Summary- Itâs the season of new beginnings around the new Mendes household.
taglist: @mendesficsxbombay (lemme know if youâd like to be added!)
a/n- Just a lil something short and sweet for the season! Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday season!
From chummy get-togethers with the extended family to breaking in with new traditions of their own, itâs been a season of âfirstsâ around the new Mendes household.
It was their first Christmas as a married couple and the first one in this new home as well. Theyâd been at it for hours settling things around and decorating for Christmas.
The intoxicating aroma of the clove-studded orange candle she lit up brightens up the long winter night. They were far too late at setting up their Christmas tree but she was adamant that they do it at their own pace but do it beautifully the way sheâd dreamed of for years and he was adamant that she got to be happy.
Heâs humming along to  âFeliz Navidadâ playing on the speakers while putting up his share of the ornaments on their fresh and tall tree. Sheâs sitting on the floor beside him making a little crib. It wasnât something his family did but it was a tradition to her. A Christmas without a crib, to her, was almost a sin.
She spent a good hour and a half drawing, cutting, finding art supplies in an attempt to recreate the nativity scene as realistically as she could. She borrowed some brown and blue clay from Aaliyahâs school supplies using it to make a small little well. Using old paper she lined the path to the well with small rocks. She went searching three stores to find fairy lights small enough to fit through the star above and to go around the border of the crib.
Heâs always admired her patience and dedication when it came to creating art but this time heâs even more wonderstruck looking at the crib come together and heâs not sure why.
Perhaps because when he looks around he realises this is truly their home in all ways. He recalls when they were on the fifth date they drunkenly joked about having a place like this.
While they may have been joking deep down both of them secretly hoped that it would happen one day.
When he looks around he sees his wife creating something thatâs important to her. Possibly starting a new tradition. His heart clenches as he imagines her doing this with their children someday. Teaching them about the significance and meaning. Teaching them to love and appreciate all that they have. He hopes they turn out as kind and loving as her.
This is peak romance he thinks
His eyes land on the kitchen counter. He knows heâs all thumbs in the kitchen but heâs still so excited to bake those fresh cookies with her in the morning and hand them to both sets of parents later on, proudly as though he crafted them from scratch.
Finally, after five years Shawn and her donât have to figure out ways to split time with both families and each other. Come early tomorrow morning they would all be gathered here.
âDid you get the white chocolate and brown sugar?â She asks breaking him out of his thoughts.
âYeah, itâs in the kitchen. Why did we need white chocolate though? Arenât we making regular cookies in the morning?â
âYeah weâll make the regular ones before everyoneâs here but Aaliyah asked me if we could bake together. So, I thought weâd do those.â
âThat should be fun. I already know sheâll be better at it than me.â He jokes.
He knows the younger Mendes has grown closer to her over the past year and a half as sheâs gotten older. Heâs glad the two of the most important women in his life have an irrevocable bond.
To be fair, he never thought hosting Christmas would involve so much preparation and he wishes he would have taken some notes from his mum all those years she did it. Nevertheless, heâs excited to see how it all pans out.
He hangs the last ornament and moves to crouch down beside her.
She smiles looking at him her eyes bright with excitement, âIâm almost done here. Does it look alright?â
She turns her attention back to the crib sticking down the last of the lights. He doesnât reply but she continues to feel his gaze on her.
âWhat happened, bub?â She asks
A grin takes over his face and suddenly itâs like she doesnât need a response from him anymore. She knows what heâs imagining and thinking.
The little decorations that they had left have now been put on hold. He stands up and puts his palm out to her.
âMay I have this dance with you?â He jokes.
âYou may indeed!â She laughs putting her smaller palms into his larger ones.
They slow dance to old Christmas music for what feels like a moment frozen in time. She rests her head against his chest and feels his heart beat faster. He whispers something along the lines of how she still manages to do that to him even after all these years. Now his words make her heart race. She takes a deep breath and all her senses are crowded by him.
With the warmth of his body against hers, the chill Toronto breeze outside canât faze her. The familiar smell of his detergent. The lingering sweet taste of hot chocolate when he lifts her chin pulling her in for a soft and sweet kiss.
She recalls last Christmas, they were walking through a Christmas Market in Toronto, huddling together in attempts to stay warm. Mulled wine and cookies filled their stomachs while good times and laughter filled both their hearts with love and fondness.
She still remembers his rosy cheeks and loud laugh reverberating through her ears when she told him the story of how one Christmas she accidentally opened her older sisters gift from her fiance. She got so excited about the gift, no one had the heart to tell her it wasnât meant for her. She only found out a few years later.
The clock strikes midnight. Itâs Christmas Day. Nothing else matters to them right now apart from soaking in the happiness they bring into each otherâs lives.
Itâs 00:02 and itâs already the best Christmas theyâve ever had. Â
This is peak romance he knows
