Sally Po wore a wry look as she collapsed into a seat next to the only other person in the Preventers break room on a cold, snowy evening in early- December. “Hi, Chang. What’re you doing here still?”

“I had work to do, onna. Obviously, you did, too,” he replied ascerbically, though he wore a faint smile. This had become an almost nightly ritual for the two, hours after most other employees had left for the day.

She snorted in reply. “I thought the boys invited you out.”

He sighed heavily and reached up to loosen a still pristine tie in his collar. “They did. Something came up.”

Sally frowned. In the year since the end of the Marimeia incident, a lot had changed for the young men who had been Gundam pilots. Heero had finally been able to admit to his attraction to Relena and asked her out. Duo Maxwell was leading a strange double life- Preventer Agent Thunder by day and social worker/ counselor by night. Trowa and Quatre, after a short, sweet relationship, had decided that they needed more. Though they remained close friends, both were seeing other people- in fact, Quatre was dating Catherine Bloom, Trowa’s adoptive older sister. And Trowa, in the greatest surprise of them all, had sprung up an extremely unlikely relationship with none other than Dorothy Catalonia.

Wufei was the only one who had no place to be at 9 o’clock PM on a Friday night.

Sally’s frown deepened as she observed her friend closely. Wufei had bags under his eyes, his golden skin taking on an unhealthy pallor from the sheer number of hours he spent working. Worst of all, he was unaware of how he was despondently staring into space, slack-faced and weary-looking. She nudged his shoulder gently, knowing too well how foolish it would have been to alarm an ex-Gundam pilot. “D’you wanna talk about it?”

Breaking off his stare, Wufei glared at her for a moment, but broke it off just as quickly. She wasn’t backing down this time, and he knew how stubborn the woman could be! He sighed again and turned his eyes to the table top and the empty cup of coffee sitting in front of him. “It’s just… I’m… I feel depressed. I mean, what the hell am I doing? Everyone else is so excited about Christmas coming and everything else in their lives… but me.”

Sally gently interjected, “The others? They’ve just found things to dedicate themselves to, Wufei.”

He scowled. “I *am* dedicated. To my work.”

She shook her head and fought down the grin that threatened to break over her face. “You’re missing the point, Chang. Something *other* than work that drives them. Something else to live for that doesn’t involve sitting behind a desk. You get what I mean?”

Wufei turned weary eyes to her face and watched her for a long moment. “I have nothing else.”

She became annoyed rather abruptly, and sat back with her eyes flashing. “Well dammit, then get off your ass and *find* something! You’re not even trying, Chang!”

His eyes narrowed. “How the hell would you know?”

Sally arched an eyebrow. “I know more about you than you’d guess, Wufei. I know you’re hiding something.”

As his eyes grew guarded and darkened in anger, Sally dropped her belligerent stance. His eyebrows shot up as she gently reached out and put her hand on his forearm. “Don’t, Wufei. Just please listen for a change. You’re not happy, and you’re not letting anyone help you out. You’re working crazy hours, you’re letting your friendship with the others fall off, and it isn’t good for you. You need to get out of here, you do!”

Wufei found that he had nothing to say to this.

Not breaking their eye contact, Sally squeezed his arm gently. “Go- get out and find yourself something to believe in, Wufei. Find yourself a purpose.”

He watched her for a long moment before he finally broke his silent stare and smiled briefly. “Thanks, onna. You might just be right.”

She rolled her eyes as he turned to walk out, snagging his jacket along his way. “Try and find some decent manners while you’re out, too, Chang!” she yelled after him.

It was cold outside, and Wufei yanked the collar of his coat closer around his neck. Was the answer to his problem truly as simple as finding something to do? A purpose? He grumbled under his breath, “And just how does one do that? Stupid onna- as if a purpose is just going to fall from the sky and hit me over the head…”

He had had a purpose. They all had. He just… never found a new one, once the old was accomplished. Was it his fault? How could it possibly be his fault?!

True- it wasn’t as though he’d actually tried to find something new to do with his life. He hadn’t even wanted to live, but he’d been persuaded… Deep down, he admitted that he was happy his comrades and friends hadn’t let him give up and fade away. Even Dorothy and Relena had reached out to him and tried to help, tried to give him some direction.

“ITAI!” Not watching where he was going, Wufei turned a corner sharply and smacked right into something-

Or rather, someone.

