Metallica one shots and headcannons

Decorating with love❤-(Cliff Burton one shot)

Snow was falling softly outside, casting a silvery glow over the house. The world seemed to be wrapped in a blanket of quiet, but inside, our home was alive with laughter and chaos. It was that magical time of year again, the one where the whole house transforms into a winter wonderland—if you could call it that. It's always a little messy, a little chaotic, but it's ours, and it's perfect.

"Mom! Max broke the popcorn garland AGAIN!" Lily's voice rang out from the living room, half-laughing, half-exasperated. She was leaning over her younger brother, who was holding a handful of crushed popcorn, looking guilty.

"I didn't break it!" Max protested, trying to look innocent. "It just... fell apart!"

"Sure, it did," Lily said, rolling her eyes but unable to stop grinning. "Mom, Max is going to eat everything we're decorating with."

I stepped into the room just in time to see Max pop another piece of popcorn into his mouth, then reach for more. "Max!" I said, chuckling. "We need those to decorate, not to snack on."

"Okay, Mom," he said sheepishly, though I could tell he was already planning his next move. "I'm just testing the popcorn to make sure it's edible."

"Uh-huh," I said with a smile, shaking my head. "Lily, help him start a new garland, will you? Max, try not to eat any more of the decorations, okay?"

Max shrugged with his cheeky grin and got back to work on the popcorn, while Lily reluctantly grabbed the thread and needle to start over. I stepped back to the box of ornaments, trying to decide whether I wanted to tackle the garland or rescue the tree from being smothered in tinsel.

The sound of the front door opening made both kids freeze. Then, in a perfect synchronized move, Max dropped the popcorn, and Lily bolted toward the door. "Dad's home!" they shouted in unison.

I followed them into the entryway, where Cliff was just stepping inside, brushing the snow off his coat. Before he could even greet us, Max had already wrapped his arms around his legs, and Lily was there a split second later, jumping up to hug him around the waist.

"Whoa, whoa!" Cliff laughed, pretending to stagger under the weight of their enthusiastic hugs. He looked up at me, his coat still dusted with snowflakes. "What's this? Did I walk into Santa's workshop or something?"

"Daddy, we started decorating!" Max announced with a wide grin. "And we need help!"

"And it's chaos," Lily added, grinning from ear to ear. "Max is trying to eat the decorations."

"Hey!" Max said, glaring at her, but the sparkle in his eyes gave him away. "I wasn't eating them!"

"Yeah, okay," Lily said with a playful smirk. "Mom, Max is going to eat everything we have before we even put it on the tree."

Cliff chuckled, letting the kids climb into his arms for one last hug before setting them down. "Well, I'm glad to see everyone's having fun," he said, catching his breath. "Let's see how the tree's coming along."