#Fletcher 🔷 Darwin

[buttersbots]

Ficlet: Decorating

deviantART | Archive of Our Own | FanFiction

As they got on in years, Fletcher and Darwin were as comfortable in each other’s homes as they were in their own.

Fletcher had simply moved from the room next to his parents’ to the master suite two floors above them (the older he got, the more sensitive he became to their affection on the other side of the wall ‒ and the less comfortable he grew having guests over to stay the night in such close quarters). Darwin had moved from his parents’ house into an apartment of his own about half way up a skyscraper. In the center of Axiom’s capital, it had a view of the bustling livelihood that never reached the Energy Vampires’ mansion. Fletcher and Darwin moved effortlessly from place to place until they each had a dedicated guest room ‒ quite a feat in Fletcher’s case as Darwin’s apartment only had two bedrooms including his own. Come the first week of December, it was tradition for Fletcher to spend a week or so at Darwin’s place. Christmas was a serious production at the Energy Vampire household. Nos-4-a2’s competitive streak lived through his determination to outdo the neighbors’ holiday light displays, something that only became more elaborate by the year. Two took charge indoors, bringing in trees as tall as could fit and decorating them with Quinn’s assistance. The veritable construction zone made for difficult living. Fletcher helped here and there and usually took care of the third floor common area outside his room, but it was generally easier for him to stay with Darwin until the madness subsided. Darwin’s apartment was modest. The front door opened into the living room, a sectional taking up most of the wall to the right, directly across from a holographic screen on the wall to the left. A door on either side of the screen led into each of the two bedrooms, while past the sectional to the right were a kitchenette and a bathroom. The wall directly across from the front door at the other end of the apartment had a door that lead out to the balcony and a broad window. Since there was already a full dresser of his clothes in Darwin’s guest room, Fletcher brought a bag with nothing but power cells and his personal computer. His visit always started on a Saturday: he and Darwin spent the whole day dragging out about an hour’s worth of work, messing around, dressing in elaborate sweaters and hats, and watching movies in the midst of decorating the apartment. This year, Darwin brought in a scraggly, four-foot tree to shove in the corner of the living room, burying it in tinsel and lights. He didn’t have many ornaments, as their favored way of hanging them was by throwing them at the boughs to see what stuck. Only the strongest survived. Fletcher took care of lighting the balcony, flying out over the edge and wrapping the bars of the gate in red, white, and green. Sometimes he’d help the neighbors as well ‒ on one occasion, this had earned him a night in someone else’s place. Baubles hung from the ceiling, more lights were strung along the tops of the walls, and the ugliest novelty Santa figurines posed in clusters on every open surface. The normal throw pillows and blankets were replaced with a strange mix of treasured, hand-embroidered pillows and gaudy designs with crude puns or over-the-top tartan patterns. The best part of the day came after darkness fell. Fletcher rustled through his bag at the small dining table while previews rolled into an old Christmas movie. Darwin straightened out the last few tchotchkes before nodding. “Are you ready?” “Hold on,” Fletcher mumbled. He dug into the bottom of his bag before pulling out a fist-sized battery with a hand marked label. He grinned and hopped over the part of the sectional that separated the living room from the kitchenette, sprawling out across the cushions. “Ready!” Darwin walked toward the front door and turned off one light switch, leaving the room lit by nothing but their eyeforms and the light of the movie. With the click of another switch, the festive lights came to life. “Magnificent!” Fletcher grinned as he stared up at the ceiling. Darwin stepped around the coffee table between the sectional and the holoscreen. “Come on, make room.” Fletcher grumbled and sat up enough for Darwin to sit and kick his feet up on the coffee table before landing his head back in his lap. “To the best year yet,” the Energy Vampire saluted with his power cell before sinking his fangs into it and taking a long, slow drag. Darwin recognized the handwriting on the label as Fletcher’s ‒ it must have been a relaxant. Fletcher’s eyeforms became fuzzy around the edges, his joints became looser, and he lowered the cell from his mouth with a sigh. “Man, that’s just not fair. Don’t you feel any shame?” “Can’t feel shamed,” Fletcher beamed and shook the cell. “Guess I’ll just have to turn you.” “Once it’s painless, hit me up. It’d be worth it for the relaxant alone.” Fletcher laughed and bit into the cell again, turning his gaze toward the movie as it started. Darwin picked up the tassel on the end of Fletcher’s Santa hat, rubbing it between his fingers and looking at the Christmas lights reflecting off his metal. Fletcher hadn’t taken power in a few hours, and judging by the drooping shape of his purple eyeforms, it wouldn’t be long until he dozed off. He prefered drowsiness when he could help it, indulging in the warmth, though he never lasted long. “Well, thanks again. I think this is the best my place has ever looked.” “You know I love doing this. I look forward to this all year.” “Me too,” Darwin smiled. “What do you think the best part is?” Fletcher asked. Darwin thought for a minute. “There’s nothing I don’t like about it. Everyone’s just... happier? For the most part. I know it sounds dumb, but it’s almost like the only time of year people really take me seriously. I rarely ever get the, ‘what are you trying to get by being nice to me?’ look. Gift exchanges... especially white elephants are the best. It kinda... recharges me. I get through the rest of the year because of the energy from Christmas.” “Darwin, people should trust you all year. You’re the best... guy. You’ve never got motives,” Fletcher spoke with the relaxant still in his mouth. Darwin snorted at how fast Fletcher’s mental processing dulled. “What’s your favorite part of Christmas?” Darwin hummed. He pulled Fletcher’s hat off and he hardly seemed to notice. “I guess... when I was a kid... there was a lot of the world that I didn’t need to explain, y’know? It was just magic. I liked figuring things out, made me feel like a magician if I could know the secrets. Christmas... even after I figured Santa wasn’t real, there was a lingering magic that I couldn’t touch. It’s a quiet sort of... thing. I still feel it now. When I’m going to bed alone after spending time with family, and it’s all dark, but I look out the window and I can see the tops of the trees kinda glowing warm because of the Christmas lights... or when I’m the first up and everything isn’t moving, and the timers haven’t turned off yet for the tree lights. And the snow. The Christmas snow is better than the normal snow. ‘N I love the Christmas Eve party better than my own birthday...” Fletcher’s words started to melt together as Darwin pet his head. They kept speaking and exchanging little joys as long as Fletcher was conscious. It was nothing new. They could have recited each other’s answers, they knew everything there was to know about one another, but it was always the warmest conversation, especially when Fletcher was half asleep and without his wits. When he finally dozed off, it was almost mid-sentence. Darwin covered him in a knit blanket and watched the rest of the movie, savoring the comfortable weight of Fletcher’s head in his lap before going offline himself. In truth, there was nothing he loved more than this.

Our lights were put up last night and there's something so... emotional? about the way the house next door glows red at night (we have the red/white candy cane kind). I swear this is the only time of year I really feel alive, like my soul rejoices in inhabiting my body for the aesthetic alone! I still look for the sleigh on Christmas Eve. I'd give a lot for a friendship like theirs ~u~