Work Text:
December 24, approx. 11pm EST
Danny smiles proudly at his Christmas tree, with all of the gifts to his sons decorating the skirt. He walks to his fridge and grabs a bottle of wine, one that was only filled half way. After the 4 – 3 win over the Sabres on the 21st, Danny had a huge reason to celebrate.
He sipped his wine and began to daydream as the clock ticked the minutes away. He eyed the perfectly wrapped presents under the tree, recanting what he had wrapped for his sons. He looks at the poorly-wrapped present that one of his sons wrapped, and “DAD” is penned in thick Sharpie on the side of the poor present.
Danny’s phone vibrates just after midnight, with a familiar name on the screen.
New Message : Clo
Danny sets his wine glass down on an end table, and swallows the mouthful of wine he just took.
merry xmas!
Danny couldn’t help but smile.
Thanks Clo! :) He replied almost instantly.
Danny stands up to check on his boys to make sure that they are asleep. He creeps up his stairs and pokes his head into their bedrooms. Thankfully, they’re all asleep, but their rest is threatened by Danny’s phone.
tell the boys merry xmas if theyre still up lol
They just went to bed, haha. Danny replies, tucking his phone deep into his sweatpants pocket. For a moment, Danny pushes the door open again to one of his son’s rooms, and lays his cheek on the doorframe. He’s caught in a trance for a moment while he watches his sons sleep. It’s a fatherly thing—he’s just in awe of the beauty that is his children. Danny loves it. Danny loves seeing his sons, he loves knowing that they exist. Someone once, in passing, said that the way Danny loves his sons is “excessive”, but it’s the least he could do for them.
o man lol Claude texts back. A man of little words.
What’s it like being in a playoff spot for Christmas? Danny replies. He backs out of the doorway and gently closes the door before he heads downstairs.
its pretty fucking great!
Danny grins before he picks up his wine glass and finishes the drink. He places the glass by the sink, and shuts off the lights before he heads upstairs again. But, halfway up the stairs he pauses, and runs back down to plug in the tree.
In the darkness of his living room, the lights echo off of the glass photo frames, casting colour around the room. The lights dance off of the shiny bows, the glitter on the wrapping paper. Danny is in awe, and he feels like a child again, stunned by the magic of Christmas.
It all comes back—every single Christmas—the ones when he woke up early, maybe around 4am, and spied the tree from the top of the stairs, or the ones where he almost imploded after he unwrapped the best present. Or the one with Claude.
“Clo, it’s your turn!” Cameron decided, placing a big box in Claude’s lap.
“It’s from all of us!” Caelan shouted.
“Okay, okay.” Claude said, laughing. He slipped the tip of his finger under the wrapping paper, ripping the paper away from the box. Underneath was a Cuisinart Sandwich Grill. Claude broke into fits of laughter.
“It’s for your pre-game cheeses!” Carson said, holding a present in his lap.
“Oh man, guys,” Claude laughed. “This is perfect. Thank you guys so much. I love it. I haven’t even used it, and I love it!”
“You’re very welcome, Clo.” Danny mouths to himself. Danny walks over and unplugs the tree, and slowly makes his way up stairs.
Welcome to the top, Clo! Danny texts back. He walks into his room and pulls off his shirt, tossing it to the floor before Claude texts back.
man its great. anyway merry xmas danny!
You too. Danny crawls into bed.
goodnight!!!:)
Danny pauses for a moment, a smile spreading across his face.
Goodnight Clo.
Danny plugs his phone in and places it on his bed stand, next to his lamp. He silences his phone and pulls his comforter over his head. He closes his eyes, and relaxes for a moment, still thinking about Christmas past.