#to me ​he’s shaped like those surprise chocolate eggs with a toy inside

[hyunpic]

🥟: "i just turned this live on to show you guys im here, im doing well"

[janicho88]

Fire, Fur & Mistletoe Chapter 5

Pairing- Eventual Dean x Female Reader.

Word Count- 2,497

Warning- Mentions of car accidents, fires, and alcohol.  Possible swearing. Fluff.

Summary- A rewrite of the Nine Lives of Christmas, Hallmark movie. AU, Dean is a firefighter who doesn’t do commitment, the Holiday’s don’t mean much to him.  Coming home after a shift he finds a dog in trouble.  The reader is a veterinary student who works in a coffee shop trying to make it to graduation, until someone causes problems there for her.  She isn’t interested in finding anyone other than her own dog until after she finishes school.  Do their four legged friends have other plans?

A/N- This series is written for @spnchristmasbingo​.  The square filled for this chapter is the free space, Christmas cookies.  The first two chapters will stay closer to the movie than the rest will.   This has its own tag list and it is open.  That way I am not tagging anyone who doesn’t want to be tagged in Christmas stories.   This story is unbeta’d.

Header by the amazing @winchest09

Divider from freepngimg.com

Series Masterlist

Dean went in for a shift the next day taking Miracle with him and you went back out job and apartment hunting.  Still no luck on either front.  Heading home to Dakota you got out a few more Christmas decorations you had in boxes and added some in the kitchen, and up the wood staircase, being careful none of Dean's hard work got scratched. 

You were heading upstairs to your apartment when the front door opened. Turning around quickly you saw a blond woman walking in who seemed almost as surprised to see you as you were to see her.  Maybe Dean had found another girl to go out with and was keeping it a secret. 

“Hello.” You greeted her.

“I thought Sam was joking, if I had known he wasn't I would have knocked instead of using the emergency key.”

Not entirely sure what was going on you kept quiet.

"I'm sorry I didn't catch what Sam said your name was. Like I said, I thought he was joking about Dean's girlfriend moving in." 

That got your mouth semi working. "Not Dean's girlfriend, just friend. Just sleeping together. No, not sleeping, living, I mean staying. I’m staying in the apartment. I'm Y/N."

"Nice to meet you Dean's not girlfriend, I'm Jess."

"Oh your Sam's girlfriend."

"Yeah, actual girlfriend. We live and sleep together too." She says with a teasing smile. 

"It's nice to meet you, Dean's told me a little about you."  You told her about your eviction and Dean offering you a place to stay and the brothers moving you out.

She was extremely nice and had a very bubbly personality.  She was someone who would be friends with everyone. 

"I came over to look at something for Dean's Christmas present, but I don’t want to bother you.”

“No, your fine.  I just put a few more Christmas decorations out, I was going back to the apartment.  Do you need any help?”

“Do you know where Dean’s tools are?  He was telling Sam he broke something and we were going to get him a new part for Christmas.  I just need the model number.”

“Yeah, I can show you.”  As you led her past the living room she froze looking inside.

“I can’t believe there is an actual tree in here, with presents underneath.  In the years I’ve known Dean he doesn’t do much for Christmas at all.”

“I asked if we could, I’ve always enjoyed having a Christmas tree.”

She looks over at you.  “You’re good for him, girlfriend or not I think he really needs someone like you in his life.”

You weren’t sure how to respond so you just smiled and led her down the hall.

The first half of Dean’s shift kept the guys moving.  One small restaurant fire, then car accident to a residential oven fire.  When things finally calmed down and it seemed like they might get a few minutes peace Dean headed to the bunks to try and get a some sleep with Miracle following along behind him.  After Dean layed down he was soon joined by his faithful companion. The boys managed to get a few hours before the alarm went off again.  Coming back this time they headed to the kitchen to find some food. Bobby would sneak Miracle some scraps when no one else was looking. Sitting around the table Sam turns to Dean.

“Get all your Christmas shopping done?”

“Yep, done and wrapped.”

Cas looks between the brothers, “I think I missed something, Dean went shopping?”

“Yep, Y/N got him to go to the mall with her.”

“Does this mean no gift cards this year?” Cas wanted to know.

“They sell gift cards at the mall.”

“I would laugh at that, but knowing you that’s exactly what you bought,”  Sam stared at his brother.

“Have to find out when you open it.”

“Oh yeah, that’s definitely what he did.”  Benny injected.

“Alright you idjits” Bobby starts talking as he walks back in.  “Don’t forget the fundraiser party is in a few days.  Winchesters, you both are on deserts, aka Christmas cookies.  Benny and Cas have drinks, preferably not alcohol.”

