Work Text:
"I just want it to be something good that he'll like," Erica complains to Isaac as she picks up a heavy book but puts it back down in an instant. "Every time I ask him what he wants, he says he doesn't want anything."
"Well, he likes to read. Just get him a couple of books. I mean, that's why we're here."
"I can't get him books for Christmas! It's so... simple," she says while running her fingers over the spines of the many books on the shelves in front of her. "He's just hard to read, that's all."
"Hah, hard to read," Isaac chuckles and clears his throat when she gives him a look with enough malevolence to strip the paint off the walls of the bookstore. "Oh! Get him a tablet! It's basically thousands of books at his fingertips, and it has the expensive look of an electronic gadget." Isaac thanks whoever might be listening out there for giving him such a quick idea to stop Erica from pummeling him into the ground right then and there.
He grabs her hand and leads her to the display of tablets at the front of the store. She picks one up and it's very light in her hands. Her eyes land on the price tag and she almost falls over.
"This isn't a bad idea, Isaac, but there's one problem. I don't have enough money for it," she says pointing in the direction of the price, not even wanting to look at it again.
Isaac rolls his eyes and smiles. He pulls out a wad of money from his jean's pocket and puts it in her hands.
"Are you serious? Where'd you get this money?" Erica says as she begins counting it.
"Just call it a Christmas miracle," he pauses and looks around, leaning in closer. "Courtesy of Derek Hale."
Erica stops and laughs, "If he finds out, he's gonna kill you, and then me for going along with it."
"Yeah, right. I found it lying around in his desk drawer," he says and grins. "I bet he won't even miss it."
"How Scott can be with someone as terrible as you is beyond me," she says and smiles, bumping his arm with her shoulder. "You're not as sweet as you look, you know that, right?"
*
The real party begins at Boyd's parent's house. He brings Erica and Isaac along, giving him a chance to introduce Erica to his parents. Isaac checks out a few of Boyd's older cousins until Erica says she'll tell Scott if he slips up. He laughs and reminds her, "I'm not gonna do anything. Besides, there's no harm in looking."
Boyd's parents, Dana and Vernon, were ecstatic to meet Erica. Dana in particular seemed overjoyed that her son had finally found a group of good friends and even a girlfriend. She didn't know much about Erica but she knew Boyd liked her enough that his face lit up whenever she was mentioned, so Erica was okay in her book. Boyd's dad, on the other hand, felt a sense of pride that his son managed to be dating such a pretty girl. He gave Boyd a quick nod, which just made Boyd chuckle and shake his head.
They began opening gifts at midnight, with the younger kids tearing paper and bows at lightning speed. Isaac was watching them with a grin on his face. Erica, who was sitting with Boyd in a corner away from everyone else, pulled his gift out of her bag.
"I told you I didn't want anything," he tells her but he's clearly excited about it.
"Just open it," Erica says, tilting her head and flipping her long blonde hair.
The gold wrapping paper comes off in one piece and Boyd can't help the smile that appears on his face when he sees what it is.
"You can fit, like, a million books in it. Do you like it?"
"Of course I do. It's great, but it must have cost you a lot."
"Just call it... a Christmas miracle," she says and grins.
"Okay, I'm not even gonna ask because I probably don't wanna know," Boyd says and leans in to kiss her. She quickly breaks away and blushes.
"Your parents are gonna see us," she says through her chuckles. They laugh and try to hide their grinning faces from everyone else. Boyd suddenly remembers that he's forgotten about her gift. Without a word, he stands up and snakes a box out from underneath the tree and settles next to Erica again.
"I got this for you. Merry Christmas."
Erica gasps and immediately takes the box from Boyd. Just like his younger cousins, she tears the paper away and pulls out the leather purse she's been talking about for months.
"Did you do this just to see me cry?" Erica says and laughs, clutching the bag up to her chest. She kisses him quickly then says, "Guess who's getting the 'Best Boyfriend' award tonight." Then leans in closer, "Among other things," and grins at him mischievously.