#@notforconsumption

[zrsecretsanta]

ZOMBIES, RUN! SECRET SANTA 2024

IT'S NOVEMBER (just about still) AND THAT MEANS IT'S TIME FOR THE ZOMBIES, RUN! SECRET SANTA!

The year marches on and it's already time for the 8th ZR Secret Santa!

Entries are open from now (right now, actually) until December 2nd - we've left it a little late this year for sign ups but all that means is that you should already be feeling festive. ❄

The form will stop accepting entries after 2 December which means we'll get to work assigning each of you a gifter and a recipient.

Gifts can be art, fic, a combination of both, graphics, compositions, interactive fic, playlists (so long as the playlist is complementing something else!), or whatever you think will bring your secret giftee some joy.

SIGN UP HERE: https://forms.gle/ERzeAQBzN8yLP2916

The only rules are to keep it secret, and spend some time on it!

Dates!

December 2nd: Sign ups end!

December 3rd: You recieve your secret santa giftee

December 24th: Entries due! Post 'em on tumblr, send 'em direct to your recipient, do both! It's up to you.

December 25th: We post all the entries in one mammothly festive post (if you'd like to be included!).

If you've any questions, concerns, confessions feel free to message this blog direct, or for a more timely response message @notforconsumption or @delucadarling on tumblr or at @bubosi or @perscoot on discord.

[runnerfiveready]

Looks like it's that time of year again! 🎄

@courier5, I was your secret santa this year (●'◡'●) In my country, Christmas is in Summer! I really wanted to capture what a gorgeous, warm summer evening Christmas tends to be over here, with a little 5am piece overlooking the township. I hope you like it! (Lowkey don't know how to render people so ignore that thank u <3) Anyways your Five is super cool and I love em.

As always, a huge thank you to @delucadarling and @notforconsumption for setting up @zrsecretsanta. You guys are awesome, and shoutout to all the other creators this year 🫶 

[runner5ive]

Merry Christmas to @kodessa ! I’m your zr secret Santa! You had Amelia/Zoe as one of your favourite ships and I realised that I had not drawn the two of them in LITERALLY YEARS so enjoyed revisiting them both!

Hope you have a fab Christmas and a brilliant New Year!

(Not sure if I am meant to tag @notforconsumption and @delucadarling too)

Bonus:

(Do non-uk folk say ‘top’ instead of T-shirt? Is it unfunny now I’ve explains the joke? Idk lmao)

[wubbelwubbwubb]

Merry Christmas @grim-the-dog! I was your secret santa. I hope you like a bit Sam (5am?) angst. Thank you @notforconsumption and @delucadarling for organizing everything! I feel like ZR secret santa is a real Christmas tradition at this point.

[courier5]

Hey @notforconsumption I'm your Secret Santa!!

I was listening to the ZR musical when I receive the email, so this is the result.

Anyway, hope you like it.

Thank you and @delucadarling for organizing this @zrsecretsantasecret

[kodessa]

It’s ZR Secret Santa Day, also known as Christmas Eve -

I had @runnerfiveready and wanted to avoid any spoilers for you so I went a little vague and artsy. I hope you like it!

I was inspired by this random photo I found on tumblr which is honestly the vibe of every season of Zombies Run

And here is the art -

Thank you to @notforconsumption and @delucadarling for organizing @zrsecretsanta. I hope every 5 has a gentle and joyful holiday

[runner5anna]

zombies run secret santa for @are-you-sure-its-me-you-see

HI i hear you like hurt / comfort ?? HERE YOU GO

It's set post-season three, pre-season four.

It's coldand dark, and everyone is tired. Yet, it's the first Demons and Darkness session in months. Sam and 5 are sat together, waiting for everyone, as they slowly radio that they can't attend for whatever reason. They've not talked in months, let alone looked at one another. And now they're stuck in a room together.

Big thanks to @notforconsumption or @delucadarling !!

The ticking of the clock echoed around the room, the hand moving in time with Five’s bouncing leg. It was a cold, fresh day. The type that makes you wear gloves in doors and blankets around the house. 

Tick. Bounce. Tick. Bounce. Tick. Bounce. 

On a day like this, Sam and Five would have made a blanket fort in the shack. They’d huddle against the cold with warm tea and whatever snacks they could salvage from the kitchens. 

That was a long time ago now. 

Bounce. Tick. Bounce. Tick.

Fifteen minutes. They were supposed to start fifteen minutes ago. Yet, still, the radio calls still rolled in. 

Jody was first. ‘Yup, sorry Sam. I had something last minute crop up. Sorry.’ 

Then it was Simon. ‘Yes Sammy boy…Jenny and I had other plans! Sorry I didn’t tell you.’

Finally, it was Maxine and Paula. ‘So sorry Sam! Sara’s been fussing. Again.’ 

It had been weeks since Five and Sam had a proper conversation. Ever since Moonchild, ever since Sara, ever since the seasonal depression on top the normal depression…It was all rolling on - and the once free flowing sunny conversion turned to frigid small talk. 

Tick. Bounce. Tick. Bounce. Tick. Bounce. 

Something. He had to say something. They couldn’t just sit there in this freezing room watching the snow pile up outside. Sam had to at least start a conversation. But what to say?

‘So…how are you?’ 

Bounce. Bounce. Bounce. 

He was only met with the ruffle of fabric. Five was looking at something - away with the fairies as they used to call it. Now, Sam knew the glassy eyed look. It was Moonchild. Or the cocktail mix of meds that Labotse had put them on. Sam reached out over the table, tapping it with his palm. The noise startled Five out of their daze with a gasp. 

‘How are you? Are you okay?’ Sam reiterated. He held their gaze firmly, speaking loud and clear. 

‘Fine.’ 

‘That's good…Maxine and Paula will be here soon.’

‘I heard the radio.’

