Work Text:
A gentle shake on his shoulder caused Edge to wake from his drowsy state. He groaned as he rolled over to glance blearily at his husband, being mindful of his casted arm in its sling. He felt a dip in the side of the bed as Stretch sat down, his gaze apologetic but warm. Stretch caressed his cheekbone gently, before leaning over to plant a kiss on his forehead. Edge brow creased at the touch, soaking in the comfort being provided, even if he hated why Stretch was being so gentle with his affection. He still gave an appreciative noise in response, trying to chase that mouth for a proper kiss. The pain relievers caused him to slow down, making his attempt ineffective.
“i texted the group chat, letting everyone know that gyftmas dinner was canceled for us.” Stretch spoke softly, not wanting to reveal how much it pained him to do so. Stretch was looking forward to the evening events. The house decorated to host the other skeletons for a night of Gyftmas celebration, the ingredients set aside for the meal would go uncooked. “told them that they should celebrate without us. they understood given the circumstances.” Stretch traced a finger along his coronal suture.
“Thank you.” Edge whispered groggily. He felt bad as it was, not being able to host this year’s Gyftmas dinner. If it weren’t for an unfortunate turn of events that landed him in the emergency room the night before, he would be downstairs right about now, cooking to his soul’s content while chatter buzzed into the kitchen from the living room. Stretch let Edge take the kiss he was seeking before letting the drowsy monster finally succumb into sleep’s embrace.
The day before, Edge had been in a rush to get things set up, checking the pantry to be absolutely sure he had everything for Gyftmas dinner when he realized he was out of a few key ingredients to a dish he was very eager to cook. Edge let out a heavy sigh, how could that have been missed?
A final check in the fridge found that the Eggnog carton that Edge has specifically bought just for the evening had been drank down to the very last swig. He took a deep and slow breath, reminding himself that he loved his husband dearly, even if the sweet-toothed monster couldn’t resist the draw of the holiday beverage. He jotted it down onto his list before heading towards the store.
Checking his watch, Edge figured there were only a few hours before the nearest store closed for the holiday. Grabbing his keys and slipping in his boots, Edge ran out of the house and into the powdery white. It didn’t take terribly long to drive to the grocery store, even at slower speeds due to the snow fall. Edge rushed in just as the snow began to fall heavier.
After making his purchases, and securing the last two large cartons of Stretch’s favorite Eggnog, Edge strolled out of the store, with pride that they wouldn’t have to go without. Edge was always known as a graceful monster, one with impeccable balance and dexterity. However, there were times, generally unexpected and with the universe’s uncanny sense of perfect placement and timing, where Edge would be caught off guard and unsuspecting. The patch of Ice had gone unseen, both times he had passed it by, and the sudden sense of sliding had dismantled his gracefulness into a series of flailing limbs as he attempted to keep himself upright with all baggage in hand.
In many sense of the word, Edge had failed to stay upright, came crashing down in a harsh fall and the placement of his left arm, hit at just the right angle to rebreak an old injury of a seemingly distant past. The cartons of eggnog did little to break his fall, splattering under him all over the asphalt.
The rest of the night had gone by in a blur. He couldn’t quite remember what he did after, if he had yelled out in pain or not. But there was a mix of humans and monsters around him suddenly. He didn’t recall hearing nor responding to the one that made the call for an ambulance. He barely even remembered being placed into the flashing vehicle to be driven to the emergency room.
What he did remember was the look of fear on Stretch’s face as he panically searched for him in the ER, passed by his bed twice before finally finding him. His arm temporarily splinted as he waited for his turn for X-rays before any more could be done with the injury. The relief that washed over his face as he spotted Edge and rushed over to embrace him in an awkward hug. Edge would be home that night, pain meds swimming through his system.
As he laid down in the bed that night, snuggled in Stretch’s embrace, Edge lamented his lost opportunity to host and spoil his skeletal family, the meal he had dreamt up since the beginning of the month and shared merriment. That was when Edge asked Stretch to call everyone in the morning to cancel and apologize for him. With this injury, there was no way he would be able to cook up Gyftmas dinner.
