Chapter Text
It was Christmas Eve when Whoppy heard something he shouldn't have. He didn't mean to. He was hiding in a bush in the middle of a snowball fight when he heard his uncle Albedo talking to his neighbor. This wouldn't have been strange until he heard, "I think he's cheating on me." Of course, this only piqued the half-plant's interest. His colorful leaves wiggled while he peered from underneath them. "He has been leaving the house in the middle of the night. Whenever I confront him, he refuses to answer. I am unsure at this point if Scara even loves me anymore." Whoppy's jaw dropped. For being Christmas Eve, this was bad news. He wasn't sure if Klee knew. Worst, how was Uncle Scara going on the nice list if he was hurting Uncle Albedo's feelings?
Albedo turned and looked around, but at this point, Whoppy froze in place. Plants stayed still, and even if he looked human, the leaves on his head needed to stay still. So he focused as hard as he could to keep from shaking. Hugging his whopperflower plushie, he named Dordor, as tightly as he could. Listening as hard as he could, but his uncle started to walk away, and the conversation was too hard to hear once his uncle was out of earshot. As soon as Albedo was out of view, Whoppy stood up and ran to his uncle's home. He thought visiting his family would be nice for Christmas Eve. The other two years were a little crazy, so this one should be calmer. His father had been nicer to him, and he even had a puppy now, whom he played and snuggled with often. He was never alone in Dragonspine when he had his father and his dog. When he stayed at his uncle's, he could play with Klee. Things were a lot nicer now… except now he learned that Uncle Scara was probably on the naughty list and breaking his Albedo's heart.
He busted through his uncle's front door and slammed it shut. His heart was beating out of his chest. He thought he'd be alone until he heard, "is something wrong, Whoppy?"
It was Scara leaning on the kitchen counter while drinking yucky tea. He always had it without sugar or plant fertilizer. Yuck! Whoppy shook his head and felt scared. He had just heard a horrible thing about Scara, but he wasn't sure how to confront him. If Uncle Albedo had already tried and Scara wasn't saying anything, then how could Whoppy save this Christmas?!
"Are you cold? Shoot... You're white as a sheet, and you have frost on your leaves." Scara set his cup aside and moved to the couch to grab a loose blanket. Whoppy felt the top of his head, where indeed he could feel the soft ice crystals had materialized. "Tsk, come on, sit down and warm up by the fire. Albedo will kill me if your leaves get frost-bitten."
Whoppy uncomfortably drew nearer. The closer he got, the tighter he hugged his plush, Dordor. Scara was walking quickly to meet him and wrap a blanket around him. Ushering him to his seat, close to the warmth. "Want some hot cocoa?" Whoppy nodded. "Good. You'll get nice and warm with that. Luckily, Bedo bought some fertilizer sticks a few weeks ago, so I can put one in it with marshmallows and cocoa. You want extra marshmallows, right? I know Klee always asks for them. It's a sugary gummy hell."
"Yes, please!" Whoppy perked up. He liked sweets.
"You're lucky that I just made tea. The water is still hot." He scooped the cocoa powder into a mug and added three large marshmallows. Pouring in the steaming hot water. He grabbed a fertilizer stick to stir the powder. Then he walked over with the drink.
Whoppy snuggled close with Dordor and the blanket. He glanced at Scara. Was this guy really the one who was breaking his uncle's heart? Scara was acting really nice compared to how he normally was. Usually, he was really quiet and grumpy, but right now, he seemed talkative. He even made him yummy hot chocolate. He set Dordor beside him so he could grab the mug. Blowing over the warm liquid, he couldn't help but smile. "Thank you, Uncle Scara." He mumbled before he took a sip.
He should have expected it. The drink was far too hot, and he almost dropped the mug. He couldn't believe how quickly Scara was there to grab the drink before he spilled it all over himself. "Tsk, be careful! The water is boiling hot!!" He pulled the mug away and set it down before he looked him over. "Did you get burned?!"
Whoppy's leaves shuddered. "No. I'm okay. I think I burnt my tongue since it hurts a little."
"Hey," Scara looked at him. "It's okay. You don't need to be scared. I just don't want you hurt. I'm sorry I yelled. I just didn't want you to get burned. It's okay, Whoppy. Just because you're my nephew doesn't mean I don't care. I know you're always nervous around me, but you don't need to be. We're family."
