A Christmas for Much
Original Post
Word Count: 750
Rating: G
Characters: Much, Robin, Little John, Allan, Will and Djaq
Spoilers: None!
Disclaimer: I claim no rights toward the show Robin Hood or the characters portrayed therein, make nothing from this, and mean no infringement by my little tale.
Notes: I suppose this could be set at Christmas 1192; otherwise it'd be kind of a random AU year. Whatever works! :) Sappy Christmas fluff ahead...
Much shifted in his bunk, his eyes still closed, reluctant to wake up. It might be Christmas, but he wasn’t excited about it as he always had been before. The gang had shot down his suggestions for decorating, preparing as big a feast as they could muster, and exchanging gifts. He had still put together a little something for each of them, but was uncertain as to whether he would pass the gifts out. Nobody felt like celebrating this year, and whilst he couldn’t blame them, he also couldn’t help being disappointed. Now, Christmas was nothing more than another cold, snowy day in the forest.
Hearing a whisper which indicated that someone else was awake, he decided there was no sense putting it off any longer. Rolling over and sitting up, he rubbed his eyes-- and then dropped his hands in surprise.
Holly dangled from the overhead beams, woven among vines and pieces of bright, red ribbon, and dusted with snow that had sifted through the leaves of their roof. A small pile of items wrapped in brightly patterned fabrics and tied with cheery bows sat off to the side, and Robin was just lighting the cooking fire, an assortment of foods set out beside him, waiting to go into the pot.
John was just hanging a sprig of mistletoe over the doorway while Will and Djaq looked on. Allan was making teasing remarks about who would get caught underneath it, which was the whispering Much had heard.
“What’s all this?” he asked, gaining everyone’s attention.
They all broke into grins, and after exchanging a glance, they called in unison, “Merry Christmas, Much!”
“Merry Christmas,” he replied, still rather bewildered.
“We had a discussion,” Will said.
Djaq smiled. “You do so much for us all year.”
“And we do not thank you often,” John acknowledged, earning a hearty nod from Much.
“So, today’s for you,” Allan told him.
Robin walked over to join the others, wiping his hands on a cloth. “The decorations, the gifts, and the feast-- you need not worry about a thing; we’ve taken care of it. All you have to do is enjoy the holiday!”
Blinking quickly so as not to let them see the moisture that sprang to his eyes, Much returned their smiles. “Well... Well.” He could not figure out how to adequately express how their gesture pleased him, but seeing him at a loss for words seemed to make do, judging from their faces. Finally, he settled on, “Thank you.” An unpleasant smell assailed him then, and he wrinkled his nose, glancing over at the kitchen. “Something’s burning."
With a muffled curse, Robin jumped over and whipped the pot off of the fire, forgetting to cover the handle in his haste. There was a moment of chaos while Djaq found a salve for his scorched hand and Will tried to rescue the food. Meanwhile, the mistletoe fell down, since John had forgotten to finish affixing it when Much woke up, so he took care of that. Allan stood by and gave Much an amused shrug.
Once everything was back in order, Much nodded toward the pile of presents. “Those can’t all be for me.”
Djaq laughed. “No, there are some for everyone in there. But many of them are yours.”
He was delighted; he didn’t think he’d ever received so many gifts.
Remembering the parcels under his mattress, he exclaimed, “I have some for all of you, too!”
While the food cooked properly, Will having cut the fire down a bit, the gang exchanged their presents, laughing and thanking one another as they opened them. Later on, they enjoyed a filling dinner which Much found surprisingly tasty, considering the rest of them had little idea of how to best use spices or combine flavors.
And as he laid down to sleep that night under the new blanket Allan had given him, Much found it difficult to relax. The others might take him for granted more often than not, lose patience with him more often than exercising it, but there were worse things in this world. And once in awhile, they really shone as friends.
“Merry Christmas,” he called quietly.
Most of the time, when he spoke after bedtime, they shushed him. But tonight, each of them returned the greeting, and he could even hear the smile in Robin’s voice as he said, “Merry Christmas, Much.”
Settling back, his hands folded behind his head, Much smiled to himself. Sometimes, they shone brightly, indeed.