“Hey Chief, why am I on desserts this year?”  Sam wanted to know.

“Do you remember last year's party?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember last year’s egg nog at the party?”

Sam’s smile gets bigger, “Yeah.”

“That’s why.  Most of these people are driving home, we don’t need them buzzed before they finish their first drink.  The list the other shifts are bringing is on the bulletin board by my office.”  He starts to walk away, “Oh and Dean.”

“Yes Bobby.”

“An edible dessert would be nice this year.”

“Hey, at least they looked good last year!”

Bobby left the room muttering about being surrounded by idjits on his way out. 

Dean arrives home to find you going through the cupboard, “Hey, how’s it going?”

“Alright, I was just making a grocery list.  Is there anything you need?”

“Yeah I actually need to pick something up, I’ll come with you.”

Getting the dogs settled the two of you are off to the grocery store.  Going through the bakery section Dean stops and looks at the premade desserts.  “

Holding up a package of frosted sugar cookies and one of cupcakes he turns to you. 

“Do you think either of these are edible?”

“I would hope so since that is what the store is selling them for.”

“Well do you think they are any good, that they taste alright.”

“Probably, yeah.  If you want one, just get it.  I thought you were more of a pie lover though?”

“Oh I am, these aren’t for me.  We have a fundraiser party for the station and I’m on desserts.  I’m supposed to bring Christmas cookies.”

“And you want to take those with you.”

“Yeah.”

“No.”

“No?”

“No.”

He looks down at the cookies with such disappointment.  “Okay then one of those packs instead.”

“Dean, you aren’t going to buy a pack of cookies to pass off as Christmas cookies.  You need to make those.”

“Not a hundred percent sure they would be edible then.  Bobby said they had to be edible this year.” 

“I’ll help you don’t worry.  It’s another Christmas activity for you.”

“I really think buying those on the table would be easier.” 

Finishing the rest of the shopping you take Dean down the baking aisle.  “So what kind of Christmas cookies were you thinking.”

“I don’t know, I was thinking whatever kind I could buy in the store.”

“Alright.  How about Sugar cookies to start with.  How many do you need?” 

“There is usually a good number of people there.  Both Sam and I are bringing them.  Probably need a hundred each, maybe a few more.”

“What is this for exactly?”

“It’s a fundraiser we have down at the station.  People donate toys, and other needed items.  Santa is there for the kids.”

“Okay a big group of people take peanut butter out, don’t want to risk an allergy.”  You thought through your mental list of Christmas goodies.  “You could do the cranberry bliss bars I used to make at work, those are always a hit, and I have a recipe for white chocolate ginger cookie that’s really good.  If any of those interest you?”

“You would really help me bake all that?”

“Yeah, I like baking and I have nothing else to do.  Plus you are still letting me stay with you and won’t take my money when I try to pay you.”

“I’ll accept your payment in cookies.”

“Great.”

The two of you grab what you need from the aisle before heading to the checkout.

After arriving home the groceries you don’t need right now are put away.  The Cranberry bar is made first, so that it can cook while you roll out the sugar cookies.  He was chopping the dried cranberries into little pieces for the cake, and having way too much fun with the knife.  Miracle and Dakota joined you in the kitchen hoping to catch anything that fell. 

“I think the cranberries are small enough Dean.”

“Are you sure?”

“Um, yeah.  Any smaller and they are just going to be red dots.”

Your plan was to keep it simple and just do round sugar cookies, but someone had other ideas.

“Where are the shape thingies?”

“What thingies?”

“You know the things that make snowmen, Santa and stockings.”  Dean’s hand was going up and down in the air, almost miming cutting out cookies.

“You mean cookie cutters?  I can go see if I can find mine.”  Heading to the apartment you looked through the boxes to see if you could find any.  Luck was on your side, finding a bag of cookie cutters and a rolling pin you made your way back to the kitchen. 

He rolled it out the first time and got it so thin you swore the cookies would have burnt the moment you put them in the oven.  Getting it all back in a pile you showed him how thick he wanted it to be before you started cutting out cookies.   He went through the bag of cookie cutters finding the ones he wanted to use.  Grabbing out a stocking, snowman, tree, and a dog bone.  To his disappointment you didn’t have Santa.

“Guess, I’ll have to get one for next year.”

You watched him do a few, “Okay I have to ask, what is with the dog bone cookies, how are they Christmassy?”

“Those are in honor of Miracle. We can decorate them red and green.”

