“…make my wish come true, baby all I want for Christmas is you,” Wade sang to himself in his best Michael Bublé imitation, which wasn’t half bad. If I dare say so myself. And I do. More or less completely unaware that Steve had just walked in on him and could hear him clear as day. Didn’t plan that, nope. Not to mention observe how he hung something that resembled mistletoe from one of the ceiling lamps. Can you blame a guy for trying? Their motel room smelled of hot chocolate and after Wade’s effort looked surprisingly warm and inviting. It was all meticulously thought out; he’d sent Steve to pick up some groceries, knowing he’d time to execute his plan.
“I won’t ask for much this Christmas, I won’t even wish for snow, not because there’s plenty of that,” Wade murmured the last bit hastily, making Steve grin before he continued, “I’ll just keep on waiting underneath the,”
Steve chose that moment to make his presence known and cleared his throat getting Wade’s attention. The merc turned around and smiled brightly.
“What are you up to?” Steve seemed amused. Thank god. And slightly cautious. Yup, all fair.
“I’m bringing some Christmas cheer to this godforsaken country. It’s,” he rolled his eyes and scoffed, “Mainly my fault that we’re still here.” There wasn’t a snowballs chance in hell that he’d stop feeling guilty about working for the wrong bad guys and nearly managing to sabotage Steve’s mission.
“That does not mean that we can’t have a nice time. Egor helped to the best of his ability…” Wade chuckled at that. Dealing with Egor wasn’t always easy, and the guy seemed dead set on Wade being ‘the kinky guy with the suit’. But, luckily, Egor was fond of money… Besides, it was good if Steve didn’t think this was all him, even if it was. Wade took the groceries from Steve, putting them away, letting his Christmas Wish Nr. 1 friend take it all in.
Wade had lit a bunch of candles and turned off all the other lights. A copy of how the Grinch Stole Christmas, fresh off Amazon, lay on the kitchen table along with some tangerines and chocolate. There were also some other books, the Chronicles of Narnia and the Harry Potter series amongst others, hidden under Steve’s bed – he’d give them to him later. Some light reading for good feels.
Egor had let him borrow a cd player, though refused to even try to get Michael Bublé’s Christmas Album. “When in Russia – do like Russians.” he had insisted dryly and provided a rather worn cd with the Red Army Choir singing Christmas songs. Now, Wade had listened to it – and he really didn’t mind, it was pompous and proud, and got him in the spirit – but he wasn’t sure it would sit well with Steve. And that was it. It would have to do.
“Here,” Wade gave Steve a cup of hot chocolate and told him to sit down. He’d prefer it if Steve was leaning into him as he read; but he knew it was a lot to ask, so he motioned towards Steve’s bed. “I’m going to read you how the Grinch stole Christmas because I want to.” Wade explained, leaving no room for protest. At least it earned him a smile. “I assume you’re too old to want to sit close and see the pictures as I read, even if I’m a jolly guy in a red suit…” Wade winked before he picked up the booklet and a cup for himself. Wade waited for Steve to get comfy and sat cross-legged on his own bed, sipping the hot chocolate, knowing that once he started – he’d forget about it.
“Every Who down in Whoville liked Christmas a lot…” Wade began. He had no problem doing a dramatic reading of Dr. Seuss poem, having the skill to deliver it captivatingly, entirely engulfed in the story. The candles flickered encouragingly, bathing them in their soft glow. Making them forget about the real world for a little while, though given everything they couldn’t complain. It was snowing lazily outside – Russia covered in a blanket of white which kept the world both clean and silent.
“…and he, he himself! The Grinch carved the roast beast.” Wade sighed happily as he finished the last sentence. He closed the book and glanced at Steve, his eyes filled with nothing but love.
“Thank you for letting me do that,” Wade spoke softly, he got up – closed their distance, and leaned down to give Steve a hug. “Happy second of December,” he murmured, then gave him an innocent quick peck on the cheek as he drew back.
