Homeward Bound//Sam Kiszka x OC!Layla

All Roads Lead Home-Epilogue

Sam fucking despised the family tradition of going to Bronner's to pick an ornament for the tree every year. It was always too crowded and hot in there, or was too loud, and the random old ladies buying $1000 of shit they didn't need were always the bane of his existence. But this year was different, Layla was joining in with their tradition this year. She always got a gift, and had since she was five, but this year she was a full fledged part of the family. His mom just let everyone go their own separate ways once they got in the store, and he wandered for a while before finding her in the space section, looking over star ones. "Did you find one you like?" She glanced over at him, "I'm thinking this constellation one." "I get a space themed one every year. They keep bringing in new ones so I just get to pick a new one." "Should I get a space one or a floral one?" She said as in love with flowers as he was space. "What if we got matching ones?" She smiled at him, "That still didn't answer my question." "I think we should get matching floral ones."

She followed him over to where the floral section is. They both mulled them over for a while before picking up one. It was probably the most unique one he had seen in a while. A bird perched on a juniper branch with a world background. "What about this one?" "That is probably the weirdest ornament I've ever seen. I wonder what it's significance is. Let's get it."

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Sam and Layla were from this godforsaken town, so he couldn't figure out why he was standing in the ornament personalization line in Bronner's a week before Christmas. Thankfully Birdie was asleep in her stroller, Lay had popped her noise canceling headphones on her before they even walked in the store. He was almost thankful for the wall to wall people so that he could take his time privately with his kids and follow their family tradition of each getting an ornament every year. Juniper was standing between him and the stroller, trying to peer into the basket of ornaments he had balancing on it. Atlas however was having entire sensory overload and was wrapped in Layla's arms as she picked through the ornaments between them, trying to organize their couple ornament and each child's ornament.

He held out a couple as Layla was more or less talking to herself and him. Layla glanced up at him, "Should we do, their names and just the year or do Christmas 2025?" "All of their other ornaments say Christmas and the year." Juniper looked up, "You have to make sure you don't drop those, Daddy." "And why is that?" "Because then you have to pay for them." "And what if you drop one, Bean?" He asked, glancing at the chicken ornament in his hand that had somehow gotten into the cart even though it was almost $40. "I have to pay for it." "And where's your wallet at?" She rocked back and forth on heels and balls of her feet, shrugging her shoulders, "I left it at Nana and Papa's." "I bet you did, you stinker." He had a lot to be thankful for this year, and even in the chaos that this damn store brought his life every year, he was most thankful to be able to keep the tradition with his family and heart whole.

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His parents' house was in absolute chaos as all the kids decorated the tree. All of the adults were hidden out around the house. New babies were screaming, Joanie was toddling around, the twins and Atlas were feeding off of each other, and Juniper was being completely anal about the ornaments on the tree. Juniper picked one up out of the box as Layla sat beside him. Whatever ornament it was really caught her eye. Layla passed Birdie off to him, as the infant cooed up at him, attempting to grab his nose, repeating "Dada." "Mommy! Why does this ornament have you and Daddy's name on it?" "Let me see which one, because Daddy and I started sharing ornaments when you were born." Juniper stepped over the box of ornaments as the boys shook the tree. "Sorry Uncle Sam!" "Sorry Slamuel!" "Boys, be careful please." Juniper handed the ornament to her mother. Sam's heart did a flip as he saw which one it was. It was their first ornament that they got together. Her thumb ghosted over the picture, smiling at Sam, "A Juniper branch, the globe, and a bird. If only we knew."