Save Christmas

/So this is Christmas./

Omi sighed, staring out the window of the car as Yohji drove Weiss away from the brothel they’d just hit. The girls were underage and foreign, some American, some Russian, some German or Austrian, even a few French. All fair of hair and eye color, all malnourished, and all with no grasp of the Japanese language. Manx had been there to lead the children off to safety while Weiss had dispatched of kidnappers, customers, ringleaders, and even the building itself.

From Omi’s point of view, the house –burning from the inside- almost seemed to have dozens of flickering candles in the windows. There had been a Christmas tree in the main room. Omi had watched it go up in flames.

/And what have you done?/

“At least,” said Ken from the backseat with Aya, who was steadfastly refusing to admit that he’d sprained his wrist, “at least all those girls can go home now, right?” Omi heard the hope in Ken’s voice, the idealism that he would normally echo. “Right, guys? I mean…if we had to have a mission on Christmas Eve..” he fell silent again when nobody spoke up to agree.

‘Yes,’ Omi thought, ‘that’s the crux of the problem. A mission. On Christmas Eve.’

/Another year over…./

While Christmas certainly didn’t carry the weight in Japan that it did in Western countries, it was still celebrated as a time of peace and happiness. People gave gifts and had parties and drank that foul stuff called eggnog, and were kinder to their fellow beings. ‘Except for us, Omi thought sadly. We’re the ones that get stuck going after people that *aren’t*.’

/A new one, just begun./

Soul-weary and aching, the four men spilled out of the car as soon as Yohji had parked it by the Koneko. Ken unlocked the front door, and they all trooped inside, covered in blood and ash.

/And so this is Christmas./

Omi was the last one in, and he barely even noticed the other three talking quietly as he toed off his sneakers and took off his jacket. He’d not even gotten bloody, and that meant he got last shower, which was fine. He had a report to type up.

/I hope you have fun…./

“Omi?” Ken padded downstairs in search of his younger lover. Washed and dressed, he felt like a new man. Aya’s wrist had been doctored and bandaged, after he and Yohji had convinced the man that yes, it was sprained and no, it wouldn’t just go away. Ken had been looking for Omi to tell him that he could have the shower, but he hadn’t been able to find the little hacker. Omi’s room had been dark and cold, and he wasn’t in the living room with their (small, but healthy, green, and half-decorated) Christmas tree, peeking at his presents. He wasn’t in the kitchen, making hot cocoa or any other kind of Omi-ish recipe, and so Ken had finally decided he must still be working on the mission report.

Turns out, that was wrong too.
“Omi….”

/The near and the dear ones…./

He’d finished the report half an hour ago. But no matter how many times he’d tried, he couldn’t drag himself back up those stairs to greet the rest of Weiss. They’d expect….things. They’d expect him to smile. They’d expect him to run to the Christmas tree and plead to open presents or to make cocoa and peppermint whipped cream for on top….and in truth, he just didn’t think he could do it.

/The old and the young./

He’d crawled onto the couch in the mission room, curled up with a pillow, and cried.

/A very merry Christmas,
And a happy new year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one….
Without any fear./


“Omi?” Ken said again as he quickly covered the last few feet to the couch and sat on the arm of it. Omi didn’t sit up, didn’t look up to meet his eyes, but did try to stop his sobs, just for a second.

“What?” His breath caught, again and again as he tried to hold back the pain, and little whimpers started to make their way out. “What is it, Ken?” He snapped. And then he raised his head, apology and pain and fear shimmering in his heavenly blue eyes, and Ken, despite great intentions, found he had nothing to say.

/And so this is Christmas./


“…Move over.” He scooted onto the couch and tugged Omi’s golden head down to rest in his lap. This was all he could offer. As he began to stroke his little lover’s hair, ears, and neck, he felt the sobs come again.

Hell…everyone had to break sometimes. Ken was sure that even Aya, in the safety and warmth of Yohji’s embrace, in Yohji’s bed, had cracked at least once.

/For weak and for strong…./


He wasn’t sure how long he cried in Ken’s lap. There was just so much pain. Deep down, as the sobs began to subside, Omi supposed it was his own fault. Suppression and denial never got *rid* of anything. They only caused things to pile up. He sniffled, one hand wiping at his eyes, and sighed.

