Chapter Text
It was remarkable how quickly Morgan and Alex settled into being roommates. Alex had only moved in a couple of months ago while his destroyed base was being fixed, but already it felt like he had always been there. The piles of Morgan’s DVDs and games now had shelves near the TV to store them neatly, and had box sets for Alex’s favourite romantic shows mixed in. The half broken couch had gone through as much of a makeover as was possible without fixing it, with throws and pillows scattered to turn the couch into a veritable nest for naps. The bathroom had gone through a similar glow up, with Morgan’s cheap 5in1 soap and shampoo now sat next to shampoos, conditioners, hair and face masks, bath bombs, creams and lotions, making the room feel like some kind of high end spa. The kitchen, of course, faced the most dramatic change. The fridge had been replaced three times over from Alex breaking it so much, but everything else had received a glow up as well. He had moved in his professional coffee machine that now took up part of the kitchen counter, which sat next to the bread bin that almost always had fresh dough kneading, proofing or baking. And that was on top of the new cooker, and microwave, and the new pots and pans and bowls that now nearly always saw use for cooking and baking. Alex had truly and irrevocably moved in, and surprisingly enough it all felt natural. It still felt like Morgan’s apartment, from the grungy furniture to the giant conspiracy-style corkboard dedicated to planning heists next to the filthy looking worktable for Morgan’s projects, to the almost reverent set up that the TV and gaming consoles were given. But Alex had clearly left his mark, and none of it felt wrong, or jarred against Morgan’s senses. It felt…normal. To have these marks made by Alex in their home. And so far, Alex hadn’t done anything to challenge that feeling. Not until December 1st came, that was.
Morgan didn’t question that Alex had been out all day. They were too busy planning a museum heist that was coinciding with some high end gala for the festive season. Morgan had never cared about Christmas all that much, but the ridiculous season did bring two good things. One of them, Black Friday, was still apparently going on if the weeks-long sales in all the stores were anything to go by. And the other one was the ridiculous fancy parties that were begging to be stolen from. Or being used as covers to steal something even better. So that’s what Morgan had been doing all day. Piecing together their latest great plan to steal the Winter Solstice Sapphire right out from the museum gala where it was being unveiled. Their favourite heist planning playlist was blasting through the apartment, and they were in the middle of mapping out the security blind spots on the large museum blueprint pinned front and centre on the heist board. They were in their element. In the zone. They didn’t even question where Alex was or where he had been all day. He’d be fine, it was Alex after all.
When Alex teleported back into the apartment, Morgan didn’t even notice. Not until the music stopped mid song, and Morgan stumbled on the song they were in the middle of singing before turning around. ‘Alex?’ They sighed, ‘I’ve told you before, don’t interrupt when I’m in the zone.’
Alex raised an eyebrow at Morgan, dropping their phone back onto the table where the speaker was waiting for input. ‘I can’t believe I’m about to say this, considering where I just was? But that was too loud. I’ve nearly gone deaf just from five seconds of that.’
Morgan snorted, ‘Weak.’ Alex frowned as Morgan turned back to their board, ‘Fine, then turn it down a bit but put it back on. I’m busy.’
‘Planning…what exactly?’
‘Gala heist,’ Morgan grinned. ‘Those idiots aren’t going to know what hit them.’ They looked back at Alex, and finally noticed what he was wearing. ‘Wait, where have you been? And what the hell are you wearing?’
Alex looked down at his deep red thick knit sweater decorated in white snowflakes and reindeers. ‘Uh…my parents’? And this is one of my Christmas sweaters.’
Morgan blinked at them in confusion, ‘Why are you wearing a Christmas sweater?’
‘What do you mean why? It’s December 1st.’
‘So?’
‘So…today we decorate the house. Well, the farm. It’s tradition.’ Alex looked around at the apartment with a pensive expression. ‘When do you normally put up decorations, by the way?’
‘Oh. I don’t.’
