Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about.

Title: Lump of Coal
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Usagi/Mamoru
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 20. Giving children bad presents.

Chibiusa’s arrival had helped strengthen the tenuous peace between the Senshi and Shitennou, with all parties finally capitulating to Usagi’s demand for a little gift exchange before people scattered for the holidays. If trying to figure out a present for Usagi was hard, purchasing for Chibiusa - who kept insisting she be called Suki, of all things - was a thousand times harder.

Ken had argued for bath poofs and kits of smelly spritzy things from the mall which came in garish pastel colors, given she was sixteen. Jed and Zory, still backpedaling from their original reactions, had outvoted him, pushing hard for "unicorns and glitter."

She didn’t seem to mind the plush unicorn, letting out a squeal over how cute it was. "It’s adorable! I love unicorns, thank you so much," she said enthusiastically. Mamoru, however, narrowed his eyes and glared at the three Shitennou, all baffled at his reaction. The Senshi failed to hide their mirth, with even Rei concealing a quick laugh behind her hand.

"What?" Jed asked warily, eyes darting from the laughing Senshi to Mamoru’s face.

Suki rolled her eyes, using said unicorn to bop Mamoru on the arm. "Honestly," she said with a huff. "I haven’t seen Helios in years. Am I never going to live that down?'

"I - Helios? The priest?" Jed said after a moment, remembering him faintly from the memories of his past life. "He’s not dead?"

"More importantly, he’s now a unicorn?" Zory added with a snicker. Mamoru continued to glare.

The moment was broken, however, as Nico tossed another small package into Suki’s lap. "Here’s another for you, Princess. A bonus, if you will," he said with a sly grin.

Suki tore into the paper as enthusiastically as Usagi, revealing a large lump of coal. Instead of pouting however, she began to laugh.

"That’s for telling Jed he’s going to have sextuplets in the future," Nico told her.

Suki tried to pout around her laughing, and failed. "Hey! You laughed at his face, too."

"It was pretty funny," Zory admitted and Ken nodded. Only Rei and Mina were able to keep from laughing at this.

"And for snooping when we were gone."

"You knew about that?"

"And for eating all Lita’s cookies for the party."

Lita’s grin fell. "That was you?"

Usagi took the unicorn out of Suki’s lap, whapping her on the arm with it. "You blamed that on me!"

"How did you know that?" Suki wailed, still giggling between words.

"Don’t fuck with the future-seer," Nico replied with a laugh.

Suki’s giggles finally subsided a bit at that. "He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake?"

"Nico’s Santa?" Zory chimed in.

"Or a pervert," Jed added.

Title: Home Alone
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Ami/Zoicite (Zory)
Rating: PG
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 18. Favorite ornaments.

"Why do you have a pickle on your tree?"

Zory came into the living room from the kitchen, holding a beer and a drink for Ami. "Come again?"

Ami reached out to delicately pluck the pickle ornament from the tree, holding it as if it were an interesting specimen. "A pickle?"

Zory grinned, handing her the drink and taking care to tuck the pickle back into its hiding spot on the tree, barely visible among the lights. "It’s allegedly German, but it’s really something Americans do to pretend they’re more German than they are. My grandma started it,"he explained. "You hide the pickle on the tree, and whoever finds it first on Christmas day has good luck throughout the year. When we were little kids, it meant we got an extra present from Santa."

Ami smiled, taking a seat on the couch. "That’s sweet."

"It’s only sweet until you see Jed and Ken fighting for the pickle Christmas morning," Zory replied, conveniently forgetting that it was often a three-for-all. "They’re not even German," he grumbled.

Ami laughed and Zory took a seat next to her on the couch, feeling as if he already had enough luck for the coming year.

Title: You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Minako/Kunzite (Ken)
Rating: PG
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 16. The Grinch.

"Please?"

"No."

"Come on, it will be cute!"

"No, Mina."

"Pleeeease?"

"Mina, I’m not wearing that sweater."

Mina huffed, sending her bangs flying upward for a moment and Ken grinned. "But it’s Christmas! And American - you’re American! Don’t be a Grinch. You’re supposed to wear sweaters with flashing lights and sequins and pompoms," she reasoned. "Plus, I’m wearing one!"

Ken took a moment to appreciate how she had squeezed herself in a child-sized sweater, knowing full well that Jed would make a crack about the snowflakes on it as soon as they showed up at the party. "Mina, I’m not wearing that. You might as well chop of my balls and hand them to Jed."

Mina giggled for a moment, looking at the very tacky sweater she had in hand. "What’ll it take to get you in it?" she asked, raising an eyebrow, all childish pleading gone.

Title: Blame it on the Alcohol, Part II
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Makoto/Nephrite (Nico)
Rating: PG
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 14. Someone spiked the egg nog..