“Ken-kun.”

“Yeah, Omi?” The stroking of his hair had never ceased during his crying, but now Ken lifted him up gently, and turned to face him.

“Koishii, are you feeling better?” The endearment did more than Ken ever knew it did to soothe the ache that missions left. He nodded, and in truth, he was feeling a bit better. His heart still felt heavy, but the ache was slowly leaving.

“Hai…a bit.” He snuggled into the warm, strong arms offered, and sighed, happier this time.

“Manx called us earlier to tell us that the girls have been distributed to their specific embassies. They’ll be flown home tonight to have Christmas with their families.” Ken kissed the top of Omi’s head. “If for no other reason than that, I’m glad we had this mission tonight.”


/The rich and the poor ones/


“But….shouldn’t we have been allowed to spend Christmas with our family?” Omi asked, eyes averted. “You’re not supposed to…to kill…at Christmas. It’s a time of peace and hope and…” his chest tightened again.


/The world is so wrong./


Ken sighed. “Omi, you once told me that the reason we are Weiss is to keep the world safe from black beasts. That we’re the ones in charge of protecting the people of this city, of this country, this continent, this planet. You said that that responsibility never ends, as long as there is black, there must be Weiss.”

“When did I say that?” Omi blinked up at him. “That does sound like me, I suppose, but,” he sniffled, “I don’t remember.”


Ken grinned. “There’s a reason you don’t remember, Koishii.” He smirked and nipped at the tip of Omi’s nose. “It was Christmas last year. We had a mission then, too. I was all set to leave for good, remember? But you said those words….and then later that night Yohji went out and brought back half a liquor store, and we all got smashed together and opened presents and sang bad Christmas carols.” Ken smiled, his eyes twinkling. “It was one of the best Christmases I can remember having.” Omi looked thoughtful, and Ken kissed him softly.

“This year, it’s your turn.”


/And so happy Christmas./


“They’ll understand.” Ken assured Omi, as they stood. The younger boy looked towards the stairs with an air of dread, and Ken pulled him into a close embrace. “Nobody will be upset if you can’t smile, Omi. But, let’s try to at least spend the rest of Christmas Eve together. Okay?” He tilted Omi’s face up, and got no resistance as he leaned down and kissed him gently.


/For black and for white./


Ken kissing him almost made everything better. Warm like a woodstove fire, and tasting of chocolate and mint, Ken was everything Omi thought he could ever need to make Christmas as bright as it could be. The mission faded to the back of his mind, as did the jaded weight of his heart as Ken’s kiss gave it wings to fly. When it ended, Omi opened his eyes to see Ken smiling at him, and without realizing it, for the first time that night, an answering smile lit up his face.


“There’s my Omi..” Ken whispered, and bent to kiss him again. Omi stood on his toes to reach him, excitement and what felt like a little Christmas spirit, dancing along his nerves. He could have sworn he heard carols.


Wait…he did hear carols.


“Ken?” Yohji called from the open door at the top of the stairs. His voice was closely followed by Aya’s deeper one.

“Is Omi down there with you?”


/The yellow and red ones…./


Omi called back as Ken muttered, their kiss interrupted.

“Hai, we’re down here.”


“Well, get up here!” Yohji called. “We’re in the living room.” The door closed, and Omi looked at Ken excitedly. He tilted his head to receive Ken’s soft kiss, and was smiling when he pulled back. Softly, he whispered to the chilly air and his warm lover…

“Ken…it’s *Christmas*!”


/And stop all the fight./


They raced each other up the spiral stairs, kissing when they reached the top, Omi giggling and Ken laughing. Then they raced each other down the hall. Ken caught Omi at the archway to the kitchen.

“Oh…” Omi sniffed. “Something smells…” he blinked when Ken pointed to the ceiling. Omi looked up to see a small ball of green leaves and white berries. He blushed when Ken leaned down to kiss him under the mistletoe. When Ken pulled away, though, he frowned.

“Where did that come from? Ken-kun…I didn’t put that…” Ken took hold of his arm and tugged him through the arch to the kitchen, and then into the living room….”there….?”