"I'm not scared." Whoppy shook. He wasn't convincing. Compared to Uncle Albedo and Klee. Scara did make him nervous since he was always grumpy.
"Then why are you shaking?"
"Ummm…" Whoppy looked down at his lap. "I heard something I wasn't supposed to hear." He didn't mean to spill the secret he heard, but breaking Albedo's heart on Christmas Eve shouldn't be allowed. Santa for sure would leave him coal. "Albedo said you don't love him anymore because you're seeing someone else."
"What?!" Whoppy looked up at his uncle, who appeared horrified.
"Are you leaving Albedo, because if you're going to hurt Uncle Albedo, then I need to know first. I want to protect him. Breaking his heart is wrong."
"No… Whoppy, no… Why would Albedo think that?"
Whoppy shrugged his shoulders. "Uhhh… he said something about you sneaking out at night."
Scara bit his lip. "Oh…"
"Is this a misunderstanding or are you up to trouble?" Whoppy shook a finger at him.
Scara let out a heavy sigh. "No, I'm not doing anything bad, per se. It's more of a surprise that's gone wrong. Ugh, Whoppy, did you tell anyone else about this? Like Klee or…"
"No… I came in here because I was worried. What are you doing at night?" Whoppy sternly asked.
Scara ran his fingers through his hair. "Can you keep a secret?" His eyes darted around the room as if someone could be listening.
"Ummm… maybe… I mean, YES!"
"Ugh, well, I guess that I'll have to tell you since you're putting me on the spot." He huffed. "I've been working on a surprise for Albedo for Christmas, but the problem is that now he's been following me at night, so I can't finish it. If I knew he thought I didn't love him because he thought I was seeing someone else, then I wouldn't have worked on anything."
"A Christmas present?"
"Yep, a pretty lame one, but a present all the same."
"But Uncle Albedo doesn't know that."
"No, he doesn't, so I guess I'll ruin the surprise so he doesn't cry."
"NO! You can't do that!" The leaves on Whoppy's head went straight up. "Christmas is to have surprise presents and if it's not a surprise, then how will Uncle Albedo be surprised if he already knows? You can't tell him!"
Scara snorted. "And? You'd prefer that Albedo's upset."
Whoppy felt his leaves shrivel. "No… but… ruining the surprise will make Albedo sad too."
"I don't know if he'll be sad. He might feel better if he knows what I've been up to."
"What have you been working on as his gift?"
"I was making him a new workbench, but it hasn't been going well." Whoppy couldn't see what could go wrong with building a table. Hammering pieces of wood together should be easy. He couldn't help but furrow his brow in bewilderment. "Do you want to see it?"
Whoppy nodded. His leaves swayed to and fro with each movement.
They secretly left through the back door of the home. Whoppy and Scara walked quickly through the alley. Heading to the outskirts of town, until they were outside the walls. Scara pulled away some bushes to reveal a pitifully made table with snow on top. Scara carefully wiped away the thin crust of snow. Three different pieces of wood had sloppy been nailed together. The top of the counter had burnt engravings with the words, 'love you~ scara.' If Whoopy didn't know better, he'd think Klee had made it.
"Ummm… It's good." Whoppy uncomfortably hugged his plushy.
"No, it's not." Scara grumbled. "It looks like ass." A light breeze blew by, and it fell over on its side with a slam. The nailed in wood had fallen into itself and bent in. Scara growled. "See, it doesn't even stay up. How can Albedo put stuff on it if it falls over and breaks?"
Whoppy pressed his lips together. The leaves on his head perked up. "Well, that means we should fix it!"
"How? I tried nailing it in all sorts of ways and it won't stay."
Whoppy leaned in and took a closer look. He could see the wood splintering in spots and holes from nails that had been hammered in and pulled out. "Hmmm…"
"If I were making a sword, then it would be done within a few days, but a table… ugh… I can't make it."
"A sword?" Whoppy's eyes widened. "You make swords?"
"Yeah…" Scara sighed. "A lifetime ago, I learned how to make swords."
"But… but…" Whoppy could feel his leaves shake and he looked at his whopperflower plushie. "Swords hurt whoppers like me. They cut down our leaves like weeds." His eyes grew as big as saucers. "Did you hurt any whopperflowers with those swords?"