"Have you had any of the egg nog?"

Lita looked up from the kitchen counter, where she was adding some toppings to the popcorn. Ken hovered in the doorway, looking slightly uncomfortable. "No, why?" Lita asked, wary.

He held out a small cup to her. "It’s been, ah, spiked. Quite thoroughly."

Lita’s eyes watered before she could even take a sip and she made a face, even at the tiniest amount that went down her throat. Although the cloying sweetness of the drink helped hide some of it, for the most part, all she could taste was rum. Multiple flavors of rum, in fact.

Lita marched past Ken and out of the kitchen, wooden spoon gripped in her hand and propped on her hip. "Michael Ian Zory! Did you spike the egg nog? I know that’s what you were doing when you were messing about in the fridge."

Zory reddened. "Uh-"

Behind him, Ami quietly asked, "How does she know his full name?"

"I told her," Nico replied, grinning like the cat who ate the canary.

Ken had followed behind Lita, amusement playing at the corners of his mouth. "Lita, I believe the correct question is - Jed, did you spike the egg nog after Zory?"

"With coconut rum!" Lita added, indignant.

Jed grinned. "What, coconuts not festive-y?"

"I kind of like it," Usagi piped up, cheeks red and eyes sparkling. She had already had four cups. After cup three, she had started randomly clapping and going "Yay, you’re going to be friends now!" every time a Senshi and Shitennou spoke to each other.

Lita threw up her hands and went back to the kitchen. "You’re not getting any of the special popcorn, Jed. Coconut rum, honestly!" she muttered.

Title: Gift of the Magi
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Usagi/Mamoru
Rating: PG
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 12. Gift of the Magi.

A/N: I guess this means I have a cold, black heart, but I’ve always hated the O. Henry story. So, we’re not going with "The Gift of the Magi" here. We’re gonna get biblical. Future!Fic set in the same ‘verse. Okay, and I know that technically Chibiusa’s birthday is supposed to be the same as Usagi’s, but eff that - she’s not a clone. So, Christmas birthday it is!

***

Despite the changes which turned Tokyo into a city of glimmering crystal, Usagi and Mamoru preserved many of the Japanese traditions of their youth. And so, although Princess Usagi Small Lady Serenity had made her presence known as a Christmas present to her parents, the Shitennou did not see her until the New Year, when the royal family opened the palace for her official naming.

They had ducked in the back entrance of the palace, avoiding the crowds which had gathered on the front lawn, waiting for the family to appear on the balcony. The Outer Senshi had graciously taken over guard duty for the day, leaving the Shitennou and Inner Senshi to have their own private celebration before the official ceremony. Everyone had gathered in the nursery with their gifts, although a few of the girls had set theirs aside, forgotten, as they cooed over tiny pink tufts of hair and big red eyes.

"It looks like a cotton candy machine threw up in here," Jed muttered under his breath, before being elbowed sharply by Nico. Zory attempted to smother his laugh, and Ken turned around, glaring at the two of them.

Usagi’s eyes lit up when she saw them. "Yay, more presents!" she said gaily, channeling the girl she had been, despite the uniform of a queen that she wore.

Mamoru came in to the room, and Zory choked down another laugh. "He did it, I can’t believe he really did it," he hissed, and Jed snickered. Even Ken had a slight grin. It being a lavender suit, which had been the forfeit for a long-running bet. With all the video and photographs of today’s event, this sartorial moment would be preserved for years to come.

Mamoru seemed to take his humiliation gracefully, casually flipping them off as he took a seat next to Usagi. He leaned over to give her a kiss, gently running a hand over his daughter’s head.

Mina looked to Ken, tilting her head questioningly. "Heads or tails?" she asked, turning the coin over in her hand.

"Heads," Ken replied without hesitation.

Mina flipped the coin, pouting a bit as it landed on the top side. "I guess this means you can go first with the presents," she conceded. They settled themselves in chairs, with Lita taking the time to pass around snacks and drinks.

Ken nodded to Jed, signalling he should go first. Jed handed the box to Mamoru, who took his time in slowly opening the present, so as not to rip the paper. Usagi poked him in the side impatiently, clearly trying to urge him to rip into the the wrapping as she would. Once opened, Mamoru pulled out the wooden sansano-bori gingerly, and the girls ooohed appreciatively at the large carved rabbit, about the same size as the small princess. Mamoru laughed at that, thanking Jed for his clever play on tradition. In elegant calligraphy, it had Chibiusa’s name and birthdate, and Mamoru gave a nod to Rei, acknowledging her help with Jed’s present.

