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“Annnnd.... There! All done!” Lovely dusted their hands off as they admired their handiwork, the soft glow of Christmas lights illuminating the living room in steady pulses of light.
Vincent had given them free rein to decorate the house, and they took that privilege and ran with it. Garland on the mantle. The biggest tree they could fit in the corner, decked out in white and colored lights, dependent on the mood. Tinsel. Shiny snowflakes on the windows. The place looked like a veritable winter wonderland... except for the stockings, which looked slightly off-center now that Lovely was examining them.
As if mocking them and their Christmas spirit.
Unacceptable.
“And not a moment too soon. It’s already...“ Vincent checked the non-existent watch on his wrist, a smile evident in his voice, “...two minutes into December. We almost missed it.”
His deep chuckle reverberated thru their back as he came up behind them, wrapping his arms around their waist and slotting his head onto their shoulder. The kiss he pressed to their temple was comforting as they micro-managed the exact angle of the wayward stocking back into place.
“Well yeah, but... now we get to appreciate them all month long. December goes really quickly, and I... I don’t want to miss any of it.” They received an amused hum in response, turning in his grasp to face him. “Maybe I’ll start right after Halloween, next year. After all, it’s the best season! Hands down.”
This was going to be perfect, they promised themselves amidst Vincent’s non-committal hum, sealing it with a peck to his cheek.
After everything that had happened in the past year, it had to be perfect.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
This was as far from perfect as you could get.
Lovely did not know what to get Vincent, and the first week of December had already flown by.
What did you get someone who had the ability to buy a fleet of expensive cars? Lovely wasn’t rich, and besides, whatever Vincent wanted he just bought.
It was still early in the month.
They had time.
But it still felt wrong.
After all, they’d already picked out gifts for most of their friends, the items wrapped and sitting patiently beneath their tree until it was time to hand them out. People they didn’t know as well as they knew their charming, considerate, and extremely thoughtful boyfriend. The person who mattered the most to them by a large margin.
Someone they loved.
So why couldn’t they think of something for Vincent?
(“Is it that surprisin’ you’re havin’ a hard time?” Sam had asked them on their way to a Clan meeting when they voiced their concern. Vincent was taking care of an errand for William and would meet them there.
“Well, yeah... a little bit. Nothing seems good enough, y’know?”
Sam had laughed like he was in on a joke, soft and non-judgemental, but Lovely didn’t know which one.
“I’ll bet. You’ll figure it out, don’t you worry.”)
But they hadn’t. And they did.
That was how they ended up sitting at the kitchen table, laptop open in front of them and cookies baking in the oven, scouring the holiday sites full of deals and looking for inspiration. Any inspiration.
Clothing. Electronics. Decor.
Nothing jumped out at them. Nothing sparked an idea.
Nothing was good enough.
Lovely could tell they were at their wit's end because they finally Googled, ‘What to buy your vampire lover?’. The screen's bright light blinked to life with a strange offering as their salvation: a vampire hunting kit. And to their chagrin, and possibly telling just how lost they were, they actually gave it a modicum of thought before shaking their head with a sigh.
Maybe they should go the cheesy route and just put a bow on themself and sit below the tree.
......
No.
Vincent could have them whenever he wanted, so that wasn’t special either.
“Lovely? Are you home?” Vincent's voice carried as the front door shut, the sound masking the thud of the laptop's lid as they closed it in defeat.
They had time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Time was running out.
That’s what Lovely told themself as mid-month rolled around, and they still hadn’t thought of a respectable gift for Vincent.
They’d admit to there being a few leaps of logic in between, but it was also how they found themself putting the last few pieces of tape back on rewrapped presents, sliding them back under the bed as if they hadn’t just snooped.
To be fair, Lovely was a snoop.
But really, didn’t it just mean that their gifts weren’t well hidden if they could find them so easily? Why wouldn’t they look under the bed that they shared together? It was almost like Vincent didn’t know them at all!
Which was, of course, a lie. Everything that they found was a thoughtful gift.
Their favorite body spray. The one that just so happened to be the one Vincent loved on them the most. They’d worn it on every date night since he’d told them, and their bottle was near empty by now.
A Dahlia School of Elemental & Energetic hoodie that had their E&E participation number and final placement embroidered below the school insignia. There were symbols of the main 8 classifications going up the arms, elements on one arm and energetics on the other, with their previous electro-energetic symbol dyed their favorite color amidst the white of the rest.
There were even some fancy chocolates that they’d hesitated on returning to their hiding space, considering Lovely knew they were to die for from prior experience.
Thankfully not literally, although that wasn’t really a problem anymore. And that was okay. They had worked hard at it, but they finally cherished the life they could build with Vincent forever. They just had to show him how much he meant to them.
But if anything good came from unearthing their gifts early, it was that they thought they finally knew what to get him.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Vincent, it’s lovely!! And I swear that isn’t a pun. You’d know if it was,” they leaned forward on the couch they shared, giving him a quick kiss he returned with equal measure, as they held their new E&E hoodie protectively between them both. “I love it!”
