Work Text:
What no one tells you is, that when you run away from your overly wealthy home and stable life, you have to relinquish plenty of amenities.
For Nico that mostly means she doesn't have access to high quality make up and proper skin care products anymore. Which, don't get her wrong, sucks balls. But she copes.
She knows, however, that while adjusting has been hard for all of them, it has been hardest on Molly.
She is the youngest and not only should she still be having a normal life, healthy diet and adequate sleeping schedule but she should also not have to worry about murderous parents and killer aliens.
She's putting up a though act but when, upon walking into Walmart to restock their supplies after the final show down, they discover that its only three days till Christmas, she breaks down a bit and none of them can resent her for it.
"We've missed Chanukah", her voice is small and broken in a way they haven't heard in a long time.
"It's okay, Molly!", Gert tries to console her immediately but to no avail.
"No! No, nothing is okay! Our parents are killers, my parents were killed by my friends parents, an alien tried to wipe out humanity and we missed chanukah."
Big crocodile tears start welling up in her eyes.
Gert ends up going back to the car with her so the others can get their supplies without people questioning the breakdown of a fifteen year old and her tale of the almost-end of the world.
So really, Nico couldn't have cared less but when it comes to Molly they all have a soft spot.
Karolina exchanges one glance with Chase and all of a sudden they're filling their shopping cart with Christmas decoration, holiday food and wrapping paper.
They end up splurging for Christmas, so what. It's much to Alex dismay though, who said they should be careful with their money even now that the situation with their parents and the imminent end of the world were more or less resolved.
It is worth it for the look on Mollys face when they return to the hostel and start wrapping the whole thing in colorful decorations and ribbons of every size.
Gert is responsible for the baking of Christmas cookies. Chase had wanted to assist but ended up balancing on the top of a ladder to reach all the places Molly desperately wanted adored with trinkets.
Karolina is right there with him, though she's having a much easier time what with her being able to fly and all.
Old Lace, in her excitement, almost manages to throw Chase off his ladder as she rushed past and generally gets in everyone's was before she finally settles down and watches them with curious eyes.
Alex spends an hour breeding over the instructions to a plastic Christmas tree before he gets it right, but the pride on his face as he finally manages is priceless.
Christmas Carols sound from the speakers and fill the space around them with additional jolliness. Even Old Lace is thumping her tail on the floor where she's laying near Alex.
Nico supervises mostly, but then Molly fixes her with pleading eyes and she's wroped into wrapping parcels and aiding Molly in telling whether or not the ribbon Karolina is holding up to the wall is hanging straight or not.
Then she joins Gert in the kitchen because she can't keep watching Chase wobble on his ladder and she's getting distracted from every task Alex asks her assistance with because her girlfriend is beautiful and glowing and radiant and yeah...Nico is leaving the room before she ends up really dropping the hammer on Alex toe and not just missing it by a few centimetres.
Christmas comes around and they spend a wonderful day together. Gert and Karolina slave away in the kitchen until Chase comes by to help out. Gert and him bicker so loudly that it can be heard in the hall and not five minutes after he makes his way through the kitchen doors, Karolina exits the room with a pained look on her face.
Alex is playing cards with Molly while Nico is endulging them by reading Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol out loud to them.
Karolina joins her on the sofa and snuggles into her side, her breath ghosting over Nicos neck. Her voice stocks for a second as a shiver runs down her spine. She really wants to kiss Karolina senseless but for the sake of quality family time she takes a deep breath and resigns herself to the fact fact that she'll just have to wait for later that night.
All in all she's having a pretty great time.
It's only later that night, once they wolfed down all the types of food that had been prepared because Karolina and Gert couldn't just settle on one type of meal that Nico notices the extra mile that her girlfriend has gone for the holidays.
Molly, exhausted from the day's excitement and activities, promptly falls asleep as soon as they put on a movie. Chase, ever the big brother, picks her up to put her to bed and Gert follows him after a second. Nico doesn't even wanna know what kind of shenanigans they'll be get up to.
Alex leaves soon after, claiming he has something or another he wants fixed on his computer before tomorrow.
Nico is not entirely sure she believes him but for once she really doesn't care.
It is only just ten o'clock and she's much too grateful that she gets to spend the evening with her girlfriend.
She sinks deeper into the old, used cushions of the sofa and into Karolina'S embrace and she's about to close her eyes and just enjoy this moment when Karolina sits up abruptly, jostling the little Goth in the process.
"Oh! I almost forgot!", she exclaims and then, much to Nico's dismay, she's jumping up and jogging off. She groans and throws herself back dramatically.
Is it really too much to ask to spend an evening alone on the sofa, cuddling her girlfriend?
She wants to follow the blonde and tell her that whatever present she forgot to wrap can wait till the morning except Karolina returns not a moment later, carrying...a big chunk of a tree?
"What...What is that, Karrie?"
"It's...um, it's a Yule Log? I went out earlier to get it and I was about to show you, only I sort of wanted it to be just us when we light it."
Karolina is obviously nervous. She's not meeting Nico's eyes and she's doing that thing where she's worrying her bottom lip with her teeth.
And that's it, it's the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for her.
Nico surges up from the sofa and throws herself at Karolina, kissing her, licking into her mouth desperately.
"Fuck, I lamp you", she groans when they part, her hands all over the blondes body who is still holding onto the log. By the looks of it, however, her grip has slackened significantly and Nico is slightly worried she'll drop it if she doesn't adjust soon.
"Uhh." Apparently she's rendered her girlfriend speechless.
She grabs onto Karolina's arm and together they march over to the old fireplace that Chase apparently cleaned out the day before on Karolina behalf for this purpose specifically.
They both know how to light a fire but Nico is way too lazy to go and get what they need for that so she grabs the staff and a pick later flames start licking at the log.
Nico cuddles into Karolina front, the other girls slender arms wrapped around her from behind.
"Thank you for this. I didn't think you'd even know what a Yule Log is to be honest. Didn't think Gibborim would support pagan holidays."
She feels Karolina pressing a soft kiss into the skin of her neck as she watches the fire burn.
It's beautiful. A beautiful moment with a beautiful girl. She doesn't think that she ever experienced anything more perfect.
"It doesn't. I...uh I remembered you talking about Yule a while ago and researched it. When we decided to celebrate Christmas I thought I could do at least one thing to honour your traditions."
Nico watched as a deep blush took residence on the blonde's cheeks.
"Its perfect, babe. Thank you."
She turned in Karolinas arms to press their fronts together fully.
"I want only the best for you, you know", the blonde whispered softly, their noses brushing.
"All I need to be happy is you, Karolina. I want everything with you. I hope this will mark the end of all this madness and the beginning of our new life, of a life spend with you."
She can see tears welling up in Karolinas eyes and quickly closes the gap between them to press her lips, coloured a deep red in accordance to the holiday, softly to Karolinas pink ones.
"I love you", Karolina whispers when they part, voice hoarse with emotion.
"I love you too. You're the Light to my Darkness. You're my very own Yule Log, you shine brightly through the night and keep all evil away."