kagekachou | Secret Santa!

Hello, Santa!

I'm sort of a self-centered whore but I'm also really easy to please. I love CFUD stuff -- things that take place in camp, post-camp stuff, anything. Anything involving my characters (Enjolras, Maladict and Tatsumi) makes me squee like a shameless young catgirl. And I also love Les Misérables, Discworld, Yami no Matsuei, Saiyuki and Gundam Wing. And there are probably other things that I love, too, but in that "Everything I know about [xxx], I learned from CFUD" way.... uh, lemme think about that!

And... yeah! Feel free to ask or chat or anything!

Thank you, Santaaaaaaa!

Current Mood: cheerful

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From: (Anonymous)

Hello Tats!

Just so you know, Santa hasn't forgotten you. There was a strike in the elves' workshop so your gift got slightly delayed...but it will arrive before~ Christmas~, do not fear.

From: (Anonymous)

Merry Christmas, dear Tatsumi~! ♥

Maladict, In Twelve.

The First: Deck The Halls
don we now our gay apparel

When Maladict woke up, there was a lot more colour than normal. The rafters were decorated with tinsel and holly, and there were little rubber bats with Hogfather hats on dangling from the roof. Hogswatch lights flashed red, green, white. then spread rainbows across the walls. Where his clothes had been hung up the day before was...something...striped red and white, like a candy cane.

He blinked.

Once the shock faded a bit, Maladict started to put words to what he was seeing. That was a corset - every vampire knew about corsets, after all, and this one was definitely looking tight and low-cut enough for any self-respecting vamp to approve of, except for the colour - and those stockings, with a garter belt to hold them up. There was even matching underwear, cut shamelessly high, and a Hogfather hat to go with it. And a note.

Merry Christmas, Mal. Don't bother looking for your old clothes. ♥

The Second: Good King Wenceslas
when the snow lay round about, deep and crisp and even

The voices were like annoying little bitemes buzzing around him, except they couldn't be because the world was full of snow, and insects died in the snow. Maladict walked unseeing through the winter. There was a heavy package in his arms, he couldn't quite tell if his page was a boy or a girl, and he couldn't remember the last time he'd had any coffee.

Look, don't we have anything? Kon, you must have some hidden away. Buffy? Please?

The crown he'd made from pine branches felt just like gold, and the robes were heavy around him. They dragged through the snow, through the winter slapped out of place into summertime. The vampire hummed, very quietly, looking out for the peasant man who would be gathering winter fuel. There was a Hogswatch feast to be eaten! When his page thrust a mug into his hands, he almost slapped the boy.

Drink, Maladict.

There was coffee in the mug. Maladict drank.

The Third: The Carol of the Bells
hark how the bells, sweet silver bells
all seem to say throw cares away

"What did you give him?" Polly's voice sounded vaguely accusing, although Mal was having some difficulty caring.

"I thought he liked coffee!"

Maladict giggled quietly and watched the pretty little yellow birdies circling around the lamp.

"That wasn't coffee! Look at him!"

"It was only a triple shot!"

Polly's dots were so angry that Maladict could almost hear them.

From: (Anonymous)

The Fourth: Santa Baby
think of all the fun I've missed,
think of all the fellows that I haven't kissed

"What are you doing?"

"Just being prepared, Perks."

"That's mistletoe."

"How perceptive of you, Perks! Tactical warfare. A few of these little beauties and the enemy won't know what hit them."

"It doesn't work the same out of camp, Mal."

Maladict smiled, fangs gleaming bright in the moonlight, and waved a sprig at her. Polly took a hesitant step closer, her expression swiftly changing to horror. "Are you sure?" the vampire asked sweetly.

The Fifth: Do You Hear What I Hear
a child shivers in the cold

They were running out of things to burn. When even Lofty couldn't keep the fire alight, they knew it was bad. The snow kept wood wet, so it smoked angrily rather than bursting into flames and gave off no heat. They were wet too, after hours of marching in the snow. Jade was coming up with more and more intelligent ideas every few minutes, while the others slowed down and grew dull and sleepy. Wrapped in a woolen cloak, Maladict was at least tolerably warm. Tonker and Lofty huddled together. Wazzer was praying. And Polly, a little distance away from the others, looked like a solid pillar of strength and courage and warmth until you came close.

