Merry Christmas and happy holidays guys!!!! I hope you have all had a lovely day! I thought I'd treat y'all with a cute little Christmas fic to maybe make your day a little bit brighter! <333
"Come on dad! We've gotta put the star on top!" Apple says with a huge toothy grin, tongue stained bright red from one too many candy canes.
"Grab it for me?"
She smiles her toothy little smile and runs over to the empty boxes that held the ornaments, her small socked feet scuffing against the old tan carpet. She holds up the big silver star triumphantly and brings it back over to Jason, who's waiting by the tree in his baggy flannel pajama pants that pool at his socked feet, and an old t-shirt.
"Lift me up dad!" She giggles joyfully, her long blond hair a tangled mess from sleep.
He obligues and carefully hoisters her up, placing her on his shoulder so she can reach--though just barely. And once it's up, he steps back, Apple still giggling on his shoulder, and they admire their work.
"I think this deserves some hot cocoa, what about you?"
"Yeah!"
He carries her over to the couch and drops her carefully. She lands with a bounce and a giggle and is instantly on her feet, darting into the kitchen, where Jason hears the distinct sound of feet slipping on hard floor. He joins her in the kitchen, where she's already grabbed two mugs, her cute little princess one he'd gotten her a few weeks ago, and his white mug that she'd painted a turtle on for his birthday. He loves it so much.
"Why don't you go pick out a movie for us to watch."
She nods eagerly and heads back to the living room. He goes about warming up milk and adding the hot cocoa mix as well as a hint of cinnamon, just the way little Apple likes it. Once it's nice and hot, he brings both mugs out to the living room and joins Apple on the couch, where she's attempting to get the dvd player to work. He laughs, handing her the small princess mug and takes the remote to get the movie going, which is Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. Which is not surprising in the slightest, she's loved this movie for years now.
It wasn't long before she was fast asleep, collapsed against his side, hot cocoa half drunk and left abandoned on the table, alongside his empty mug. After turning off the tv, he carefully picks Apple up, and carries her to her room. He tucks her in and brushes hair out of her face gently, placing a gentle kiss to her forehead. Once he's back in his room, he pulls out his phone, dreading having to respond to a text that's been burning a hole in his pocket all day.
Crystal: I'll be by to pick up Apple at 12, make sure her stuff is ready
Jason: I still don't get why we can't just spend Christmas together
He really doesn't understand it. He gets that they're divorced now, and that they're completely separated, but he doesn't get this. Even if they don't really love each other in a romantic way anymore, they're still a family. They still need to be a family for Apple's sake. He's still not sure where their marriage went wrong, but it had felt different for a while now, and he's happier being single, even if it's harder to take care of his daughter by himself than it used to be with Crystal, but he loves his daughter with all his heart. She's his little girl, and he'd do anything for her. And if that means spending Christmas weekend with Crystal, than he can deal with it...even if he really doesn't want to.
Crystal: Jason. You know it's my weekend with her
Jason: That doesn't explain why we can't do christmas together like we always used to do
