a nightmare before Christmas.
🎄or an Annika, Floris, Willa and targtowers Christmas tale🌟
Part one
Part two
Parth three
Summary: Aemond, Daeron, Aegon and Helaena had different things planned for Christmas, but one same fate: their father’s old cabin.
Basically an i’m never gonna love again christmas modern AU because we need to spread some joy on these times and I wanted to write something fun. Mainly centred around Aegon x Female OC.
This is part 1/3. Part 2 coming soon.
🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
“Skiing isn't exactly my strong suit, and you guys know it,” a sharply depressed Floris sighs, watching Annika and Helaena packing as if they were going to the space for five months rather than the Targaryen retreat ski cabin in Aspen. “I thought we agreed that this year would be just the three of us for Christmas. No parties, just peace and quiet.”
“And that's why it's a perfect plan,” Helaena reminds her, with an ear-to-ear smile, something quite uncharacteristic of her occasionally too melancholic personality. Helaena flops down beside her on the bed. “I know you're sad about Aemond, but there's no reason for you to shut yourself in during the holidays. If you don't want to go home, then let's go to Aspen for Christmas.”
“Do you remember our trip to Aspen for graduation?” Annika intervenes. Floris shakes her head; everything was very blurry. “Exactly! And we had fake IDs that weren't accepted at three out of five places. Now it's all legal, babe. Plus, I'm tired of getaways to big cities. I want peace and wildness at the same time.”
“Odd,” Helaena deduces. “What Annika means is that we're going to have a good time. We'll have hot chocolate and all those Christmas things without necessarily the suffocating party Annika's father organizes every forsaken year. By the way, what did you tell him to not go home this year?”
She looks at her nails disinterestedly while appearing thoughtful. “They're busy with the baby, you know. And I think Rhys will go this year, so they won't really miss me much.”
“You usually like going home for the holidays,” Floris insists, knowing that since the moment Annika suggested they stay in the United States instead of going back to London, something must have happened. “Is everything alright?”
“Yes, of course. I just don't want to go back this year. You don't want to run into Aemond, Helaena wants to create new traditions, and I want to drink until I lose consciousness and have a sugar high from eating so many s'mores. Whatever happens first.”
Helaena and Floris exchange a glance that she doesn't overlook. “But you haven't wanted to go home since your birthday.”
“Oh, there are just too many ghosts,” she quickly lies. “You know, with my mother's death and all.”
Her father remarrying didn't really affect Annika. Or at least, she never let it show much. Helaena and Floris know when she uses her mother's death as an excuse and to take advantage of people; she always did, and she always will. No one questions a girl's grief for her mother. Annika knows it well.
And they know it's her way of dealing with the situation, even though she doesn't talk about it. So, they let her be. Whatever it is, she'll say it in her own time.
“If you say so...”
“This will be something good,” Annika repeats. “A girls' Christmas. Just us three. No families, no responsibilities, no men. Just us.”
* 🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
Willa wrinkles her nose, watching as Daeron struggles to close the door of the huge truck, bags strategically positioned as if it were a game of Tetris.
“I can't believe you convinced me to do this,” she says, a grimace of both distress and regret forming on her face. “I mean, are you sure no one from your family will notice you're not at the boarding school?”
He laughs. “My mother has three more children, and my father has even more children and grandchildren to fill that void. Trust me when I tell you they won't notice that I'm gone. We'll show up for New Year's Eve, I'll introduce you to them, and they won't even remember that we didn't spend Christmas with them.”
“I don't like that plan,” she admits. Daeron finally manages to close the truck after much effort and lets out a grunt. He shakes his hands, then gives Willa a kiss on the forehead.
“Believe me, you'll be more than glad to miss Mr. Lannister's Christmas party. They're basically the land where time stands still, and a vortex opens up and sucks out all your energy,” he explains. “I had the best Christmas of my life last year with your family than any Christmas I've had before.”
She squirms uncomfortably. “Sometimes you make me think you hate your family, Daeron. And I get it, but you can't... I'm sure they love you a lot.”
“I know they do. But, as I told you, Christmas is not really important, and I want to spend it with you. I want us to have a good time before I take you to my family on New Year's and you run in the other direction.”
“If we survived that weekend at your older brother's apartment...”
Daeron shudders as if just the thought of it produces secondhand embarrassment. “Don't remind me. I don't know how to apologize for that. The good news is you won't have to see him again, ever.”
He opens the door for Willa to get in and doesn't wait for a response as he goes around the truck to get into the passenger seat, leaving her with the words on her lips.
“If it helps, I didn't dislike your brother,” she says. “Is he not spending New Year's at your house with all of us?”
“I don't think so. The last time I was home, he was acting too strange. I mean, stranger than usual,” he explains, eyes fixed on the road.