Alex snapped to look back at Morgan, yellow eyes wide with shock. ‘What do you mean, you don’t?’
Morgan shrugged. ‘I don’t celebrate Christmas.’
‘What? Why?!’
‘Because it’s a stupid holiday? And a waste of time, and full of bad music and overpriced food. And overpricing is only fun when I do it.’
‘But you were so excited about Black Friday.’
‘Yeah! The bloodbaths in the stores are hilarious. Especially when you fight off a 50 year old Karen for a new juicer and then steal it anyway. Or, even better, is to watch the meanest, most ruthless shopper tear through the store and then break into their car and steal everything when they’re not looking. Priceless.’ Morgan sighed. ‘But yeah, aside from that and the opportunity to swipe some cool stuff from fancy parties, I don’t really do anything for Christmas.’
Alex stared at Morgan, clearly both offended and heartbroken for Morgan. ‘You really don’t like Christmas?’ Morgan shrugged, turning back to their board while Alex’s face set. ‘No. I refuse to accept that.’
‘What do you mean you refuse?’ Morgan snorted.
‘I mean,’ Alex said, ‘that we’re doing Christmas this year. We’re doing it properly. And I’m going to show you how much fun it can be. Come on.’
‘What?’ Morgan tried to back up as Alex grabbed their arm, scrambling to hold onto something that would stop Alex from dragging them away. ‘No! My heist! You can’t interrupt, I only have two weeks to plan this!’
‘This is more important,’ Alex said.
‘Not likely,’ Morgan scoffed. ‘This is the Winter Solstice Sapphire we’re talking about. Do you realise how much this thing is worth? If I steal this I’ll finally have enough money to be able to get onto Roofer’s poker table.’
‘But Christmas-’
‘Is an overhyped holiday poisoned by capitalism,’ Morgan said. ‘It’s made by corporate assholes wanting to make as much money as possible off you, and traditions demanding you play nice with family no matter how big assholes they might be. It tells you to ignore how cold and miserable you are because there’s pretty lights and bright colours so that’s better than anything else.’ They managed to rip their arm out of Alex’s hold, straightening themselves while Alex stared at them in shock. ‘You can do what you want with Christmas. I don’t care. But unless it’s to do with the heist then I don’t want to know. Or be involved.’
Alex watched Morgan turn away and return to their board, picking up a piece of paper and a marker to start making notes on the blueprint again. ‘Morgan,’ Alex said. ‘I’m going to want to decorate the apartment.’ Morgan flinched at that, and Alex sighed. ‘How about a trade? I’ll help you with your heist, and you celebrate Christmas with me.’ Morgan looked over their shoulder, just enough for Alex to see that Morgan was scowling. ‘We don’t need to do all of it. Just some parts.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well I love getting a tree,’ Alex said. ‘A real one is my favourite, but if you don’t want to have to deal with pine needles then we can get a plastic one. And I want to go around the Christmas Market at least once to see the lights. Oh, and make a gingerbread house.’ Morgan was looking away, fiddling with the paper in their hands. ‘And of course there’s Christmas dinner,’ Alex said.
‘We just had Thanksgiving,’ Morgan said.
‘Yeah but it's totally different,’ Alex said. ‘Christmas has ham, and fruit cake, and mulled wine. Or cocoa if you’re not into mulled wine. And then there’s games, and Christmas movies.’
Morgan sighed, ‘Don’t tell me you’re going to watch those dumb Hallmark movies.’
‘Maybe one or two,’ Alex said. ‘But we can watch other ones too.’
‘What about Die Hard?’
‘That’s not a Christmas movie,’ Alex said, suddenly going deadpan. ‘But sure. I’ll watch Die Hard if you watch a non-Hallmark Christmas movie with me.’
Morgan pulled a face, looking at the papers in their hand. ‘This really means that much to you?’ Alex nodded, making Morgan sigh. ‘Alright. One tree, one Christmas movie night, and you can do as much Christmas food and drink as you want.’
