The Start Of Something Great

Christmas Time

Carver's POV: 0600, Dec. 25
Six days after the last chapter

I woke up to the sound of something soft hitting me in the face. I blinked my eyes open and found Ray standing next to my bunk, holding an elf hat in her hand. "Wake up, Carver! It's Christmas!" she shouted directly into my ear.

"For fuck's sake, Ray..." I muttered, rubbing my eyes and sitting up. I grabbed the elf hat and shot her a mock death glare. "What time is it?"

As my eyes scanned the barracks, I noticed Buck and Heavy already up, their faces lit with smiles as they moved around, putting the finishing touches on decorations. The room was filled with the faint smell of pine from a small Christmas tree, about 3-4 feet tall, sitting proudly in the center. It wasn't nearly as grand as the tree back in my hometown, but it had its charm. Beneath it, I noticed a pile of presents, already neatly arranged.

The door creaked open, and Jean walked in, her helmet still on as usual, carrying a bag full of presents. She walked over to the tree and set the bag down before pulling out a gift for each member of Inferno Squad.

"Hey, Jean," I said, catching her attention. She turned around, and that's when I noticed her ugly sweater, an Atlas Titan carrying a Christmas tree, of all things.

"Yeah, Carver?" she asked, tilting her head curiously.

I couldn't help but laugh. "First, thanks for the presents. Second, what the fuck are you wearing?"

Jean chuckled, looking down at her sweater with a grin. "First, you're welcome. Second, go fuck yourself."

I laughed harder as she walked out of the barracks, still wearing the ridiculous sweater.

"Come on, Carver," Ray said, grabbing my arm and pulling me out of bed. "Red made us all breakfast!"

As she dragged me toward the cafeteria, I slapped the elf hat on my head, figuring I was already committed. When we got to the cafeteria, I saw Red and Jean setting out food for everyone, not just Inferno Squad. The tables were covered with various dishes, and the smell was incredible.

I walked over to the table and eyed a strange-looking dish that I couldn't immediately identify. Jean saw me staring at it and walked over. "That's called Monkey Bread. It's a sweet treat from Earth," she explained.

I looked up at her, smiling. "Thanks, Jean."

I grabbed a piece of Monkey Bread and walked it over to the table, setting it down. Just as I did, I saw Red placing the last of the food on the table, and the rest of the ODSTs started filing in. Smiles spread across their faces as they saw the spread of food, though some looked like they hadn't eaten in days.

Kaleb walked in last, looking as casual as ever. "What are you all waiting for? Let's eat," he said, heading toward his table and digging in.

Buck and Heavy joined us at our table, sitting down with satisfied grins. We all dug in, the chatter around the table lively and light-hearted. Jean was telling a story about her past mission, where she and her former commander had faced off against an Ogre Titan.

"Then the IMC pilot kicked out my commander's Titan leg and punched him in the optic. So, I had to do something," Jean said, mimicking the movements with her hands. "Atlas was missing one arm, but I grabbed the Ogre's 40mm railgun and smacked him with it. Surprisingly, the Ogre lost its footing and fell into a crevice."

We all burst into laughter, and Jean continued with a grin, "Then when I asked my commander if he was okay, he just goes, 'I'm super.'"

Ray and Jean both laughed hard, and I let out a chuckle as well. It was moments like these that made all the shit we went through worth it.

After breakfast, we all pitched in to clean up, then headed back to our barracks. The presents we'd gotten for each other were sitting on our bunks, waiting to be opened. We all sat down together, each of us opening our gifts one by one.

Jean had gotten everyone a model of their favorite Titan. Buck gave everyone new knives, each engraved with our names. Heavy made personalized Christmas cards for everyone, each one unique and heartfelt. Red had baked cookies for all of us, and Ray gave each of us a Christmas-themed poster. As for me, I had picked out ugly sweaters for everyone, hoping to bring some humor to the day.

"Come on, Mom. I don't want to wear it," Buck grumbled, staring at the sweater I handed him.

"Well, you're going to," I said matter-of-factly, playing along with his joke.

Everyone burst into laughter at that, and we spent the next few minutes teasing each other about our ugly sweaters. Once we'd all opened our gifts and exchanged Christmas wishes, we went off to do our own thing.

I was wandering the halls when Jean pulled me aside. She handed me another present with a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I had one extra for you."

I looked down at the gift and smiled as I unwrapped it, finding an Atlas Titan patch inside. The words "К концу" ("To the end") were stitched onto the fabric.

"Thanks, Jean," I said, looking up at her.

"No problem, Carver," she said, walking off with a wave.

I slipped the patch into my pocket, feeling a strange warmth spread through me as I made my way back to the barracks.

Just as I reached the door, Ray came running up behind me, a huge grin on her face. "Carver, here! I forgot this earlier," she said, handing me another neatly wrapped present.

I ripped it open, and inside was a black box. I opened it slowly, my eyes widening when I saw what was inside—my IMC helmet, customized with a Phoenix painted on it and the word "Gunner" beneath it.

"Thanks, Ray. I really like it," I said, holding it in my hands, inspecting the details.

"I'm glad," Ray said, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "Me and Buck had a hard time figuring out what would be a good nickname for you, but we went with Gunner."

"I love it," I said, smiling. "Thanks, Ray."

We walked back to the barracks together, and as I opened the door, I saw Buck, Heavy, and Red gathered around a table, playing poker. I couldn't help but shake my head.

"We are so screwed if Kaleb finds out we're playing cards," I said, giving Buck a pointed look.

He just shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Ray and I sat down to join them, and we all laughed, enjoying the rare moments of peace and camaraderie. It was Christmas, after all.