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Damian stood outside the Forger’s home, pulling at the sleeves of his jacket. Why was he nervous? It was just Anya. And her over observant, intimidating father. And her too-strong-to-be-normal mother. It was fine! Completely fine!
He reached up and knocked on the door before he could chicken out. Then immediately regretted it. Would they notice if he just left? Probably not. They might think someone was pulling a prank on them. Before he could come to a conclusion, the door opened and Mr. Forger was standing there with a warm smile on his face.
“Hello, Damian, come on in.”
Damian nodded and entered the home. It was small, which was to be expected, but it was also spacious. Loid led him past the kitchen–which was only small enough for two counters, a fridge, an oven, a microwave and four cupboards. Then they made it to the living room. There was a small dining table on one side that fit six chairs–only six? They made them that small? On the other side there was a TV sat in the corner next to a large window as well as two couches and a coffee table. There was a bookshelf on the wall across from the longer couch that seemed to be organized in both alphabetical order as well as color coordinated. (who had the time to figure that out?)
“Make yourself at home, I’ll go get the girls,” Mr. Forger said, patting Damian on the back before he headed down a hallway to what Damian assumed were the bedrooms.
Damian sat down on the couch and stared out the window. It was snowing. Of course it was, it was Winter after all. He really liked the snow. Building snowmen, making snow angels, even just enjoying the winter air. But recently, he hadn’t had time for that. Too busy with homework, schoolwork and extracurriculars. It was nice to just watch the snowflakes, even if it was for a small moment.
Suddenly, a large fluffy animal jumped at him, making him scream.
“GAH! What is this thing! Get it off of me!” he shouted, trying to push the animal off of him while it tried to lick his face.
“Bond, down.” Anya’s voice called.
The animal–Bond–jumped off of Damian with a soft “Borf” and walked over to Anya, sitting down in front of her as she began to pet behind its ears.
“Why do you have a polar bear?” Damian asked, trying to wipe off any slobber that got on his face. “ How do you have a polar bear?”
“Bond isn’t a polar bear,” Anya scrunched up her nose. (cute) “He’s a dog.”
“He looks like a polar bear.” Damian pointed out, going to stand up. (because who sits while the owner of the house stands?)
That’s when he got a look of what Anya was wearing. It was a knee length red dress with snowflake details covering the bottom. A green ribbon tied into a neat bow at the back with a matching ribbon tied into the back of her hair. She wore white leggings and a fur-white jacket to tie the whole thing together. She was… cute satisfactory.
Suddenly, he was feeling underdressed in his jeans, t-shirt and winter’s coat. Maybe he should’ve dressed up a little more.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Sy-on boy in anything casual. You look good,” Anya smiled.
“Thanks. You, uh, you look good too.”
Anya giggled and did a little curtsy before turning to her mother–who hadn’t been there a few seconds before what in the–.
“Are you two ready to head out?” Mrs. Forger asked, a smile painting her face.
“YEAH!” Anya cheered and rushed to go out the door.
“Anya, you forgot your shoes!” Mr. Forger called.
Anya halted right before she opened the door and turned around with a sheepish smile, sitting down to put on her shoes.
“She always forgets things when she’s excited,” Mrs. Forger said right next to Damian. (again, how does she move around so silently?)
Damian nodded, not really sure what to say. He had noticed her forgetfulness as well. More often than not, he would have to get her bag and notes and take them to her. Not that he minded. It was a chance to spend a little more time with her.
“Alright! Now I’m ready!” Anya shouted, jumping up and heading for the door, throwing it wide open.
Damian saw Mr. Forger shake his head fondly as he attached a leash to Bond’s collar and followed his daughter out. Damian followed behind and Mrs. Forger wasn’t far after. Anya was waiting for them outside of the apartment building with a bright smile on her face.
“All of you are slow !” she cheered, earning a scoff from her parents.
“We aren’t slow, we’re taking our time,” Mr. Forger replied.
