Freaking Out Around The Christmas Tree
Freaking Out Around The Christmas Tree
Rating- K+
Words- 2,062
Description- Ben and Leslie decorate their first Christmas Tree together.
This was a prompt by clubgetright. I hope you enjoy it!
I want to thank the beautiful, sweet, perfect summerswings for being the absolute best beta ever. She is so freaking wonderful and I owe her a bajillion Christmas sweaters. And also sullen_aquarian for taking the time to put this all together. This had been a great Christmas gift- getting to read everyone's stories.
“We already decided it was a bad idea because you, yourself, said you would eat all of the candy canes and popcorn the first week.”
He heard her give a frustrated sigh.
“And we don’t want to keep a stash of never ending popcorn and candy canes to keep redoing the tree,” he added as an afterthought before she could interrupt.
“I know, I know. God it’s so hard to decide this on an empty stomach.”
The tree looked bare; its branches seemed naked against the backdrop of their nearly empty living room. And after hours of heated debates, going through old Christmas Idea Binders, and just staring at it in silence they still couldn’t find a way to make it look ‘happy.’ Ben circled the tree once more, and when it didn’t speak to him or provide an answer within its nestles he went to stand by Leslie again. Without knowing it, they both mirrored each other, their arms crossed and their heads tilted to the side, trying to come up with a solution. It wasn’t until her stomach growled that they realized how long they had been at this.
“Wow you really are hungry huh?” When she gave him an apologetic smile, he couldn’t contain himself from pulling her into his arms and wrapping his arms around her stomach. They always worked better as a unit anyways. When he felt her settle against him, he kissed her temple and they rocked back and forth, the tree seeming to become less and less important as each second passed. This was exactly as it was supposed to be, together in their new house, trying to figure out how to decorate their first Christmas tree. Leslie said it had to be something epic because it was going to be their first Christmas together, and Ben wasn’t going to argue when she seemed so excited about their first milestone moment.
But, because she was Leslie, regular decorations just wouldn’t cut it. They needed a theme. But nothing he suggested was good enough for the first Wyatt-Knope Christmas. He could still hear her passionate speeches about how Christmas lights and decorations were too simple- they needed something that signified forever. He didn’t want a Christmas tree decorated in eagles, and she didn’t want a Christmas tree decorated in Star Trek memorabilia, so they were at an impasse.
“Should we go make you a sandwich with extra pickles?” He placed a tender kiss at the nape of her neck. When she gasped in response the last thing on his mind was eating. But before he could kiss the tender spot just below it, she stepped out of his embrace. When he looked at her, she had turned to him and she was fixing him with wide eyes.
“What if I’m pregnant?”
Ben had to steel himself not to let his lips curl into a smile. “Because… you are hungry?”
“Ben I’m hungry all the time!”
“Leslie…” He had gotten used to this. Leslie- always thinking in extremes, had come to the conclusion at least six different times that she might be pregnant.
The first time, Ben had gone into full on human-disaster mode, shaking in a corner as he tried to find words besides ‘how’ and ‘um’. It didn’t help that it was right after telling Marlene they were dating. He sat there wishing he hadn’t given Marlene that many school buses so she wouldn’t have as many choices of which to run him over with. Ten minutes later when he could hear something in his ears besides ringing, he actually listened to what Leslie was saying. She was ranting that the reason she was certain she was pregnant was because her boobs had grown bigger.
Anytime Leslie experienced anything resembling a pregnancy symptom- a headache that lasted longer than usual; missing the first day of her period: she let herself be talked into eating a vegetable- it was the first conclusion she reached. And unbeknownst to her, he had spent a lot more time thinking of a pregnant Leslie than he felt a normal person, in a relationship of similar length, should. He could see her in his mind, waddling around the kitchen, one hand on her stomach demanding he drive to JJ’s that very second, even if it was three in the morning and they were closed. Or threatening him with a knife for two seconds, before bursting into tears if he tried to change the channel. He could also see their house filled to the brim with quilts, blankets, clothes, and paintings she would have slaved over for hours for their child. And while the thought of a pregnant Leslie had scary elements, something about it made his stomach feel like it was burning with a purpose. Maybe it was the caveman instinct to own and to claim, and impregnate ones’ woman.
