#toab tacmc 12 days of xmaas | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

snelbz · 5 years ago

Text

The Best For Last

Christmas in July {Day 2}

Manon + Dorian

Written alongside the best bff who ever did live, @tacmc.

Dorian walked up the front porch steps with a bag of gifts in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. He reached up with his snow-covered boot to ring the doorbell and waited.

Manon had never liked the holidays. Dorian, however, loved Christmas. His family was a little dysfunctional, but his happiest memories had always been around the holidays. He wanted nothing more than for a little bit of his cheer to rub off on his girlfriend. Which is why, on Christmas Eve, Dorian had wandered out in the snowstorm to drive across town to Manon’s little house on the edge of the city.

Except she wasn’t answering the damn door.

His boot hit the doorbell once more.

He could hear her footsteps as she quickly came down the stairs, her feet (most likely in fuzzy socks) skidding as she hit the landing. The porch light flicked on and as soon as Manon opened the door, he began to sing.

“We wish you a Merry Christmas,

We wish you a Merry Christmas,

And a Happy-.”

The door slammed in his face and the porch light turned off.

“Manon!” He called, laughter in his voice. “Open the door, baby.”

Silence.

“I can see your shadow through the glass. I know you’re still standing there.”

Nothing.

“It’s freezing, shit, open the-“

The door swung open and Dorian was pulled in by the collar of his coat. His lips caught hers in a hungry embrace as the door shut behind him.

Once their lips broke, Dorian raised a brow. “Was that because you missed me or to keep me from singing again?”

“A little bit of both,” she crooned, looking down at the gifts he brought along with him. “Mostly the singing though.”

Dorian grinned, before looking around her living room. His eyes landed on the far corner, where an armchair sat.

“What are you looking for?” Manon asked, eyes narrowing.

“A place to put the tree,” he mumbled, setting down his bag and the bottle of wine.

“What tree?” Manon asked, through gritted teeth.

“The one tied to the roof of my car,” he answered, cheerfully. “Obviously.”

“Dorian,” she groaned, falling onto the couch. “You know I don’t do Christmas. I show up to the parties, I drink the wine and then I leave before people can start talking about merriment and love and all that other bullshit.”

He sat down next to her, a hand rubbing her knee. “You don’t want to talk about merriment and love and all that other bullshit with me? In front of our own Christmas tree? With all the presents I bought you?”

She visibly brightened and said, “You bought me present?”

“Many,” he said, grin growing. “Multiples. And you’re gonna like all of them.”

She sighed, pursing her lips. “Can’t I like them without a tree?”

“Nope,” Dorian said, giving her a quick kiss before rising to his feet and holding out his hand. “Come on.”

“No.”

“You have to come with me.”

“I don’t have to do anything.”

“You know it turns me on when you get sassy.”

Manon rolled her eyes, unable to stop her sputtering laughter.

Dorian loved that laughter.

“Fine,” she said, meeting him on his feet. “I’ll help you put up the fucking tree, but I’m only doing it for you. I’m not going to enjoy myself.”

Dorian bit down his own laughter. “I can live with that.”

When he had cut the tree down, Dorian had had not only Chaol to help him tie it to the roof, but Rowan and Lorcan as well. As the snow began to fall faster and faster, he and Manon were finally able drag it inside.

After setting it up in the base he had brought, he looked over at Manon, standing in the middle of the living room, with her arms crossed over her chest.

True to her word, she was not enjoying herself.

There were pine needles sticking out of her moon white hair and the braid it had been tied back in had come loose. Strands were framing her face and though she was disheveled, Dorian couldn’t believe how gorgeous she was.

“Time to decorate,” he said, stepping in front of her and kissing her nose.

She held out a hand. “I demand payment, boyfriend.” He awkwardly gave her a low five. She rolled her eyes and said, “I was promised presents. Multiple.”

“Not until after we’re done-.”

She cut him off with a kiss, searing and passionate, her hands knitting into his raven hair. “No,” she said, pulling away. “I want one now.”

Dorian blinked, then sighed. “You do realize-“

“If you tell me that’s not how Christmas works, you will not be getting any tonight, Havilliard.”

Well, she definitely knew how to get what she wanted.

Dorian opened his mouth to snap a reply, but he had nothing.

“Fine,” He said, “but just one. And I’m not giving you the best one. That one will be saved for last, when this is the best damn looking tree I’ve ever seen. Understand?”

Manon just grinned, small and wickedly. “I love it when you lay down the law.”

Dorian couldn’t help but laugh as he reached into his bag and pulled out a square box, the biggest out of all of her gifts.

“Here,” He said, placing it tauntingly into her outstretched hands. “Tradition-ruiner.”

She dropped to the floor and tore into it, unceremoniously ripping the paper and throwing it onto the floor around her. When she opened the lid, she gasped and carefully picked up the small leather bag.

She’d been eyeing a new Michael Kors crossbody purse. He saw her eyes lock into it every time they walked past the window in the Square.

“Baby,” she breathed, unable to articulate her feelings into words.

He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “Christmas is just another opportunity for me to spoil my girl.” She looked up at him and beamed, a true smile that she only reserved for him. “Now, let’s get this tree looking festive as heck and maybe you’ll get another one tonight.”

“Maybe?” She repeated. “You can’t tease me then expect me not to want more.”

Dorian just smiled and opened a small box of ornaments. “Decorate.”

Manon almost had a pep in her step as she grabbed an ornament from the box, a small blue ball, and hung it on the tree.

“Here,” Dorian said from behind her. “This one next.”

She took it, not even bothering to look at it until she hung it on the branch. Her hand froze as she saw it, a faint smile on her lips.

A silver Christmas tree hung from a red ribbon that read, Our First Christmas. Dorian & Manon.

She turned to face him. He watched her, eyes soft. “You’re allowed to tell me its stupid, but it’s staying on the tree.”

Manon just shook her head, picking another little blue ball out of the box. “It can stay.”

They decorated in silence, the only noise the rustling of the tree as Dorian fixed an ornament her and there and the crackling of the fire. Manon has just plucked the small angel from the box when Dorian picked her up around the hips and lifted her up. She laughed and asked him what he was doing, but he didn’t answer and carried her over to the tree. She reached up and carefully placed the angel at the top and looked down at him. “Is that festive enough for you?”

He slid her down his body, making sure there was contact at every point, and gently kissed her lips when her feet her back on the floor. “I guess you can have one more present tonight.”