“And I’m in heels, I don’t want to get hurt,” Mrs. Forger added.
Anya then turned to Damian with a smug look on her face.
“And what about Sy-on boy? What’s your excuse?”
Damian froze, suddenly being put on the spotlight.
“I…”
Anya laughed and rushed over, grabbing his arm and dragging him ahead with her.
“Come on, don’t hang back with the adults.” she stood on her toes to whisper (very loudly) in his ear. “They’re boring.”
“Hey!” Mr. Forger called in mock offense.
Anya giggled and turned back to stick her tongue out at him before looking forward again and began to skip down the street. Damian was dragged into a half skip, half walk just trying to keep up. Anya’s hair was down today, unlike at the party. The pink waves blew in the wind just right, catching snowflakes that made her sparkle. She looked like a princess.
A frown grew on her face as she slowed down slightly. A thought seeming to cross her mind before she shook her head to clear it.
“Sy-on boy,” she addressed him suddenly. “Have you ever had a snowball fight?”
Damian shook his head. He hadn’t. It was always too much for him and not very dignified. Plus, it was dangerous. Getting hit by chunks of ice and snow? No thank you.
“Never,” he said out loud.
“Then you can be on my team. Mama and Papa are ruthless when it comes to these games. But don’t worry! Agent Anya will protect you!” Anya grinned wide as she stood up tall, making herself seem bigger and more mature. “Agent Anya and Prince Sy-on boy! The unstoppable duo!”
Damian chuckled.
“I don’t need protection. Maybe I should be the ‘Agent’ and you’re the princess.” he teased. “Although, I would be more like a knight. Sir Damian Desmond and Princess Anya Forger.”
Anya wrinkled her nose.
“I’m not a princess. Becky’s a princess. You’re a prince.”
“Oh yeah?”
“Yeah.”
“Then I guess neither of us are royalty.”
“GASP!” Anya stopped, her eyes wide and a hand over her mouth. “Did Damian Desmond just say he’s not a prince? Is Damian Desmond admitting to not being higher than us commoners? This is amazing! How could this ever happen?”
Damian gave her a look and she started giggling. He shoved her slightly, laughing as well.
“I never said that. I can be a knight and still be higher than you.”
“Uh-huh. Commoner Sy-on boy.” she gave a mock bow, grinning from ear to ear.
Giving her another playful shove, he kept walking, hiding his own smile. She had a pretty smile.
“Alright, here we are!” Mr. Forger announced as they came upon a park. “Anya, fill Damian in on the rules, as soon as you two are ready, we’ll begin.”
Anya nodded and turned to Damian.
“The rules are simple. If you get hit, you’re out. You can build a fort as big as you want, but if it collapses on top of you, you’re out. You can team up, but if they betray you, that’s your own fault. No climbing trees, no using civilians as a distraction, Bond cannot help you, any snowball bigger than your head is not allowed, no destroying snowmen. Got it?”
Damian blinked at the rules. They were… unusual.
“How do we determine the winner?”
“Last one standing.”
“And if it’s a tie?”
“There are no ties.”
“What’s the time limit?”
“Until there’s one person left.”
“But what if-”
“The game is usually over within an hour.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah, Mama and Papa get competitive.”
Anya grinned.
“Alright, Papa! We’re ready!”
Damian looked over to where Mr. Forger was standing. He gave a small nod and shouted:
“BEGIN!”
Immediately, Damian was dragged away from the center of the park. Anya pulled him towards the very edge of the park and immediately began building a fort. It was short, but sturdy and Damian was shocked at how fast it got built. Once it was done, Anya ordered him to stay behind it and to start making snowballs.
He did as he was told while Anya ran off towards where he assumed her parents were.
By the time Anya got back, he had made about fifty snowballs. Anya picked up a snowball and turned and threw it at Mrs. Forger who dodged it without batting an eye.
