#ericsonclanchristmaschallenge

[ericsonclan]

It’s that time of year again! Another year another Christmas challenge! This year’s theme is Christmas movies so feel free to join in whether that’s fics, art or any other creative outlet! We’ll be posting a fic every other day of December leading up to Christmas. Be sure to tag us if you join in and we’ll be sure to include you in the holiday fun!

Art for this was created by the talented @violetineprompts​

[ericsonclan]

Muppet Christmas Carol

Summary: Louis and Clementine get ready to watch their favorite Christmas movie with their family.

Word Count: 749

Read on AO3:

It was the most wonderful time of the year and Louis knew it was about to get even better as soon as the greatest Christmas movie to ever exist started. He could barely contain his excitement for watching Muppet Christmas Carol this year especially since it would be Juliet’s first time seeing it. That fact had made both him and Clementine on pins and needles wondering if their adoptive daughter would like it. Of course they hoped she would but Maisy seemed downright determined to have her sister adore the movie as much as she and Lee Kenny did.

“Come on, Juliet, come on!” Maisy yelled and struggled to lift up her little sister before dashing towards the couch. “Get your butt over here, Lee Kenny!”

“Okay, okay!” Lee Kenny ran over quickly and carefully sat down by his sisters.

“Get the Christmas blankets, Mom!”

Clementine looked over at her eldest with her hands on her hips. “Maisy Christa Everett, what do we say when we ask someone to do something?”

“Please. Can you please get the blankets, Mom?”

“Sure,” Clementine walked over and passed by her husband who was busy getting the popcorn and hot cocoa ready. Taking a moment to steal a kiss, Clementine returned to her task at hand. Louis practically melted from the romantic gesture despite the countless times he had received kisses from his wife. Every single time it felt special to him.

“Do you need help with the snacks, Dad?” Lee Kenny poked his head out from the couch and looked over at Louis with big eyes, ready to help if need be.

“That’s okay, buddy.” Louis paused when he saw the disappointment flicker in his son’s eyes. “Actually you know what? I think I need a hot cocoa helper after all.”

Happiness reappeared in Lee Kenny’s eyes. “Okay!” He hopped off the couch, apologizing when he bumped into his mom before working to help his dad. Each step he took was super careful, making sure he didn’t spill a drop of either of his sisters’ hot cocoas.

“Here’s yours,” Lee Kenny carefully placed down the hot cocoa for Maisy then held out the other cup still cradled in his hands. “Careful, Juliet, it’s hot.”

Juliet nodded and carefully took the mug from her brother’s hands. “Thank you,”

“Okay, got as many blankets as anyone could possibly need,” Clementine announced loudly and worked to make sure her whole family was tucked snuggly under the blankets.

“And I got as many snacks and pillows as anyone can need!” Louis smiled as he sat next to Juliet. “Gonna stay with your siblings through the movie, Juliet?” Juliet nodded and Maisy pulled her closer.

“Yeah! This is our bonding time!” Maisy frowned and Lee Kenny nodded along.

Louis laughed at the sight.

“It’s actually family bonding time tonight, Wiggle Worm,” Clementine smiled over at Maisy who didn’t seem to have any arguments for that.

“Alright, who’s ready to show Juliet the best Christmas movie ever?”

Louis’ question was met with enthusiastic responses as he started up the movie. In just an hour and twenty five minutes Juilet would have her mind blown by this amazing Christmas film.

Soon the overture started filling the household with festive music. Louis wrapped his arm around Clementine and held his wife close before making sure that his kids could also snuggle up close to him. Immediately he began to hum along to the opening song alongside his wife. Maisy and Lee Kenny quickly joined in and prompted their youngest sister to join in.

Juliet still wasn’t sure about all of that; she seemed too nervous to and so she silently watched the movie, spotting all the different muppets and enjoying her family singing along to the movie. She loved how animated Maisy and her mom got when singing as Scrooge, how much Lee Kenny and her dad loved “One More Sleep ‘Till Christmas” whenever it came on the family’s Christmas playlist.

The movie continued on and Juliet felt herself getting lost in the magic of the story and film until “It Feels Like Christmas” started and for the first time since the movie started she got up the courage to sing along. Her family immediately brightened when they heard her soft voice and Maisy bounced excitedly as she hugged her sister and sang along. Louis and Clementine shared a smile and snuggled closer. It looked like they were right; this was gonna be a Christmas hit for Juliet after all.

[ericsonclan]

Happiest Season

Summary: Therissa wants to take Bethany with her to visit her family during Christmas but there's just one issue, they don't know that Therissa has a girlfriend.

Word Count: 3000+

Read on AO3:

“And this is the new coat I got,” Bethany worked to get her light pink winter coat and smiled when she heard her friend give a small gasp.

“That looks amazing!” Brody chimed from over FaceTime.

“Better than the darker pink one?”

“Hmmm, I think light pink suits you better,”

Bethany nodded and worked to shuffle off her coat. “I also got some more things to show but first how are things going on your trip?”

“Good. Willy and Mitch got super competitive over everything. I got some funny slow-mo videos of them when we went sledding if you want me to send them to you.”

“Yeah, send them on over,” Bethany smiled as she worked to change her earrings.

“So what are your plans for the holiday season?” Brody asked and waited for Bethany’s answer when suddenly Bethany was wrapped in a hug from behind. Bethany let out a small yelp of surprise before giggling.

“Cut it out, Therissa, that tickles.”

“Aww, but your laugh is really cute,” Therissa grinned as she kept tickling her girlfriend then spotted Brody. “Oh hey there, Brody. Is Butt Sniffer there with you?”

“Nah, he’s out on a hot cocoa and candy cane run with Willy.”

“Oh, gotcha,” Therissa rested her head on top of Bethany's. “Well when you see him again, tell him I said he sucks.”

Brody sighed and shook her head goodnaturedly. “Okay. I have to get going but before I forget Renata kept bringing up some sort of big get-together with the girls after Christmas.”

“Oh yeah, the gift exchange. Me and Bethany will be there,” Therissa looked at her girlfriend who gave a short nod as she held onto Therissa’s arms.

“Great, okay, with that I really need to go. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas!” Therissa and Bethany spoke at the same time and waved goodbye before the call ended. As soon as the call was done, Therissa let out a long sigh and fell backwards onto the bed.

“Damn, looks like this is gonna be a busy holiday season.” She stared up at the ceiling before she felt her heart do a little flip when Bethany sat on top of her.

“Yeah, but it's gonna be a lot of fun,” Bethany leaned over and stole a quick kiss. “By the way, my moms said we could come to Christmas if we wanted to.” Her smile stayed on her lips until she saw her girlfriend’s face. “What’s spinning in there?”

“It’s just I promised my family I’d come up for a few days before Christmas and well…” Therissa didn’t continue her sentence as her hands brushed up and down her girlfriend’s arms.

“That’s okay. You can go for a bit and then I can go home for a bit and then we can celebrate Christmas together.”

“Yeah,” Therissa mumbled, her focus stayed up on the ceiling.

“Okay, Therissa, what’s up?”

Therissa thought for a minute as she messed with one of the multiple rings on her fingers. “Nothing. Do you want to grab some Thai for lunch?”

Bethany gave her girlfriend a look then got up from the bed. “Come on, we promised no bullshit between us.”

“It’s not-” Therissa took a deep breath before grabbing the back of her neck and tightening her grip on it for a second. “I want you to come with me.”

“That’s it? Sure, I’ll come with you. I’d love to meet your family,” Bethany could sense that that wasn’t everything. “What else are you hiding?”

“Well, I haven’t told them about you yet,” Therrisa sat up and started to fiddle with her fingers. “I’m not out to them yet.”

A soft “oh” left Bethany’s lips and a moment of silence passed between them. “That’s okay. You don’t have to come out to them.”

“Well, I want to if I bring you with me. I thought that it might help me get up the courage to say it but… I don’t know. I don’t want to seem like some dick of a girlfriend who’s only bringing you for that reason. It’s not that I want you to feel like some kind of accessory to me coming out and being like ‘look, proof I’m gay’ or some shit like that. I really want you to meet my family so maybe it’s better if I just call them right now and get it over with,” Therrisa stared down at her hands; she could feel the ball of nerves reappearing in her gut. It felt really fucking stupid for her to be nervous. Her family had always been supportive of her so why would this one thing change it? Still, she also didn’t want to risk putting Bethany in a tense or uncomfortable situation.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay.”

The pressure of Bethany’s hand on her arm made Therissa glance up, noticing that her body had betrayed the nerves that she had wanted to hide. “Yeah, sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize. If you want me to come with you, I will.”

Therissa looked into her girlfriend’s eyes and saw the sincerity in them. “Okay, thanks.”

Therissa worked to make sure the car was all set to go and had enough gas for the trip. Once she was sure of that she jogged back inside her apartment to help her girlfriend with her bags.

“Here, I’ve got it,” Therissa worked to carry the rest of the bags but it was going haphazardly.

“Babe, it’s fine. I’ll help out, I don't want you hurting yourself,” Bethany took a bag or two then pressed a kiss to her girlfriend's cheek. She smiled at the dorky grin that the kiss had caused and soon the two of them were finishing packing up the car.

“Okay, let’s go over everything. Clothes.”

“Check,” Therissa got into the driver’s seat and worked on her seatbelt.

“Toiletries.”

“Yep.”

“Someone to look after Bandit?”

“Yep, she’s having fun with Esperanza at Minnie and Renata’s place.”

“Gifts.”

“Yep, if it goes well and list of hotels if it doesn’t.” Therissa took a shaky breath.

Bethany gently placed her hand on top of her girlfriend’s.

“You’re gonna be my top priority. If it doesn’t go well then we’ll leave and find a good hotel to stay the night.”

“Okay, if worst comes to worst we can head to my parents’ place for the holidays.” Bethany squeezed Therissa’s hand. Therrisa lifted up her girlfriend’s hand and pressed a kiss to it then took a deep breath.

“Alright, rest of the checklist,”

“Right,”

The drive over to the Moore’s residence was filled with laughs and small little adventures. More than once they had ended up off track either due to Therissa missing an exit or Bethany messing up the directions. Neither of them seemed to mind though; being together was always great and being able to listen to Christmas music as they drove through the snow felt special.

“Did I ever tell you how sexy you look when you refill the car’s gas tank, because damn girl,”

Bethany looked over at Therissa and shook her head with a smile at the flirting. “Oh yeah and what gives you the right to look that good?”

“Mmm, I don’t know,” Therissa rested her hands on her girlfriend’s hips while Bethany wrapped her hands around the back of her neck and the two shared a long kiss.

Bethany hummed softly then worked to put the gas pump back. “Okay, we should hit the road again,”

“Yeah, we’re not far from there, about twenty minutes I think,” Therissa worked to shake off her nerves and got back in the car.

“I’m gonna be with you the whole time, babe.”

Therissa nodded. “Yeah, thanks.” With one more deep breath, she turned the key in the ignition and pulled out of the gas station. Both of them stayed quieter than they had for the entire trip as the last few minutes of the drive came to an end. Each second that passed in the driveway made Therissa’s gut tighten more and more. Shit, this was really happening. Therissa couldn’t believe it.

“We can stay in the car for as long as you need.” Bethany rubbed her hand against her girlfriend’s arm in hopes it would calm her nerves.

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s gonna happen.” Therissa looked over at the front door and saw Delfia who strolled out towards the car calmly while Dewey ran forward in his large winter coat as the cold fogged up his glasses.

“Ready?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Therissa unclipped her seatbelt and got out of the car. “Hey, long time no see.”

“You can say that again. What, is it really that hard to call sometimes?” Delfia quipped then gave Therissa a side hug.

“Yeah, you don't respond in the family chat.” Dewey chimed in before sharing a big hug with Therissa.

“Uh yeah, because there’s way too much there all the time. I react sometimes.”

“Sometimes but not- Who’s that?”

Dewey’s sudden redirection turned Delfia’s attention over to Bethany.

“Hey there,”

“Hi,” Bethany tried to give a casual wave but it had turned more awkward than she had planned. Before her girlfriend’s siblings could pry and find out who she was, the front door opened again.

“What are you all doing out there, you’re gonna freeze your asses off.” A mountain of a man appeared by the door. His platinum blond hair contrasted slightly with the white winter wonderland outside. His sheer height made Bethany share a silent conversation with Therissa. Therissa had definitely underplayed how tall he was.

“How about we all say hi when we’re inside and not- shit my nuts!” Tripp nearly slipped as he took a step outside. “Son of a goddamn,” He huffed and awkwardly held out his arms.

“Are you okay, baby?” Sarita carefully stepped outside and closed the front door.

“I’m fine. Nearly split my pants but I didn’t.”

“Damn, well it’s hardly Christmas without you ripping your pants, Dad,” Therissa gave a teasing smirk over to her dad who frowned at her before giving a hearty laugh.

“That’s true.” It took him a few seconds and the help of his wife but soon he was back on safe ground. With that worry out of the way everyone seemed to pick up on Bethany’s presence.

“Oh, hello there, are you a friend of Therissa’s?”

Bethany was quiet for a second; she didn’t want to say something that would either shut down or force Therissa to come out right now. After an awkward second though Bethany felt Therissa hold onto her hand.

“No, she’s my girlfriend.” Therissa could feel her entire gut on fire as her anxiety shot through her body. Time seemed to stand still and seconds felt like they lasted for minutes until the silence was finally broken by Delfia.

“Oh, now it all makes sense. Gay.”

Dewey did an overexaggerated gasp. “Be gay, do crimes! It all makes sense now!”

Therissa stood there for a moment, blinking slowly. “That’s it?”

“Well it was really obvious you were gay,” Delfia shrugged.

“No??? What, no it wasn’t!” Therissa was still reeling from how casually her siblings had taken the information she hardly even registered her mom’s hug.

“You two, enough teasing. It was very brave for you to share that with us, Therissa,” Sarita’s hug tightened around her daughter and she swayed her back and forth gently.

Therissa was in a perpetual state of shock while Bethany was smiling, relieved that everything had gone well.

“Well, what was your name?” Tripp stood before Bethany who immediately became intimidated.

“Bethany, sir.”

“Uh huh and have you been treating my daughter well?”

“Yes, Mr. Moore.” Bethany swallowed roughly. She didn’t think she had ever seen someone so tall.

“Dad, cut that out, stop giving her a hard time,” Therissa spoke up and came to Bethany’s defense.

Tripp raised his hands up. “Hey I was just looking out for my kid.”

“Don’t mind our dad, he looks really intimidating but he’s a big softie. Come one, I wanna hear about everything.” Delfia grabbed Bethany’s hand and started to guide her inside.

“She mainly wants to hear about all the embarrassing stories you have of Therissa.” Dewey called out with a grin then went to help unload the car.

