Christmas Gifts
It was slushing in the city of Megatokyo, an irritating mix
of rain and wet snow that was coming down over the sprawling city.
Most of the residents were back in their homes along with their
families this Christmas Eve, spending some time with their loved
ones. The slick streets were mostly deserted by that time of night,
only one or two vehicles still out in the rough weather.
In a part of town that might be considered bad by some Priss
Asagiri left the manager's office at the nightclub Hot Legs. There
was a satisfied smile on her face and an thick envelope was in her
hands. She joined her four bandmates a few minutes later, handing
out shares of the money that the manager had been trying to stiff
them.
"Here you go," Priss said crisply, "try not to blow it all
in one place."
"Hey, Priss," her lead guitarist called out to her as she
walked away.
"Yeah?" Priss asked, not turning around.
The young man was actually nervous, his voice rough, "A few
of us are going out drinking tonight, before going home. You want to
come along?"
Priss smiled slightly, "Thanks, guys, but I got plans. Maybe
next time."
"Merry Christmas, Priss," her drummer yelled, just a bit
drunk already.
"Yeah, yeah," Priss grumbled, then a bit more loudly, "Merry
Christmas." And with that she slipped out of the club, walking out
to where her bike waited for her. 'Yeah, I got plans,' Priss
thought, 'I'm going home and getting drunk.'
Her usual set of riding leathers hugged her slim body
closely, all in deep red. Priss swung her leg up over her bike,
letting her weight settle down on the seat. Her helmet fit her
snugly, and she smiled with satisfaction as the engine revved to
life, settling to a gentle hum.
Priss slid from the alley out onto the nearly deserted
street, following the path through the steel and concrete towers of
the city. She focused on the driving, trying not to look up at the
massive tower that filled the skyline, the tower of
Genom. 'Someday,' Priss vowed, 'you're going to pay.'
A flash of red and blue, and Priss softly cursed under her
breath as the AD Police cruiser came up beside her on the rain
slicked streets. The driver waved to her, then the brown haired man
gestured towards an covered garage. Knowing that he'd follow her
Priss pulled in, waiting with her helmet resting in her lap until he
got the car parked.
"What do you want, Leon?" Priss barked.
Leon McNicol leaned up against his squad car, a slight smile
on his almost boyish face. The AD Police officer was a big man, but
he also had a softer side, one he was showing now as he mildly
said, "Merry Christmas, Priss."
"Merry Christmas, Leon," Priss had to answer him. She
climbed off of her bike, hanging her helmet on her handlebar as she
stalked towards him. "I didn't buy you a gift," she said with a
frown, "but I have something I can give you all the same." She took
a breath, "There's no chance of us dating, McNicol, none at all."
"I know," Leon surprised her by calmly answering. He smiled
wryly at the look on her face, "A friend of mine finally made me see
reality, at least about you." He reached into the front seat of his
car, tossing a package towards her, "Here."
Priss caught the gift onehandedly even as she said
fiercely, "Damn it, I said that I didn't have a gift for you, Leon!"
"Then consider it back payment for all the times you and
your three pals helped save the city, all right?" Leon shot back as
he opened the door and climbed inside his cruiser. He left his
window open as he stuck his head out and yelled at her, "Get home
out of the rain, Priss! Before you catch a cold or something."
'He knows?' Priss thought dazedly, watching the cruiser pull
out into the snow and rain. It shouldn't have been all that
surprising to her, really, he had been there a few times where she
had been caught up in Knight Sabers business. And she had always
wondered if Leon had gotten a good look at her face when her visor
got smashed that time...
"Now I guess we know," Priss muttered to herself aloud.
The bike started up again smoothly, and helmet on Priss slid
out into the cold and wet once again. She rode well, pushing the
speed a bit but being careful not to go too far. The streets could
be dangerous when wet, and this mix of rain and snow could make
things even worse.
Lights flashed by her on the street-lamps and in shop
windows, the brightly lit store fronts all decorated in red and
green for the holiday season. 'It's not even a Japanese holiday,'
Priss scowled fiercely, 'just something that we adopted from the
west.' It had been especially irritating having to listen to Nene
and Linna over at the Silky Doll, both of the young woman going into
almost nauseating detail discussing their oh-so romantic Christmas
dates.
Sylia, thankfully, had the good sense not to jump on that
bandwagon. The black haired leader of the Knight Sabers had coolly
drank from her cup of tea, smiling slightly. "I'm holding a little
party at the Silky Doll," she said calmly, "I'd like to see you all
there."
Nene and Linna had agreed almost immediately, making Priss
wonder a bit about their supposed big dates later that night.
Despite Sylia pressing her slightly for an answer Priss had been
firmly noncommittal, not promising to actually show up. Not her
style, that sort of high class party.
The rain and snow continued to come down as she rode on, the
streets becoming even more deserted as she made her way to her home.
The battered red trailer sat on a lot that she had bought a while
back, using some of the money that she had earned as a Knight Saber.
It still felt a bit odd having that kind of money, but it did come
in handy occasionally.