Wide blue-violet eyes stared up at him incredulously, as a familiar figure rubbed at his backside, where he had fallen in the snow. “Geez, Wu! That hurt, aw, man…”

Wufei’s eyes widened. “Maxwell! Sorry about that…” He reached out and pulled the other boy from his graceless sprawl back to his feet.

Duo began muttering to himself as he brushed snow off his long braid of hair, but flashed his friend a smile as he bent to retrieve the packages that he had dropped when he fell. “Sorry to snap at you, man. Guess I didn’t see you either.”

Wufei eyed the sheer number of packages the American was gathering and gave a wry smile. “I’m not surprised. How do you carry all that at once?” He automatically moved to take some of the boxes in his own arms.

Duo shrugged. “You can do almost anything when it has to get done, Wu. Here, I’ll take those…”

Wufei shook his head. “It’s okay, I can help. Where are you taking these?”

Duo smiled. “The Rec Centre. All this is for our Christmas Party.”

“Christmas Party?” Wufei asked. “I hadn’t been aware of one.”

Duo’s eyes went even wider. “Dude- I’ve been preparing this for half of forever! But you know how it is this time of year- people overestimate the amount of time they can give ya…”

Wufei was content to simply listen as the braided boy spoke animatedly about the party- he had had no idea that the American was so involved in it! He was doing everything himself, or so it seemed, purchasing decorations, finding people to help him set them up, deciding on a caterer, finding a band and deejay, designing lighting, organising donations for presents, finding a Santa Claus to come in… How was one individual doing so much?

He sucked in his breath, though, as they turned a corner and he got his first glimpse of the Rec Centre. Run down and dingy looking, it had a rusty iron gate and a flickering light in the doorway. There was trash on the building’s front lawn, gathered on top of the snow around the three solitary, scraggly trees that dared to put down their roots there. Wufei didn’t notice that he had stopped to stare until it registered that his friend’s chatter had stopped.

Duo was staring at him, no small amount of pain showing in his eyes. “Not much, is it? I know, but it’s what we have to work with.”

Wufei gave his friend a sharp look. “Can’t anyone…”

“Come in and clean it up?” Duo finished for him. “If anyone cared, they certainly could. That’s the problem- no one does. I started working inside and it’s looking pretty good, but the outside will have to wait until I can get there. Stupid!” he chided himself, eyes narrowing as he took in the flickering light over the door. “I could at least have taken care of that!”

Wufei arched an eyebrow. “I thought you had helpers.”

Duo nodded, a weak smile playing over his face. “I do- or did. But they all have things to do, not enough time to do them in, and this is extra. No one’s even getting paid to do it…”

“You’re not getting paid?!”

Duo shook his head, braid wagging in the cold air. “Nah, but I don’t need it, Wu. This isn’t about me.”

It’s about the kids. It’s about Father Maxwell and Sister Helen, isn’t it? “Could you use an extra set of hands, Maxwell?”

Duo turned a wide set of blue-violet eyes on his friend. Had Chang Wufei really just volunteered to help him? Was that even possible, outside of the best of all possible worlds? “Wufei,” he breathed, stunned, “Yes. I could definitely use some help. But only if you really want to!”

Strangely enough, he did. “I *do* want to help. This is too much to do alone, even for you.”

Blue-violet eyes shone happily at the understated compliment, but Duo held himself back from his normal, exuberant habit of hugging people to say thank you- he knew it wouldn’t go over well with his Chinese friend. He bowed to him, instead. “Thanks, Wufei. I mean it.”

Wufei smiled at the American. “My pleasure, Maxwell.”

The sheer amount of work the braided boy had already put into his project was plainly evident as the door closed behind them and Wufei got his first glimpse of the inside of the building. As dark and uninviting as the outside was, the inside was its complete opposite, with clean, bright lighting and cheerfully painted walls, squishy bean bag chairs and low tables, bookshelves brimming over with storybooks, toy chests, game tables, study desks and a small kitchen, favoured with a gigantic refrigerator. Duo navigated it all with the long ease of familiarity, setting his armloads down on one of the tables, and Wufei followed suit.

Duo shrugged off his overcoat to reveal that he was still wearing his Preventer uniform underneath. He hasn’t even taken the time to remove his tie! Wufei thought, in amazement. The braided boy took a deep breath, completely unaware of his friend’s musings, and began to talk again. “This is gonna be great, Wu! I’m almost done refinishing everything in here, and then we get to put up the Christmas decorations, but whatever- that’s still a little ways off. We’re going to set up the food over here,” he said, pointing towards the wall ahead of them, “and I was thinking that we should put Santa on the other side, so the lines don’t get mixed up. It’ll give him plenty of room to go around and say hi to the kids in their wheelchairs, too,” Duo added, not noticing how strange it sounded.