Zory stepped up next, giving a small shrug at the lack of paper. "You can’t really wrap flowers," he said. Mamoru accepted the bouquet of white poinsettia, lavender roses, pink chrysanthemum, and ivy with a smile. "Thank you. This means a lot," he added, acknowledging the meaning behind the bouquet.

Nico came after Zory. As he stepped forward with his box, Usagi passed the baby to Mamoru. "I want to open this one. You can open two of the girls," she offered. Mamoru laughed, but didn’t protest. Unlike Mamoru, Usagi didn’t hesitate. She quickly tore open the paper, face lighting up at the white gauze yukata, embroidered with tiny pink flowers. "This is so pretty!" she squealed, which the other girls echoed. "I know you helped, Mako-chan, thank you so much!" she added, referring to the embroidery. Nico grinned, amused by her enthusiasm.

Ken went last, and Mamoru helped Usagi unwrap the last present, as it had an overabundance of tape securing it closed. "You are so anal about wrapping presents," he said to Ken, grinning. Usagi’s chattering hushed when she opened the lid to the crystal box, and Mamoru sobered slightly in awe as well. Inside was a tiny crown of woven gold and silver mesh, twisting into intricate symbols of the Moon and the Earth at its peaks. "Thank you, Ken," Mamoru finally said, fingers running over one of the symbols of the Earth, acknowledging her equal title. Usagi nodded, her fingers joining Mamoru’s for a moment. "It’s perfect," she added.

Title: Smell
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing: Rei/Jadeite (Jed)
Challenge: lover100 020. Smell.
Summary: A continuation of the Alchemy 'verse created in the shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender prompts.

Rei had snapped to attention, even before Jed registered the acrid smell of smoke and the girl coughing and wailing on the front lawn. He and Kunzite had stopped, both fumbling for phones, but Rei sprinted away from them, and through the front door, disappearing into the dark smoke.

"Shit!" Jed swore, dropping his phone and trying to go follow after her into the house.

Ken tackled him to the ground, sitting on his thrashing legs while trying to work his phone with one hand. Jed's voice was tight with panic. "Ken, we have to go after her - she just ran into a fucking burning building-"

"And do what? What would you do, Jed?" Ken muttered, swearing slightly under his breath as he kept punching the wrong numbers.

"I - shit! I don’t know!" Jed replied, pulling at his hair slightly, before hitting Ken in the chest. "Do something! Make some ice," he barked.

"Out of what? I need water," he snapped, ending the phone call. Mamoru wasn’t answering his cell.

Two guys stumbled out the front door, coughing but otherwise unharmed. Ken got up off Jed’s legs, helping the two of them away from the building and over to the crying girl. For a moment, the flames disappeared, although the smoke continued. The heat retreated, as if a vacuum had sucked it up.

Jed looked toward the door, as if considering running in after Rei, when two more exited the burning house. He had just helped pull them clear from the door when, with a whoosh, the flames shot high in the sky again, the building crackling and groaning as if it was about to give way.

"Fuck," Jed muttered, pulling the girls even further back. He could hear sirens in the distance. When he looked back at the front door, the entire front hallway was up in flames. Just before the second floor collapsed, Rei came stumbling out the front door, eyes wide. She was covered in soot and singed bits which had probably been her clothes, although there wasn’t a mark on her. Jed stood, openmouthed.

Ken pulled off his coat, and Jed shook his head to clear it. Rei swayed and half-collapsed as Jed threw out his arms to catch her, shivering in the cold air. "Get me out of here before the police come," she said, voice husky from the smoke.

Advent
I seem to have created a 'verse with these shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender prompts. I decided to put them all here - a holiday-themed collection of Senshi/Shitennou drabbles. Alchemy 'verse. Mostly fluff with a garnish of angst. PG-13.

Advent, Continued
A continuation of the Senshi/Shitennou drabbles in the Alchemy 'verse, with prompts from lover100. Mostly fluff with a garnish of angst. PG-13.

Title: Advent
Rating: PG-13
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing: Senshi/Shitennou
Challenge: lover100
Summary: A continuation of the 'verse created in the shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender prompts. I will eventually figure out a title. And a plot. Mostly fluff with a garnish of angst.

