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You'd think Uzi would be used to being woken up at ungodly hours by her boyfriend.
She's not.
Definitely not.
N comes barrelling into her room, yelling something. He throws open the curtains, and sunlight pours into the previously pitch-black room. Uzi squints one eye open and instantly regrets it when she is blinded by the white light that has invaded her room. N is jumping up and down at the foot of her bed, still saying something, but before she can even mutter a 'huh?', he pounces on her bed and pulls her into a crushing hug and starts shaking her.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS, UZI!" He practically screams in her ear.
Ah. That's why he'd come bouncing around her room like a puppy with the zoomies. She buries her face into his chest to escape the light,
"Merry Christmas, babe..." She mutters, "Can you please stop trying to give me whiplash?"
N instantly stops shaking her and puts a hand on the back of her head. "Sorry, just got excited! It's Christmas after all!" He apologizes, letting her curl up against him.
"Mmmm." Uzi hums. " Can just stay like this for a bit longer? You're warm..."
"Of course." He chirps, moving his hands to rest on her hips to pull her closer.
Uzi wakes up alone in bed, not at all surprised, since once N wakes up, it's usually impossible for him to get back to sleep. She rolls over, about to get out of bed to look for him, when she sees a steaming mug on her nightstand, along with her oversized wearable blanket/hoodie and favorite bat slippers on the floor. Her lips curl into a smile that she tries futilely to suppress, the warmth curling in her chest. "Idiot." She mumbles to herself before throwing on the hoodie, slippers, and grabbing the mug.
The smell of a delicious breakfast hits her before she even opens the door, and it only gets stronger as she shuffles towards the kitchen. N is stirring something on the stove in his pink apron, but whips around when he hears her coming.
"Good morning, my darling!" He sings before taking in her appearance, "You kinda look like a grandma."
Uzi rolls her eyes, "Bite me." She mutters and brings the mug up to her lips to hide her smile. She freezes when she tastes it. "Is this apple cider and... coffee?"
"Yes! Do you not like it?" N asks, deflating slightly.
"No, no. It's good. Just not what I was expecting." She assures as she takes a seat at the table in front of a plate with bacon and eggs in the shape of a smiley face, except there's hot sauce drizzled over the bacon to make it look like it has sharp teeth. She laughs when she sees it. N appears behind her and wraps her arms around her.
"Do ya like it?" He mumbles into her neck.
"I absolutely love it." She snorts.
She finishes her food and goes to the bathroom to freshen up. After brushing her teeth, washing her face, and taking a quick shower, she moves to open the door, and hears N jump and run to grab something. She opens the door to see him rushing out of the front door.
"I'll be back in a bit, Zi!" He yells over his shoulder.
"And where are you going?" She asks, drying her hair with a towel.
"Just gonna grab something...?" N responds, sounding slightly unsure.
She pauses. That's odd. He's usually overly descriptive about where he's going; he's never... mysterious about it.
"You positive?" She presses, crossing her arms.
"Yup! Totally 100% positive." He says, too quickly.
"N." She walks closer and stares him down.
"Y-Yes??" He squeaks, not holding eye contact.
"Drive safe." She says, simply, and turns around.
He audibly sighs, "Of course! Iloveyoubye!" He nods and races out the door.
He is definitely up to something.
There is no way that Zi has a single clue that he's up to something.
That's what N thinks to himself as he drives home with a box in his lap. Is it the safest? No. Does he care? Kind of, but not enough to not do it! All he has to do is get this through the door. Once it's already inside, there is no way she'll be able to say no to it... hopefully.
He carefully parks and slides out of the car with the box in hand; it wobbles in his hands, causing him to almost drop it. He manages to get it up the multiple flights of stairs and to their apartment door. He opens it with one hand, and he looks around and sees Zi on a stool next to the Christmas tree. N jumps slightly, having expected her to be in her room.
"Hey, babe." She gets down off the ladder, and her gaze immediately falls onto the box in his arms. "Watcha got there?"
"Uh, you know... Stuff." He sputters.
"No, N, I don't know."
"..." He stares at her, trying to think of something to say.
"N." She warns, her voice dropping.
He instantly folds, "Uhm... What would you say if one day I came home with... I dunno, six puppies?" He blurts, hugging the box closer to his chest.
"What's in the box?" Zi asks, closing her eyes and rubbing her temples.
N just looks at her with his best puppy dog eyes he can muster.
She doesn't waver. "What's in the box, Nixon?"
He shrinks in on himself. "... I think you know."
He puts the box on the floor, and the top pops open, and a barking golden retriever the size of her hands pokes its head out. Zi stares in utter shock as puppies pour out of the box like clowns out of a mini car.
"I have so many questions." She mutters, mouth agape. "First of all, where did you get six puppies from?"
"Well, V has a buddy that just had a litter of puppies, and they can't keep all of the puppies, so... I may have said that I know someone who can keep them." N rants guiltily.
"Well, we can't house six puppies in our 2-bed apartment. I'm sorry."
"Why not!?" He whines.
"Why?- N. I want you to look me in my eyes and ask me that again."
He looks up at her and instantly frowns deeper, "Yeah, that was a dumb question."
"Okay, well, you have to give them back."
"But I promised-!"
"N. We don't have space." She cuts him off, firmly.