“Wheelchairs?” Wufei prompted, curiosity getting the better of him.

The braided boy nodded as he began emptying bags. “Yup. Little known factoid, Wu- a lot of families give their kids up for adoption if they’re born with defects. Back on L2- we street kids thought we had it bad, but at least we could walk on our own! Those others…” he shivered a little. “They didn’t stand a chance, man. They didn’t have a hope in the world.”

Wufei took his tie off and stuffed it in a pocket before reaching for a bag and hefting it to the table to be emptied. “Is that why you’re doing this?”

Duo stopped his rapid movements to pin the other boy with a stare. “In part. Nice to have some connection with something from my childhood, y’know? It *is* rewarding, though.”

Wufei nodded, and they worked in companionable silence for a while. He knew- as they all did- about Duo’s past on the L2 satellite. Like everyone else, he had always heard the sanitised version of the Maxwell Church Massacre, wherein rebels burned the church down over their heads, along with everyone inside it. It wasn’t until they met Duo, though, the sole survivor of the incident, that they learned what had truly happened. Wufei could understand well, in retrospect, how someone like Duo could devote himself to his work so completely- it wasn’t every day that you were handed an opportunity to re-write past history and make it better, after all.

It was, in fact, a very worthwhile and admirable goal.

The braided boy spun and placed his fists on his hips as he looked around, cataloging everything that still had to be done, and Wufei felt a bizarre, warm feeling growing in his belly. It appeared that he had found his cause.

“Hey, Wu! You coming?” Duo Maxwell called, as he reached for his coat.

Sally Po looked up and peeked through the crack in her door at the unexpected greeting. She had noticed a slight change in Chang over the past few days, but she hadn’t quite known what to think of it- it could have been as simple as the boy getting adequate sleep, for once.

But as she watched Wufei stretch and stand to follow his braided friend out the door- on time- she changed her mind. The sullen, weary-eyed boy was gone, replaced by someone who was currently talking animatedly to his companion. Now just what were those two up to?

And what kind of miracle had Duo performed to cause such a change to take place? Whatever it was, she hoped he could keep it going.

A week later-

Wufei felt a little funny to be leading his friend down the street by the hand, but Duo was trusting him, and he really did want his work to be a surprise… He had convinced Heero and Relena to take the braided boy away for a weekend of shopping, and he’d tracked down some of their supposed helpers and asked for their assistance…

He just hoped his surprise would be taken well!

They turned the last corner, and Wufei released Duo’s arm. “You can look now.” He held his breath-

Duo’s eyes opened, glinting in mischief… And went wide in amazement. It wasn’t the same building, was it?

There were no signs of the graffiti Duo was certain had covered the Centre’s walls only days before. The various cracks in the wall had been repaired, and the snow-covered lawn was completely clear of refuse. There was a brand new tree in the middle of the yard, a large, healthy pine, and several new bushes were planted near the newly-repainted doors. Tears filled Duo’s eyes as he clasped his hands tightly in front of him.

Wufei’s heart froze in his chest- had he done something wrong? Why on Earth was Duo crying…

The braided boy spun abruptly and threw his arms around his friend, hugging him tightly to his chest. “You did all this! I don’t know how, but you did! It looks so wonderful, Wu, thank you so so so so much!”

Wufei returned the hug hesitantly, but he relaxed as Duo’s words continued to flow, filling his heart with a nice warmth as he buried his face in Duo’s braid and smiled. Nothing had ever felt this good…

Duo pulled back and stunned him with a bright-eyed smile. “I don’t have enough words to say it right, Wufei. You didn’t have to do this, but you did. Saying thank you isn’t enough.”

Wufei smiled- did Duo have any idea how wonderful he looked with his heart shining out his eyes? “It’s more than enough, Maxwell. This is what friends do, ne?”

Duo’s smile got even brighter and sweeter. “Yeah, they do. But thanks, anyway. This is… It’s like a gift from God is what it is.” He turned his shining eyes back towards the building.

Wufei watched the smile on the other boy’s face with a growing sense of happiness, and he squeezed Duo’s shoulder. “Let’s get inside, out of the cold, okay?”

Another smile. “Sounds good to me.”

