twas the night before christmas (set on 12/24)

[triskehale]

This time of year is especially hard for Derek. Part of him wants to just keep to himself, to disappear for awhile, but that won't solve anything. It won't make him feel any better. So he does his best to keep moving forward, and he seeks out the people who make him feel good.

It's Christmas Eve, and Derek heads out into the chill to bring Bitty's gift to him. It's neatly wrapped, and he's pretty excited to give it to him. He thinks it'll go over pretty well, and he has a small smile on his face by the time he knocks on Bitty's door.

"Open up," he calls out, "Santa came early."

Comments

[puckandpie]

I'm absolutely reading way too much into that statement, I know that much even when it hits my ears and makes everything inside me go warm. I know he's just complimenting my cooking, but it feels like so much more.

Get ahold of yourself, Bittle. Goodness.

My eyes fall back to the box on the table, skates gleaming and I let out a shaky breath before nodding. "I'm a little afraid to mess 'em up already," I confess, but I take a seat on the couch beside him all the same and reach out to pull the right skate out, my fingers reverent over the leather of the boot. Carefully balancing the blade in my lap, I pull the laces aside enough to slip my foot in, completely unsurprised to find it fits like a glove. It's still, of course, from lack of use, but I can already tell it fits perfectly. "Did you steal my skates when I wasn't lookin' to find out the size?" I ask, glancing over at him with a small grin.

[triskehale]

"They're meant to be worn," Derek assures him, watching him as he takes them out of the box. He smiles at the way that Bitty touches the skates, and he knows that he made the right decision in getting them. It seems to fit so well and Derek grins, cutting a sly look over at Bitty. "I might have. So you like them?"

It's a dumb question. It's obvious that he likes them, and Derek is glad to have made him so happy. Worth every penny.

[puckandpie]

Slipping my left foot into the other skate, I glance up at Derek with a smirk. "That, Mr. Hale, is possibly the dumbest question anyone has ever asked me, and someone once asked if I'd ever heard of Beyonce. Of course I like them, you sill wolf. I love them."

Once both skates are laced up, I stretch out my legs, admiring how they look, all sleek and gorgeous, the blades sticking out proudly. I don't stand, afraid of dulling them too soon, but they sure do look nice.

"And they fit perfectly," I say, giving him a small smile. There's still a weight in my gut, still an ache from missing my family and from dinner yesterday with Simon, but it feels a little less overbearing now. I feel warm.