"But-!" N tries to continue but is interrupted again.
"We will keep one just for a little while."
He lights up, "Really?"
"Yes, but you have to give the other 5 back, and we have to find the one we keep a home within a week."
N nods vigorously, "Of course!"
He pulls her into a hug and peppers her face with kisses. "Thank you so much, darling!!" He squeals.
Her face turns beet red instantly, and she pushes his face away with both hands, "Yeah, yeah, you're welcome."
One of the puppies sits between their feet and barks up at them. N reaches down and picks it up. "Can we keep this one?"
Uzi looks at the small dog in his hands and nods, giggling. "After we get them all back in the box..."
The puppy squirms and wiggles in Uzi's lap on the way home, licking her hand every time she tries to get it still. N has to open the door while Uzi holds the dog in her hands to prevent it from bolting.
"I think he likes you!" N observes.
"You think?" Uzi snickers as she holds the puppy at arm's length to stop it from licking all her face.
"Can we play in the snow?! It's so pretty out here." N asks, tugging on her arm.
"If you promise you're not going to get wet. You're not exactly easy to repair."
"I promise!" N nods and runs off like a child.
Uzi gently puts the puppy down, and it instantly bolts after N. N laughs, picks it up, and spins around with it in his hands.
"Careful!" She calls and runs after them.
While Uzi draws in the snow with a stick, N comes up behind her and covers her eyes.
"Come see!" He chirps and guides her over to where he was working. "Voilà!"
She opens her eyes and is greeted with 3 snowmen, one large one with his hat on top, a smaller one with her favorite beanie on top of it, and a small animal-like one between them. The two bigger ones are holding hands, and on the ground, there are arrows with their names beneath them. The largest one is labeled 'me', the smaller one is labeled 'Zizi', and the dog-like one, 'Biscuit'.
"We're naming him Biscuit? He's only gonna be here for like a week." Uzi reminds him.
"Well, he still deserves a name!" N argues, pouting.
"Of course he does!" Uzi shakes her head before bursting out in laughter. N watches her laugh, a smile on his lips. She's too busy laughing to notice him stepping closer, until he brushes a hair strand out of her face after she calms down from her laughing fit.
"N?"
"You look gorgeous in the snow..."
She blushes. "Th- Thank you."
"Can I kiss you?" He blurts.
"Uh- Yeah."
He pulls her in by the waist and presses a gentle kiss to her lips; it's quick, cautious, almost. When they pull away, both of their faces are red. They stare at each other, then crash into each other like a dam breaking. Her hands move up to his neck, and his hands slide down to her waist, and they pull each other impossibly closer. Uzi kisses him like she's starving, and one of her hands tangles itself in his hair, yanking it slightly. Her knees buckle, and N hoists her up by her thighs. Uzi uses her newfound leverage to deepen the kiss.
The moment is interrupted by a voice and a camera shudder. Uzi's head whips in the direction of the noise.
"Ew." Lizzy deadpans, her phone camera aimed at them. "My money."
V groans and slaps a $10 bill into her hand. "Whatever."
Uzi sits there frozen for a moment before she snaps out of her trance and pushes N away. She stumbles, almost falling on her ass if not for N's arm still around her waist.
"What the hell are you guys doing here!" She sputters, furiously wiping her lips with her sleeve.
"We just wanted to stop by and say Merry Christmas." Lizzy shrugs.
"And the bet?" Uzi presses.
"Oh. I said that if we came, we'd walk in on you toungeing each other." Lizzy explains too casually.
"Why?!" She sputters, her face growing hotter.
"I had a feeling. You guys aren't exactly in private."
Uzi stares blankly at her.
"Anyways, Merry Christmas, here's your gift." Lizzy tosses a small pink box at her and grabs V's hand. "That's all. Go finish whatever you were doing, preferably inside this time. Also, N, you got a little lipstick, like, everywhere."
N's face is smugged with Uzi's plum lipstick while he stares into space with a goofy grin on his face. Uzi hides her face in her hands.
"This is my house, I have to defend it!" The little boy declares to himself on the TV.
"Why do you like Home Alone so much?" Uzi mumbles, voice slightly muffled by N's chest, which she is currently lying on.
"Dunno, just feels familiar." N shrugs.
"Fair." She shrugs; her movements bother the sleeping Biscuit, who is on the couch with the cuddling couple. "Sorry, Biscuit."
Her gaze falls from the TV down to the coffee table in front of them. On it sits the gift that Lizzy had thrown at them, unopened. He looks at the gift and up at the distracted N, 'This better not be something stupid.' She prays silently as she grabs the box and gently removes the hot pink ribbon, and lifts the cover of the box. The first thing she sees is a handwritten note in pink gel pen.
Jesus is the reason for the season. Leave room for him. But in case you don't...
-Liz
P.S. V says this is dumb. I disagree
Underneath a thin layer of tissue paper is a bunch of Trojans. Uzi lets out a strangled squeak and shoves everything back in the box and launches it towards the trash can like it's a bomb. That startles both N and Biscuit.
"You okay, Zi?" N asks, squeezing her a bit tighter.
"Mhm. Yup." She sputters and buries her face in his chest.
He seems satisfied with that answer and kisses her head and nods, "Okay! I love you, Merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas... I love you too."