A Christmas fic!
Fandom: The Dresden Files
Title: Winter Service
Beta: hamsterwoman Thank you!
Rating: G
Wordcount: ~500
Characters: Harry Dresden, Thomas Raith, Mouse
Spoiler risk level: after Cold Days you’re safe
Summary: Jingle bells wizard style. Inspired by this.
Disclaimer: Certainly not mine, Jim Butcher’s.
Available also on AO3 and ff.net.
~*~
Thomas opened the door of his apartment, took one look at me, and burst out laughing.
I glowered at him, but I guess the effect was somewhat spoiled by the white pompom of my fur-brimmed hat. The damn thing kept dangling over my face, no matter how hard I tried to keep it on my back. I had always known I wasn’t a hat person for a reason, and now I even knew what reason that was. I pushed the pompom out of my eyes for the umpteenth time and upgraded my glower to a glare.
It had an effect, if not exactly the one I had been aiming for: my brother fell against the door frame and began producing the noises of a kettle on the verge of exploding. A ridiculously expensive designer kettle, in his case.
Next to me, Mouse huffed a sigh. I wasn't sure whether it meant “Told you he’d laugh” or maybe rather “You two…”
“New Winter Knight uniform, huh?” Thomas wheezed.
In reply, I polished my nails on the crimson velvet of my... okay, my borrowed coat, and examined them studiously.
Thomas blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Pagan Renaissance,” I explained.
His raised brows told me that no, I hadn’t.
“Old gods have been coming back into fashion recently,” I said. “Kringle is busy with, er, Odinous things this year. So he called in a favor from Mab, and guess who gets to save the day. Er, night. Ho ho ho,” I added.
Thomas looked me up and down. “Well, I guess each winter gets the Santa it deserves,” he drawled.
Jerk. We’d been having an exceptionally warm December. I crossed my arms imperiously. “You can laugh all you want, but keep in mind who’s in the charge of all the Christmas presents.”
This wiped off his smirk, finally. Apparently there are powers even vampires don't want to cross.
“Okay,” he eyed me suspiciously, “but what do I have to do with this?”
I reached into the iconically large sack resting at my feet and tossed a bunch of bright green fabric at him. “You're on elf duty, Toe-moss,” I grinned.
He caught the cloth and proceed to untangle it. The tights had him totally unfazed, but when he discovered that the jacket had a short mantle weighted down with small jangly pieces of brass, his scowl didn't disappoint me. I was yet to see a predator who’d be happy to run around wearing bells.
Perhaps it says something about me that I was gleefully willing to do to my brother what I had never done to my cat.
I waited until he had raised that scowl at me, and gave him a smug smile. “What? Be glad the role of Rudolf is already taken.”
He stared at me for a while, then slowly looked down.
Mouse lolled out his tongue in a big slobbery grin.
I hadn't even been surprised that the reindeer harness fit his thick-furred frame perfectly.
~*~
Happy what’s-left-of-whatever-you-celebrate! :)
Title: Winter Service
Beta: hamsterwoman Thank you!
Rating: G
Wordcount: ~500
Characters: Harry Dresden, Thomas Raith, Mouse
Spoiler risk level: after Cold Days you’re safe
Summary: Jingle bells wizard style. Inspired by this.
Disclaimer: Certainly not mine, Jim Butcher’s.
Available also on AO3 and ff.net.
~*~
Thomas opened the door of his apartment, took one look at me, and burst out laughing.
I glowered at him, but I guess the effect was somewhat spoiled by the white pompom of my fur-brimmed hat. The damn thing kept dangling over my face, no matter how hard I tried to keep it on my back. I had always known I wasn’t a hat person for a reason, and now I even knew what reason that was. I pushed the pompom out of my eyes for the umpteenth time and upgraded my glower to a glare.
It had an effect, if not exactly the one I had been aiming for: my brother fell against the door frame and began producing the noises of a kettle on the verge of exploding. A ridiculously expensive designer kettle, in his case.
Next to me, Mouse huffed a sigh. I wasn't sure whether it meant “Told you he’d laugh” or maybe rather “You two…”
“New Winter Knight uniform, huh?” Thomas wheezed.
In reply, I polished my nails on the crimson velvet of my... okay, my borrowed coat, and examined them studiously.
Thomas blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Pagan Renaissance,” I explained.
His raised brows told me that no, I hadn’t.
“Old gods have been coming back into fashion recently,” I said. “Kringle is busy with, er, Odinous things this year. So he called in a favor from Mab, and guess who gets to save the day. Er, night. Ho ho ho,” I added.
Thomas looked me up and down. “Well, I guess each winter gets the Santa it deserves,” he drawled.
Jerk. We’d been having an exceptionally warm December. I crossed my arms imperiously. “You can laugh all you want, but keep in mind who’s in the charge of all the Christmas presents.”
This wiped off his smirk, finally. Apparently there are powers even vampires don't want to cross.
“Okay,” he eyed me suspiciously, “but what do I have to do with this?”
I reached into the iconically large sack resting at my feet and tossed a bunch of bright green fabric at him. “You're on elf duty, Toe-moss,” I grinned.
He caught the cloth and proceed to untangle it. The tights had him totally unfazed, but when he discovered that the jacket had a short mantle weighted down with small jangly pieces of brass, his scowl didn't disappoint me. I was yet to see a predator who’d be happy to run around wearing bells.
Perhaps it says something about me that I was gleefully willing to do to my brother what I had never done to my cat.
I waited until he had raised that scowl at me, and gave him a smug smile. “What? Be glad the role of Rudolf is already taken.”
He stared at me for a while, then slowly looked down.
Mouse lolled out his tongue in a big slobbery grin.
I hadn't even been surprised that the reindeer harness fit his thick-furred frame perfectly.
~*~
Happy what’s-left-of-whatever-you-celebrate! :)