“I know, I know. Don’t jump to the worst conclusion without proof.” She turned to face him and fixed him with a smile. Ben knew he had no right to be upset about this, but something about the way she said it- so nonchalantly made his stomach churn.
“Would it really be the worst conclusion?”
“Well, we couldn’t right now.” For some reason it sounded like a question to him. A question that had a lot riding on his answer.
“Yes. Yes. You are right, I was being silly.” He winced when he heard his own slightly sarcastic tone. He watched her eyes suddenly lower, a sign that she was becoming concerned, and her eyebrows furrowed in a way that told him that she didn’t believe him. For a split second he wanted to channel Andy, build a hole in the backyard, and just live in it until the moment had passed.
“Ben I mean… we are in the middle of planning a wedding. I thought… I mean I figured… Life is just so transitional for us right now. If we had a baby, then you wouldn’t be able to go out and experiment with jobs right now. I mean you could, but knowing you- you would take the smart, logical accounting job. Not that that is a bad thing. But we don’t know if that’s really what you want yet, we are just finding that out. You would be confined to a lifetime of something you weren’t certain of…. And we haven’t even gotten to have married sex all the time yet.” She looked up at him a little apprehensively. “Is it wrong that I want that for a while before we jump into responsibilities?”
And that was okay. He wanted that too. But sometimes he wondered with Leslie.
“But you do… want that? Some day? I mean I don’t think we should have a child right now, but…. Would you…. Have you thought about it? ”
One eye scrunched up, and she looked at him through the other. Her mouth skewed to the side, and he could tell by the look on her face that she felt like she had done something wrong, and was feeling overwhelmed by the confessions that were coming out. He reached his hand out and grabbed her hands tightly. He linked their fingers together, still amazed at how even their hands seemed made for each other. Somehow, as soon as he felt her palm wrapped securely in his, he felt grounded. Human Disaster Ben was gone, and he was Leslie’s Ben. It was at that moment that he realized, it didn’t matter what she answered. She would always be more than enough for him. But he still waited patiently while she tried to think of a way to formulate an answer.
“Yes. I mean…. It will be hard balancing a career and children but my mom did it. Right? I could get a nanny, and Ann would help. We could create an awesome tire swing in the backyard. Would that be dangerous? Ron can just make sure it isn’t, she… or he needs a tire swing. And if I need to I could just bring her to work. You can bring children to work right? Aren’t there days for that?” She stopped talking and it took him a couple of moments to realize that she had stopped speaking, and wasn’t just catching her breath. He lightly squeezed her hand and waited. He had learned long ago that sometimes you had to be still to get Leslie to move. “I know it’s wrong to create another bubble, but right now I want to experience this until we move on to that. But yes, I very much want to move on to that. At some point.”
He could hear the wheels in her head churning, and before she could say any more he pulled her face towards him gently and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, but it was enough to switch her brain off. He leaned up to kiss her forehead but as soon as a light kiss landed there, she was pulling his tie to angle him towards her, and reaching up on her tiptoes finding his mouth with hers again. Her lips pressed hard against his, and he felt a warmth spread through his body. He pulled her body flush against his at the touch of her mouth opening underneath his. Her tongue reached out to meet his and he tasted Leslie. Warm, sugary, and his. His soon-to-be wife. Just the thought made him want to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom and show her just how much they belonged together. Right as he was trying to pull her closer, so she could wrap her legs around him, she was out of his embrace again.
“Ben!” Her eyes were wide again, but this time they were glimmering with excitement. They were also very close to his, and burning with something he could only describe as ‘Leslie Fire’. “I know how to decorate the tree!”