‘And the market?’
‘If I get my heist off? Then I’ll go to the market with you as many times as you want.’
Alex lit up, practically skipping over to the conspiracy board and swiping some free papers from the nearby table. ‘In that case, let’s make this the best gala heist they’ve ever seen.’
The next day saw a strange energy in Morgan’s apartment. After Morgan had finished heist planning for the evening Alex had bothered Morgan more than they would like by asking them to compare different Christmas inspiration photos on Pinterest, getting them to compare tree types, colours, string lights, even the tree toppers. Most of it Morgan shrugged off with a comment of “I don’t care” or “stop bothering me,” but apparently Alex was getting information enough to make them hum and ponder, with a smile on his face that Morgan couldn’t wipe off. And the fruits of his probing questions made themselves known the next day, when Morgan rolled out of bed at close to 12 and walked into a living room filled with bags and boxes.
Alex was bedecked in another Christmas jumper, this one green with snowmen across the front, spinning in time to grin at Morgan. ‘Morning! And I can actually say morning honestly this time, since we are on the right side of lunchtime for it.’ Morgan looked around in confusion, while Alex gestured. ‘You seemed to hate the idea of looking at Christmas stuff in shops, and you need as much time as possible for your heist, so I took the liberty of acquiring a tree and decorations. Hopefully I picked stuff you’ll like.’
Morgan stepped closer, weaving through the boxes, to see the main box that Alex was gesturing at. ‘Did you have to get such a big tree?’ Morgan asked.
Alex scoffed, ‘Oh please. This is small for me. And it’s an easy assembly one too.’ Alex started rummaging through the bags. ‘Alright, I think we should start with this. And then put decorations on top.’
Morgan looked at the can Alex was holding, their eyes going wide. ‘Snow in a can?’
Alex smiled, ‘Yeah. You seemed to like the idea last night.’
‘But…isn’t that a little tacky?’ Morgan asked, suddenly sounding unsure.
Alex snorted, ‘Who cares? The important thing is whether you like it or not.’
‘Well, you live here too. Do you like it?’
‘Yeah why not?’ Alex said. ‘I’ve never actually used this stuff before, Mum was worried it would be toxic for her tree. But this is as safe as any other aerosol so it should be fine for us. And our fake tree.’ Alex looked up, smiling at Morgan while not seeming to notice how Morgan’s confusion only seemed to grow with every passing moment. ‘So…snow time?’
Morgan took the can, examining the writing carefully while Alex hummed a carol to himself. ‘You sure you’re okay with a fake tree with fake snow on it? You don’t want to keep it green or something?’
Alex shrugged. ‘I don’t mind. I told you, I prefer real ones. Maybe if I get you with the Christmas bug we can get a real tree next year?’
‘Don’t get ahead of yourself,’ Morgan grumbled. They turned away, looking at a nearby bag to see boxes of brand new fairy lights. ‘You didn’t get coloured lights,’ Morgan said. ‘Just the white ones.’
Alex nodded, ‘You kept going on about the colourful lights being garish. And frankly when the multicoloured lights are really bright and flash? Or it’s the LED ones? Then they can give me headaches. So, warm white ones. But I also took the liberty to get some snowflake ones, but that’s a treat for me.’
Morgan pulled the box of snowflake lights out of the bag, taking a moment to scan over the details while definitely not admiring them. When they glanced up, they saw that Alex was pulling out baubles and tinsel that were red and gold, his face lighting up with a childlike glee that Morgan had never seen on his face. Something ugly coiled in Morgan’s stomach, making them want to turn around and ignore all of this. But they did make the deal with Alex. So they swallowed that feeling back and turned to the tree, ‘How long is this likely to take?’
Alex shrugged, ‘Not sure. It’s a new room, new tree. But I promise once it’s done I’ll help you with your heist plans. We can’t sabotage that, right?’
Morgan managed a small smile. ‘Good. Glad you remember our priorities.’