“What? Hey, Delfia, you better not!” Therissa yelled but Delfia completely ignored her younger sister and continued to talk with Bethany.

“Therissa, I need a hand here!” Dewey struggled with the bags, trying to push his glasses up at the same time. Luckily it wasn’t that hard to bring in the bags and get back into the warmth of the house with the help of their dad.

“I set up the guest room for you but I’ll be sure to grab an extra pillow and some blankets so Bethany is comfortable too. Oh, I’m so glad you’re here,” Sarita wrapped her daughter in a tight hug then wandered off to get that task done.

“So, wanna help me with setting up the after-dinner DnD game?” Dewey walked forward and Therissa followed close behind him.

“So, that’s it, everyone just accepts me as being bi?”

“Yep. I mean me and Delphia had a hunch but we didn’t want to just go declaring it.” Dewey got out a tablecloth and worked to drape it. “Why? Were you worried or something?”

Therissa stayed quiet for a few seconds as she helped her younger brother.

“Well you don’t have to worry anymore. Mom and Dad might grill Bethany a bit during dinner but besides that I think she’ll fit right in. She seems nice.”

“Yeah, she’s great. I really wanted her to meet everyone,” Therissa reached for a D20 dice when a small hiss left her brother’s lips. “What?”

“That’s my lucky die.”

“Really? But there’s two here,”

“One is Erin’s.” Dewey spoke before realizing what he had said.

“What?”

“Nothing. Forget I said my girlfriend’s name!” Dewey’s eyes widened when he slipped up again. “Shit!”

“Damn, is this holiday gonna just be a reveal of different girlfriends?" Therissa teased her sibling as she sat down. The two of them talked for a long time while their mom had wandered back into the kitchen.

“So then Therissa tried to steal another dollar but when she got back to our room she realized that it was just one of those fake dollars that we used to play with,” Delfia explained and smiled when it got a laugh out of Bethany.

“So she’s always been a mischievous thief, huh?”

“Yep, that’s always been the case,” Delfia explained then looked over into the kitchen. “Need help, Mom?”

“Hmmm yes that would be great.” Sarita smiled softly.

“I can help too. I’m not the best cook though so maybe just leave me to chopping duty,” Bethany walked into the kitchen and worked to roll up her sleeves.

“Oh, you don’t have to do anything. You’re a guest.”

“Well as a guest I figured helping out was the least to do since you’re letting me spend some of the holiday here.” Bethany noticed how much those words had meant to Sarita.

“You are a very thoughtful young lady.”

Bethany scratched the back of her head for a moment. “I try to be.” She wandered over to wash her hands and listened to the different instructions that Sarita was giving.

“So how did you and Therissa meet?” Sarita asked while Bethany worked to cut up an onion.

“Oh, we met during our last year of college. I spotted her in the gym and kept seeing her around so I asked her out for coffee. One thing led to another and now we’ve almost been dating for two years.”

“Two years,” Delfia gave a small whistle. “Damn, and my sister still hasn’t proposed to you.” She tsked teasingly.

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with dating for a while!” Therissa called out from the living room as she helped her dad fix the dancing holiday jazz Santa.

“Uh huh,”

“Well I think there isn’t anything wrong with it.” Sarita added then got out a pot to put on the stove. “Can you tell me how much butter and flour I’ll need for this, Bethany?”

“Sure,” Bethany walked over and studied the recipe card. It would take her a little longer with how fancy Sarita’s cursive was.

“Is it not that much? I can always eyeball it.”

“Sorry, my dyslexic brain isn’t registering your writing yet.”

“Oh! I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to put pressure on you like that.” Sarita apologized but Bethany waved her hand dismissively.

“No, no, it's totally fine.”

“Oh shit that reminds me!” Therissa yelled and her loud footsteps were heard through the house before her face poked out from by the wall. “Bethany can’t handle dairy well so could we have some dishes that don’t have it? I could help make them.”

“Yes, any help would be great. And don’t worry, Bethany, I’ll make sure there is plenty of food you can eat.” Sarita reassured Bethany who gave a soft smile.

Soon everyone was focused on their tasks at hand. The conversation kept going at their usual speed.

“So, I know Therissa only said that she’d be here a couple of days but if you want you can stay longer.” Sarita offered and worked to get some of the dishes in the oven. It was obvious that she had already bonded with Bethany and enjoyed her company.

“That’s really sweet, Mrs. Moore,”

“Please, call me Sarita,”

“Okay,” Bethany gave a short nod. “That’s a really kind offer but me and Therissa were planning to spend some time at my parents’ place after this so I get to see them during the holidays.”

“Are your parents cool with you dating Therissa?” Tripp asked before swearing as he'd knocked over a cup on the table during the set up.

“Yeah, they’ve been really supportive.”

“That’s wonderful, maybe one day our two families can get together and meet.” Sarita looked over and spotted Therissa’s smile as she shook her head. “What?”

“Nothing,” Therissa wandered over towards the table and got back to work setting it. She should’ve figured that if things had gone well then her mom would want that.

After about twenty minutes everything was ready and they all sat at the table. Tripp worked to carve up slices of ham while everyone else passed around the sides. Warm, buttery rolls, collard greens, mashed potatoes and gravy, baked mac and cheese. There was more than plenty for all of them. Dewey struck up a conversation about Bethany regarding DnD. Oof course as soon as she had shared that she hadn’t played a game yet Dewey told her that that would change tonight.

“Yeah, my brother always puts together a crazy Christmas DnD campaign so get ready for that,” Therissa whispered over to Bethany.

“‘Crazy’ as in fun. Believe me, you’re gonna fall in love with DnD,” Dewey exclaimed enthusiastically, causing a smile to appear on Bethany’s lips.

“Sounds good to me.”

Her attention was quickly pulled away into another conversation. For most of the meal both Bethany and Therissa would be put on the spot answering all kinds of questions. Once dinner was done Tripp went to work making some decaf coffee while Sarita along with Delfia’s help served the tembleque. Bethany stared down at the cinnamon-dusted coconut pudding in awe.

“This looks great.”

“Thank you, it also has coconut milk so it should be okay for you to eat.” Sarita sat back down before giving a small thank you as her husband brought over a cup of coffee. Everyone happily dug into the dessert, eating it quickly.

“Mmm, this is a damn good cup of coffee, Mr. M,” Bethany smiled when she saw how happy that had made Tripp.

“Thanks, I’ve had years of practice to perfect my coffee,” He went on and on about brewing techniques and while his kids weren’t really paying attention to Bethany was and kept nodding along as she listened.

“Anyway, I’ve been talking your ear off. Are we still gonna be doing the Christmas picture tonight, cupcake?” Tripp looked over at his wife who hummed quietly in thought.

“I would like to. Bethany, do you want to join in for pictures?"

The question surprised Bethany who was taken aback for a few solid seconds. “Umm, sure if that’s okay with everyone.”

“Yeah, it’s fine with us,” Delfia responded and Dewey nodded in agreement.

“Okay then yeah, let’s do pictures!”

Sarita seemed happy at that and quickly worked to clear the table along with the help of the family before getting ready for the picture. Everyone tried to find the best spot for all of them to fit in as Tripp got the timer ready for the camera. It took some time and maneuvering but soon everything was set and everyone had found a good place. Therissa stood behind Bethany and immediately wrapped her arms around her shoulders. Bethany’s hands came up to hold onto her girlfriend’s arms and the two shared a smile.

Therissa couldn’t believe everything had gone okay. No, it went better than okay. It was perfect. Her family had accepted her and loved Bethany as much as Therissa had hoped. The happiness that it had brought her was indescribable. Without thinking twice, Therissa leaned over and pressed a kiss to her girlfriend’s cheek.

“Te amo.”

The words made Bethany’s heart melt and she swore she hadn’t ever smiled as brightly as she did in that moment. Those words were etched into her memory and the timer on the camera went off, capturing a perfect holiday memory in the making.

[ericsonclan]

My Town

Summary: Duck works with Oakley to protect their neighborhood from some baddies who want to steal Duck's toy car.

Word Count: 2102

Read on AO3: 

Duck swayed on his feet causing the walkie-talkie on his PJ pants to nearly fall off with his movement.

“Shit, I don’t know why they gave me a meeting out of state right before Christmas. Sometimes I think I work for a bunch of numbskulls,” Kenny grumbled as he worked to iron his pants. He usually wouldn’t bother with that kind of stuff but after all the grief that Katjaa gave him about it and pointing out how it would look unprofessional, Kenny had folded. Now here he was, a taxi coming in fifteen minutes to pick him up and he was still floundering around.

“Are you gonna be back in time for Christmas?

Duck’s question made his dad glance up from his task.

“Yeah, even if work isn’t done it's too bad. I’m spending the holiday with my family. If those fuckers have any problems with it then-” Kenny huffed and shook his head. “Anyways, stay out of trouble while I’m gone. Don’t go calling the police now over silly stuff,”

“I won’t,”

Duck noticed the smile appear on his dad’s lips at that reassurance.

Kenny ruffled his son’s hair fondly. “Good. Alright, son, I’m heading out.” He turned and grabbed his bag before moving towards the stairs.

“Got everything?”

“Yep.” Kenny sighed good-naturedly, ready to go over his son’s usual checklist. He knew how much it meant to Duck to help him out before work.

“Passport?”

“In my bag.”

“Wallet?”

“In my pockets,”

“And where are your pockets?”

“On my pants-” Kenny paused as he patted his backside where the back pocket of his pants would be but it wasn’t there. In fact, his pants weren’t on at all. He looked over to see Duck holding up his ironed pants with a goofy grin.

“Thanks. Okay, I’m heading out.”

“Okay, bye Dad!” Duck gave an energetic wave to his dad then walked down the stairs. He looked around the house for a minute. Everything had been set up. If those jerks decided to come to his house then he was ready. They wouldn’t get his toy car even though for the life of him he couldn’t figure out why that scary man wanted it. Duck was lost in his thoughts like he usually was until he heard something clatter in the kitchen. Poking his head in, he saw his mom struggling to get the plates back in place.

“Everything okay, Mom?”

“Duckie, what are you doing out of bed?” Katjaa immediately closed the gap between them and pressed the back of her hand to her son’s head. “Your fever seems to have broken but still. You need to rest or else those chickenpox will never leave your system.”

“Mom, they aren’t even visible anymore. I’ve become immune!” Duck declared loudly before a sharp cough overtook his gut.

“Duck!” Katjaa rushed over to get him a cup of water. Duck accepted it and drank heartily.

“Maybe I should tell my boss I can’t make it to work today.”

“No!” Duck blurted out. The last thing he needed was for those evil jerks to try and hurt his mom or for one of his traps to be set off by her instead. Katjaa looked shocked by his loud outburst.

“I’m fine, Mom. In fact, why don’t I fix up your coffee travel mug so you have something tasty and warm coffee on your drive over to work?”

“Zoon,” Katjaa whispered the Dutch word softly then took a deep breath. “Okay, I’m gonna grab my coat. I made you a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. It just needs a plate.”

“Got it!” Duck gave a huge thumbs up then got to work on the coffee. Everything was going great until he remembered the trap he had set in the closet.

“Wait! Let me get your coat!” Duck rushed past his mom and in front of the closet door.

Katjaa gave a confused smile. “Duckie, I’m already here, I can get my coat.”

“No, I wanna help you out! Come on!”

His insistence wasn’t unusual to Katjaa.

“Alright,” She wandered off to finish getting her travel mug ready. Duck stealthily looked to make sure the coast was clear and his mom couldn’t see the closet. Once he was sure the coast was clear he carefully turned the doorknob. Every second ticked by at a snail’s pace until the door opened and a red boxing glove attached to a metal rod shot out. Duck dodged it just in time and carefully extracted his mom’s favorite coat. Propping the mop handle against the rod he closed the door and went to the kitchen.

"Here’s your coat!”

Katjaa spun around and returned her son’s bright smile. “Thank you, Duckie,” She accepted his help with getting her coat on then pressed a kiss to his forehead. “Okay, I have my phone on me at all times. If you need anything, anything at all, I’m one call away.”

“I know,” Duck nodded with his usual optimism and moved to open the front door. He could see his mom’s hesitation to leave him alone for the day. “I’ll be fine, Mom, promise.” Katjaa took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay,” After giving one final goodbye hug she left and got in her car. Duck watched as she pulled out of the driveway, waving energetically as always until she was out of view. Once he was sure she was gone he took out his walkie-talkie and pressed the button on the side.

“Knox, you there?”

The other side of the line was quiet for a few seconds.

“Knox?”

“I’m here,” Oakley’s voice crackled to life over the walkie-talkie.

“Operation Save Christmas is a go. We’re gonna make sure these jerks leave our neighborhood for good!” Duck declared loudly and waited for his friend’s response but there was none.

“Hello?”

“Hi,”

Oakley’s voice made Duck spin around to see that Oakley had already come over. They pushed some of their long bangs away from their face with a frown.

“Knox!” Duck went over and hugged his friend then pulled back with a determined smile. “Alright, let’s get the last few traps in place.”

Oakley gave a short nod, a flicker of determination shimmering in their eyes.

“Okay, you know how this goes down. We split up and work to get inside that house. We find the car and get the chip then hightail it out of here. Mission complete, understood?” David looked back at his team who gave a short nod.

“How hard can it be to get a toy car from one little brat?” Abel asked as he opened the minivan door.

“You should know better than anyone. You couldn’t even catch the toy car when it was right in front of you,” Lilly noticed Abel’s expression grow bitter at that.

“Whatever,” He cussed her out under his breath and left alongside Joan.

David watched them for a minute then got his gloves on. “I’ll take the front of the house. You walk with that mutt and go around the back.”

Lilly nodded then pulled David in by his jacket collar for a kiss before pushing him away. Without another word she got the husky out of the car and started to walk her casually.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly as she walked down the street until the high-pitched sound of a whistle perked up the husky’s ears. Oakley stayed hidden in the bushes and carefully snuck to another spot to blow on the whistle again. The sound guided the husky over while Lilly was having yet another argument with Abel.

“Listen you idiot, why can’t you do one single thing ri-” Lilly’s sentence was cut short as Oakley used the dog whistle once more, causing the husky to book it towards the sound. Lilly immediately slipped on the ice and was dragged across the ground.

“No! No! Bad dog!” Lilly yelled, unable to stop the husky at all. After a minute or two of being dragged along the icy mud on the sidewalk Lilly was forced to let go of the leash and lay flat in defeat. The husky rushed around the corner where Oakley stayed crouched.

“Shhh, shhh, Arwen, stay still,” Oakley cautiously worked to undo the heavy-duty leash around the husky who was simply happy to see a familiar face. After a couple seconds the leash was off and Oakley threw it over some bushes.

