Chapter Text
Noelle pulled open the large tan door and stamped the dusting of slush off her hooves. The whooshing of the wind faded behind her as she slammed it shut, and she breathed in the sweet, warm smells of the season with relief. Hometown’s weather was bitter and getting worse by the second; the deer was glad for the thick sweater she had bought at school. Hometown was a lot colder than the dorms in Chicago.
“I’m back from the store!”
Her father shouted back from the kitchen as she took off her green felt coat and knitted scarf.
“Hey sweetie!”
His head popped through the doorframe. The bags under his eyes had gotten a lot smaller since he left the hospital, thank the Angel.
“I’m just plating the pie. How’s Sans doing? Gonna stop work for the snow?”
“He started closing the store right as I walked out. Also, Dad, isn’t Toriel already gonna have 5 billion pies?”
The deer chuckled. “Well, she might have Butterscotch pie, and she might have Cinnamon pie, but do you think she’s ever tried both in one?”
Noelle laughed as she dusted the sprinkling of snow off her hand-knit sweater. It was a bright white, with overlapping geometric snowflakes wrapping around it. And it wasn’t half bad, if she did say so herself.
“Probably not, Dad. Good point.”She placed her winter gear on the coatrack and joined her father in the kitchen.
Underneath the scented candles that her mother had covered the house in, she could smell a delicious, sugary pie. It was seated on the counter, tan-colored and still steaming from the glowing oven. Like everything else, the mittens Rudy was using to move the crust to the plate were red and green. Or, perhaps that was a trick of the Christmas lights that decked the walls and ceiling; her mother had switched off the normal overheads at the first sign of December snow, so it was a little hard to see. Noelle made a mental note to switch back to ordinary lighting as soon as her parents left.
“Think your friends will make it in the weather, sweetie?”
“Susie’s getting here whenever she can close up shop. Berdly and Kris should be coming in about…” She slipped her phone out of the pocket hidden in her pleated skirt. “In about two hours. But honestly, I don’t know what’s gonna happen with Kris’s bus, with the snow and all.”
“Susie’s still working? Pray for snow, I guess.”
“Not too hard. Don’t want Berdly snowed into his house with his parents, and Kris needs to get a taxi from the Greyhound stop.”
Rudy dusted the flour off his hands and leaned against the counter.
“His parents are still in hometown? They hate it here.”
“Tell me about it. Berd said they’re selling the house and moving to New York. Are they coming to Ms. Dreemurr’s holiday thing?”
He shook his head. “No, Angel, no. Weren’t invited, and they would have been insulted if they were. Just Toriel, Sans, Me, your mother, and Susie’s mother.”
“Where is she, anyway? Mom?”
Rudy looked up through the ceiling, in the direction of his bedroom. “Upstairs, powdering her nose… and stuff, I think.” He looked back down at his daughter. “You know her. 50-step makeup and all. We’re leaving in 20.”
“Angel, now I am praying for snow.” She walked out of the kitchen, back to the coatrack, and yelled back to her father as she went. “I don’t wanna be here all by myself until Kris and Berdly get here!”
The fawn reached into the inside pockets of her winter coat and pulled out two long bottles of Coole Swan Irish Cream. They were warm, after having been protected from the cold on the long bus ride from Chicago. 16%, perfect for a “chill” Christmas party. Her father shouted back to her as she admired the fine bottles.
“How are they doing, anyway?”
She started back to the refrigerator.
“No dramatic calls yet. I dunno, Kris comes back home to see Susie and Susie drives to see me. They don’t talk much roman–”
She stopped short as the door to the kitchen slammed shut behind her; the young woman had completely forgotten her dad was an adult and not just, like, her friend. He was staring at the bottles with a slightly surprised expression.
“Uh, do you mind? Sorry, I should have asked first, faha…”
The tall father smiled. “I’ll probably be drinking more than you tonight, Ellie. You know how Toriel likes to pour heavy with the red.”
He craned his neck to look through the window on the door.
“Alright, Alright… Stuff it in the fridge, and make sure mom doesn’t see. She’ll likely get blacked out tonight, but she’ll moralize anyway.”
When Noelle hugged him, the bottles clinked around his back. The sound echoed through the eager house, stuffed to the brim with year-round Christmas decorations. Noelle had sincerely missed the comfortable, familiar nostalgia that lingered all throughout the mansion.
Noelle gingerly took the saucepan of milk off the stove. Into the mug, mix with (ah, three should be enough) heaping spoonfuls of cocoa mix. She let the drink cool and washed out the saucepan, eyeing the fridge all the while. It was calling her like a siren song. She checked her phone; she still had more than an hour before the lovebirds were showing. And who knew how long Susie was gonna be!
As soon as she put the dry pan back in its place, her hands rushed to the refrigerator door. She grabbed one of the liqueur bottles out of the racks; the surface was frosted and the metal cap was cool in her hands. She snapped it open and poured a shot into the steaming mug. It would equalize out to the perfect temperature, after all! The scalding milk, cocoa mix, a shot (better make it two (better make it three)) of the cream liqueur; that would be the right mixture.