It was strange how time flew. Christmas was only days away, and things seemed to be popping out of the ground and demanding their attention…

“Hey, Fei?” Wufei looked up from the set of Christmas lights he was fixing to find Duo standing a few feet away, one hand playing nervously with the end of his braid.

He arched an eyebrow. “What is it, Maxwell?”

Duo smiled again. “Um- you wanna grab some dinner, or something? It’s getting to be that time, and…”

Wufei smiled at his friend’s nervous babble. “Sounds like fun, Maxwell. Where do you want to go?”

Duo fidgeted again. “Angelo’s? I’m in the mood for something Italian.”

“Angelo’s it is, then,” Wufei said, setting his lights aside carefully before he stood and stretched the kinks out of his back. He closed his eyes as he moved in a long stretch- Is it me, or is he really blushing? I hope he is…

They walked to the restaurant, only two blocks away, and both shivered appreciatively as they were guided to a table near one of the place’s many fireplaces. It was nice to be inside!

Duo sighed happily as he sat back in his seat and opened his menu. “This is nice- we shoulda done this before, Wu.”

The Chinese boy couldn’t help agreeing. It was surprising, how rewarding it was to be doing this work, but he’d found himself truly enjoying the past few weeks, more so than he had enjoyed anything in quite a long time. Wufei smiled softly- he enjoyed the company, too. “So what’s good here?”

Duo read over the menu quickly. “Depends what you’re in the mood for. If you want pizza, I prefer the four cheese, but that’s me. Um… pasta- the angel hair pasta in white clam sauce is good, the Toscan fettuccine, too.”

Wufei nodded. “How about the veal parmesan?”

Duo shrugged. “Dunno- never tried it. Should be good, though. Just about everything is.” He grinned over at his friend.

The grin he got reminded Wufei of something he’d overheard one of the volunteers talking about. “I have a question for you, Maxwell. We’re not supposed to dress up for this party, are we? Someone was talking about being one of Santa’s elves.”

Duo just stared for a moment before grinning, a faint flush spreading over his cheeks. “Um, no one told me to do *that.* Not that I wouldn’t, but I didn’t know…”

Wufei shook his head. “I’m sure you don’t have to…”

“And I promised myself that I was never going to wear another pair of tights again in my life!” Duo added with a wink. Wufei could only shake his head in disbelief at the other boy’s sense of humour.

Back during the war, Duo had often impersonated a girl to get into the places he needed to see. Safe, easy and effective. Wufei had lost count of the number of times he’d been surprised by a pretty girl walking into the safe house and glomping onto him…

Pretty?

He took the opportunity to observe Duo as the other boy read his menu, oblivious to his stare. He had matured nicely, Wufei couldn’t help thinking. Much of the delicateness that had helped in Duo’s female disguises would now have been more appropriately described as fine-featured, glowing blue-violet eyes just as large and bright as ever. He had also retained his slender build, slender but strong, with broad shoulders and a body that tapered nicely down to his trim waist. Long, elegant lines, powerful muscle under his pale, silky skin…

With a slight shock, Wufei tore his eyes away. He was getting… aroused? By just *looking* at Duo Maxwell! The manic, long-haired, adrenaline junky Duo Maxwell?!

“Fei?”

He looked back up- Duo was staring at him concernedly, his magnificent eyes gleaming brightly. “What?”

Duo repeated himself, “I asked if you were okay-you’re a little flushed.”

Wufei forced himself to smile. “Hai- I’m fine, Duo. Just fine… What?!”

Duo was staring at him with wide eyes and a small smile. “I can’t *believe* you just called me ‘Duo.’ You never do that!”

“Hn, very true,” Wufei commented, trying not to blush again. Just wonderful! I’m never going to be able to stand up now without him knowing…

As the conversation settled into safer topics, though, Wufei couldn’t help wondering what this would mean for him. Was he really developing affections for Duo and, if so…

Was Fate kind enough that Duo might like him, too?

The next evening, Sally Po was shocked to find Wufei back in the office, and she approached him warily.

Yes- she could see it now. His face was tight and pinched around the lips, brows furrowed in frustration and… was that confusion? One thing was certain-whatever was going on, he was hiding from it.

Again.

She stood in front of his desk and waited until he looked up.

Wufei’s eyes slid up to meet Sally’s and he fought back the urge to flinch- she was pissed! But about what- and why at him?

“Alright, Chang! What the hell is eating you, and don’t you dare try and tell me it’s nothing!” she snapped, almost like an order.