“When was it? Spring?”
“I think so. Yes, yes. I remember because my mother was furious with him for not showing up to Floris's birthday dinner, you know, my brother Aemond's girlfriend. He didn't even go to the party afterward, and he never misses a party.”
“Did he say why?”
“No, he didn't really say anything. I asked Helaena, and she told me Aegon had been in New York a few weeks before but never dropped by to visit her. Aemond thinks he's doing drugs,” he says calmly, then opens his eyes when Willa looks at him horrified. “Oh, no, he's not a drug addict. He’s just the occasionally drunk, harmless brother. His life is not in danger. Aegon has always been like this. He'll be back when he gets over it.”
She scratches her neck, uncomfortable. “The holidays can be triggers for many people, you know?”
“I'm sure Aegon is at a resort in Miami Beach, passed out with a piña colada in his hand and some girl tangled in his sheets as we speak. He's living his best life,” he downplays. “You'll see. Everything will be fine. Plus, we'll get to enjoy some time alone. Don't you like the idea?”
Willa sighs, resigned.
“If I had a family as big as yours...”
“You are my family now,” he finally drops, like a bucket of ice-cold water running down her back and leaving her breathless for a moment. “It's just you and me. And I prefer it very much this way.”
* 🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
Aegon groans as he feels a boiling sensation behind his throat, and his mouth automatically fills with saliva, anticipating the vomit that he will never let out. He straightens up quickly, holding his breath to calm his body while everything spins around him.
When he finally makes sense of what's happening, he realizes he has fainted in the kitchen. He leans his back against the wooden shelf, just like when he was little and used to hide while playing with his brothers and nephews and the rest of his family.
He hears footsteps entering the kitchen, echoing on the tiles, but he doesn't bother to lift his gaze; he already knows who it is.
“I didn't expect you to be up so early.”
“Brother,” Aegon grumbles again, getting up from the floor with so much difficulty that sometimes it seems like his youth is just a memory. He looks around confused. “Where’s Melody?”
“You mean Mallory,” he corrects. “Well, she came home with you. I think you guys did it on the couch and the kitchen floor. And she left early.”
Aegon smiles, the memories of the previous night a bit clearer. “Oh, right. And her friend? What was her name? God, I don't think we should go back to that place ever again. Although I don't think they'll let us in.”
“She slept in my bed and left with Mallory early in the morning. I called someone to clean up this mess you left, mess you cannot make again because it’s fucking December 23th and no one will ever come to clean your shit up on Christmas. Now, we have to go to the city, so I suggest you change and dress decently.”
Aegon cracks all the joints in his body without understanding his younger brother's bad mood. He has done everything to get him through his breakup; he took him to the best clubs all over Europe, to Las Vegas, and even agreed to accompany him to an independent film Aemond wanted to watch, consuming large amounts of Adderall to stay awake out of boredom.
No one knows what happened between Floris and Aemond. They were a strange but simple pair; both middle children, introverted, and constantly trying to overachieve. The pride of their families, with a perfect life. Their love was born in the sandbox when they were both children, all the way through high school and what they've made of college, and everyone thought they would continue like that, getting married and having children. After all sandbox love never really dies.
Apparently, everyone was wrong.
In other circumstances, Aegon would have simply called Helaena and asked if she knew exactly what happened; what was so terrible that had Aemond so tense and more unbearably suffocating than usual, but...
“Why do we have to go downtown?” Aegon asks as Aemond hurries to make coffee. The sound of the machine drills into his head; he’s pretty sure his hangover has hangover at this point.
“Because, Aegon, your little girlfriend stole Mom's crystal reindeer,” he mutters with annoyance. “I can't believe you brought me here to fuck any girl stupid enough to fall for your charms and brought her back home completely unconscious. What if I hadn't been here?”
“I think I can take care of myself, Aemond. I've been alive for twenty-four years without your help,” the older one mutters with annoyance. “I brought you here so you could fuck any girl in a miniskirt and forget about your ex-girlfriend. But you're not taking advantage of it.”
Aemond clenches his hands into fists, his knuckles slightly white. “I don't need to fuck anyone to forget about her.”
“What you need is to skip Jason Lannister's insipid party and not go home where the primary topic of conversation will be your relationship with Miss Baratheon’s wake. Believe me, I'm doing you a favour. I've been in your place.”
Aemond laughs. “When have you ever had a meaningful relationship with someone?”
“I don't mean that. I mean I've been a victim of the scrutiny of London's elite.”
“Well, you brought it on yourself after getting drunk and getting into a fight with Dalton Greyjoy at Helaena's debutante ball,” his brother reminds him.