“What’s this one supposed to be?”
“Read the back.”
“L’il Sebastion....Oh…. Really?”
“Art is not one of my skills, Leslie.” He dramatically pulled her to him and she laughed, both of them stepping in unison to regain their balance.
Do you know what is?” She shook her head, trying to hide the smile that was tugging at her lips. He leaned down and kissed her hard. When he pulled back he could see her, standing there with her eyes still closed, her face still leaning towards him in a daze. She opened her eyes, confused as to why her lips were lonely. She looked adorable and he couldn’t stop himself from tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He leaned his head, and whispered next to her ear the answer to a question he wasn’t even sure if she remembered anymore.
“Decorating Christmas trees.” She laughed, and gave him a playful nudge before turning back to their decorations still left to hang up.
“Your thermometer is actually really good. Ann would be impressed.”
“Well it’s better than my handcuff one, that’s for sure.”
The night before they had made dough, carved it into separate shapes, painted them, and then baked them into ornaments. Most of them looked like blocks of painted cookie dough, but there on their tree hung the essence of Pawnee. Where the unity quilt was something to unite two families into one, the tree was “to herald in their own family” as Leslie so eloquently put it. It was covered in items they valued, objects that represented specific friends and family, and memories. It had everything from a saw (Ron), to boggle dice (their first road trip), to a Lightsaber (no explanation necessary),to a face that was supposed to be Hillary Clinton but looked like a bowl of porridge. Every ornament held something that they wanted to tell their future children stories about. Even the plastic star on top, was marked by Leslie’s cursive handwriting of their names.
As they stood back to admire their handiwork, Leslie tucked her head under Ben’s shoulder with his arm around her, and they both smiled brightly.
“It looks like a five-year-old decorated our tree.”
She sighed happily and he leaned his head onto hers. He somehow knew one day a five-year-old would decorate their tree, and it didn’t matter when it happened. This was their first Christmas of many to come.
“I love it.”
Rating- K+
Words- 2,062
Description- Ben and Leslie decorate their first Christmas Tree together.
This was a prompt by clubgetright. I hope you enjoy it!
I want to thank the beautiful, sweet, perfect summerswings for being the absolute best beta ever. She is so freaking wonderful and I owe her a bajillion Christmas sweaters. And also sullen_aquarian for taking the time to put this all together. This had been a great Christmas gift- getting to read everyone's stories.
“We already decided it was a bad idea because you, yourself, said you would eat all of the candy canes and popcorn the first week.”
He heard her give a frustrated sigh.
“And we don’t want to keep a stash of never ending popcorn and candy canes to keep redoing the tree,” he added as an afterthought before she could interrupt.
“I know, I know. God it’s so hard to decide this on an empty stomach.”
The tree looked bare; its branches seemed naked against the backdrop of their nearly empty living room. And after hours of heated debates, going through old Christmas Idea Binders, and just staring at it in silence they still couldn’t find a way to make it look ‘happy.’ Ben circled the tree once more, and when it didn’t speak to him or provide an answer within its nestles he went to stand by Leslie again. Without knowing it, they both mirrored each other, their arms crossed and their heads tilted to the side, trying to come up with a solution. It wasn’t until her stomach growled that they realized how long they had been at this.
“Wow you really are hungry huh?” When she gave him an apologetic smile, he couldn’t contain himself from pulling her into his arms and wrapping his arms around her stomach. They always worked better as a unit anyways. When he felt her settle against him, he kissed her temple and they rocked back and forth, the tree seeming to become less and less important as each second passed. This was exactly as it was supposed to be, together in their new house, trying to figure out how to decorate their first Christmas tree. Leslie said it had to be something epic because it was going to be their first Christmas together, and Ben wasn’t going to argue when she seemed so excited about their first milestone moment.