He felt his anger returning, though. What right did she have to be intruding on his life, or lack thereof? “Go away, onna. I’m not in the mood.”

“Oh, that’s pleasant,” Sally sniped back, hands on her hips. “What the hell are you doing here? Where’s Duo?”

Wufei’s eyes flashed angrily. “I’m working, dammit! Why do you insist on bothering me when I have stuff to do!?”

Sally arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t answer my question, Chang. Where’s Duo, and why aren’t you with him?”

He felt like the walls were closing in on him, and if there was one thing Wufei hated, it was feeling trapped. “Why should I care? He’s as grown up as I am- he can take care of himself! And I have work to do!”

SLAP!

Wufei rocked back in his seat, staring at Sally with burning eyes. “You’d better have a damned good reason for that, woman…”

“I do,” she ground out, leaning menacingly over his desk, leaning on clenched fists. “The reason is that you are the biggest fuck up I’ve ever seen! You *don’t* have work to do- you’re hiding in here! From *him!* And do you know why?”

“Shut up, onna…”

“Because you feel something for him, and it scares you, doesn’t it?” She continued, her anger making her cheeks flush and her eyes flare. “Admit it, Chang! Just say it!”

He growled deep in his throat, “It’s none of your business, onna…”

She leaned back, her voice going softer. “And what would you say if I told you what all your friends have been saying, hm? About you and Duo? About how it was about time? About how Duo has been wishing for something like this to happen all year long? What do you say to *that,* Chang?”

What do I say… I don’t have a damn clue! His mind was racing as he sat back. Everyone was saying… and Duo had wished…

“I thought so!” Sally crowed. “I knew it! You found your purpose, all right! And you know what you’ve been feeling- it’s called love, Wufei. And you’re in love with Duo. Say it!”

Love? Is that it? Cherished. Wanted. Valued. Important. Special… Loved? Ah- Good God… It fit-it all fit. The way Duo had been so happy when he volunteered to help, the smiles, the constant companionship, his nervousness about dinner, the concern in his eyes… Duo wasn’t just being his normal, friendly self. He was in love.

“What the hell am I doing here?!” Wufei nearly yelled, knocking his chair over in his haste to stand up, eyes darting to the coat rack as he rushed in that direction-

Sally just grinned as the door slammed behind Wufei’s rushing form. “Merry Christmas, Duo. Hope you like your present.”

Duo was shivering in the cold, but he didn’t notice it. His eyes kept straying around, as though looking for someone, and he felt the cold permeating his clothing as though it was radiating from inside of him. Why had Wufei not come? They only had a few things left to do before the party tomorrow night, and it just wasn’t the same, anymore. Not without the other boy’s wise-ass commentary and strong, comforting presence. Without the knowledge that the Chinese boy liked him enough to stick around him. Without him, plain and simple.

“We’re all connected up here, Duo!” a shout came from up on the roof, and the braided boy shook himself from his thoughts, opening his mouth to reply-

“Let’s see it, then!” He spun- that was Wufei’s voice… and the Chinese was standing right behind him!

The darkness around them was light by a faint glow, but it was all Duo could do to stare up into his friend’s face in wonder. “Wufei…”

“Sh! Don’t talk now, Duo. Turn around and look!” Gentle, but strong, hands took hold of his shoulders and turned him-

The renovated Rec Centre was splendid, white lights twinkling brightly from its rooftop and around its windows. The tree in the yard was suddenly lit, as well, set aglow in the gentle wash of twinkling, multicoloured lights.

Speechless, Duo spun back around and threw his arms around Wufei’s neck, hugging him tightly for all that he was worth. “It’s so beautiful… They would have loved this!” He didn’t even notice as warm arms wrapped around his waist and pulled him tighter against the Chinese boy’s body. “I’m so glad you’re here with me, Fei…”

His words fell off, though, as he finally pulled back enough to stare into obsidian dark eyes and he caught the twinkle in them. Wufei could feel the other boy’s body trembling slightly in his arms as he slowly leaned forward and brushed their lips together.

Duo sucked in a breath of air, his whole body feeling a wonderful thrill that warmed him from his toes to the top of his head. Eyes bright and dancing with happiness, he leaned in again and covered the Chinese boy’s mouth with his own.