The ramp came down from the side easily, and she carefully
rolled the bike up into the chunk of the trailer she used as a
improvised garage. Dropping her helmet by the bike she laid out a
tarp to collect any of the rain water, then smiled wryly as she
turned an older heater on. "Gotta take care of my baby," she smirked
before moving into the other part of the trailer.
Priss carefully navigated through the mess, music magazines,
beer cans, biking publications and other stuff littering the floor.
Her leathers she stripped off smoothly, leaving her dressed in just
her bra and panties as she moved towards the little shower. Panties
and bra dropped by the door, and she hit the water as hot as she
could stand while she stood under the spray.
A few moment's later Priss slid out of the shower, grabbing
the least grungy towel sitting by the shower door. She dried herself
off, pacing nude through the suite to her closet. A pair of jeans, T-
shirt and fresh underwear later and Priss sat down on the side of
her bed. She took in the clock mounted on the wall, noting that
Sylia's party was probably over long ago.
'I'll probably get a stern lecture tomorrow about not being
there,' Priss got up, walking over to her fridge and pulling out a
cold can of beer. She popped the top, taking a drink, and considered
turning on the television. 'Watch more of those damn Christmas
specials?' she thought to herself grumpily, answering 'I don't think
so.'
Priss finished off the can of beer, laying there on top of
the sheets on her rumpled bed. She was just putting the empty down
beside the bed when she heard it, off in the distance. The sound of
a well maintained engine was getting closer and closer, a powerful
throaty sound that was oddly familiar to her, one that she had heard
many times before.
"Sylia?" Priss blinked in surprise. She got up off the bed
and walked over to the window to make sure. Yes, she recognized the
sports car that was pulling into the lot, the very same vehicle that
Sylia had come here in once before.
The car smoothly came to a stop out in the lane, Sylia
opening up the door to stand beside the car in the driving rain and
snow. She looked as elegant as ever, the dark haired business woman,
but her fine clothes were rapidly being soaked through as she stood
out there in the storm.
"Shit," Priss ran to her front door, pulling it
open. "Sylia!" she yelled out at her, but the dark haired woman
didn't respond. Cursing under her breath Priss ran outside, reaching
the other woman's side, wondering what must have gone wrong.
"Priss," Sylia's hair was already soaked, water running down
her face.
"Come on," Priss dragged her forward, only pausing a moment
to kick out and slam the car door shut with her foot. She half
pulled, half carried the dark haired woman inside the trailer, all
the while looking at her face. 'That's not just the rain,' Priss
realized, 'she's crying.'
She dragged the soaking wet woman to a chair, pushing her
down into the seat gently. Sylia's eyes were dark, looking up at
Priss' face searchingly. "Priss," she tried to make her voice
steadily but it came out hoarse, "why didn't you come to the damn
party?" Her eyes flashed with sudden anger, "I was worried about
you!"
"I.." Priss trailed off uncomfortably. 'I didn't know that
it meant so much to her,' was what was running through her head.
Sylia began to shiver in her soaking clothes, and Priss
frowned. "I'll be right back," she said, walking to her bathroom.
Scrounging around a moment Priss found some dry, clean
towels and brought them over to Sylia. "Thank you," Sylia softly
sighed, taking the towels and drying herself off. The towel covered
her face as she continued drying her hair, "You could have called."
"You sound like somebody's mother," Priss frowned. She took
a breath and said a bit more gently, "I never said that I'd be
coming."
"You never do. And I know that you don't care much for
Christmas," Sylia admitted to her quietly, towling off the arms of
her suit, trying to get the water out, "but I do." She sighed, "I
used to love Christmas with Mackie and Dad, and I just wanted..."
".. to have something like that with us." Priss quietly
finished. She took in the bedraggled figure sitting there in her
still soaked clothes, and sighed. "You're stuck here until you dry
out," she noted, "I'll get you something to wear."
"You don't have to.." Sylia started.
"Mackie would have fits if I let you go out soaked like
that," Priss mentioned Sylia's little brother with a wry
smile. "C'mon," she gestured Sylia towards her bedroom.
Sylia certainly looked odd moving through Priss' trailer,
the slightly shorter black haired woman in the elegant formal wear,
her high heels sitting there empty by the front door. They navigated
through the mess, quickly reaching the bedroom, and Priss waved her
towards the bed while she turned to rummage through the closet.
"It's about the same as the last time I was here," Sylia
noted, looking around at the piles of beer cans, messy clothes and
the occasional motorcycle part.
"I don't get much company," Priss calmly noted, her face
hidden as she dug through the closet. A clean T-shirt flew out at
Sylia first, then a pair of sweatpants soon followed. "Those should
fit you," she stepped back from the open closet, then she looked
over at Sylia thoughtfully. "So how's the underwear?" Priss asked.
"What?" the obviously rattled Sylia blinked.
"Are they as soaked as the rest of you?" Priss said directly.
"Well, yes," Sylia admitted sheepishly.