Alex didn’t make Morgan wear a Christmas sweater. There were a few options to one side in a bag, but it was one that Alex didn’t touch and Morgan elected to avoid for now. The tree was more than enough Christmas exposure for today. Even if it was fun spraying the snow onto the branches. And even if turning on the lights for the first time did make Morgan have to admit they were pretty. Alex had gone for a safe festive topper, ignoring any religious or Santa themed iconography for a golden glittering star that sat pride of place on the top of the tree. One that Morgan stared at while Alex packed up the boxes and bags to either throw away or store for the New Year. It felt odd, there being a tree in their apartment. They had lived here for going on five years now and had avoided this stuff like the plague. But five months and one Christmas with Alex was enough to make them get a tree. And the even odder part was that they didn’t hate it. Sure it was bright, but not in a way that made them cringe. And Alex had found a few other bits and pieces he wanted to put out as ornaments, but none of it was too invasive. It didn’t get in the way of their TV and games, or their heisting or building projects. And the derpy snowman Alex pulled out of its box was kind of cute in the right light, especially when Alex set it on the corner of the kitchen island to observe Alex’s cooking.
‘Alright,’ Alex said, clapping his hands to pull Morgan out of their thoughts. ‘I have to say, that’s a pretty good tree.’ He took a moment to admire it, his smile drifting to Morgan, who was now clearly feeling the awkwardness. ‘Is it time to plan a heist?’
‘Oh thank god, yes,’ Morgan said. ‘The last thing I want to do is fall behind.’
‘Got it,’ Alex smirked. ‘Question. Would it be more helpful to hold bits of paper? Or to make heist planning snacks?’
Morgan shrugged, trying and failing to look nonchalant. ‘That depends on the snacks I guess.’
‘I was thinking chocolate orange cookies,’ Alex said. Morgan immediately lit up at the suggestion, making Alex grin. ‘Alright. Guess I’d better make a start then. This heist won’t wait for no villain.’
It was two weeks later when Morgan and Alex did anything Christmassy again. As promised, the daily Christmas intervention was kept to a minimum, so aside from the tree and decorations, and Alex’s more festive outfits and snacks, life very much went on as normal for the pair of them. That was, of course, until the gala came and went, and the Winter Solstice Sapphire successfully vanished without a trace. Morgan was gleeful as they successfully avoided the ire of Saint Bernard, and with the sapphire claimed and their spot on Rex’s next poker tournament secured Morgan was ready to celebrate this moment well into the New Year. In fact, they were so happy that they barely flinched when Alex mentioned the Christmas Market again. They didn’t even need the reminder from Alex that they had promised to go to the Market with him once the heist was done. They did sneer when Alex pulled out the christmas sweaters, ignoring how his grin turned sinister for a moment. But they eventually relented, grabbing the most generic green Christmas sweater out of the pile to throw on under their coat. Never let it be said that Morgan didn’t rise to a challenge. Even the stupid ones.
The market was open all day, and well into the evening. Plenty of time for people to visit, and yet apparently everyone in the city decided to visit on the same day that Alex and Morgan went. Morgan was all too ready to start complaining, but before they could Alex hugged them closer and straight up barged through the crowd, not caring for the people they scattered in their wake. Morgan shouldn’t have encouraged that, but it did make them grin, chuckling when they saw the kind of people who would be the worst customers at the Farmers Market scatter across the ground like bowling pins. So like that they moved through the crowds, getting close enough to the stalls that Alex could finally start admiring what they had on offer. It was…not nice. But something close to nice. Watching Alex mull over different artisan cheeses and teas, admire handmade glassware and jewellery, it felt oddly chill for them. There was no running around planning a heist. Or the chaos and horror of an S Tier massacre being streamed live on the news. Instead there was just the two of them, walking through a market as friends. If it wasn’t for the noise of the people, or the music, or the decorations, Morgan could almost forget the time of year it was.