Wufei felt like trembling, himself, as he felt the powerful body in his arms pressing against his and molding itself to him, soft, inviting lips pressing against his, tasting slightly of peppermint. He stroked Duo’s bottom lip with the tip of his tongue, nearly crying out as the lips parted under his assault and his tongue swept into the warm recesses of the braided boy’s mouth. It was an impossibly good feeling- nothing had ever tasted so divine- no one had ever felt so good in his arms…

They only pulled back from each other when air became a true necessity, eyes meeting and locking before Wufei’s trailed down his companion’s face to the slightly kiss-swollen lips he had just been tasting. Leaning in ever so slowly, Wufei sucked Duo’s bottom lip into his mouth and teased it, reveling in the sounds it drew from the boy, finally deepening their kiss when he could no longer stand to hold back. He felt Duo’s hands straying up into his hair, and moaned into the boy’s mouth as his hair fell free around their faces, soft and jet black.

As they pulled back again, Duo smiled gently. “Jesus, Fei- I’ve wanted to do that for so long…”

Wufei tightened his grip on the other boy, hands tracing up over his back. “Me, too, Duo. So why didn’t we?”

The braided boy laughed and buried his face in Wufei’s chest. “Because we’re both bakas?”

“I love you, Duo.”

The words rang in both their ears.

Duo sucked in a deep breath, hands trembling as they framed Wufei’s face, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones. “I love you, too, Fei. With all my heart.” He leaned in and kissed the Chinese boy again, moaning appreciatively as he felt Wufei’s hands sliding lower and cupping his firm bottom, pulling them even tighter together…

“Hey Duo, do you want us to… EEP!” The two ex-pilots broke off their kiss and turned to find two of their volunteers staring at them, wide-eyed.

Wufei arched an eyebrow at them.

“Well… we’ll just be inside, then, shall we?” the boy said quickly, turning and pulling his friend back into the building with him.

Duo and Wufei turned to look each other in the eye and laughed. Wufei brushed his lips over Duo’s twice more before squeezing his bottom and releasing him. “I think we still have some work to do, Duo.”

The braided boy smiled. “Unfortunately yes.” He brushed his lips against Wufei’s once more before stepping back and holding out his hand. Wufei took it. “Let’s go inside.”

Christmas Eve.

It was a holiday, which explained how the sun was rising and Wufei was still half asleep, but what he couldn’t seem to reconcile was how it didn’t look like his apartment…

It wasn’t.

He sat up in shock, bolt upright.

He blushed and relaxed, though, as memory cleared the cobwebs in his brain. Kissing Duo out in the yard, going back inside, finding and entire case full of decorations ruined with water damage, where a pipe leaked, more shopping for new decorations, hanging said decorations, setting up tables, preparing seating, assembling Santa’s Workshop…

It had taken far longer than anticipated, and instead of going home, he had followed Duo back to his place and crashed right next to the braided boy, both still fully clothed-

He looked over and smiled- Duo even still had his scarf tied around his neck! Still smiling, he reached over and loosened it.

Blue-violet eyes blinked open slowly, staring up at him blearily as Duo tried to force his mind to wake up. “Fei? Mornin.’”

“Good morning, Duo.” He lay back again and rolled onto his side so the two were facing each other.

Duo’s eyes smiled as he took in the fact that Wufei’s jacket was still hanging off his shoulders. “We must have been pretty tired, ne? Look at us!”

Wufei quite deliberately let his eyes rake over Duo’s form as slowly as possible, finally coming to rest on the boy’s blushing face. “I like what I see.”

Duo reached a hand out and brushed some of Wufei’s hair back from his eyes, fingers smoothing over the Chinese boy’s soft skin. “I keep feeling as though I must be dreaming.”

An evil gleam in his eyes, Wufei scooted closer and brushed his lips over Duo’s. “Did that feel like a dream to you?”

“No…”

Nimble fingers worked open the buttons of Duo’s uniform shirt and a warm hand slid underneath, palm flat over the warm skin of Duo’s chest. “And this?” Smiling a little, he brushed his fingertips up Duo’s pecs and gently circled a nipple.

Duo sucked in a breath. “Oh Fei…” The Chinese boy’s lips covered his own and drowned out anything he had wanted to say, as Wufei rolled him onto his back and let his hands roam freely.

Duo’s musky personal scent mixed with the smell of his cologne to work like magic on Wufei’s senses. He kissed his way down the graceful column of the American boy’s neck, sucking gently at the sensitive skin there. Duo was so responsive to his every movement!

Wufei teased the other boy mercilessly, teeth nipping at his shoulder, even as his fingers opened Duo’s pants and slipped inside. The American was reduced to small whimpers and moans as a hand encircled him and pumped him gently. “Fei…”

The Chinese ran his hands back up Duo’s body and entwined their fingers together as he pulled Duo’s arms over his head and held him like that- gently, settling between the braided boy’s slightly spread legs. “Thank you so much, Duo.”