‘Sorry…sorry. I thought that you weren't listening.’ 

‘I was.’ They turned back to their original position - curled tight, like a spring.

And so, the incessant silence returned. 

Bounce. Tick. Bounce. Tick.

Once, the conversation flowed like warm spring water. It would go on for hours, winding around them. They’d talk and talk long into the night, just sharing stories. Even then, when the stories ran dry, the silence didn’t feel hostile. Just a pleasant lull.

Five sat across from him, expression black and unreadable. They had their nails pressed into their cheeks, leaving little Cs imprinted in their skin. 

Five would sit beside him, under blankets and sharing snacks and secrets. Under giggles and hot chocolate they’d spend time just together. 

Sam missed it. Deeply. He’d feel a chasm deepen in his chest whenever they’d pass by. He missed his friend, his runner, his Five. 

‘Fuck it.’ Sam huffed. ‘It's freezing. I’m putting the kettle on. While we have tea, you can help me plan this encounter.’  

He slapped the table as he stood up, knocking down a few minis which Five hurriedly propped back up. 

‘The paints and brushes are on top of my bag.’ He pointed at the satchel with a spoon. ‘Can you grab them for me?’

At the suggestion, Five looked like a deer in the headlights - all wide eyed and scared. 

‘Go on. I bought them for you. I know you like them.’ 

They looked down at his bag, then up at him. They didn’t move a muscle. 

Sam flicked the kettle on and headed over to the bag, placing it on the table. He dug through and placed the paints and brushes on the table.

Five didn’t move. They stared at the paints and brushes like foreign, alien objects. 

Sam pushed them towards Five. ‘Here.’ He grabbed a half painted mini off of the table - A finely detailed golden dragon. ‘You started it before…’ The words got stuck on his tongue. 

The kettle began to screech, and he turned on his heel. Good timing really.

While he made the tea, he could hear the rustle of the paints and Five opened them. 

‘It’s been a long time since I’ve done this.’ Five spoke gently, in an almost robotic tone. Their voice was choked from underuse. 

‘It has.’ Sam inhaled sharp, braving himself for the conversation. ‘We should do it more often - like we used to?’ 

Five put the brush down and cleared their throat. ‘Is…it safe?’ 

‘What do you mean?’ 

‘Will it be safe? How do you know I won’t…’ They made a stabbing motion with their hands, mimicking the score of Psycho. ‘…you know.’ 

‘No. No I don’t know.’

Five fiddled with the ends of the brush, flicking out the crusted paint between the bristles. 

Sam poured the water over the bags. He’d even allowed himself to have a fresh one. One mint tea for him, a chamomile for Five. It felt natural. He’d done it millions of times before. 

‘You do know what I mean.’ 

‘I really don’t.’ Sam chuckled. He handed the mug towards Five. 

‘Thank you. You’ve…put it in my favourite mug.’ 

‘I have!’ Sam beamed. ‘It’s been ages since we’ve done this. I thought you might like it.’ 

It was a Gromit shaped mug - a deeply impractical thing. Five was obsessed with it. Because it was so difficult to drink out of, no one else would touch it, and it was large enough to hold a ‘decent cuppa’ as they’d call it. 

Five picked the brush up and put the end into their mouth, chewing. All of a sudden, they flinched, gasped and pulled it out. The brush clattered as it hit the hardwood floor. ‘Sorry!’ 

‘Why are you apologising?’

‘Sorry, should I not have done it?’ Their breathing became sharp and ragged as they looked to the floor, shoving their face behind their hands. 

‘Five, it’s all right.’ Sam was well versed in talking people through panic attacks. ‘Just breathe with me. In for one, out for two. Are you ready?’

He counted up in twos, staying in front of Five, ready to pull their hands away if they started to scratch or draw blood. 

‘In for four, out for six. You got this.’ 

‘I can’t. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.’ 

‘Five, I don’t know what you're apologising about.’ 

‘Chewing…’ They coughed and hiccuped between gasps of air. ‘Chewing your paintbrush.’ 

‘Oh - don’t worry about that. It’s just a paintbrush. I chew them all the time.’ 

5’s deep eyes began to well even more with tears. ‘Are you sure?’

‘Pretty sure. I haven’t chewed that one. The marks there are you, actually. Didn’t think we should be sharing chewed pens. That was gross before the apocalypse.’ Sam dug around in his pockets and produced a handkerchief. ‘I have a feeling this is about more than a paintbrush.’ 

‘What do you mean?’ 

‘People don’t start having panic attacks for no reason. Talk to me. I’m here to listen.’ He resisted the urge to wipe the tears from Five’s face as he once did. They’d simply flinch away.

Five cleared their throat as they took the handkerchief. They pulled their feet up, crossing their legs. ‘Uh…’ their eyes skipped about the room. ‘It’s just…’ 

‘Moonchild?’ Sam offered. 

‘Yeah. Yeah that. She used to get…funny about me chewing her pens. Said it was gross. That morning she got all…fussy about it before sending me to Abel. And I am looking up at you with a pen in my mouth and suddenly I watch it all over again. Whenever I blink I am back in that moment.’

‘Like a flashback?’

‘Yeah. That. It will be the pens, then the boat…then the axe..’

Sam held his hand out, lying palm up on the table. ‘I don’t blame you.’ 

‘Pardon?’ 

‘I don’t blame you. It wasn’t your fault. You weren’t all there, Five. I can’t blame you for something you can’t control.’ 

Five’s tear stained face stared back at him. For a moment their lip wobbled, until they pounced forwards, wrapping their arms around his shoulders.

Sam gasped and flinched - his muscles going tense. A natural reaction. His hands hung in mid air. It had been so long. Usually, Five would jump away if he came anywhere near them. Yet, here they were, hanging off his shoulders. 

‘I’m just so scared. So scared I’ll hurt you. Or that I have hurt you more. Or someone else.’