“By one do you mean all?” She asked through long, white lashes.

“It’s not Christmas yet,” he whispered.

“But it’s Christmas Eve,” she whispered back.

Dorian just laughed, breathlessly. “You’re not going to give up, are you?”

Manon simply shook her head.

He nuzzled against her neck. “You don’t want to wake up with me on Christmas morning and run downstairs to see what Santa brought?” He pressed a soft kiss to the spot just below her ear he knew could start or finish something, depending on how you looked at it.

“Santa,” she said, pulling away and putting emphasis on the name, “didn’t bring me shit. My amazing-,” a kiss to his chin, “wonderful-,” a kiss to his nose, “sexy-,” a kiss to his lips, “boyfriend did and I want to properly thank him. All night. Mornings are overrated anyways.”

Dorian let out a deep, low groan. Partly out of frustration, partly out of the sexual tension that was now building in his core.

“Fine,” He said, his lips finding her collarbone. “But now I’m going to be the one not enjoying it.”

Manon grinned. “I can live with that.”

She sat down on the couch crossing her legs and held out her hands in a gimme motion. Her signature, metallic nails glinted in the firelight and the colorful lights shining from the tree.

“First,” he said, swiping the remote off the table and turning the tv on. He flipped through the channels until he landed on Hallmark, showing their generic, cheesy Christmas movie of the night. Manon groaned and leaned her head back against the cushions. “You’re trying to kill me.”

Dorian just smiled, completely satisfied in her aggravation.

He knew he was annoying her, but when he annoyed her he also knew that she secretly liked it.

“At least I’m not still out on the porch single Christmas carols,” he offered.

Manon swing her legs over his lap, straddling his lap. “True.”

Her mouth touched his, softly, lovingly. “Keep me waiting and I won’t give you your gift.”

Dorians head jerked back. “You got me a gift? You? Manon Blackbeak? Got me a gift? You? Went shopping for me? For a Christmas gift?”

“If you keep talking, I will take it back to the store.”

She’d never seen him shut up so quickly.

She was also unprepared for the way he grabbed her hips and ground them into his own.

“You sure you don’t want to go ahead and thank me now for all of my wonderful presents you’ll be getting?”

Manon bit her lip, then shook her head slowly. “Gifts. Then sex.”

“Which is a gift in itself,” Dorian said, his lips finding her neck.

She pushed on his chest until he was resting against the back of the couch. “Down, boy,” she said, and climbed off of him and the couch.

She grabbed the bag of gifts and sat them down on the couch next to him.

Dorian grinned as she peeked inside. “Go ahead. Tear into them.” Manon did just that.

She may have hated Christmas, but she definitely didn’t hate getting gifts.

He spoiled her rotten. She tore into the boxes, pleased to find a new dress, an eyeshadow pallet she had mentioned that she wanted, and a necklace with his initials on it.

As he clasped the necklace and settled her braid back where it had been, he pressed a kiss to the back of her neck.

“I love you,” she said, resting a hand on his knee. “Thank you so much, you are-.” She paused and swallowed against the tightness in her throat. “You are more than I ever imagined I would deserve.”

He turned her to look at him and pressed a careful kiss to her lips. “You deserve everything I’ve given you and so much more. I can’t wait to spoil you for the rest of my life.” He loved the way her cheeks reddened as he said the words. She loved the butterflies the words ignited in her stomach. “Now before I turn the cheesiest of cheesy Christmas movies on, where’s my present?”

Manon pulled out a small, red wrapped rectangle from beneath the tree and handed it to him.

Dorian raised a brow as he grinned, taking the gift from her delicate hands and carefully removing the wrapping paper.

He beheld an old, vintage copy of one of his favorite classics, The Great Gatsby.

He gawked. “Where did you find this?”

Manon showed him a rare, soft smile. “Antique shop on Main Street.”

He was speechless. Not only because it was an amazing gift, but because she knew him so well. “Thank you,” He said, kissing her quickly, softly. “It’s perfect.”

Manon patted his knee, uncomfortable with the praise as she rose to her feet. “Come on. To the wine cabinet.”

She was almost to the kitchen when she realized Dorian wasn’t following her. When she turned, she froze.

Dorian was down on one knee in front of the Christmas tree.

“What are you doing?” She breathed.

Dorian let out a deep breath of his own. “I have one more gift.”

She was frozen in place, a hand pressed to her chest. Her golden eyes were wide and she waited.

“I have loved you from the very first moment I saw you. Most people look at you and they see the wild demon you pretend to be, but you let me in. You let me see the beautiful soul inside. You let me love you. I want to keep doing that every day and every night, for the rest of our lives. Manon Katan Blackbeak, be my wife. Marry me and make me the happiest man in the world.”

Her eyes were lined with silver when she whispered, “You didn’t ask me.”

Dorian blinked. “What?”

She walked over to him, dropping on her knees in front of him and laughed softly. She framed his face with her hands and said, “You can’t just tell me we’re getting married. That’s not how it works. You have to ask me.”

Dorian let out a low chuckle, his head shaking slowly as he asked, “Will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

Manon sputtered out a laugh as she pressed her mouth to his, softly. “Yes, of course, I will.”

He slipped the ring onto her finger and kissed her one more time. When she pulled back, she said, “Now, I definitely think we need to make a trip to the wine cabinet. To celebrate.”

He grinned. “I have something better, fiancée.”

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and stood, grabbing the last item out of the bag he’d brought. He held out a bottle of champagne and said, “We should probably open this in the front yard.”

She laughed and followed him as he headed for the front door.

After a dramatic opening, in which Dorian was fairly sure she aimed the cork for his head, they headed back inside and snuggled under a fuzzy blanket -- one of his many presents for her -- on the couch, watching a Hallmark Christmas special and sipping their champagne. Dorian pressed a kiss to the top of her head as she leaned back against his chest.

“I love you,” she said, turning around to look at him.

His sapphire eyes were bright as he said, “I love you more.”

And as she kissed her future husband, Manon decided maybe Christmas wasn’t so bad after all.

#throne of ashes and beauty #throne of ashes and beauty X tacmc collab #tacmc #toab tacmc 12 days of xmaas #manorian #manon blackbeak #dorian havilliard #throne of glass

246 notes · View notes

snelbz · 5 years ago

Text

A Christmas Miracle

Christmas in July {Day 4}

Elide + Lorcan

Written alongside the ultimate hottie with a body, @tacmc.

