Side Story: Christmas (Patreon)

Side Story: Christmas

"Hey, Steve, can you get the chicken out the oven?"

"Ah, yeah, one second!" the young man replied, hurrying into the kitchen. He was wearing an ugly Christmas sweater. Red, woolen, and with a snowman in the middle. He was even wearing a santa hat with a bell at its tip, to the delight of his niece. In the kitchen, he swiped some oven mittens, and quickly took the tray out. The meat on it was steaming, the bottom covered in a thick film of sauce and vegetables.

Almost immediately, the smell spread throughout the entire flat, and he saw the head of a delighted little kid with the biggest grin he had perhaps ever seen poking through the doorway. "Well, who do we have here?" he asked, smiling. "Have you come to check the quality of your mom's cooking?"

"YES!" she said. He could even see the sparkle in her eyes.

"Well then, but only a little taste. And keep it secret, alright?" he replied with a smile, laying a finger on his lips. The girl nodded her head up and down with excitement, and thus, the man handed her a spoon before scooping her up, presenting the whole dish. "Tada! Careful, it's hot."

"Hehehe," the girl giggled, before plunging the spoon she had been gracefully gifted with into the sauce and blowing on it. After a few moments, she took a sip and the smile on her face grew even bigger. "Yummy!"

But only a second later, the fun was ruined by the incessant tapping of a foot on the wooden floor. Both their head creaked to the side, coming face to face with the disapproving gaze of Steve's sister-in-law.

"Well, well, well, didn't I tell you rascals to leave the food alone?" she asked, her tongue heavy with the scolding tone only a mother could have.

Steve creaked his head back to his partner in crime, seeing the girl's mouth form a confused "o" shape. "Scram!" he yelled with a grin, placing the girl back down onto the floor, before both of them bolted in different directions. It was a master escapist plan, and Steve made it out alive, but Millie's legs were just not fast enough to escape her mother.

As soon as she had taken the criminal into custody, she snatched the evidence out of her hand, a spoon that was still somewhat wet, and took her daughter by her hand. "Steve?" she asked loudly, just loud enough for him to hear it. "I thought I told you not to spoil Millie so much? We all have to be patient, how come you think of eating our food when your brother is still busy preparing things?"

"I was deceived by the child!" he replied, without hesitation, throwing his partner under the bus immediately, not even daring to show his face.

"Lies!" the girl yelled back, her face red but still with a smile on it. "Mommy, is uncle Steve a liar?"

"Hm, it almost seems like it, doesn't it hun. I think we should get a neutral opinion on it. Darling?" she asked into the hallway, where Steve's brother, Jack, was still setting up some decorations. Their house needed to be dripping with Christmas cheer, after all. Perhaps it was less his decisions than that of the council that reigned over this house.

"Yes, dear?" he asked, a slight hint of fear sneaking into his voice. He dreaded the choice he would have to make, one between brother and daughter, where it only decided whose head would be on the chopping block.

"I need a neutral opinion," his wife, Liz, replied, her voice dripping with mischief and a slight hint of malice.

"I have not received an education in formal execution of law, and thus believe myself unsuitable for the task presented to me," Jack replied, attempting to snake his way out of it.

"Oh, really? Maybe I should have you attend law school then?" Liz asked with a smile so sinister it would make demons scared. Jack flinched at it, and gave a long sigh instead.

"I know what I have to do, but I don't know if I have the strength to do it," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"Nothing ma'am! I'll be there in a moment..." with his mind steeled for the task at hand, he descended the ladder and headed from the hallway into the kitchen, where he found one of the alleged criminals stationed.

"This young lady has stolen a taste of the food meant for all of us, yet insists that it was indeed her partner, rather than her, who incited such malicious conduct," Liz explained, and Millie almost immediately adjust her posture to stand as straight as possible, while also shaking from how much she was giggling.

"I see," Jack said, laying his hand onto his chin, scratching his short stubbles. "I believe we need to have the second subject interrogated. Steve, get over here before we send you to detainment outside."

"Yes sir..." with no effort and even less joy at the situation, Steve dragged himself towards the kitchen, where he had to stand the gaze of two adults, both having dealt with children before.

"Steve Tasads, standing in front of Jack and Liz Tasads. Have you been pushing an innocent child to commit heinous crimes, such as to eat Christmas food on her own?"

"No such thing has happened, sir."

"Then how do you explain the actions of Millie, who has accused you of being an enabler and having pushed her towards her acts?"

"Children nowadays are greedy, sir."

"Is this an accusation towards the parents to have raised their child poorly?" Jack asked again, and this time Steve could feel Liz eyes growing sharper than a knife.