She took a sip of her drink as she moved out of the kitchen and up close to the front windows of the living room. It was really coming down now, thick snowflakes landing on the already-white bushes and trees that dotted the Holiday’s lawn. Now, even the driveway had a bright blanket over the pockets of salt. The drink was pure, creamy cocoa with an aftertaste that twisted and danced on her tongue. Just how she liked it. As she blew on the mug, her evening got a lot better.
With its tires laden in chains, Susie’s long old Subaru pulled into the driveway. Noelle set down her drink as carefully as she could manage, and rushed to the doorway.
It was freezing cold without her coat and her scarf, but Noelle didn’t mind. She heard the Marvin Gaye blasting from the interior of the car shut off, and Susie stepped out into the snow.
She was wearing a thick, olive-colored puffer, with blue jeans and tough looking brown leather boots. Her messy long hair was only warmed by a hand-made purple knit cap; the little pom pom on top threw off her tough presence but Susie never seemed to mind.
Her claws looped around Noelle’s back as the deer ran into her tight embrace.
“Hey, Snowflake! Agh, I missed you!”
Noelle’s face was nested in the crook of Susie’s neck, so she spoke loudly through the coat.
“I saw you, like, a day ago, silly!”
“Why are you huggin’ so tight then, stupid?”
Susie unwrapped and lightly pushed Noelle away by the shoulders. She looked around, marveling at the snow-covered landscape.
“Angel, it’s really coming down, huh?”
Noelle giggled. “Aren’t you supposed to still be at work? Kris and Berd aren’t supposed to be here for almost an hour, faha!”
“Look around, Ellie! I stopped orders like, half an hour ago. Ten minutes more and the drivers would get stuck. ICE-E corporate can kiss my scaly ass.”
The lizard hooked a hand around Noelle’s waist and pulled her close; Susie stared down as she twirled the blonde hair that was flowing in the chilly breeze.
“One of the many benefits of beating that slimy dude for manager is now I get to spend snow days with my girlfriend.”
Noelle didn’t have much to say. She stammered as Susie crunched through the snow and popped open the hatchback.
“Uhm– Um, my parents left a bit before you came. I’ve just been putting up some decorations and making cocoa, faha… Wasn’t expecting you ‘till late.”
Susie pulled two six packs of Modelo, the bottles clad in a deep festive red for the season.
“You mind if I start on these? Wanna be ‘prepared’ for when the lovebirds show up all over eachother."
“Susie, they’re not ‘all over each other,’ it’s cute! Plus, they haven’t been together all semester!”
“Yeah, yeah, sure. More importantly…” The small bottles clinked like bells as she dangled them in the air.
“Oh, yeah, sure! I, um, already put a few shots in my cocoa, faha…”
Susie stuck a case under her arm and nuzzled the top of Noelle’s head as she walked to the door. “Attagirl. We’re gonna have fun tonight, just you wait. Kris told me they’re bringing a special gift.”
Susie stomped off her boots in the coatroom, and craned her neck to look out at the expansive house.
“Angel, it just gets more festive here by the day, huh?”
She looked back at the shivering Noelle. “Did I hear you right? You were just putting up more decorations?”
Noelle rubbed her hands together and grabbed her cocoa from the windowsill. Still hot, thank the Angel.
“My mom says you can never have enough, this time of year.”
Susie eased out of her coat as she whistled with amazement at the sight of the living room. “Gonna have to disagree with Carol there. Any more throw pillows and you’ll run out of couch.”
Noelle walked up next to her, enjoying the radiating warmth coming from her thin purple tank top.
“You should see our storage. It’s like a Terracotta Army of Santa toys. She told me she’s saving it for ‘grandkids,’ but I dunno–”
Susie muttered a quick “Lemmetrythat” as she grabbed the mug out of Noelle’s hand. She took a long sip before nearly spitting it out; she coughed and wiped her mouth as she handed it back.
“How many shots are in that hot chocolate, Ellie?!”
“Three! Only three! I–um, might have eyeballed them, faha…”
Susie shook her head with a laugh. “I guess the drinking habit runs in the family, huh snowflake?”
Noelle was all too familiar with her mother’s… penchant for white wine. At this point, it was probably part of her rigorous diet plan.
Susie plopped down on the couch and popped open a glass bottle on her tooth. She took a sip before gesturing to her girl with the beer and patting the cushion next to her. “What were you saying? You dunno what?”
Noelle sat down daintily to avoid spilling her precious drink. “Well, I dunno how we’re gonna get a house that can fit more decorations than this manor. And you know Dess, she lives and dies by those NYC shoeboxes. Not that she wants many decorations anyway, faha…”
With an arm over the shoulder, Susie pulled Noelle close. “Well, hell, one of these days you’ll be a big shot nairosurgeon and we can get a big house wherever we want! Won’t need shitty ice cream pizza anymore.”