Elide found herself walking through the streets of Orynth once again. The snow had just begun to fall and as cold as it was she couldn’t help but turn her face to the sky and watch the small flakes as they tumbled from the dark, starless night.

A week before Christmas, every shop had its doors thrown open for anyone wanting to come in and see their many wares, try free samples and spend the holiday season with those they loved.

As Elide let a family pass, a little girl sitting on her daddy’s shoulders, she sighed. It was times like this that she missed her family, that she wondered exactly what memories she’d missed out on when her parents had died. She’d been so young she could barely remember them, but Christmas was always a strange time of year for her.

Sure, the holiday itself made her happy, but she ended up spending quite a lot of time by herself. While everyone else went to family dinners and parties, she stayed at home by herself.

Her phone rang, startling her out of her misery.

The only other person as lonely as her this time of year was calling her. The person who just so happened to be the reason she was out so late.

“Hello?” She answered, with a sigh.

“You sound sad,” Lorcan replied, voice low. “You’re not allowed to be sad.”

“I’m not sad,” she said, unable to stop the little smile from gracing her lips. “What are you up to tonight?”

“Shopping,” he said.

Elide froze in her tracks in the middle of the sidewalk. “Did you just say that you’re...shopping?”

She heard his deep chuckled, trying not to think about the way his voice did things to her insides.

“Yes, I’m shopping. And I take it so are you?” “What- How did you-?” She immediately began to look around her, wondering how he knew what she was doing.

There he was, under an awning across the street. He winked at her and she hung up the phone, looking both ways before crossing the street.

He greeted her with a rare smile, one that changed his entire demeanor.

One that he only brought out for her.

“Merry almost Christmas,” he said. “Care to join me?”

“Of course,” she said. “But does it involve food? Because I’m starving.”

“It always involves food,” Lorcan winked. “Then I need your help.”

“With?”

“Secret Santa,” Lorcan said, head tilting to the side, dark strands falling into his eyes.

Elide couldn’t stop the pounding in her chest.

“Who’d you get?” Elide asked. They were playing secret Santa among their friends. Elide had gotten Aelin, and had yet to buy her a gift. Considering they are gathering tomorrow afternoon, both of them were a little behind.

“That defeats the Secret part, doesn’t it?” He asked.

Elide rolled her eyes. “Fine. Food first, shopping second.”

They walked down Main Street and ended up on the Square. Elide looked up at the massive tree in the middle and sighed.

“You’re sighing a lot tonight,” Lorcan observed, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

Elide nibbled on her bottom lip. She didn’t want to get into it all, didn’t want to throw herself a pity party. She had a ton of friends, all who she was grateful for and loved like family. But they weren’t her family. Her family was gone, and they had been for a long time.

“I get jealous,” she admitted, trying to keep her voice as light as possible while staring at the tall, lit tree. “I see all of these families enjoying the holiday together, and it just reminds me of all the years I’ve missed with my parents.”

Lorcan nodded, no judgment in his gaze as he watched her admire the square’s decor. “I know what you mean. I barely even remember Christmas with my mom. And I never spent a Christmas with my dad.”

Elide finally met his eyes. “It’s strange. How the holidays are always the hardest when they’re meant to be the happiest.”

They fell into a comfortable silence as they walked. The snow began to fall heavier and heavier, so much so that they ducked off into the first restaurant they saw, which happened to have a small general store attached.

“Eat first?” Lorcan asked, just as Elides stomach rumbled.

“Yes, please,” she begged.

She followed him through the maze of people to where a chalkboard sign sat that read Seat Yourself. After finding a two-person table by the window, Elide plopped down and shrugged off her coat.

She hadn’t expected to see Lorcan tonight, hadn’t expected to see anyone. It was a miracle enough that she’d managed to do her hair and makeup before she left her apartment.

The boots and leggings looked good enough under her pea coat, but the ratty, comfortable t-shirt was a little embarrassing, especially when Lorcan removed his coat, revealing a tight, black Henley.

She could see every defined muscle of his chest, arms and shoulders across the small table and she had to stop herself from audibly swallowing. She realized he was staring at her and had most likely said something she’d completely missed while she’d been ogling him.

“I’m sorry, I spaced out for a minute.” She was blushing and looked anywhere but at him. “What did you say?”

Lorcan chuckled, the sound she loved most in this world, and said, “I asked if you’d ever been here before.”

“Nope,” she said, observing the dinner menu in front of her. “Didn’t even know it was here, to be honest.”

Orynth was a fairly big city and had been growing within recent years. There were so many local establishments now that Elide hadn’t been to a good majority of them.

“Me either,” Lorcan said, squinting his eyes as he looked at the menu.

Elide snorted. “I don’t know why you don’t just get reading glasses.”

“I don’t need reading glasses,” he grumbled, pulling the menu closer to his eyes. “I am not an elderly person.”

“I’m going to get you some for Christmas,” Elide joked. “Maybe with one of those little chains hooked onto it so that it can hang around your neck when you’re not using them.”

Lorcan shook his head, and all Elide could see was his eyes light up with humor above the top of his menu.

“I’m 25,” he said, pointedly ignoring her. “Not 75.”

The server came over to take their orders and once she walked away, that comfortable silence came back. After she dropped off their drinks and Elide took a sip of her hot chocolate, she cleared her throat.

“So,” she started. “Secret Santa. Did you get someone you’re close to? Or are you just winging it?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m winging it,” he drank deeply from his cold beer, regardless of the fact that it was well below freezing outside the foggy windows. “I know them. Not as well as I should, but… I don’t know. Shopping for a girl is hard.”

“So it’s one of us!” She said, leaning forward at the table and smiling at him.

Lorcan attempted to stifle his grin and failed. “Don’t even try begging me to tell you, I’m not going to.”

Elide batted her eyelashes.

Lorcan just shook his head.

“Fine,” She crooned, sitting back in her chair, “But it’s going to be hard for me to help you if I don’t know who I’m shopping for.”

“I’m okay with that,” he replied, simply.

Elide scoffed. “Why are you so stubborn?”

“Why do you have to know everything?” He shot back, dark brow lifted.

“Knowledge is important,” she replied.

“So are surprises,” he winked, bringing the brim of his glass to his mouth.

“Ass,” she breathed, looking around at the quaint restaurant. It was clear that the store was the main attraction, but she liked the cozy atmosphere of the restaurant.

Granted it might have been the company she was keeping.