Sam slowly lowered his hands down, gently resting them on Five’s back, rubbing up and down. ‘You won’t hurt me.’ 

‘How do you know that? How do you know that for sure?’

‘Because we have plans for that.’

‘What happens if those fail?’ 

Sam lifted Five off of him, holding them by their shoulders. He looked into their watercolour eyes - watery and round. ‘Because if you were going to hurt me, you wouldn’t get so upset about it.’

Five sniffed and leaned back, holding the handkerchief in their hands, pressed against their cheek. ‘Why are you so nice to me? It’s not like I deserve it.’

‘Because you're my friend. My Five. And I trust you.’

5’s lip curled at the edge, showing a single white tooth. It was brief, but picturesque. A rare sight nowadays. 

‘Thank you.’ They mouthed.

*

It was 8.30 by the time Sara was asleep. She was fussy, teething probably. Maxine had been pacing up and down the hallway while Paula tried whatever home remedy she could think of. Eventually, a combination of Celery sticks, rubbing her ears and a poor rendition of Sam’s Chinese lullaby to get her to sleep. And so, she was relinquished over to the babysitter so they could pretend to be normal humans for a few hours. By pretending to be elves, gnomes and druids. 

‘Hey! I am so sorry we’re late-’ Maxine was cut off by Paula grabbing her swiftly backwards. 

‘Shhh.’ 

‘Why did you do that?’

‘Look.’

Sam had Five tucked under his arm, a book in the other. He talked gently as he ran his finger along the pages of the game master manual. 

‘What about this one?’ 

‘No. That one has no legendary action. If it's a battle against the BBEG, it's got to have a legendary action.’ Five said back. They cupped tea in their hands. The smell of chamomile sang through the air. 

‘True. But it looks so cool.’

‘Could we homebrew it? Combine it with another monster. Steal a few legendary actions.’ 

‘Wouldn't hurt - would it?’

Five nodded, flicking through the monster manual on the table. ‘Here. ‘This is a good Legendary action...’

‘It’s been ages since they’ve done that.’ Paula whispered over Maxine’s shoulder. She wrapped her arms around her waist, bringing her into her chest. ‘Let's just…give them space. Let them be together. Just for now.

[high5runner5]

@runnerfiveready

A very belated Merry Christmas!! Apologies for the lateness of this gift! It was so much fun getting to draw your lovely Five!! I love a good 5am interaction more than anything! I loved your Five so much and their ridiculous with Sam that I couldn't help but write a small blurb about them!! I hope I delivered on the angst and the grief! Once again, Merry Christmas!!

Thanks to @notforconsumption, @runnerzero, and @delucadarling for another amazing year!!

TW// Spoilers for Season 4, Main Character Death, Injury Mention

Currently, Five tossed and turned in their cot, a sweat covered brow furrowed as they dreamt of a blood soaked Sam, wailing about being left for dead before being engulfed in a mass of rotten limbs and teeth, all desperately wishing to consume him. Soon, like all the other recurring nightmares, Five woke with a jolt.

Five sat upright, panting and wild-eyed as their head swiveled around the room. Trying to locate the danger that awoke them. It wasn’t until the dark shapes of the room came back into focus and their mind cleared that Five noticed the knife gripped in their hand. Realizing it was nothing but another nightmare, they relaxed their grip, they took silent note of the blood rushing back to their fingers and palm. Kicking off their blankets, they rested on their back once again, a sour feeling settling in their stomach as they reminded themselves that Sam was gone. Long gone were the days Five could sneak into the radio shack after a particularly horrid nightmare and find Sam greeting them with a soft smile and an extra blanket. Feeling empty and standing on the brink of sleep deprived exhaustion, they forced themselves to relax back into their cot.

It had been three days since Five abandoned was forced to leave Sam in the zombie infested building. They could only listen in horror to his screams as they ran for Abel, baby Sarah crying in their arms and Paula and Maxine waiting desperately for their daughter to be returned to them. Five understood that Sam’s final wish was to get baby Sarah back home - but that fact did little to stop the nightmares that found them in the quiet of night.

Five tried to find reprieve in their memories of Sam, yet it proved to be more harmful than helpful. Thinking of the tender fleeting moments they shared did nothing but bubble up sentiments of unrequited feelings and the fact that Five can never tell Sam what they felt for him. It often made grief hit Five like a dull blade in the chest.

There was a quiet keening sound closeby that broke through Five's train of thought, it sounded similar to a wounded animal crying out in pain. It wasn’t strange or unheard of to hear people crying for loved ones in the privacy of night - hell, it was often encourage at Able. It wasn’t until a tearful sob reverberated in the tiny room that Five realized tearful sounds came from them.

Frustrated, Five wiped angrily at the hot tears wetting their cheeks. Crying wasn’t going to bring Sam back. He’s dead and that’s that. Sam would be ashamed to see them like this. Able’s savior and best runner, reduced to a bluberring mess and scared stiff from the threat of nightmares. No, they refused to shut down and retreat within themselves similar to last time with Moonchild. They had to keep it together, or until they Sam’s body was back in Abel and buried in the ground. Yes, that was doable, they could manage keeping it together until then.

Determined - and physically exhausted - Five slipped into a dreamless sleep.

[i-will-go-with-you-five]

Zombies Run Secret Santa 2024

Here we are! ZR Secret Santa 2024! Yay!

My giftee was @sourb0i! They liked Simon and Five's friendship, before the thing happened at the end of Season Two, and requested angst and whump. I wrote a little oneshot of what I thought might be their Five's experience after the fallout of Something Good, 08. I hope you enjoy, and that I got into the headspace of your Five okay, it was fun to write!

READ AT YOUR OWN RISK there are spoilers up until the very end of Season Two!

