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Mike wasn't much of a Christmasy person, you discovered early in your relationship with him. Anytime you brought up holiday plans, he'd give you dry or uninterested responses, patience running thin whenever you would keep bringing it up or pressing it.
“Stop being such a Scrooge.” You'd say with a pout.
Mike would only roll his eyes.
The only time he ever seemed to tolerate it was when it had to do with Abby. He'd still get her gifts, hang up a stocking and minimal decorations, including a small fake Christmas tree for her to keep in her room, but that was it. He'd let her watch Christmas movies and cartoons, have hot cocoa, but never once indulged in it with her.
So, whenever you rolled around a Christmas enthusiast, things began to change a bit. Abby was so incredibly happy to have someone to fully celebrate Christmas with. You bought matching sweaters, a few decorations, and even a gingerbread house. Your defense was that it was all for Abby and giving her the best Christmas experiences possible. It was weak, but Mike accepted it.
One afternoon during the holiday break, while you were babysitting Abby, the two of you ran out and grabbed a gingerbread house kit to do for fun. Mike was unfortunately asked to work overtime, but he was getting paid a bit extra for it, so it wasn't the worst situation.
It was.. Messy. Frosting was everywhere, with a multitude of candies and sprinkles stuck in it. Your hands were covered in white frosting, the feeling making you cringe.
“This isn't going well at all-” You exclaimed in a fit of laughter, trying to salvage your decoration of a gingerbread man.
Abby giggled, grabbing a paper towel to help you clean off your hands as well as her own. “That poor family.. Lost in a tsunami of frosting.”
“Not all hope is lost.. I think I got Mr. Gingerbread back to a stable condition.. Can't say much about the Mrs. though.” You sucked off some frosting from your finger before taking a step back. “I think we got it as good as we'll be able to get it.”
The both of you laughed again as you looked over your masterpiece, uneven and sloppy frosting coating the cookie walls with gumdrops and peppermint sticking out all over the place. It did smell great, though. “You wanna eat it now?” You asked, turning to the young girl.
She shook her head no, dark curls bouncing. “I wanna surprise Mike with it! He's been so grumpy lately.. Maybe this'll improve his mood.”
“Maybe.” You shrugged, cleaning off your hands with a paper towel before turning back to Abby. “I’ll clean this up- You go play, yeah?” Abby nodded, plucking a red gumdrop off of the roof before skipping off to her room.
You looked back at the mess in front of you with a frown before taking the gingerbread house and carefully placing it on the stove for safe keeping. Then, you grabbed everything you would need and got to work, humming old Christmas tunes to yourself as you did so.
Mike got home a millisecond after you had finished, immediately noticing the unusually sweet smell in the air. “.. Smells good.” He commented when he walked past you to get to his room. “Thanks again.”
“No problem!” You called back, watching him go. He probably wouldn’t reemerge until dinner time, and while the thought saddened you, you also understood. Working on the security team for a pretty big mall can probably get extremely stressful, and on top of also having to raise his sister…
You heard the sound of little feet pattering across the ground, opened by a door opening and enthusiastic mumbling. After a moment, Abby came out down the hall, dragging Mike with her by his hand. He didn’t look all that annoyed. “Look what we made-!” She chirped, tugging him into the kitchen. Ah, right. The gingerbread house.
"You made this?" You heard him say in a feigned tone of enthusiasm as you walked over to join them. "It looks great, Abs."
"You should see the gingerbread men," You added, leaning against the fridge. "You'd think they just went through a hurricane or something."
Mike chuckled softly at that, turning on the overhead stove light to get a better look at it. "Ah, I don't think it's all that bad.. I think it makes up for it in taste." The enthusiasm in his tone wasn't quite as faked this time around.
You walked over and broke off part of the gingerbread roof, making sure to get a good amount of frosting and sprinkles on before taking a bite. It was extremely sweet, but the ginger kick helped even it out. "Mhm. It does." You spoke through your chews. You handed your piece to Mike, who agreed, finishing it off.
The three of you spent the next few minutes picking off pieces and making small talk, mostly asking about how Mike's day at work was and what the two of you got up to besides making this gingerbread house. " Now it looks like a hurricane has swept through." Mike said, which you and Abby laughed at in response.
"Go wash your hands and brush your teeth, Abs. Don't want any cavities." You ruffled her hair with your clean hand, watching her skip off to the bathroom.
You and Mike stood in the kitchen in a slightly awkward silence for a minute or two as you cleaned up whatever mess the three of you had made previously- It wasn't as bad, but there was still frosting everywhere. Why was the stuff so sticky..?
"Thank you," Mike said after a moment. "Thank you for.. Doing that for her. You didn't have to."
You simply shrugged, tossing a damp paper towel into the trash. "Just doing my job.."
"Your job is to keep her alive for a few hours, you're going above and beyond that. I just-" He paused, stumbling on his words.
