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It was a grim time of year for Danny, the heavy snow meant he couldn’t see the stars, the light pollution from the ridiculous amount of Christmas decorations didn’t help, and his family was unbearable. The argument that Santa was real never really went away despite thinking that it had been solved years ago. Danny thought maybe they just enjoyed arguing during the season. Did the cold weather just make them bitter?
“Danny! Can you set the table?” Maddie shouted from the kitchen. Danny was not excited to find out what had gone wrong with the food this year. It never turned out right. His dad was the better cook yet Maddie insisted on making the Christmas Eve dinner every year as if to spite his father for believing in Santa.
“Yeah! I got it!” Danny shouted back as he made his way to the dining table to begin laying out the plates and silverware.
The sounds that came from the kitchen were atrocious, loud banging of metal against metal, shouts of anger from his mom, followed by the loud grating beeping of the fire alarm.
Danny didn’t rush in to help, this was a ritual after all. First to respond was always Jack.
“I’ve got it!” He heard his dad shout as he ran into the kitchen with a fire extinguisher. The sound of his mom shouting as his dad likely sprayed her with the fire retardant followed.
Second to respond was always Jazz, and right on cue…
“Dad! Aim it at the oven!” She shouted as the sounds of her wrestling the fire extinguisher from him echoed through the halls. A second barrage of fire extinguisher spray sounded.
Usually it was his turn to run in and make sure they actually put the fire out, it was tradition after all, yet something strange happened this time.
A knock sounded on the door interrupting their routine. Danny wasn’t sure if he was annoyed or intrigued.
“Girl Scouts!” Jack rushed from the kitchen still covered in fire retardant and soot.
“Don’t be ridiculous, girl scouts wouldn’t be out in this weather!” Maddie argued as she followed him out of the kitchen, covered in twice as much fire retardant as Jack. She placed a hand on her hip. “Just as some overweight old man in a red suit wouldn’t be out in this weather. It is genuinely impossible for anyone to fly in this snow.”
“That's what Rudolph is for!” Jack countered quickly.
Danny ignored him and opened the door.
A snow covered Dash Baxter stood shivering in their doorway covering a moving lump in his letterman jacket. His blue eyes moved up to meet the family of four.
“F-fentons,” Dash shivered, behind him a new looking muscle car sat with a huge dent in the front likely from him hitting their mailbox that was discarded on the side of the road.
“Oh dear, come inside, it's freezing out there!” Maddie insisted as she ushered him into their home. Danny scowled as he genuinely didn’t think the holidays could possibly get any worse. Yet here they were.
As Dash stepped in, a small chuwahaw popped its head out from Dash’s jacket dawning a pair of antlers.
“Hope you don't mind dogs,” he smiled sheepishly at the two adults not really regarding Danny at all. Maddie seemed enamored with the little chuwahaw as she laughed and assured Dash that the dog was welcome in their home.
“I don't mean to intrude on your holiday, I just wondered if I could borrow a phone charger so I can call my parents to pick me up,” Dash seemed polite talking to the two parents. Maddie shook her head.
“It's much too dangerous to make your parents drive in this snow. Give them a call and tell them to come once they have plowed the roads,” Maddie insisted as her motherly instincts could not allow a teen or his parents on the road.
“What?!? I'm sure they would be fine driving to pick him up!” Danny interjected which earned him a glare from his mother and a disappointed sigh from his father.
“Little brother, it's Christmas Eve, don't be rude,” Jazz scolded him.
“Every family has a Scrooge, it's ok, I'll just walk home, I'm sure if I walk quick enough I'll get home before morning,” Dash dramatically turned on his heel to walk to the door. Danny's family gave him a disappointed look before trying to stop Dash.
The black haired teen crossed his arms as he wasn't going to budge, but as his family pleaded for Dash to stay, the bully insisted that he didn't want to ruin Danny's Christmas. Danny's muscles relaxed a tad as he did feel a little guilt for making Dash walk in the freezing cold.
Danny wasn't going to just let his bully stay! Dash deserved it!
How many times did Dash shove him into lockers or flip his lunch tray to the floor?
Danny would probably sleep like a baby knowing Dash was freezing and walking himself home.
Right?
…
“Uggggh, fine, stay if that's what you want, but I'm telling you, you are gonna regret staying,” Danny assured as he turned away with his nose up.
The small reindeer dog hopped out of Dash’s arms and made himself at home on the sofa. Maddie smiled as Danny gave in and made her way back to the kitchen.
“Danny, set another place at the table, and be nice!” She announced as she entered the kitchen that was still airing out from the mishap earlier.
______
Dinner was somehow worse than the previous year, Danny was pretty sure he could see the mashed potatoes twitching somehow. The only thing that made him feel better was the realization the Dash had to put up with the same meal he did.
The blond teen took a seat and started loading his plate up. Danny noticed a slight hesitation as he too saw the food move. He moved onto the turkey that could rival the Griswold turkey with how dry the meat was.
Dash glanced up to Danny who gestured to the table full of food.
“Wouldn't want to be rude considering my family made room at our table for you,” Danny whispered with a small smirk as he enjoyed the nervous swallow and hesitant fork stabbing into the food and placing it onto his plate.