“So what’d you get your Secret Santa?” He asked, finishing his beer and flagging the waitress down. He asked for another, as well as a shot of peppermint vodka. Elide scrunched her nose at the strange request, but waited until she had left to respond.

“I don’t see how that’s any of your business,” she quipped. “You’ll see tomorrow.”

“Have you bought your gift?” He asked, after the server dropped the drinks off. Elide was taking a drink of her hot chocolate and shook her head when she finished. He said, “Take another drink. A big one.”

“What?” She asked, eyebrows lowering in confusion. “Why?”

“Just do it,” he chuckled.

She couldn’t deny him anything, even if she wanted, so she did, draining a quarter of the mug. Glancing to ensure the server wasn’t watching, Lorcan tipped the shot out and poured the minty liquor into her drink.

“Lorcan!” She whispered, scolding him. “What are you doing?”

“Try it.” He was smiling, a full smile and the sight of it was like a punch to the gut.

“I can’t. I’m not 21.”

He just leveled her with a look.

She was the youngest of their friends, still on 20 for a few more months, but that didn’t stop her from drinking when her friends were buying.

Elide just rolled her eyes and took a sip from her mug. “If I didn’t know any better I would say you’re trying to get me drunk, Salvaterre.”

Lorcan winked. “Good thing you know better.”

Elide laughed, taking another sip as the server brought their food. Elide took one look at her chicken sandwich before reaching across the table and grabbing a handful of Lorcan’s fries.

He smacked the back of her hand, gently, as it retracted back to her side of the table. “Get your own fries.”

“Why should I when yours are just as good?” She asked, brow raised.

She knew she was flirting, and she loved every second of it. She popped a fry in her mouth and chewed.

They are their meal, talking about this and that, the weird shenanigans that only their friend group could get into, and about what else they had planned for the holidays.

Unsurprisingly, aside from their Friends-mas party, neither of them had plans.

After they (meaning Lorcan) paid their bill, they made their way into the store.

“You know,” Elide started. “I sort of have this tradition on Christmas Eve.” She looked over at Lorcan and saw that he was watching her as they walked. She quickly averted her eyes and ran a finger over cutlery set. “Every year, I make hot chocolate, put on my coziest pajamas, curl up on the couch and watch the Grinch right before bed. And only the original cartoon!” She added quickly and mumbled, “None of this new CGI bullshit.” She heard Lorcan laugh under his breath. “You could come over…” She quickly added. “If you don’t have plans, I mean.”

They paused at a table piled high with candles.

“You’re asking me to come over and watch a movie with you,” he asked, cautiously. “Right before bed?”

Elide’s cheeks were burning and she knew they had to be as red as the cinnamon candle in front of her.

“I’d love to.”

Elise’s eyes snapped to his. “Really?”

“Of course,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Elide blushed and averted her eyes to the table of candles. “Get your secret Santa giftee a candle. Women love candles.”

Lorcan slowly let his eyes fall away from Elide to the table. “Alright. Peppermint or sugar cookie?”

“Sugar cookie,” Elide responded with no hesitation. “Always pick sugar cookie.”

Lorcan chuckled and grabbed the candle, fighting his way back to the check out counter when Elide gasped from behind him.

Lorcan whirled to find her staring at a necklace within a case.

It was a single, brilliant opal, dangling from a dainty chain. It wasn’t large by any means, but it was simple. And it was beautiful.

Elide looked at the price tag and her face fell. Her meager salary from the diner she worked at would never allow her to buy such a luxury. The set amount for Secret Santa of $30 was a bit of stretch for her and this was almost four times as expensive as that. She turned away and headed toward the counter.

Lorcan looked at her retreating form, back to the lit case and then back to Elide slipping into the crowd. After a moment of hesitation, he followed her.

She hesitated as they stood outside the shop.

“Do you want to come over and hang out tonight?” She asked, and quickly added, “if you’re free, that is.”

Lorcan looked over his shoulder, at the large clock in the square. It wasn’t too late, but it was a Sunday night, and work would come early.

Just as Elide was about to tell him not to worry about it, he turned back to her, that small smile on his lips, and said, “Sounds good.”

Elide’s apartment wasn’t far from the street they were on, only a few blocks. Lorcan followed her, heart pounding, although he showed no sign of nervousness. He had never been alone with Elide in her apartment, and the thought had him shaken up.

A light snow had just begun when they began padding up the stairs to her apartment on the fifth floor. They had begun to build apartment complexes in the city higher and higher, and Elide was lucky enough to get a new one with a nice view.

Elide unlocked the door and allowed Lorcan to pass her and go inside. Without being asked, he left his snow-covered boots by the front door. “Nice place.”

“Thank you,” Elide said and smiled. “It’s not much, but it’s just me, so…”

A small, whining yawn from the couch reminded her that it, in fact, wasn’t just her. “Oh, and Oliver. He’s here, too.”

Lorcan chuckled, meandering over to the couch to scratch the small pup below his ear. He wagged his black and white spotted tail in response.

“So,” Elide began, rocking back and forth on her heels. She didn’t know why she attempted to begin a sentence because she had no idea what to say after her awkward and highly uncomfortable so.

“So,” Lorcan repeated. “Is this how you typically hang out with people, or…”

Elide narrowed her eyes. “No need to be a smart ass.”

Because no, it wasn’t. Elide didn’t have a difficult time entertaining others, but Lorcan? Alone with him? At night? In her apartment?

Elide had no idea.

She flopped down on the couch. “What do you want to do?” She looked around the room. “I have Netflix or old video games or books or-.”

“Books?” He laughed and sat down next to her. “What are you going to do? Read to me?”

And just like that, the awkwardness was gone.

She kicked him lightly. “Smart ass,” she repeated.

“Old video games, huh?” He asked, rubbing his jaw. “You wouldn’t happen to have Mario Kart, would you?”

She got up and rummaged through her entertainment center. She turned around and smirked. “Do you want to get your ass kicked on the original or the N64 version?”

It turned out that Lorcan had much more experience on the Nintendo 64 than he’d let on. After beating her on Rainbow Road no less than four times, they’d ended up watching a movie and throwing popcorn at each other. Oliver loved it, because anything that neither of them caught, he got to eat.

At half past midnight, after Elide yawned for the third time in five minutes, Lorcan finally left, giving her a hug and heading back out into the snow. He promised to text her when he got home, but Elide fell asleep before she got his text.

