el dorado } { up on the housetop, reindeer pause
[MERRY CHRISTMAS chamber! Set in eldorado_rpg. protects, 20poundsofcrazy, and msattentionspan are used with permission and love. Antlers were picked out by Christina.]
On the list of things Sophie was not expecting when she came home from walking Nate Jr., finding an apparent Christmas explosion in the common room was definitely high on that list. In fact, she actually dropped her leash in surprise.
“What on Earth-”
She shouldn’t have been. If she were actually thinking she would have remembered what was coming up soon, and she should have been prepared. But apparently, being trapped in a city of gold had ways of making people forget the most basic things about their friends: mainly, that Parker loved-loved-Christmas.
“SURPRISE!” Parker shouted as she popped up from behind the couch, giant grin on her face, and her body vibrating as though it might fly off in any direction. Sophie was fairly certain that somewhere along the way, someone had given her chocolate. “Sophie, you would not BELIEVE the store I found in town. It was over by the diner, not far down Main Street and it’s ALL CHRISTMAS. ALL OF IT.”
“Oh … oh dear,” Sophie sighed slowly. Personally, she didn’t mind Parker’s over exuberance for the holiday, and if she lived alone, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But, unfortunately: “Parker-”
“I even got everyone hats!” She had a bag in her hands as she skipped her way around the couch, fishing through until she found a bright red Santa hat and placed it on Sophie’s head. “That one’s for you.”
“But Parker-”
“And I got the elf hat for me! And I got something extra super duper special for-”
“Uhh-Sophie?”
Sophie turned on her heel to see Angel standing behind her, looking around the common room like a bomb had gone off. In a way, one had-a tinsel covered, red and green, sparkly, magical bomb. She gave him a half-hearted smile, before waving a hand. “I’m sorry-”
“Angel!” Parker interrupted with a happy grin, bouncing across the room and pulling a set of antlers and plopping them on his head. “Merry Christmas!”
Angel looked vaguely horrified. Sophie couldn’t really blame him, but for the moment, she was too busy trying not to look amused. “Parker, sweetheart, what I’ve been trying to say is that I think you should have asked before you decided to … decorate.”
When Parker heard that, she frowned, turning to face Sophie with a look of such innocent confusion that Sophie couldn’t really be mad at her-not that she ever really got mad at Parker in the first place. “But I always decorate your place for Christmas.”
“What is on my head?”
Sophie held up a hand in Angel’s direction, before turning to take Parker’s. “Yes, I know. But I’m not living by myself anymore-I’m living with Angel. Angel might not celebrate Christmas.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Parker just started laughing. “That’s silly,” she smirked. “EVERYBODY celebrates Christmas. It’s the most magical time of year!”
There was an awkward half-laugh, before Sophie sighed. “Remind me to explain this to you later.”
“Sophie, I really think we need to address what’s on my head.”
She sighed heavily before turning to face him and again, trying not to smirk. “They’re antlers, Angel. Like on a reindeer.”
“And why am I wearing antlers?”
“Because it’s Christmas!” Parker turned to face him with a grin. “And they’re musical too!”
“ … They’re what?”
The blond bounced forward, reaching up to squeeze one of the antlers, and a second later, a tinny, robotic version of “Up on the Housetop” started to play through the dead silence of the room. As they listened, Angel’s face seemed to be frozen in a somewhat constipated expression, Parker was beaming like she had just given him the best possible gift, and Sophie-well, Sophie wasn’t very proud of what she did next, but she honestly couldn’t help herself. British decorum clearly didn’t stand a chance against a supposedly terrifying vampire wearing musical reindeer antlers.
Essentially, Sophie lost it, and doubled over in laughter.
Angel was not as amused. “Thanks, Sophie. Thanks a lot.”
“I’m sorry,” she sighed as she started to catch her breath again. “The expression on your face was beyond priceless.”
Angel continued to pout, while Parker, for the most part, looked concerned. “Do you really not celebrate Christmas?”
“No, I do,” he sighed, before gesturing around him. “Just not usually to this … extent.”
Realization seemed to dawn on Parker at that, and distantly, she could hear the door to the suite opening, but she was focusing on making sure Parker understood what Angel was saying. “Some people prefer a quieter Christmas.”
“What the hell happened here?”
“Faith!” Angel’s head snapped up in surprise as the brunette woman made her way into the room, and his hand started to move to swipe at the antlers, but Parker reached forward to stop him. Regardless, it was already too late-Faith saw what she needed to see, and she pointed at Angel’s head with a bit of a grin.
“Scratch that-what the hell is on your head?”
Angel grumbled slightly, still batting away Parker’s hands as she tried to turn the music back on again. Eventually he grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her to the side, putting some distance between them. “They’re antlers,” he sighed. “Parker got them for me for Christmas.”
Faith didn’t seem convinced. “Uh-huh.”
Angel was about to open his mouth to continue to explain, when the tinny antler music started to fill the air. His expression immediately went sullen, and he turned around to face the blond who had snuck her way around him to attack from behind. “Enough with the music!”
Sophie and Faith glanced at each other, and as they did, Faith reached into her pocket for her network device and held it up to snap a quick picture. Angel turned around, finally snatching the antlers off his head before looking at Faith with worried eyes.
“What was that?”
“Proof.”
“What do you need proof for?”
Faith pocketed the device and looked up with a devious smirk. “Cuz Wes is never going to believe this if I don’t have it.”
It took Angel a second for the realization to dawn on him, but Faith was already starting to back towards the door. “Faith-” he began, starting to move towards her. Faith didn’t let him get close enough, though, and broke into a run almost as soon as he tried. “Faith, wait!”
Both of them disappeared out the door, and Sophie shook her head before moving to wrap an arm around Parker’s shoulders. “I will give you this, darling,” she sighed. “Christmas with you is never boring.”
