I walk down the snowy sidewalk back to Molly's, frozen to the core.  The trip to the convenience store was short, but the wind had suddenly picked up on the way back, and my cotton jacket wasn't up to the task.  Clutched in my un-gloved hand was a small, cold bottle.  Molly had better like this, I thought.  Why in the hell did she want me to get eggnog, anyways?  On Christmas eve, of all days?
 
It's been a year since we graduated from Yamaku.  After everything the two of us had been through, we decided that just ending it wasn't appropriate.  Somehow, we managed to go to universities not far from one another, but of course, work and study prevented us from seeing each other as much as we wished.  Contact between us was still fairly good, but finally getting to see her was refreshing.
 
The last two days had been quite fun.  Taking time off of college to visit her family for Christmas was a trip, with her stepmother, sister, and father all keeping us occupied at all hours:  shoveling snow, playing with Ajit's massive motorcycle collection in the garage, listening to Molly and her sister trade grade school stories, and of course, helping out her stepmother with the cooking.  Today, however, they'd left Molly and I to go do some last-minute errands, giving us some time to ourselves.
 
And what's the first thing she did?  I replayed the whole exchange in my head.  Me and her, on the couch, watching some corny Christmas movie.  I put an arm around her, she snuggles up to me, and then, as soon as I throw a blanket over the both of us...
 
“Hisao, we need eggnog.”  She'd suddenly sat up, still looking at the TV.  Not watching it, though.  I could tell she had something on her mind.
 
“Huh?”  I was honestly taken by surprise.
 
“Eggnog.  Y'know, for the holiday spirit?  Or... whatever?”  She turned up to look at me,
 
“Molly, where am I getting eggnog from?”
 
She looked at me with an incredulous expression.  “Convenience store, dummy!”
 
“But what abo--”  She shoved me off the couch with surprising force, and I landed, sitting, on the floor.
 
“You!  Eggnog!  Store!  Now!”  She took a pillow and chucked it at me.  “Get going!”
 
So now I found myself walking down in the cold, overcast skies ahead, with wind and snow whipping around my head.  I can see the house isn't far—it's pretty big, with a very large garage to boot.  Ajit and his wife apparently had quite a bit of money.
 
I approach the door, shivering from nose to toe.  The eggnog feels frozen to my hand.  First order of business is going to be to pinch Molly with my cold fingers.  That'll teach her, as well as... well, I just want to pinch her behind, really.  Her reaction is always worth it.
 
I grasp the doorknob, and let myself into the hall.  A wave of heated air envelops me, loosening my appendages immediately.  I stamp off my boots and leave them in the hallway, as I start to walk back into the living room.  
 
“I have your eggnog... you better like it, Molly!”  
 
I enter an empty, silent living room.  Huh... that's odd, I was only gone for twenty minutes.  Maybe she just paused the movie?  I look at the DVD player, and realize it's been turned off.  Turning around, I see that the couch has been straightened up, and the blanket has been re-folded.  
 
Shaking my head, I walk into the kitchen, looking for a glass.  Hell, I walked all the way for this, I might as well enjoy it whilst Molly is elsewhere.  I put the eggnog on the counter, when out of the corner of my eye, I see something red.  I turn to get a better look.
 
A little white card, with a red bow on it.  What?  It's not one of those drug-store cards, either; the card stock is thick and heavy, and the inlaid trim is done handsomely.  The image is a little generic—a Christmas tree, drawn as a green zigzag, with ambiguous ornaments splotched on randomly.  Written on the bottom is my name.  Well, it's for me, so I might as well open it up.
 
Hisao!
Santa said you were a good boy this year.
Why don't you come upstairs and unwrap your gift?
PS:  Destroy this note, please.
 
I shook my head.  “Destroy this note?”  What is she planning on doing?  I put the eggnog in the refrigerator, and make my way to the staircase.  Card in hand, I start to piece things together.
 
She threw me out.  Straightened up the living room.  Asked me to come upstairs.  Giving her time to... get my present ready?
 
Wait.  
 
Present.  
 
Unwrap.  
 
Oh.  OOOH.  I... I think I better get there faster.
 
Practically running now, I crest the staircase, making my way to her room.  I freeze when I reach the door—I can't look like a slob, can I?  My jacket looks like I mess, I should probably straighten it.  Wait, why am I wearing this?  I hurriedly take it off, revealing my polo shirt underneath.  Crap, the collar isn't right.  I better just--
 
“Hisao.  Open the door already.”  Whoops.  Educated guess, but I think she might have heard me pounding up the stairs.
 
“Sorry.”  She giggles at me as I open the door to a darkened room, and when I see her on the bed, I'm speechless.
 