They ended up holding more than a few of the bags for Alex as the market moved from artisan and gift leaning stalls to those selling food and drinks. All overpriced of course, but when Morgan mentioned that Alex simply pointed out their successful heist with a grin to shut them up. And they doubly shut up when a freshly made turkey roll was put in their hands, the two of them eating while they found a spot to sit and watch the world go by. Kids queued up for the rides nearby, half of them hopped up on too much sugar while waiting for the carousel, or the ferris wheel, or for the ice skating rink, or Santa’s grotto. The corny Christmas music was still playing through speakers nearby. And Alex was laughing and recounting a story about a recent fight he got into, one that Morgan was fully wrapped up in. Neither of them noticed when dusk came, not until the Christmas lights were suddenly the main source of light for them. Walking through the market felt different now. The lights and smells of the food and cocoa created such a different energy now. One that Morgan normally wouldn’t care for. But when Alex fetched them piping hot cocoa and suggested they go and watch the kids ice skate to see if any funny accidents happened, Morgan couldn’t help but smile at the glow that had settled in their chest. It felt warm, and not because of the sweater or the drinks, although the cocoa was insultingly good. It was something else. Christmas was still an overhyped and expensive holiday. But maybe it wasn’t all bad. Maybe it could even be bearable. Especially when they saw just how much Alex loved it.
True to Alex’s word, the visits to the Market happened nearly every day. Sometimes they were brief things just so that Alex could try the different food. Sometimes they were longer ones, where Alex tried to convince Morgan to get into the spirit of buying something Christmassy. There was even the one time Morgan agreed to go on the ice rink, when it was late enough that the kids had mostly cleared off. And that was an absolute mess in its own right, even if it was fun. But before long, actual Christmas day itself came. And it came with Morgan being woken up by a very excitable Alex, who was hitting them over the head with something soft.
‘Alex? What the hell?’
‘What did you do?!’ Alex shouted with glee.
‘Well I was attempting to sleep,’ Morgan said with a yawn. ‘You know, that thing you always yell at me for.’
Something got shoved into Morgan’s face, and they pushed it back enough to see what Alex was so excited about. A large fluffy stocking, in the classic santa colours, that was full to the brim with stuff. ‘What did you do?’ Alex giggled. ‘You…you got me presents?’
‘If you don’t shut up and let me sleep I’m taking them back,’ Morgan grumbled. Alex only squealed in delight as a response, making Morgan turn to hide in their pillows. ‘Aleex!’
‘Morgan! I need to open these now! I need to see what you got me!’
‘Then open them.’
‘No! You need to be awake! It’s part of the deal!’
‘What is?’
‘Well since we’ve both got presents, we have to take it in turns.’
Morgan’s eyes shot open, and suddenly they bolted upright to stare at Alex in shock. ‘I have presents? From who?’
Alex giggled, ‘Who do you think? Come on, we need to open them now.’
Morgan quickly followed Alex out of their room, grabbing a hoodie to throw on while Alex admired his stocking all the way to the tree. Morgan had indeed seen the pile of presents that had been growing under the tree for the past month, and some of their own contributions had been hidden in there too for Alex to find, but they hadn’t realised that any of them might be for them.
‘Alright,’ Alex said, still beaming as he reached for the first one, checking the tag before handing it over to Morgan. ‘Let’s start with this one.’
Morgan grabbed the large, squishy parcel, reading the tag to confirm that it did indeed say Alex’s name. They ripped into it, the paper falling open to reveal a new oversized hoodie. One that made Morgan laugh when they unfolded it to reveal the printed image of the Die Hard cover on the front. ‘Is this meant to be a Christmas hoodie?’
‘One that you’ll wear without complaining I hope,’ Alex grinned. He had already fished out the first present from the top of the stocking, tearing the paper open with a gasp as he saw the makeup palette inside. ‘Shut up. There’s no fucking way.’