The braided boy arched an eyebrow. “For what? Dragging you into my pet scheme…”

Wufei shook his head as he brushed Duo’s bangs back and out of his eyes. “You got me out of my office-you gave me something to do with myself. And then… well, there is this,” he finished with a devilish look, grinding his hips forward.

Biting back a light moan, Duo’s eyes betrayed his concern. “You were burning out, Fei. We all could see it, and I wanted so much to help, but you kept turning us away, kept pushing *me* away. For all I knew, you’d be disgusted when you found out I liked you…”

Wufei stopped him with a finger over his lips, and said, “We’ll have to remember to thank Sally later for hitting me over the proverbial head. I promise you, Duo- I won’t hold you away ever again. None of you.”

Duo’s hand worked its way into Wufei’s hair once again, and he pulled the other boy down for a gentle kiss, nibbling at his lips and finally deepening it. Wufei sighed as his eyes slipped shut and Duo’s tongue danced with his own. Somehow, this angel had fallen for him…

He hadn’t realised that Duo was unbuttoning his shirt until the other boy pushed it back off his shoulders. Wufei stripped the offending garment away, his skin gleaming in the half-light of the room as he slowly lowered himself onto Duo again. It felt like… he had nothing to compare it to, actually, as flesh came into contact with warm, supple flesh, and he claimed the braided boy’s lips again for yet another deep kiss.

Duo’s lips trailed down his jaw and over his neck, trailing warmth and heat behind them, and Wufei moaned appreciatively, his hands finding the end of Duo’s long braid and releasing it, lifting the hair to his face so he could inhale its fragrance… He directed his attention back to kissing the boy underneath him as his hands strayed lower and began easing Duo’s slacks down off his slim hips, pulling the briefs down with them.

Duo’s breath caught in his throat as Wufei pulled the last of his clothing away and stared down at him with wide, smoldering eyes. “God, you’re beautiful, Duo.”

He ran his hands up the boy’s legs and straight past his erection to his belly and finally up to his chest. “I want to make love to you, Duo.”

Already passion-dilated blue-violet eyes got impossibly hotter as Duo struggled to breathe under the sensory assault. “God, Fei… yes- I want it, too.” His normally clever fingers fumbled with Wufei’s belt and the catch of his slacks, his face flushed as he finally slipped the Chinese boy’s clothes off of him.

Wufei groaned, reduced to mindless pleasure as Duo’s hand encircled his cock and pumped him slowly, a playful tongue darting over one of his nipples, before it was sucked into a warm, wet cavern. Wufei’s hands flew to his soon to be lover, burying themselves in his waterfall of hair to hold the heat even closer against himself.

He was pressing the long-haired boy back onto the bed, kissing him devouringly as he ground his hips down onto the prone boy, pressing rock hard erections tightly against each other. He could feel Duo trembling beneath him, and he gently stroked one hand over the boy’s hip before breaking their kiss. “Do you have… lotion? Something…”

“In the nightstand, hurry…” Duo gasped, hands, finding Wufei’s hips and squeezing, grinding the other boy against himself for more of the divine friction that was tantalising him so perfectly.

Wufei fumbled with a small bottle of lotion, his heartbeat thrumming through him as it finally hit him-this was *Duo* under him, begging him to take him, giving himself to him so completely… With a heady moan, he snaked one hand down between them as he kissed Duo again, fingers seeking out the boy’s entrance and circling it gently before pressing inwards-

Duo gasped, his eyes flying open as a single finger entered him and probed at him so intimately, so gently. “Fei, I love you…”

The Chinese boy moaned again, his hardened member throbbing with need as he took Duo’s lips again. He knew he wasn’t going to last long, not with the look and feel of Duo, pleading with him, calling his name, writhing against him… Long fingers probed more insistently as he added another finger and, soon after that, a third. His free hand was stroking Duo as they kissed, the long-haired boy thrusting into his fingers with the abandon of deep lust, the silvery sheen of sweat on his skin glistening invitingly.

He only paused to coat his erection with some of the lotion before he knelt between Duo’s legs and lifted them, positioning himself against the other boy and waiting there-

Duo’s entire body thrummed with pleasure as he felt Wufei spreading him open, felt the insistent heat of the other boy’s hardness against him. “Please, Fei… now, please…”

Biting back a moan, Wufei began to slowly thrust forward.

