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Wednesday had never considered breaking up with Tyler. He was hers and would remain that way for all eternity. That is, until she entered the Galpin house, stopping in the doorway at all the bins and boxes of Christmas decorations that were taken down from the attic and placed wherever there was room. Most of them were opened, tinsel tossed around, ornaments scattered, lights all bunched up in tangles.
It was absolutely grotesque.
He must be intending to torture her today.
“Hey!” Tyler beamed at her, coming down the staircase with another box in hand. Wednesday took a step back when he set it down, her eyes immediately zoning in on the horrendous sweater he wore.
“What are you wearing ?” She said, horrified.
Garbed in the usual festive colors that came with this time of year, the offending sweater had a gingerbread figure in the middle of it, its mouth curved downward in a panicked frown at seeing one of its legs broken. Oh snap! It said in a little bubble off to the side.
Naturally, he found her reaction to be amusing. “I found it today,” he said, eyes twinkling. “You like?”
“I would like it to go in an incinerator,” she wrinkled her nose.
“Aw, don’t be like that, Wen. I got one for you too.”
Wednesday was taken aback by his audacity. Her boyfriend grinned mischievously. Evidently, he was prepared to stare death in the face today.
“No.”
He only smiled wider. “ Yes! ”
“I’m not wearing it.”
“You are, actually.”
“I cannot,” she said. “My color allergy prevents me from wearing color as I know you’re aware.” She was satisfied. He couldn’t do anything about it now.
“True,” he said and added slyly, “But you can wear one in black.”
“You didn’t .”
“I’m afraid I did, dearest.”
“I won’t wear it,” she refused to let the abominable garment get near her.
“ Please ?” He batted his eyelashes.
“No.”
“It’d really mean a lot to me,” he tried again.
She folded her arms across her chest. “You believe I would care?”
“I’d hope.”
“Well don’t bother.”
“Alright,” he said with a smile that was much too sweet for her liking. “Then let me tell you this: you owe me.”
“I most certainly do not!” She argued. She would be aware if she did.
“You most certainly do.”
“Why?” She demanded.
“Because, my pretty little cockroach, remember that movie you made me watch? Dead Alive? I told you that you owed me for putting me through that, but I don’t think you really heard me.”
“Then the agreement is null and void.”
“Oh, but Baby, that’s not how it works,” his smile widened. She wanted to splash acid on his face and watch it fall away. “Wear it.”
“No.”
“I’ll put it on you.”
“You dare get close to me and I’ll tear you limb by limb.”
“I'm not scared of you.”
“I can fix that.”
“Don’t make me take you upstairs and force it on you,” he warned her, his eyes sparkling playfully. “I’ll do it.”
She scoffed.
“You will do no such thing--What do you think you’re doing? Stay back! I am warning you, I am armed-- TYLER JAMES GALPIN! PUT ME DOWN THIS INSTANT!”
With effortless ease, Tyler threw her over his shoulder, taking her upstairs where she presumed the sweater was.
Curse him. Curse his entire existence. Curse his whole family!
Minutes later, they were back down. She was glaring daggers at him whilst he was pretending not to notice. The sweater was hideous; it was black as he’d mentioned, a reindeer with a candy cane sticking out of its mouth as it posed for a mugshot, holding onto a sign that said oh deer .
He gave her a thumbs of approval.
She flipped him off.
“You are not getting your gift anymore.”
He hummed. “I thought you didn’t do gift giving?”
Wednesday had forgotten all about that, how she’d explicitly told him she wasn’t going to partake in the act.
“I thought you said, and I quote, ‘You should be grateful I willingly associate with you. Don’t expect anything from me.’” Tyler said with a smirk.
“I have changed my mind,” Wednesday wondered how it was possible to feel so strongly about this boy while simultaneously wishing she could gouge his eyes out and feed them to Kitty Kat. “And I will change it back if you breathe a word of this to anyone.”
“Mhm, but technically you already said you weren’t gonna give it to me. If you change your mind again, you will be giving it to me,” he pointed out.
“Silence!” She snapped.
“Make me,” Tyler was goading her.
“I tried setting a girl on fire once. I can and will do the same to you,” she drew herself closer, cursing the height difference between them.
“I think you’re all talk,” he taunted.
“Do not forget why I was sent to Nevermore in the first place.”
“Lucky for you, we’re too poor to have a pool so I think I’m safe,” he shrugged.
“Don’t be so sure.”
“You’re so cute when you threaten me,” he stretched one of his arms.
“I believe the word you’re looking for is terrifying,” she despised being referred to as that word and he knew it. Hence why he used it.
He chuckled. “You’re nowhere near terrifying.”
“Excuse me?” She was offended.
“You’re like...” He paused. Somehow, she knew he was going to make a comparison that will have her wishing he was never born. “A cute little kitten that thinks it’s bigger than it is.”
“I should put you through the incinerator,” she muttered.
“Great, it’s a date!” he laughed at her unhappy expression. He gently tugged at her crossed arms. “Come on, help me with the tree.”
“If I must.”
Wednesday had never decorated a tree before. She and her family celebrated Christmas, though not in the traditional ways that everyone else seemed to. The tree would remain bare, decaying from a being taken out of the ground and a lack of water. She’d never understood the significance of decorating one.
Tyler must have noticed something was amiss, for he asked, not unkindly, “You haven’t decorated one before, have you?”
“No.”
“Just put these on,” he held up a bright red ornament. “I’ve already got the lights on so we’re good there.”