Red ribbon.  That's it.  A loop from her back around to her breasts, covering the more intimate parts.  Another that goes from the center of that one, down between her legs, presumably back to the first loop up top.  And to top it off, right on the center of her chest is a big, red bow.  Her prosthesis are off, but strangely enough, her hair is still in her signature twin braids.
 
The curtains have been drawn, but a small christmas tree sits on her desk, casting multicolored light around the room.  Somewhere, a wax warmer has been pumping out some holiday scent—-gingerbread, I think?--and the sheets have been replaced with a festive red-and-white set, complete with a large, fluffy red comforter.  I'm not an expert, but I think she's been planning this for a while.
 
“This was very, very hard to do... so you better be happy,” she says, blushing heavily.  
 
“I... uh...”  I'm still trying to find the words.
 
“Yes, Hisao. This is your present.  Now hurry up and get over here, I'm getting cold!”  My trance is broken, as I hurry over to her bed, all thoughts of payback long gone.  I sit on the bed, and realize, I really don't know where I should start.
 
“Uh... do I, y'know, just pull this here?” I ask, lightly tugging the bow.  To my surprise, it falls right off, having been taped in place.  I look at the spot it was covering, and see that the two pieces of ribbon have been stapled together.  Molly's blush seems to only get worse.
 
“Ok, so look, I ordered a costume, right?  But I forgot that shipping during Christmas is horrific, so it's probably not coming until a week from now, and this is the only time we get together and I just wanted to do something cute but sexy and I only had a few minutes and--”
 
Typical Molly, worrying about minor details like that.  I grab her shoulders and silence her with a kiss.  At first, her surprise freezes her in place, but after a second she relaxes and kisses me back; softly at first, but with growing passion as my arms snake around her back, pulling her tighter to me.  Her tongue breaches my mouth, exploring and prodding, and I do the same.  Trying not to break our kiss, I lay us down on our sides, where we continue for another minute, letting ourselves fill with lust.
 
She suddenly stops, and pushes me off.  “Don't get too excited, Hisao.  You have to unwrap me first.”  She guides my hand to the center of her chest, and I waste no time gently separating the strands of ribbon.  After a moment of awkwardly bundling up the wrapping, I look at her body, and realize that this is really the only time she's let me see her completely nude.  Every other time, she's insisted that we cover ourselves with a blanket, or she's always had a shirt on.
 
Her body is smooth and warm, and smells of sandalwood and a dark, alluring scent I can't place.  I run my hand down her side, and marvel at just how silky and soft it is, without a hint of roughness anywhere.  I pull her in for another kiss, and she obliges, as I continue down to her rear.  
 
Now, before I started dating her, I could honestly say that all parts of a female attracted me equally.  Not anymore.  It's supple, without being too firm, and certainly not too flabby.  It yields to my touch, and feels soft and warm.  I gently squeeze one side, then the other, as my tongue grows more fierce in Molly's mouth.  She breathes heavily, clearly starting to get into the act.  I poke my finger down between her legs, feeling the furnace-like warmth of--
 
“Ah.. ah.. aaahhh.”  She breaks the kiss with her teasing tone, and, much faster than I expected, grabs my hand.  Guiding it back to her side, she gives me a wicked smile, then changes it to a pleading, almost innocent expression.
 
“Hisao... I went through all this trouble, and you're not even going to let me open up my present?”  Huh?  But her present.. how could she know about that??  It's tucked away in my suitcase, hidden in a set of socks, and that's been in the guest closet, and, okay, we were both there yesterday, but she couldn't have possibly gotten into it, seeing as--
 
“Hisao.”  She snaps me back into reality.  “Wrong present.”  Oh... that.  She giggles at me, as she unbuckles my belt.
 
“How do you know I even got you a gift?” I ask defensively, as I lift my hip, allowing her to slide my pants down.
 
“What kind of a boyfriend wouldn't get his girl of almost two years a gift?” she asks, in an offended tone.  “After all, I'm sure I'm at least worth a nice Christmas gift, aren't I?”  
 
She grabs the bottom of my shirt and starts to slide it off.  I lift my arms for her to take it off, but as soon as she's got the collar right around my eyes, she stops.  Pushing me on my back, and pressing her body against mine, I realize that she's trapped me.  I'm blind, and my arms are, more or less, pinned.  A giggle enters my ears.
 
“Now you sit tight and be a good boy, and maybe I'll give you another nice treat.  Deal?”  Before I can answer, I feel my wrists being bound by what I assume is more ribbon.  I can almost see her through the shirt, but it's so dark I really can't tell much.  I know that, knowing her, it's in a nice dainty bow.  I consider undoing it, but I know Molly has probably been thinking this up for a while, so I let her have her fun.
 