Aegon sighs; it's pointless to explain why he got into a fight with Greyjoy at Helaena's debutante ball. He just learned to live with the label of an alcoholic and violent person and made it his own so that they couldn't hurt him with it.
Oh, and he destroyed any political/professional ties between the Greyjoys and the Targaryens. But that's not exactly a tale fit for Christmas.
“Is Helaena going to the party?” he asks, changing the subject as he opens a beer can under the disapproving gaze of his younger brother. “You have only one eye, and it feels like you have six. Can you relax a bit? I'm on vacation.”
“Your life is a vacation,” Aemond hisses bitterly. “I really don't believe it. She said she planned to stay in New York with Floris and Annika.”
“Is Annika not going to her father's party?”
Aemond shrugs, sipping his coffee. “We didn't go into that much detail; she just said they would stay in New York. She says Floris likes it there, so...”
Aegon smirks maliciously. “I bet Annika is taking her to every possible club to get her fucked and forget about you.”
“Do you have to be so unpleasant all the damn time?” Aemond questions. “She wouldn't do that. Unlike you, Annika knows her and knows she needs other things.”
“Hey, I accompanied you to that horrible movie and saved you from the funeral-party. We'll spend Christmas in a hot tub drinking and eating with some chicks. What more do you want from me?”
Aemond frowns, the last good eye though a bit less harsh, always alert and in disagreement with his words. However, Aegon knows that beneath all that calm and collected facade, he is suffering.
And he doesn't like to see his brother suffer unless he is the one causing it.
“Nothing, Aegon. I don't want anything from you, nor do I expect it,” he replies with annoyance, leaving his empty cup in the sink. “Get dressed. We leave in ten minutes. And you'll pay for those expensive shitty reindeer.”
“Fair enough.”
* 🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
The cold air hits Annika's face, and tosses her golden curls around. She brushes the hair stuck to her lip gloss off her face with annoyance, and her body shivers under all the layers of winter clothing. Her frozen hands tremble as she locks the car door.
“I won't drive in this weather ever again,” she mutters under her breath, striding towards the house porch with long steps, trying not to slip on the ice-covered stones. Helaena and Floris laugh at her from the door. “What?”
“That footwear is a bit impractical, don't you think?” Helaena remarks teasingly.
She looks at her boots without understanding. “They're my Moschino Black Faux Fur Snow Boots.”
“They have fur,” Helaena points out, amused.
“No animals were harmed in the making of these boots,” she retorts, struggling up the stairs. “Stop criticizing me for actually having style and open the door for me, will you? My ass is freezing.”
“Perhaps don't wear those boots outside again. You're going to slip,” Floris recommends, catching Annika's arm to help her with the last steps while Helaena finishes opening the door.
When they enter the cabin, they head straight to Helaena's enormous bedroom amid laughter. The cabin is huge but cozy, with a room for each family member. Floris tries to ignore the fact that she knows by heart the door to Aemond's room and everything inside.
Annika gets rid of her clothes and turns on the heating, trying to warm up. “Does anyone remember how to make hot chocolate?”
“You have the recipe book in the kitchen,” Floris reminds her.
Annika frowns. “Who am I kidding? I don't do kitchen. But we should buy Christmas cookies...”
“You mean, make Christmas cookies?” Helaena raises an eyebrow.
“No, thanks. I just redid my nails. But we could get gingerbread houses to decorate!” She offers hopefully. “But first, I need to shower and change. And before you say anything; I can't feel my toes.”
Hel sighs. “Perhaps Floris and I should go shopping while you shower.”
“Well, I don't do groceries either,” Annika winks at them. “Could you buy me a few things? I'll text them to you. You go while I bathe, and then I'll prepare dinner. Which means, order something to be delivered here and get the wine from the cellar.”
Floris rolls her eyes, not even having taken off her coat. “You better have three glasses of wine waiting for us when we get back to watch a movie.”
Annika snaps her fingers. “Done!” She says, then takes off her fur hat and puts it on Floris. “There you go. So your ideas won't freeze.”
“We'll be back in fifty minutes,” Helaena announces, taking the car keys from Annika's stiff and gloved hands.
As soon as she's alone, Annika rummages through one of her suitcases for her shower things and crosses to the main bathroom, in front of Helaena's room. Unfortunately, her friend's bedroom is not ensuite, and they have endured countless escapes where they had to cross to the bathroom in the middle of the night and lose all glamour by running into one of Helaena's brothers or nephews.
Annika has always loved coming to the Aspen cabin. It has always been a place very different from her home where time seems to run in a different way. Almost magical, though she knows better now to understand magic doesn’t exist. Since she was a child, Helaena and her family often felt more like a family than her own. It was strange because even though Helaena adored her brothers, Annika knew she felt like an outsider. Very alien to them.
In one way or another, the three of them always found a home in themselves. Where they could be without prejudices or fear.