It was a hectic week before their Friends-mas party, and Lorcan had only been able to text Elide a few times. But the night of the Christmas party, when he walked into Rowan and Aelin’s new home and saw her wearing a radiant red dress, the breath was ripped from his lungs.

She caught his eye and smiled, softly.

“You look beautiful,” he said, voice low, as she approached him.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” she replied, giving him a head to toe scan. He tried his best to clean up, even though he hated wearing anything that required ironing. He settled on black slacks and a black button down shirt, his hair hanging loosely below his jaw, his chin.

He smirked, if only to try and hide the blush forming on his cheeks. “Can I get you something to drink?”

She lifted the glass of white wine in her hand. “Oh, trust me, Aelin already beat you to it,” she laughed.

“Fair enough,” he said. He inclined his head to the tables where people were beginning to get their food. “Sit with me at dinner?”

“Okay,” she smiled.

He didn’t miss the blush that darkened her cheeks.

They filled their plates with chicken, potatoes, veggies, and some kind of bread that was a lot fancier than anything Lorcan was used to. There was also a green bean casserole, which Lorcan demolished as if it were going to be the last thing he ever ate.

It was a fun night among friends, one that they all would remember for the rest of their lives. Memories were shared, goals were set, and inappropriate jokes from Aelin were dished constantly. They played games and did their secret Santa. Lysandra loved the sugar cookie candle so much that she threw her arms around his neck and pecked his cheek with a kiss. To Lorcan’s surprise, Aelin had drawn Lorcan’s name and his gift was not malicious in the slightest. He’d gotten him a nice black beanie from a brand everyone knew he constantly wore, and a fifteen-dollar gift card to his favorite store that Aelin claimed was to go toward a new pair of boots. In her words, his current boots were hideous.

He had even given her a side hug.

It was monumental.

Lorcan had never seen Elide smile so much. That beautiful smile practically never left her mouth, and Lorcan couldn’t stop himself from staring at it, at her.

She was too good for their world, too good for him. Lorcan knew that, but it didn’t stop him from constantly brushing his calloused fingers along the back of her pale, slender hand.

They were all dancing in the living room, Lorcan’s hands around Elide’s waist as a Christmas carol was being played on a violin over the speakers, when he asked, “Want to head to the back porch? I have a surprise for you.”

She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing. “A surprise, huh?” She glanced across the room at Aelin, who had been watching Lorcan suspiciously the whole night. “Did she put you up to something?” Suddenly, their flirting seemed a little less natural. She stepped back.

He leaned down, his lips nearly touching her ear, and whispered, “No, this is all me, don’t worry about them. Come on.” He threaded their fingers together and he pulled her out onto the deck.

The snow was just starting to fall and Elide was wishing she would have grabbed her coat before they came out.

“Am I still coming over tonight?” He asked, as she carefully leaned against the railing. “Christmas Eve tradition and all that?”

“Of course,” she said, looking up at him. “I even bought new Christmas pajamas and everything.”

“I feel special,” he smiled and carefully brushed his lips against her cheek, a soft twin to the kiss she’d given him earlier. “I might have gotten you a second gift.”

She froze. “But, that wasn’t a part of secret Santa-”

“I know,” he interrupted. “But, you deserve it.”

Lorcan pulled a small, black box out of his pocket and handed it over to her. With shaky fingers, she lifted the top off and gasped. It was the necklace she had been admiring at the store the week before when they were together, the one she would never be able to afford.

“Lorcan, I can’t-.”

“Do you like it?” he asked, brows furrowed. “If you don't, you can-.”

“Of course I like it,” she laughed. “Lorcan, I love it, but you didn’t have to-.”

“Yes,” he said, taking a step closer to her. “I did.”

Elide didn’t blush this time. Instead, she looked up into his eyes, the box with the necklace in it clasped in her fingers.

“Thank you,” she breathed. “So much. It’s beautiful.”

“A beautiful gift for a beautiful woman,” he whispered back.

Elide rose up on her toes and pressed her lips softly, just once, to his. She no longer cared about the winter chill or the fact that a Christmas party was going on inside and Aelin was probably peering through the back window.

His fingers lightly brushed her jaw, and he pressed his lips to hers again. When she pulled back, she laughed softly and said, “I’ve been thinking about doing that for the longest time.”

He chuckled softly. “I have, too.”

Elide tossed her head back and laughed as Lorcan took the box from her hand and removed the necklace. She moved her hair to one side and he clasped it around her neck.

She fingered the charm and turned around to face him. “Can I ask for one more present?”

The smile on her face, he would’ve given her anything she wanted. “Of course.”

“Kiss me again,” she breathed.

And so, with all of their friends watching from inside, Lorcan Salvaterre pressed his lips to hers.

From inside the house, Fenrys nudged Rowan.

“That’s a damn Christmas miracle.”

#elorcan #elide lochan #lorcan salvaterre #lorcan lochan #throne of glass #throne of ashes and beauty #tacmc #throne of ashes and beauty x tacmc collab #toab tacmc 12 days of xmaas #toab tacmc tagteam prompts

234 notes · View notes

snelbz · 5 years ago

Text

Ghosts of Christmas Past

Christmas in July {Day 6}

Aelin Galathynius

Written with my wonderful best friend, @tacmc.

Aelin hated the holidays. They were full of wretched memories and the realization that she was completely, utterly alone. Her parents had passed away when she was a child, and all of her friends had gone off and married the loves of their lives, leaving Aelin to spend the holidays alone or get pity invites to their family gatherings.

It was now a dark, snowy Christmas Eve and Aelin was sitting in her pajamas watching Miracle on 34th Street with a bowl of popcorn and a Rumchata filled hot cocoa. With a yawn, she stretched out her legs and let her little fireplace warm her naked toes until her eyelids fluttered shut.

Sleep.

She just needed sleep for her pity party to end. So, what? She had no family and was single. That didn’t mean the holidays had to be horrible. She would wake up the next day and go to Aedion and Lysandra’s and all would be well. She would laugh and eat too much and most likely drink too much.

Sleep.

She just needed a little bit of sleep.

Hours later, she awoke with a gasp, sitting up and looking around her townhouse.

She saw no obvious reason for why she’d been ripped from sleep, but she settled back into the pillows, knowing she should go up to her bed.

Then she heard it.

A rattling sound of metal dragging across the floor was getting louder and louder, almost as if it was getting closer. It sounded as if it was directly above her head. She glanced to the stairs, waiting for someone, something to make an appearance and then-.