She kisses me once more, and I feel her body again.  Modest, perky breasts, already hardened, make me want to break free of her festive bindings, but I resist my urge, and a second later, feel her leaving a trail of kisses down my chest.  
 
She stops for a moment on my scar, giving a more prolonged kiss there.  I always wonder why she does that, other than its slightly heightened sensitivity.  She continues down, skirting around the belly button, and slowing down considerably when she reaches the waistband of my boxers.  Uh.. wait, what's going on here?
 
My underwear is pulled off, and I hear them flicked casually away.  I'm a little worried now.  I think I know where this is going, but it's not anything we've tried before.  Her warm breath cascades on my stiffened member, and I immediately start to wonder when Ajit and the family are getting home.  
 
Gradually, I feel myself enveloped by a warm, slick set of lips, followed by her soft tongue.  As she takes more and more of me into her mouth, my heart races, and I thank god that I remembered my pills today.  Still working at a leisurely pace, she works herself down as far as she can, then slowly comes back to the tip.  A sharp intake of breath on my part makes her giggle, and she starts working herself, faster and faster.  She starts making noises with her mouth, which only excites me even more.  
 
This goes on for what seems like ages, when suddenly, an all-too-familiar feeling wells up in my loins.  I feel it start to work its way down my shaft, towards my beloved's face.  
 
“Molly...  Molly I'm gonna... Molly, please!”  She pays no attention to me, instead opting to suck on the end, teasing it with her mouth and tongue, only making things worse.  I feel the ribbons dig into my wrists, as I involuntarily strain against them.  My breath grows shorter.  My hips start lifting and bucking, and Molly pins them with her arms.
 
White flashes before my eyes as I feel all control leave me.  I come with enough force to make Molly stop, but only for a moment.  As I feel myself drain, she sucks up every last drop, pooling it into her mouth.  When I no longer have any more to give, she moves quickly, undoing my ribbons and pulling my shirt off at warp speed.  My vision returns quickly, and I see her sitting on my stomach, with her mouth puckered, as though... no, wait, she wouldn't.
 
Audibly, she swallows.  I see her throat work as she grimaces, pushing my load down.  She opens her mouth to take a breath, closing her eyes as she does so.  For a moment, we stay in place, both of us panting.  My arms have returned to my side, and I lift my hands to see the damage.  Yep.  Red marks are present where the ribbon lay just moments before.  I drop them to look at my lovers exposed body, and I realize that there's something wet on me.  Oh, right.  Molly.  Wait a second, did she...?
 
I place my hands on her hips, and she immediately reacts, staring down at them.  There.  What is that?  A triangle?  Why would... No way.  Yes, yes way.  Not only is it completely shaved, there's a little green tree sitting right above her most intimate spot, done in some sort of body paint.
 
“Molly.”  My voice still sounds exhausted.  “Molly, did you really do that?”
 
“Do what?”  She's unsure what I mean, but as she looks down at my hands, her face turns from uncertainty to almost comical surprise.
 
“Well.. I mean... it's Christmas, ok?  I used a template, but it didn't come out real well, so I had to make it smaller, and there was supposed to be a little star at the top--”
 
Quickly, I grab her and pull her to my chest, then roll over so she's on her back.  She gives a quick “uwah!” as I shift to a sitting position, grabbing her hips and pulling them to my face.  The tables have now officially turned.
 
“So... did you leave any gifts under the tree for me?”  I almost cringe at my corny line, but she slowly starts giggling.  
 
“Yes, Hisao.  Why don't you go ahead and open it up?”  She smiles as she puts her hands behind her head, and she wraps her thighs around the back of my head.  Clearly, she's more prepared than I am.
 
I lower my mouth and chuckle at her immediate reaction.  I run out my tongue and get to work, focusing on a few spots I know will get take her over the edge, fast.  My technique is clearly working, as she's slowly beginning to squirm and pant, tightening and loosening her thighs rhythmically, trying to slam my face into her dedicates.  
 
The first few times we tried this, she was always so ashamed.  Almost to the point where she'd insist we skip it.  As soon as I started using my mouth, however, she quickly reversed herself, and now any of our encounters requires a “warm up” session, as she likes to call it.  I caught her reading one or two of those dirty magazines, with the tips section highlighted.  Specifically:
 
“The flower of passion require a proper diet to grow.  Specifically, stay away from meats and dairy as much as possible 1-2 days beforehand, and try to eat more fruits, like pineapples, grapes, cherries, etc.  Drink lots of water as well, as...”
 
I stopped reading there because Molly was desperately, at the time, trying to bat the magazine out of my hands.  Now, I can see that her borderline obsession paid off.  I wouldn't sit down and eat one every day, but it certainly wasn't turning me off.  Quite the opposite.  The smell of her clean and perfumed body, mixing with her taste, had brought me all the way back.
 