She turns on the shower, letting the water flow hot, even boiling, as she removes her clothes and hangs her pink robe on the nearest hook. She is careful to lift her long and shiny hair to avoid getting it wet and preserve her meticulously done blowout. Her hair has always been one of her best features and is almost sacred to her; curls that fall like a cascade of liquid gold to her waist.
Her muscles contract as her body comes into contact with the hot water, and she sighs relieved. She stays almost inert for a while before taking her shower lotion and starting to wash to remove any remnants of the plane and the trip and New York off her.
And she has a lot to clean. A life of mistakes, an entire year of failure and sins and feelings kept deep in her heart.
But there are still eight days left for her to leave it all behind finally. Eight days for the year to end, and therefore, a new life to begin. A new life where she doesn't make mistakes or hurt anyone and is her best version. Where she is a better person and accompanies Helaena and Floris to do the groceries and learns to make Christmas dinner or hot chocolate.
But she still has eight more days to be the acidic and superficial Annika who runs away from her problems instead of facing them.
When she finishes washing her face, she reaches out for one of the towels before jumping into her robe. At that moment, the door opens abruptly, and the steam that fills the bathroom disperses into the air, letting in a cold draft from the hallway.
She glimpses, through the steam, a platinum blonde mane.
“Hel, come in. Did you return so quickly? I must have lost track of time. Did you bring the things I asked for?”
But Helaena doesn't respond. Annika wraps the small towel around her body and opens the shower door, stepping out.
“Wow, my Christmas wish came true already,” the mischievous and familiar laughter takes her completely by surprise.
Annika screams, disturbed when through the steam, she makes sense of Aegon's figure, Hel's older brother. The unbearable older brother, to be precise. Among other things.
She moves so far back that she slips. Aegon has to hold her arm so that she doesn't fall and hit her head on the edge of the bathtub. When she is stable enough, she pushes him to let go of her bare and wet arms, a bit disturbed by the vulnerable situation, but Aegon holds her so tightly that this time he slips backward and takes her with him.
“You're an idiot!” She yells, holding onto the towel that is the only thing separating her naked body from him.
Aegon laughs painfully. “Wow, my second Christmas wish just came true.”
“What are you doing here?!” Annika demands, too disturbed, while trying to find a way to get off him without pressing any unwanted parts of her body. He looks at her, his blue eyes against her green ones, and smiles.
“I could ask you the same. This is my house.”
When she finally manages to stand up, and the steam has dispersed a bit, she notices that Aemond is standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and a slightly disturbed look. When he notices the blush on Annika's cheeks, he turns away to give her privacy.
“We almost called the police,” Aemond tells her. “What are you doing here?”
“I told you an intruder wasn't going to shower. And I'm sure no intruder would wear those ridiculous fur boots...”
“Would you mind?” Annika says to Aegon, holding the towel against her chest as if her life depends on it while grabbing her robe with the other hand.
“Go ahead, darling.”
“Aegon,” Aemond warns. He grumbles and turns around as Annika puts on the robe without even removing the towel and ties the belt with a knot worthy of the navy.
“Nice knot. Did Greyjoy teach you to do that?” Aegon mocks when he turns to look at her again. She gives him the middle finger. “Would you mind explaining what you're doing here?”
“I came with Helaena and Floris to spend Christmas. What are you doing here?”
“It seems great minds think alike,” Aegon snorts. “A heads-up would have been nice, by the way. What if we were with girls here?”
“You could have warned yourself, too,” she tells him. “And it wouldn't be the first time we find you in a deplorable situation that you dragged Aemond into.”
“You can't stay here,” Aemond takes care of dissipating the heated atmosphere between his brother and the girl. She laughs sarcastically.
“Don't worry, your sister and your ex-girlfriend are shopping and will be back any moment. I'll be waiting for them outside with our luggage; I'll book a hotel.”
She doesn't wait for an answer, passes by Aemond without acknowledging him, and crosses to Helaena's room. Aemond rubs his temples, disturbed and stressed.
“This wasn't part of the plan,” Aegon informs, in case Aemond thought he had orchestrated the encounter intentionally. “You didn't know Helaena was coming?”
“No. She said she was staying in New York. Why would she lie?” Aemond questions.
“Technically, we lied too. But who knows with Helaena...”
“You never lie to Helaena. And she never lies to you. What's going on?” Aemond crosses his arms. “She said you haven't visited her lately. Not even the last time you were in New York.”
“What? Are you a detective now?” Aegon crosses his arms, hurrying to leave the bathroom and go down the stairs to the front door when he hears it open. Aemond follows him, but Aegon stops halfway. “Listen, if you don't want to see Floris, that's fine. I'll deal with them. Lock yourself in your room to cry or whatever you do. I understand...”