Have a very Merry Christmas and a wonderfully Happy New Year! Thank you to @zrsecretsanta for doing all the heavy lifting for us so we could enjoy this fun tradition!

(Whoops forgot @notforconsumption and @delucadarling! Thank you guys!)

[tazzy-zooming]

Hello @curiousobsession101 !! I am your ZR Secret Santa!! You said you like 5ara so I ran with that! I think the biggest show of love post-apocalypse is guarding your partner so they can sleep without anyone waking them up for an emergency mission.

Five is there, deep, deep under the blankets.

Thank you @delucadarling and @notforconsumption for organizing this!

Image ID: a digital drawing of a woman holding an axe leaning against a blanket pile with an affectionate smile on her face. The pile is labeled “sleeping five. Do not wake”. There is a window on the wall behind them. It is snowing outside. There’s a flag reading “Abel Township” out the window and a tower with a red light at the top /endID

[zrsecretsanta]

Round Up of the Zombies, Run! 2024 Secret Santa! ✨

Season's Greetings!

Thank you everyone who took part - we hope everyone had fun, we've most certainly had fun looking through all the entries.

We'd recommend you have a mooch through the links below at all the secret santa gifts, there's a lot to see and read!

We leave you with the wish that everyone has a safe and happy festive season, and you keep ahead of the hoard. ✨

runnerfiveready's art for courier5

sankesarebitingatmyheels' art for Wubbelwubbwubb

grim-the-dog's art for joggerfive

vfdcatlady's aft for tazzyzooming

joggerfive's fic for snakesarebitingatmyheels

kodessa's art for runnerfiveready

sourb0i's gift for kelzebub

i-will-go-with-you-five's fic for sourb0i

runner5ive's art for kodessa

runner5anna's fic for are-you-sure-its-me-you-see

are-you-sure-its-me-you-see's fic for runner5ive

wubbelwubbwubb's gift for grim-the-dog

courier5's animated short(!!) for notforconsumption

tazzy-zooming's gift for i-will-go-with-you-five

notforconsumption's art for runner5anna

kelzebub's fic for vfdcatlady

[crownleys]

I was tagged by both @nsewell and @nat-seal-well for this game!

Rules: shuffle your repeat playlist ten times and tag ten people

Back to Your Love by Night Riots

Call Me Up by Knox Hamilton

In My Mind by Lyn Lapid

slow motion by flor

Bleed Magic by IDKHBTFM

All Of The Noise by Castlecomer

Minimum Wage by Blondes

Kiss You by Moons of Mars

Stick Season by Noah Kahan

Pools by Glass Animals

In return I'll tag @agentnatesewell @agendermetalbender @delucadarling @notforconsumption @whirly-wind @serially-wayhaven @swordsandspectacles @the-cooler-sidestep @thetalkingcrocus and @goodplace-janet!

[nineteenartbean]

ZR Secret Santa time!! @sourb0i this one is for you :D I had so much fun doing it and I hope you like it!

@notforconsumption @delucadarling

[notforconsumption]

❄️ZR Secret Santa 2023 Round Up❄️

Thank you everyone who participated in this year’s Secret Santa!

Ash and I loved seeing your entries, and the influx of ZR art and fic is so wonderful every time.

We hope you all had fun being creative! Please make sure to reach out to your Santa and give them a thank you if you haven't already had the chance!

We hope everyone has had a very merry Christmas, and hits the new year running (or walking, or snoozing, just not shambling...)!

RunnerK's gift for crazyspookies

tazzy-zooming's gift for curiousobsession101

High5runner5's gift for drowsystarlight

curiousobsession101's gift for enbeast

kodessa's gift for High5runner5

are-you-sure-it's-me-you-see's gift for KaoticFive

enbeast's gift for kelzebub

Runner5Anna/Catsoutofthebags' gift for kodessa

crazyspookies's gift for notforconsumption

sourb0i's gift for qkhilltop

kelzebub's gift for Runner5Anna / Catsoutofthebags

notforconsumption's gift for snakesarebitingatmyheels

nineteenartbean's gift for sourb0i

KaoticFive's gift for tazzy-zooming

qkhilltop's gift for RunnerK

snakesarebitingatmyheels' gift for wubbs

thedarkmaw506's gift for nineteenartbean

wubbs' gift for thedarkmaw506

[runnerk]

Hello @crazyspookies ! I was your ZR Secret Santa! I want to tell you that you were my PERFECT match - Stam/5tam is my *favorite* pairing. And I know it wasn't a requirement to put in every single thing you asked for, but I tried to include everyone on your list: Sam, Five, Steve, Simon, Janine, Amelia, and a Radio Cabel cameo.

This story is a Christmas Tree Farm AU. Title, "In the Bleak Midwinter" from the Christmas song of the same name. Sam has inherited the Yao family tree farm business. It's December 23d, closing day, and one last VERY PARTICULAR customer comes in demanding a tree. But when the closed sign goes up, the Christmas spirit (spirits?) take over and the lines of friendship get a little blurry.

Will post on AO3 eventually, but I wanted it to be here, for you, first. 🤶 Enjoy. Merry Everything.

Story under the cut. AU so no spoilers. Hints at NSFW material.

Thank you @notforconsumption and @delucadarling !

“If I were a wise man, I would do my part. But what can I give him? Give him my heart.” Quote from "In The Bleak Midwinter"

In The Bleak Midwinter

Five threw a log into the pot bellied wood stove and willed its hot breath to defrost her toes. She slammed the door closed and sighed as the wood popped and groaned. 

The smell of burning wood.

It used to be one of her favorite smells. 

It turned her stomach a little now. Since that one day - The Day - the day everything changed. . 

She shivered despite the warmth wafting her way. 

The door to the little shack flew open and Sam walked in, brushing snow from his hair, stark white falling from jet black. Sam grinned.

