Chapter Text
“Dave?”
“Sup, good lookin’?”
“Um, what is a holiday season?”
Dave gave the tv screen a funny look. He would have turned around, but he was in the midst of grinding some sweet rail and that necessitated his attention.
“Why?”
“John asked what we were doing for it?”
“Tell John to keep his nose out of our holiday shenanigans.”
“But what are our holiday shenanigans?”
The skater finally came to the end of the long line of rails and similarly grind-on-able objects, tripping and falling and sending pixelated blood splatter everywhere. Dave dropped the controller and vaulted over the couch.
“Dave?”
The teen simply looked over Tavros’ shoulder. As expected, Trollian was open and blue font was filling the screen. John was going on about getting ready for Thanksgiving and trying to explain it (which was probably the most hilarious description of Thanksgiving Dave had ever read, and would tease John about later, but he had other things to focus on). And then, from there, he left:
EB: so what is dave having you guys do for the holiday season?
EB: he never tells me what he and his brother get up to, so you’ll have to let me in on the secret!
“Dave, uh, are you going to tell me, or should I ask John?”
“Dude, don’t even go there. Considering how he mucked up explaining Thanksgiving, who knows how he’d muck up Christmas,” Dave replied, nabbing the husktop and heading to the couch. Tavros yelped and bounded out of his chair, following after and demanding his computer back.
They ended up tangled on the couch, both attempting to type while also slapping the other’s hands aside.
AT: nfanalfk,. ……………….. . .. Safkdsnl.weaosdfasf32r5325
AT:
AT:
AT:amfsdaflllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll
EB: oh
EB: hey dave guess you found out we were talking about your plans haha!
EB: i'll just let you guys fight it out while i make sure dad knows that one pie is enough.
EB: later!
Dave spotted the screen and then immediately when lax. Tavros snatched up his husktop and, upon reading the same words, groaned and shot Dave a look.
“What was that about?”
“Just don’t want you giving away the Strider Holiday Secrets.”
“The what?”
Dave sat up and tugged his shirt back down from where it had slipped up. “This isn’t going to make sense to you, but look. Getting super into the whole Happy Holidays thing is super ironic, but no one else would see it for the irony that it is, and assume we’re just saps, alright? So Bro and I just enjoy the irony alone.”
“Ok? I don’t really see why you would be embarrassed by whatever this is--”
“Whoa, not embarrassed. Because it’s super ironic. People just wouldn’t get it.”
“Which means that it’s not ironic at all but actually really embarrassing for you to admit to so you hide it and pretend it’s because it’s irony, right?” Tavros replied, grinning mischievously at Dave’s forced pokerface.
“Shut up.”
“Dave, you realize that I’m not going to think it’s dumb or anything since I don’t even know what it is to start with, right?”
“Yeah, I know. And even if you do, you’ll be participating every step of the way so you’ll be just as guilty as us.”
“I’m—what?”
The teen boy smirked at the troll.
“You didn’t think I was going to let my own boyfriend go through life without knowing the wonders of the holidays, did you? I mean come on. I already introduced you to the Fourth.”
“Well, that was pretty cool.”
“And don’t forget Halloween.”
“That was kind of weird, actually.”
“It was awesome and you know it. Thanksgiving is alright, and we’ll do that too, but after that. After that, you’ll get the full blown holiday experience.”
Tavros stared at him curiously. It was clear he did not realize just what he was getting himself into in the slightest, and honestly, that was how Dave wanted to keep him.
His boyfriend was only going to have one first holiday season and Dave did not want that spoiled.
He wanted to savor every moment of it.
“You’re not going to tell me anything, are you?”
“It’s more fun to figure it out along the way.”
“So you don’t really want me asking anyone else either.”
“Telling you about this special time of the year is my job and no one else gets to take that from me.”
“This is a really silly thing to get possessive about.”
“Whatever. I fucking love Christmas, ok? Give me a break.”
“Is that a part of the, uh, holiday season?”
“I’m not giving away the big finale just yet.”
“Dave, you’re really silly.”
“You need to stop saying silly. I don’t want to feel like the guy I’m dating is five.”
“Well, not five, but I am--”
“I’m talking human years and you know it. Don’t get cheeky.”
“Fine. You’re uh, ridiculous, and impossible, and sort of mind-boggling, and all around, really dumb.”
“Wow. Thanks for the rousing support.”
“But,” Tavros added, sneaking in for a quick kiss to the teen’s cheek, “it does sound kind of fun this way. So I don’t mind, I guess. And I won’t let anyone else tell me about it.”
“Excellent.”
Dave sealed the promise with a kiss.
“Santa has eight flying reindeer, or nine if you include the blasphemy that is Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer--”
Dave choked, pulling his mouth from Tavros to throw a smuppet across the room, aware that it would never hit its target. But hopefully it got the message across.
“Yeah, yeah, got it, little guy,” Bro calmly said from just behind Dave’s head. Only years of practice kept him from leaping out of his skin. Tavros was not so lucky, but he had been in the household enough to not completely flip his shit. In fact, he only jolted really.
Although his face did burn hotly and he squirmed where he was pinned under Dave. He never took getting caught mid-make-out by Bro well.
“Promise I won’t cut in too much on your romantic game.”
“Oh, but, you two usually uh, do this holiday stuff together, right?” Tavros squeaked out. His heart always outweighed his embarrassment. “I don’t want to get in the way of human family things.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll still be a part of it. Just not the romantic part you two got going on. Not really my scene.”
“Bro.”
With a ruffle of his hair, Dave’s guardian was gone.