“Okay, go back home. Nurgul is worried about you,”

The husky gave a bark and licked Oakley across the face. The young kid’s happy smile soon faded as the sensation of saliva on their face had sent them into a panicked state. They focused on staying silent and timing their breaths as their heart raced. They couldn’t afford to make a sound and risk getting caught right now. Even though it took a few minutes to finally calm back down, Oakley was glad that they got to help out their friend’s dog. They smiled as the husky rushed back to her home, disappearing round the bend.

“Hello? Lilly? Heh, bitch,” Abel sighed then used the earpiece to talk to Joan. “Joan, how are you doing?”

“I’m approaching the back porch. There doesn’t seem to be any signs of the kid,” She walked forward, unknowingly getting a dangling hook attached to the shoulder of her shirt. Joan continued on until she felt a small tug on her shoulder. Immediately she stopped in her tracks and spun around wildly. She kept looking around this way and that, trying to figure out if something had happened to her or if it was her imagination. As she continued searching the invisible wire that was attached to the hook slowly turned the valve of the backyard hose that the other end of the wire was connected to. Joan continued to spin this way and that until she spotted the clear string. The wheels of curiosity turned in her mind and without thinking twice she grabbed hold of the string and tugged. Suddenly Joan was hit with a cold rush of water from the hose. Her frantic yelps could be heard over the comms as she struggled to block out the hose only for a second one to burst to life shooting  cold water up her backside.  

“Joan? Joan? Damn it!” Abel grumbled then walked forward. What the hell was with the uselessness of the women on this team? He continued to stew angrily until he saw a set of red wires with a sign reading: Don’t touch!! Will shock you! A little stick figure being electrocuted stood by the warning.

“Heh, cute,” Abel said with annoyed disdain and was about to try to jump the obstacle when a hand appeared on his shoulder.

“Don’t. Look, the wires aren’t connected to anything.” David pointed out and Abel stared in silent shock as his boss tore out the wires and poles holding them up. “He’s just a kid. He thinks if he puts up some fake traps then it will scare us away.”

“Yeah, I knew that,” Abel nodded and followed David until they reached the front door. Abel was about to try the doorknob until David held him back. He motioned with his eyes to a thin clear wire running upwards from the doorknob.

“We’ll cut this and wait to see if anything happens.” David took out his army knife and sliced through the line. Both men took a step back and waited for a minute but nothing happened.

“See? Just a stupid scared brat,”

“Yeah, yeah you’re right. Don’t know why I was giving him any credit,” Abel stepped forward with David until suddenly they heard something crash through the attic window. A trunk full of books was falling from the sky and catapulting straight towards them. Both men let out high-pitched screams before they were brutally knocked over by the box.

Duck peeked out for a second then pumped his fist when he saw the trap had been successful.

“Arwen is free,”

Duck looked back to see Oakley who’d made their way over to join him.

“It’s working so far! They won’t be in our neighborhood for much longer!” Duck held up his hand and Oakley stared at it for a second before it registered with them what Duck wanted. Slowly Oakley tapped their hand against his, high fiving it. Duck grinned and curled his fingers with Oakley’s, holding onto their hand. The sudden gesture left Oakley shocked for a few seconds but soon they returned Duck’s smile with a softer, more subtle one.

Duck was right. They were gonna win against the bad guys today.

[ericsonclan]

The Nuttiest Nutcracker

Summary: AJ and Telulah watch a Christmas movie.

Word Count: 783

Read on AO3:

AJ wasn’t sure what he was expecting when Telulah asked him to watch a childhood Christmas movie with him. He sure didn’t anticipate seeing a large rat king wearing a full-body suit with the letter R and a yellow cape singing about how he was the big cheese. Telulah sang along happily, completely content wrapped in her boyfriend’s arms on the couch. The smile on her face hadn’t left since the memorable opening with the Sugar Plum Fairy and while AJ always loved seeing her smile he really didn’t get why she had such a soft spot for the movie.

The teen’s nose scrunched in confusion as he watched on but he was confused. As far as he could tell this was just a very cheaply made adaptation of the Nutcracker. The animations were low quality and sometimes downright goofy to look at. AJ sorta got parts of why she liked it: the humor wasn’t good at all but it was stupid fun and it did have talking fruits and veggies. AJ definitely knew the appeal of that part considering how many times he had watched and rewatched Disco Broccoli and Friends over the years. Hell, he was surprised that he hadn’t burned right through the disc of the Christmas DVD special with how many times he had seen it. It became even more shocking when the number of rewatches skyrocketed ever since Telulah entered his life. AJ kept thinking about it for a moment until he was pulled back into the movie when he heard his girlfriend’s voice again.

“Food fight!” Telulah yelled along with one of the talking foods on the screen. Immediately all the different fruits, vegetables, and nuts got up from their hiding spots on the table and attacked. The oranges all struck poses from their basket before diving headfirst down to the floor, crushing the enemy rats with their round bodies. The pears all shimmied down the tablecloth and joined in to vanquish the enemy aided by the asparagus who blocked the way with their heads. Black-eyed peas used noodles to vault down and it seemed like everything was going their way.

Telulah chuckled at all the different ways the animated food was attacking but what really got her in stitches was when the beans started to make their way forward. With each step forward they let out a loud fart that added to the large, pungent green cloud behind them. Toot after toot emitted from the beans as they charged towards the rats and for the first time since the movie started AJ let out a loud laugh. He couldn’t stop himself during the whole sequence. What could he say? Farts were funny. He always thought they were and he knew that his humor had and would stay in the toilet. Soon both AJ and Telulah were so loud and laughing with so much vigor that they had to stop the movie for a minute.

“Whew, oh boy, that was so funny,” Telulah tried to take a few more deep breaths but she devolved into another set of giggles. AJ wasn’t doing much better as his laughter only grew stronger when he heard his girlfriend’s.

“You should’ve warned me about the beans,”

“No way! The beans are the best part of that scene - I wasn’t gonna spoil it for you. They had to creep up on you like a surprise fart attack.” Telulah tilted her head back to look up at her boyfriend as he laughed. The sight made the smile on her lips grow. She always loved his laugh. It was the cutest.

“Yeah, it definitely surprised me.” AJ took a deep breath and settled back into the couch. “Okay, so this movie isn’t half bad.”

“Half bad- This is the greatest Christmas movie of all time!” Telulah declared loudly then spotted the look of disbelief on her boyfriend’s face. “Okay, so it’s a guilty pleasure and isn’t the best Christmas movie ever. That honor goes to A Charlie Brown Christmas and I’ll die on that hill.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! Sorry, babe. Muppet Christmas Carol breaks the top five though,” Telulah smirked when she saw AJ’s eyes go large.

“Top five?!? It should be number one!”

“It is in your heart, baby, and for me it’s top three.” Telulah noticed the signature pouty frown appear. “Okay, Grumpy Bear, let’s get back to the movie before the Christmas cheer is ruined.”

“Okay,” AJ continued to sulk as he held Telulah closer. “But we’re going back two minutes to the bean scene. I’m not budging on it, T.”

Telulah laughed from within her boyfriend’s arm before tilting her head back and pressing a kiss to his chin. “Deal.”

[ericsonclan]

Spreading Christmas Cheer

Summary: A solitary lumberjack, Minnie, meets a friendly baker named Renata, and the encounter changes both of their lives for the better.

Word Count: 1594

Read on AO3:

Minnie could feel the cold nip in the air. With a small grumble, she pulled her coat closer around herself. It was only the middle of autumn but still it was already fucking cold. Minnie didn’t usually mind the cold too much; it seemed to make the world quieter. It felt more peaceful being outside although Minnie always enjoyed nature.

She strolled outside her cabin, ax in hand and ready to chop some wood for the upcoming months. As she strolled through the forest she felt relief fall over her. There wasn’t a soul around. There never really was this deep into the forest and that's just how the recluse lumberjack liked it. She didn’t do well around people, her social anxiety would flare up and people usually judged her right off the bat. To the outside world she looked like an angry, intimidating person but she wasn’t really either of those… or maybe she was. Minnie didn’t know. Still that’s how people always thought she was, never giving her another chance to make an impression. She had decided that was for the best and so here she was years later living happily alone in her cabin.

Minnie scanned around for a good tree to chop down and after a few minutes had settled on the one she wanted. The sound of her ax colliding into the thick trunk of the tree rang out in the forest causing the nearby critters to scurry away. Minnie kept focus on her task though and after working hard to break the tree down into logs she transferred it over to her chopping block. Her ax thunked down into the log splintering it and slicing it in two. Again and again she did this, getting into a rhythm of things until the world faded into the background of her mind.

Minnie was perfectly content with chopping wood for a few hours until she spotted someone wandering through the woods that made her pause, ax still raised above her head. There, a short distance away from her was a girl walking forward with a basket in hand. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a side bun where a pink flower rested in the center of it. A smile stayed on her lips, bright and cheery. A sight that Minnie wasn’t used to.

“Hey there!” The girl called out and gave a friendly wave. Minnie felt her social awkwardness return and gave a wave before even realizing that she had dropped her ax. Luckily she had snapped back into focus just as the ax was falling towards her foot. With some haphazard steps and swears Minnie dodged it.

“Oops! Sorry! Is your foot okay?” The girl rushed over and Minnie felt her face heat up. Holy shit, she was pretty. Her smile felt mesmerizing to Minnie. “It doesn't look like it got chopped,” The girl squatted down by the lumberjack who was pulled back into the present.

“Uh yeah, my foot is fine. You don’t have to worry,”

“That’s good!” The girl rose up and came face to face with Minnie. The distance between them was practically nonexistent at that point.

Minnie had no idea how to handle it. A hint of cinnamon tickled the redhead’s nose and she couldn’t find a spot to look at that didn’t make her more flustered. So she opted to nod and take a step back.

“My name’s Renata. What’s yours?”

“Minnie,” Minnie mumbled and brushed her fingers along the shaven part of her hair.

“Minnie,” Renata let the name roll off her tongue. “I love it! So are you also wandering the woods for a good picnic spot?”

“Uh, no. I live here.”

“Really? I didn’t think anyone did. Where do you live? Oh wait, you don’t mind if I’m here right?”

“No,” Minnie couldn’t get her heart to calm down for some reason.

“Awesome. Well then, would you like to join me for my picnic?” Renata held a playful smile to her lips as she leaned forward. The sight made Minnie’s head spin in some kind of way.

“Uh sure, but I’m shitty company.”

“Hmmm, I’ll be the judge of that. Come on, let’s find a good spot together!” Renata took both Minnie’s hands in hers and all thoughts of chores and firewood left the lumberjack’s mind.

The picnic had been overwhelming at first for Minnie but soon she found herself feeling comfortable around Renata and all her walls fell down. It was nice to do something different from her normal day to day life. But it was a one time occurrence. That’s what Minnie had told herself as she got to work the next day and even if her heart stung a bit from never spending more time with Renata, Minnie knew she could live with it.

She didn’t have to though. Life had thrown her a curveball in the form of Renata as the cheery, friendly baker kept making the trek up to her cabin every few days. She always thought of new fun ways to spend time with Minnie and even if some of the excuses at first didn’t make sense Minnie went along with it because she couldn’t get enough of spending time with Renata. Renata felt the exact same way and so the pair kept spending time together, going on walks through the woods, having lunch together, staying up late to watch the sunset. It felt priceless to Minnie: all these moments together, these fun spontaneous dates with Renata. As time marched on they grew closer and after a few months Renata decided to move into Minnie’s cabin.

Minnie stayed up later than normal. She couldn't seem to sleep and so she had decided to work on a hobby of hers. Taking out a carving knife, she began to take the bark off a piece of wood. She was completely focused on her task, careful not to make any mistakes from what she had envisioned in her mind. The world started to melt away, all except her, her carving and the dim candlelight on the desk that illuminated the falling snow outside. When suddenly she felt arms wrap around her waist and a warm kiss pressed on her neck. Minnie jolted for a second at the unexpected gesture.

“Oops, sorry, Min,” Renata nuzzled her face against her girlfriend’s shoulder before she rested her chin there. “Whatcha working on?”

“Just a carving,”

“Hmmmm couldn’t sleep?”

“Uh huh, guess I got too anxious,” Minnie mumbled and started to work on the wood carving.

“Want me to go?”

“No, stay. I like having you here,” Minnie reached up a hand and rested it on the side of Renata’s face as she looked up at her. Renata smiled, her lips quickly finding Minnie’s. Both of them held onto the kiss, turning the one into many, both short and long ones until they pulled back for air.

“How many carvings have you done?”

“More than I can count. Some of them I turn into toys and others just stay as statues.”

“Ooo,” Renata hummed next to her girlfriend’s ear. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for the finished toys.

“They’re in that cabinet,” Minnie nodded over and watched as her girlfriend immediately went over and opened it.

“Whoa, Min, you’re really talented,” Renata whispered as she stared in awe at all the different types of toys and knick knacks. Wooden trains painted in bright reds and blues, tiny toy soldiers decked out in immaculate detail. There were even some dolls and other sewn toys.

“Thanks,” Minnie awkwardly scratched the back of her head. “I’m running out of space though so I’ll probably get rid of them.” ‘What? No!”

Renata’s exclamation made Minnie nearly slice through her thumb as she carved.

“I don’t have the space, Ren. You can pick some you want to keep if you want.”

Renata thought for a minute. It did sound somewhat tempting but soon a better idea entered her mind. “Oooor we could give them to the kids in the nearby town. I bet if we dropped them off around Christmas it would brighten up their holiday!” Minnie’s eyes widened. “Oh, yeah we could.”

“Geez I was expecting a better reaction than that, Minipie,” Renata made her way back over and sat on her girlfriend’s lap, wrapping her arms casually around the back of her neck.

“I’m just, I’m not good with people, Ren. People don’t like me.”

“That’s not true! I like you!”

“Mmm, I think that’s just a you thing.”

“No, it’s not.” Renata disagreed but she saw that her girlfriend would remain stubborn on this. “Min, you’re amazing.” She planted a kiss on the tip of Minnie’s nose. Minnie stayed in her head though. “If you didn’t have to see people, would you change your mind about the toys?”

“Yeah, it’s not like I don’t want to give kids these toys. I think they’d really like them.”

“Okay, then I have the perfect plan!”

“Okay… What is it?”

“Hmmm, nope, I want it to be a surprise! Just give me three days to draw up the plans! We can totally get this done before Christmas!” Renata stole a quick kiss then hopped off Minnie’s lap. “Do you want blue or gray for a coat? No, you know what, you could pull off a red look. This is gonna be great, Min!” Renata called out from another room and Minnie sat there, completely lost. She had no idea what Renata’s plan could be but whatever it was Minnie knew it would definitely be memorable.

[ericsonclan]

What’s This?

Summary: Prisha is tired of the monotony of Halloweentown and wants to bring something exciting and new for Violet and the others to see.