“Thanks for covering for me, Five. My alarm didn’t go off and-” Five cut him off with a shake of her head and a loud cough 

“Janine knows about your car trouble.” She winked. Sam nodded his appreciation.

Sam never asked for this life. Heir to a Christmas Tree Farm. He expected his parents to grow old and die safe in their beds, hearts gently coming to a natural stop. He would also be old and would sell the farm to the highest bidder as he went on with whatever life he had chosen for himself.

But fate had other plans. 

And now here he was, barely 30, owner of Abel Christmas Tree Farm. Even after all these years, he still had no idea how to run a business. Which is why he used the majority of any inheritance money (there wasn’t much) to hire Janine DeLuca as the farm manager. She was organized and..well…a little mean, if he was honest. She knew how to get things done. 

“It’s okay, Sam.” Five continued, reassuring him. “It’s December 23rd. It will be a quiet day except for a few frazzled last minute tree getters.” 

“It will be nice to close this place up and not have to think about it for a few months.” Sam sighed and made his way behind the register tucked away a corner of the little cabin. 

“You still coming over to my place for Christmas? My parents are looking forward to seeing you.” Five grew up next door to the tree farm and spent most of her childhood chasing Sam through the trees. In the spring, racing between the saplings. The Yaos shouting reminders to watch their steps. Summers lying in the shade of the taller trees. Reading. Listening to music. Always in each other’s company. Then the fall would come and the cheerful holiday paths would be temporarily lined with skeletons, ghosts, and zombies. Haunted trails brought in money when finances were at their tightest. As soon as they were old enough, Five took on the job of acting as a zombie hunter. Sam would ride on the hay wagon and narrate stories. It was Five’s favorite time of year. As soon as the last zombie head was taken down, the farm once again became a magical winter wonderland. 

Five and Sam had been the best of friends for as long as she could remember. 

“Yeah, I think I will. It’s just…” He stopped. Thought. “I’ll be there.”

Five smiled. “You’d better. I’m making that cornbread stuffing you like. And I think Steve is stopping by with some shortcake.”

As if on cue, Steve threw open the door and entered with a bang. 

“Happy closing day!” He stomped the snow off his boots. 

“Close the door.” A voice came from a dark back corner. “We aren’t paying to heat the outside.”

“Merry Christmas, Janine.”

“Same to you, Mr. Sissay. Again, I ask you to please close the door.”

Steve turned to Five and raised his eyebrows before flicking the door and letting it slam closed. 

“At least she said please.” He shrugged. He made his way to where Sam was tangled in receipt paper in an attempt to replace the spool in the register. “Merry Christmas, Sam.”

Sam looked like he was overheating. 

“Uh, yeah. Same to you, Steve.” 

Five turned away to organize the few ornaments they had left in the small sales section of the cabin. Truth be told, the little cabin was one of her favorite places in the world. It was the size of a garden shed, but there was a wall of sparkling ornaments for sale, a wood stove along the back wall to keep warm despite the lack of insulation, and in the front corner sat the register, a little stool, and an electric kettle for hot chocolate. The most recent addition was a janky folding card table in the darkest back corner, which Janine called her “office.” 

It wasn’t much. But it felt like home. 

“Where is Simon?” Janine muttered from her corner. Sam and Five often referred to her as Scrooge, but never to her face. 

“He’s outside. I passed him on the way in.” Steve answered, continuing to look at Sam. “He’s just getting one last smoke in before he’s officially on the clock.” 

Janine sighed, irritation evident. 

A few minutes of silence passed. Five continued straightening ornaments, Janine shuffled paper. Steve had finally grabbed the roll of receipt paper from Sam and swiftly placed it in the machine. 

“You can tell me I’m your hero. It’s okay.” Steve chuckled. Sam just looked at him with his mouth open. It was rare for him to be at a loss for words, but Steve somehow managed to tie his tongue with a single glance. 

There used to be a team of people working at Abel Tree Farm. They stayed for a few years after…well, AFTER…but each year a few more would find reasons not to return. And the year before Janine was hired, Sam had to let any remaining staff members go. There was no money to pay for help. 

Janine saved the farm within the year. She agreed to hire a few new people, but there wasn’t much interest in tree farm work. Sam was able to find two interested parties. One guy, Steve, was a pyrotechnician who spent summers working at a local amusement park in charge of their fireworks shows. The other, Simon, was a personal trainer at a local gym with a flexible schedule. And flexible…everything.

Janine hired them because their schedules were flexible.

Sam approved the hiring because he liked how they both looked like burly lumberjacks. 

Simon burst through the door moments later, smelling of cigarettes and pine. 

“Little things!” He sang, obnoxiously loud. Five watched Janine’s head fall into her hands. “Like that happy noise. As a brand new day is dawning on this lovely Christmas morning!” He barreled through the little shack over to Five and cradled her neck in his strong arm. He dug his knuckles into the crown of her head as she struggled to get away. 

“I didn’t know ABBA had a Christmas song.” She joked.

“ABBA has a song for everything.” He replied, and flexed his bicep, keeping her in place. “Little things,” Simon continued singing. “Like your naughty eyes. You’d consider bringing me a breakfast tray, but there’s a price.” He let Five go and she kicked him in the shin. He winked at her. “Go on. Guess the price for bringing me a breakfast tray.”

“Stop being gross, Simon.” Five scolded, but she couldn’t contain her laughter. 

“Mr. Lauchlan, this is a professional environment. If you can’t behave-”

“Aw, don’t be jealous Jenny. Come on, it’s almost Christmas.” He walked over to her with such long strides Five could swear it only took him two steps to cross the entire floor. “You know everyone has been calling you Scrooge?” 

“Simon!” Sam yelled, a blush bursting across his cheeks. 

“I do not care about how others feel about me. I wasn’t brought here to be popular. I was brought here to run a tree farm.”