“Neurosurgeon. And I wouldn’t sell your business acumen short, Susie. You run that place like the navy.”
Susie planted an affectionate kiss on Noelle’s forehead. “Trust me sweetie, the second you make a dime more than me, I’m letting Pizzapants take the joint. Hate the job, not to mention that slinging cardboard food is a helluva lot less important than saving lives.”
Noelle clicked on the TV to a virtual crackling fireplace (the default channel, of course) to fill the silence of the empty house. Her mother and her probably undiagnosed OCD would never let her dream of having a real fire, so this was the next best thing. She nuzzled up next to Susie, who was quickly cooling; her thin shirt was a lot different than the sweaters that the Holidays usually wore this time of year.
Susie shivered. “Speaking of moolah, can’t your parents pay the heating bell? It’s a meat locker in here.”
Noelle giggled. “Well, then we couldn’t wear sweaters inside! Oh– but don’t worry, I’ve got a great solution.” She pulled away from Susie and stood. “Wait here, ok?”
Susie downed the rest of her beer and set the empty bottle down on the ornate coffee table–with a coaster, of course. She could hear various shuffling and wrapping noises from Ellie’s room, but she was far too content unwinding after work to think about snooping.
After a few minutes of melting into the couch, Noelle finally returned to Susie with a neatly wrapped, medium sized gift poorly hidden behind her back. Maybe it was just her thick sweater, but she was blushing hard.
“Um, you remember how we matched for prom?” Her nose was flashing red. Susie wondered if Rudolf had been a Holiday.
Susie sat up on the soft couch. “Yeah, sure. That was sweet.”
Noelle pulled the gift out and handed it to Susie excitedly. As she examined it, the deer rushed over to an armchair and looked on with anticipation. It was a soft package, wrapped neatly despite the rush job. It was hard to make out (Susie probably needed glasses, but that was for nerds); she could’ve sworn the pattern looked like little Easter Bunnies… riding reindeer? Whatever. As gingerly as she could with such sharp claws, she undid the tape and unfolded the wrapping to save it for later.
When she finally revealed the gift, it took her by surprise. It was a sweater, like the hand knit one Noelle was wearing. White wool with a pale blue collar and cuffs. But, unlike Noelle’s, this sweater had a massive, fantasy-styled dragon breathing fire across the entire front. Its body extended around the side, and the tail ran off the wool, down to where Susie’s tail would be (if she had one). Susie felt a dark pit open in her stomach as she received the sweet, personal gesture and had nothing to give in return.
“Oh, sweetie, you didn’t have to do this for me…”
She shot out of her seat and jumped onto the couch next to Susie. “Do you like it?! I wanted to give it to you at Christmas, but I just couldn't wait!”
Susie delicately held the sweater to her chest. It was soft, so, so soft compared to the stupid polyester ICE-E uniform. “I love it, baby… agh, you moron. Why’d you have to give it to me now? I don’t got anything to give you back!”
Noelle’s hands were excitedly patting her skirt. “Well, you were cold!”
Susie slipped the gift over her head and marvelled at the detail in the stitched dragon. Stupid house, stupid temperature. Stupid ICE-E, not paying her quick enough to get those diamond snowflake earrings in advance. Stupid Noelle, showing her up like this. The deer had a nasty habit of being extremely considerate and kind. Sometimes, it really pissed Susie off in a way she couldn't really understand. Oh well. She still knew what to do about it. Noelle was still chattering excitedly as Susie thought.
“I mean, what, I’m supposed to let my girlfriend free–”
Susie quickly slipped a hand behind her head, relishing in the feeling of her scales lacing through the blonde locks. If only to cut off her excessive generosity, Susie pulled the deer into a deep kiss. She made a brief ‘meep!’ before melting into her girlfriend’s embrace.
After far too short of a moment, Noelle regained her senses and pushed herself off of Susie’s shoulders. “Susie! You know I hate it when you cut me off!” However, it was hard to believe the annoyance act, with her wide smile and flushed cheeks and all.
“Yeah? Well, I hate it when you’re too nice to me, snowflake. We gotta stop your people-pleasing somehow, right?” This front as well was betrayed by the deep purple blush spreading across Susie’s cheeks (although she would probably claim it was just the beer).
Susie bounced off the couch to scoop up and pop open another beer, leaving Noelle pressed up against her imprint in the couch. “Come on, Ellie, let’s get some tunes going in here. Gonna be mighty quiet until Kris gets here.”
She looked back as Noelle picked herself up off the cushions. “Last Christmas, do you like that song–” She didn’t even get to finish her sentence before Noelle started using her cocoa mug as a mic.
“YOU GAAVEEE MEEE AWAAYYY–OOOHHH… SPECIAL!”
Susie chuckled and meandered off in search of a suitable speaker.