“Okay.”

When the bliss bar came out of the oven Dean came and looked it over.  “Do you think it’s edible?”

“Do you mean right this minute, because it needs to cool first then it gets frosting.”

“I mean in general.”

“Yes, it’s edible.  I made these at the coffee shop all the time.  Why do you keep asking if things are going to be edible?”

“Bobby, the Chief, told me I needed an edible dessert this year.”

You looked at him a moment,  “Okay I have to ask, what did you take before for a desert that wasn’t edible?”

“Last year I went to the store and saw this container with what looked like cutout sugar cookies.  Some had frosting, some were decorated with just sprinkles.  They looked really nice.”

“Uh huh.  How did they taste?”

“Like bitter disappointment mixed with the tears of children.”

“Oh my.”

“They were so hard you couldn’t even bite into them and if you managed to break off a piece to eat, it had a sour taste to it. Guess that’s why they were on the sale rack.”

“That sounds,” You were trying to control your laughter. “Sounds very delightful.  I’m sorry I wasn’t here to try them.”

“Yeah yeah, laugh all you want. They looked good at least.”

“You are trusted with cookies again this year?  Aren’t they afraid of a repeat?”

“Apparently not as much as they were with Sam and the eggnog.  He dumped a whole bottle of rum in it last year.  He was moved to cookies this year.”

“Getting the guests drunk to be able to eat the food, sounds like the Winchester brothers put together an interesting Christmas party.”

Dean just laughs “Yeah we can get a little crazy now and then.”  

“What do your Christmas plans usually include?”

“It’s just my sister, her husband and I.  Donna is the under sheriff and some years she has to work part of the day.  This year she works in the morning, and I’m volunteering at a pet adoption day in the park.   Then we are having dinner at their house.

While the sugar cookies were in the oven the two of you worked on the batter for the ginger cookies.

“I’ll be honest,” Dean started to say.  “I don’t like gingerbread cookies.”

“Me neither.”

“Then why are we making them?”

“We aren’t.  These are ginger cookies, slightly different.  I promise they are good.  They will also be edible.”

Dean gave you a hard look before going back to the mixing bowl grumbling.  “They smell like gingerbread cookies.”

“They smell like ginger.  But if you don’t like them, you don’t have to eat them.”

While the last of the cookies were in the oven you started on the frosting for the cranberry bar.  Dean kept trying to stick a finger in the bowl.  

“Stop it, what are you five?  You can have the bowl when the bar is done.”

“This doesn’t take like regular frosting what’s in it, cream cheese, butter, vanilla, powdered sugar, orange juice, and white chocolate.  It’s the last two that make it a little different.”

“It’s actually really good.”  You glared at him.  “Not that I was doubting your baking abilities at all. Mine 100% doubtable, but you’re great.”

Finishing that you two moved on to the sugar cookie frosting Dean poured a little too much powdered sugar in to mix and ended up with it all over the counter and on the dogs laying at his feet.  He snuck them each a cookie to make up for it.  Adding some red and green food coloring to two bowls then getting sprinkles out the two of you went to town.  

The last job of the night was dipping the ginger cookies in white chocolate.  When one had hardened up you gave it to Dean to try.

“I’m not sure I want that, I would rather have pie.”

“Just a bite, if you don’t like it you don’t have to eat it.”

“Fine.”  Taking a bite he chews for a minute.  “Actually they aren’t bad, the chocolate tames some of the flavor.”

As the two of you worked together to clean up the kitchen, Dean suggested ordering dinner so you wouldn't have to clean up another mess tonight.  

“Sure, that’s fine with me.”

While he was gone to grab dinner you took out a few other items you bought at the store.  Quickly whipping up a pie crust you grabbed the cans of filling.  Just not enough time tonight to make some.  Putting some crumble topping on, the pie was in the oven before Dean made it back. 

When he walked in a short time later he came in the kitchen with his nose in the air.  

“The cookies make it smell really good in here, I didn’t notice that earlier.”

“That’s not all the cookies, I may have a cherry pie in the oven for you.”

Oh his eyes go so big.  “Really?”

“Yeah, you’ve been talking about one lately.”

“Man, you are amazing.”

Finishing dinner you took the pie out to cool.  That lasted about five minutes before Dean cut himself a giant slice.

Trying to get some work on the house done the two of worked together painting one of the spare bedrooms before the four of you headed to the living room to watch tv.  