Watching Dash try to gather the courage to put a bite in his mouth was even more priceless. Sweat dripped down the jock's forehead as his trembling hand lifted the fork. As soon as the mashed potatoes made contact with his tongue, the pale face turned green.
“How is it hun?” Maddie asked with a sweet and hopeful smile on her face. Dash was never one to hold back his insults but not even he could tell the woman to her face that her cooking was atrocious. Especially when they brought him in.
Dash quickly swallowed the bite, fought some on coming nausea and then nodded quickly.
“This is the best… substance I've ever had Mrs. Fenton,” he forced out. Danny couldn't help the snort that left his mouth at the blatant lie. Maddie however seemed very pleased.
Danny Jazz and Jack looked at each other and continued with their very practiced fake eating act. Each would take turns distracting Maddie and scrape a little bit off their plate into the Fenton trash can that was strategically placed under the table.
Dash caught onto the act and a look of concern crossed his usually uncaring features. He leaned over to Danny.
“Is this what it's like every year?” He whispered to him.
“Every year,” Danny whispered back with little empathy.
“Are you excited for Santa to come to town?” Jack probed and instantly both Jazz and Danny groaned and hid their faces in their hands.
The confused blond smiled slightly wondering if it was a joke considering the man was fully grown and surely knew Santa was not real. Maddie however did not allow that thought for long.
“Of course he isn't, he's old enough to know Santa Claus is nothing but a tale to keep kids from misbehaving,” Maddie interjected.
Jack gasped with the utmost shock at the audacity.
“Then how do the presents get there every year!”
“I put them there since you never want to do any of the Christmas shopping!”
“I don't need to do any Christmas shopping! Santa brings the gifts!”
As much as Danny wanted to leave Dash down stairs to listen to his parents bicker, not even he was that bitter with the teenager. Danny stood up and gestured for Dash to follow him upstairs away from what was now a screaming match.
Dash was hesitant to just leave the chaos yet it was clear he had never seen two adults act this way on Christmas eve. Though Danny continued to signal him to follow. Dash eventually stood and quietly followed Danny up the stairs. A little reindeer clad dog followed close behind as he was used to sleeping with his owner.
“We have to be quick before-” Danny was cut off by a loud bang.
In the distance he could hear his mother shouting about setting off of one of his dad's stupid Santa traps.
“Your parents are nuts… is this why you're like this?” Dash asked with a quirk to his eyebrow. They rounded the corner to walk towards the bedrooms.
Danny wasn't sure what that meant and part of him wanted to be offended. Yet he was more so curious.
“What do you mean?” Danny asked directing them both to his own bedroom seeing as Dash couldn't be expected to stay in his sister's or parents rooms. He'd just make the guy a pallet on the floor and call it a night. The sooner morning comes and the snow plows get to work, the sooner Dash can go home.
“Every year, around this time you get sorta unbearable?” Dash offered up as he was unsure what words to use.
Danny stopped for a second before turning on his heel to face Dash with a scowl. He did not need to be insulted in his own home on Christmas Eve.
Dash quickly raised his hands up in surrender.
“I mean you just act weird! Like you're mean to your own friends, you don't even notice I don't wail on you during the Christmas season!” Dash tried desperately explaining. Danny scoffed in response.
“You're upset I don't commend you for not beating me up?” Danny asked sceptically before turning back to continue his venture to his bedroom. Once inside he opened up his closet to pull out a stack of blankets.
“Well, yeah, ‘tis the season to be kind to one another. I could at least get a thank you or something… but it seems you have a lot more on your plate at home,” Dash glanced through the door as the continued shouting bounced off the walls.
Danny didn't dignify that with a response. He didn't want Dash to pity him. Didn't want the bully to pry into his life and tease him about it later when it was no longer the Christmas season. Danny laid out a few blankets on the floor and tossed down one of his pillows.
“Just… do me a favor and forget about all of this,” Danny frowned as he plopped himself into bed and waited for Dash to lay down as well before turning out the lights.
Dash was slow to lay down as he was trying to decide why Danny thought he was going to tell the whole school. Dash wasn't into bullying kids over things that weren't in their control. It was low even for him. And it was Christmas, his favorite holiday!
“I'll admit, your parents are weird, and so are you, but you opened your home to me when all I've ever done is be mean to you. I'm not going to speak of this outside of this room,” Dash assured Danny who seemed to release a sigh and lay down completely. Pookie curled up at Dash's feet. It was dark, the snow continued to fall and things were quiet.
“Next year do you want to come over to my place for Christmas Eve? My parents make a mean ham… not because it's alive,” Dash joked softly while he waited for a response.
Danny wasn't sure he heard him right. It was so out of character for Dash to actually be nice, a part of Danny wondered if it was a trick.
“You're joking.”
“No! Seriously, it's the least I can do. You have to help make Pookie a gingerbread house though, it's tradition,” Dash insisted.
“Your dog?” Danny asked with a laugh.
“Yeah! He gets a dog safe gingerbread house every year!”
“Sure. I'll help make Pookie a gingerbread house next year…” Danny was surprised he actually agreed, but at the same time he couldn't help but wonder what it would be like.
“You better not back out Fenton.”