Duo cried out in shocked ecstasy as he was slowly filled and stretched. “FEI!” he screamed, as the length inside of him brushed against his prostate, sending frissons of pleasure shooting all through him.

Wufei had never felt anything so incredible. The sound of his name on Duo’s lips broke any sort of restraint he might have had, and he pulled almost all the way out before thrusting forward again hard, over and over, as Duo’s moans and cries sent his mind into overload.

He wrapped his arms around the blue-eyed boy, lifting him from the bed completely as he drove into him hard, and Duo cried out, “WUFEI! Fei, I’m gonna…” His whole body went tense as he moaned and threw his head back as he came.

“DUO!” He felt the heat and pressure surrounding him tightening impossibly, and he pulled out completely before driving back in to the hilt one last time. Wufei groaned and clutched at the warm body in his arms as he came, his face buried against Duo’s neck, hands gripping the boy’s hips with almost bruising strength.

The two collapsed back onto the bed bonelessly, both panting for air as Wufei drew the other boy on top of him, Duo’s hair fanning over them like a living blanket. His head pillowed on Wufei’s chest, Duo could both hear and feel the other boy’s body coming back down to Earth again. He kissed the smooth skin of Wufei’s chest. “I love you.”

Wufei smiled and wrapped his arms around the other boy. “I love you, too.”

The caterer showed up an hour late.

Several other volunteers shot Wufei grateful looks as he kept a gentle, but firm grip on Duo’s braid, preventing the American from going on the rampage he was plainly primed for.

“Really, Maxwell, the party doesn’t begin for another hour,” he soothed, as Duo twisted his hands in his lap. “They still have plenty of time to set up.”

The blue-eyed American shot him a dirty look. “So I’m back to being ‘Maxwell’ again, am I? Just when you think you know a guy…”

Wufei verified that no one was looking before he swatted Duo on the rump playfully, eliciting a strangled ‘eep.’ “*You* were the one who insisted on us keeping a low profile, Duo,” he teased in a low voice.

Duo said nothing in reply.

Wufei watched in awe over the next few hours as guests began to arrive. No matter how sickly or frightened a child looked, Duo was there, with his magnetically bright smile and kind eyes, drawing them into the room, helping them relax. It wasn’t long before Wufei found himself doing the same, and he marvelled at it. This was yet another gift from the slender American-not only was he helping out, but he was honestly enjoying it, and it never would have happened, if not for Duo.

Santa arrived on schedule, and Wufei and Duo finally took a break as children ran to meet the man in the red suit. They stole away into a side room, shutting the door behind them with a relieved sigh. “Fei, I can’t believe this is going so well,” Duo breathed, relaxing back into the warm arms that wrapped around him.

Wufei nestled his head against Duo’s shining hair, closing his eyes as he hugged the warm body in his arms. “It’s all thanks to you, Duo. I can’t imagine anyone else pulling this off.”

Duo lifted one of Wufei’s hands and kissed the palm. “You helped, too. Do you think this would have gone as well without your help?”

“You would have done it, anyway.”

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it half as much.”

“Hn.” Wufei hid a smile in Duo’s braid.

Duo turned to face him, though, with a solemn look on his handsome face. “You made this Christmas extra special, Wufei Chang. It… I know you probably wouldn’t think of this, coming from me, but it takes a lot to just give. An awful lot. And now- I kept giving, and you gave it right back to me. It feels… God, this sounds lame, but it feels *whole,* ya know?”

Wufei swallowed. Only Duo could have said that so well! He hugged the American tightly to his chest. “I know precisely what you mean, koi. I feel it, too.” He pulled back to kiss the other boy softly, letting all he was feeling pour out into it. “Merry Christmas, Duo.”

Duo’s smile broke like a sunrise over his face. “Merry Christmas to you, too, Chang Wufei.”

Outside the door, they could hear children’s voices piping up as someone began playing Christmas carols, and the two smiled at each other as, hand in hand, they went to join in.

owari

I’d like to say Merry Christmas in particular to Manon, Sharon, Ariane, ColdSilence, Enigma-sama, Tyr, Bonne, Von, Kwyck, and especially to Christy and Mel, who have been so supportive of me in both my writing and personally, through the events of this fall. Having people like you to turn to and talk to over this past year has been an invaluable gift to me.

Merry Christmas to all of you, and best wishes for a Happy New Year!

- Ashkara ^_^