Author: Ash
Archive: at the Vault - http://www.geocities.com/ashkara12/index.html. Anywhere else, please ask first!
Rating: PG
Warnings: Um... If anyone who reads this still believes in Santa... *grin* Sap and shounen ai.
C&C: Craved! Email me at ashkara12@yahoo.com!
Disclaimer: If I owned them, I would be significantly richer and happier than I am. No money made, no money expected.
Notes: Sorry I've been missing from the lists for so long. Real Life has been far crazier than I was really prepared to deal with... I'm trying to get it back under control. But since it is Christmas and all that... I hope you all enjoy, and have a lovely holiday season!
On with the show!
The Burglar's Advice
Heero Yuy awoke instantly, knowing that someone was in his apartment. He frowned into the darkness as he silently pulled his gun from its place in his night table drawer and rolled to his feet, automatically checking the chamber. Any criminal so incredibly stupid as to attempt to burgle a former Gundam pilot deserved anything he got.
Burglaries were fairly commonplace during the Christmas season, with so many people unable to afford the sort of mindless frivolity their families expected of them. Preventers were not normally called in to help the police, but they had been this year. Heero had been through this about a million times already, and he could easily do it again, even without his partner backing him up.
It was just a damned nuisance. He snorted - one look at his alarm clock confirmed that it was already (incredibly early) Christmas morning. Wasn't it a bit late to be finishing one's shopping?
He crept out into the hallway on cat's feet and made his silent way down to the living room, bare feet making no noise in the carpet.
"Yes, come right in, young man," a voice called. He stopped in shock - whoever it was heard him coming? The light coming on up ahead re-confirmed it.
Okay, so whoever this was broke into his home, disturbed his sleep, and now wanted to sit down for a friendly chat? Heero shook his head - this had to be the stupidest criminal known to man! Gun in hand, he gave up on stealth and simply walked in, glaring his best glare.
He almost stopped short in surprise, except that it would not have suited his image. He corrected his previous assessment of his unwanted visitor - the person was the stupidest and most creative criminal.
He'd give any person who broke into his home wearing a Santa suit that much, at least.
His eyes narrowed. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, gun extended in his hand.
The old man looking back at him simply laughed. It was a jolly sound, and it quite threw Heero off his game. Not even Duo was that immune to the coldest of death glares!
The guy gestured to a nearby chair as though having a crack shot pointing a gun at him were nothing. "You already know who I am, son. Have a seat."
Heero lifted an eyebrow. He hadn't heard of any breakouts from any mental asylums or assisted living centres. This old guy - despite the fact that he looked the part very well - was obviously quite out of his mind. He crossed his arms over his chest. "Santa Claus is a myth devised for young children, nothing more. You chose to break into the wrong apartment, mister."
The jolly look slipped for a moment, and Heero was quite surprised to be receiving a very good facsimile of his own glare. "And I don't have time tonight to deal with overly obstinate Gundam pilots. Sit DOWN."
The Japanese young man found himself sitting very quickly.
The jolly look returned almost instantly to the old man's face, and he sat back comfortably, putting his booted feet up onto Heero's coffee table. "Very good! Now - we have much to discuss, Heero. You've caused quite a problem for me, I don't mind admitting."
Heero lifted an eyebrow again. Alright - he'd play along for the moment. "Really."
The old man nodded his head, his ridiculous red hat flopping into his eyes, only to be batted out of the way with an irritated, but much practised gesture. "Everyone wants at least something. You, however... You want nothing from anyone. At least, you don't want anything that isn't already yours, regardless of whether or not you realise you have it yet."
Heero frankly stared. Maybe it was because it was only 0217 in the morning, but that hadn't made an ounce of sense to him! "How can I not know I have something I want?"
The old guy was wearing a knowing look. "It has been right there for a while, Heero. You just couldn't see it and accept it for what it was. I can't give you what you've already got."
Heero sat back and thought about it. There really wasn't anything he wanted. He had a good job doing important, interesting work, a good, competent partner in the form of one Duo Maxwell, three other friends he cared about like brothers, other friends, a nice apartment, a fast car, freedom, money...