Table-A

001.	Beginnings.	002.	Middles.	003.	Ends.	004.	Firsts.	005.	Friends.
006.	Hours.	007.	Days.	008.	Weeks.	009.	Months.	010.	Years.
011.	Lovers.	012.	Strangers.	013.	Love.	014.	Too Much.	015.	Not Enough.
016.	Simple.	017.	Complicated.	018.	Accident.	019.	Addicted.	020.	Smell.
021.	Sound.	022.	Touch.	023.	Taste.	024.	Sunrise.	025.	Sunset.
026.	Breakfast.	027.	Lunch.	028.	Dinner.	029.	Vacation.	030.	Date.
031.	Time.	032.	Birthday.	033.	Thanksgiving.	034.	Christmas.	035.	Valentine.
036.	Secrets.	037.	Hurt.	038.	Threesome.	039.	Kink.	040.	Lies.
041.	Passion.	042.	Hidden.	043.	Confession.	044.	Discovery.	045.	Truth.
046.	Betrayal.	047.	Dream.	048.	Nightmare.	049.	Lost.	050.	Emotion.
051.	Epiphany.	052.	Sex.	053.	Denial.	054.	Jealousy.	055.	Greed.
056.	Lust.	057.	Hands.	058.	Lips.	059.	Kiss.	060.	Crush.
061.	Winter.	062.	Spring.	063.	Summer.	064.	Fall.	065.	Anniversaries.
066.	Romantic.	067.	Union.	068.	Afraid.	069.	Safe.	070.	Protection.
071.	Broken.	072.	Fixed.	073.	Heat.	074.	Night.	075.	Shade.
076.	Who?	077.	What?	078.	Where?	079.	When?	080.	Why?
081.	How?	082.	If.	083.	And.	084.	He.	085.	Them.
086.	Choices.	087.	Life.	088.	Fight.	089.	Work.	090.	Home.
091.	Peace.	092.	Bedroom.	093.	Gentle.	094.	Independence.	095.	New Year.
096.	Writer‘s Choice.	097.	Writer‘s Choice.	098.	Writer‘s Choice.	099.	Writer‘s Choice.	100.	Writer‘s Choice.

Title: Blame it on the Alcohol
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Rei/Jadeite (Jed)
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 08. Mulled wine and hot cocoa.

A quick fight with a youma - made easier by the presence of the Shitennou - and copious amounts of mulled wine in celebration of an easy fight, brokered an easy peace between the Senshi and Shitennou. They had packed into Mamoru’s place again, conversations splintering into corners, although Mina seemed to effortlessly float away every time Ken came near.

Jed had gone into the kitchen to get some more wine, poking around in the cabinets to see if Mamoru had any snacks.

"Oh-" Rei had turned the corner, and noticed him alone.

"I- sorry, I’ll leave," Jed said, picking up his mug of wine. He brushed past her in the doorway, but her next sentence stopped him in his tracks.

"Every time I look at you, I remember what you looked like, burning alive," she murmured, her tone almost apologetic.

Jed turned slowly to face her. She had a defensive look on her face, but none of the outrage and anger from the previous week. "Shit, Rei. I’m sorry. I’m an asshole," Jed said.

"Breaking news," Rei muttered under her breath.

"I- here, does this help?" Jed said quickly, scrubbing his hand over his face. His features shifted, darkened. His hair grew. When he removed his hand, he was looking back at her with Nico’s face and Zory’s hair.

A reluctant laugh escaped her lips. "You look ridiculous."

He took a quick look at his reflection in the microwave door. "Nico’s not meant to be blond." He ran another hand over his face, shifting back to his original looks.

"No, I’d say not."

The silence stretched between them for a moment. "You did what you had to do," Jed said.

"I don’t regret it."

"You shouldn’t. If I ever -" Jed swallowed, throat working around the words, far more serious than she had ever seen him. "Don’t hesitate. Some of the others would." He left before Rei could form a reply.

Title: Lump of Coal
Fandom: Sailor Moon
Pairing (if applicable): Rei/Jadeite (Jed)
Rating: PG-13
Prompt: shitennou_ai Advent Drabblender 06. What St. Nikolaus put in the boots.

A/N: I think it’s VO1 that uses "Dimi" as a nickname for Endymion? I loved that, so I’m borrowing it here.

***

"You know, you can stop acting like I’m going to jump your bones every time I come within five feet of you."

"What-"

"Like, no offense Rei, you’re hot. Smoking hot. But you’re just some random hot girl from Japan that I hooked up with in a past life - God, that sounds like a line from shitty CW show. Anyway, okay, the sex back then was hot. So, uh, if you ever change your mind, I’ve got no objection to reliving that. Well, except for the tiki torch impression at the end, that was not cool. I mean, probably deserved, since I was trying to kill you, but uh-"

"Jed."

"What I’m trying to say, Rei, is that I’m here for Dimi. Not you. I don’t even know you. So, you can quit twitching. You hate me or whatever, fine. But I’m not going to avoid Dimi just because it makes you uncomfortable. He’s my life. So you can just deal with it, okay?"

Rei had her mouth half-open, and Jed couldn’t tell if she were angry or offended or both. He turned quickly and left the room, mentally kicking himself. He just knew he was going to end up a charcoal briquette in Dimi’s stocking over this.