Word Count: 1000+

Read on AO3:

The sky was dark and gloomy. The moon shone its eerie light that gave the town a yellow tint to it that helped send a chill down everyone’s spine. Crows cawed and bats fluttered by while the townsfolk got ready to celebrate another scarily good holiday in Halloween town. Everything felt perfect: the atmosphere with the green liquid pouring from the town square’s fountain and each cobblestone, every inch of Halloweentown was made to send a screech tearing through your throat. Every note in the music playing made your blood run cold. All of this would help but the biggest selling point of it all, the grand finale that would kickstart this holiday was the Queen of Halloween and Master of Fright, Prisha.

“She’s here! She’s finally here!” One of the townsfolk cheered causing everyone to start gathering around in the courtyard.

All the noise had made it easy for Violet to sneak out. She carefully made her way toward the courtyard and hid by a tree. The moonlight shone brightly highlighting Violet’s patchwork dress. She didn’t want to miss out on seeing this moment. She could give two shits if Carlos felt like she should stay home or that it was too dangerous to be outside. Just because he had created her didn’t mean he had any say.

Violet absentmindedly pulled at the stitches that attached her arms to her body. She really hoped that the poisoned soup would keep him knocked out long enough that she got to see Prisha. Just as that thought crossed her mind she noticed the crowd part ways. After a second Violet saw a straw horse be pulled forward while a scarecrow with a pumpkin head sat upon it. A sign reading “HALLOWEEN” stood behind it. The scarecrow didn’t move an inch until suddenly it seemed almost to come to life and snatched up a lit torch, throwing it into the mouth of the pumpkin.

Violet couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous. She knew Prisha had a flair for the dramatic but this year she was really going over the top as she spun and danced while her scarecrow costume started to burn away. With gasps from the townsfolk Prisha drove into the fountain then slowly emerged from it. She seemed to hold all the confidence in the world as she got out of the fountain, showing off her new black and white suit. She smiled brightly, her arms outstretched as she took in all the town’s applause. Something about her smile made Violet unable to look away. There was an undeniable charisma about Prisha, especially in that suit. Violet held onto the tree and remained mostly hidden, not wanting the town to notice the heart eyes she was making at her girlfriend.

None of the townsfolk seemed to care about that though; all of their attention was directly on Prisha, congratulating her for the great opening show. All of them were vying for her attention.

“That was absolutely amazing!” The mayor praised but was quickly pushed back by some of the others.

“You’re so cool, Prisha!”

“Yeah! When I saw you emerge from the fountain I felt my heart nearly stop!”

“Do you think you ever get lonely as the Queen of Halloween and wish for a certain someone to join you?”

Prisha seemed extremely overwhelmed by all the girls surrounding her. She awkwardly took a step back and took refuge back on the raised portion of the fountain to create some space.

“Well you see, I do have a certain someone I would like to spend today with,” Prisha replied, searching around the crowd for who she was hoping would be here today.

Her eyes flickered with sadness for a moment until she spotted Violet. Immediately her eyes brightened and a somewhat dorky smile appeared on her lips. She wanted to have Violet by her side, to proudly show her off but she knew that would stress Violet out. So she gave a wave over to her girlfriend, knowing that they could spend some time alone when things had calmed down.

Violet returned the wave and noticed how smitten Prisha was when she looked her way until suddenly the mayor and other townsfolk forced Prisha to focus back on them and their wants from the Master of Fright. Violet watched for a few seconds, wondering if she could somehow get Prisha away from all that. Be able to sneak off past the graveyard and onto the little hill that looked as if it was right below the moon.

“There you are,”

Violet felt a hand grab her arm harshly.

“You’re coming back with me,” Carlos frowned, his expression bitter and angry. “Don’t even think of trying to argue with me.”

Violet didn’t say a word and didn’t resist her guardian’s attempts to get her back inside. It was better if she just went along for now. She could always make more soup.

Time felt as though it went by at a snail’s pace. Prisha had kept talking to people and entertaining them until they finally gave her some space. As soon as she got the chance she went over towards the tree where Violet was but she was nowhere to be found.

“Violet? Vi?” Prisha looked around this way and that but it became clear quickly: Carlos had gotten her back inside. With a sigh, Prisha wandered off for a bit. She knew how upset Carlos got after Violet would sneak out and despite all her attempts in the past he wouldn’t budge on letting Violet out for hours after she’d been caught sneaking out. So she figured she might as well take some time for herself and wait out the time until then or until she got up the nerve to try to sneak in to visit Violet.

Walking through the graveyard, Prisha knelt beside a grave. “Will you keep me company, Sir Tubbs?” she asked softly and waited for a minute. After a few the form of the ghost cat appeared and lazily flopped by her side. “Thank you,” She attempted to scratch his head then continued to walk forward. Slowly she made her way up the curled hill and stared up at the moon. The feelings were starting to appear again. The ones she didn’t want around.

“Do you think the others are getting tired of being scared too?” Prisha whispered, her eyes on the moon. “I try year after year but I don’t know. I’m starting to lose the desire to always be the Queen of Halloween. I’d like to feel another emotion besides fear during the holiday but I don’t know what else it could be. What do you think?” She glanced down at the plump ghost cat who seemed more than happy to hover over her feet and purr loudly. “You are no help.”

The ghost cat gave a smokey meow.

“Fine, you’re forgiven,” Prisha smiled and moved forward, letting the hill uncurl so she could go to the other side. She wasn’t sure where she wanted to go; anywhere in the woods would be fine with her. So she ventured on, wandering and wondering until she stumbled upon a series of trees with different symbols on the trunks.

“Hmm?” Prisha walked forward, curiosity dancing within her eyes as she looked at tree after tree until she stopped by one that had a green tree covered in dots of color. Prisha considered her options for a moment then grabbed the doorknob on the tree and pulled the door open. She waited, wondering what she would see but nothing came. With a sigh she turned back to Sir Tubbs.

“Well that was a disappointment,” Prisha shook her head, ready to move on with her day when suddenly strange white flakes appeared from within the open door and she was pulled in. A startled yell left her lips until she landed in a field of white. Prisha looked up at the sky watching these odd flakes of white fall towards her. Intricate designs were within each flake but she had no time to take them in before they fell to the ground. “What is this?” Prisha sat up and grabbed a handful of it. Without giving her mind a chance to decide if this was a wise decision she bit down into it. It tasted like nothing but it was cold. Prisha continued to munch on the odd substance until she saw an array of bright lights. Greens, reds, and yellow shimmered around houses that were painted in such striking colors. Colors like that weren’t in Halloweentown. Her eyes scanned the area noticing poles of red and white and a large circle that spun around with horses on it. Everywhere she looked the same question appeared in her mind: What's this?

It had been two days and Prisha still wasn’t anywhere. The town was a mess because of it and Violet wasn’t doing much better. She couldn’t stop pacing outside while Sir Tubbs trotted back and forth to keep her company. After the first few rounds though he quickly lay on the ground. Violet messed with her stitches, feeling her anxiety rise. What the hell had happened to Prisha? How did no one know where she was? Everything was making her anxious and Violet kept swearing to try and calm her nerves.

“Violet,”

The voice practically made Violet jump and she spun around to see Prisha still wearing her suit but covered in odd white flakes.

“Prisha! Where were you? You’ve been missing for two days.”

Prisha’s eyes widened. “For two days? How-” She paused when she saw her girlfriend’s expression. Her arms wrapped around Violet. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know I was gone for that long,”

“It’s fine. I was just worried.” Violet mumbled as she hid her face against Prisha’s shoulder. The two of them stayed within that hug for a minute before pulling back.

“So where did you go?” Violet asked as she took both of Prisha’s hands in hers.

“I went to this most curious place. There were trees in the woods with symbols painted on them and one had a tree of colors on it. I opened the door and was whisked away to a land made of pure white where everyone is always singing and smiling. They wear odd hats and eat sticks of red and white.”

Violet blinked. “That made no sense.”

“It will! I brought things back from this land! Oh, it was wonderful Violet! I think I can bring something special to Halloweentown!” Prisha swung their joined hands back and forth. “It made me feel the same happiness you bring to me whenever I’m with you. That warm, fuzzy feeling. Imagine it, Violet, a land of pure happiness, and I found it!” Prisha beamed with excitement.

Violet didn’t fully understand it but seeing her girlfriend this happy made her happy.

“Okay,” Violet smiled when she saw the joy that response brought Prisha.

“Wonderful!” Prisha stole a quick kiss then pressed one to the top of Violet’s hands. “I can’t wait to show you the mysterious joys of Christmas!”

[ericsonclan]

Our Little Drummer Boy

Summary: Mariana and Tenn try to figure out what to get their kids for Christmas.

Word Count: 1966

Read on AO3:

Tenn worked to fix up some cups of tea. He waited the appropriate amount of time, letting it steep before he took the bags out. His mind was still half asleep but even so it was already spinning with what it had focused on for the last few days” Christmas. He gazed outside, noticing that the snow was starting to fall from the sky covering the already blanket ground with more snow. It was really beautiful. He almost felt tempted to grab his paint supplies and paint the scenery. Mariana was waiting for him though, he had promised to bring her back some tea.

Tenn returned his attention to the tea, making sure he made it just the way his wife wanted. Once he was sure he had gotten it right he picked up both festive mugs and went back to the bedroom. His footsteps were soft and deliberate so as to not wake up the kids. Otto and Clarissa weren’t the loudest kids in the world or the wildest but still it was nice to have some time alone with Mariana.

“There’s my Mr. Man,” The playful lilt in Mariana’s voice made Tenn look up to see his wife still bundled up in tons of blankets.

“Here I am,” Tenn smiled softly then handed over the right mug to his wife. Mariana whispered a soft thanks and felt her heart warm when her husband pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“Okay, so,” Mariana cut herself off by taking a sip of the tea. A hum vibrated through her throat and she slipped further into the covers. Tenn’s gentle laughter made Mariana send over a look. “What?”

“Nothing, I’m just glad you like the tea,” Tenn placed down his mug then got into bed. “So, Christmas is coming up which means presents.”

“You and I are on the same page there. We gotta start thinking about what to get for Otto and Clarissa,” Mariana scooted closer and dropped her voice down to a whisper. She didn’t want to risk the kids hearing even if they were still asleep.

“Right. I saw these cute cameras for kids. I figured since Clarissa is always asking for one of our phones to take pictures of her stuffed animals that she would like it.”

“That’s a great idea,” Mariana smiled then took another sip of her tea. “Mmm, let’s make sure it's purple. Light purple.”

Tenn nodded “Alright that shouldn’t be tough,”

“Okay, the first present figured out for Clarissa. So on to the first for Otto.”

Both of them thought for a minute, sipping their tea and letting their minds spin some thoughts around. Otto was the tougher one to figure out of the twins. Not because he was necessarily picky or anything like that. It was more so that he was very quiet and internal, making figuring out his interests a puzzle sometimes. Add onto that that he was selectively mute and now things were tough.

“Doesn’t he like dinosaurs? I thought I saw him looking at those a lot when we went to the national museum together.”

Mariana shook her head. “Nah, he wasn’t looking at the dinosaurs. I think he was trying to find Clarissa when she wandered off. Maybe something medieval like knights and dragons.”

Tenn pondered on it for a minute, tapping his fingers against his mug.

“Okay, so that’s out the window,”

“What? Oh because I didn’t say anything? I was just thinking that’s all.”

“Yeah, well I just don’t know,” Mariana sighed and collapsed into the propped up pillow.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. We’re gonna figure it out, alright?” Tenn brushed his hand up and down Mariana’s arm but he could see she was stuck in her head. “Sweetheart?”

“Hmm? Yeah, yeah I know. I just-” Another sigh escaped her lips. “I want to make sure we get both of them great gifts.”

“We will.” Tenn gave a reassuring smile. Something about that helped Mariana’s nerves settle and she took a deep breath.

“You’re right.”

The couple took a moment to calm down before getting back to the drawing board but it seemed as though they had run out of time when they heard their oldest’s voice.

“Mom?”

“I better go check on her. You can finish up your tea but then I need your help in the kitchen for breakfast, Squishy,” Mariana pressed a kiss to Tenn’s cheek then slipped out of bed. Tenn watched his wife as he drank his tea. He made sure he didn’t spend too long though, not when he needed to help out. The Christmas gift planning would have to wait.

Days had passed and it seemed as though they had made no progress at all. Tenn couldn’t help but feel disheartened about it and those feelings had bled into family time as he dropped by Minnie’s house to visit his sisters for a bit.

“Mmmmm, these cinnamon cookies are so fucking good,” Sophie declared as she leaned back in the chair. She quickly worked to stuff more cookies in her mouth despite not finishing the cookie that was already in her mouth.

“Slow down, you’re gonna choke,” Minnie shook her head as she drank her hot cocoa.

“But they’re so good!”

“Yeah, Ren always makes tons during the holidays, so chill.” Minnie scolded her sister before noticing that Tenn was more reserved and in his thoughts than usual. "Everything okay, Tenn?”

Sophie pulled her focus away from the cookies at that. “Shit, did something happen?”

“No, it’s nothing serious,” Tenn awkwardly brushed away some of the stray cookie crumbs that had flown from his sister’s mouth. “It’s just…” He started to fidget with his fingers, focusing on his nails for a few seconds before looking up. “Do you ever struggle to figure out what to get your kids for Christmas?”

“Hmm, nah. It’s more like making sure they still believe in Santa. Now that is exhausting,” Sophie waved around a piece of a cinnamon cookie as she spoke.

“Are you still making Marlon dress up as Santa?” Minnie looked over at her twin and saw the proudest smile appear on her lips.

“Yep! And it works like a charm… Most times. It’s better than warning my kids about Santa being dangerous.”

“No?? There’s nothing wrong about warning your kid about some random creep coming down your chimney.”

“You’re still scared of Santa, Minnie?” Tenn was shocked by that.

“No! I’m not! I’m just being smart with Timothy,”

“I thought he loves Santa though,”

“Yeah, he always leaves out cookies with Ren for him.” Minnie leaned back in her chair and took another sip of her hot cocoa. “Anyways, why do you ask about presents?”

“Because me and Mari are struggling to figure out one for Otto.”

“Oh, well what does he like? Planes? Cryptids? Hobos? Captain Commando?”

“Those are things your kids like.” Minnie pointed out and Sophie frowned.

“Uh yeah, and it's awesome.”

“He doesn’t like that stuff,” Tenn spoke up before his sisters butted heads. “He hasn’t really shown interest in many things.”

“Hmm,” Minnie tilted her head back as she thought. “Maybe something with music, like an instrument?”

“Oh! Yeah! Kids love that! And there’s tons of options like toy pianos and drums,”

Tenn nodded along, taking in his sisters’ advice. “Yeah, that might work,” He tapped his phone screen and sighed softly. “I should get back. Next time I won’t take up all of our time together.”

