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The front door to Rosie's house swung open as the reindeer's glowing red nose illuminated her dark interior along with the light-strewn Christmas tree in the corner. Though, the fact it was flickering was a good indication of her exhaustion. Her tight were tight and her teeth clenched as she struggled to hold back tears. One of her antlers was missing, though she wasn't too torn up about that; she and the other reindeer were due to lose their antlers by now. She just wished she didn't lose in such a manner. The bells on her collar jingled as she undid the buckle before letting it call to the floor with an undignified clang. Slamming the door behind her, she limped over to the couch, leaving specks of snow on the floor with each step.
After unbuttoning her jacket and undoing her pants, she let those fall to the floor too, leaving her in her tank top and panties, and revealing the myriad of scrapes and cuts. The bruises, though hidden by her fur, still hurt like hell.
With that, she faceplanted onto her couch before letting out a long, drawn-out groan.
"Everything hurts..." She slurred.
But the physical pain was nothing to the failure and guilt washing over her. This was supposed to be her first Christmas run. She was supposed to guide the slay through the night just like her grandpa Rudolph had done all those years ago. But she just had to choke. She just HAD to get distracted, leading to the crash and nearly jeopardizing Christmas, if they didn't have sister Rita on standby if anything went wrong.
Laying on her side, Rosier curled herself into a ball and hugged herself as tears stung her eyes and soaked into the sofa cushion. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't at least a little bit jealous of Rita. She wanted so bad to prove herself, she couldn't meet her own lofty standards.
However, she was snapped out of her thought by a knocking at the door and familiar voice calling her name.
"Rosie?" A gruff voice called. "You OK?"
A polar bear in a winter jacket, pants, and ushanka and carrying a small white box came barging in. He turned on the lights, only to blush and avert his eyes when he saw his girlfriend in her tank top and panties.
"Hey, Pax." Rosie croaked sadly.
"Why are you laying like that?" He asked.
"Oh, I don't know." She snarked with a sniff. "Maybe it's because I nearly ruined Christmas by causing the entire team to crash!"
"...Well, could've been worse." Pax said, trying to lighten the mood.
In response, Rosie threw a cushion at him before returning to her sulking. Not knowing what else to do, Pax set the box down on the coffee table and saw by Rosie's head before gently stroking it with his massive paw.
"If it makes you feel any better, I got you your favorite cookies." He told her.
Her ears perked up the second he said that and her sweet tooth tingled.
"You mean the ones with the mini marshmallows?" She inquired.
"Yep."
Almost instantly, Rosie perked up and grabbed the box. She squealed in delight when she saw the opened the box and saw her favorite treats.
"I'm gonna get us some eggnog." Pax chuckled as Rosie gorged herself and he got off the couch to head to the kitchen. "Don't hog them all."
After reaching the fridge, Pax retired the jug of eggnog before pouring it into two glasses. With those full, he headed back to the living room and sat back down, next to her. Grabbing the remote, he turned on the TV, hoping to watch a movie together, only to mistakenly turn on the news channel.
"While no one was seriously injured, the lead reindeer, Rosie Pfeffer was-"
Rosie immediately snatched the remote away and turned the TV off before slamming it down on the couch. She hugged her knees to her chest as she struggled to control her tears. Before Rosie could sink any further into her depression, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned to her left and saw Pax, smiling cheekily as he held a cookie in his mouth.
Rosie let out a suppressed chuckle of her own. She tried reach for the box, Pax blocked her way.
"Pax! Come on!" She whined.
The polar bear offered her the cookie. She tried to reach for it with her hand only for him to swat it away and wag a finger at her. Rolling her eyes and smiling exasperatedly, she leaned forwards before grabbing one end of the cookie, allowing the couple to break it in half and eat it.
"I hate you sometimes." Rosie grumbled, her mouth still full
"You love it." Pax snickered.
After swallowing, she took a sip of her eggnog. She was about to reach for another one, when he stopped her.
"Hey, you got a little something there."
"Where?"
"I got it."
Wrapping her in a bearhug, Pax smashed their lips together. While initially struggling, Rosie melted from the tenderness of his kiss and the warmth of his embrace. Maybe this Christmas won't be so crummy after all.