But, because she was Leslie, regular decorations just wouldn’t cut it. They needed a theme. But nothing he suggested was good enough for the first Wyatt-Knope Christmas. He could still hear her passionate speeches about how Christmas lights and decorations were too simple- they needed something that signified forever. He didn’t want a Christmas tree decorated in eagles, and she didn’t want a Christmas tree decorated in Star Trek memorabilia, so they were at an impasse.
“Should we go make you a sandwich with extra pickles?” He placed a tender kiss at the nape of her neck. When she gasped in response the last thing on his mind was eating. But before he could kiss the tender spot just below it, she stepped out of his embrace. When he looked at her, she had turned to him and she was fixing him with wide eyes.
“What if I’m pregnant?”
Ben had to steel himself not to let his lips curl into a smile. “Because… you are hungry?”
“Ben I’m hungry all the time!”
“Leslie…” He had gotten used to this. Leslie- always thinking in extremes, had come to the conclusion at least six different times that she might be pregnant.
The first time, Ben had gone into full on human-disaster mode, shaking in a corner as he tried to find words besides ‘how’ and ‘um’. It didn’t help that it was right after telling Marlene they were dating. He sat there wishing he hadn’t given Marlene that many school buses so she wouldn’t have as many choices of which to run him over with. Ten minutes later when he could hear something in his ears besides ringing, he actually listened to what Leslie was saying. She was ranting that the reason she was certain she was pregnant was because her boobs had grown bigger.
Anytime Leslie experienced anything resembling a pregnancy symptom- a headache that lasted longer than usual; missing the first day of her period: she let herself be talked into eating a vegetable- it was the first conclusion she reached. And unbeknownst to her, he had spent a lot more time thinking of a pregnant Leslie than he felt a normal person, in a relationship of similar length, should. He could see her in his mind, waddling around the kitchen, one hand on her stomach demanding he drive to JJ’s that very second, even if it was three in the morning and they were closed. Or threatening him with a knife for two seconds, before bursting into tears if he tried to change the channel. He could also see their house filled to the brim with quilts, blankets, clothes, and paintings she would have slaved over for hours for their child. And while the thought of a pregnant Leslie had scary elements, something about it made his stomach feel like it was burning with a purpose. Maybe it was the caveman instinct to own and to claim, and impregnate ones’ woman.
“I know, I know. Don’t jump to the worst conclusion without proof.” She turned to face him and fixed him with a smile. Ben knew he had no right to be upset about this, but something about the way she said it- so nonchalantly made his stomach churn.
“Would it really be the worst conclusion?”
“Well, we couldn’t right now.” For some reason it sounded like a question to him. A question that had a lot riding on his answer.
“Yes. Yes. You are right, I was being silly.” He winced when he heard his own slightly sarcastic tone. He watched her eyes suddenly lower, a sign that she was becoming concerned, and her eyebrows furrowed in a way that told him that she didn’t believe him. For a split second he wanted to channel Andy, build a hole in the backyard, and just live in it until the moment had passed.
“Ben I mean… we are in the middle of planning a wedding. I thought… I mean I figured… Life is just so transitional for us right now. If we had a baby, then you wouldn’t be able to go out and experiment with jobs right now. I mean you could, but knowing you- you would take the smart, logical accounting job. Not that that is a bad thing. But we don’t know if that’s really what you want yet, we are just finding that out. You would be confined to a lifetime of something you weren’t certain of…. And we haven’t even gotten to have married sex all the time yet.” She looked up at him a little apprehensively. “Is it wrong that I want that for a while before we jump into responsibilities?”
And that was okay. He wanted that too. But sometimes he wondered with Leslie.