Wednesday situated herself with two full boxes of ornaments at her feet. Most of them were red and green, though a few were blue and gold. He showed her how to attach them to the hanger, then getting to work on untangling another set of lights. Those, he said, were going to be put on the outside of the house.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Tyler took his phone out of his pocket. She couldn’t see what he was doing and quite frankly, she didn’t care until sound came blaring out of it.
“Here comes Santa Claus, here comes Santa Claus, right down Santa Claus lane.
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer, pullin’ on the reins. Bells are ringin’, children singin’, all is merry and bright.
So hang your stockings and say your prayers, cause Santa Claus comes tonight.”
With her dead-eye stare aimed at the cellular device, Wednesday considered taking a sledgehammer to it. “I’d rather get a visit from Satan himself.”
“I’m sure if you wish hard enough, it’ll happen.” Tyler was humming, feet tucked underneath him as he concentrated on the task at hand.
“With any luck,” Wednesday huffed in irritation when she had difficulty bending the hangers. It should not be hard. “Tyler?”
“Yeah?” He glanced at her.
“I must ask why you seem to be expressing more enthusiasm this holiday season. Is there a particular reason?”
Tyler shrugged. “Dad told me how Mom loved Christmas, so I convinced him to let me decorate the whole house like she used to.” Ahh, yes. He and his father were in the midst of repairing their strained relationship. “We’re going to make cookies later once he gets off work.”
The sheriff baking cookies. The mental image intrigued her.
“I’ll make some for you too,” Tyler added. Wednesday opened her mouth to remind him she wasn’t too fond of sweets, but he stopped her. “Don’t worry, they won’t be overly sweet. I found a recipe for dark chocolate ones I think you’ll like.”
“I suppose that’s acceptable,” she thought it over. It was fortunate that he was considerate of her preferences. Fortunate for him . She was not going soft. “Thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” Tyler said casually. “Maybe I could even save it for another day and you could help me make them?”
“Don’t push your luck, Galpin.”
“I had a feeling that was coming,” he chuckled.
Wednesday rolled her eyes. “Tell me about your mother,” she told him. “What were the holidays like when you were growing up?”
Tyler put down the tangles of lights, leaning back. “I don’t really remember much because I was so young at the time. But Dad said it was her favorite holiday and she used to wish for a white Christmas like in the movies. And she used to bake. A ton. She was crappy at it but she tried. Dad would come home to see all her creations laying out to cool.”
Wednesday was not proficient at handling emotions. Had this prior to this courtship, she would have promptly gotten out of the conversation, or rather, not begun it at all. But even so, she knew it would mean a lot to him if she tried. So perhaps she could. For Tyler.
“I’m sorry,” she told him sincerely. “You deserved more than second-hand memories with your mother.” Tyler was tactile on any given day, most especially when he was feeling upset. So she carefully sat down, putting her hand on top of his, giving it a small squeeze.
His smile showed nothing short of gratitude. “Thanks, Sweetheart. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she said quietly. She rose to her feet, going over to where her backpack was. “I’m going to give you part of your gift now.”
“Now?” He frowned. She understood his confusion. It was three weeks until Christmas was upon them.
“Yes. Come here.”
He did as he was told. “What is it?” He said curiously.
“You’ll have to open it and find out,” she said, handing him a small box with a black bow on top. “But be careful. It’s fragile.”
“Are you sure this isn’t going to blow up in my face or something? If this wasn’t so small, I’d think Thing was hiding in there.”
She rolled her eyes. “Get on with it.”
He took off the top, his eyes darting to meet hers. “Is this-”
“It is,” she nodded.
“No way...”
When Tyler was a year old, his mother bought a customized ornament to commemorate the occasion. After she died, it stayed up in a box with the rest of the decorations in the attic. At some point, years later, Tyler was ordered by the Sheriff to clean out and rearrange said attic as punishment. Stumbling upon the box, he accidentally knocked it over off the table it was resting on, shattering most of what was inside.
It left him distraught at the time. Just knowing he’d ruined one of the last few pieces he could have from his mother. He never got rid of the smithereens, keeping it wrapped up in a tissue. It didn’t completely make sense to her why he wanted to keep it when it held no value anymore, but she didn’t question him about it.
Wednesday was startled to find his eyes filling up with tears. “Tyler, what is going on? Have I overstepped?”
“ No, no. Definitely not.”
“Then why are you crying?”
“I’m happy, Wednesday,” he let out a little laugh. “I can’t-- thank you .”
“It was no trouble,” she said. The replacement ornament wouldn’t heal the wounds of grief he was still dealing with to this day, but she presumed that the gesture would be appreciated.
With a trembling hand, he took the ornament out of its box. It was green, the words Tyler’s First Christmas, 2004 written on it. “How?” Tyler whispered.
“Thing snuck in,” she said, knowing he would ask how she’d been able to know its precise appearance. “I was unable to come myself after the fencing incident with Barclay. Weems kept an annoyingly close watch on me--he also wanted me to tell you he was disappointed with the lack of lotion in your bathroom. He says he expects you to keep some for future visits.”
Tyler swept her into a kiss, placing the gift down on the back of the couch so he could properly hold her. Wednesday was the one to rest her hands on his cheeks. He was usually doing that to her. “Thank you, Wednesday,” he said again, his cheeks a light pink, his smile stretched across his face. “You’re the best. I love it so much. And you. ”
“You are most welcome, Tyler.”
As they continued to decorate the tree and untangle the bundle of lights, Wednesday wondered if she could persuade him into putting black on the tree. The perennial plant deserved better than to have gaudy adornments hanging on it, after all.