Janine sounded stern enough, but Five noticed that Simon had begun rubbing her shoulders and she wasn’t shaking him off. In fact, she seemed to sink a bit lower in her chair and…was she relaxing? 

That was new. 

A Christmas miracle, almost. 

Seems Sam wasn’t the only one who liked his lumberjacky-ness.

The rest of the morning went by in a lazy haze. Between small talk about holiday plans and organizing the store for closing, a peaceful calmness filled the shack. 

Five sighed.

She was going to miss this.

There was something so unbelievably comforting about these people. 

It was just-

“I need a tree.”

Nobody heard the door open, but a cold breeze wafted in with the most striking woman Five had ever seen. The room froze.

“This is a tree farm, is it not?”

“Yes, ma’am.” Simon spoke first, tripping over his own feet to get to her and take her hand. He grasped it and shook it wildly. “I can help you find something thick and sprucy.”

The woman’s face twisted in disgust and she took her own hand back. She shook it as if it were contaminated.

“A standard thickness will do. I need one that is tall and has all of its branches perfectly balanced.”

“One well-balanced tree coming right up.” Simon was at the door and gestured her out first. 

“Simon.” Janine called after him. “Behave."

Simon smiled and winked.

“There is no chance of him behaving, is there?” Sam asked. Steve laughed.

“Not the slightest.” 

They were back in minutes. 

“Amy, I’m sorry! You can’t call a tree ‘perfectly erect’ and not expect a comment!”

“The name is Amelia and as a customer I have a reasonable expectation of professionalism no matter what words I choose to use.” 

“Our apologies, Ms…”

“Spens.”

“Apologies, Ms. Spens. Our other associate, Mr. Sissay, will bring you the finest tree we have. AND he’ll be quick about it.”

“On it.” Steve disappeared outside as both Janine and Amelia glared at Simon, who, for his part, looked completely unashamed. 

“Would anyone like cocoa?” Sam asked.

“Yes, please.” Five grinned. Of course Sam would know how to break the tension.

“I’ll take some, Sammy.”

“Oh no you won’t, Mr. Lauchlan.” Janine said. “I would like to see you out back.”

Five and Sam gasped. Out back was the wood storage shed. It was cold and dark and had a potent woodsy smell. Five had once compared it to the feeling of being buried six feet under in a pine box and since then…nobody wanted to go out back.

But Simon looked oddly intrigued.

“Have I been a bad boy, Jenny?” Janine’s cheeks flushed and she shook her head.

“Actually, yes. And I need to speak with you urgently.”

Five thought they left a little eagerly, but it was really none of her business.

“Anything for you, Amelia?” Sam pushed the button for the electric kettle and started setting out mugs.

“From an electric kettle? And is that…powdered mix?” She shuddered. “I’ll pass.”

“Please have a seat near the fire while you wait. I’m sure Steve will be back momentarily.”

“He does seem quite strong. Those biceps are certainly impressive.”

An awkward silence filled the room until the kettle began to boil. Sam poured two mugs of hot chocolate for himself and Five and offered Amelia a cup one final time.

“Absolutely not.” She shook her head. “Horrifying.”

Five took a sip, slurping loudly. 

Sam immediately looked away. Five never slurped anything in her life. He knew if he looked over he’d see a devilish look in her eye and she would only double down on trying to annoy their only customer of the day. 

Amelia was browsing their selection of ornaments. 

“Some of these are quite beautiful.” She picked up a miniature snow globe hanging on a string. Five smiled.

“Oh, that’s a great one. It was handmade by-”

“This is the ugliest snowglobe I have ever seen.” Amelia squinted as she examined it. “I mean, really. As I was saying, some of these are beautiful, but this is not one of them.”

Five looked over at Sam, who was still facing the wall. She knew even without seeing his face that he was holding back laughter. Five, on the other hand, was not feeling overly playful with this terrible woman. 

“Listen, I don’t know who you think you are-”

“Here you go, ma’am. The perfect tree. It’s almost 200 centimeters tall, blue spruce. She’s an absolute stunner.” Steve announced from the doorway.

“Do you commonly equate women with trees?” Amelia asked. Steve didn’t miss a beat. He leaned on the counter, making sure his arm muscles rippled under his flannel shirt, which was at least two sizes too small. 

“No, ma’am.” Steve said. He seemed to be remembering that Simon was currently out back for his attempt at innuendo. “I rotate pronouns with trees so all sexes are represented equally through the…whole forest. Out of respect. For nature.”

Five winced.

“Hmm. Very well then.” Amelia walked over to Sam and leaned on the counter, gently bumping Steve with her backside.

“How much do I owe you?”

“Uh - no charge. Because of the - uh - trouble.” Five watched Sam die a little inside. 

It was definitely a weird day.

“I guess this place isn’t as bad as I assumed it was. Happy Christmas, workers.” Then, to Steve, “You’ll be tying this to the roof of my car?” It was a question but also - not. 

“It’s my pleasure, ma’am.” Steve grinned and followed her out.

Five and Sam stood frozen for a solid minute before Sam finally burst with laughter. 

“What the hell was that?” 

“That woman was a real piece of work. We need to hang up a picture with her face and never let her back in here again.”

“Aw, come on, Five. At least she didn’t take any of Simon’s nonsense.”

“Yeah, but she insulted the ornament that the children’s hospital made.” 

Sam made his way across the little shack and folded Five into a hug. 

“She couldn’t have known that. But I’m sorry she didn’t let you explain.”

“And she insulted your hot chocolate.”

“Well that was definitely out of line. You’re right. We should ban her.” Five giggled into Sam’s shoulder.

“See? I told you. She was terrible.” Five felt Sam start to let go but pulled him closer. “How are you Sam? Honestly?”

Sam paused and Five felt him tense up in the hug. He took a long breath, considering his answer carefully.