Nope. Nothing missing from his list. "You are not making sense, old man. I don't care for riddles."
"Neither do I, son," the man responded, staring right back into his eyes. "You might not understand me right now, but there will come a time when everything I've said will make sense."
"Sure, of course it will," Heero replied sarcastically, rising to his feet to tower over the man, who was now smiling up at him happily. "You are under arrest for breaking and entering. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford one, the state will provide you with legal counsel. Do you understand these rights?"
"Sure do. Merry Christmas!" The old guy winked at him, and something flashed very brightly, forcing Heero to close his eyes for a split second.
By the time he opened them again, the man was gone.
Growling under his breath, Heero did a quick search of his home. Nothing was missing or even disturbed.
He returned to the living room and absently sat back down in his chair, still frowning. "What the hell was that?"
There was no reply. Sighing and yawning, he made sure the safety was on his handgun before he padded back towards his bedroom.
It would make more sense in the morning. At least, he hoped it would.
Because somewhere in the very back of his mind, he was beginning to wonder if he'd just become the first Preventer to read Santa his rights.
~*~
Heero was in a foul mood the next morning.
He hadn't slept well for the rest of the night at all. He'd been hyper aware of the slightest noise in his apartment, and pissed off that whoever that had been had gotten away from him so easily.
He supposed he should have called the police to report an insane, old man running around in a red suit, but he hadn't wanted to sound like any of the assorted nutters who called in on a consistent basis. He hated being laughed at, and he knew without a doubt that his fellow law enforcement agents would laugh that (a) he came up with such a bad story, and (b) he let the old bastard get away. Some Preventer he was!
To make matters worse, there had been no coffee left at his apartment and, when he decided to go out to the store and get some, no stores open. At that point, he gave up and headed into the office. It was a day off (one that Duo had fought like mad to ensure they both got), but he had nothing better to do, and he figured there would at least be coffee there.
He was still waiting for the pot to brew when a hand pushed its way into his field of vision, carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee and a takeout bagel bag. "You know, a glared-at pot never finishes perking, Ro. Merry Christmas."
Heero turned in surprise. Duo was out of uniform, but he was still there, wearing a heavy, black Army coat and a bright red scarf against the chill from outdoors. He reached out and accepted the offerings automatically. "Thanks, Duo. What are you doing here?"
The other man shrugged easily as he peeled off the heavy coat he was wearing. "Something told me you'd be here. Didn't want you to suffer alone."
"Right." Heero shook his head. This day just kept getting stranger. "You probably have places to be."
Duo sat at his desk with a flourish. "Not for a while, at least. You?"
"Well, Relena invited me, but I don't think that would be a good idea," Heero admitted, shaking his head as he sat as well.
Duo winced in sympathy. Heero and Relena had eventually attempted to date each other, but it hadn't ended well. In fact, it ended so poorly that Zechs challenged Heero to a duel over it. A duel which thankfully never happened - Duo managed to talk Zechs down. That had been eight months ago, and Relena was attempting to mend bridges, but everyone knew Zechs was still carrying a grudge. It simply would not have been good for either of them to be forced to inhabit the same palace over the long holiday!
"Well, I can't let you stay here alone, then, can I?" Duo asked, smiling over at him. "At least you get invited - she still hates me from the War, I think. I was never invited, even when you two were dating."
Heero shot his friend a smile. "Can I call her a crazy onna without sounding like Wufei?"
"Imitation it the highest form of praise, you know," Duo responded, then took a long pull on his coffee. "Shit - this stuff sucks, but it was the best I could do."
Heero lifted an eyebrow. He hadn't thought about it too much, but... none of the coffee places he'd seen on his drive to work had been open. Where had Duo gone to get coffee and bagels on Christmas day?
And for that matter, why was Relena still being so silly, where Duo was concerned? Sure, the guy had a one-of-a-kind sense of humour, but he was also one of the most charming, handsome, nicest individuals Heero knew. She'd never liked him, even when Duo had prevented him from shooting her, way back when they'd all first met during the War...
