The Best Presents are Unexpected

Kracken

“This is the best party ever!” Jacks crowed as he danced sandwiched between two female Preventer agents, a Santa hat on his head and tinsel sticking to his Preventer polo shirt. The music was Christmas Reggae, synched from someone's portable device onto the central Preventer address system. Jacks was having a hard time deciding on a dance step, like everyone else, including his dance partners, well past the beginning of a monumental drunk.

“Why did I invite him, again?” Hilde groaned from her seat on Wu Fei's lap. She had one arm draped over his shoulders, a drink in the other, and was unaware that she was having a conversation with someone who had passed out at least twenty minutes before in his office chair.“He's totally embarrassing me,” Hilde continued, waving her drink expansively at Jacks. She frowned and then nodded. “Oh, yeah, he promised to requisition me one of those new Gundanium barrel pistols.” She scowled as Jacks staggered and went over onto the floor with one of the women. “He owes me!” Hilde growled and then saw that her drink was almost empty. “Hey, Sally!” she slurred, as she waved her drink to where Sally was manning the big punch bowl. “Great fruit punch! Got any more?”

The large office, decorated in tropical Christmas, was full of human landmines. Duo pulled Heero along with him, his steps unsteady, and threaded his way through drunk people trying to dance, or seated and trying to make sense out of a fellow agent's confusing attempts at drunken conversation. Only Noin was unaffected. Self appointed chaperone, she was the only one sober, and taking her duties seriously.

“Where are you two going?” Noin wondered. “Not, out, I hope? I don't want to have to lock you in the closet, like Quatre and Trowa... though, between you and me, I think they like it in there, together.”

“Nope!” Duo slurred as he tried to steady Heero. He showed her two presents. “Going to a quiet place to do the gift exchange.”

She grimaced. “I hope neither of you get the clucking chicken alarm clock, like I did. I have to think of an enemy that I can re-gift it to.”

Duo looked blearily at where Zechs was sitting on the couch and having a heart to heart drunken conversation with the yellow chicken clock. “I think Zechs has found a new best friend.”

Hilde was suddenly there, grinning and slapping something into Duo's hand. Duo bent down as she crooked a finger at him and stage whispered, “Never fails, if you wanna get lucky.”

Duo looked at the mistletoe in his hand, nodded while looking mystified, and then continued helping Heero into their office. When he closed the door behind him, it was then that he noticed that Heero's progress had been hampered by his insistence on bringing two cups of the 'punch' with him. He was frowning at the cups in concentration as they sat down on the couch heavily.

“You need your hands free for this, H'ro,” Duo slurred importantly. He put the gifts in his lap, took a cup, and downed the drink in one gulp. Heero frowned at him, and then did the same with his cup. Dropping the cups to the floor, they then each took a gift.

“Strange how we drew each other's names,” Heero remarked as he plucked at his gift, with the yellow wrapping paper and its red and gold bows.

Duo snickered. “Not strange. I rigged it. Took our names out, made sure that we were the last to pick, and then put both our names back into the basket..”

“Why?” Heero wondered.

Duo grinned and then looked confused. “I think it's a secret.”

“Oh.”

Heero pulled out a pair of green socks from his gift box. At the same time, Duo pulled out a pair of black socks from his green box.

Good choice,” Heero said to Duo.

“It was like you knew that I was going to get the gift,” Duo said as he looked over his black socks. “Still... socks... that's no kind of gift, is it? It's supposed to be special.” He fiddled with the mistletoe, feeling disappointed.

Heero looked unhappy as well. He blinked hugely at his gift and then plucked the red bow and tag from it. He reached and mashed it into Duo's hair at his forehead, pressing hard to make it stay. “See?” he said. “I have another gift. It says from Duo to Heero. Is that right?” He looked hopeful now, leaning in close to see Duo's reaction.

Duo shook the mistletoe at him. “Of course, it's all right. I mean, I'm the one holding the damned mistletoe.”

“Oh, right. Guess that means... uh...” Heero stared at Duo for a long moment and then he crossed the short distance between them and kissed Duo on the lips. It was sloppy and uncoordinated and, when he broke it, Duo's eyes were wide and surprised.

“That's good,” Duo managed and then leaned towards Heero. “I wanna exchange my gift, too.“

Duo kissed Heero, letting his weight take the man back onto the couch. When he broke it, he yawned.

“Need to pass out, I think,” Heero said as he wrapped arms around Duo. “You going to stay put until I wake up?”

“Course I am,” Duo replied as he put his cheek against Heero's chest. “It's a bit cold in here, though.”

“We have a blanket,” Heero replied.

“We do?”

“Yes, a hair blanket.” Heero pulled the band off of Duo's braid and managed to unravel most of it before they both passed out.

“Yuy and Maxwell are still missing! I'll check their office!” Une was growling to someone as she strode in. She stopped dead, and put hands on hips, when she saw the two passed out on the couch. She sighed in exasperation and said, “Why did I ever agree to this party? I feel like I'm running an agency of irresponsible teenagers.”

Une grabbed a pad of yellow post it notes, and a marker, from a desk and wrote a short note. She stuck it to the sleeping couple and tossed the pad and marker as she left, saying over her shoulder,”I guess I win the betting pool. I knew you two were going to get together, this Christmas.”

End