"No sir, I would do no such thing!" Steve said, sweat slowly forming on his brows.

"Then we are forced to conclude that the accused, Steve Tasads, is hereby guilty of the crime. You are sentenced to decorating the Christmas tree with Millie. Now, head on out, I have more work to do before uncle Norm arrives," Jack said, shaking his head and going back to the hallway, abandoning his brother with the cheering Millie. He felt bad for the guy, because no one escaped Millie's decorating without at least a little glitter. A truly sad fate, he thought.

Liz, on the other hand, wore a smug smile as she watched Millie drag a reluctant Steve off to his doom. "You reap what you sow," she said, giving him a small shrug and insincere wave as fate knocked on his door.

Only minutes later, Steve found his hair covered with tinsel, and his face stained with glitter, as he spent more time cleaning up after the things Millie was throwing around than actually doing any decorating. Their tree was small, barely over a meter, but it was very cute and it let Mini decorate almost all of it. He was also glad that she didn't throw the ball ornaments around. Those would be a pain to clean up.

After a little while, Jack was finally done hanging up garlands, elves, angels, and santas. The flat seemed a little more crammed than usual, but at the very least, it was full of holiday joy. Steve and Jack weren't really Christian, and Liz was actually highly atheist, but this was the traditions they had grown up with, and Millie enjoyed anything that glittered. They just liked the celebration, and that was enough.

"Uncle Norm might be coming anytime now, be ready to get the door Jack!" Liz yelled out of the kitchen, struggling to raise her voice louder than the boiling water of the potatoes and Millie's laughter. She gave a quick look over into the living room, where Steve was still cleaning up, and stayed there for just long enough to watch him lift Millie up into the air so she could place the glimmering star they had at the top of the tree.

For a moment, she simply enjoyed the scene, watching her daughter laugh with her bother-in-law. She shook her head for a moment again, before going into the kitchen to resume her cooking. The chicken was all done, staying warm under a couple layers of aluminium foil, the potatoes for the salad finished cooking, and the noodles for the soup being kept on a warm pot.

The smell of all the food was enough to make one's mouth more than water, and perhaps Steve would have been even more excited about it, if he didn't currently get covered in all manner of decorations himself. Still, he did so with a smile on his face. The noise was nice to have around him, and the inside of the house was warm. He was happy.

A couple of minutes later, the doorbell finally rang again, and Jack went to open it, revealing a gruff, older looking man with a frown on his face. He was a little on the plump side, boasting a wide belly and thick arms, but as soon as he saw his nephew's face, the frown vanished. A smile almost immediately found itself in the middle of his grey beard, and the wrinkles on his face showed all the more clearly.

"Jack, it's so good to see you!" the man said with a smile, locking hands with Millie's dad.

"It's so good to see you too, Norm," the host replied, pulling his uncle in for a hug. The older man usually seemed irritable and impatient, but anyone who really knew him knew better. The frown on his face was a remainder from the death of his wife. It had hit him hard, but his family had been there for him, and no one could warm his heart like them. His blue eyes thawed and he stepped into the warm house, taking off his hat to show his reclining, but well maintained grey hair.

Almost immediately, a screeching Millie came running out of the living room. "UNCLE NORM!!" she yelled, leaping off the floor and into the man's arms, almost knocking him into the coathanger, but before any accidents happened, the older man caught himself, and swirled his niece around once.

"Millie, bahahahaha, it's good to see you," he said, his smile growing ever wider.

"Come on, Millie, at least let uncle Norm arrive," Liz scolded half-heartedly, quickly stepping out after having wiped her hands with some kitchen towel. "It's great to see you again, Norm," she said smiling, giving him a hug as well while Millie darted off to the tree, yelling about presents.

"Hey Liz, how have you been?" the uncle asked, smiling ear to ear, but quickly pulling out of the hug to finally remove his jacket with some help from Jack.

"Good, good. Lots of work to prepare, but it's all worth it for today. How's work treating you?" Liz asked kindly, when Steve finally made his appearance.

"Baha, I see the girl got hold of you," Norm laughed, pointing at Steve's decorations. His face with glitter all over it, and tinsel in his hair.

"Hey Norm, I missed ya too old bear," Steve replied, giving his uncle a couple solid pats on the back.

"You too, kid," Norm replied, beginning his trudge into the living room. "Work has been fine enough, people are starting to annoy me about retiring. I tell ya, I'll stay for as long as I want to!"

"Of course, Norm, they can't really boot you anyways. You're still enjoying it, then?" Liz asked from the kitchen.