“Tenn, you took like five minutes. It's fine,” Minnie rose up from her spot and gave her brother a goodbye hug.

“Yeah, don’t worry about it. Text us if you need to brainstorm some more,” Sophie hopped up to her feet and pulled Tenn into a hug.

“I will,” Tenn smiled and waved towards his siblings before leaving the house. As soon as he did he heard laughter that made him look over to the front yard where Renata was busy playing with Timothy.

“Here comes the winter tickle monster!” Renata declared loudly then proceeded to sweep her son in a hug. Both of them were busy laughing before Renata spotted Tenn. “Heya, Tenn. Aww leaving already?”

“Yeah, gotta get back to Mari and the kids.”

“Okay, drop by again soon,” Renata beamed and Timothy said his goodbyes to his uncle, giving a wave while Tenn pulled out of the driveway. Tenn worked to turn on the holiday music station then focused on getting back home. It felt like he finally had a good idea for what to get his son.

“A drum? Just one, not like a set, right?” Mariana asked as she walked hand in hand to the local Target with Tenn for the first round of Christmas shopping.

“Yeah, I figured it could be fun for him and we could make it so he could walk around with it so he could still play music.”

“Hmmm, I like it! Okay, let’s find our kid the best drum ever! But first, let's grab that camera for Clarissa!”

Tenn joined his wife in the little hype cheer then walked into Target.

The days of December went by faster than either of them thought was even possible but they had done it. They had gotten presents for all their loved ones and had gotten ones they hoped their kids would like. The stockings had been done and Clarissa had already opened her first gift: a color-by-numbers book from her Aunt Sophie. The little five-year-old looked at the book in awe as she joined her twin on the couch again. It was clear that that had been a hit with her.

“Okay, Otto, your turn now,” Mariana smiled over at her son who gave a silent nod then wandered over to the tree. He stared at each of his gifts, making rounds and rounds around them. He wanted to check all of his options before deciding. After what felt like forever he had landed on a round gift off to the side. Tenn and Mariana shared a look and held hands as they waited to see if their kid would like his gift. Otto sat down, carefully unwrapping the Christmas paper. He had a meticulous way of doing so, not wanting to rip it at all. After a while the gift was free and Otto looked at the drum with big eyes.

“You got drumsticks with it too, buddy, so why don’t you try it out?”

Otto glanced over at his mom and nodded before he worked to get the strap over his neck. Slowly he stood up, gripping both drumsticks tightly. He stared down at the round red drum with golden detailing. He seemed hesitant about it for a few seconds and then he tapped the right drumsticks against it. His eyes widened and he looked over at Clarissa when she gasped and showed interest in his gift. Otto stared down at the drum then tapped the drumsticks against it again and again. After a moment a smile tugged on his lips and he started to play a made-up tune on it. The gentle excitement that the drum had given him radiated off Otto as he continued to play.

“You like the drum?”

Otto paused in his playing when he heard his dad’s voice and he gave a huge nod. Awkwardly he struggled to get the drum off of him before rushing over and wrapping his arms around both of his parents. It was a hug that lasted for more seconds than either Tenn or Mariana thought Otto would hold onto the hug. After a while though he returned to his drum and continued to play a tune. The sight caused a smile to appear on his parents’ lips; they were sure it was one that wouldn’t leave for a long, long time.

[ericsonclan]

Jingle All The Way

Summary: Sophie and Marlon work to find the perfect Christmas toys for their kids.

Word Count: 1472

Read on AO3:

Sophie and Marlon weren’t sure how this had happened. They had been so caught up in all the holiday activities, festivities, and chaotic stress that came with it that they had forgotten something huge. They had forgotten to get the one toy that their two kids had been practically begging them for for months leading up to Christmas: the holiday edition Captain Commando action figure with built-in water jets in the toy’s wrists.

“We’re so screwed,” Marlon rested his head on the steering wheel while his wife sat in the seat beside him frantically scrolling through different stores' online catalogs.

“Maybe ooorrrrr this will just make it a special Christmas adventure!” Sophie spotted the annoyed look on her husband’s face. “Babe, it’s gonna be okay. We’ll both go searching all of today. You already called Louis, I called Vi and they both said they’d help us. Minnie and Ren are looking after Raylan and Marley who were practically bouncing off the walls to spend time with them and Timothy. It’s gonna be okay,” Sophie gently rubbed Malon’s back. The sensation helped anchor him in that moment, pulling him away from the anxiety and potential dread he was feeling.

With a shaky breath he lifted up his head and gave a smile. “You’re right. Okay, let’s find those toys!”

“Hell yeah!” Sophie stole a quick kiss then opened the car door and jumped outside.

“First one to find the action figures gets bragging rights!” Sophie called out then was off like a shot, haphazardly trying not to slip on the icy road as she made her way over to Violet who was waiting nearby.

“Be careful!”

“Yep!” Sophie gave another wave and then was off on her quest for the fabled Christmas toy. Marlon watched her in the car window for a minute then turned the key in the ignition and pulled out onto the street. He still had to pick up Louis before he could start the hunt.

“I’m still surprised that you and Sophie didn’t get the action figures like a month ago,” Louis caught Marlon’s annoyed glance. “What? All I’m saying is that I got toys for Maisy, Lee Kenny and Juliet in November and that was just the extra gifts.”

“You know what, Lou, if you’re gonna be sassy like that then I can go on my own.”

“No! Come on, Marlon, don’t be like that. Besides I have good intel that those special action figures are still available for sale at the Target right by Crawford Ave.”

Marlon felt a smile pull on his lips at that. He switched lanes to be able to turn on the right street as they approached their destination. He was gonna make Raylan and Marley’s Christmas perfect and beat Sophie at this Christmas toy hunt! He knew he would because he’d do anything to get those toys.

There were no Captain Commando limited Christmas edition action figures there. Instead, Marlon was staring at a completely barren toy aisle.

“Oh damn, well I guess this is why you shop early.” Louis gave an awkward grin when he saw his best friend’s scowl. “Okay, okay, let’s not worry. We’ll go get some hot cocoa then continue to look. This is just the first store after all.”

Marlon took a deep breath and sighed. “Yeah, you’re right. I’m just really fucking stressed and I don’t wanna seem like a bad dad because I couldn’t get Raylan or Marley what they wanted for Christmas.” He kept walking until he felt Louis’ hand grab his shoulder.

“Hey, they’re not gonna think that. You’re a great dad.”

Marlon still seemed down in the dumps but he cracked a smile. “Thanks, Lou.”

“No problem, buddy. Alright! To hot chocolate and then the perfect Christmas present!”

“So let me get this straight-”

“I don’t know, can you get it straight if you’re gay?” Sophie sent over a teasing smile to Violet who already looked tired of her best friend’s mediocre jokes. “Okay sorry, continue.”

“You didn’t get some action figures for Raylan and Marley so now you’re trying to find them just four days before Christmas?”

“Yep, that’s pretty much it,”

Violet sighed and shook her head. “You and Marlon are unbelievable.”

“Hey! We got all the other Christmas shopping done! What about you? I bet you haven’t gotten everything you need for Allison and your grandkids.”

“Prish and I got everything weeks ago. A new knife for Allison’s collection, some stones we found during our trip, superhero toys and marshmallow guns for Mitchie and Griffin and cute baby clothes for Wren. Plus a bunch of stuff we found for super cheap and bought on a whim for them too,”

Sophie was speechless. Her attempt to throw it back at Violet had failed. “Okay well, yeah. Whatever, I love my kids!”

“I never said you didn’t,” Violet grumbled, her back hunched and hands stuffed in her pockets. Sophie didn’t seem to pick up on that though and instead was laser focused on finding the action figures.

But it amounted to nothing. No matter what stores they went to, all the action figures of that kind were sold out. Even after a call to check in on the kids where Raylan and Marley went on and on and on about how much fun they were having building snow castles, Sophie’s mood didn’t brighten.

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. Just take a few deep breaths,” Violet instructed; Sophie listened to the best of her ability. “Feel any better?”

“Nope, I still feel like a bad mom. Okay! Back to hunting! I know that luck is gonna be on my side!” Sophie dashed off before Violet could say anything. With a long sigh she chased after Sophie. She could almost never catch up to her best friend when she was going full speed. Finally Sophie sat down near an escalator, her chest heaving. Violet stood beside her, doubled over in exhaustion.

“Let’s call it a day. You tried your best.”

“No! I’m not giving up yet! There has to be some kind of way to-” Sophie was interrupted when an announcement was made over the loudspeaker.

“It’s time to spread that holiday cheer and what better way than with a chance to win two Captain Commando action figures! Come to the center of the mall if you want a chance to bring home something special for your kids!”

“That’s it! Let’s go!” Sophie grabbed Violet’s hand and dragged her along until they reached the center of the mall where the rules were already being shared.

“...And so if you have the right number on your raffle ball, then you win!”

Sophie grinned. It seemed easy enough. She just needed luck. She bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she reached into the Santa bag. Violet soon followed suit and the two waited until the numbers were called.

“Number twenty seven.”

Sophie’s eyes widened. Holy shit! She had it! Her excitement made her feel all jittery and she threw her arm up in the air to show off her winning number when suddenly she bumped into someone, causing the raffle ball to bounce on the ground.

“Shit!” Sophie dashed after the ping pong ball, running back and forth down the escalator to try and grab it as it fell but it was too quick. The ball kept bouncing and bouncing until it landed in a kids’ play pit.

“What the hell are you doing!’ Violet called out as she watched Sophie dive head first into the ball pit.

“Winning!” Sophie declared. She kept searching until finally she found it. Using all the strength of her lungs, she shouted, “I have the winning number!!!” She rushed back up and pushed her through the crowd, apologizing until she got to the front.

When she arrived she accepted the toy with an exhilarated grin and stared at it as though she was holding priceless treasure. She was so caught up in the moment. “This is great! Now all we need is for your number to win! Show me your ball, Vi!” Violet rolled her eyes at the wording then grumbled as she held up the lottery ball. Both of them waited with tense breaths.

“Number forty eight.”

Immediately Sophie’s optimism deflated. It wasn’t the right number.

“That’s my number!”

Moments later Marlon moved forward before he spotted Sophie and paused in shock. “Sophie?”

“Marlon?”

“What are you doing here?” The married couple asked at the same time.

“I’m winning an action figure,” Marlon explained as he accepted the prize. A happy laugh left Sophie’s lips at that and he looked over with slight confusion. “What?”

“Guess we didn’t screw up Christmas after all,” She held up her action figure and both of them shared a happy smile. Maybe they were pretty awesome parents after all.

[ericsonclan]

Believe

Summary: James watches his favorite Christmas movie, The Polar Express, with his husband Jesse

Word Count: 1105

Read on AO3:

“Jesse! Baby, you almost ready?”

James’ voice rang out from the living room. He sat on the couch happily humming a tune from his favorite Christmas movie.

“Yeah, just need to grab a saddle to work on while we watch the movie,” Jesse called back.

“Okay,” James continued to hum as he worked to get one of Theodore’s many, many Christmas outfits on. The sphynx cat gave a proud meow giving no grievance as the Santa hat was placed on his head.

“Awww, aren’t you Santa’s cutest little helper,” James talked in a cutesier voice than normal as Theodore strutted around a bit to show off his new drip. James cheered on his cat, lost in the little fashion show. He didn’t mind if it took Jesse a long time to join him. In fact, James wasn’t sure how much time had passed when his husband strolled back into the living room with a horse saddle in his hands.

“Okay, I’m here. Polar Express again?” Jesse asked as he sat down and worked to get his long hair away from his eyes.

“Yep! It’s the best Christmas movie,” James scooted a bit closer to Jesse and quickly picked up Theodore before he could step all over the saddle and scratch it.

“Thanks, baby,” Jesse had picked up on Theodore’s mischievous intentions but currently hadn’t had the free hands to deal with him. “Theo is looking cute today even if he’s being his usual little shit self,”

Theodore meowed at that, sounding rather smug at the words directed his way. He trotted around James’ lap, headbutting him here and there and causing the little bell on his outfit to ring.

“Yeah, he’s super festive today,” James spoke in a soft voice then carefully worked to get the remotes. It only took him a few seconds to get everything set up and soon a track from the movie’s soundtrack started to play on the title screen. Not wasting a second James pressed play and cuddled up on the couch while Jesse got to work. He knew that Jesse wasn’t the biggest fan of this movie but he did really appreciate him being willing to watch this movie again and again with him.

Jesse opened up the can of saddle soap and used a damp sponge to gently apply a thin layer of the soap on the saddle. He used small, circular motions to cover every single inch of the leather area of the saddle while also being cautious to avoid the suede areas. He was completely wrapped up in his work until he decided to glance up, watching the scene of the young protagonist waking up when his bed began to shake. It wasn’t an earthquake though; the sound of a train made that clear. As the young boy walked outside to check out the train Jesse was once again reminded of one of the many things he wasn’t a fan of when it came to this movie. The animation. It was shit if Jesse was honest and he felt like the uncanny valley nature of it really made it uncomfortable to watch.

James didn’t feel that way though. The animation didn’t seem to bother him. Instead, he was solely swept up in the magical Christmas joy that this movie gave him. To see this young boy who didn’t believe in Santa or the magic of Christmas slowly over the course of the movie start to believe always hit James right in the feels. This movie always instantly got him in the holiday spirit. He knew it was a movie that wasn’t for everyone but he couldn’t help but rewatch it every year.

As the scenes in the train started Theodore completely settled down in James’ lap, sleeping soundly while his Santa hat drooped slightly off the side of his head. He was getting to the super sleepy stage where his head had become super limp making it easy to bop around his head. James didn’t want to bother him though and instead worked to carefully grab some of the Christmas-themed sweet red bean paste cakes that he had set out as festive snacks.

“Want one?”

Jesse looked up from his work. “In a minute, I just need to finish one more spot.”

“Okay,” James happily nibbled on the cake while listening to the instrumental version of “Believe” playing onscreen. Jesse walked off for a minute, making sure to put the saddle somewhere safe before returning to the couch. He sat right beside his husband and leaned his head on James’ shoulder while James started to play with his hair. There still was a lot of the movie left but Jesse didn’t mind as long as he was with James.

It was the usual emotional rollercoaster of an experience for James as it always was with the Polar Express. As soon as it got towards the end Jesse leaned over to grab some of the sweet bean paste cakes and the tea he had made then grabbed a box of Kleenex. He had seen how this part of the movie affected James before and this time he was ready. It was always the same final few scenes when the young protagonist held onto the bell that Santa had given him. A bell whose sweet whimsical notes could only be heard by those who believed. At first, the protagonist and his sister Sarah could hear the bell, excitedly ringing it constantly even though their parents couldn’t hear the bell at all. But as more time passed all of the boy’s friends and his sister could no longer hear the bell even though the boy could as an adult.