He tried the coffee. He had to agree with Duo - it wasn't the best. Still, it was coffee. "It's great. It must have been hard finding a shop that was open."
"Yeah, a little," Duo admitted, looking away as he smiled, pleased. "I just thought... Ah. Never mind."
"What?" Heero asked.
Duo blushed slightly. "Nothing. We have any cases we could get a head start on?"
Heero frowned and turned to look at his computer screen. "I suppose. Have you read the Pyrus files yet? Might involve a bit of undercover work."
Duo shook his head and turned to his own computer. "I can hardly wait," he snarked.
Heero turned back as well, but found he could not concentrate as he called up the files and began sifting through them. He simply had too much to think about, between his late night visitor, Relena, Duo, that weird, little blush...
He'd told the old man the night before that he had everything he wanted, but he hadn't been completely honest about it. Sure, his life was much better and fuller than he'd ever expected it to be, but he wanted more.
Heero had not wanted to hurt Relena so badly in their relationship. He'd enjoyed the feeling of closeness with her, the intimacy and the belonging, but... Something had been missing. Something vital, and as nice as he'd tried to be about it, there had been no way of telling Relena gently. He was genuinely fond of her and loved her, but he had not been in love with her. He somehow knew there was someone else out there for him, someone with whom he could be completely happy, someone who would accept all his friends and not chase away his best friend whenever she could...
He turned back and watched Duo working. He really didn't understand that part of it in the slightest. Duo was the most charming bastard he'd ever met, with more than half the females on their floor openly pining for him despite his open and honest admission of a preference for members of his own sex. In fact, the rumour mill had gone crazy when Duo came out, almost everyone assuming that he and Duo were an item.
The American had just blushed and denied the rumours, but now that Heero thought about it... Duo had been pretty unhappy that entire week, and had almost never looked him in the eye.
Heero's eyes narrowed. If that was the reason Relena has been so cold towards Duo... And yet she'd been doing that for far longer. Even during the War...
When Duo shot him. When Duo broke him out of the hospital. When Duo was his roommate. When Duo had...
Heero snorted as it struck him. Shoot - no wonder Relena never liked the braided man. They had been so close, she'd assumed that Duo was her rival for his affections!
As if! Someone as funny and smart and good looking as Duo could do much better than that. He had admirers everywhere he went...
But he rarely if ever dated any of them, did he? Heero turned to look at his partner again, his mind going a mile a minute.
Duo went out often, but usually as a member of a group. He had rarely dated, as far as Heero could tell. He would not have had much time for it, between their missions, their daily training sessions, bringing files home to one of their apartments and going over them over dinner, working on their respective vehicles...
Realisation struck Heero like a lightning bolt. Duo didn't date because he was always with him. Duo - the one person with whom he felt he could share anything, who was always there for him, the friend he needed like he needed air. Duo had been so upset that one week because he was admitting he didn't have the one thing he wanted and couldn't get - Heero, himself.
He choked - both the old guy and Relena were right. He wanted something, himself - he wanted it very badly. In fact, he wanted someone. And that person had been there in front of his nose for so long that he had completely missed it. Duo was in love with him! And he...
"You okay, Heero?" He was brought back to reality with a hand on his shoulder, giving him a gentle shake.
He blinked up into Duo's concerned face. "Yes, I... No. Duo, I have to ask you something."
"Sure, shoot," the other man responded, worried.
"Duo... when you came in earlier, you were going to say..." he tripped over his words. "What really brought you here today?"
The braided man looked away. "I... I knew you would be here."
"And?"
Duo's mouth opened and closed a few times as he considered what to say. "You know... no one should be alone on Christmas. Even if you don't believe in it - I'm not sure I do, myself. But still... I... What else does one do for one's best friend?"
Heero couldn't believe he hadn't noticed this before! Had he really been that blind? Relena certainly hadn't.
