Clover (Daryl Dixon X Male Character)

Clover: A Christmas Special

A/N: posting the special now because I don't trust myself to be mentally stable enough to post it on actual Christmas. Summary, Jaxx isn't a big fan of Christmas, and Daryl secretly is.

December 24th, 2002

"Alright you two, I'm going to bed before Ma finds the second bottle of red wine." Jaxx announced, rising from the kitchen table. "Oh come now Jaxx, you'll miss the baked orange garlands!" His mother exclaimed, Jaxx chuckled.

"I'm sure I'll live, mother. Let Daryl share the magic of scolding hot oranges with you." He replied, giving his mother a hug.

"Gee thanks." Daryl grumbled, a small smile formed on his face when Jaxx kissed his head. "You're very welcome my love. Merry Christmas." Jaxx said before heading upstairs to his childhood bedroom to sleep.

Daryl and Yennifer waited, once they heard the attic door close Yennifer gave her son in law a motherly smile. "God that boy gets worse at hiding it every year." She commented. Daryl nodded and put on the Santa hat he, until this point, had refused to put on.

"Well every year shit happens that makes him madder.." Daryl muttered, Yennifer pulled the already dried and cooled orange slices from the oven, truthfully she had them baked and dried hours ago.

"I suppose.. He's always disliked Christmas. Even when he was a wee kid." Said Yennifer as she set the oranges down on the kitchen table. Daryl began stringing the oranges onto the Garland, as well as helping Yennifer thread her needles so she could sew a new star onto Jaxx's stocking.

"He ain't never had a Christmas he didn' hate?" Daryl questioned, Yennifer paused her work to think.

"December 1984... Wham released their Christmas song, he was obsessed. Five years old, running around the farmhouse singing his little lungs out.. It was the closest thing to Christmas joy he had." As Yennifer told her story, Daryl wondered why Jaxx hated Christmas so much.

"I don' get it, ma... Mean he grew up in the perfect place to have Christmas, loving family..." Daryl said, Yennifer shook her head as she finished stitching the star.

"He didn't see it that way.. I taught him Christmas was a time of love, of caring for one another... And he grew up around selfish, greedy people. He saw his grandmother hound me for money on Christmas Day, he saw his aunts and uncles complain about the gifts he made them.. And I suppose his dislike for our family grew into a hatred for the holiday." Yennifer explained, Daryl winced and cursed as he pricked himself with the needle he used to pierce the slices.

"He was seein' that shit before he was five?" Daryl said, baffled. Yennifer nodded, she didn't look too happy about it.

"Screw them, we've got each other. Look, I added a new moon to your stocking!" Yennifer changed the subject, showing Daryl his stocking decorated now with 5 crescent moons.

"Nice.. This orange got some blood on it, but ignore that." He replied, showing Yennifer the Garland. Yennifer smiled and gave her son in law a hug.

"It's lovely, Daryl. Now let's spread some Christmas magic!" Yennifer exclaimed, standing up and carrying the basket of Christmas decorations she had hidden under the kitchen sink.

As they decorated the living room with the nostalgic decorations of former Christmases, Daryl thought about something.

"Come to think of it... I know how to play that on my guitar." Daryl said as he hung up the stockings.

"Play what?" Yennifer asked, feeding Murphy and piece of popcorn that fell from the Garland.

"Last Christmas.. Though last time I tried to play it for someone my friend said I made it sound depressing." Daryl said sheepishly, Yennifer's face lit up like the Christmas tree beside her.

"Daryl! You should play it in the morning for Jaxx! Oh he'll love it." She said, Daryl put a rabbits foot in Jaxx's stocking before stepping down from the step stool he stood on.

"Well.. Guess if you think he'd like it." He mumbled, Yennifer clapped excitedly.

"Oh this'll be wonderful! Alright, every things set up, now it's off to bed! I'll get you up before Jaxx so you can prepare!" She said, practically shoving Daryl towards the stairs. Daryl held his hands up in defeat, how could he refuse his husbands mother?

"Alright, alright, I'm goin' officer.. Night ma." Daryl said before heading upstairs. Once in Jaxx's room, he took the Santa hat off and stuffed it in Jaxx's night stand drawer before laying down and holding Jaxx.

(This time skip is brought to you by why would I celebrate Christmas when it killed George Michael)

"Daryl, Daryl my little elf wake up." Yennifer whispered as she shook Daryl awake. Daryl checked his surroundings. It was dawn, Jaxx was still asleep, and Yennifer wore the ugliest sweater he'd seen yet.

"I'm up, I'm up.. God that Sweaters awful." He whispered as he slowly shifted out of Jaxx's grip. Once he was free, he threw on his own Christmas sweater and followed Yennifer down stairs. "Now, you get yourself all awake and ready. Just tell me when to go wake up Jaxx." She instructed, Daryl nodded. He looked down at the sweater Yennifer had made for him, he truly did like it.. But around Jaxx he would pretend to hate it. Just like he did every year...

Maybe this year was when he'd change that. Once he had his guitar, and some coffee in his system, he gave Yennifer the all clear.

Once she was upstairs, he let out a deep breath. He had no idea why it took him this long to reveal to Jaxx, his husband, that he liked Christmas.. But it did. The fear of Jaxx making fun of him, maybe?

Hearing two pairs of feet coming down stairs, he realized he didn't have time to think it over. He began strumming his acoustic to the tune of last Christmas, he could definitely tell he was off key here and there.

"What ma it's not even nine- what's all this?" Jaxx asked as he reached the bottom step and looked into the living room. Daryl sat beside the fireplace with his guitar, he very shyly sung the opening vocals to the song.

Jaxx's grumpy neutral face turned to a smile, Yennifer grinned from ear to ear. It's been a long time since her son had genuinely smiled on Christmas Day.

Now, Jaxx could admit, Daryl was no George Michael. But he brought his own charm to the song, a charm Jaxx adored. He sat beside his husband and joined in on the song, it had been a while since he sang it but he remembered every word.

Yennifer smiled with a cup of coco in her hands, Murphy sat beside her hoping she'd give him another Christmas cookie.

Once the song was done, Daryl set his guitar down because he knew he'd get one hell of a bear hug from Jaxx, and that he did.

Jaxx hugged his husband tight, a smile still hung on his face. "My love that was amazing.." Jaxx said lovingly, Daryl blushed. "Was nothin'.." Daryl muttered, Jaxx gave his husband a kiss in response.

"I told you it would work! Now, stop reminding me I'm divorced." Yennifer joked, moving from her spot in the doorway to the Christmas tree. Picking up two boxes, she handed them to the husbands.

"Merry Christmas boys.." She said lovingly, Daryl ripped open the gift while Jaxx took his time unwrapping the paper. In his box, there was his moms rosary. He held it up and smiled. "Aw ma.. I can't take it you've had it longer than I've been alive..." Jaxx began, Yennifer held her sons hand.

"I know, but you've always loved it... It's time I pass it on." She replied, Daryl opened his fairly larger box to find a new crossbow.

"Ma.. Shit I don' know what to say..." Daryl said, one of his rare smiles on his face. Yennifer took that as a personal win.

"Say you'll scrap your old one please, that thing is a death trap." She said, even earning a hug from her son in law. Jaxx put the rosary on and listened to Daryl's rambling about his new toy, he finally felt happy on Christmas morning..

All it took was a special redneck, and his nosey mother.

A/N: what do you guys think of Jaxx in a different fic? Still will work on clover, but I've been keeping this fic in my phone notes for quite some time and I think my clover babies would like it. It's not Daryl, but he's close enough. And Jaxx will be a bit different. You guys tell me what you think.