Scara shrugged. "Maybe. Back then, I didn't really fight. I learned how to make swords. Fighting wasn't really my thing."
Whoppy relaxed and felt the leaves go lax. "Oh, good. I was scared you hurt whoppys like me…"
Scara rolled his eyes. "No, I wouldn't hurt a Whoppy like you since you're the only Whoppy I know."
"Hehe…" Whoppy giggled. "Hmm… the desk… the table…" Whoppy mumbled to himself. "Wait! Uncle Albedo has a sword. Have you thought of making him one?" He worried on his lip while staring at the pathetic table that lay broken in the snow. "Uncle Albedo only uses his sword for good and he's a knight. So he has to have one on him at all times on the job!"
"I don't have a forge to make one."
"Well, can't you ask the blacksmith if you can borrow his forge? I'm sure he'll let you if he knows it's a Christmas emergency for your one true love!"
"Well…" Scara grasped his chin to rub it. "It'd be tricky to make overnight, plus Albedo will look for me. Especially if he's already thinks I'm up to something nefarious."
"Oh yeah… I forgot. Uncle Albedo doesn't trust you. What if Klee and I distract Albedo for you? I could tell Klee your plans and you can work on a sword for Uncle Albedo, since the table is ummm… bad."
Scara snorted. "I wouldn't suggest telling Klee. She can't keep a secret even if it could save her life."
"What do you mean? Klee keeps my secrets!" Whoppy huffed. "I told her plenty of secrets and Klee hasn't told anyone."
"Like where your candy stash is?" Scara mused. "It's under your flower pot."
"How do you know?!"
"Klee told me."
"Darn it. Maybe Klee can't keep a secret. You haven't told anyone where my candy is, right?"
"Never."
"Good. Well, I think I have a plan and you can make a good present for Uncle Albedo while I make him happy. Let's save Uncle Albedo's Christmas!!!"
Whoppy was quick to get back to his uncle's house. He had a plan. It would be tricky to pull off, but if he did it right, then Albedo would not only be surprised but be very very veryyyyy happy! The most important part of Christmas was to feel happy and loved! At home, he grabbed a piece of paper and Klee's crayons. Then he drew out what his plan entailed.
He thought Scara would understand it with his pictures, but he seemed more confused than before. With colored crayon drawings all around him, he spoke sternly. "I need to get you at the forge as soon as possible, but we also have to keep Albedo busy. Soooo…" Whoppy looked at the presents under the tree. "What if the Grinch steals Christmas and Uncle Albedo thinks he has to save Christmas?"
"Huh?"
"We un-decorate the house and hide everything. Then leave a note saying the Grinch did it."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Then," Whoppy continued. "We'll tell my dad. He can help. He's the biggest Grinch I know. He'd love to hide all the Christmas stuff."
"You're not wrong. Dorian isn't the biggest fan of Christmas."
"See, I'll have to tell Klee something without her spilling the beans. I don't want her scared about her dad's breaking up or that the Grinch came to her house." Whoppy pressed the crayon into the paper. "I could tell Klee everything and that I'll give her my whole candy stash if she doesn't say anything. Then tell her the Grinch didn't steal Christmas. I'll say that we're actually making a Christmas miracle happen."
Scara yawned. "Do you think Klee will stay silent about that?"
"Mhm, my whole stash of candy is on the line! She has to."
"How will you keep Albedo from wandering around town? The forge isn't that difficult to find."
"Ummm… well, if you dress up like a blacksmith, I don't think Uncle Albedo will see you. As long as you wear a white work cap and plan clothes, he'll never search for you there."
"Hmmm, that could work."
"If Albedo is busy trying to save Christmas for Klee and me, then he'll forget about you." This made Scara frown. "What?" Scara shook his head, but Whoppy realized he must have said something that hurt him. "Wait, I didn't mean Uncle Albedo would forget you, but he would be so busy trying to save Christmas that…"
"No… I get it. Go on."
Whoppy nodded. "Albedo won't have to look too far for everything. Maybe we'll hide it in the snow… WAIT! What if we make a Grinch treasure map! That's it. Klee can help. She's good at making treasure maps."
"And where will the treasure map lead?"
"Hmmmm… Oh!" Whoppy's eyes lit up. "I know where, and Uncle Albedo will stop being mad at you too."