1114 words
On the list of things Sophie was not expecting when she came home from walking Nate Jr., finding an apparent Christmas explosion in the common room was definitely high on that list. In fact, she actually dropped her leash in surprise.
“What on Earth-”
She shouldn’t have been. If she were actually thinking she would have remembered what was coming up soon, and she should have been prepared. But apparently, being trapped in a city of gold had ways of making people forget the most basic things about their friends: mainly, that Parker loved-loved-Christmas.
“SURPRISE!” Parker shouted as she popped up from behind the couch, giant grin on her face, and her body vibrating as though it might fly off in any direction. Sophie was fairly certain that somewhere along the way, someone had given her chocolate. “Sophie, you would not BELIEVE the store I found in town. It was over by the diner, not far down Main Street and it’s ALL CHRISTMAS. ALL OF IT.”
“Oh … oh dear,” Sophie sighed slowly. Personally, she didn’t mind Parker’s over exuberance for the holiday, and if she lived alone, this wouldn’t have been a problem. But, unfortunately: “Parker-”
“I even got everyone hats!” She had a bag in her hands as she skipped her way around the couch, fishing through until she found a bright red Santa hat and placed it on Sophie’s head. “That one’s for you.”
“But Parker-”
“And I got the elf hat for me! And I got something extra super duper special for-”
“Uhh-Sophie?”
Sophie turned on her heel to see Angel standing behind her, looking around the common room like a bomb had gone off. In a way, one had-a tinsel covered, red and green, sparkly, magical bomb. She gave him a half-hearted smile, before waving a hand. “I’m sorry-”
“Angel!” Parker interrupted with a happy grin, bouncing across the room and pulling a set of antlers and plopping them on his head. “Merry Christmas!”
Angel looked vaguely horrified. Sophie couldn’t really blame him, but for the moment, she was too busy trying not to look amused. “Parker, sweetheart, what I’ve been trying to say is that I think you should have asked before you decided to … decorate.”
When Parker heard that, she frowned, turning to face Sophie with a look of such innocent confusion that Sophie couldn’t really be mad at her-not that she ever really got mad at Parker in the first place. “But I always decorate your place for Christmas.”
“What is on my head?”
Sophie held up a hand in Angel’s direction, before turning to take Parker’s. “Yes, I know. But I’m not living by myself anymore-I’m living with Angel. Angel might not celebrate Christmas.”
There was a beat of silence.
Then Parker just started laughing. “That’s silly,” she smirked. “EVERYBODY celebrates Christmas. It’s the most magical time of year!”
There was an awkward half-laugh, before Sophie sighed. “Remind me to explain this to you later.”
“Sophie, I really think we need to address what’s on my head.”
She sighed heavily before turning to face him and again, trying not to smirk. “They’re antlers, Angel. Like on a reindeer.”
“And why am I wearing antlers?”
“Because it’s Christmas!” Parker turned to face him with a grin. “And they’re musical too!”
“ … They’re what?”
The blond bounced forward, reaching up to squeeze one of the antlers, and a second later, a tinny, robotic version of “Up on the Housetop” started to play through the dead silence of the room. As they listened, Angel’s face seemed to be frozen in a somewhat constipated expression, Parker was beaming like she had just given him the best possible gift, and Sophie-well, Sophie wasn’t very proud of what she did next, but she honestly couldn’t help herself. British decorum clearly didn’t stand a chance against a supposedly terrifying vampire wearing musical reindeer antlers.
Essentially, Sophie lost it, and doubled over in laughter.
Angel was not as amused. “Thanks, Sophie. Thanks a lot.”
“I’m sorry,” she sighed as she started to catch her breath again. “The expression on your face was beyond priceless.”
Angel continued to pout, while Parker, for the most part, looked concerned. “Do you really not celebrate Christmas?”
“No, I do,” he sighed, before gesturing around him. “Just not usually to this … extent.”
Realization seemed to dawn on Parker at that, and distantly, she could hear the door to the suite opening, but she was focusing on making sure Parker understood what Angel was saying. “Some people prefer a quieter Christmas.”
“What the hell happened here?”
“Faith!” Angel’s head snapped up in surprise as the brunette woman made her way into the room, and his hand started to move to swipe at the antlers, but Parker reached forward to stop him. Regardless, it was already too late-Faith saw what she needed to see, and she pointed at Angel’s head with a bit of a grin.
“Scratch that-what the hell is on your head?”
Angel grumbled slightly, still batting away Parker’s hands as she tried to turn the music back on again. Eventually he grabbed her by the shoulders and placed her to the side, putting some distance between them. “They’re antlers,” he sighed. “Parker got them for me for Christmas.”
Faith didn’t seem convinced. “Uh-huh.”
Angel was about to open his mouth to continue to explain, when the tinny antler music started to fill the air. His expression immediately went sullen, and he turned around to face the blond who had snuck her way around him to attack from behind. “Enough with the music!”
Sophie and Faith glanced at each other, and as they did, Faith reached into her pocket for her network device and held it up to snap a quick picture. Angel turned around, finally snatching the antlers off his head before looking at Faith with worried eyes.
“What was that?”
“Proof.”
“What do you need proof for?”
Faith pocketed the device and looked up with a devious smirk. “Cuz Wes is never going to believe this if I don’t have it.”
It took Angel a second for the realization to dawn on him, but Faith was already starting to back towards the door. “Faith-” he began, starting to move towards her. Faith didn’t let him get close enough, though, and broke into a run almost as soon as he tried. “Faith, wait!”
Both of them disappeared out the door, and Sophie shook her head before moving to wrap an arm around Parker’s shoulders. “I will give you this, darling,” she sighed. “Christmas with you is never boring.”
1114 words