"Now more than ever! A little handiwork keeps my joints in order," the old man replied with a grin, before looking down to see Millie tugging at his sleeve.

"Alright, alright, where are we going to, kid?" he asked with a smile, following the girl along as she dragged him to the Christmas tree. "Hm, yes, very well decorated," he said, scratching his beard as he looked upon it. "But something does seem to be missing..." he said, his eyes trailing to the ground. "Ah, I remember!" and with that, he pulled a large present out from a bag he brought, wrapped with bright red paper and tied together with a glittering string, a small card saying "Millie" attached to it.

"Yayyyyyy!!" the girl yelled, almost trying to snatch it from her uncle's hand when she felt the stinging gaze of her mother on her back, and quickly quieted down to watch Norm place it under the tree.

Then, with the kid pacified, Norm sat down at the dining table next to Steve, who was still plucking some of the decorations from his head. "You doing alright, kid?" he asked, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Someone your age don't aught have that many wrinkles."

"I'm fine, fine," Steve said. "We just got a stressful period at work, you know how it is with big companies. Mom and dad aren't coming, then?" he asked quietly, quickly changing topic to maybe the only thing more depressing.

Norm slowly shook his head. "No, wouldn't budge. I'm sorry, they-"

"They weren't invited anyways!" Liz' voice sounded loudly from the kitchen, a fiery undertone to it. Apparently Steve hadn't been quiet enough to not ruin her mood at least, but he appreciated the gesture.

"It's alright, Liz," Steve said. "I get it, let's not ruin the day."

"Oh, right, that reminds me!" uncle Norm quickly said, a smile resurfacing on his face. "I brought you and Jack a little something as well!" and with that, he pulled two more small packages from his bag.

"Who are you, Santa?" Jack quickly called from the hallway, still putting away the unused decorations.

"Baha! I sure got the looks, don't I? Should'a worn my red sweater, bahaha!" Norm replied, bursting out into laughter. "Ah, sorry, right, don't unpack it until we're done. Of course, at this point it would be unfair if I didn't get Liz something as well."

"You shouldn't have!" she called back out, laughing a little, but the old man still relentlessly placed all the packages down under the tree, then Jack and Liz added one for Millie, and Steve another two, one for the kid, and one for all of them.

Jack's daughter was already running rampant through the flat by then, and so, Liz finally called everyone to the table, Steve and her putting down plates and cutlery, before placing the roast chicken, as well as potato salad and noodle soup all on the table.

"Let's dig in," Jack finally called with a smile, and not a moment later, people were stuffing their faces. Steve and Liz both cooked well, and to see them make a meal together was usually rather rare, given how busy they were. Everyone was more than eager to finally get some food in them as well, since they hadn't eaten almost anything the entire day, and thus, the meal was eaten over the sound of laughter and joy.

An hour, perhaps even two later, people were finally done. The plates had been piled up in the sink, and the leftovers had been safely escorted into the fridge, where they would spend the next couple hours until someone went to plunder them at midnight.

After such a meal, everyone had also needed some time to digest, and thus a couple stories were told in the warm room. A coworker of Norm had used dull router bits in woodworking, and left scorch marks on a table, Steve's colleague Roger had whacked their boss over the head with a stack of paper's "accidentally", and Jack laughed about how one of the kids he was teaching had somehow placed an eraser up his nose and gone to the nurse for it.

Times were good, and joy was had, and eventually, it was time to open up the presents. For Millie, it felt almost as if the floodgates had been opened, and the little rascal almost knocked up the tree with her charge, immediately setting upon shredding the paper that separated her from her treasure. Within seconds, she had torn apart any obstacles in between, and annihilated any barriers in her path, revealing a couple cute shirts with aliens and kittens on them, as well as a block and many, many colourful markers to get her creativity out. Finally, there was also a new volume of "Faery Tale", a coloured book full of equally colourful characters and scenery.

Of course, as is proper, the gifts were all wrapped with sweets as well.

Uncle Norm, on the other hand, got a new set of luxury chisels, while Steve and Jack got matching wooden lockets, each intricately carved, and opening up to reveal a small engraving of "Family are the people you choose". For a moment, Steve needed to wipe the tears from his face, hugging his uncle and brother, though Millie and Liz also soon joined in.

Norm's gift for Liz had been a set of cooking spoons he'd made, which she appreciated a lot since a couple had broken lately. And finally, they opened up the present Steve had brought for everyone, revealing a small, framed picture of the five of them, ready to be put on a table. Hugs were given, laughs were shared, memories made, and another picture taken to be framed for next year.

Just for one day, what everyone else thought didn't matter. There was no place for it at all. The five of them were family, and in family, there was no reason to worry.