In The Meantime... (Various x Reader)

impromptu christmas 🎄 carl grimes

Requested by The_Cat_Whisperer01
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The winter months settled in over the community of Alexandria and with it came the feeling that something was missing. It was the same every year, winter would pass without a single mention of Christmas or New Years and life would carry on in their new version of normalcy. It made sense that they couldn't have their own Christmas; there were always much more important things going on, but it didn't mean Carl missed it any less.

He sat on the couch all bundled up in whatever coat he could find that fit him. He focused intently on cleaning his gun. On the other side of the room, his best friend, (Y/N), lay on the ground drawing with Judith. It was just another boring day in Alexandria, but one they were grateful to have.

(Y/N) looked up from her paper and trained her eyes on the frosted grass outside. "What was your last Christmas like?" She asked.

Carl tried hard to remember. It had been some years since he last celebrated the holiday. "It was... just like every other one. We opened presents and then spent the day with family. We'd always eat dinner at my grandparent's, and my mom made the best homemade noodles."

"What'd you get?"

"Comics, I think. And a really cool action figure I wanted for months." He smiled at the memory. "What was yours like?"

"It wasn't anything special." She said. "We opened gifts, ate... then after we got in dad's car and drove around to see all the lights. I think I miss the lights the most. Not the gifts, or anything. But when we looked at all the nights that was our time we spent with family. It was nice."

A silence settled over them, but it wasn't uncomfortable. Carl went back to cleaning his gun, Judith continued with her drawing, and (Y/N) seemed to be deep in thought.

"We should have our own Christmas." She said, turning to face Carl.

"How?"

"Well, one of these houses are bound to have ornaments somewhere. And there are plenty of trees outside."

"It's probably not even Christmas."

"So? No one knows that."

He hated that she was right. But no one was keeping track of the dates. He wasn't even sure if it was December.

(Y/N) got to her feet and headed towards the stairs. Carl knew from months of experience that once she set her mind to something, there was no stopping her. "I'm doing it, with or without you."

There was a bit of a teasing edge to her voice like she knew Carl would follow her up the stairs. And, she was right. Carl hurriedly put his gun back together and tucked it into its holster, hurrying after (Y/N).

***

(Y/N), Judith, and Carl made their way through the neighborhood, searching for the perfect tree. Carl carried the box of ornaments they found tucked away in the attic, and (Y/N) held Judith on her hip. A few of the other Alexandrians gave them odd looks, but no one bothered asking them what they were up to.

"What about this one?" Carl questioned.

He stopped in front of a small tree. All the leaves had fallen off, leaving bare branches to be eaten by the cold. Every single tree they came across looked like that, but (Y/N) argued they had to find the perfect one, even if Carl thought it was a bit redundant.

Judith, who turned out to be quite the tree connoisseur, nodded decisively.

"Looks like this is the one." (Y/N) said, setting the young girl in the grass.

Carl set down the box, and the three of them got to work. He helped his sister bring out the tinsel and wrap it around the tree. (Y/N) took out the string of lights and coiled them around the trunk, even though she knew they wouldn't be turning on.

Then when the time came for hanging up the ornaments, Judith was put in charge of choosing the order of which each decoration would be hung. (Y/N) and Carl took them from her in their own makeshift assembly line and placed them on the bare branches. By the end, the tree looked as if it was fully in bloom--if it grew Christmas decorations instead of leaves.

"We probably could have made a career of this in a past life," (Y/N) joked, reaching in the box for the final touch.

She pulled out an angel, her dress covered in dust and face fractured with cracks. Carl watched as (Y/N) brushed her off, trying hard to make her look a bit more angelic. He was always able to tell when (Y/N) was upset, and she seemed to be a bit disappointed with what they found.

"It still works," He said, attempting to keep the mood light. "If not, there are other attics. We can probably find another tree topper somewhere around here."

"No," (Y/N) said. "This one's fine. I like her."

He nodded in agreement. His eyes traveled to the tallest standing branch on the tree. Neither of them were tall enough to reach it. "Do you need a boost to put it on top?"

She followed his gaze and grinned. "Actually, I thought Judith should do it. She's the backbone of this entire operation, after all."

That wasn't nearly the case, but Carl saw her intent. He picked up his little sister and placed her on his shoulders. (Y/N) passed her the angel, saying a quick, "Careful." Carl wasn't sure if she was telling Judith or him.

Judith reached up and placed it on the tallest branch, and much to their relief, the angel didn't fall.

"What are you three up to?"

They turned to see Michonne standing behind them, curiously eyeing their creation.

"It's Christmas," Carl grinned.

"Oh, really?" She smiled, too. She seemed to be quite amused by their endeavors.

(Y/N) nodded proudly. "As far as we're concerned, anyway."

"Well, if that's the case, Merry Christmas."

Michonne carried on her way, but not before Carl and (Y/N) could chorus, "Merry Christmas!" back.

Carl looked over at (Y/N), admiring the bright smile on her face. He didn't think he'd seen her so excited about something since they found that huge can of pudding years before. If decorating some tree in someone's yard was all it took to make her happy, he wondered why they didn't do it any sooner.

"You know, I still miss the old Christmas." (Y/N) said, turning to meet his gaze. "But I think this is a suitable replacement."

- - -
For someone with horrible time management and terrible adhd, I sure did get myself in a pickle when I picked a project I knew would be impossible from the start and plunged myself headlong into it. Do I have regrets? Kinda. Will I give up? Not yet.

Also I saw aquaman today and I don't feel particularly one way or the other about it. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't amazing. It was just a movie imo. Also it was like I was watching a cliffnotes version of every movie thor was in and not to be that bitch but wow it was crazy.