I start to pull her to the final stretch, as her body quivers and pulses, practically suffocating me by pulling me straight into her crotch.  Her cute moans had escalated in volume, and her hands had moved to the corners of her pillow, pulling and twisting it to and fro.  
 
“H... Hisao... Hisao!”
 
With a great wail, her hips suddenly bucked, and her thighs almost yank my head off its shoulders.  Her body, slick with sweat, shivers all over.  She slumps down, body seemingly defeated.  I let go of her rear, and let her breathe for a moment.  Watching her chest fall up and down, I marvel at how her thin little body can hold so much energy.
 
“Alright... That was good... Can we... can we, you know...”  She doesn't even need to ask me.  I waste no time laying her down and straddling her, stopping only to embrace and kiss again.  Her kisses have gone from passionate to greedy, holding me and desperately pushing her tongue in my mouth.  I gently take my hand and guide myself into her, and she breaks the kiss, gasping loudly.
 
As I start to move inside of her, we start to moan, pant, and sweat in unison, our bodies almost melting into one another.  She whispers things in my ear, switching between Japanese and Hindi, almost making her sound as though she's speaking in tongues.  I say nothing, nibbling on her tender lobe, while running my hands up and down her back.  
 
We continue on for quite a while, before I feel it again.  The all-too-familiar sensation of reaching my limit.  I can feel Molly squeezing me harder and harder, and I know she's reaching hers as well.
 
“Don't... Pull out, Hisao... Please don't.”  For a moment, I don't even know what she's saying.
 
“Wait, what?”  I slow down, but she starts moving in my stead, keeping up the rhythm.
 
“Pillsss,” she says, hissing it out between pants.  “I have... I have pills, we're ok.”  
 
I vaguely wonder if I should make a joke, or say something sarcastic.  As my body begins throwing my brain into overdrive, I can't think of anything.  As I reach the edge with Molly, she suddenly cries out.  Or was it me?  Maybe it was both of us?  I'm not sure.  All I know is that my world is suddenly filled with her warmth, the feeling of her skin, the smell of her bodywash, and pure, unfiltered bliss.
 
I shoot off into her with a force I wasn't aware I had, while her body squeezes me tighter than I ever remember it squeezing me.  I feel teeth in my shoulder, but no pain.  For a moment, we can only sit there frozen... and then, I roll off on my side.  Or, at least, I try to.  Molly is holding me far too tightly.
 
“Stay in me... for just another minute.”  Her eyes are closed, and her face is flushed.  I oblige her, and roll her over with me, so we can both lay down.  Her grip loosens, but she doesn't let go, as her breathing slows down to a more stable, calmer rate.  Slowly, she opens her eyes, and smiles warmly at me.
 
“That... That was....”
 
“Different?”  I offer, and she giggles softly.
 
“Yeah, that's a good word for it.”  She releases me, and immediately I realize how cold it is in this room.
 
“You want me to lock the door?”  She nods, and I get up to go throw the lock.  
 
“Aww, Hisao... You're so thoughtful,” I hear behind me.  
 
“What?  I didn't want to get walked in on if we--”
 
“No, not that.  You brought a Christmas ham!”  I hear her start to laugh as I realize, I'm still naked.
 
“Yeah, yeah yeah.”  I take care of the door and head back, as she settles beneath the sheets.  I pull the comforter back and climb in, where I'm immediately in her embrace again.
 
We just lay there like that for a while, holding one another in a dark, friendly-smelling room.  Her arms are draped around my back, with her neck tucked into my shoulder, as I feel her soft breath on me.  I idly run a hand through her hair, as the other traces her back, still marveling in the smooth silkiness of it.
 
“Hisao...  did I ever tell you I love you?”  The question comes out quietly, almost apologetically.  I smile.
 
“Yeah, but you can tell me again.”  
 
She pushes back to look in my eyes, and I stop moving my hands.
 
“Hisao, I love you.”  She says it just right.  Not too fast, nor too quietly.  I have to return the favor.
 
“I love you too, Molly.”  I pull her in for another kiss, and we just sit like that for a while.  No lust anymore, just peace.
 
As we break it off, she returns to my shoulder.  “Merry Christmas,” she whispers, and I can tell she's already fading fast.  I feel sleep taking me quickly as well.
 
“Merry Christmas, Molly.”  As my lids close, I swear I can feel her hold me just a little tighter.  My world fades to black, and sense only three things—The smell of ginger, the feeling of her body against me, and the beat of our two hearts.
 
 
 
Merry Christmas, to all you cripples.