Omi’s eyes widened, reflecting myriads of twinkling Christmas lights as the carols hit his ears full blast.


/A very merry Christmas,
And a happy new year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one…
Without any fear./


“Merry Christmas, chibi!!!” Yohji sang out, dressed rather skimpily as Santa Claus, the red and fur-trimmed hat perched jauntily on his honeyed locks. Omi stared.

“Merry Christmas, Omi.” Said Aya, and Omi was shocked to see that even he had gotten a little into the spirit. He was wearing one of Yohji’s green sweaters, which, coupled with his bright hair, made the colors of Christmas. Omi smiled.

“Thank you….” The room was decorated to the nines. Their proud Christmas tree was on and twinkling, ornaments bought and homemade taking up space on its green boughs. The previously half-full ornament boxes had been emptied and stacked at one wall. Red and green candles were lit on every available clean surface, there was garland and tinsel flung everywhere in gold and silver, and the room positively *shone*. Ken, standing behind him, reached around, a mug of cocoa in his hands with peppermint whipped cream smothered on top.

“Cocoa, love?”


/And so this is Christmas.
And what have we done?
Another year over…
A new one just begun./


Omi wriggled in Ken’s lap, hands securely around his third cocoa, as Aya opened his present.

“Do you like it???” He chirped, almost before Aya had gotten it out of it’s box. It was a journal, bound in red leather with a phoenix tooled feather by feather on it’s front. The phoenix’s tail wrapped around to end in a flurry of feathers at the back. There was even gold leaf worked into the feathers and the bird’s eye and beak. With it was a quill…or at least a pen that looked like a quill. A golden feather. And Omi knew that he did like it, because when Aya raised his face to meet his eyes, the little hacker could read it, plain as day.

He smiled, angelic in the candlelight. “You’re welcome, Aya-kun.”



Ken was, not for the first time, impressed by his lover’s ability to read his friends and get the perfect gifts. Nobody had gotten a gift they didn’t like, but Omi’s had shone above all the others. Ken twisted the thick-banded pewter ring that encircled his finger now. An inscription along the band was in kanji, and it said “I fight for them, I live for you” the tail of the final stoke was dotted with a small bright blue sapphire. When Omi had slid it on his finger, Ken had fallen in love all over again.

Omi had been similarly spoiled by all. An mp3 player had been Yohji’s present, Aya’s had been a set of earrings, little silver studs shaped like ivy leaves. As for his own…Ken smiled. Omi’s ring had been more delicate so that it wouldn’t bother him while he was typing on his keyboard. It was a slim Sterling band engraved with the characters for “koishii” and “ai”. It was nowhere near as elaborate as his own new ring, but Omi’s eyes had teared up just the same.


/And so happy Christmas.
I hope you had fun.
The near and the dear ones…
The old and the young./


Eventually exhaustion had claimed them, and beds had called. They’d be up bright and early tomorrow to open more presents (fangirls did have allowances after all, and even Manx had brought four small packages) and cook a huge Christmas breakfast. Calls of “goodnight” and “Merry Christmas” echoed between two rooms instead of four, and as Omi shut Ken’s door, warm arms wrapped around him. Twisting in those arms, he pressed tight to his older lover’s bare upper body, tilting his head up to receive a kiss full of warmth and promise. Lighthearted and giggly, he was tossed on the bed as Ken advanced on him.


Omi’s last thought before all thought fled was of how his own special little family had saved Christmas, no, had saved him this year. He spent so much time trying to save the others all the time, it was nice to have this little bit of innocence, and this little bit of normality kept just for him. As Ken’s lips landed on his collarbone, Omi twined his fingers in hair the color of rich hot cocoa.

“Merry Christmas, Ken….” he said, “and thank you, love.”


/A very merry Christmas,
And a happy new year.
Let’s hope it’s a good one…
Without any fear./

~Fin

***********************************************
Review! Please? C'mon.......
I don't own Weiss, nor do I own "Merry Xmas", the song these lyrics come from. It was written by the *godlike* John Lennon. It's been a long time since I wrote Weiss, but this one pounced on me and I *had* to write it. I love you, Omi. <3 If you like it, or even if you don't, write a review, please? Jeez...it's been so long since I got reviews....

~Tareacel