Aemond actually considers it but shakes his head. “It's okay.”
Aegon pats his shoulder. Annika comes out already dressed, with perfect hair, and ignores the presence of the brothers to join her friends while holding the phone between her cheek and shoulder, trying to get a hotel reservation. The brothers follow her down, and when they reach the first floor, in the entrance, it's not precisely their friends who are there.
It's Daeron, engaging in... something akin to making out with a girl with intense red hair who hasn't even let go of her bags yet. Both are dripping melted snow, wetting the wooden floor, deeply lost in each other, not caring much. Annika stays still at the foot of the stairs and reaches back to hit Aegon's chest, who looks at them proudly. Aemond crosses his arms while the only girl puts her hand to her mouth.
Aegon claps once. “What a show.”
Daeron and the girl separate as quickly as a spit for a pardon, even more disturbed than Annika was when found in the shower. Aegon looks at Annika and Aemond and laughs. “It will never get old.”
“What are you guys doing here?” The young boy despairs, while the girl hides behind him. Daeron tilts his head at the bizarre situation. “Oh, my God. Please tell me you weren't-“
“Have you gone crazy?” Aemond interrupts. It's been a while since Annika has seen Daeron, and the last time, the boy was at her height. He has grown between a much taller man than Aegon, almost reaching Aemond's height. “Why aren't you at boarding school?”
“It's winter break?” He doubts his answer. “I thought all of you would be either in New York or London for your father's party, Annika. Nice to see you again, by the way.”
“See? That's what you'd expect from my best friend's brothers,” she snorts, approaching him to give him a kiss on the cheek. “How you've grown! And who is this?”
“She yells at us, and he’s the one who gets the kisses,” Aegon complains.
“You never drew me a picture of us while I babysat you,” Annika tells him plainly, while Daeron puts an arm around her shoulders affectionately.
“That's because I was the one taking care of you, brat.”
“This is Willa. She is my girlfriend,” Daeron introduces Willa to Annika. Willa smiles shyly, while Annika grins from ear to ear and shakes her hand warmly. “Willa, this is Annika. An old family friend.”
“Hi, I've heard a lot about you,” Willa says, trying to sound convincingly extroverted despite the humiliation she has suffered. Annika looks at her puzzled and amused at the same time. “He was very much in love with you.”
“I know. It was adorable to see him scare off the boys in my grade with his Spider-Man pajamas on one occasion,” she laughs. “It's a pleasure, Willa. So, I guess the four of you had the same idea. How convenient.”
“Didn’t you guys come together?” Daeron asks, puzzled.
“Of course not. I came with Hel and Flo. They were here, but they didn't have the decency to warn any of us before coming to make a bachelor nest at your parents's family house.”
Aegon rolls his eyes. “And we were having some amazing days until you came to disrupt our peace.”
“Don't worry. I'll leave as soon as I can get a hotel. Daeron? Should I look for something for you and Willa? I think you two had more interesting plans than to spend Christmas with those two,” Annika asks, with the sound of keys on the cell phone she activated just to annoy Aegon. He squints at the sound and groans.
“Yes... I mean, no! This is my house, and I have the right to use it too,” Daeron stands firm.
“Does mom and dad know you're here?” Aegon asks, and the younger one sighs.
“They don't know you're here either,” Annika reminds him.
“Oh, come on. Whose side are you on?”
“Whichever is not yours. We’re leaving because I know none of us wants to spend time with you, but if Daeron wants to stay, you can't just kick him out because you feel like it. And let's be honest... Aemond, are you even having fun?”
Aemond opens his mouth to speak, but his brother interrupts him. “You're a sellout.”
“Sorry, but they're right. I can't stand you for one more day alone. I'll go back home, and I prefer the funeral-party of my relationship than seeing you hook up with a random blonde and calling to clean your vomit from the carpet.”
The front door opens, letting in another freezing gust of wind. “We're...!”
Floris falls silent when they see the scene, just like Helaena, who blinks several times and points at each one as if counting them one by one. “What are you guys doing here?” Helaena asks.
Aegon throws his hands in the air. “I can't do this again. It's not funny if you're not in a compromising situation. Do you have something interesting in those bags? Dildos?”
“Who is that?” Floris whispers to Annika, pointing at the redhead girl, ignoring the fact that Aemond can't take his eyes off her. “What are they doing here?”
Helaena smiles. “You must be Willa! I'm so glad to finally meet you!”
“You knew Daeron had a girlfriend and didn't say anything?” Aemond asks, dismayed. Helaena shrugs after wrapping the girl in a hug; it wasn't her story to tell. “What else haven't you told us?”
“I knew. We spent an entire week together. I’m sure she remembers,” Aegon teases her. “Hi, Willa.”
