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Now that Duo thinks about it, the way the church fills the background of the flea market makes it seem as if all these crowded tents had simply become an extension of it.
Something he had been thinking about endlessly while Wufei endlessly sniffs jar after jar of powder, seeds, cloves, et cetera, et cetera. They weren’t even supposed to linger here—Wufei’s had a long day and he does not want to cook dinner. So he told Duo to come and fetch him in the office so they could just eat out tonight. But on the way to their favorite restaurant, they chanced upon this place where Duo decided, since they still had time before dinner, they could look around and get ahead with some Christmas shopping, much to Wufei’s annoyance.
But now here he is, talking shop about aroma, earthiness, color and the likes. Meanwhile, Duo is getting a bit hungry.
Rather than let his mortal needs get the better of his and Wufei’s budding relationship, though, he brings his attention back to the church lording over rows of stalls already sparkling in strings of light that look pretty amid the early evening blue. The church itself is aglow behind its stained glass windows and all along its sharp turrets, its decorative ledges, its pristine walls… it looks really warm inside. It must be beautiful inside, too.
“Hey,” he whispers while Wufei is sticking his nose into another jar, one hand sealing it from the chilly air. “I’ll just be in the church.” He points at it when Wufei turns to look.
The inside smells of frankincense and fresh flowers, like the ones seated at the foot of the altar. At the left of it stands a podium wrapped in green garland, carrying four candles, three purple, one pink. To the left of that…
Duo’s already digging for coins in his pockets, excited feet echoing softly in the quiet church when he approaches the light stands, each carrying maybe eight rows of red candles, some cold, some still lit with prayers already said. After a quick count, he dumps all his change into the donation box, grabs a cold candle and lights it up with one practically hanging onto the last of its wax.
One by one, he brings the same light to other sleeping ones, muttering names to himself, stopping to look up to the dim ceiling while he counts more names with his fingers. By the time he’s done, he’s practically lit up one whole row of candles.
Satisfied, he steps back, clasps his hands together in front of him, then closes his eyes, muttering words ingrained by memory in his lips. The sounds of the market nearby, of the church fade one by one, leaving him in shallow meditation with the scent of candles, wood and flowers.
The echo of Wufei’s footsteps would have been silent if Duo didn’t know how to look for them.
He truly must love him, he thinks, snickering, when he doesn’t speak up until Duo opens his eyes. “Did you light this all up?” He sounds genuinely surprised.
“Nah,” Duo cackles quietly, pointing to his candles. “Just these ones.”
“What for?”
“To pray for their souls, their memory. For protection.” Duo points to the first candle. “This one’s for Solo, my first friend. Then Sister Helen,” he points to the next candle, “Father Maxwell,” then the next, “Laura, Harry, Diana—”
“And those are?”
“Old friends,” Duo sighs, smiling. “Folks I lost in the war.” He points to another set of candles. “And these are for the ones I gained in the war. You, Heero, Trowa, Quatre.”
“Even though we’re still alive?” Wufei so helpfully points out with an upward push of his holy brow.
Duo’s laughter ripples in the silence of the church. “That’s ‘cause these candles aren’t just for the dead, Wufei. They’re for the living, too. For your protection, your health.” He nudges Wufei playfully with his elbow. “All your hopes and dreams. I put ‘em in there, and prayed they’d come true.”
Wufei snorts and shakes his head, smile peeking at the corner. “How convenient.”
“Yeah,” Duo laughs again, nodding. “Guess that’s why I never grew out of this… y’know, when you’re down on your luck and prayers come cheap… y’know, it’s better than nothing. Never been the prayerful type, but it’s better than feeling helpless, y’know? It’s a comfort, I guess…”
“A comfort,” Wufei echoes, looking back to the candles…
Duo isn’t sure he’s seeing right when he watches Wufei take one of his candles to light up some others, giving a name to each one of them. He starts with, “Nataku,” of course, then moves on to, “Master Long, Master O…”
He finishes with a fourth candle, looking briefly at Duo before he utters, “Duo Maxwell.”
Duo smiles brightly.
“For your safety and protection, and the fulfillment of your dreams. Whatever dreams you still have.”
That tickles a loud laugh from Duo.
“So what did you usually do for Christmas?” Wufei asks suddenly.
“You mean when I was a kid?” Duo’s eyes stay on the podium, though, with its four candles arranged in a short spiral. “Well, there’s mass. There’s prayers, and then there’s a feast. I call it a feast, but,” he laughs, “it’s really not much. Chicken, ‘cause it’s cheaper than Turkey, some roasted vegetables, bread…” He turns to Wufei sitting beside him on the pew. “You? You ever celebrate?”
Wufei shakes his head. Figures, different childhoods and all.
Later, though, when he speaks up again, he says, “Let’s go back to that spice vendor,” as he stands up, tugging Duo along. “I have a glaze recipe that can work for turkey, and it uses star anise.”
“Hey, really?” Duo stumbles after him out the church with echoing feet. “We’re having turkey? For Christmas?” He thought he didn’t celebrate. “I—I’ve never had turkey before!”
Wufei responds with a quiet smirk, nudging Duo closer still to push their entwined hands into his pocket.