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 6

Tags- @winchest09​  @waywardbeanie @whatareyousearchingfordean​  @flamencodiva​ @deanwanddamons​ @jensengirl83 @abuavnee​ @lunarmoon8​ @amyzombie1013 @akshi8278​ @that-one-gay-girl​ @mandalou29​  @igotmadskills​  @440mxs-wife​ @paryl​ @supernatural-love14​ @krazykelly​ @anotherspnfanfic​ @bobbie3939​ @deanwinchestersnightmoves​ @winchestergirl2​ @thoughts-and-funnies​

[pagingevilspawn]

Can you write a jolex Easter fic when they celebrate Easter with their kids. I would love that.

bunny kisses and easter wishes

I speed typed this lil thing, because I got this request a few days ago, so I apologize if it isn’t very good. and that it’s kinda short. i only really checked over this once, so i’m sorry if there’s a lot of mistakes. i just really wanted to get it out today. happy easter to all those who celebrate! 

Easter Sunday had become a big deal in the Karev household throughout the years. It’s love and intensity wasn’t nearly as close to the ever-so expensive Christmas, but it easily took over second place as the family’s favorite holiday. (For the kids at least. Jo and Alex would always love Halloween the most for many reasons.) They decorated their house’s outer appearance to the nines, complete with easter egg lights that stuck in the ground, small inflatables, signs, and the occasional plastic bunny or two. Hanging from the tree on their lawn were easter baskets that they had tied to a piece of string, full of fake grass and hand-dyed eggs in extravagant colors. Inside, they had set out the Easter themed tablecloth, and traditional candy from the holiday could be found inside of ceramic bowls in the shape of bunny’s.   

It came as no surprise when at exactly seven thirty in the morning, three children came bumbling into their room, feet heavy against the hardwood floors as they raced each other down the halls, eager to awake their parent’s first. They were told that they couldn’t wake up Alex and Jo earlier than that, or they would postpone the hunt. The oldest, Blaire, reached the two sleeping figues before her little brothers, running up to the bed and shaking them both awake. 

“Mommy, Daddy, get up get up!” she cheered, a wide grin across her face. At ten years old, she knew that the easter bunny wasn’t real, but it was still more than fun to hunt for eggs across the house. Plus, she knew how much her parent’s appreciated the fact that she still put on a show for her younger siblings, who were a few years younger than her, and still full of belief for traditional holiday characters.

Not even a second later, two more bodies came flying onto the bed, taking the liberty of jumping up and down to wake up their parents rather than shaking them. Their youngest, Chase, jumps onto his dad’s back in all of his two year old glory, as if Alex wasn’t already aware of the presence of the three in the room. Months upon months of being on high alert while raising them as newborns turned both him and Jo into incredibly light sleepers, much to their dismay. They had been awake the second their footsteps had come down the halls, it was just nice to close their eyes for a bit longer. 

Jo slowly wakes up next to him, giving him a sleepy, half smile that he never failed to make his heart stutter. She takes six year old Holden into her arms, giving him a hug as well as she could while he tried to squirm away. Being in first grade meant that he was too cool to give hugs to his mom, but Jo refused to acknowledge that, and still hugged and kissed him like he was still the tiny baby that would snuggle in her lap at every given opportunity. Sometimes, when he refused to give her a hug before he went into class, she would shout an ‘I love you baby’ just to get back at him. It was petty, but it worked, because after enough times he had learned to give his mom a hug before class. 

“No mommy! The easter bunny came!” the boy protests, eventually escaping her grasp when he lands back on the floor, brushing a strand of too-long hair out of his eyes. Jo had been trying to set up a haircut for the past week, but they both were struggling to find enough time out to do so. It wasn’t like Holden was complaining, actually preferring the floppy hair more than he shorter haircut, but Jo said that he wasn’t going to look like his Uncle Link used to as a grown man. (Which Holden hated, since Uncle Link was seriously the coolest and he would definitely have floppy hair if the blonde used to as well.) 

“I know. Give me and Daddy a minute, and we’ll be right down. In the meantime, go see if the easter bunny ate all of his carrots, ‘kay?” Jo mumbles, rubbing her palms against her eyes in an attempt to rid herself of sleep faster. Footsteps then padded out of the room and down the stairs, excited chatters echoing through the halls of the house. 

Jo and Alex give each other a small, exhausted smile. They had been up until two thirty that morning, hiding eggs after both working fifteen hour shifts, and to say they were tired was an understatement. Bags hung heavy under both of their eyes, but they both knew it would be worth it when they would see the kids hunt for the plastic eggs. They lean in and connect their lips for a quick peck because they were both aware of their terrible morning breath. When they pull away they both crash back onto their pillows, taking a few seconds to let the tiredness leave their bodies before the start of an eventful day. Dragging themselves out of bed, they brush their teeth and try to make themselves at least somewhat put together so they didn’t seem like absolute zombies in front of their kids. Jo pulls her phone off her charger, tucking it into the pocket of her robe before they head down the stairs, the kids eagerly sitting at the island next to a plate of ‘bunny eaten carrots’ and a note. 