Morgan shrugged, ‘Fancy makeup seemed appropriate.’ They were pulling off their ratty hoodie and immediately shuffling to pull on their new Christmas one. When they had pulled it over their head they were greeted with Alex offering another present to them. ‘You got me two?’
‘Morgan? You got me a whole damn stocking and left it on my bedroom door,’ Alex said. ‘I’m now suddenly glad I got you more than two.’
The two of them carried on like this, with Morgan being given gifts to open while Alex slowly made his way through the stocking that was filled with other makeup, perfume, a fresh tub of the hair mask he was obsessed with. When he was finally done though, Morgan finally shuffled closer to the tree to start nervously picking through the presents, making Alex’s jaw drop as Morgan pulled out larger parcels as well. There was a new blanket, a pillow with a Taylor Swift quote, and a new cookbook. Meanwhile, Morgan was adding to their pile of gifts a bunch of new games, a new set of lockpicks complete with a polish kit to make sure they didn’t break or tarnish, a scrapbook containing newspapers clippings referencing all of Morgan’s successful heists and crimes, and a box of the Conundrum Corporation’s cat biscuits, which at the sight of them had Morgan acting like they had just been given a bar of gold.
They were ready to crack into the box there and then, only Alex stopped them with a laugh. ‘Another one for me? How many things did you get me, Morgan?’
Morgan looked up, seeing the much smaller parcel in Alex’s hands. ‘Oh, yeah. I think that's the last one.’
‘You think?’ Alex snorted. He ripped it open, humming in delight at the reveal of the small velvet bag. When he opened it and looked inside however, his eyes widened in shock. ‘Wait, what’s this?’
Morgan watched nervously as Alex gently tipped the bag out, so the silver necklace fell into his open palm. Alex moved to hold it up gently, the amber pendant spinning slightly as Alex stared at it in wonder, then turned to Morgan. ‘I got the right one, right?’ Morgan said. ‘When we went to the market, that one was your favourite, right?’
Alex nodded, blinking back tears as he started to smile. ‘You noticed?’
Morgan shrugged, ‘There wasn’t much else to do.’
Alex beamed, and suddenly Morgan was being tackled to the floor in a near bone crushing hug. They gingerly patted Alex on the back, waiting patiently for Alex to move enough for them to escape without breaking themselves on Alex’s arms. ‘You know,’ Alex said, his voice suddenly thick with unshed tears even as Morgan could hear the smile in his tone, ‘for a Grinch, you’re really fucking good at buying presents.’
Morgan shrugged, ‘It was nothing.’
‘This wasn’t nothing,’ Alex said.
‘No, I mean…there isn’t exactly anyone else to buy presents for,’ Morgan said quietly. ‘Except for Diego but…that always needs to be kept quiet. Just in case, you know.’
Alex’s face fell, ‘Oh. Right. Wait, no one else gets you presents? Not even your parents?’
Morgan shrugged, ‘I’m sure I’ll get them if I earn them, or some shit.’
‘Damn,’ Alex muttered. ‘No wonder you don’t like Christmas.’
Morgan shrugged again, ‘If it’s any consolation, it wasn’t so bad this year. And uh…thank you. For all this stuff.’ They gestured to the small pile of presents they had collected, fiddling with the hem of their new hoodie. ‘It…thank you Alex.’
Alex gave them a small smile. ‘I will start on breakfast soon, I promise. But if I don’t hug you right now I might blow up. Or blow something else up, I can’t tell yet.’
‘Please don’t do either of those things.’ Morgan leaned into Alex, letting him wrap his arms around their shoulders. The two of them fell quiet, as Morgan picked up the necklace that had been laid next to Alex and slowly shifted to fasten it around Alex’s neck, making him pull back enough to admire the pendant that now sat against his pajama shirt. ‘There,’ Morgan sniffed. ‘Presents, and a hug. It must really be Christmas. Can I get food now?’
Alex smiled, ‘Absolutely. And…Merry Christmas Morgan.’