“But you do… want that? Some day? I mean I don’t think we should have a child right now, but…. Would you…. Have you thought about it? ”
One eye scrunched up, and she looked at him through the other. Her mouth skewed to the side, and he could tell by the look on her face that she felt like she had done something wrong, and was feeling overwhelmed by the confessions that were coming out. He reached his hand out and grabbed her hands tightly. He linked their fingers together, still amazed at how even their hands seemed made for each other. Somehow, as soon as he felt her palm wrapped securely in his, he felt grounded. Human Disaster Ben was gone, and he was Leslie’s Ben. It was at that moment that he realized, it didn’t matter what she answered. She would always be more than enough for him. But he still waited patiently while she tried to think of a way to formulate an answer.
“Yes. I mean…. It will be hard balancing a career and children but my mom did it. Right? I could get a nanny, and Ann would help. We could create an awesome tire swing in the backyard. Would that be dangerous? Ron can just make sure it isn’t, she… or he needs a tire swing. And if I need to I could just bring her to work. You can bring children to work right? Aren’t there days for that?” She stopped talking and it took him a couple of moments to realize that she had stopped speaking, and wasn’t just catching her breath. He lightly squeezed her hand and waited. He had learned long ago that sometimes you had to be still to get Leslie to move. “I know it’s wrong to create another bubble, but right now I want to experience this until we move on to that. But yes, I very much want to move on to that. At some point.”
He could hear the wheels in her head churning, and before she could say any more he pulled her face towards him gently and kissed her. It was a soft kiss, but it was enough to switch her brain off. He leaned up to kiss her forehead but as soon as a light kiss landed there, she was pulling his tie to angle him towards her, and reaching up on her tiptoes finding his mouth with hers again. Her lips pressed hard against his, and he felt a warmth spread through his body. He pulled her body flush against his at the touch of her mouth opening underneath his. Her tongue reached out to meet his and he tasted Leslie. Warm, sugary, and his. His soon-to-be wife. Just the thought made him want to pick her up and carry her to their bedroom and show her just how much they belonged together. Right as he was trying to pull her closer, so she could wrap her legs around him, she was out of his embrace again.
“Ben!” Her eyes were wide again, but this time they were glimmering with excitement. They were also very close to his, and burning with something he could only describe as ‘Leslie Fire’. “I know how to decorate the tree!”
“What’s this one supposed to be?”
“Read the back.”
“L’il Sebastion....Oh…. Really?”
“Art is not one of my skills, Leslie.” He dramatically pulled her to him and she laughed, both of them stepping in unison to regain their balance.
Do you know what is?” She shook her head, trying to hide the smile that was tugging at her lips. He leaned down and kissed her hard. When he pulled back he could see her, standing there with her eyes still closed, her face still leaning towards him in a daze. She opened her eyes, confused as to why her lips were lonely. She looked adorable and he couldn’t stop himself from tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. He leaned his head, and whispered next to her ear the answer to a question he wasn’t even sure if she remembered anymore.
“Decorating Christmas trees.” She laughed, and gave him a playful nudge before turning back to their decorations still left to hang up.
“Your thermometer is actually really good. Ann would be impressed.”
“Well it’s better than my handcuff one, that’s for sure.”
The night before they had made dough, carved it into separate shapes, painted them, and then baked them into ornaments. Most of them looked like blocks of painted cookie dough, but there on their tree hung the essence of Pawnee. Where the unity quilt was something to unite two families into one, the tree was “to herald in their own family” as Leslie so eloquently put it. It was covered in items they valued, objects that represented specific friends and family, and memories. It had everything from a saw (Ron), to boggle dice (their first road trip), to a Lightsaber (no explanation necessary),to a face that was supposed to be Hillary Clinton but looked like a bowl of porridge. Every ornament held something that they wanted to tell their future children stories about. Even the plastic star on top, was marked by Leslie’s cursive handwriting of their names.
As they stood back to admire their handiwork, Leslie tucked her head under Ben’s shoulder with his arm around her, and they both smiled brightly.
“It looks like a five-year-old decorated our tree.”
She sighed happily and he leaned his head onto hers. He somehow knew one day a five-year-old would decorate their tree, and it didn’t matter when it happened. This was their first Christmas of many to come.
“I love it.”