23-Dec-2004
HAPPY HOLIDAYS to everyone here at GWA! May your presents be many, your food be bountiful, and your joy be overflowing :) This little ficcy was inspired by actual events *blushes* Enjoy!
Title: Jingle Bell Meltdown
Author: tkmaxwell777
Blood Type: Amaretto Sour
Category: Shonen Ai
Pairings: 1+2
Rating: PG
Warnings: Holiday Stress, Humor, and WAFF
Archived: Yep! GWA - www.gwaddiction.com
TK Maxwell Original Christian and Yaoi Fiction - http://writing.com/authors/tkmaxwell
Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing or its characters. It is the property of Shin Kidousenki, Bandai, Sotsu, Sunrise, and other affiliated parties. This story is a parody of its defined universe and is in no way an official continuation of the original series. I consider all underage characters engaging in sexual activity as Emancipated Minors. This story is for entertainment purposes only and should not be read as a realistic representation of actual romantic, sexual, or spiritual relationships. Content is not intended to condone or condemn any lifestyle, religion, or viewpoint portrayed by these characters. I make no money doing this, so please do not sue me. I only write for the love of the characters and the pleasure of feedback!
"Did you see the tape, Heero? Where in blazes is the stupid tape!"
It was five o'clock on Christmas Eve, and Heero watched his friend fly into a frenzy looking for the missing item that Duo had just had in his hands not five minutes ago. Several rolls of glittering foil wrapping paper littered the floor, along with a bag of colorful fancy bows, packets of bright gift tags, and a few more gifts that still needed the braided man's attentions before six that evening. Heero was sitting on the couch in the family room, observing the other man's frantic behavior as he rummaged through plastic bags on the floor. The former Wing pilot had been there since noon, trying to help Duo, but he'd been relegated to carrying wrapped gifts into the living room in an attempt to keep them out of the way. It had afforded them more space, but it hadn't seemed to make Duo any less unorganized. Heero was amused, though he wished his friend wouldn't be so upset. The other man looked close to tears. It was no wonder that Duo had called him the night before, begging for him to come over to at least keep him company through this ordeal.
At least the tree was up and decorated, even though Duo had found out that his tree topper wasn't working soon after they'd finished putting the ornaments on. They'd had run out and get a replacement just a couple hours ago, but they had yet to put it on the tree. Thank goodness the braided man had decided to keep the food fairly simple or things would have been even more hectic for both of them. Heero had offered to take over the kitchen duties - baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, yams, and rolls seemed easy enough for him to manage since most of it just needed to be heated. His suggestion had been met with a mixture of annoyance and sheepishness, but accepted nonetheless. Everything was ready, being kept in the warmer until their guests arrived within the hour. Heero didn't want to think about how frayed Duo would have been if he'd had to deal with dinner too at this point.
"Ah! Here it is!" Duo cried out, grasping the tape dispenser possessively. Somehow it had slid between the chair cushions, though Heero had no idea how it had ended up across the room when Duo had been wrapping presents near the couch.
"Is there anything else I can do?" Heero asked, wanting to take the manic gleam out of his friend's eyes.
The former Deathscythe pilot stopped in his taping and seemed to think about it. "Get me a soda?"
The pleading tone of voice wasn't lost on Heero, but the other man was on a sugar rush as it was, and didn't need any more of the highly addictive carbonation. "You've already had three, Duo. Why don't I make some green tea? It will help calm your nerves."
"I need caffeine!" Duo argued, his hands on his hips in a challenging pose, though it was ruined by the tape clutched in his hand like a weapon and the bow he'd stuck in his hair as a joke after arriving home from getting the new topper. He'd apparently forgotten the shiny red adornment, and Heero just didn't have the heart to tell him… or rather, he thought it was too cute, and just didn't want to ruin his enjoyment of it.
Heero held back his smile, knowing it would only get him clobbered at the moment, but he couldn't help responding with, "What you need is some Prozac. You're starting to truly scare me."
Duo blinked at him. "Heero, all of our friends will be here in forty-five minutes. I still have to finish wrapping these gifts and get changed. I don't have time to calm down. I'll do it after the holiday is over."
Heero did laugh then. "Duo, Quatre and Trowa won't care if everything isn't ready yet when they get here, Wufei and Sally won't be here until eight, Relena and Dorothy will be even later than that because of their flight, Howard wouldn't care if you were having dinner at a brothel so long as you have his favorite rum, and Hilde and David are going to be so wrapped up with each other, they won't even notice anything else. In short, you have nothing to worry about, so stop overreacting."
"Overreacting?" The braided man practically shouted, a violet glare making him look like some kind of deranged Christmas fairy. "You don't understand. This is my first time hosting Christmas dinner! I want things to be perfect, or no one will ever want to come over again!"
Heero got up and moved closer to Duo, placing a hand on the other man's shoulder. "You know that's not true. Like you said, they are our friends. Do you honestly think that will change if you don't have gifts wrapped or the angel on the tree?"
"The angel!" Duo blurted out as he shook off Heero's hand to run into the living room.