Watching Duo trying to find a way not to say what he really wanted to say, Heero couldn't help a small smile. He made up his mind quickly, and interrupted. "Something strange happened to me last night."
Duo stopped stumbling for words and glanced over at him, grateful to be off the hook, if only for the moment. "Yeah?"
Heero nodded. "I woke up to find someone in my apartment - there was this old guy in a Santa outfit. I thought he was a burglar."
Duo laughed. "Thought? Did you arrest him?"
Heero laughed along and shook his head. "I read him his rights, though. He... this is going to sound stupid, but he vanished. Literally."
"You're right - that definitely counts as strange," Duo conceded. "So... Santa came for a visit? How cute is that! Did you get a present?"
"No," Heero shook his head, suddenly feeling butterflies in his stomach. "He said... he said he couldn't give me what I wanted."
"Well, that sucks."
Heero shot his friend a glare, but continued, "No - he said... he said he couldn't give it to me because it was already mine, whether I knew I had it or not."
Duo simply stared. "Okay. That's... I'd ask if you'd been drinking, but since this is you... Do you... do you know what he meant?"
Heero suddenly laughed out loud. "This sounds so unreal! I think I do."
"Are you going to tell me, already?"
Heero made up his mind, seeing the hopeful, but controlled look on his friend's face. He no longer doubted the old man in the slightest. "No, but I can show you."
He crossed the office in a flash and gently pulled Duo to his feet, not allowing the other man to truly catch his balance before he pressed their lips together. Duo stiffened in his grip, but quickly relaxed and kissed him back just as tenderly.
Heero stepped back, his face bright red as he considered what he'd just done. He glanced up-
Duo's blue eyes were practically glowing with pleasure as he touched his lips with the fingers of one hand. He reached out with his other, palm open, and smiled fully as Heero took it. "I... Heero, did you really just..."
"What, this?" He leaned forward and kissed him again, this time pulling the slighter man into his arms and nibbling gently on Duo's lower lip as he caught hold of the swinging braid in one hand. He smiled into starry blue eyes as they broke apart. "I guess I did."
Duo's hands came up to frame his face. "I was always here, but I thought... I thought I would scare you away if I told you."
Heero pulled Duo into his arms again and just held him, knowing that words would just spoil the moment.
They eventually pulled back again; Heero couldn't help returning the smile of pure joy he found on his partner's face. "Guess the old guy was right, then."
"Guess so," Duo replied. "God - we got set up by Santa Claus!" he laughed.
Heero laughed as well. "I can't believe... it still sounds stupid."
"Well... It might just have been your subconscious, using a familiar image to get a message through," Duo said, lifting an eyebrow.
"I don't care what it was," Heero replied, pulling Duo closer for another kiss, and practically purring as the other man returned it hungrily.
As they broke for air, Heero darted a glance around the room. "You know... I don't really want to be here anymore, today."
"Me, neither," Duo said, a playful grin on his gamin face. "Any destination in mind?"
"Anywhere where I can keep kissing you," Heero purred, enjoying the rush he got from seeing such a happy look on Duo's face.
"Well..." Duo looked down at his watch. "If you don't have anywhere else to be... I'm going to Kelly's Pub in a few hours for a few drinks with the field team. You can join us... and we could go hang out at my apartment until then."
Heero's eyes lit up. "Can we watch a vid? You still haven't shown me that 'Howl's Moving Castle' programme you keep telling me about."
"We won't see it if we're making out on the sofa."
"So?" Heero replied. "We'll watch it over again, sometime, and I'll at least try to pay attention."
Duo laughed. "As you wish, Heero. Let's get out of here."
As they both reached for their coats, Heero couldn't help a small sigh of wonder. His day had started out so badly, but this...
Holding Duo's hand as they walked out of the building, Heero threw a look up at the sky and gave a quick 'thank you' to whatever deity was listening, or even Santa Claus. "Hey, Duo?"
"Yeah?"
"Thanks for loving me."
Duo smiled up at him again, and he felt his heart flutter. "Thanks for loving me, too."
OWARI
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