“Mommy we can’t read it. The writing’s too messy.” Blaire complains, waving the paper around, surely wrinkling it a bit in the process. 

Jo holds back a chuckle. Alex’s penmanship was barely legible on it’s own, let alone when he was practically so tired he could barely take a few steps without feeling like he could slump over whatever surface was available to him and take a nap. 

“Hmm,” Jo hums, taking the paper and squinting to read it, struggling herself to figure out the words on the note. “Blaire, Holden, and Chase, Happy Easter! I have hidden forty-five eggs around the house for you to find this year, fifteen for each of you. Chase’s eggs have spots, Holden’s have stripes, and Blaire’s are plain. All eggs are hidden in the kitchen, living room, and dining room. Make sure not to take any eggs that aren’t yours. Happy hunting! Easter Bunny.” Jo reads off. 

She folds the paper in half, placing it back down on the island. “Before you guys find the eggs, open up your baskets.” She points to the three different colored baskets that were on the table, each holding separate items based on their children’s current interests. They dig in quickly, each pulling out the candy first, marshmallow peeps, chocolate bunnies, and packets of Reese’s peanut butter cups eggs. 

Blaire grabs her basket first, the purple wicker one with hints of green, her face lighting up when she sees the book she’d been eyeing for weeks now and a new shirt that she had been begging for since she saw it online last month. 

Hudson lets out a boyish cheer when he pulls two video games out of his basket, pumping a fist and smirking. Jo gives Alex a relieved smile. New video games were coming out constantly, and it seemed like the second they got him the one that was on trend, it was being replaced by another game. So, for the two games about blowing random things up to still be considered ‘in’ was something they were both taking a large, silent victory about. 

Chase giggles when he pulls out a few toys, running over to Jo to show them to her immediately. He was easily the quietest of the three kids, tending to hide in Jo’s shoulder whenever meeting someone new or clutching onto his older sibling’s legs whenever they were out in public places like the park. “Look Mommy! T-rex!” he exclaims, trying to open up the box that held the green dinosaur. 

“I know baby! But you gotta go put it back now if you want to look for eggs,” Jo reminds him, placing a kiss on the top of his head, nuzzling her face in his hair. She savored these moments with her youngest, knowing that Chase was only getting older every day. Her and Alex both agreed that they were done at three, so with that she seemed to imprint every detail of Chase’s childhood to memory, taking more videos and pictures. It had gotten a little bit overboard at some times, but Alex knew where she was coming from so he never complained. They had both chastised themselves for not filming more things with their first two, sticking more to pictures, so they were making up for it with their youngest. 

The two year old toddles to the table, climbing back up to the chair with the help of his sister, pulling out more toys and setting them down beside his candy. Once the baskets were free of anything except the paper grass at the bottom Alex tells them that they can begin their search. 

“Blaire, help your brother.” Alex calls out from his spot on the couch, pulling Jo closer to him while she films the hunt, thankful that their house had an open floor plan so she could record moments like these. 

The girl nods, grabbing Chase’s tiny hand and bringing him along on her search, picking him up to reach eggs that were out of his reach. All of his spotted eggs had been significantly easier to find than the other two’s, something Hudson had complained about at first until Alex shot him a look that immediately made him close his mouth. 

“Aww c’mon I can hear the money in that one!” they hear Hudson complain, trying to reach for the egg in his sister’s hand. 

“No, it’s mine. Your’s have money in them too, you know.” Blaire argues back, putting the blue plastic egg in her basket, shooing Chase off to the couch since they had found all of his eggs already. 

“Daddy look. Eggs!” the young boy dumps his basket onto the couch, thankfully not cracking any open in the process. 

“Woah, good job buddy,” Alex ruffles his hair, shooting him a proud grin and pulling him onto his lap so he was now rested between him and Jo. “We’ll open them once Bee and bubs find all of theirs okay?” he reassures, making the toddler nod his head.

“Aww c’mon, can’t we trade? Just once?” Hudson pouts from the kitchen, holding out one egg in exchange for the one his sister had just put away.

