Lights of red, green, blue and even yellow adorn the fake tree standing in front of the window. The star that rests atop shines like freshly cast metal. Ornaments gently hang from the branches, making it look superficially pretty since we decide what is and isn’t attractive in a subjective sense. Still though… It looks nice I suppose. After about ninety minutes of work, it should look nice. At the bottom of the tree, an assortment of gifts are tagged with different stickers to make sure the right person opens them. Everyone from Rainbow Dash to Sonata Dusk has a gift under the tree for one simple reason.
This year, it is our turn to host our friends for Christmas. While many of them also have families to celebrate with, it has become a tradition to make time for the friend group. This has been a tradition that Sunset started years ago since she doesn’t have any family, but now? Now that I’m in the picture, I just go with the flow. Despite the fact that I sometimes wish I could spend the holiday alone with her… If my past self knew that I would be counting down the days till a holiday so I could spend it with Sunset Shimmer of all people, I probably would have gagged on my own saliva.
Funny how life turns out.
Sunset’s arms tighten around my stomach, holding my body close to hers. After the long, tedious process of putting up the tree and decorating it, we both decided to lie down on the couch. Maybe it was an excuse for Sunset to spoon me, but I’m not complaining. In the spirit of Christmas Eve, Sunset absolutely insisted on playing some holiday songs while we decorated the tree. Those tunes still gently play through the air, making the atmosphere feel a little warmer.
“For someone who hasn’t celebrated Christmas or Hearth’s Warming, you did a great job with the tree,” Sunset whispers with a happy tone to her voice. A light kiss is planted on my cheek, reminding me once again of her love. She does a lot of small things to tell me that she loves me, which I still don’t understand. I love her too, but I don’t quite know why she insisted on taking me to dinner a couple years ago… She was the one who wanted to get to know me after the stupid Battle of the Bands. Still… I’m just surprised that life turned out this way. “Is it because of your eye for detail or are you getting into the holiday spirit?”
“For someone that talks about the holidays a lot, you waited until the last minute to put up the tree,” I say while rolling my eyes, pretending to be annoyed. I know she can see through my act though. “I know the holidays are important to you. So, I possibly did some research on proper tree decor.” My words come out of my mouth low, sounding unenthused. The truth is that it took me a while to understand what made Christmas trees look nice.
“Thank you. Really,” Sunset whispers in a sweet tone, placing another kiss on my cheek. “It means a lot to me, even if you’re acting grouchy.” Her hand gently rubs my stomach over my shirt. A warm fuzzy feeling comes in waves throughout my body, almost making me feel numb. To think I am liking this sensation is stupid in the first place. It’s so vulnerable to admit that I like these moments with her. I don’t like feeling vulnerable, but she’s the only one I let myself relax around. “The tree looks beautiful, doesn’t it?” she asks me, still holding onto me as tightly as before. Despite the sound of the holiday carols, it feels quiet in this room. It’s nice to spend these small moments with her. And only her. I’m too proud to have intimate conversations with anyone else. “But you are a hundred times as beautiful,” she whispers, her arms practically asking me to never leave her through our embrace.
“It’s funny that you say that,” I reply quietly, looking at the gifts under the tree. With the lights, it almost makes the room sparkle. Despite all the times I have fought with her, it’s ironic that I find myself waking up to her smile every day. “You know how a common phrase asserts that if something is too good to be true, it probably is?” I ask before slowly turning around on the couch to face her. Her arms are still wrapped around me, but I can see she is slightly confused.
“Yeah? What about it?” she asks as if I said something completely out of context. I suppose I did from her point of view.
“What if I said you seem too good to be true?” Bringing my hand to her cheek, I look deep into her eyes to make sure I’m not dreaming. “Even though I have hurt you, tried to take over your world, and said the worst things imaginable to you and your friends, you still take the time each day to remind me what I mean to you. A sentiment I still don’t know why you hold.” Pressing my forehead against hers, I can feel the warmth of her skin. I can almost sense her own heartbeat through my hand. “For someone as much of a bitch as me, you still seem to care regardless. Why? Why do you insist on loving me, you stupid pony?” I ask while a smile spreads across my lips. It’s times like these that I do a horrible job at hiding my emotions. “What’s the catch, Shimmer?”
Sunset’s eyes are wide, but it doesn’t take long for her to press her face into my hand. Her arms pull me closer as her lips delicately wrap around my own. She lays kiss after kiss on my lips, attacking my body and soul. She grips onto me with such desperation as if trying to tell me I better not pull away.
“The catch?” she asks with a small chuckle between kisses. One of her arms lets go of me, reaching up to grab my hand. “You’re the catch, siren… I don’t know why, but you caught my gaze, captured my heart. You’re right that we’ve had a complicated history, but…” She gently kisses my hand, a smirk coming to her face. “You make me so nervous. You make me worry. You make my body feel more alive than anyone else, all with a simple touch.” Her leg wraps around mine, not in an attempt to seduce me, but to simply be closer to me. “Is it so wrong of me to feel addicted? To you? Maybe I’m addicted to the way you make me feel. Or maybe it’s your eyes.” Her gaze connects with mine once more, not even a hint of doubt hiding behind it. “Or maybe it’s your endless confidence.”
Sunset’s arm brings us as close as possible, a warm tingling feeling running up my spine. She presses her lips to my cheek, her hair falling beside my face. Her smell makes my mind feel dizzy with emotions. It’s almost ironic that she says that I make her nervous when she’s the one making my body feel like TV static.
“I love you so so much,” she whispers into my ear, causing my back to feel more sensitive. “The truth is that there is no catch this time. You have my heart, free of charge. I love you more than the whole world.”
A smile comes to my lips, despite how much I try to hide it. Even though she’s as sappy as all of the Christmas romance movies combined together, it still feels nice since it comes from her. The soft lights of the Christmas tree make her skin look warm. Warmer than the ruthless winter outside.
“You make me feel alive too,” I whisper in response, giving her a kiss of my own. “More than any amount of power could. I love you too…” Wrapping my arms around her, I know that even a god can’t pull me away from her. “That’s why I wish I could spend tomorrow with just you. A whole day just like this one moment. No responsibilities. Just quiet warmth. Getting to admire you.” I can’t help but smirk, poking her cheek. “And maybe later, it could move to something more. Think about it. You. Me. And nothing but wrapping paper between our bodies. The perfect way to end a little… gift exchange.” A bright blush paints her cheeks even though the limited light makes it harder to see. Even though she is wearing a holiday sweater, I can feel her back arch a little.
“You know how important celebrating the holidays with our friends is to me,” Sunset responds quietly, almost sounding hesitant like she regrets turning down the offer. “But I’ll tell you what we can do…” Reaching over to the coffee table, Sunset uses the remote to turn off the CD player, instantly cutting off the music. She guides herself on top of me, kissing my lips once more. She pulls away just as quickly as she initiated the embrace, leaving my skin aching for more. “After our celebration, we will have all of Christmas night to ourselves. As long as you’re willing to spend half of the holiday with our friends.” Bringing my hand to her abdomen, I slip it under her sweater, feeling her stomach. She’s so warm…
“Alright, but I will be counting down the seconds.” Pulling her down, I lock our lips together. Sunset’s hair brushes against my face, sending a wave throughout my body. We can do the holiday her way as long as it makes her happy. “Happy holidays, Sunset~” Sunset breaks the kiss, giving me a humorous stare.
“They’re always happy when you’re with me~"