“I’m…okay. It’s been a long time but…some days are lonelier than others. Christmas still stings quite a bit. Which is inconvenient, you know? Since I pretty much sell Christmas.”

When silence and sadness fill the space between words, it’s hard not to fill it. Five fought the urge to say something encouraging like, “It will get better” or “Your parents are so proud of you for carrying on” because truly there was no way to know either of those things. She wasn’t in the business of making empty promises. Not to anyone, but especially not to Sam. Never to Sam. 

“Which is why you shouldn’t have to wake up alone on Christmas. Why don’t you-”

Sam pulled back to look at her. 

“Wha-”

“Oh! Am I interrupting?” Five and Sam both jumped. Neither one had heard Steve come back in. 

“Nope. No. Not at all. Just - normal friendly conversation.” Sam stammered. Five laughed.

“You’re fine, Steve. Hey, listen. I’m not the owner of this place or anything, but I’m thinking that was probably our last customer. She was the only person all day looking for a tree and it’s getting late. What do we say to closing an hour early?”

“Also not in charge but I say that’s a great idea.”

“As the person who IS in charge, I’m calling it.” Sam walked to the small, frost covered window in the front and flipped the open sign. “Closed for the season.” He sighed.

“So I’m no longer an employee here until next season, right?” Steve asked.

“Right.” 

“Then I can’t be fired, right?”

“Ummm, right.” There was a hint of a question in Sam’s voice. 

“And, since we’re closed…” He pulled a flask from his pocket. “This isn’t drinking on the job, right?”

Sam shrugged. “I suppose it isn’t.”

“But only if you share.” 

“Five, darling. I wouldn’t ever whip out whiskey and not offer it to a lady.”

“I’ll warm up more water for hot cocoa. Whiskey would be great in cocoa.” Sam added more water to the kettle and clicked it on. Five chuckled. She knew Sam wasn’t a fan of straight alcohol. Five on the other hand-

“I’ll take it straight from the flask.” She waited patiently for Steve to finish swallowing and grabbed it from his hand. 

She took a long pull and the whiskey burned her throat on the way down. She felt the warm liquid sit in her belly and run through her veins. It was a feeling not much different than getting a hug from Sam. 

She couldn’t remember exactly when she met Sam. Somehow it seemed like they had been together since the day they were born. The best of friends. There was never a question. Except lately something was changing. Something felt …more. She took another swig and handed it back to Steve.

He seemed to sense that she had been thinking about other things and gave her a questioning look. She smiled to reassure him that she was okay.

“Do you still have that little radio?” He asked. Sam, still behind the counter, reached down and pulled out a tiny radio. He turned it on and static blared through the shack. He adjusted the signal until he heard a voice break through.

“Today, Cit-i-zens, everyone here at Radio Cabel will be sharing our favorite holiday traditions!” Phil Cheeseman’s voice blared from the speakers. “You start, Zoe.”

“I like to start the day by making a nice breakfast and eating it in front of Christmas specials with my cats.” Zoe paused. “Later in the day I go see family and it’s busy and crazy, so I like having the time to myself to prepare for all of that.”

“That sounds kind of lonely.”

“It’s actually not. I like a balance of quiet and loud.”

“Not us.” Jack cut in. “Since Eugene and I have been together, we started a new tradition of blasting Christmas music and dancing in front of the tree while we open gifts.”

“No,” corrected Eugene. “Jack blasts music in front of the tree and dances. I try to get in as much coffee as I can to keep up with him all day.” Eugene let out a gentle laugh. 

“And you love it.” Jack chuckled. “This next song is one of my favorites to annoy Gene with.”

The water was boiling and Sam mixed another cup of hot chocolate before joining Five and Steve in the middle of the cabin.

“You didn’t drink it all, did you?”

Steve winked and poured a large quantity of alcohol into his mug. Sam raised his glass as if to say ‘cheers’ and took a large gulp. He coughed and sputtered a bit but managed to play it cool. 

“Yum.” He managed to squeak out. Steve laughed.

“Don’t worry. If we finish this, I have one or two backup flasks in my coat pocket.”

“Of course you do.” 

The next song came on the radio. Over the intro, Phil gently spoke of how this song sparked memories of his childhood traditions.

Five found herself wrapping her arms around Sam, who responded in kind. They began some kind of involuntary swaying that she supposed could have been dancing. 

Another set of strong arms wrapped around them. 

The song ended with the three of them huddled together. They each took another drink - Five and Steve from the flask and Sam from his mug - and sat on the ground. 

Sam leaned toward the merchandise for sale and pulled over a few tree skirts and some bags of cotton, sprinkled with glitter to look like snow. They wiggled around, arranging the items to make pillows and blankets. They cuddled together for warmth. 

“Come on, loves. Tell me. Are you really best friends or is there something else happening here?”

“Yes.” Five said, while Sam stammered something incomprehensible next to her. The drink had loosened Five’s tongue and she continued without thinking. “We were always friends but since his parents died and his sister skipped out on him, I guess I want to be his family now. But not in a gross way. In a way that, like, I just want to be there for him all the time. I want to be the person who…” She trailed off, realizing that Sam had now propped himself up on an elbow and was staring at her. “Well…it’s true.”

“What happened?” Steve asked. Five, apparently a chatterbox when drunk, opened her mouth to answer. Sam never spoke about The Day. But he took a deep breath and launched into it. 

