𝖜𝖆𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖊𝖗 | ᴄᴏʀᴘꜱᴇ ʜᴜꜱʙᴀɴᴅ x ᴏᴄ | ʙᴏᴏᴋ ᴏɴᴇ

The Naked Christmas Morning

With the stress of finals and the work crisis, Violet had left most of her Christmas shopping to the last minute, and she'd been worried about not getting the packages in time so she could wrap them up, but it eased Violet's anxiety when the presents did arrive on time. After getting her emotions in check (which involved a long conversation with herself in the mirror), Violet spent a Friday evening wrapping while Jack was at work. She would end up heading to a UPS store right after Christmas for things to be sent elsewhere, cringing at knowing those would be late in arrival. But at least Jack would have something to unwrap Christmas morning.

They hadn't exactly discussed what they'd be doing, although Violet had offered to cook, and Jack had been nabbing decorations from work and bringing them home, and, much to Violet's amusement, spending many drunken nights singing Christmas songs and decorating. However, she figured it might be nice to implement old traditions now she felt safer in her home.

She put together a stocking filled with sweets and little knick-knacks she knew Jack would like. She only had a few main gifts for him to unwrap, a bit unsure of what to get him. He was the kind of person where if he saw something he liked, he got it then and there, not seeing the need to wait for special occasions. She'd ended up getting him a new pair of creepers, some art, and had carefully crafted a gift basket of his favorite wines, some gift cards for online gaming, and a coupon book she'd designed herself. She'd done something similar for other roommates, writing out coupons for household chores or being the DD, but she'd stylized it a little different this time. As much as they insisted, Jack wasn't like her previous roommates. She just hoped it wasn't too much, especially after the most recent incident at the pet store. Though, to be honest, she was a bit more apprehensive about the art she'd commissioned from a friend to do. It could be written off as part of their ongoing marriage joke, but there was still depth to the whole concept of the art piece. Regardless, she'd relented herself to accept whatever outcome Jack felt toward any of the gifts she really hoped he would like.

Jack had wanted to go much bigger than he was usually comfortable with for the gifts he got Violet, but also had to keep in mind that she only thought of him as a roommate and he didn't want to push anything else on her on top of what he already had. He never knew when his luck would run thin. He picked out a few small things here and there on the few occasions that he had gone out, as well as one or two bigger items that seemed harmless enough. The only one that he thought might have been iffy was a new handcrafted leather journal and fancy fountain pen he had custom made and engraved for her to write her poetry in. He also had a handwritten letter he planned on placing in the back cover, but he wasn't completely set on it just yet. His handwriting was nearly illegible and he wasn't sure how honest or deep he really wanted to get with it, several drafts were already crumpled and scrapped on the floor of his room, and he was too anxious about it to even want to begin again.

He had most everything already wrapped and hidden in his room. Most of the gifts for his other friends he had already hand delivered, while the others he had dropped off last week to be mailed. He hoped that Violet would enjoy her gifts as his friends had. He still had to pick up one more for her, as it was a bit more difficult to hide, but he would do that the following morning.

---

On Christmas morning, Violet woke at a strangely ungodly hour of the morning and figured she'd get a start on breakfast, especially given she didn't know when Jack would be up... or if he'd even gone to bed.

The decorations were a bit sparse in the living room, but the fairy lights twinkled along the walls, and a few fake holiday candles added to the morning glow. A wave of nostalgia that hadn't hit her in years enveloped her as she sliced some dough to throw into a pan for monkey bread, another old tradition she found herself not minding as instrumental holiday music playing softly from the kitchen speaker. It was much too early for Mariah Carey... maybe after the eggnog.