Sam.

Sam was standing on the landing of her stairs.

Aelin froze, blood running cold. “Sam?”

He smiled, bright and wonderful, that same smile that she had fallen for so many years ago. “Hello, Aelin. Merry Christmas.”

Aelin glanced at the clock on the wall. He was right, it was just after midnight. “I- You’re…”

“Dead?” He asked, brows raised. “Sure am. Wanna go for a walk?”

Aelin hesitated, she couldn’t breathe. She opened her mouth to ask him another question, but he just shook his head. “Come with me and your questions will be answered.”

Before she could move, before she could get up, she found herself standing in the snow, the sun blindingly bright against the stark white surrounding her.

There was a little girl skating on the frozen lake. A young man followed her closely, lifting her in the air, making her giggle.

Aelin gasped and breathed, “Dad…”

She felt the tears beginning to fall as she asked, “What is this? Dad!”

“He can’t hear you,” Sam said, standing an inch behind her.

“I don’t understand,” Aelin whispered.

“This is Christmas Eve,” Sam said, gesturing around. “When you were ten.”

The Christmas before her parents died. Aelin watched as the younger version of herself skated around, hand in hand, with her father. She remembered that day. She used to love skating with her father.

“Why did you bring me here?” She asked, her voice as cold as the air around them,

“To remind you,” he said.

She snapped, “Of what?”

“That you used to love Christmas.”

As if his words were a trigger, she suddenly found herself in the cold, unfriendly den of Arrobyn’s home.

After her parents had passed away, Aelin found herself in Arrobyn’s care. He was her only remaining family, being her father’s brother. A horrible bastard, one that only cared about himself.

A young Aelin entered the room, sobbing silently as she plopped down in the corner of the den, where a Christmas tree should have been but wasn’t. Arobynn didn’t do Christmas.

He had gone off somewhere that morning, leaving an 11-year-old Aelin alone on Christmas morning.

Aelin watched her younger self, her heart aching just as much as it had that morning so many years before.

Sam brushed his fingers along her forearm. “I wish I had known you then. I would’ve spent Christmas with you.”

Aelin knew that. Sweet Sam. He had loved her when she hadn’t yet loved herself.

“I hated him,” Aelin said, as her younger self stood up, dried her eyes, and began her chores. “I felt nothing pwhen he died, and maybe that makes me a horrible person but I don’t care.”

Before Sam could reply, the front door swung open and Arobynn entered. The snow was swirling outside, a storm brewing.

Aelin stopped from where she was dusting the mantle. “Merry Christmas,” she said, hoping he wouldn’t know she had been crying.

He didn’t acknowledge her words, only taking a second to look over her cleaning. “You missed the second level of the mantle.”

With that, he swept out of the room and Aelin watched as her knees hit the wooden floors and she began the cry again.

“What’s this to remind me of?” She whispered, bitterness filling her voice.

“Of the moment you stopped loving Christmas.”

Suddenly, she found herself watching as Sam — more solid and corporeal than the man standing next to her — hung ornaments on a lit tree in the corner. Christmas music was merrily playing from the television and he hummed along, making the apartment as festive as possible before-.

The door opened and Aelin stride in wearing her high school cheer uniform. She froze when she saw the decorations. “What are you doing?”

He softly smiled at her, “I thought this place could use some-.”

“You know how I feel about this holiday,” she said, dropping her backpack on the couch and heading for their bedroom. She shut the door behind her and the sound of the lock clicking filled the room.

When Arrobyn has died from a heart attack when she was sixteen, rather than go into the foster system, Aelin petitioned the state for emancipation; to see her, for all intents and purposes, as an adult. It was granted and with the inheritance she received from her parents, she got a cheap apartment across town from the high school and paid a full year’s rent. And then she met Sam. He was a couple years older than her, having went to high school with her. He’d been the light in her dark tunnel, an anchor for her to hold onto when she felt like she was drowning. He knew her inside and out. And he knew how she felt about this time of year.

The Christmas music continued to play until he picked up the remote and muted the tv, and he knocked on the door. “Aelin, baby, open up.”

No response.

Aelin looked over at Sam. “I’ve seen enough.”

He just looked back at her, sadness in his brown eyes.

The knocking continued. “Please, babe, I just wanted you to enjoy Christmas with me.”

Nothing.

Sam grabbed his coat and headed for the door, snagging his keys that were hanging by the door.

Aelin whispered, “Sam, please take me home.”

Her voice was breaking as she watched him leave the apartment and she ran to the window, watched him get in his car, and leave.

“You know what happened next,” he said.

She did.

He’d left and went down to the corner store down the street, presumably to get her chocolates, since that was what was found on him. On his body.

There’d been a robbery and it had gone wrong. Sam had stepped in, to try and defuse the tension.

Sam didn’t walk back out of the store.

Aelin was sobbing. Not the high school Aelin. No, her younger self was scowling out the window as she watched Sam drive away.

So stupid.

So selfish.

“Take me home,” Aelin sobbed, reaching for Sam’s hand.

He tilted her chin up so that her eyes met his, his fingers feeling as solid as they did then.

“Why would you show me this?” She said, not bothering to wipe her eyes. She didn’t reflect much on Sam. When she did, she did not like the emotions that swept through her.

“To remind you of what your bitterness has lost you,” he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her brow.

Aelin’s eyes fluttered shut as a cry sputtered out of her lips. And when she opened them once more, she was alone in her bedroom.

She could still feel him, could still smell him. Trembling fingers reached up to her cheeks and they came away wet.

“Crying already? But your night has just begun.”

Aelin spun around, horror sweeping through her as she beheld Chaol, leaning against her doorframe.

Her face paled. “Are you- have you- when-.”

Chaol gave her a small smile. “Don’t worry, I’m not dead. No matter how many threats you threw my way when we broke up.”

“How are you- is this all in my head?” She asked, running a hand down her face. “Did I fall downstairs and hit my head? Am I slowly bleeding out or something?”

Chaol just laughed and shook his head. “You already know the answer to that.” He took a step towards her and held out his hand. “Come on.”

Aelin threw her head back and sighed, wiping at her face and when she looked back down, she reached out and took his hand in hers.

When they appeared in the middle of a Christmas party at Manon and Dorian’s, Chaol didn’t let go of her hand. Aelin didn’t either.

It still felt right to hold his hand.

