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“Okay chat, I think we’re going to get started now.”
Niki let out a breath, tucking her hair back behind her ear and looking over her shoulder at the Christmas tree that stood in the corner of her room. For the first time in years, she had a real tree, and really it was all thanks to Wilbur. She’d have put up her fake tree if she’d gone home for Christmas, but staying in England they’d decided to make a bigger deal of it. They’d gone out to buy a tree together and Wilbur had insisted on carrying it home - she had plenty of photographic evidence to be used as blackmail if needed - and now that the branches had settled a little it was time to decorate.
“Yes, it’s real, it smells lovely in here.” Niki smiled, getting to her feet and adjusting the waistband of her skirt before she started rifling through the boxes of decorations. She had plenty of standard decorations, but also plenty of baubles that meant something special to her. Once she’d realised she wouldn’t be home for Christmas, her parents had sent a box full of very carefully wrapped decorations they’d kept from when she was younger. Some were hand painted, some were knick-knacks from holidays, but all of them had a story.
When she could remember, she told her chat about the stories too. She told them about one - a red bauble with a messily painted snowman (in blue, for some strange reason) that had been a school project when she was 7. Her best friend at the time had a matching one, and she wondered if she still kept it.
After she’d explained as many as she could, before starting to hang the baubles from the branches she added lights to the tree - simple, warm lights that twinkled. She turned the main lights off for a moment so that the stream picked up just how beautiful and calming it felt, and she let out a gentle breath as she watched. Christmas made all her worries melt away, it felt like a big, warm hug from the world.
She felt another big, warm hug when arms came around her and a chin rested itself on her shoulder, a tall, lanky man leaning over to embrace her from behind.
“Wil?”
“Mhm.”
“What are you doing, Wil?” Niki laughed, turning her head to the side and realising just how close Wilbur was to her. She wasn’t going to complain, he was a very touchy person and she would never turn down a gesture of kindness from a friend. “I’m streaming.”
“Do you want help decorating?” He asked her, swaying himself from side to side and pulling Niki gently to make the pair move in sync. Niki just smiled and nodded, watching him closely.
“I’m not tall enough to reach to put the star on the top anyway, I would have needed your help whether you wanted to give it or not.”
“Good thing I’m here then.” He smiled, their eyes locking for a moment before Wilbur eventually pulled away and took two long strides towards her set up. “Hello chat!” He beamed, rosy cheeks plumping out. “Hello, it’s wonderful to see you all, I’m gate crashing Niki’s stream, can’t let her have too much fun without me.” He winked into the camera, before turning back in time to see the shorter woman rolling her eyes.
Decorating alone had been calming and peaceful, decorating together was chaotic and filled with laughter. Niki’s cheeks hurt from smiling so widely, her sides ached from laughing so hard, and she’d had to leave the room twice just to get away from Wilbur when she descended into hysterics. Every time she stopped laughing he’d flash her a grin, and she’d begin giggling once more. It meant that decorating the tree took a little while longer, but when the stories behind the baubles were what made them beautiful then surely it was the memories they made while decorating the tree that made the experience fun.
By the time the branches were full, the lights and tinsel sparkled, and the star had been placed on top of the tree, the stream had been going for hours. Niki had sat herself back in her chair, and Wilbur had sat cross-legged on the floor beside her with his head resting in her lap. Her fingers absent-mindedly ran through the curls on his head, untangling the few knots there were, and the two talked and answered questions. Niki’s cats paid a short visit to the stream which resulted in Zuko falling asleep against Wilbur’s head, and meant neither of them could move. After all, how could they move when a cat slept so soundly and safely against them?
When she eventually ended the stream, Wilbur moved away slowly (so as not to wake Zuko) and held up two fingers, gesturing that he’d be back shortly, before his sock clad feet padded from the room. Niki passed the time by scratching behind Zuko’s ears, watching the cat as he subconsciously leaned into her touch. She listened to him purr, enjoying how it filled the silence of the room and made everything feel just a little cosier, before Wilbur returned with a tray that clattered. It wasn’t deliberate by any means - and certainly not malicious - but it was enough to wake the sleeping cat and send him bounding back out into the living room. Niki laughed a little as Zuko skidded around the corner, before looking to see what Wilbur had brought with him that made so much noise.
Two large mugs of hot chocolate, with whipped cream, grated chocolate, and cherries on top, and a plate full of lebkuchen. Niki’s heart beat a little faster when she saw the goodies, the edible reminder of home curing a homesickness she didn’t know she was feeling.
“I know you couldn’t make it back to see your family, so I thought I’d bring a little bit of Germany to our Christmas.” Wilbur said with a smile, picking up the bigger mug of hot chocolate and handing it to her with a spoon before he took the second mug for himself and sat himself on her bed, shuffling until his back leaned against the wall.
“Where did you find these? I’ve been looking all over for them.”
“Oh, I made them.” He told her, the comment delivered as if it was nothing. She wondered if he really didn’t realise how big of a gesture it was, or if he was just trying to downplay the effort he’d gone to. “It wasn’t just me, Tommy was on the call, he dictated the icing patterns.”
“Tommy helped too?” Niki asked, letting herself smile a little wider. She was truly, whole heartedly touched by the generosity and the thoughtfulness of her friends. “Thank you, Wil. This means so much more to me than I can put into words.”
“I hope they taste as good as the real thing.”
Niki took that as her cue to lean over and take one from the tray, so she did. The biscuit was rectangular, and on top of the thin layer of icing that covered the whole thing were several slightly thicker lines, outlining the flag of L’Manburg onto the treat. It almost felt like a sin biting into it, but it tasted too good not to go back for seconds, and dipping it into the hot chocolate Wilbur had made only served to make it taste even better.
So the pair of them sat together and chatted whilst sipping on their drinks and clearing the plate of even the smallest crumbs - making sure nothing remained. Even when the conversation stopped, the two of them remained where they sat and basked in the atmosphere of warmth.
Niki eventually fell asleep in her chair, and with the last of his energy Wilbur got to his feet to pick her up and carry her the few steps from the chair to her bed, tucking a blanket over her sleeping form before he yawned and stretched himself. He didn’t think twice before he lay down beside her, his eyes closed before his head even hit the pillow. An arm lazily rested over her stomach and he felt Niki roll over in his hold. He’d worry about washing their mugs and the plate in the morning, and he’d deal with the ache he’d surely have in his legs from sleeping on a bed too short for his height then too. For now, he just wanted to fall asleep beside his best friend and enjoy the cosy Christmas spirit they’d created for a little while longer.
So he did.