She was shivering. Maladict put the cloak around her, felt her press closer for warmth. "I'm scared," she whispered, quiet enough that the others wouldn't hear.

"I know," the vampire answered. There was no point in saying everything would be all right, not when Polly would hear the lie in the words. "I know."

The Sixth: I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
she didn't see me creep down the stairs to have a peep
she thought that I was tucked up in my bed all fast asleep

"Mal?"

Even with vampire reflexes, Maladict leapt away from Polly amazingly fast. It still wasn't fast enough to avoid Harley's raised eyebrow and smirk. "Sorry~" she sing-songed. "You oughta ask Red to keep the mistletoe out of the hospital. It can be real distracting."

Polly blushed bright red. Maladict tried to focus on other things. Coffee. Steeped for two minutes and forty-seven seconds, no sugar, the beans ground only moments ago...

...anything other than having to remember that there hadn't even been any mistletoe to blame.

From: (Anonymous)

The Seventh: The Last Day Of Christmas
I'm brave on the last day of Christmas for you

As always, the Director's timing was impeccable. The last day of Christmas, and the decree had gone out over the loudspeaker - the names of people she'd decided, for whatever warped reasons she used to decide these things, were innocent and were to be sent home.

Polly was one of them.

Maladict held her hand as the barrier opened, accepted the whispered apology, and watched as she stepped through back to...whatever was left of home.

It wasn't until she had entirely vanished that the vampire started to cry.

The Eighth: O Tannenbaum
much pleasure dost thou bring me

Maladict unwrapped the parcel carefully. It had been bundled in layers and layers of paper with ribbon everywhere, almost impossible to get into without using teeth. When at last it finally revealed the treasure within, the vampire sat stunned.

"A pound of Nicaraguan organic shade-grown coffee beans," he breathed. "And the Sumatran Mandheling...this stuff's rarer than diamonds!"

Rikuou smiled. "I thought you'd like it. Merry Christmas."

The Ninth: Away In A Manger
the stars in the bright sky looked down where he lay

It was like being back home, only better, because here there was no war (but there was the rest of the regiment) and no hunger and no ruperts, if you didn't count Polly. And - this was the important thing - his squad had paintball guns. Flat on his stomach in the remains of the autumn leaves, Maladict smiled in a way that would have terrified all but the bravest dentist. He couldn't wait to see what camp looked like after this training exercise was over.

From: (Anonymous)

The Tenth: We Three Kings
glorious now behold him arise

Maladict liked to watch Polly when she didn't know she was being watched. She was sewing her new insignia onto her coat, fingers flashing back and forth, needle glinting in the candlelight. She squinted, a little; unlike Maladict, her night vision was only human. Cloaked in the shadows, the vampire could look without being seen as Polly stood and shrugged into her coat, smoothing it down over her body. The stripes shone in the light, and Polly's skin seemed to glow through the darkness. Maladict stared, for a moment seeing something more in Polly than had ever been there before. She was glorious.

The Eleventh: Silent Night
all is calm, all is bright

One night, they lay out on the hospital roof watching the stars spin around them. One hot chocolate, one coffee, one blanket, and the two of them. You didn't get perfect moments very often, but this, Maladict decided, was one of them.

The Twelfth: All I Want For Christmas
make my wish come true

They had written letters - everyone had. To Santa Claus, although Polly and Maladict had addressed theirs to the Hogfather at Vimes' urging. After all, it wasn't as though he was going to come past camp, was it? It didn't really matter what they asked for, when it wasn't going to turn up.

When the combined efforts of twelve campers finally managed to open the giant parcel and Lofty, Tonker, Wazzer, Shufti, Igor and Carborundum tumbled out, Maladict couldn't help but wonder whether it was time to start really believing.

fin