Blaire smirks, eyes flicking to her mom for a brief moment before focusing back on her brother’s. “Fine. But I get to pick which egg.” Did he not know that the heavier ones were all coins and the lighter ones had dollars? Well if he didn’t, that worked in her favor. 

“No, you can’t trade.” Jo butts in, seeing what angle her daughter was trying to play. On one hand, props to Blaire, because Jo thought it would be another year before she made the very obvious connection, but on the other, she had assigned the kids certain eggs for this reason exactly. 

“But mom—” the girl starts, jutting out her bottom lip in hopes to let her mom let it slide. 

“—The Easter Bunny said that you can’t trade. I don’t know about you, but I want him to come back next year, and I don’t think he will if you guys don’t behave.” Jo tells them, raising her eyebrows to show that she was serious. 

Little Chase looks up at her with wide eyes. “No! Bunny come back!” 

Alex quickly reassures him, pulling Chase closer to him and giving him a squeeze. “Don’t worry bud, he’ll come back. Bee and bubs are just being big buttheads right now so Mommy needs to knock some sense into them.” he knows that the boy didn’t understand half of what he said, but he feels a grin split across his face when the toddler erupts into giggles. 

“Buttheads!” he laughs, smiling so widely that Alex can’t even pretend to hold back chuckles of his own. 

“Yep, buttheads. But don’t say that word, it’s not very nice. Only mommies and daddies can say butthead.” he clarifies. The last thing he needed was Jo knocking him upside the head because their son was the only baby in daycare to say bathroom words. 

Minutes passed, the two older children looking for eggs around the house, climbing up on tables and chairs no matter how many times Alex and Jo told them that they weren’t hidden inside of the light fixtures. 

When both kids had found their eggs, they bounced back to the couch, dumping their eggs on the cushions and immediately cracking them open, cheering every time they got a dollar versus coins. Chase didn’t have money in his eggs, but rather jelly beans, something he liked much more than change. (two year olds had no need for money, and jelly beans were something much more fun than coins) 

In the end, the two of them had gotten one twenty, two tens, three five’s, and five one’s. Chase had a mountain of multi colored jelly beans gathering on the coffee table. A bit much? Yes. But they liked to splurge on holidays like these. They didn’t just become surgeons because they wanted to save people. (That was the main reason, but they both agreed that healthy paychecks did make a big decision in deciding their career path when they were younger. Now? Now it was all about saving lives, the money was just a nice bonus.) 

“I can get a new game!” Holden cheers, tossing his dollar bills up into the air as if it was ‘raining money’. In his eyes, he was rich now. Sixty bucks and change? Next step was becoming a millionaire.  

Jo scrunches her brows, looking at the boy confused. “You just got two new ones?” she clarifies. Were there seriously more games that he wanted to get?

“Yeah, but they just came out with a new Call of Duty,” the boy smirks, as if the answer was obvious.

Jo groans, showing her obvious dislike of the game. Normally, she was all for virtually blowing things up and killing fake people, but the game seemed just a bit too mature for a six-year old. She would just have Alex play with him in the beginning to make sure it wasn’t too bad she guessed. 

She claps her hands together a large smile painting her lips. She gets up from her seat and grabs three bunny ears headbands from a table in the entryway. “Put these on, and I’m gonna take a picture of you guys. After this we can get ready to go over to Auntie Mer’s for waffle Sundays, okay? If you guys are good, Daddy might make them into easter shapes” she grins as she hands each of the kids a pair of ears, only Blaire looking displeased at having to wear them. She gives her daughter a look, which makes her huff and reluctantly put on the shiny purple ears.

Alex ushers Chase off of his lap and into line with his siblings, Jo placing the blue ears on his head, matching his basket. She smiles wide, putting the kids side by side. 

She pulls out her phone, opening up the camera app and putting it on portrait mode. “Okay, on the count of three, say ‘Little Bunnies’!” she’s met immediately with groans, Hudson telling her ‘no’ the second he hears it. She’d been trying to get them to say it for years, but each time she got the same response. Insanity, Alex told her year after year with a crooked smirk, Is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. He always followed with, You’re basically insane for thinking that they’re gonna wanna be called bunnies if they didn’t last year. Plus, they always see it coming. It’s been happening for years now. 

“It was worth a shot,” Alex pipes in, pulling Jo into him, resting his head against hers, not even bothering to hide his smile at the scene in front of him. 

“Okay, fine. On the count of three ‘Happy Easter’. Sound good?” she confirms, earning nods from all four of the Karev’s. 

“One, two three!”

“Happy Easter!”

[overanalyzingelswordiswhatido]

12 to 1 Chapter 9

Fair warning, near the end of this chapter Add has a freaky ptsd dream and it has some blood.