“Hi… Good to see you again.”
“Oh, don’t lie to him,” says Daeron.
Then, someone knocks on the door. Aegon, who has moved to sit on the steps, lets out a grunt. “If that's Mom and Dad planning a romantic Christmas getaway and coming to install a sex swing, I'm going to shoot them and then shoot myself in the balls.”
Annika scrunches her nose. “Do you have to be so gross all the time?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” He smirks.
Helaena opens the door a little curiously. “Hello?”
“Hey. You’re Helaena, right?" Asks a brown-haired guy, dressed in a plaid shirt and a black jacket. “I'm Logan. I live in the house next door, remember?”
“The house next door, as in the house that's three kilometers away?” Aemond grumbles.
“Yes, of course, I remember you. How are you? Want to come in?”
Aegon puts his hands to his face and pretends to cry.
“Sure... Sorry to interrupt, but the power has gone out in my house. Is it okay if I stay here for a few hours?” Logan asks. “I know we don't know each other, and I'd go to a café, but it's already dark outside, and they're announcing snowstorms for tomorrow and the day after. It's a bit dangerous to take the road. I might not be able to come back.”
“They just took the road, and they're safe,” Aegon says. “Hey, maybe you can go to the hotel they'll all go to. Maybe all of you can rent the same room and have a Christmas party.”
Logan laughs. “A hotel? On December 23th, with a snowstorm at the door and no previous reservation? Good luck finding something.”
Annika stops dialing numbers and looks a bit irritated at Helaena. “You didn't check the weather before coming, did you?”
“Well, I didn't feel like there was going to be a snowstorm,” she says, a little uncomfortable.
“I see you're having... a family situation here. Maybe I should go,” Logan says this time.
“Wait. Are you from around?” Annika asks.
“Don't talk to her or look her directly in the eyes; she’ll turn you into stone like she's Medusa,” Aegon warns.
Logan ignores him. “Yes, I live here. My family was supposed to come for a visit, but they were arriving tomorrow, and flights have been canceled or rescheduled.”
“Sorry to hear that. And is there no other place we can stay? They don't rent anything either?” Floris asks this time.
“I could try to get you something with a friend, but I don't think so. And anyway, as I told you, going out right now to look for something can be dangerous. If you have the possibility of spending the night here, I suggest you do it,” Logan says.
Aemond looks at Aegon. “Well, I guess our escapade is officially over, thank God. Of course, everyone can stay. We have the space...”
“It was supposed to be just us,” Aegon complains and walks to the door. “Look, it's not even that bad outside.”
He opens the door, and a freezing wind makes a bunch of leaves and sticks enter the house, then slams the door shut. He grits his teeth.
“Just for one night,” Daeron finally gives in and looks at Willa. “At least until tomorrow when things calm down, and we can look for somewhere to stay. We wouldn't even have to see each other's faces.”
“Daeron, it's fine. I don't mind spending time with your family,” she smiles, so delighted with the idea that Floris finds it a bit funny she wants to be part of the messed up gang.
“Yes, Daeron. As if we were going to tell about the time you got lost in the woods, and we found you bathed in cow shit,” Aegon laughs, but no one laughs with him.
“That was you,” Helaena reminds him. “Two years ago.”
“Oh. And what about the time he tried to ride a bike on a beam and fell into a cactus?”
“Again, that was you,” Aemond says this time. “You were drunk as a skunk and insisted on doing it even though everyone told you not to.”
“We pulled thorns out of your ass for three days,” Annika recalls tiredly, then smiles at him. “You've always been a classy boy.”
Aegon looks at her with crossed arms. “At least I didn't ruin my father's wedding with a tantrum.”
“At least I didn't ruin an entire debutante ball,” she mutters back.
“Still on that? It's been years, woman!”
“I have the right to be mad...!”
“Okay, let's not go there,” Aemond warns, placing his hands on Annika's shoulders. Willa hugs Daeron's arm, confused. “We have to endure each other for just one night. Let's not start fighting. We all had fun together before.”
“He's right. You shouldn't fight, even Aemond is trying to get us to have fun,” Helaena suggests, and everyone bursts into laughter. Logan and Willa, more out of obligation than anything else. “I have an idea.”
“Should we get into the hot tub while we drink?” Aegon says, hopeful.
“Are you insane? It's only six in the evening. What are you, a savage?” Floris questions. He opens his mouth to reply, and she shakes her head. “Please, don't answer that.”
“I was going to suggest that we try to cook something. Like... a dinner. And we should all chip in.”
Everyone looks at Annika, who opens her mouth surprised. “Why are you all looking at me? Aegon blew up the microwave making sausages.”
“Yes, because you told me to wrap them in aluminum foil,” he crosses his arms.
