough for sandwiches one day and hash or pie another.” She patted Heero on the arm. “Have a big family already?”

Heero patted her hand. “No, but we’re having friends over. Fought together.”

The man nodded. “Good. Good to see companions stay together after. Our kids ... they all have families of their own now. They have Thanksgiving with us and Christmas with their spouse's family this year. Next year it’s the other way around. Fair’s fair.”

Duo nodded. “Yeah. But it’s lonely, the day they’re not with you.” He impulsively hugged the lady. “Thanks for your help.”

“Welcome.” She smiled. “Come along, Fred. We still have some things to find.” They walked off, heads together, he was smiling at something she was saying.

“Man, wonder how long they’ve been married?” Duo draped an arm over Heero’s shoulders.

“Don’t know. Long time.” Heero hugged Duo easily. “Come on. We’ll get three turkeys and hope it’s enough.”

The picked up three turkeys and went to the fresh vegetables, Duo wanted onions, brussel sprouts, apples, oranges ... and the list went on. Most of a full page.

Heero stood patiently as Duo picked out his produce. Heero refused to claim it as Duo was doing all the cooking, he was pot boy. Finally, Duo had everything he needed and they headed off for the check out.

When they got there, they ended up behind an old woman who only had a few items in her cart. The checker smiled at her, she was obviously a favorite customer.

When the checker told the lady her total, her face fell a bit. She started rummaging in her purse for more money. The checker looked at the couple over her head and mouthed, “She’s old. Please, have patience.” Duo smiled back while Heero watched the old lady.

After a bit of fishing, she finally found a small coin purse. She opened it, counted the contents and sighed. “I’m so sorry. I don’t have quite enough. I’ll have to put something back.” She stood and looked at the few things on the counter.

Heero looked too. She had so little that it was obvious that she really needed every item there. He just pulled out his wallet. “How much do you need?”

The lady turned, smiled and said, “It’s ok. You don’t need to waste your money on me.”

Duo snorted. “It’s never a waste to help someone. We’ve got more than enough. Let it be an early Christmas present.”

The lady dithered for a bit then said, “Thank you so very much. I really appreciate it.”

While Heero was taking care of that, Duo was snatching gift cards off the pegboard. He waved them at the checker, who grinned like it was Christmas Day. She quickly scanned the three cards and added the total to the next transaction. Duo pressed the cards into the lady's hands and said, “Here. Don’t argue. Neither Heero nor I have family. Just take this. Please.”

The lady gathered her groceries, tucked the cards into her purse and thanked them gratefully. She wiped her eyes as she walked away.

The checker nearly broke her face, she smiled so widely. “Oh, thank you. She’s such a good person and it’s just sad. She usually does ok, but her furnace broke and it had to be replaced. She’s got enough savings that she isn’t eligible for much help and it’s so sad. You’re good people.”

Duo shrugged. “Like to help out when we can. She just ... I wish I could do more.”

Heero put his hand on Duo’s shoulder. “Let’s get checked out. Come on.”

The checker took the hint and checked them out quickly, smiling the whole time. She finished and told them the total. Duo paid and they packed everything back in a cart and left, feeling well satisfied with themselves.

They dropped the groceries off at the SUV and headed for the specialty store for a tree.

Duo was determined to find just the right tree. It had to be fairly tall, as the ceiling at the house was peaked at 15 feet. And a bit broader than normal too. And lots of lights. Duo loved lights, twinkly ones.

Heero didn’t care. All he wanted was for Duo to like it. He’d put it up and take it down, but Duo was going to decorate it. They’d thought about a live tree but decided against it because of the mess. The real trees dried out, no matter how carefully you watered and shed needles everywhere. They were also a fire hazard, the dry needles caught fire so easily. You heard stories about that every year.

So they looked the trees over. The newest thing was a collapsible tree. It was actually just tips strung on a wire spiral. You put a pole in the middle and up it went, sort of like a tent. Heero wasn’t too sure about it. Neither was Duo. The sales man frowned at it then admitted that he wasn’t that fond of it either. He liked a tree that was prewired with self-shaping branches made on memory wire. Duo admitted that he wasn’t sure and just wanted to wander a bit.

Heero took up a station by the door, where he could see most of the store. The salesman went off to wait on someone else.

Duo finally settled on the prewired, sectional tree and extra lights. The old lights were getting a bit frayed and Heero had insisted on throwing them out with the tree. Now, the whole mess was in the garage, waiting for pick up day.

“Ok, got the number of the one I want. It’s a bit taller than the old tree and wider. It won’t look so lost. Where’s the salesman?”

Heero pointed. Duo rounded him up by waving the number over his head.

“Ok, made a decision? Good.” He took the numbered paper and went into the back to find the tree.

It didn’t take him long to return with the box on a four wheeled cart. “Right this way. Pay and I’ll help you out with it. Hope you’re driving something big.”

Duo blinked at the man a few times then said, “Oh, you mean that won’t fit on my Vespa?”

The salesman’s jaw dropped, then, noticing Heero’s grin said, “Man, I don’t think so.”

Duo offered his card to the boy at the register, took his receipt and headed for the door.

Heero followed with the salesman in tow. He offered, over his shoulder, “I’m sure it’ll fit in the SUV. If not, we can tie it to the roof rack.”

It didn’t take them but a glance to see that, if they put the last seat down, the tree box would fit into the back of the SUV. Since it was only Heero and Duo, they moved the groceries to the floor between the front and middle seats. The SUV had three sets of seats, front, middle and back. This allowed them to put the seat down, doubling the size of the luggage compartment. The tree box just fit that length and there was a bit of room on each side.

“Ok, that’s that.” Heero wiped his hands on his jeans while Duo thanked the salesman.

Duo climbed into the SUV and sighed. “Well, that’s that is right. All done.”

“I’m ready for a hot toddy and a little us time.”

“Me too.”

They made it home, after fighting the late noon traffic and unloaded the SUV. Turkeys went into the fridge to defrost, the tree was left for the next day and all the other groceries were put where they needed to be. The presents were tucked into the guest room for safe keeping and Duo demanded Turkey Pizza for supper.

Heero just shrugged. He like the silly thing himself. So they ordered.

Duo put down the phone. “You think the guys will like their presents?”

“You know they will.” Heero kissed Duo gently on the forehead. This was a constant with him. Duo was always sure that no one would like what they’d gotten and worried over it.

Heero was equally sure that they’d love anything they got.

He smiled. “Duo. Every year, you worry, every year, they love what we got. What can I do to make this better.”

Duo, thinking back to the clerk in the Coffee Pot, said, “Nothing. I’m not going to worry about it. The moral of this is. No one who loves us, cares what we got, just that we got them something. And ... we made several people’s day better, I think.”

Heero settled on the couch, dragging Duo down with him. “Merry Christmas, Duo.”

Duo nodded, head resting on Heero’s shoulder. “Merry Christmas, Heero.”

~*~

 

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