James started to fan his face, trying to stop himself from crying. “It’s so emotional. I know it’s stupid but he never stopped believing even though everyone else had.”

Jesse took some tissues and handed them over to his husband then started to rub his back. “It’s not stupid.”

James nodded and wiped away at his eyes before taking a few deep breaths. “Wow, what a movie. Now it really feels like Christmas,”

Jesse had a somewhat teasing smile at that. He couldn’t help it. Still, he knew that his husband loved that movie to pieces even if he never understood why. “Wanna go for a walk to get some fresh air? I think it started snowing again.”

“Sure, I just need to figure out how to move Theo somewhere safe where he can nap.”

Jesse shook his head and gave a lighthearted laugh as he worked to grab a pillow.

“What?”

“Nothing, you’re just really cute sometimes. That’s all.”

[ericsonclan]

It’s a Wonderful Life

Summary: Aasim struggles with work stress around the holidays.

Word Count: 1574

Read on AO3:

Everything felt like it was falling apart. Aasim had hoped that by some sort of miracle the holiday season wouldn’t be a hectic, frantic time but it was. He could handle that when it came to life outside his job but now things were starting to get crazy there too. His firm had just lost a big client and the worry and after-effects were almost immediate with his staff. Aasim couldn’t blame them for feeling that way; it was one of the worst times of year for it to happen.

He knew he would have to buckle down and find ways to make sure that this didn’t mess with his employees’ salaries or put a stain on his accounting firm. Still, that was easier said than done and all Aasim could feel was stressed and shitty for how things had gotten to this point. Hours slipped through his fingers as he tried his best to find new clients and talk with some of the employees on what the right next steps would be. There never seemed to be enough time though and for a split second he considered starting to burn the midnight oil and stay later at work.

That wouldn’t be fair to Ruby though. He’d promised her that he wouldn’t get caught up in his work this holiday season and that he’d be sure to spend quality time with family.

With a long sigh, Aasim got up and worked to get his slim-fit winter coat on. He grabbed the homemade mittens Ruby had made for him and slipped them on. He said some quick goodbyes to the employees he’d just had a meeting with, wishing them a merry Christmas before heading outside.

The sharp cold made Aasim shiver even with all the warm clothes he was wearing. Snow started to fall down from the sky blanketing everything it could where it landed. Aasim couldn't take in the simple beauty of the winter weather. Instead his mind was still heavy with all the worries that he had at the firm. How would he be able to solve this? Would it affect some of the employees’ salaries? He couldn’t do that during the holiday season. Aasim’s head felt foggy with everything as he exhaled sharply, causing a thin fog to appear in the air. He decided to take the longer way to his car. He needed some time to think.

It did him no good, however, as the more he thought about things the more he got down in the dumps about everything. This day had gone to hell and it seemed like that would hold true at the firm until they found another big-time client. Christmas music began to play over the radio as he started the car. He immediately turned it off then turned up the heat before carefully driving onto the road and towards home.

The usual pleasantness that came with driving home during this hour remained. The sky was a beautiful deep blue flickering with stars while snowflakes slowly drifted down and added to the snow that was bathed in the warm rays of street lamps. All of that was lost on Aasim though as he impatiently tapped his fingers on the top of the car wheel while he waited for a green light. Every small inconvenience was really getting under his skin.

Finally, he arrived home. Pulling into the driveway Aasim turned the key in the ignition harshly then yanked it out. He gloomy walked across the freshly shoveled walkway to the front door. Once he opened it he was hit with the warmth of the house and the smell of freshly baked cookies and popcorn. The sound of Christmas music floated through the air all the way from the back living room and he heard his kids in the kitchen.

“You’re finally home!” Ruby bustled forward and got on her tiptoes to give her husband a welcome home kiss. “How was work?”

Aasim stayed silent for a second as he worked to get his coat and boots off.

“Pookie?”

“It was alright. Just stressful and-” He caught himself before he started to vent about the situation. “I’m just really tired.” His face remained turned downward until he felt his wife’s arms around him. Ruby held onto him for a few seconds, gently rubbing his back.

“Why don’t you sit down at the dining room table and I’ll grab you a cup of cocoa?”

“Okay,” Aasim held onto his wife’s warmth for a few seconds more then watched as she bustled back towards the kitchen. Aasim closed his eyes for a moment, taking a few deep breaths to shed off the worries of work and unwind. After that he made his way towards the dining room table, hearing his children’s voices more clearly as he got closer.

“I think it's a great idea. Uncle Omar gave us that food airbrush to use it. Savannah, you think it’s a good idea, right?” Zachariah looked over to his younger sister who was busy helping her mom get the cups of cocoa ready.

“Yeah, it would be super cute if we had red and green popcorn for the movie tonight. Just wait until I’m done helping Momma,” she added at the last second. But it seemed like Aniyah wasn't listening as she was already working to get the dye into the airbrush.

“Wait! Savannah should help us!” Zacharaiah huffed as his youngest sister didn’t seem to listen.

“Why?”

“Because we don’t know how to use it.”

“It's just point and spray, right? Like this.” Aniyah held out the airbrush and causally sprayed her brother with it. Zachariah exclaimed loudly and backstepped quickly.

“Aniyah! Mom!”

“Aniyah Sadie Laghari, don’t go spraying your brother with paint,” Ruby stomped on over with a frown that made Aniyah’s usual smirk disappear.

While Ruby was scolding her youngest and making sure she helped Zachariah clean up the mess on shirt, Savannah came over to the dining room table with hot cocoa.

“Here you go, Dad,” Savannah smiled as she held out the mug.

“Thank you,” Aasim gave a soft smile as he accepted the warm drink.

“Tough day at work?”

Aasim glanced up. “Mmm, yes, but nothing that you have to worry about.”

Savannah nodded along thoughtfully for a moment. “Sorry that your work day wasn’t great, but tonight is gonna be awesome! We’re gonna decorate Christmas cookies and watch a movie together. We’re even trying to decorate the popcorn to make it festive!”

“I can see that,” Aaasim took another sip of the hot cocoa then placed it on the table. “Why don’t I help with that?”

“Okay, I’ll help too!” Savannah followed after her dad and the two of them worked on getting the popcorn ready.

“I think you three unintentionally made this more difficult than it needed to be. You can add some dye to a bit of butter and evenly coat your popcorn kernels that way.” Savannah’s eyes went wide at the suggestion. “You’re right. Makes sense since you’re always super smart!”

Aasim smiled at that and then got to work helping his daughter with the popcorn. When Aniyah and Zachariah got back the popcorn was already set to go.

“Everything seems set there,” Aasim turned around and was surprised when Aniyah gave him a hug.

“Welcome home, Dad,” She then let go and spun around on her heel. “I think we should do a competition with Christmas cookie decorating.”

“Sounds good to me,” Zachariah gave his dad a welcome home hug then sat down at the table. “Let’s do kids versus parents.”

“Ooo! Yes!” Savannah grinned and sat down beside her brother.

“Won’t the butter mess with the texture of the popcorn soon?” Aasim pointed out but all his kids seemed too excited about this competition to consider the popcorn.

“Come on, Pookie, let’s show these kids a thing or two about decorating,” Ruby grabbed her husband’s hand and guided him over towards the table.

“Alright, my Dove.” He pulled out a chair for his wife then sat down next to her. “You three better be ready.”

“We totally are. We’re gonna kick your butts even with Zach on our team!” Aniyah declared loudly then pulled some bowls of frosting closer to her.

“Yeah! Wait, what? What’s wrong with me?” Zachariah huffed and sent a glare over at his youngest sibling.

Aniyah shrugged. “Don’t feel like answering. So, Savannah, I’ll be on sprinkle duty.”

“Wait, don’t change the topic!”

Soon the three siblings were all talking animatedly while Ruby grabbed her own bowls of frosting. “Come on, let’s get a head start on them,” A competitive smile pulled on Ruby’s lips.

Aasim nodded but didn’t work right away. Instead he took in this moment.

All the stress and worries he had were melting away. He watched as his kids continued to tease each other then looked over at his wife who continued to try to hold onto his hand for as long as she could before getting swept up in the art of Christmas cookie decorating. Life had been stressful lately and he knew that it wouldn’t stop anytime soon but still he had so much to be grateful for. A beautiful, loving wife, three children he loved dearly. Without thinking twice he pressed a kiss to Ruby’s cheek then started to get lost in the Christmas fun as a simple truth entered his mind. He really did have a wonderful life.

[ericsonclan]

A Christmas Comfort Film

Summary: Brody starts getting overwhelmed by the holiday season so Mitch helps her try to calm down with her favorite Christmas movie.

Word Count: 1312

Read on AO3

Everything was stressing her out. No matter how much Brody took deep breaths and went over the steps to calm down, her anxiety wouldn’t leave her alone. She began to pace back and forth in the apartment as she made a mental checklist of everything that had to be done in the next few weeks. It was not the happiest time of year for her currently. In fact, Christmas always had a tendency to stress Brody out. She loved the holiday a lot and each year it was always a ton of fun but there was just so much to do. The sheer amount of items to do on her list only seemed to grow with each year. She blamed all the hyper extroverts she had been befriending lately over the last few years. Her feet whacked against the floor as she ran her fingers through her hair. The speed of her movement made Oreo and TNT’s eyes widen. Both kittens wiggled their butts, back and forth ready to pounce on the moving target. Brody was completely unaware of their mischievous intent until she felt TNT’s sharp claws in her foot.

“Ow! Fuck! TNT!” Brody yelled and watched as the kitten’s eyes widened, ear tucked down and back arched before scampering off. Oreo looked over at his brother then up at Brody, a pathetic-sounding meow leaving his lips.

“Fine, you can stay but you’re on thin ice, buddy.” She pointed her finger at the striped kitten but Oreo wasn’t fazed at all as he headbutted against her leg.

“What’s got you in a mood, Brodes?” Mitch strolled over with his usual teasing smile until he spotted his girlfriend’s expression. “Shit, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing!” Brody internally winced at the volume of her voice but she couldn’t seem to rein it in. “It’s just that everything is getting so fucking busy and everyone wants to do everything with me! Ruby keeps texting about what day we should make Christmas cookies, Louis wants to go Christmas caroling on Saturday but I already promised Sophie and Renata that I’d help them go shopping for White Elephant gifts for the Christmas work party and-” Brody was cut off her verbal spiral when her phone dinged with a text. Her shoulders instantly tensed and her breathing became uneven.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.”

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay. You don’t have to answer that right away. People can wait.”

“It’s Ruby.”

“Okay, Ruby can fucking wait. Right now we’re gonna forget about all of them and focus on you. What do you want to do?”

Brody stopped her pacing when she heard her boyfriend’s question. She thought for a few seconds before her lips parted.

“I wanna watch a Christmas movie.” “Okay, then that’s what we’re gonna do,” Mitch walked over to the couch and worked to get the side pillows propped up. After that was done he disappeared into a different room for a minute. “Do you want your weighted blanket or the snowflake blanket?”

“The snowflake,” Brody sat down on the couch and worked to take a few deep breaths. She kept glancing over at her phone that was on the kitchen table, wondering if she should send a quick text. Before she could decide though Mitch had returned and worked to wrap the seasonal blue and white blanket around her. He leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead then got to work getting the movie set up.

She didn’t even have to say which movie she wanted; Mitch knew. A few seconds passed before Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas music started to play over the menu screen. Mitch grabbed the DVD remote and made his way back to the couch where Brody was laying down. As soon as he sat down Brody scooted closer and cuddled up next to him. His arms soon wrapped around her, slowly brushing up and down her arms as he pressed a button and the movie started. The sounds of bells hummed from the TV as the logo of The Cat in the Hat showed up on the screen. The cartoon cat wiggled his eyebrows as the opening song began. The title of the movie appeared in front of a snowflake just as a small meow could be heard. Looking over, Brody spotted Oreo staring up at them with big eyes.

“Want him on your lap or not?”

“He can come up here,”

Mitch awkwardly shifted his weight to be able to pick up the kitten without messing with couch snuggles. Oreo was plopped down onto Brody’s lap and immediately the kitten began to purr loudly until his brother cried out as well. TNT was in the same spot as Oreo once was, waiting for his chance for cuddles.

“What about TNT?”

Brody shook her head. “No, I’m mad at him for attacking my foot.”

“Okay, you heard her, guess you don’t get cuddles for being shitty.”

Mitch’s answer did nothing to deter the young kitten who jumped up, fully believing he’d make it before he tumbled back down.

“Aww, baby. Mitch, help him up.”

“That didn’t take long,” Mitch teased but listened to his girlfriend and got the other kitten up on the couch as well. It took no time at all for the kittens to settle down and soon the couple returned their attention to the film just in time as the opening credits finished.

Animated snowflakes began to drift down from a dark blue background as the camera panned from snow-covered tree to snow-covered tree. The singing of the Whos started while they stood in a circle around a tree to bring it back to Who-ville. Brody started to hum along to the song as the Whos worked on the Christmas decorations, bopping her head lightly to the rhythm of the music. Her anxiety slowly began to slip away; she had a feeling it would as soon as Mitch set up this movie. This had always been her favorite Christmas film. Brody couldn’t remember how many times she had seen it, probably dozens of times by now. She knew each scene by heart and had the whole thing memorized, so much so that she had a tendency to quote movie lines as they were being said.

“Every Who down in Who-ville liked Christmas a lot but the Grinch,” Brody spoke and waited for the dramatic music notes to play before continuing. “Who lived just north of Who-Ville did not. The Grinch hated Christmas the whole Christmas season. Oh please don’t ask why, no one quite knows the reason.”

Mitch watched in silent amusement. He always enjoyed hearing his girlfriend’s rendition of the lines. It made the movie better for him. Sure, he had always enjoyed the movie growing up - Willy had been a sucker for it - but there was something special about watching it with Brody.

It felt like no time had passed before Mitch could sense Brody’s shoulders lose their tension. Her breathing had become steadier and she was completely relaxed as she leaned against him. Her soft smile never seemed to leave her lips during the entire movie and that proved true during the iconic song too. Once it started she began to sing along, nudging Mitch to join her. It took him a few seconds but he quickly joined in.

“You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch,

You really are a heel

You’re as cuddly as cactus

You’re as charming as an eel

Mr. Grinch

You’re a bad banana with a greasy black peel!”

Mitch and Brody had hit lower notes with the last part, holding onto them for far too long. Both of them shared a look, smiling and laughing for a minute. All the stress and worries that came with the holiday season melted away in that moment and Brody finally started to feel the simple joys that came with Christmas.

[ericsonclan]

Perfect To Us

Summary: Allison and Willy work together to find the perfect Christmas tree.