“Damian! Help!” she told him, throwing more snowballs at the woman.
Her red eyes were focused, aimed towards Anya but the second Damian even touched a snowball, her eyes switched targets. Anya must’ve figured that out too because she shouted “GET DOWN” and pushed Damian out of the way, throwing more snowballs.
There was the sound of snow colliding with something as Anya grunted and fell backwards onto the ground. When Damian went to look at her, she had snow covering her front and a soft smile on her lips that grew as she began to laugh.
“You’re out, Anya! No more helping out, go get Bond from Loid, alright?”
“Okay, Mama!” she exclaimed, jumping up. Before she left, though she whispered in Damian’s ear. “Hide until Mama or Papa get out and then take them from the trees.”
“I thought climbing trees wasn't allowed,” Damian whispered back.
Anya shrugged and skipped away, leaving Damian to face off with Mrs. Forger.
“I’ll give you a five minute head start, alright?”
Damian nodded and quickly scrambled to get away. He raced towards the center of the park where he saw Mr. Forger waiting patiently, leaning against a tree. His eyes scanned the field and locked onto Damian’s, an apologetic smile was on his face as he reached down to pick up a snowball, picking it up and throwing it. Damian closed his eyes, awaiting impact only to be met with nothing. Behind him, he heard laughter. He turned around and saw Mrs. Forger had been hit instead.
When he turned back around, Mr. Forger was gone. (How was this family so fast?!) Damian picked up a snowball and started running, trying to find Mr. Forger. That’s when he looked up. Mr. Forger was sitting on the branch of one of the trees, preparing to throw another snowball when Damian threw his instead.
Mr. Forger lost his balance momentarily as he got hit but quickly regained it and jumped onto the ground. He had a smile on his face as he walked over to Damian.
It was a bright smile, the kind he would see from Anya when she was proud of him. The one he wished his own father would give him.
“Congratulations, Damian. You won!”
Damian was about to respond when Anya came up to them with a pout on her face.
“That’s not fair! You guys went easy on him!”
“No we didn’t!” Mrs. Forger replied, a smile on her face.
“Yes you did!” Anya whined and gave Bond a hug. “You believe me, don’t you Bond?”
“Borf!” Bond replied, licking her face and making her giggle.
“Now, let’s go get some hot cocoa and warm up before it gets dark, then we can go see the lights,” Mr. Forger said, taking Bond’s leash from Anya and leading the way. Mrs. Forger easily fell into step with him and they linked hands together, chatting.
Anya fell into step with Damian. She was skipping and had a smile on her face, but Damian could tell something was off. Her eyebrows were furrowed like when she was trying to figure out a particularly hard problem. Her fingers were tapping the side of her legs and her eyes kept glancing over towards Damian.
“What is it?” Damian asked, taking a step closer to her as they passed a couple kids running around on the street.
“Hm?” Anya asked, looking at him and tilting her head slightly. (cute)
“You look like you’re trying to figure something out. What is it?”
Anya sighed.
“Mama and Papa went easy on you.” she said simply.
Damian didn’t know how to reply to that. He hadn’t seen it that way. It was stressful, the entire thing. It felt like he was being chased, hunted. It was hard seeing how Anya’s family did it every year.
“I’ve never won!” she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. “It’s always Mama or Papa who wins. But when Sy-on boy joins us.”
She pouted, sticking her hands in her pockets and hunching her shoulders.
“Maybe I’m just that good?” Damian suggested, earning a scoff from Anya.
“Nope. Mama and Papa are the best at these games. They don’t let anyone else win.”
Damian decided to let it be as they continued walking. Eventually, Anya started shivering. Of course she did. It was silly of her to come play in the snow without a proper jacket. Without properly thinking it over, he pulled off his own coat and draped it around her shoulders. His bare arms were immediately met with the chill of the air. But glancing at Anya, at least she wasn’t shivering anymore.