Daeron looks at them puzzled. “I thought Aegon was alone when his microwave exploded. Alone and drunk.”
“I told him via text,” she quickly adds. Aegon snorts. “And as a joke.”
"That joke cost me a new kitchen.”
“Well, most of us know not to put metals in the microwave. So, we can make dinner without any problem.”
Annika crosses her arms. “Well… I want an apron.”
* 🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
“Logan! Be more careful. This is cashmere!”Annika yells; she's wearing gloves, a chef's hat, and an apron she found in the utility room. No one exactly knows how, considering she hasn't touched anything, but her apron is stained as if she had worked for hours in a fast food factory.
After trying for a while to get her to chop an onion, they gave up, deciding that Annika would slow them down more than help. Aemond and Aegon hadn't been the epitome of efficiency either, so it boiled down to Hel, Floris, Willa, Logan, and Daeron. But they let Annika decorate the cookies while Aegon tried to steal the dough mix.
Logan makes the girls laugh enthusiastically, even Daeron at times.
“I don't like him” Aegon tells Aemond, drinking what's left of his beer. “How do we know he's not a serial killer? Showed up at our door out of nowhere.”
Aemond rolls his singular eye. “Yes. He looks ruthless helping Hel and Annika put sprinkles on the gingerbread man cookies.”
“It could be poison,” he argues, watching as Logan puts icing on Annika's nose, and everyone laughs. “It's not even funny.”
"They seem to think it's hilarious," Aemond replies disinterestedly, while meticulously setting up his glass chess set. “Do you want to play?”
“Can we play strip chess?”
“No.”
“Then, no. But maybe Floris wants to play,” Aegon points to the girl sitting on the kitchen counter, surprisingly quiet amidst the symphony of laughter around her. “Are you going to tell me what happened between you two?”
“Of course. When you tell me why you've been staring at Annika incessantly since she arrived.”
Aegon sighs and settles into the couch. “You know I've always been protective of her. Same with Helaena and Floris. Mother always encouraged me to do it.”
“Well, you seem more jealous than anything, and I don't see you very concerned that your presumed serial killer is clearly interested in our sister,” Aemond points out. Aegon looks at them and furrows his brow.
“Of course not. It's Helaena. She wouldn't...”
“She wouldn't what?”
“Ugh. That’s disgusting,” he mutters at the thought of his younger sister in a relationship.
“Guys, look,” Helaena approaches them as if they summoned her. She holds a tray freshly taken from the oven. “We made us, cookie version!”
Aegon furrows his brow and points at a gingerbread man with a questionable appearance. “What happened to this one?”
“That's you,” she says with a smile. Aemond bites his inner cheek to stifle a laugh. “Annika said she had technical difficulties.”
“It looks like a voodoo doll,” Aemond remarks. “I'd be careful.”
Aegon grumbles and gets up from his seat. He heads to the kitchen annoyed, where Annika is trying to scrape dough off the marble countertop along with Willa and Logan. “Want to smoke a cigarette?”
She looks at him, bewildered. “I'm busy.”
“I'm sure they can finish without you,” he tells her, taking her wrist to drag her to the backyard. She removes the apron, puts on a coat, and her Moschino boots, earning a disgusted look from Aegon, the cigarette hanging between his lips. “Those are the ugliest boots I've ever seen in my life.”
“Well, I have to endure your face on Christmas...”
“Cut the bullshit,” he says, lighting his cigarette and offering Annika fire to light hers. “You've been avoiding me. And now you're more passive-aggressive than usual. People’s starting to notice.”
“I've been avoiding you because you've been avoiding me,” she reminds him, her tone suddenly turning acidic. Aegon knows it well. It's because he's gotten under her skin. “You didn't return my calls, and obviously, I stopped trying. The message was more than clear.”
“Please, it was a relief for you that I didn't return your calls. It's exactly what you wanted,” Aegon points out. “You haven't set foot in your house since spring. Did you not want to run into me?”
“You didn't go to Floris's birthday to avoid running into me. You didn't visit Helaena to avoid running into me. You couldn't even return her calls because you couldn't face her and lie to her face.”
He opens his mouth, but chooses his words carefully. “I guess we've both been avoiding each other, then.”
“Maybe it's for the best, you know?” She shrugs. “Lying became exhausting. I was tired of pretending I was somewhere when I was actually with you. We can't do that.”
“It was good,” Aegon admits.
“Just not good enough for you to want to stop lying to everyone about it,” she deduces, pursing her lips into a thin line as she exhales smoke through her nose. “I understand.”
“I don't think you do,” he says, rubbing his eye with the back of his hand, noticeably uncomfortable. “The problem wasn't that you weren't good enough, quite the opposite. The problem is, you're my little sister's best friend. I've known you forever. It's...”