It had only been a few months since Aelin and Chaol had a very dramatic, very explosive break up. Having the same friend circle, they had to get over their issues pretty quickly, and surprisingly enough, they’d had more meaningful conversations in the past three months than they’d had in the year and a half they’ve been together.

Aelin looked over at him and then her eyes locked on as he walked by. She looked back at the Chaol holding her hand and said, “The world does not need two of you.”

Chaol grinned, eyes bright. “Same to you, A. You were invited to this party, you know.”

Yes, she was, but she had politely declined.

“Rather stay at home by yourself and get drunk watching old movies?” Chaol asked with a side glance.

Aelin squeezed his hand before sighing. “Alright. Why are we here?”

Chaol shook his head. “Really? You have to ask? Aelin, look at all these people. These are your friends. They love you. And yet, you’re not here. Why? Because it’s a Christmas party and you’re the grinch.”

Aelin scoffed. “I am not!”

Ghost Chaol just rolled his eyes. “You could be having the time of your life at this party. You should’ve come.”

Aelin said nothing. She simply snatched her hand out of his and crossed her arms. “I get it. Take me home now, weird ghost of Chaol.”

“Can’t do that,” he mused, leaning back against the wall. He was seeming to scan the room. “You’ve still got to learn something from me.”

“And what would that be?” Aelin tried not to pout as she watched her friends having fun, playing games, exchanging presents, drinking and being merry. Chaol just looked over at her and Aelin interrupted him. “Let me guess. You can’t tell me.”

Chaol winked at her and said, “We’ll come back here in a bit. I want to show you somewhere else.”

He held out his hand again and as Aelin grabbed it, she looked up and saw Rowan talking to Lorcan and Fenrys.

She could’ve sworn he was looking at her, too.

“He likes you,” Chaol sang.

Aelin lifted a brow. “Pardon?”

“Whitethorn. He’s into you.” When Aelin rolled her eyes, Chaol’s grin widened. “I know you’re all bitter about Christmas and love and all that shit, but you should give him a chance. When you’re ready. He’s a good guy.”

Aelin had to admit she was attracted to Rowan, but she would never admit that to Chaol. “On with it,” she hissed.

In the blink of an eye, they were standing out in the snow. Aelin, still im her pajamas and fuzzy socks, didn’t feel any chill whatsoever as they passed a sign that read Endovier, Home for Children. Aelin had spent three months in the orphanage after her parents passed while her emancipation was going through. She hated it there.

“Why the hell are we here?” She snapped.

Chaol simply gestured her toward the front window. “It’s tradition here that every year, at midnight on Christmas, they come together and open their gifts.”

Aelin peered inside the front window and froze.

There wasn’t a miserable face in the room. Kids were tearing paper off of presents, eating candy, making crafts. The teenagers and older kids helped the younger kids. There was music filtering out through the windows.

“Where did they get the money for presents?” She asked, turning around to look at him.

His hands were in his pockets as he stepped closer. “They made most of them. Some of the older kids with jobs helped them buy them. They’re all a big family.”

“Family,” Aelin repeated. “Once again, that thing I don’t have,” she spit.

“Don’t you get it, Aes?” He asked, frustration written on his face.

“Get what?” She yelled, stepping away from him and throwing her hands out. “Get that I’m alone, just like I am every year?”

He grabbed her wrist, making her look at him.

He asked, quietly, “Don’t you get that you do have a family?”

Aelin quickly looked away from him, wanting to break eye contact, needing to.

“Blood does not make family, Aelin,” Chaol said, gently. “Circumstances do not dictate your future.”

Aelin’s eyes lined with silver, tears pooling her eyes for the second time that night.

“We all love you,” Chaol went on. “We want you to be happy and seeing you so miserable around the holidays...well, we hate it. We don’t like seeing you like that. You deserve the world, Aelin Galathynius. You deserve the world.”

Aelin watched the kids inside. They were hugging one another, laughing, showing off their gifts. None of them had parents, they were all just like her. And yet? They were happy. Joyful. Dwelling in the holiday season, giving into the spirit of Christmas.

“My father’s favorite holiday was Christmas,” Aelin said, quietly. “My mother used to decorate the house and walk around singing carols, baking cookies, the works.”

Chaol watched her thoughtfully as she reminisced. “Don't you think that they’d want that love to live on? That they’d want you to enjoy every minute of your life, both around Christmas and every other day of the year?”

Aelin didn’t answer. She kept watching the kids inside the house, watching their joy, their holiday spirit.

“Take me back,” Aelin whispered. “Please.”

Chaol sighed and took her hand again.

Before she could blink, they were back in her bedroom. He didn’t say anything, just pressed a kiss to her cheek, let go of her hand and stepped back. He smiled at her and raised a hand. He snapped.

Aelin sat up in bed with a gasp. Her face was still wet from the tears she’d been crying, and she wiped her face and laid back on the bed.

“Going back to sleep so soon?”

Her eyes shot open and sat up, turning to look beside her.

Rowan was lounging on her bed, a smirk on his handsome face. “My turn,” he said.

Aelin blushed and said, “Past, present and...future, huh?”

Rowan swing his legs off the side of the bed and walked around, stopping in front of her. He tipped her chin up until she was looking up at him. “I hate to tell you this, but you aren’t going to like all of the future you’re about to see.”

She swallowed hard and nodded, already having guessed that.

She was still looking into his green eyes when she noticed the room around them had changed.

They were no longer in her bedroom, they weren’t even in her house.

No, they were downtown in a hospital room. Aelin was lying in the bed, hooked up to a series of machines.

Aelin rolled her eyes. “If I don’t gain Christmas spirit I’m going to die? Really?”

Rowan’s green eyes softened as he perched himself on the edge of the hospital cot. “Not exactly. You are heading down the wrong road, though, Aelin. Can you tell me why?”

“Is that a rhetorical question?” She asked, arms crossed.

She would be lying if she said that seeing herself lying in a hospital bed, near death, wasn’t unsettling.

“What happened to me?” Aelin asked when Rowan didn’t answer.

Rowan studied her thoughtfully. “You pushed everyone away,” he said, at last.

Aelin brushed her fingers along the heart monitor. “Why?”

Rowan watched her without saying a word. It wasn't until Aelin looked at him with shining blue eyes that he said, “Because you were dwelling in the past. Aelin, no one is telling you not to feel pain from the past. But, the point of a painful past is to learn from it, not to let it control you.”

“What the fuck is the point of my parents dying, huh?” Aelin asked, anger rising. “Why is it so necessary that I like a stupid holiday?”