Heero sighed. Shaking his head, he followed his stressed-out friend into the certain chaos waiting for him in the other room. Why had he agreed to watch this travesty? Oh yeah, he had recently discovered that he was in love with the idiot currently tearing through shopping bags. Of course, being in love with said idiot and telling said idiot that he was in love with him were two different things. Duo had no idea about Heero's feelings, and it really wasn't any surprise why. Although he and Heero had formed a true friendship in the past couple of years, working together when Duo had been brought in as an independent consultant at the computer company where Heero was a programmer, Heero had never thought of Duo that way... not until about four months ago.
They'd been out at a bar, having a couple of drinks, when another guy hit on Duo. Heero had sat in stunned silence as Duo had flirted and given the other young man his vid-phone number. Heero hadn't even known the braided man was open to that kind of relationship. He'd spent several weeks pondering how this new development made him feel. A few erotic dreams later, he realized that he was actually interested in Duo as more than just a friend because of it. Since then, Heero had spent as much time as he could with his new love interest - going out to dinner, having movie nights with pizza at Duo's place, enjoying drinks after work on Friday nights, and playing basketball on Saturdays. It had only reinforced how he felt.
"Where's the freakin' angel!" Duo yelled, throwing aside boxes and extra tinsel they'd bought just in case Duo decided the tree needed more at the last minute. "I know it's in here! I just saw it a few minutes ago! Did it fly off somewhere? Of all the stupid… why can't I keep up with anything? Why am I such an idiot? Can't even find…"
Heero sighed again and walked over to the other man, grabbing his fluttering hands. "Duo. Stop it. Now."
Duo turned heartbroken eyes on him. "I just want to show everyone that I can do this… that I can have Christmas dinner for them without screwing up." He took a shaky breath. "I always feel like they invite me because I live alone and don't socialize much except with them." Duo barely held back tears. "I just want them to see that I can take care of myself and do something that doesn't involve blowing stuff up."
That was the last straw. Heero pulled the distraught man into his arms, not caring what Duo would think about it. "We don't invite you out of pity, Duo. We want you around because you're full of life and witty and mischievous and so much a part of our lives that we would miss you if you didn't spend the holidays with us." He paused, trying to gauge how Duo was taking his words. The other man had relaxed against him a bit, but Heero could feel his shirt getting a little damp. "We respect you, Duo. I respect you, more than you'll ever know, and I won't let you worry yourself sick just because of some misplaced sense of inadequacy, so calm down and try to enjoy this, or I'm going to call the whole thing off!"
Silence filled the room until Duo said in a muffled voice, "Man, when you have something to say, you really say it, don't you?"
Heero knew the other man was trying to get them out of the awkward situation they were suddenly in, but he wasn't going to let Duo hide behind his humor this time. He pulled away and gently forced Duo's face up so he would have to look at him. "I have a lot more to say if you were just willing to listen."
Shock filled violet-blue eyes. "Hey, I'll always listen to whatever you have to say, buddy, even if I don't agree," the braided man told him, a little anger in his voice. "You should know that by now."
Heero nodded. It was time to take the plunge. "Do you know why I'm here right now?" He asked, as he wiped away the residual wetness from Duo's cheeks.
The braided man's face reddened at being caught crying. "Because I asked?"
Heero smiled, tracing a finger down Duo's jaw. "Yes, but there's another reason."
Duo gasped as Heero continued the caress. "Why then?" He asked breathlessly.
Heero leaned in closer. "Because I just wanted to be with you. Lately, that's all I've wanted…"
Before Duo could reply, Heero closed the small distance between their mouths. He didn't expect Duo to accept his advances, but the other man wound his arms around Heero's neck, moaning into his mouth as Duo's adept fingers slid into the former Wing pilot's hair eagerly. The kiss lasted longer than Heero had planned, their tongues twining as they explored each other's mouths. Then Duo pulled away.
"I don't see any mistletoe around," he said with a grin, "so that must mean you're serious."
Heero smiled at the hopeful look on Duo's face as his fingers traced over Duo's lips. He was surprised yet pleased when the other man flicked out his tongue teasingly, making Heero smile even more. "Yes. Very serious," he said softly. "I want to be the one to hold you when you're falling apart. I want to be the one to watch you search for missing tape. I want to be the one to kiss you senseless when you're hyperventilating. I want to be the one to deny you more soda because you're already bouncing off of the walls. I want to be the one to make dinner so you don't have to do it." He brushed Duo's bangs out of his face. "I want to be the one you want to spend Christmas with no matter who else shows up."
Duo's answer was launching himself back into Heero's arms and kissing him even more fiercely.
When Quatre and Trowa arrived, the angel still wasn't on the tree, the last gifts were still unwrapped, Duo hadn't changed his clothes, and Heero hadn't moved from the spot where Duo was kissing HIM senseless. It didn't matter though, because their friends were thrilled to see the two men finally together. That night turned out to be the beginning of a Christmas tradition. Heero held the tape for Duo while he finished wrapping presents, Duo kissed Heero every time he felt overwhelmed, and they both placed the angel on top of the tree, snickering with Trowa, who had found the topper sitting on the kitchen table. When the others arrived, Heero watched the man he loved as he led their friends in singing Christmas carols. All in all, he'd gotten the best Christmas gift already, and looking into shining violet eyes, he knew Duo had too.
The End
(:./tk/jingle)
