Prompt: Holidays/Traditions | Masterlist | Ao3
Christmas was a holiday divided between Owen and Claire.
Claire marched out of the bedroom, tugging the belt of her ruby-red cocktail dress into place.
“You could come with me for once, Owen,” she said.
Owen was on his knees in the living room, halfway under the couch as he snapped train tracks together.
“How many people are attending your party this year?” he said.
“Two hundred. And I managed to reserve a live orchestra for the evening.”
Owen made a face and picked up his miniature train, setting it on the tracks that wound throughout the landscape of the living room.
Claire huffed and put a hand on her hip. “You’ve said that for the last three years.”
Owen made no response and clicked the red on button. The train started chugging along the track, sending up a tinny little whistle as it rounded the corner.
Claire shook her head and retrieved her snow-white coat from the rack.
When Claire returned from the party at 2am, she abandoned her shoes at the door. As she reached for the light switch, the Christmas tree blazed to life, casting Owen in a silver silhouette on the couch. He held a cup out to her, brimming with marshmallows, a candy cane hooked over the rim.
“Hot chocolate?” he said.
Claire sighed as she trudged to the couch and accepted the cup. “Extra marshmallows?”
“The biggest ones. With cinnamon and cloves on top.”
Claire smiled and carded her fingers through Owen’s hair. “Just the way I like it.”
She hitched a knee onto the couch and settled into Owen’s lap. She wrapped her hands around the warm mug as Owen kissed her temple. Claire snuggled against Owen’s chest and he wrapped an arm around her waist.
“How was the party?” he said, the vibration of his voice a low rumble against Claire’s cheek.
“Wonderful,” Claire whispered, sipping her hot chocolate. “And exhausting.” She yawned and tucked her knees up toward her chest, curving her hand over Owen’s ribs. “Did you get your train to run the whole track?”
Owen shook his head, trailing his fingers up and down Claire’s back.
“Had a little hiccup through the kitchen,” he replied. “Decided I’d leave it for tomorrow and make hot chocolate instead.”
“Good idea,” Claire mumbled sleepily.
Owen shifted, his chin brushing the top of Claire’s head as he reached for the blanket draped over the back of the couch. He pulled it around Claire’s shoulders.
“I got a new ornament for the tree this year,” he whispered.
Claire raised her head and blinked herself awake. “You did? Where is it?”
She turned to squint at the tree, examining the ornaments already hanging on the tree to see if she could spot it.
Owen reached behind the pillow on the couch and retrieved a package wreathed in sparkly red wrapping paper, tied off with a gold ribbon. He placed it in Claire’s lap.
Claire tugged the ribbon open, carefully unwrapped the paper...
“You’re not funny, Owen,” she said.
Nestled in a box was a raptor ornament.
“Handcrafted by yours truly,” Owen said. “Hunted all over the place, trying to find one but, you know, most stores don’t sell that kind of stuff.”
Claire traced the tiny brush strokes of blue paint along the raptor’s neck. She set her cup of hot chocolate on the coffee table and stood, tugging the blanket tighter around her shoulders.
She surveyed the tree for a moment then selected a spot near the top of the tree, just beneath the star and hooked the raptor ornament over a branch. Front and center of the tree.