Rowan watched her, emotions even as he watched her outbreak. “We all feel pain, Aelin. My parents died, too. But we can’t let our pasts define us, control us. They’re still with us, our parents. They’re here, Aelin. And your parents want your future to be bright, to be full of happiness. They want to see you smile, to celebrate, to see Christmas as a time spent with friends, not a time of despair.”

Aelin refused to look at him, she refused to let him see the tears running down her face.

She didn’t want this. Didn’t want a future of misery and loneliness. Didn’t want to allow the bitterness that had taken root in her heart to expand and take over.

“I don’t know what do, Rowan,” she whispered.

She closed her eyes tightly and when she opened them again, she was outside.

It was dark and it was snowy, but had none of the warmth and cheer that the orphanage had had. No, she was cold and confused and...alone.

“Rowan?” She spun around and looked for him, but she was completely and utterly alone in the empty field. She backed up and fell, and fell and fell and fell, until her back hit soft ground. She stood, finding herself a dark, deep...grave.

“Rowan?” She called. When there was no reply, she screamed, louder, “Rowan? Please help me!”

He never came.

Aelin fell to the ground and wrapped her arms around her legs. Her tears fell freely. This was it. This was her life. Her future.

“I don’t understand!” She screamed, eyes burning.

“I don’t understand.”

But she did understand. She was angry, bitter. And the only person making her feel that way, no matter how many times she had tried to blame it on others, was herself. She had lost her parents, and then her first love...but now, on their favorite holiday, she was alone and pissed off. She was tainting their memories by pushing them away, by pretending that the joy and goodness of the holiday season didn’t exist. She missed them. Missed her parents, missed Sam. But instead of pretending Christmas didn’t exist, she should spend Christmas keeping their memories alive. She needed to let go of the anger, let go of the bitterness...and live.

“Rowan,” she whispered. “Rowan, please.”

Fingers tilted her chin up, and her watery gaze locked onto his.

“You’ve got to let it go, Aelin, all of it. The anger, the bitterness, the animosity. Or else you’ll have nothing to hold onto.”

Another sob wracked her body and Rowan leaned down to press a kiss to the top of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut.

When she opened them, she was alone.

She was on her couch and she was alone.

The fire still roared in the corner, Fleetfoot was asleep in the recliner and Aelin was struggling to breathe.

She hopped out of bed and dashed up the stairs, quickly getting ready and hopping in her car. She got to Manon and Dorian’s and didn’t hesitate until she was on the front step, about to knock on the door. She looked down at the dress and heels she wore and suddenly felt stupid.

The party had been going on for hours. They wouldn’t want her there. Aelin had made it perfectly clear how she felt about Christmas, and now she was just going to walk in and convince everyone otherwise?

Aelin turned around and walked back down the front porch steps. She was a fool for coming, a fool for believing her dreams had been a reality, a fool for thinking they’d want her there.

“Aelin?”

She turned around at her name being called and found Lysandra halfway out the door. “Hey, Lys.”

Lysandra asked, “What are you doing?” Aelin’s enter body sagged. She was right, they didn’t want her here, they would-. “Where are you going?”

She turned and looked at her best friend. “I was just going to go home. It’s almost over and I don’t want to intrude and-.”

“Intrude?” Lysandra’s voice was surprised as she stepped out onto the porch and shut the door behind her. “Babe, you were invited to this party. No one cares when you show up, all we care about is that you’re here. Now, come on. We were just about to do Secret Santa.”

Aelin stood there in the snow, staring at her. “I- I don’t have a gift.”

Lysandra stepped down the stairs and linked her arm through Aelin’s. “Aes, you are the gift.” She led her up the stairs. “And Rowan is going to be very happy you’re here. He’s been asking about you all night.”

A small smile tugged on Aelin’s lips. It appears ghost Chaol was right about that one.

The moment Aelin walked through the door, she was met with smiles and hugs. The house was decorated in reds and greens and golds. Dorian had done a great job, as Aelin knew he was most likely the one to have decorated. Manon probably just sat on the couch with a glass of wine watching him work.

That was precisely where she was sitting now and when Aelin joined her she glanced over. “Didn’t think we’d see you tonight.”

Aelin caught her eye as she drank from her wine glass. “I didn’t either, but...figured it was time to stop being miserable.”

Manon only nodded, taking a sip as well. “Does this mean I’m the only one who hates Christmas now?”

Aelin chuckled and said, “I guess so.”

“Hey.”

She looked up and saw Rowan sitting on the arm of the couch. “Hey, you.”

He smiled. “I’m glad you’re here. I didn’t think you were coming.”

Aelin looked around and caught Chaol’s eye. He was smirking as he talked to Dorian. She could only shake her head and chuckle. “I didn’t either, but why stay at home when I could spend time with my friends?”

Rowan’s smile widened as he held out his hand to her. “Care to go for a walk?”

Aelin didn’t hesitate. They walked outside, the back porch dusted with newly fallen snow. Rowan shrugged off his jacket and hung it over Aelin’s shoulders.

“I had a weird dream tonight,” Aelin confessed. “After I fell asleep at, like, eight.”

Rowan’s green eyes gleamed. “Yeah? What about?”

Aelin opened her mouth and closed it just as quickly. She didn’t want to sound crazy. And she surely would.

“Christmas,” she replied, simply.

Rowan huffed a laugh. “Maybe it wasn’t a dream at all.”

Aelin raised a brow. “No?”

“Maybe it was the universe telling you that you belong, and that everything is going to be okay.”

His fingers brushed Aelin’s softly as Aelin tilted her head up toward the sky above, allowing the snow to grace her lips, her eyelashes.

“I think you’re right.”

They stayed out there until Aelin realized she couldn’t feel her fingers. Rowan lead her back inside and sat her down on the open loveseat, surrounded by her family. He returned with a mug of hot chocolate and handed it to her, before sitting down next to her. His arm wrapped around the back of the couch and without thinking about it, Aelin leaned into his side. She tended slightly as he looked down at her.

But then his arm slipped down around her shoulders and pulled her in closer. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head.

Aelin decided then that her parents and Sam, wherever they were, were watching with a smile on their faces as she celebrated their favorite winter holiday surrounded by her friends, her family.

#throne of ashes and beauty #toab #toab tacmc 12 days of xmaas #aelin galathynius #rowan whitethorn #rowaelin #sam cortland #chaol westfall

145 notes · View notes