“It … it’s going to be sad.” Sam warned. Nobody spoke. He shrugged and continued. “It was Christmas Eve. Everyone was home - my parents, my sister, and me. I had moved out into my little apartment down the road and my sister lived on her University campus. But as it was Christmas - this was the first time since the summer we were all under one roof. We had a fire going in the fireplace that morning, feeling festive and whatnot, and for just a few minutes - that was all it took - everyone was distracted. I don’t know where they were. I was upstairs in my room, wrapping some last minute presents when the fire alarm started blaring. I tried running downstairs but there was already so much smoke. The house - that damn house - we only had one working alarm. It was something my dad always said we needed to fix. But we never got to it. So anyway, by the time the smoke set off the alarm, it was already a pretty big fire. I don’t know what happened, but my parents never made it out of the house. Maybe they went to go get our dog? I don’t know. Maybe the downstairs just filled with smoke too fast? It doesn’t matter. The doctors tried explaining some theories but honestly I didn’t care enough to listen. What did it matter how it happened? My sister and I both made it out by jumping out the second floor windows. There were big trees around the house. Both of us could climb down. We got outside and it was just - the whole house. Flames out of every window. I don’t know. I can’t quite remember much. But I made two phone calls that morning. One to the fire department. The other…” His voice trailed off.

“Was me.” Five finished, quietly. “You called me. I ran over from my house as fast as I could. It was…awful.”

“Where is your sister now?” Steve asked cautiously.

“She didn’t stick around. Right after the funeral she took off with her boyfriend - his family is rich - and finished her schooling in some tropical location. I don’t even know where she is. She didn’t leave an address. She just said she wanted no part in the tree farm business and just - left.”

The room was quiet save for everyone taking a few gulps of their drink. 

“I’m so sorry, Sam. I really had no idea.” Steve said eventually.

“Yeah. I don’t like to talk about it. I can’t bring them back. But it is why…it’s why I don’t go out to the tree field much. I like to stay in here. If I go too far back, to the last row of trees, I can see the foundation of the old house. They tore it down, but…they left that part.”

“Yikes. I’ve seen that before. I just figured it was torn down to make room for the tree farm.”

“Nope. Just the shattered remains of my old life.” Five patted his shoulder. “Anyway, it’s okay. I mean, no. Not okay. My therapist keeps reminding me that I don’t have to say it’s okay. Because it’s not. It’s just…thank you. Thanks for your…uh…concern. And stuff. I’m dealing with it.”

Steve leaned over and took Sam’s face in his hands. 

“You’re doing really well, love. This is a great business you’ve got here. Everyone who comes here feels welcome and has a great time. Well, everyone except for Amelia.” They laughed. Despite his laughter, Sam squirmed a bit. 

“Your face is..uh…close.” Sam licked his lips and winced, suddenly realizing how suggestive that was.

“You’re adorable.” Steve said and kissed him gently. Five raised her eyebrows.

“Well, that wasn’t on my list of things I thought I’d see today.”

“Oh, darling. You should always expect the unexpected. Especially when Christmas magic is in the air.”

“And whiskey is in the glass.” Five raised the flask and took another swig. 

Sam remained still and silent as Steve backed up to give him space. 

“Thank you.” He whispered.

Five laughed, but Steve just whispered,

“You’re welcome.”

The radio played another slow song, long gentle lyrics about bleak midwinters and moaning wind. “Snow had fallen, snow on snow on snow.” Caught up in the music, in the warmth, in the closeness, a shirt was discarded. Hands grasping. Not quite sure what belonged to who. Lips on lips on lips. Skin on skin on skin.

If anyone had approached the little tree farm shack that night, they would have had a hard time seeing through the windows, steamed with heat and want. Three bodies silhouetted in the light of the wood stove. Friends and passion and love.

It was close to midnight by the time Steve left. The drink long gone, a few hours of sleep, the fire snuffed. And then it was Sam and Five, closing the door to the shop. Closing the door on the season. Closing the door on the only closeness he still felt to his parents. 

Five kissed Sam long and deep, knowing there was no returning to “just friends.” 

“Don’t go home.”

“Where - what?”

“Don’t go home. Ever. Forget your little apartment. I want you with me.” She held him close but pitched her head back to look him in the eye. “Stay with me.”

“Five, you’re all caught up in the - whatever…”

“Christmas magic.” Five grinned. “Yes. But also, no. Sam - I have loved you for a long time. I’m your family. I’m your love. Stay with me.”

Sam was quiet, contemplative. 

“Okay.”

“Yeah?”

“Yes. But…I’m not giving up my apartment yet. Just in case.”

“You won’t need it.”

“It’s just…it’s hard to believe things can be permanent. Awful things can happen, Five. I don’t want anything to happen but I know -”

“We’re going to be great, Sam.”

“How do you know?”

Five stopped and thought. How could she possibly know? She didn’t. Of course she didn’t. Just like she didn’t know that Sam would be okay or that his parents would be proud. But this didn’t feel like a lie.

“Sam, I don’t know. I have no idea if things will work. And I could be ruining the best friendship in the world. But here’s what I do know. I don’t want to spend another minute without you. You are my whole heart. I have loved you for as long as I can remember. We’ve wasted so many years treading so carefully. Without great risk, there can’t be great rewards. And Sam…a lifetime with you would be the greatest reward I could ever imagine. It’s worth the risk.”

Sam stared at her, mouth gaping. 

“Okay.”

“Okay? I gave you all that and you’re giving me okay?”

Sam chuckled.

“I love you. So much. And I owe Steve my whole life for getting us over this friendship hump.”

“Wow. Poetic. And don’t get me started on how much Simon would love the use of the word hump.”

“Let’s go home.” Sam said. “To your place. I’ll move my toothbrush in tomorrow and it will be home.”

With that, Sam and Five started down a long, winding path. Winters are a lot less bleak with someone you love by your side. 

[kodessa]

Zombies run secret Santa time!

So for secret Santa I had @high5runner5 and I went with a little five/Simon energy. Our main story missions have Simon with Janine but I’ve always felt the “what if” about five/Simon. The idea of them meeting under the mistletoe being the split point for a whole host of different timelines is what inspired this collage.

I hope you liked it!

Thanks to @notforconsumption and @delucadarling for setting this all up!

Happy holidays 5s 💕