Anya looked at the jacket that was around her shoulders and then looked at Damian. She had a confused look in her eyes, as she tried to figure something out.
“Aren’t you cold?” she asked, furrowing her eyebrows. “You’re wearing a short sleeve.”
Damian shrugged. It could be worse.
“Hmm…” Anya hummed, looking at the jacket. “It’s big enough for both of us to fit in it.”
“But I’m a good foot and a half taller than you,” Damian pointed out.
Anya just shrugged and stood on her tiptoes, wrapping half the jacket around Damian’s shoulders and making him lean down so they would both fit.
“Let’s go!” she shouted excitedly.
“This isn’t going to work,” Damian complained as they started walking again. “I’m too tall for this. What if I just carry you instead?”
He shut his mouth once he realized what he had said, blushing furiously and pushing the coat off of his shoulders, standing a good distance away from the confused girl. Anya looked at him, trying to figure him out before she eventually shrugged and said:
“I don’t see a problem with it.”
Damian’s blush deepened to a red that would make Santa’s suit look like it was pink.
“No, nevermind. It was a dumb suggestion.”
Anya took a step in front of him, making him have to stop so he didn’t plow into her.
“No take backs. My legs are tired, anyways.”
Damian looked ahead at Mr. and Mrs. Forger who were at the end of the street waiting for them. He would surely get killed if he just picked up Anya… right? Her family was more than capable of murder.
“Sy-on boy!” she whined, taking a step forward.
Damian swore to himself and picked her up, carrying her bridal style. She grinned happily and wrapped his jacket around the both of them, resting her head on his shoulder. He made sure she was secure before looking back up at the Forgers. Mr. Forger furrowed his brows slightly but otherwise showed no signs of anger. Mrs. Forger was standing by a cocoa stand buying their drinks as they walked up.
“I see you got lazy again, Anya,” Mr. Forger told his daughter. “It’s not nice to make Damian carry you like that.”
Anya stiffened slightly but otherwise made no move to get out of Damian’s hold.
“He gave me his jacket and I couldn’t let him freeze so this is what we decided on.”
“Uh-huh.”
Damian gulped.
“It’s true, sir. She was shivering so I gave her my jacket and she–”
Mr. Forger held up his hand and nodded.
“I understand. She can be a handful. But you don’t have to give in to her.”
Damian nodded, suddenly feeling uncomfortable.
“Drinks are here!” Mrs. Forger smiled, bringing a tray of cups full of warm drinks.
Anya went to grab her drink while still in Damian’s hold until she got a stern look from her father and then she climbed down to stand by herself. She gave the jacket back to Damian and took the drink from her mom.
Damian wrapped his jacket around him again and took his drink, thanking Mrs. Forger.
They walked over to a bench and sat down to sip on their drinks.
It was a bit awkward, but eventually Anya started cracking jokes to break the tension.
Once they finished their drinks, it was starting to get dark and the city lights were starting to turn on. Anya jumped up and grabbed Damian’s hand, dragging him through the city with her parents following behind. Anya dragged him through the streets, pointing out all her favorite lights, all the different stands that sold homemade treats and gifts. They kept walking until Damian didn’t think he could keep going and Anya stopped in the center of a bridge. She leaned forward and breathed in, closing her eyes.
She really was beautiful. Today was a breath of fresh air, being with her. Anya always seemed to make his worries go away. He didn’t know how, but he appreciated it. He appreciated the way she would always put on a smile when he was feeling down. How she would crack jokes when he was being serious. How she would invite him to her family event just so he wouldn’t be alone on Christmas eve.
He appreciated her.
He loved her.
Before he knew it, Damian was reaching over and brushing a strand of hair out of her face. Before he had a chance to think, he turned her head towards him. Before he knew what he was doing, he let his breath whisper across her lips, his eyes searching hers for a confirmation or a rejection.
Before he knew it, he was kissing Anya Forger as Christmas Eve fireworks went off in the background. And he knew she felt the same way as him.