Word Count: 1857

Read on AO3:

Allison felt a chill run up her legs as she walked down the small hallway that led to the living room. The apartment had always been shitty when it came to temperature but now that winter had rolled around it was really cold. The heat in the apartment had crapped out late last night which meant that with any luck on their side the super would get it fixed within the next few days. Allison wasn’t holding out on that luck though and instead had gone out with Willy to pick up two small portable heaters for the apartment. One was currently struggling to warm up the bedroom while the other seemed to be doing a good enough job for Bunso who was curled up on the floor. The cat snored softly as his chest slowly rose and fell with his breathing. Some hisses drew Allison’s attention over to Garbage who seemed content with the tiny Santa hat that Willy had put on the possum’s head late last night. The possum sat in her chewed-up bed, staring over blankly at Allison.

“Yeah, yeah, good morning to you too, you little shit,” Allison wandered into the kitchen and searched around, trying to remember where she had put the coffee grounds she had gotten recently. After a few minutes of searching she successfully found them and started to work on getting some coffee ready, praying that the old piece of shit coffee maker would last until after the holidays.

She stared at the coffee maker, listening to it whistle with effort as it churned out what was sure to be half-assed coffee. A loud meow made her look over to see Bunso make his way over. The gray and white cat purred loudly as he continuously tried to get on his hind legs to headbutt against Allison.

“What? You excited for coffee?” Allison asked and received a bright meow in response. Bunso continued to shower Allison with affection until he decided his paws were getting too cold and wandered back to curl by the heater. Allison shook her head goodnaturedly then worked to pour herself a cup of coffee. She looked in the fridge and took out the cartoon of half n half. Twisting off the cap, she sniffed it, pondered for a second then sniffed it again. With a shrug she poured it into her cracked Christmas mug. Eh, it smelled fresh enough for her. Just as she finished up she heard her boyfriend’s lively footsteps in the hallway. Before Allison had a chance to look his way Willy’s hyper voice appeared.

“Allie! Gooood morning!” Willy slid over in his festive green and red socks, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend’s waist as they both awkwardly spun around in the tiny kitchen. The sound of his laughter tickled Allison’s ear causing a soft smile to appear on her lips.

“Morning. Looks like you slept alright?”

“Yep! The bed is chilly without you though so I figured it was time to get up. I bet I slept in a lot!” Willy reached in his pocket and took out his phone to check the time. 6:15 AM. “Well, maybe I didn’t sleep in a lot after all.”

“You don’t have to be up, you can go back to sleep,” Allison offered as she brushed her hands along her boyfriend’s hoodie.

“Mmmm, nope, I’m up now so what do you want for breakfast?” Willy asked as he untangled his arms from his girlfriend and started to poke around the kitchen. The options were limited to put it nicely.

“I don’t care, whatever we have is fine with me. I’m gonna feed Bunso and Garbage,” Allison walked over to grab some wet cat food and other food safe for possums.

“Okay, I’ll whip us up something amazing!” Willy opened up his phone and started up some Christmas music before returning to his task. It was gonna be a killer breakfast for his killer girlfriend.

“Ta-da! Your festive breakfast!” Willy placed down a paper plate that had a few bites worth of scrambled eggs, two slices of bacon and a gingerbread flavored poptart.

“Looks great, babe, thanks,” Allison sat down and let Bunso hop up onto her lap to be a part of the family breakfast. Allison gave the cat some head scratches but paused when she saw that her boyfriend had less food than her.

“You sure that’s enough for you?”

“Hmm? Yep!” Willy grinned then took a sip of the coffee before grimacing. “Nope, still don’t like black coffee.”

“Shit, I guess I used the last of the half and half,” Allison sighed and thought for a minute. Without waiting for her boyfriend’s protests she swapped their coffee mugs then tossed over a piece of bacon onto his plate.

“Allie-”

“It’s fine, you like bacon more than I do and I like black coffee more so it works,” She took a sip of the coffee then started to eat.

Willy knew she would be too stubborn to accept the bacon back so he happily munched on it. “Okay, but next time we fry up bacon you’re gonna have more.”

“Deal,” Allison smiled when she saw her boyfriend’s smile and so the two of them enjoyed their breakfast together. Once that was done Allison worked on the dishes only to shiver when she felt the cold water hit her hands.

“Wait, Allie, you don’t have your reindeer socks and hoodie,”

“Eh, it’s okay,” Allison shrugged but her boyfriend was already off like a shot. WIthin seconds he had returned and was putting her socks on for her.

“Can’t let you get a cold around Christmas. That would suck,” He rose to his feet and helped get the hoodie on his girlfriend.

It took Allison a few seconds to realize it was one of his.

“Oh, shit, I can keep looking for one of your hoodies.”

“No, I like yours. It’s comfy,” Allison disappeared further into the hoodie, feeling a warmth enter her heart.

“Okay, hey so I was thinking that it would be fun to get a Christmas tree soon. I know we don’t have a lot of money but…” Willy looked down at the ground and brushed his foot back and forth for a second.

“Let’s go today,” Allison smiled when she saw how her boyfriend beamed.

“Really?”

“Yeah, we can go now.”

“Okay!” Willy rushed around to grab their shoes, scarves and coats while Allison finished up the dishes.

After a few minutes both of them were preparing to enter the snowy world outside.

“Alright, we’re heading out guys, so don’t try to be too reckless while we’re gone,” Willy picked up Bunso and gave the cat a hug before setting him down. Immediately Bunso curled back by the heater. Garbage didn’t move from her spot at all and gave a blank stare over at Willy. That was a good enough goodbye for Willy and so he headed out hand in hand with Allison.

It wasn’t a super long walk to the nearest spot where they knew Christmas trees were sold. They had figured they’d save some money by walking. Both of them knew that the Christmas tree they could afford would be small enough that it wouldn’t be a burden to carry back to the apartment. As they walked along a happy Christmas tune left Willy’s lips as he bopped his head this way and that. Allison enjoyed watching how happy her boyfriend was and after a few minutes she gently bopped her head along to the tune.

It was a pleasant walk over to their destination, neither of them aware that they had even arrived due to how much they had been enjoying the walk. That was until Willy came screeching to a halt.

“Ooops, it’s back there, Allie!” Willy guided them back over and entered into the lot where a seemingly endless amount of Christmas trees were available for purchase. All of them were looking for the perfect home in which to spend the holidays. Willy and Allison enjoyed looking at all the different types of trees: broad ones, tall ones, odd and peculiar shaped ones. Each and every single one of them were great but their prices were always too steep for the young couple. That was until they made their way to the far back of the lot and Allison spotted a tree hidden among the larger ones.

“Willy, what about that one?” She nudged her boyfriend’s shoulder, gaining his attention. He glanced over and immediately felt a smile spark on his lips.

“It’s perfect!” Willy walked over towards the tree. It was a short, small-looking tree, definitely the runt of the pack. It only had a few flimsy branches that were filled with green pine needles. “It looks like the one in Charlie Brown!” Willy grinned as he gently picked up the little tree.

Allison nodded. It really did look like that, as if the tree had hopped out of the movie and landed right in this lot. “Let’s get it,” Allison walked forward to double check it was within their budget. A relieved smile tugged on her lips when she saw it was.

“Okay!” Willy made sure the tree was tucked safely under his arm then used his free hand to hold Allison’s. The two of them went to find the man in charge of the lot. Once they’d purchased the tree they moseyed on back to their apartment.

“Yep, it’s barely warmer in here,” Allison sighed then went to grab a blanket to make sure that Bunso and Garbage wouldn’t be too cold. While she did that Willy placed the tree in a corner and went to get the few ornaments and one strand of lights they had.

“Hey, Allie! You wanna decorate now?” Willy called out to his girlfriend who wandered back down the short hallway.

“Sure,” She made sure Bunso was happy with his new blanket then tossed the possum’s chewed up blanket over the animal who hissed softly. When that was all done she went to help her boyfriend with the tree. It took no time at all to decorate their tree with two short loops of the lights around the branches. The lights shimmered brightly in red, purple, blue and green. After that both of them took the few ornaments they had and placed them on the tree: a few little red and green orbs, a little bomb ornament that Willy had gotten from Mitch, a cat ornament Allison had gotten from her parents and a rock ornament she had painted in holiday colors. When they were all placed they then topped the tree with a chipped and cheap-looking plastic star.

“There, it’s done” Allison took a step back and looked at the tree with pride.

“Yeah, it looks amazing!” Willy hugged his girlfriend from behind, his arms securely around her shoulders. Allison placed her hands on her boyfriend’s arms and leaned back to rest her head against his chest as both of them looked down at their tree. To others it might not be anything special but to them it was. To them it was perfect.

[ericsonclan]

White Christmas

Summary: Doug and Sisi make eggnog and cuddle while watching the snow.

Word Count: 1077

Read on AO3:

Doug hummed a familiar holiday tune to a song that he couldn’t remember the name of. It was right on his tongue which made it slightly frustrating but there was nothing that he could do about it. So he kept prepping the kitchen while he waited for his love to return home. After getting out a few mixing bowls, cups, and a pot Doug heard the front door open.

“I’m home!” Sisi’s smooth voice appeared by the door, making Doug jog over excitedly. Sisi’s eyes brightened in an instant when they spotted their boyfriend. He looked really cute in his reindeer Christmas sweater. So much so that Sisi paused in their process of getting off their coat and walked over, capturing his lips in a soft kiss. Doug was surprised by the romantic gesture but soon returned it. After a second their lips moved away from each other.

“Well that's a nice surprise,” Doug smiled at Sisi. “Was the grocery store okay? Not too busy?”

Sisi shook their head. “No, it wasn’t too bad and I got all the stuff we need for eggnog,” They worked to get their black boots off then shuffled off their coat.

“I can put your boots and coat away if you want to start unloading the ingredients,” Doug offered with a smile.

Sisi immediately returned the smile, kissing Doug’s cheek. “Okay, sounds good,” She walked off in her snowflake Christmas sweater and disappeared into the kitchen with an energetic smile. The sight warmed Doug’s heart. Sisi had never had eggnog before she had started dating Doug. She was skeptical of the drink at first but once Sisi tried it she was just as big of a fan of eggnog as Doug, especially with the recipe that Doug had worked out to perfect the holiday drink. After putting away Sisi’s boots and coat Doug walked back into the kitchen where his love was already getting to work.

“Let’s get this holiday afternoon started!” Sisi smiled as he worked to separate the two egg yolks from the whites. Placing the yolks into one mixing bowl he then placed the egg whites in another.

“Yeah!” Doug rolled up his sweater sleeves but soon enough it landed back in place.

Sisi worked to whisk the yolks until they were light and smooth then added some sugar before incorporating that into the yolks. Doug meanwhile worked to whisk the egg whites and sugar until peaks formed. Once that was done the couple high fived then shared a victory kiss.

Doug worked to get the heat right in between medium and low and combined the milk, vanilla, a pinch of nutmeg and salt. He started to stir in a zig-zag formation waiting for the steam to rise and small bubbles to appear.

“You know there is nothing sexier than a man who can cook,” Sisi leaned by the stove with a playful smile.

Doug immediately felt his face grow hot at that. “Oh yeah? I thought you were the sexiest thing out there,”

Those words made Sisi’s face flush a deep red; he wasn’t expecting a comeback. Walking over he hugged Doug from behind and started to kiss his shoulders.

“Is this to motivate me to finish making the eggnog faster?” Doug looked back with a smile.

“It's because I love you,” Sisi replied. “But also yes, I want the eggnog right now. Give me that shit,” They kissed Doug’s neck for a second, distracting him. The distraction almost proved too much as the bubbles grew bigger in the pot.

“Oh, shoot!” Doug pulled the pan off the heat. “Son of a biscuit!”

“Is the eggnog ruined?” Sisi asked worriedly as they poked their head to the side to see the pot.

“Nope, saved it just in time,” Doug turned his head and kissed Sisi’s jaw then got to work on the next step. He carefully poured the milk mixture over the beaten egg yolks while Sisi stirred constantly so it didn’t turn into scrambled eggs. Once that was done Sisi grabbed the brandy with a smile and splashed some into the mixture. Doug took a turn stirring and worked to fold the egg white mixture into the nog. After that was all done he ladled the drinks into their mugs and sprinkled the tops with nutmeg.

“Looks like we're going to be extra noggy this holiday,” Sisi had a playful smile on his face and waited for Doug to get the pun. It took his boyfriend a second but soon enough he was laughing loudly.

“Yeah! Great pun, Sisi,” Doug intertwined his fingers with Sisi’s and the two stood in the kitchen enjoying their holiday drink.

After a few minutes they moved into the living room where Doug set up some Christmas music. White Christmas was the first one to play which felt fitting considering how much snow was falling today.

“Dougie, let's snuggle,” Sisi was on the couch, her arms open and ready for Doug.

“Okay,” Doug walked over, immediately getting into a comfortable position for cuddles with his love. Sisi’s arms wrapped around him and she worked to get in a spot where both of them could watch the snow fall together. Doug absentmindedly traced his thumb on the top of Sisi’s hand while Sisi’s hand trailed up and down his arm. The soft, nostalgic music filled the room, making it the ideal situation for snuggles. The couple shared soft kisses here and there while enjoying the beauty of the snow outside.

“I’m excited to try out that new Skyrim Christmas mod,” Sisi whispered as Doug played with their hair.

“That will be nice: seeing the snow, the reindeers, dressing up in special holiday outfits,” Doug listed off the different mods with a smile on his lips.

“Beating the shit out of bandits with a huge ass candy cane, charging into battle against a dragon with my reindeer. It’s gonna be so much fun!” Sisi beamed, their body radiating excitement. “But that can wait, I’m enjoying snuggling with you,”

“I like snuggling with you too,” Doug moved closer, his legs intertwining with Sisi’s more. The couple shared another kiss then stared out the window. The snowflakes slowly floated down, coating the world around in a glistening white that made the world seem magical. Sisi glanced down at Doug, feeling a warmth overflow in their heart. Being with Doug always made them happy but now with the music, snuggles and snow it felt downright magical.

[ericsonclan]

Take My Hand

Summary: Mari and Tenn finish Christmas shopping and Mari tries to work up the nerve to ask a very important question.

Word Count: 1772

Read on AO3:

“Is this is the last of your Christmas shopping?”

Tenn’s question shook Mariana out of her thoughts and she turned to look over at her boyfriend. He had insisted on carrying their bags of gifts and both of his arms were layered with bags of all sizes and colors. Mariana nodded. “Yep, that baseball card was the last thing on my list,” She was glad she’d been able to track it down and snag it before the signed card sold to someone else; Uncle Javi would love it. Now that their tasks were done though there was nothing left to distract her from the true object of her thoughts: the ring burning a hole in her pocket.

