𝐉𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐓𝐓𝐄 𝐉𝐔𝐋𝐘 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟐, jasonette

xvi. 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐜𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

Jason Todd hated Christmas. He despised the holiday with a burning passion that was only rivalled by his love for his girlfriend, Marinette. Every Christmas morning, no matter how much anyone tried, Jason refused to function, lying in bed all day and hating the 25th of December.

In the beginning, when he first joined the family, Bruce, Dick and Alfred would spend hours trying to coax him out of bed—Dick even promised Jason the world if he just opened his eyes. Jason refused to do so. He loathed Christmas and nothing was ever going to change that.

It's why as the month of December crept upon him, Jason's mood steadily became darker and darker, despite forcing himself to perk up for the sake of Marinette, who, despite her own fair share of bad experiences with the holiday, seemed to be practically in love with it.

Jason could tell Marinette had noticed his foul mood over the last few days, but thankfully, she hadn't questioned him about it, giving him some time to think of an excuse. He hated Christmas, sure, but he loved his girlfriend more and he wasn't going to ruin her favourite holiday with his own pathetic, selfish hatred.

That was how Jason found himself in the department store of Gotham—now decorated with Christmassy decorations—looking for materials to make personalised stockings for everyone in the family. Including Damian, despite Jason's not-so-vehement protests against it.

"So," Marinette said, a brilliant smile on her lips. "What do you think? Green or Red?"

"Do you want my honest opinion?" Jason drawled, leaning against a shelf of Christmas CDs. When Marinette nodded eagerly, he leaned forward and said, "I know for a fact that no matter how much he denies it, Demon-spawn's favourite colour is green."

Marinette quirked an eyebrow at his exaggerated secrecy, but nevertheless, played along. "Green it is, then," she declared, tucking the material into her shopping bag. "We're done here, then!"

As soon as her back was turned, Jason let out a sigh of relief through his nose. The entire Christmas theme was everywhere in the store and it was making Jason feel prickly and irritable. He hated the pictures of the old man—Santa Claus—pasted everywhere, and the wreaths. But most of all, he couldn't even look at the presents decked up everywhere. It was all a huge scam to make people spend more money.

It wasn't the first time Jason had tried to justify his hatred for Christmas for that reason, but as always, it made the tension in his chest ease a little.

Once they had paid for the materials, Jason and Marinette left the store, arms laden with bags, and yet, they could hold hands and swing them together.

As they settled into Jason's car, Marinette turned up the radio to play Christmas carols. His grip around the steering wheel becoming a little tighter, Jason forced a fixed smile on his face as he watched her sing, the smile slowly becoming more and more genuine as he realised how much Marinette was just enjoying this.

It had been a long time since Jason had seen her like this, especially considering the fact that she had been weighed down with request after request pulling several all-nighters to get them all finished. It was refreshing to see her so carefree and happy.

When they pulled up to Wayne Manor, Jason wasn't surprised to see the entire family present. It was tradition in the family to get together for drinks exactly a week before Christmas. Having begun when he and Dick were teenagers, Jason remembered nights when Tim threw a tantrum that he was 'old enough to drink and not get drunk, thank you very much' and Damian judging him and Dick when they got drunk and danced on the dining table.