Chapter Text
Bee carefully wrapped the bow on top of the box to keep it closed. It wasn't flashy, but then again, Doodley never seemed to care about "flashy" when it came to her favorite things. Hopefully, Waspy wouldn't, either. They looked over the wrapping paper texture on the box and nodded, satisfied. This would do just fine! They slipped the cards underneath the ribbon they'd used for the bow. Putting their coat on, they picked the box up and held it firmly with both hands. They walked out of the corner of the house hall they'd claimed as their own to make their way towards Doodley's room. The contents inside of the box shook along with their hands. What if she wasn't home? Did Doodley go home for the Yulemas season? Did gargoyles and ghosts even celebrate Yulemas? What if they were too late? What if they missed her?
"Ah! Waspy, be careful! That's for Mom! Er, MY Mom, your... grandma. Look, just put it down!" The shouts from inside melted all of their worries away. Bee let out a sigh as they knocked on the door. Alright, so they hadn't missed her! Thank the Night Queen. "Who is it?"
"It's your neighbor!" Bee replied.
"I'll get it!" Waspy announced. A few rapid footsteps and some shuffling later, the door swung open to reveal the grinning wasp woman inside. "Hey, Bumblebee! Nice to see you around for once."
"Hehe... Ha... Um, I hope you two don't mind, I wanted to bring you something! A gift for the Yulemas season. It's not much, but... It's the first thing I thought to make when I thought of both of you," Bee said. They held the box out towards Waspy. "I even wrote some cards out for you two." Waspy gasped.
"Hey, Mom, look! Look at what Bumblebee brought us! What's in the box?" Doodley flew up to the door to look over Waspy's shoulder. She smiled at the sight of her friend.
"Hi, Bee! Ooo, what's this?" she said, floating closer to Waspy's side.
"You'll have to open it and see. But, uh, d--don't shake it. It's very fragile," Bee said. They held a hand up to make sure Waspy didn't do what they knew she'd want to do. Doodley took the card that was addressed to her.
"Put it down on the table, Waspy. Come in, Bee." Bee walked inside once Waspy got out of the doorway. They followed her and Doodley to the table further inside. She put the box down on the table and ripped the card out from underneath the ribbon. "Careful..." Waspy tore the envelope open and began to read the message inside.
"Dear Waspy,
I hope you and Doodley enjoy your present! I wanted to bake something for both of you since Doodley and I have been talking about it for a while now. I'm so happy to call you both some of my closest friends. Thank you for always being there for me. Happy Yulemas!
- Bee"
"Awww, Bumblebee!" Waspy said. Doodley smiled as she read her card.
"Dear Doodley,
Happy Yulemas, my dear! Thank you for always being such a wonderful friend and for being my rock when I need one (gargoyle pun not intended). I hope you have a happy holiday and that you enjoy the gift I made for you and Waspy.
- Bee"
Doodley turned her attention to the box and pulled on one part of the ribbon. She started to scratch at the edge of the box's design as though it were real paper.
"Uh, it's... printed on there. Just pull the top off," Bee said sheepishly.
"Oh!" Doodley said. She pulled the top off to reveal a plate of apple turnovers inside. Waspy's eyes widened. She immediately reached for one and popped it into her mouth.
"Mm! These are delicious, Bumblebee! Thank you so much," she said. She walked up to Bee to pick them up in a hug. Bee gasped, holding onto her arms as she scooped them up. They let out a nervous giggle.
"Hehe, you're very welcome... Please... put me down...," they said. Waspy put them down and they returned the hug. "It's my pleasure. Like I said in the cards, we'd been talking about baking for a bit and I finally got the chance to do so for some of my favorite people. I was worried I'd gotten here too late. I wasn't sure if you were going home for the holiday season."
"Oh, eh... Billie and I go home to visit our family for the day and then we come back here. You wouldn't have MISSED us, missed us," Doodley said. She picked up an apple turnover to try for herself. "Mm! These are so good!"
"You mean that? They're not too heavy on the cinnamon? I tried to follow the recipe exactly."
"They're perfect," Waspy said, giving them a hard pat on the shoulder. Bee stumbled forward. They gave her a goofy smile as they looked up. "You should have one! Sample your hard work!"
"Oh, I can't. Well, I can, but I won't be able to taste anything but the cinnamon in them. And a little of the vanilla, but that honestly just tastes like pure alcohol to me. And besides, I have a lot of other people to visit before it gets too late in the day," Bee said. They ducked under Waspy's arm. "But I'm so glad you two like your turnovers! I'll definitely be making more."
"Mm, please do! These are great! Gimme the recipe sometime, won't you, Bumblebee?"
"You're sure you can't stay? We weren't really doing much, just getting some presents together for my brother and our parents," Doodley said, floating closer. Cinnamon stained the spot on her bedsheet around her mouth. Bee giggled.
"Maybe if I finish up early, I'll stop by to sit for a bit. But for now, I've got a long list. I'll see you again before the day's through! Probably... Enjoy your turnovers, you two. I'll see you around," they said. They turned towards the door to head out.
"See ya, Bumblebee! Don't be a stranger!" Waspy said as she followed them to the door.
"Bee, wait!" Doodley said. Bee turned back around to ask what she needed when they were nearly tackled by the doodle ghost hugging them. Bee let out a grunt, catching her and wrapping their arms around her. They melted into a smile. "Thank you. We really appreciate the gift. Happy Yulemas." Even though they couldn't see her face, Bee could hear the smile in her voice.
"You're very welcome," they replied. Doodley let go and Waspy took the opportunity for another hug. Bee sighed with relief once they realized she wasn't going to pick them up again. She let go and they continued on their way. With a wave, they shut the door behind themself. Once out of the room, Bee took a deep breath.
One gift down, a whole lot more to go.