Feeling a bit bad, you stepped over and pecked his cheek. "I get it. It's okay, you don't have to say anything."
".. I do appreciate it. I know I'm not the best at showing it, but.. I do appreciate you and everything you do. And I promise, I will pay you eventually."
"Being with you is enough of a payment, Mike. Now, go put your feet up or whatever men do after they'd had a long day. I'll be out there shortly." Mike smiled softly at that, and you couldn't stop yourself from giving him another kiss on the cheek. He turned his head and gave you a chaste kiss on the lips before leaving the kitchen.
***
"Hey, Mike? Can I ask you a question?" You asked quietly, half expecting a response.
Secretly not wanting to leave the comfort of your boyfriend's presence, you suggested staying the night. Your cover up was that he had to get up early anyways, and it'd be easier to stay over instead of leaving for a few hours only to have to return right before the sun would rise. Mike was oddly open to the idea, originally offering his bed to you for the night which you countered with the idea of sharing it. "We're dating, and it won't be the first time."
So, you set up camp in his room, changing into some old pajamas of his. It was a bit of a tight fit on his mattress, maybe about an inch and a half of space between you two, but you'd been closer before and slept just fine. You had gone to bed around an hour and a half ago, but a certain question kept you up for some odd reason- "What's his deal with Christmas?" Sure, you've had some off years yourself where you weren't really feeling it, but Mike was a total Grinch when it came to it.
Mike only hummed in response to your question at first, opening a tired eye to look over at you from his position on his stomach. "Hm..? Wha's up..?"
".. Why are you so against Christmas? I mean.. I get it if it's just not your thing, but you tense up and get uncomfortable anytime we mention it, unless it's for Abby." You rolled over onto your side, facing him now. "I'm just curious. I want.. I want to help you."
".. 's a long story."
You wrapped an arm around him. "I got time."
You heard Mike sigh before he began to speak, voice thick and groggy with sleep. "So.. Uhm.. Christmas Eve was, uh.. The night that things really fell apart for the family." He paused, readjusting himself so he'd be more snuggled against your chest. "Mom was already gone.. Dad was a mess.. And he couldn't take it anymore. So, he dropped Abby off at my apartment, and I haven't heard from him since." He took a breath. "Abby was.. Five? Six? I can't remember.. She was young. And so scared. She thought Dad didn't like her anymore, and was scared about how Christmas was gonna go. He left her on my front porch in the middle of the night while it was freezing cold and raining.. Thank God I was home that night.. But, anyway.. I guess anytime I think of Christmas, all I can see is her soaking wet face, and the sadness in them."
Your heart sunk, and you were ready to spill your heart out just like he did to comfort him, but he spoke before you could. "That's not all, Christmas was a pretty sucky time after Garrett got taken, too, but.. That's the biggest reason, I think. That's why I tolerate it with her- To try and make up for all the Christmases she never had."
"... Wow, uhm.." You stroked his back gently. "That was a lot. I'm so sorry you had to go through all that."
He shrugged. "It is what it is."
"But it shouldn't be this way.. I'm sorry that happened. You deserve to remember Christmas for what it is, and not for the failure of your parents."
"It was my fault, too-"
"No, Mike, shush." You kissed the top of his head. "You were 12. You had no idea that would happen. And you're not responsible for their marriage, either."
He fell silent for a good while, and you almost thought he fell asleep, until he began to mumble again. ".. I used to love Christmas. I'd make my own decorations and would force everyone to watch all of those Hallmark classics.."
".. Maybe we can do that together sometime?"
".. Maybe."
***
A pleasant surprise greeted you when you opened the front door and stepped inside the Schmidt household a few days later- The first thing you noticed was a slightly sweet smell, like vanilla with an undertone of peppermint. The next thing you noticed was a small, although noticeably fake, Christmas tree in the corner with plastic ornaments and garland covering it's surface. There were a few other trinkets lying around, plastic figurines of iconic characters from Christmas movies and cartoons, place mats on the dining table with some candles in the center, etc.
"What the hell happened here?" You muttered under your breath, taking off your jacket and hanging it up on the coat rack. "Mike?"
"Yeah?" He called out from the living room. Mike seemed to be the only thing that hadn't changed- Jeans, sweater, jacket.
A soft smile found itself on your face as you walked over to him, standing by the couch. "What's- What's all this..?" You gestured to the space around you.
"Christmas.. Or at least it's supposed to be. I had Max take Abby for a few hours so I could get all of this done without her knowing." You nodded, sitting next to him on the plush couch. "What do you think?"
"I.." Your eyes found the tree again. "It's.. I love it. Did your heart finally grow three sizes?" You asked, turning back to him with a playful expression.
"Ha.. Maybe. I dunno. I think our talk just.. Got me thinking." He sat back, arm resting on the back of the couch. You took the opportunity to snuggle into his side, head resting on his shoulder.
You nuzzled him gently, kissing his shoulder. "I'm glad it did."
***