Priss walked over to her dresser, pulled open a drawer and
rummaged around in it a moment. "Here," she added something to the
pile of clothes, "get changed before you get sick or something."
With that, she slipped out of the bedroom to give Sylia some privacy.
Priss walked back to the livingroom, picking up the wet
towels off the floor as she went. She felt a bit grateful that she
finally had bought a clothes dryer, rather than just stringing a
line across the livingroom to dry out her clothes. Not that it
wouldn't be interesting to see the look on Sylia's face when she did
that, but...
"No, I don't think so," Priss murmured.
"Don't think what?" Sylia asked curiously.
Priss turned around, not having heard her come in the room
and her lips twitched up in a unwilling smile. The sweatpants that
would have fit Priss snugly were a bit baggy on Sylia, and the
slogan that was printed on the T-shirt was cutely rude. Combine that
with her short black hair sticking up in bits and her red cheeks
from the cold outside and you had someone who was the polar opposite
of Sylia's normal look.
"I know," Sylia tugged on the T-shirt shyly, the
words 'Women do it better and look better doing it!' being distorted
by her gesture, "I must look ridiculous."
Priss blushed. Yes, Sylia looked oddly cute, but in no way
silly. In fact, she had found herself wondering Sylia looked like
that after she made love. "You look cute," Priss said firmly.
Sylia obviously must have heard something in her voice, the
dark haired woman giving her a slight smile. She hefted her arm full
of wet clothes, "Where..?"
Priss quickly relieved her of them, walking over to the
dryer, loading it up, then hitting the switch. They sat down in the
chairs in the living room, Sylia nearly falling into a overstuffed
seat that Priss normally used for lounging around in. "You gotta
watch out for that one," she smiled.
"Gee, thanks," Sylia levered herself to the edge of the
seat. She pushed her black hair back from her face, "I'm sorry I got
so upset, I just.. wanted you there at the party."
"Why was it so important to you that I attend the party?"
Priss had to ask.
"Because," Sylia looked uncomfortable, a flush to her
cheeks, "you were the first Knight Saber I recruited, symbolically
it was important for you be there."
Priss hesitated, unsure if she wanted to ask the next
question that came to mind. "And was that the only reason you wanted
me there?" Priss asked.
"No," Sylia looked down uncomfortably.
Priss sighed softly, feeling remarkably stupid. Sylia had
been so gentle to her, for these past few weeks leading up to
Christmas. They still worked together like normal, of course, but
Sylia had lingered after their Knight Sabers missions to try to draw
her out. Priss had been hesitant, but slowly Sylia had been chipping
away at her guard. And not once had Priss even considered why.
"I'm sorry," Priss finally said into the long, uncomfortable
silence, "I can be pretty dense about this kind of thing."
"I was going to take you out to dinner tonight," Sylia said
softly, "after I sent Linna and Nene on home. I had this whole
romantic evening all planned out for the two of us." She smiled a
bit self-mockingly, "And you didn't show up."
Priss looked down at the floor, she couldn't think of
anything else to say other than repeating, "I'm sorry."
"Priss?" Sylia asked. Priss looked up, seeing Sylia looking
at her worriedly, "I haven't upset you by telling you this, have I?"
Priss wanted to say something, but she couldn't seem to make her
mouth work. Sylia sighed, getting up out of her chair, "I'll get my
close out of the dryer. I can drive home in this, give you your
stuff back later."
Sylia walked by her chair and Priss reached out to grab at
her arm, "Wait, please." Sylia looked down at her as Priss softly
continued, "You've always seemed so unapproachable, I've never dared
to say anything."
"You mean.." Sylia trailed off, unwilling to put words in
the brown haired woman's mouth.
"You remember when my arm was broken?" Priss said to her
softly. "You took care of me, and I so wanted to stay in your bad,
continue laying there beside you once I got well."
"I wish you had told me," Sylia tugged, pulling Priss up to
stand beside her, "I wanted you to stay there beside me as well."
"I'm sorry for spoiling your plans," Priss murmured softly,
standing face to face with Sylia.
A soft sound, a bell, and Sylia smiled slightly as she saw
the clock showing it was midnight. "Merry Christmas," she said
softly, "do you know what I planned to be doing at this time?"
"Merry Christmas, and I think I can guess," Priss murmured
back, leaning forward to gently press her lips to Sylia's own.
Sylia wrapped her arms around Priss' neck, both of them
savoring the kiss. She drew back a bit to smile, "I can't think of a
better Christmas gift to receive."
End.
Authors Notes: I'm assuming a fairly good knowledge of the BGC
anime, but here are the major events that I'm referring to in this
story: Leon saw the face of the Blue Knight Saber aka Priss when her
visor was shattered in episode #5 of the OVAs, though it wasn't
addressed in any detail later on. He's been chasing after Priss
since episode one, however! The arm breaking incident occurred in
OVA #7, the Vision episode. This story is set sometime after the
three episode finale Bubblegum Crash. Priss is basically in
character, but I think I had Sylia acting a bit too emotional. Oh,
well...
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