-

Add picked Snowball out of the snowdrift she managed to get herself stuck in. “Stupid cat,” he carried her back inside. Part of him hoped it would snow again so that he could watch it with the cats like the night before. That was nice. He fought back a yawn. Rena just called for breakfast and he was already exhausted. He was not stranger to staying up all night and it’s consequences. It was just harder to ignore them as a kid.

Add set her down after he made sure the door was closed. He also made sure he was the last one in so that no one else would open the door and let her out again. He didn’t need that stress. Once he reached the table he saw french toast, sausage, eggs, fruit, and a multitude of over breakfast foods on it. He wasn’t surprised by the amount of food Rena, Ciel, and sometimes Raven made for every meal anymore. It would all be gone by the time Elsword and Ara were done eating.

Add sat next to Ciel, on the opposite side of Lu. He was also on the outer edge of the long side of the table, next to Rena’s seat. Raven sat on the opposite side as her. Apparently, Elsword and Aisha fought over who sat at the ends of the table once the search party was big enough that it mattered. Raven and Rena got those seats at every meal now. Since Rena was going to make him have at least a little bit of each food group, Add grabbed it for himself. That way he could avoid having the things he didn’t like in favor of things he liked more.

Add took Snowball up to his room after breakfast. He pulled the small box that held a few cat toys he bought when they first brought the cats in out from under his bed. He frowned. There weren’t a lot. Maybe he could convince someone to go with him to get some. He leaped to his feet and grinned, “I could ask Chung!” It would be easy convincing him, since Sunshine took a liking to him. And Chung actually liked cold weather.

Satisfied with his new plan, Add left Snowball on his pillow and looked around for Chung. He found him in his room, at his desk. A decent stack of books and papers surrounded him. Add wondered if he was reading about Nasods again. He seemed so interested in them since meeting Eve, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Add used Dynamo as a stepping stool to climb onto Chung’s desk, “What’re you reading about?”

Chung looked surprised, “Add! I didn’t notice you come in!”

Add shrugged, “You never do when you’re reading.” He was long since used to it by now. Not that he could sneak up on Chung at all. He never jumped or yelped or anything fun. Unlike Aisha, who was plenty of fun.

Chung laughed sheepishly, “Yeah, sorry about that.”

Add shrugged again. He glanced at Sunshine, sitting calmly on the other side of the desk, “I noticed the cats don’t have a lot of… cat things to play with and sleep in and stuff.” He turned back to Chung, “And I was wondering if you would take me to go get some. Rena said I couldn’t go out without someone.”

Chung petted Sunshine, “Sure. I don’t know a lot about cats though so…”

Add shrugged again. He dropped off the desk and turned to grin at Chung, “That’s why I’m here!” He led Chung down the stairs to tell Rena where they were going. He didn’t want her asking where he went when he got back again. Besides, Add wasn’t trying to get Chung in trouble. He just wanted toys for Snowball to play with.

“We’re gonna get the cats stuff,” Chung said.

Rena glanced at them. She nodded, “Okay. Make sure to be back before lunch.”

“Before it’s made or before you start it?” Add asked since those were two very different times.

“Before it’s made,” Rena chuckled.

Add nodded. He hurried over to the door and waited for Chung to reach it before he pulled it open. The snow had gotten thicker since he was outside. If he tried to walk through it, it would reach well above his knees. But that was what Dynamo was for.

Add pulled up an isometric grid map of the town. He pointed to the pet store, “This place has plenty of stuff. I’ve been in there a couple times.”

“You have?” Chung looked from him to the grid and back.

Add nodded, “Yep.” He did have a little bit of an image to uphold so he didn’t offer an explanation. It’s not like anyone would take him seriously if they found he fed and played with neighborhood cats in his free time. At the very least, Aisha would hold it over his head. He led Chung along the route Dynamo picked to the pet store. On the way, he listed off the things he thought they should get to Chung, including toys and beds and climbing towers. “Maybe we can even get Raven to make ramps and ledges and stuff!”

Chung chuckled, “You know a lot about cats, huh?”

Add stopped, his mouth still open. His face got hot with embarrassment and looked away. “It’s not that much actually…”

Chung smiled, “It’s more than me.”

Add shrugged.

When they reached the store Add dropped off Dynamo and went straight for the toys. He made sure to get a good mix and helped Chung pick out beds. He wasn’t sure the cats were going to use the beds but it was better to have them. Once they were done, Add piled everything onto Dynamo. He stopped by the door.