“If you tell me I'm like your little sister, I'm going to kick you,” she warns. Aegon shakes his head, amused.
“I can't do that to Helaena. I've ruined many things for her and my brothers. I don't want to ruin one of the best things she has. We wouldn't have worked, you and I. You belong with her, not with me.”
Annika nods. “Okay.”
“So, are we good? At least because we're stuck here on Christmas?” He asks, hoping that's the case. But he knows with Annika, things are never that simple. “We can call it a truce.”
“Sure,” she smiles and puts out her cigarette on the floor. Aegon wants to say something else, because he knows he’s hurting her…
But he doesn’t reach for her.
* 🧣⋆.ೃ࿔*:･⍣ ೋ *ੈ🎄‧₊˚ . *ੈ✩‧₊˚ ೃ࿐🌟
Willa bites her lip while rummaging through her suitcase. Daeron's room is impeccably clean, and she finds it amusing that he has a solar system décor clearly chosen when he was a child.
“I don't even remember the order of the planets nowadays,” he says to excuse his questionable interior decorating decision.
“Daeron. Can I ask you something?” She says, a bit curious. Her boyfriend settles on the bed with his arms behind his head and nods. “Aegon and Annika...?”
“Ugh. I don't even want to start talking about them,” he sighs as if the topic bores him.
“What did they mean by what they said about the debutante ball-“
“Oh, no. No,” the room's door opens, and Floris walks in unannounced. “We really don't talk about August 15, 2017. It's more like strictly forbidden.”
“Jesus Christ! Can I help you with something?” Daeron asks. “You should’ve knocked first.”
“Hide me until Aemond gets bored of playing chess and invites me to play.”
Daeron rolls his eyes and pats the side of his bed, inviting the girl to sit.
“I'm sorry for interrupting and eavesdropping. Just came to pretend I'm busy.”
“That's okay,” he says. “Willa wanted to know what happened at the debutante ball. If you want the full backstory, we have the right person here.”
“We shouldn't talk about it,” Floris reminds him.
“She's been my girlfriend for a long time. And she's staying much longer... Or not if my family scares her away by barging in unannounced.”
Floris sighs. “You're manipulative. If she's going to stay, then she has to know. And she has to know to never, ever speak on the subject. And no one can know that you know, understand?” Willa nods and sits on the bed with her legs crossed, ready to hear the story.
“You have to swear never to speak of it. If you do, you'll have to turn your firstborn to the devil, and your lineage will be cursed for generations,” Daeron jokes, stretching his leg slightly to playfully hit her. “Think of our children.”
“You two are disgustingly adorable,” Floris laughs, then turns serious as she starts telling the story. “So, it's 2017. Helaena, Annika, and I are, what? Sixteen, seventeen, and we're going to be presented in society. We had months of preparation; wardrobe, our escort, everything had to be perfect. Now that you've seen what Annika's like, I'm sure you can understand the level of detail she put into her preparations. Two years before... Her mother had passed away. It was tough for her, and for Alicent too since they were very close friends.”
“Oh, I didn't know that.”
“Yeah. The thing is, Alicent and Freya, Annika's mother, always wanted Aegon to be Annika's escort for her debutante ball. It was a perfect idea, the first male heir of the Targaryen family and the first daughter of the Lannister family. We all assumed it would be that way... Until two months before the ball, Aegon said he wasn't going to do it. Without any explanation. He was in college, so there really was no way to force him. He showed up on the day of the ball, drunk, and at the end of the dance, for no apparent reason, he attacked Dalton Greyjoy, Annika's escort. It was a disaster. They tried to separate them, but they beat each other up. They knocked down a sculpture, broke a table, and ruined the dress of Annika's mother. Aegon's family paid for all the damages, but since then, they don't take him to any social events.”
Willa looks like she's turned pale. “It's... Wow.”
“Annika and Aegon have hated each other since then. I mean, they always had a strange relationship, but it got worse after that, rightfully so. They keep the peace for Helaena's sake more than anything, and I think after so much time, they've learned to forgive each other,” Daeron says. “I wouldn't even bother trying to understand them.”
Willa nods. “I understand. I... I would never have imagined something like that. They have a strange energy, but I never would've thought they got along badly.”
“Hey!” Annika suddenly opens the door, making everyone startle. She smiles, mischievous. “What are you talking about?”
“School,” Daeron says simply.
“Relationships,” Floris replies at the same time.
Annika frowns.
“Relationships and school,” Willa clarifies.
“Okay... I came to invite you to play. We don't have a board game for this many people, but we thought it would be fun to play something more... Dynamic.”
Daeron straightens up to sit on the bed. “Like what?”
“Never Have I Ever,” Annika says, a sly smile on her face.