Edge woke slowly to the sound of chatter and light music from beyond the bedroom door. He rubbed at his socket with his good hand before shifting to sit up in the bed. Absently Edge rubbed at the sling over his injured arm, that gave a dull ache, trying to figure out what was going on based on the sound alone. He could hear voices, familiar but muffled. Curiosity grabbing hold, Edge stood and ran a hand down his pajamas, smoothing out any wrinkles produced from sleep.
The chatter slowed to a stop once the door opened and Edge peered over the ledge of the second floor. Stretch looked up at him with a huge grin, next to him Blue waved heartily. From the kitchen Rus brought out a platter of snacks while Red and Comic glanced up from the love seat they occupied.
“hey, you’re awake.” Stretch proclaimed before he shortcut next to Edge. Gently, Stretch began to lead Edge to the stairs.
“I am, what’s going on?” Edge asked, slowly taking the stairs one at a time with Stretch’s support. He looked around, gifts placed under the tree, the last minute decorations completed, and holiday music playing at a reasonable level.
"everyone came for Gyftmas, babe.” Stretch beamed at him, planting a small kiss on his cheek.
Edge looked at him confused, “But I can’t host, I can’t cook…” Edge let Stretch lead him to the couch, helping to ease him down to the cushions. Edge inhaled deeply, taking in the smell of cooked food and spices coming from the kitchen.
“You Don’t Have Too. Rus Has Food Covered And I Have Entertainment Covered For The Night.” Blue chimed next to him, holding up a few holiday movies.
“WE WEREN’T GOING TO LET YOU MISS GYFTMAS OVER UNFORTUNATE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WAS NOT IN YOUR CONTROL.” Rus held up a plate of stuffed mushrooms for Edge to pick from.
Suddenly realizing that he was famished, Edge picked out a mushroom before popping it into his mouth. The cooking lessons he had been giving Rus and Blue had really paid off and it showed. Edge smiled at Rus. “Thank you.” He said sincerely as warmth surrounded Edge’s soul.
“you don’t even have to lift a finger, just sit back and relax for once.” Comic shifted over and poured a glass of eggnog, sprinkling a little bit of cinnamon on top before setting it on coaster on the coffee table.
“hey, bro. look up.” Red’s voice was suddenly behind him. Edge looked up to see Red standing behind him, on the back of the couch, and in his hand was a mistletoe, dangling high above Edge and Stretch.
Stretch chuckled and looked down at Edge. “looks like we got caught under the mistletoe, babe.” “There’s only one thing to do, then.” Edge says dryly before using his good arm to push Red off of the back of the couch, then pulled Stretch in for a kiss. Sans wolf whistled and Blue giggled. Red barked a laugh as Rus helped him back to his feet.
Edge smirked at Stretch before leaning over to grab his glass. A sharp twinge erupted from Edge’s damaged limb, causing him to knock over his glass. Stretch was up in a second, grabbing the glass before too much of the drink spill out. Rus produced a hand towel and handed it over to Stretch. After cleaning the mess, Stretch looked over at Edge, noticing a pout on his face.
“hey babe,” Stretch cupped Edge’s cheek, looking into his eyelights. He tapped a small kiss on Edge’s mouth. “there’s no use in crying over spilled eggnog, yea?”
Edge returned a small smile, pushing forward to deliver a kiss back. “I guess not.”
Stretch stroked his cheeks, “good, how’s the arm feeling? it’s probably time for another dose of meds?”
Edge grimaced at the thought, “I’m fine.”
Stretch levels him a look as he stroked his cheekbones. “Edge, i know you don’t like them, but I don’t want to see you in pain, babe.”
Edge’s expression softens as he leans into the touch. “Just a little bit longer? I don’t want to fall asleep too soon.”
Stretch considered the request before placing another kiss on Edge’s mouth. “Alright, but please let me know when it becomes too much.” Edge nodded in agreement as the chatter around them began anew.
Edge managed until just after dinner was had before needing to take the pain meds. Papyrus has done well with the spread, gaining compliments all around. Edge managed to stay awake for the Gyftmas gifts exchange but drifted off to sleep 10 minutes into the first movie, swaddled in a nest of blankets and pillows brought down for everyone to get in on the comfort.
Late into the night, Edge woke up, still downstairs snuggled in the nest with Stretch wrapped around him and all their guest snoozing in various spots. Warmth filled Edge’s soul as he nuzzled back under Stretch’s chin. It was the best Gyftmas Edge could have ever hoped for.