*
Word Count: 750
Rating: G
Characters: Much, Robin, Little John, Allan, Will and Djaq
Spoilers: None!
Disclaimer: I claim no rights toward the show Robin Hood or the characters portrayed therein, make nothing from this, and mean no infringement by my little tale.
Notes: I suppose this could be set at Christmas 1192; otherwise it'd be kind of a random AU year. Whatever works! :) Sappy Christmas fluff ahead...
Much shifted in his bunk, his eyes still closed, reluctant to wake up. It might be Christmas, but he wasn’t excited about it as he always had been before. The gang had shot down his suggestions for decorating, preparing as big a feast as they could muster, and exchanging gifts. He had still put together a little something for each of them, but was uncertain as to whether he would pass the gifts out. Nobody felt like celebrating this year, and whilst he couldn’t blame them, he also couldn’t help being disappointed. Now, Christmas was nothing more than another cold, snowy day in the forest.
Hearing a whisper which indicated that someone else was awake, he decided there was no sense putting it off any longer. Rolling over and sitting up, he rubbed his eyes-- and then dropped his hands in surprise.
Holly dangled from the overhead beams, woven among vines and pieces of bright, red ribbon, and dusted with snow that had sifted through the leaves of their roof. A small pile of items wrapped in brightly patterned fabrics and tied with cheery bows sat off to the side, and Robin was just lighting the cooking fire, an assortment of foods set out beside him, waiting to go into the pot.
John was just hanging a sprig of mistletoe over the doorway while Will and Djaq looked on. Allan was making teasing remarks about who would get caught underneath it, which was the whispering Much had heard.
“What’s all this?” he asked, gaining everyone’s attention.
They all broke into grins, and after exchanging a glance, they called in unison, “Merry Christmas, Much!”
“Merry Christmas,” he replied, still rather bewildered.
“We had a discussion,” Will said.
Djaq smiled. “You do so much for us all year.”
“And we do not thank you often,” John acknowledged, earning a hearty nod from Much.
“So, today’s for you,” Allan told him.
Robin walked over to join the others, wiping his hands on a cloth. “The decorations, the gifts, and the feast-- you need not worry about a thing; we’ve taken care of it. All you have to do is enjoy the holiday!”
Blinking quickly so as not to let them see the moisture that sprang to his eyes, Much returned their smiles. “Well... Well.” He could not figure out how to adequately express how their gesture pleased him, but seeing him at a loss for words seemed to make do, judging from their faces. Finally, he settled on, “Thank you.” An unpleasant smell assailed him then, and he wrinkled his nose, glancing over at the kitchen. “Something’s burning."
With a muffled curse, Robin jumped over and whipped the pot off of the fire, forgetting to cover the handle in his haste. There was a moment of chaos while Djaq found a salve for his scorched hand and Will tried to rescue the food. Meanwhile, the mistletoe fell down, since John had forgotten to finish affixing it when Much woke up, so he took care of that. Allan stood by and gave Much an amused shrug.
Once everything was back in order, Much nodded toward the pile of presents. “Those can’t all be for me.”
Djaq laughed. “No, there are some for everyone in there. But many of them are yours.”
He was delighted; he didn’t think he’d ever received so many gifts.
Remembering the parcels under his mattress, he exclaimed, “I have some for all of you, too!”
While the food cooked properly, Will having cut the fire down a bit, the gang exchanged their presents, laughing and thanking one another as they opened them. Later on, they enjoyed a filling dinner which Much found surprisingly tasty, considering the rest of them had little idea of how to best use spices or combine flavors.
And as he laid down to sleep that night under the new blanket Allan had given him, Much found it difficult to relax. The others might take him for granted more often than not, lose patience with him more often than exercising it, but there were worse things in this world. And once in awhile, they really shone as friends.
“Merry Christmas,” he called quietly.
Most of the time, when he spoke after bedtime, they shushed him. But tonight, each of them returned the greeting, and he could even hear the smile in Robin’s voice as he said, “Merry Christmas, Much.”
Settling back, his hands folded behind his head, Much smiled to himself. Sometimes, they shone brightly, indeed.
*