Chung turned back to look at him, “What’s the matter?”

Add shook his head, “Nothing.” With everything stacked up on Dynamo he was going to have to walk through the snow. That was fine though. At the very least it would help him stay awake. His legs sank almost completely into the snow when he stepped into it. Add whined, “It’s cold.”

“I could carry you if you want,” Chung offered.

“No.” Add turned away stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. He managed to take a few more steps but it was exhausting. Reluctantly, he let Chung carry him home on his back. Despite fighting it, Add fell asleep before they reached the house.

Add’s eyes opened to bright white lights shining directly into his eyes. Hazy silhouettes leaned over him. He couldn’t tell if it was one person moving around or if multiple people stood around him. Indistinct voices echoed in his head. He looked around in confusion but his vision refused to clear. When he tried to move, his body didn’t respond at all. Strangely, that barely elicited a response from him.

Black slowly crept in from the edges of his vision. It seemed to take forever to completely block everything out. Add’s body could move now. The sound of his shoe coming into contact with the ground when he took a step echoed loudly for far too long. Add flinched. He didn’t take another step. Instead he reached out to see if there was anything he could touch.

A low rumbling growl reached his ears and he whipped around. Two sets of glowing red eyes stared at him from the darkness. Add’s eyes widened. He took an involuntary step back. The sound echoed around him again. Two large vaguely wolf-like shapes were outlined by Dynamo. What do I do? With as small as he was, he didn’t stand a chance.

While he debated, they continued their approach. Their growls turned to snarls. The sound echoed deafeningly around him. Add covered his ears but it did nothing to drown it out. He couldn’t think like this. After another moment of hesitation Dynamo suggested a course of action.

Fight.

Add looked at the creatures approaching him. The outline shifted until he could see their hearts. His eyes narrowed. If he could make it, it was one hit each. He didn’t want to think about what would happen if he tailed to take them out in that single strike. Without hesitating, he leaped forward.

The moment he hit the second creature’s heart, white light flashed brightly in front of him. Add stumbled back and shaded his face with his hand. When he could see his eyes widened in shock. Human eyes stared blankly into his own. He looked down and saw himself covered in blood. It soaked into his clothes and was splattered on his face. It dripped off his fingers and pooled around the two bodies lying at his feet.

Add lurched backwards. He stumbled and fell. Icy claws dug into his arms and legs and held him there while the blood continued to pool. It rose and rose until he was drowning in it.

Add’s eyes snapped open. He stared at the ceiling without blinking until his eyes burned. Finally, he very slowly and carefully sat up. He needed something to wash the salty taste from his mouth. Before he went anywhere near the stairs to do that, he washed his hands. He looked through Dynamo’s files, trying to find some sort of possible explanation but he found nothing.

“Hey buddy! You’re awake!”

Add jumped. He glared at Elesis and got himself a glass of chocolate milk without saying anything.

“Sorry. Didn’t mean to startle you,” Elesis apologized. “How’d you sleep?”

Add shrugged indifferently, “No better than usual.”

“So… Not great?”

Add rolled his eyes and muttered, “No. It was fantastic. I dreamed of sunshine and rainbows and chocolate fountains.”

“Yeesh. That was some heavy sarcasm,” Elesis commented. She patted his head, “Don’t worry, buddy. We’ll look after you.”

Add snorted. That was only gonna be true for as long as he wasn’t too difficult and he knew it. Instead of commenting on that he asked, “Where’s Rena?”

“Her room, I think.”

Add left the kitchen. He knocked on the elf’s bedroom door, “Rena?”

“One second.” Rena answered her door a moment later. She smiled, “How’d you sleep?”

Add stared at her for a moment. He shrugged and buried his face into her side.

“Is something wrong?” Rena sounded both concerned and confused.

Add hesitated. It wasn’t really wrong. It’s not like anything could be done about a dream. He didn’t want to talk about it anyway. Eventually he responded expressionlessly, “No.”

Rena seemed to understand. “Do you want to help me make the wreath for this year?” She offered.

“I can watch right?”

“Of course,” Rena nodded.

Add followed her to her desk. A mini coniferous tree sat next to it in a pot. He curled up against her side and watched her weave various winter plants together. He was silent and nearly completely still, very different from the near constant activity levels he had before.

Rena clearly noticed. She paused semi-frequently to gently pat his head once or twice before continuing. Add didn’t have enough energy to respond to it in any way. His dream drained him almost completely. Snowball found her way into the room at some point and curled up in Add’s lap.

Add was attached to Rena for the rest of that day and the entirety of the next.