“You might have a different set of powers now, but I hope it reminds you of how much determination you have and not something...”
“I love it,” they repeated, sensing the war within Vincent. But they meant it, and they refused to let any guilt seep into the joyous occasion. “I worked really hard on my powers back then, and you better believe I’ll master these ones given enough time.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.”
There was a moment of contented silence as they gazed at each other. It didn’t last long, not wanting to dwell on any negative thoughts that Vincent might find himself in, and they reached below the tree to grab their gift for him.
“Okay, okay, enough of that! My turn next!” Lovely knew that if they still had their powers, they’d be literally buzzing with excitement. They held out a small, meticulously wrapped package to Vincent, reds and golds shining in the tree light as soft Christmas music played in the background as ambient noise. “I really hope you like it.”
“Anything from you is a gift I’ll cherish.”
That sap earned him a gentle smack to the arm, and his laugh filled the air. “Just open it!”
Vincent carefully popped the bow off of the top, handing it to Lovely with a quiet, “Hold this for me.” He slid slender fingers under the tape to release it, allowing the moment to draw out, and Lovely was sure he was trying to torture them with how slow he was going. Their suspicions were confirmed as they glimpsed the corners of his mouth twitching.
“I know how fast you can open things when you want them open, Vincent. Hurry up!”
“Okay, okay!” His laugh was genuine as he dropped the discarded paper to the floor with the rest, finally giving in. He pulled out a key and held it between them, a question in his eyes.
“No, I didn’t buy you a car before you ask. But...” at this, Lovely turns the key over in his palm so that the name of William’s business faces up. “I booked us a week at William’s cabin we loved, and he agreed to give you the time off to enjoy it,” they held up their hand as he parted his lips to speak, wanting to give their reasoning in case he found it offensive. “This past year has been really... difficult, and sometimes it feels like our good memories get tainted because of... everything that’s happened, whether we want them to or not. I don’t want that. I just want us to make more memories with each other because you’re the best thing that’s happened to me. And I want you to remember that.”
Lovely is quiet afterward. They know they are because they can feel Vincent’s loving gaze on them as they find great interest in the floor. Now that it’s out in the open, it sounds stupid. Even when he takes their hand in his, they have second thoughts. “Is that stupid of me? Was it a dumb gift?”
“Lovely,” he tips their head to look at him, gently takes the bow from their hands and puts it on their head, “You are the only thing I wanted for Christmas. Here, in my arms. Everything else was a bonus. But, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to create happy memories, and I’d love to do that with you for as long as you’ll have me.”
Strong arms wrapped around them as if he could instill the truth of his words into them. Lovely locked their arms around him in return before whispering into the space between them. “You’re really hard to buy for, you know that? I swear I was going crazy trying to figure out what to get you.”
“Oh? Is that why you unwrapped your gifts early? To give you an idea?”
Their head snapped up, wide eyes and open mouth the epitome of ‘deer-in-headlights’. Lovely wanted to shake their head, to deny, but things didn’t work like that anymore as their bond denied them their lie.
“You know... I expected you to snoop, Lovely. There’s a reason one of your presents didn’t make it under the bed,” his amused expression only deepened their embarrassment. In the interim, he pulled a small box from the coffee table drawer and its presentation almost made it too pretty to open.
Almost.
“....Oh. I thought I was pretty sneaky about it, to be honest,” they at least had the presence of mind to look chagrined as they took the gift, popping the bow from its top and idly fingering the shiny paper. “You’re not mad, are you?”
“Of course not. If I wanted them to be kept a secret, I would’ve hidden them at Sam’s like I did this one.”
Lovely tucks that piece of information away for later as they let the paper slide to the floor. The top of the box opens with a soft click of hinges, and a familiar insignia stares back at them.
“Is this...?”
“Yeah. It is.”
They lift the necklace, the Solaire clan insignia rotating in the quiet of the moment before they place it in their palm for a better look. Slotted in the center are two gems of different colors that shine with the aid of the Christmas tree lights, and Lovely feels their eyes grow wet with emotion.
“I know birthstones are a thing, but... death day gems seemed more fitting. After all, this is when you pledged yourself to us. In... the most extreme way possible, but...” he fumbles his words before taking a breath, continuing as if he’d rehearsed each and every way they might’ve responded to such a gift.
“This is a promise. To better days. Not allowing the past to dictate our future. You’ve come such a long way Lovely, and it hasn’t always been easy,” his laugh is devoid of mirth, and Lovely slots their hand into his in reassurance. “Far from it, in fact. There have been some pitfalls, and that’s to be expected. But how far you’ve come in a year is nothing but extraordinary. Like you.”
“I'm pretty sure nothing can really express what I want to say... but, I love it, Vincent. And I love you. Thank you for being on this journey with me, and I can’t wait to make new memories with you.”
There’s a breath of relief that they both share, and a kiss that leaves them breathless follows. They touch foreheads and speak into the space between.
“Merry Christmas, Lovely.”
“Merry Christmas, Vincent.”