“Hopefully we can fit everything in the trunk on the way up tomorrow,” Tenn adjusted one of the bags on his right arm. “Guess we’ll replace the space we save giving out presents with the ones we receive,” They were staying with both of their families over the holidays which meant driving out to West Virginia to see Tenn’s family then back to their regular stomping grounds to spend New Year’s with Mari’s uncles, brother and sister in law.

“You hoping for anything in particular for Christmas?” Mari had asked Tenn this question a dozen times already, but she needed to distract herself to keep up the nerve to see this plan through.

Tenn shrugged. “Not really. I already have everything I need. I mean, art supplies are always a safe bet but I know that’s not what you want to hear,”

“I’ll just have to keep getting creative with the sort of art supplies I buy so you never know what to expect,” Mari grinned up at her boyfriend. “I’ll have to keep some tricks up my sleeve though for graduation gift surprises. A few months from now you’ll be a full-fledged graduate!”

“Just an undergraduate,” Tenn replied, but the quiet smile on his lips betrayed his excitement.

“That’s a huge step, babe. There’s tons of people that don’t even get that far. And who knows if grad school’s even in the cards – you don’t have to figure that out yet,” Mariana hurried over her last words, not wanting to dwell on the subject. If Tenn decided he did want to pursue grad school, that could complicate things. He could have to move away, and Mari didn’t like the thought of that at all. She didn’t want to shift gears to a long-distance relationship after years of being together but the thought of moving with him also terrified her. There was a big enough shift coming with the question she was about to pop; they didn’t need any more challenges.

“You’re right. Besides, I’ve been thinking it would be nice to work out in the real world for a while. That way I’ll no longer be the struggling student whose girlfriend needs to foot all the bills,”

“We do just fine as is,” Mariana replied, her arm slipping round Tenn’s as they walked toward the car. “Wait till you make your big splash in the art world – then it’ll be my turn to be arm candy,”

They dropped their gift bags off in the car, tucking them safely away in the trunk before locking up and heading toward the Ladybird Café, their favorite spot for a bite to eat. As they made their way out of the parking garage snow began to fall, providing a fresh slate in contrast to the brown sludge on the bottom of their boots.

Mariana inadvertently shivered and Tenn paused, looking concerned. “You alright?”

“Just realized I forgot my scarf back at home. No big, it’s not far to-” She froze as she felt a warmth encircle her.

Tenn had taken off his red knit scarf. He tucked in snugly in place before pressing a kiss to his girlfriend’s cheek. “Better?”

“Much,” They continued to walk along hand in hand with the scarf and the blush on Mariana’s cheeks keeping her more than warm enough. She was so lucky to have met Tenn. Now that she had him she wanted to keep him forever, even if that meant asking the big question no matter how terrified it made her.

Ladybird Café was fairly busy today with all the holiday shoppers, but most took their orders to go, rushing in from the cold outdoors only to rush back out once their steaming drinks and warm, buttery treats were handed over. There were still a few tables open. Mari was grateful. It would have been awkward for the staff if they’d had to explain to waiting customers why the table by the window with the street-view must remain reserved.

As the pair of lovebirds walked through the door, the owner of Ladybird Café came over to greet them with a warm smile. Bonnie looked a bit more frazzled than usual but her demeanor also held the glow of Christmas cheer. “Hey there, you two. What’ll it be? The usual?”

“Yep, thanks, Bonnie,” Mariana replied, giving her a subtle nod to let her know that the plan was on. Pausing to let Tenn help her take off her coat, she circled the table and helped him with his. Scooting as close together as the table between them would allow, the two held hands as they watched the snow outside continue to fall.

“Hopefully the snow won’t get too heavy,” Tenn commented, his eyes drifting from the world outside to his love’s face. “It’s perfect like this, almost magical,”

“You’ve always been a sucker for winter,” Mari smiled fondly at her boyfriend. It was always so charming whenever Tenn became lost in the beauty of something.

“There’s just something so peaceful about winter. The world gets to rest and heal from whatever went on in the last year and the earth is covered in a soft, perfect layer of snow: a fresh start,” Tenn’s gaze travelled over to Mari. “Your favorite season is spring though, right?”

Mariana nodded. “Yep. Everything’s so fresh and new, you can smell the change in the air like something big is about to happen. Then something does and there’s color everywhere and plants blooming and birds singing and…” Mariana drifted off, sidetracked by her own thoughts. Her thumb rubbed absentmindedly against the side of the ring box, anxious for the next step of the plan to be put into place.

“Mari? Everything OK?”

“Yes! Perfect! Is that our drinks I see?” Mariana waved over at Vince who was moseying over with their drinks: a chai latte for Tenn and a caramel mocha for Mari. He set them down before the couple with a wink. “You crazy kids enjoy,” With that he was off, but Mariana could tell where he was headed: over to the back corner of the café by the kitchen doors where several members of the staff had being loitering about for a suspicious amount of time, all watching the scene unfold with the subtlety of children, giggling and chatting amongst themselves as they eyed the pair.

Tenn barely glanced at his drink as he took it in his hands, smiling at his girlfriend. “To the beginning of our Christmas break,” With that he raised the cup to his lips, causing Mariana to cry out in fright.

“Wait, don’t drink that!”

Tenn froze, looking over in confusion. “Why?”

“Uhhhh…” She needed him to see the latte art on top of his drink and the special words it held. “Your drink- it looked like it had a hair in it!”

“Really?” Tenn lowered the drink, searching for the stray hair only for his eyes to widen in surprise as he saw the words inside the foam: Marry Me? Looking up, he found that Mariana had stumbled down onto one knee on the floor and was rummaging in her pocket wildly.

“C’mon, c’mon…” Mari cursed herself for wearing skinny jeans today. After a handful of seconds that felt like a lifetime, she wrested the box free and held it out open so that the warm café lights could dance upon the simple gold ring. Heart racing, Mariana tumbled right into her speech, voice wavering. “Tenn, we’ve been dating a couple years now and I know you want to wait, wait till you’re graduated and have a job and can provide for me and all that shit but I don’t care! I just want to be with you forever and it felt right to do this at your favorite time of year in our favorite place so I could let you know how much I love you and how happy you’d make me if…” Swallowing roughly, Mariana forced herself to muster the courage to say those final terrifying words. “If you’ll be my husband. Marry me, Tenn?”

Each second that passed felt like a torment. Mariana’s eyes were locked on the floor, afraid to look up and see an answer she feared in Tenn’s eyes. But finally the silence broke.

“Yes,”

Mariana’s eyes shot up to see Tenn’s own brown eyes sparkling with tears of joy. “Really?”

“Yes, of course! I want to marry you, Mari, more than anything!” Tenn reached out a hand to help her up but given the fact she was holding the ring box Mariana awkwardly withdrew her hand to put it away then thrust it back out to put the ring on Tenn’s finger first only to find her boyfriend – no, fiancée, had joined her in kneeling on the ground and was pulling her into his arms in a gentle hug.

Mariana felt tears prick her eyes as she melted into Tenn’s embrace. He had said yes. They were getting married. Turning her head, she meant to whisper something in Tenn’s ear only to find his head had turned towards her too; their lips found each other in a slow, tender kiss. It was only after they finally pulled apart that Mariana heard the cheering behind them.

The staff came forward to congratulate them, Bonnie at the forefront. She dabbed at her eyes with a tissue, beaming brightly at the pair. “I’m so happy for you two! Congratulations on your engagement!” Grabbing Mariana’s hand, she helped her to her feet while Vince helped Tenn then the whole staff went around sharing hugs and congratulations with the happy couple.

As Mariana found herself lost in the crowd of well-wishers, her eyes caught Tenn’s and they shared a knowing smile that made her heart ache with joy. That was her future husband over there. They’d stick together through thick and thin. And the moment he’d said yes he’d given her the greatest Christmas gift of all.

[ericsonclan]

Silver Bells

Summary: Ruby and Aasim finish up some last minute Christmas shopping for their kids.

Word Count: 1482

Read on AO3:

A burst of cold air blew through the store as Aasim and Ruby hurried inside, shivering despite being bundled up to ward off the cold. As they trudged inside, they paused for a moment to shake off the snow from their boots onto the entrance mats before grabbing a cart and heading down the main aisle. Aasim pushed the cart while Ruby pulled up the shared list they had composed of Christmas gifts for their children. There were only a few items left.

“Where to first?” Aasim asked, loosening the scarf round his neck now that they had entered warmer surroundings.

“Well, the toy aisle should have most if not all of these, so let’s head there first,” Ruby rested her hand on her husband’s arm as they strolled toward the back of the store. “Christmas really snuck up on me this year. What with all the Christmas parties and Secret Santas and White Elephants I plum forgot to finish holiday shopping before break like we usually do. Now look at us, rooting through the aisles just a few days before Christmas. We’ll be lucky if we find everything on the list,”

“We’re not doing that badly,” Aasim gently retorted, smiling in an attempt to cheer up his wife’s glum expression. “Most of the presents are already wrapped and under the tree; there’s no sense beating yourself up for the few we haven’t found yet,”

“Still…” Ruby pouted, unable to shake her guilt. She knew she was being silly, but sometimes her perfectionism got the better of her just like Aasim’s did in matters of work or the children’s’ education.

“I got a shipping notification for the personalized storybook we ordered for Aniyah. It’ll be here day after tomorrow,”

“Thank goodness! I was worried we were cutting it close there,” Ruby smiled at the thought of her youngest opening the gift. It was one of those cloth books with a little plush dolly attached to it that the reader could put on each page to interact with the story. Ruby couldn’t wait to read it to her daughter and guide her tiny hands as she placed the doll in bed or by the breakfast table or waiting for the bus.

Aasim had his own phone open, but his showed the app for the store, providing a directory of the items in stock. “What’s first on our list?”

“One of those Junior Inventors kits for Zachariah. I have a coupon saved for it right…” Ruby leaned forward and tapped her husband’s screen, “There,”

Aasim nodded, switching back to the directory. “Looks like it should be on one of the end displays on the toy aisles. If we just turn down this one it should be on our left,” Aasim abruptly turned the cart, causing Ruby to scurry to keep up. He let out a triumphant hum as they stopped in front of a display full of Junior Inventors kits. “There we go, we have our pick of the litter,”

Ruby examined the options carefully before picking a box without any dents or dings and placing it carefully in the cart. “That’s one down, four to go,”

“We’re on a roll,” Turning round the cart, Aasim headed up the nearest aisle. “When Zachariah opens that, let’s make sure he knows that the experiments are meant to take place at his desk, not the dining room table,” The fire that had been accidentally set off with the contents of the last junior science box, while not burning long enough to singe more than the tablecloth, had been truly terrifying for both parents.

“Oh, he knows. Zach has been very careful with all his equipment since then… though maybe when he’s a bit older we can tell him about some of his father’s youthful exploits with fire,”

“Perish the thought,” Aasim tutted, drawing a giggle from his wife. He paused midway through the aisle; they had reached the toy horse section. “Does Savannah like any breed of horse in particular?”

“Ever since Jesse took her on a ride with Adsila she’s been wild about appaloosas. She keeps finding pictures of them online and printing them out to add to her door. Had to tell her to cut back since she was using up all the colored ink,”

“Perhaps having an appaloosa of her own will quell her obsession, even if it’s just in miniature form,” Searching the shelf, Aasim spotted a brown and white horse that was a good approximation to Jesse’s own. He placed it in the cart then glanced over at his wife’s list to see what else was on it. “Where to next?”

“The toddler aisle should be just a few rows down. We’re looking for the Hello Suzy Talking Telephone,”

The pair reached the end of the aisle and turned right, soon finding the toddler toys and their quarry. The baby pink telephone was bedazzled in plastic diamonds for buttons and its box boasted of all the different talking features the toy possessed. There were only two left. After careful consideration Ruby chose the one on the left. “Hopefully this’ll entertain Aniyah enough to leave the real phone alone. If I have to pick that thing off the floor one more time I’m gonna go stir crazy,”

“It claims to teach the alphabet,” Aasim noted, reading a speech bubble on the back of the box. “I wonder how Education Kids Online rated it,”

“Not every toy has to be about learning, ‘Sim,” Ruby replied, amused by her husband’s musings. “Now let’s head over to the craft aisle. The craft bracelet kits should be there,”

Sure enough, there were a few different bracelet kits to choose from in the craft aisle. Ruby pointed out the Friendship4Ever set on the top shelf. “That’s the best one according to Savannah. Danica got it for her birthday, and it has loads of instructions on all sorts of bracelet styles,”

Aasim reached up to grab the box for his wife and handed it over. “That reminds me, Savannah mentioned a sleepover next Monday. Did she tell you about it?”

“Yeah, it’s happening over at Brody and Mitch’s place. Lark will be there too; Duck’s dropping her off early at our house and we’ll give her a ride over. Brody’s renting 13 Going on 30 for the girls – should be quite the slumber party,”

“Maybe you should be the one to drive her over. You could catch up with Brody, make a girls’ night out of it,” Aasim suggested, guiding the cart forward.

“I do love that movie…” Ruby mused. “But I’d rather watch it with just Brody and me rather than keeping track of the girls while they’re all hyped up on soda and popcorn. Maybe I’ll drop by the next day with some charcuterie and Brody and I can watch it then,”

“And I’ll be stuck with pickup duty?” Aasim replied, playfully quirking an eyebrow.

“You’re the one who put the idea of a ‘girls’ night’ in my head in the first place,” Ruby retorted, the glint in her eyes matching her husband’s. Her attention returned to the shopping list a moment later. “Last item on our list…” she squinted at the words. “Do they sell calligraphy sets here?”

“They do. I checked,” Aasim turned into the next aisle, seeming to know exactly where they were headed. Moments later they stopped near the end of the stationery aisle. Aasim picked out a slim box which read My First Calligraphy Set. “Zachariah enjoyed the pen pal program at school so much I thought he’d enjoy learning how to craft truly artistic penmanship,”

“Like father like son,” Ruby smiled fondly at her husband. “I’m sure he’ll love it,”

Aasim nodded; a proud smile rested on his lips at the thought of passing on his knowledge to his firstborn. “Well, with that our Christmas shopping is completed. Shall we check out?”

“Let’s,” Ruby walked alongside her husband toward the front of the store. “I still have a few things to pick out for you so I’m not quite done yet but those shouldn’t take long,”

“Oh? Should I attempt to guess what you’ve chosen for me?” Aasim teased, already knowing his wife’s reply.

“Absolutely not. You focus on your own gift giving, mister, and leave me to mine,” Having reached the checkout counter, Ruby greeted the cashier then began unloading the cart.

It was a fairly quick checkout. A few minutes later the couple found themselves back out in the snow but only for a few minutes as they hurried to their car, laden with gifts that were sure to brighten their children’s day come Christmas morn. With only a few more sleeps till Christmas, anticipation filled the air as they started up the van, cranked the heat and pulled out of the parking lot, headed home to wrap their newly-bought presents and tuck them snugly under the tree.