A/N: Quick note: this might be a little fast-paced. I get impatient XD Also this takes place between A Family Holiday and Six Minus Six...so just pretend there's a whole lot more time in there. But the Holiday/Six dating thing is going slowly as expected.
Holidays with the Holidays
"You're dismissed."
Knight's voice echoed off the walls of the small office; his end-of-the-year meeting with Providence's top agent, top scientist, and "secret" weapon officially over and done with. Time for another year of fighting EVOs.
Rex bolted out of the room, shouting at his handler something about calling Noah. Six didn't say anything, simply started to leave, when he noticed Holiday still sitting in her seat, looking through her phone.
"You coming?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.
She jerked her head up and looked at him in surprise. "Oh, uh yeah, just a second," she replied, picking up her clipboard and walking over to her usual spot next to him.
They were silent for a few seconds when Six's curiosity got the better of him. "I hope you weren't looking at that message while White was talking..."
Holiday blinked at her partner before letting out a small chuckle. "Of course not. It was just a text from Beverly about me coming home for Christmas."
Six's mind paused at that. "You're leaving?" Not that she couldn't, he just wouldn't expect her to leave...considering how unpredictable their jobs were.
"Yeah, just for Christmas," she waved a hand around like the idea wasn't worth talking about. "I'll be back soon though - it took a lot of convincing to even take off for three days."
"You've never gone home for Christmas before," Six commented dryly, not realizing the obvious change in Holiday's family since the previous year.
She raised an eyebrow. "Yes, well, this is Beverly's first Christmas since being cured, and I'd like to be able to spend some time with her...and since she went back to live with our parents, it kind of makes sense." She was trying not to sound sarcastic, but Six was acting odd. It's not like they ever did anything for Christmas, so what did he care if she left or stayed?
He frowned, hearing the sarcasm quite well. It wasn't his fault that EVOs didn't hold back during Christmastime. In fact... "You should really be here. With the stress of the holidays there's always more people turning EVO than usual."
She glared at him, stopping in front of her door (when did they get to her quarters, anyway?). "I'll have my cell phone if you guys so desperately need me. Look, Six, I know you're not one for holidays, but this is a big deal for me and my family. Especially Beverly. And besides, Rex and César are visiting their relatives, too."
Six raised an eyebrow. Rex hadn't told him about that. And fabulous - it sounded like she was starting to get angry at him. Well, that didn't matter, his point still stood. "...you could at least bring your comm so I can reach you more easily."
Her nose flared and she roughly opened her door. "Six - I am bringing my cell phone. That's it. Chances are you won't even need me, so stop bothering me about this. I'll be back in a few days."
And with that, she shut the door in the agent's face. He glared at it, but couldn't help feeling a little guilty. Of course Holiday knew what she was doing. EVOs contracted from extreme stress were rarely all that dangerous - nothing he couldn't handle on his own or with Rex at his side. And now she was ticked off at him and he was stuck alone with Knight and Providence for the next three days.
Maybe he could subtly apologize before she left.
A little bit later!
"Hey, Six!"
Six looked up from his desk (finishing up some last-minute paperwork) to see Rex peeking in from behind the door.
"César and I are leaving!"
Six quirked an eyebrow. "You're actually telling me?"
Rex walked in, shrugging slightly. "Holiday said that I should tell you when I left. But she seemed kind of ticked at you, what'd you do?"
Six rolled his eyes behind the sunglasses. Okay, so maybe he overstepped his bounds just a bit. But Holiday should be used to that by now. If even Rex noticed she was mad, she was definitely overreacting. "I merely suggested that she stay here during the holiday -"
Rex interrupted with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Wanted to get in some alone time?"
Six frowned and continued. "...since her home is a couple hours away and the stress of Christmastime always causes an increase in nanite activity, it seemed like a better idea for her to stay. I suppose she was put off by my suggestion, but I don't see why it would still be bothering her."
Rex sighed and shook his head obnoxiously, making Six twitch in annoyance. "Six, Six, Six! You can't get between women and the holidays! I mean especially not a woman named Holiday! Besides, isn't this the first Christmas since Beverly's been cured?"
The agent bit his cheek. "Yes, it is."
"Well come on! You know she'll be back in less than a second if there's a problem. And now you've got her all mad at you just in time for her to leave?" Rex was shaking his head even more now.
"Are you suggesting I do something about this?" Six asked, not expecting an actual answer.
Rex put a finger to his chin for a second before lighting up with widened eyes. "Yeah! -You should get her a really nice present! Something she'll never forget, y'know?"
Six shuffled through the papers on his desk, trying to make it seem like he wasn't listening as intently as he was. "...like what?"
Rex had a huge smile on his face. Six was actually gonna do it! "Oh, I dunno...maybe a really expensive necklace or something?"
Six paused, thinking about it. Jewelry would probably be fine - honestly, he thought Rex would say something inappropriate. But then he had the problem of what kind of necklace and where could he get something like that and were any stores even open still and-
"Six?"
Attention back to Rex, Six didn't say anything in response. Rex let out a huff of air and repeated what he said while Six was ignoring him. "And you gotta give her the present on Christmas Eve, okay? That's the best time."
Six frowned. "She's going to be in Pittsburgh on Christmas Eve."
Rex had already started heading out the door, realizing he had wasted too much of his family-time with Six instead of César. "Yup! Oh, and can you give her my present, too? It's in my room. Yours is right next to hers! You'll see 'em, thanks, Six!" And he was out the door, slamming it behind him.
Six blinked twice at the realization that Rex got him a present, shook it off, and scowled. Would Holiday be mad if he just...showed up at her doorstep? He didn't think she'd be pleased. Though she was rarely mad at Rex, so Six could only imagine that the kid knew what he was talking about...
Six got up from his desk, putting the papers away and grabbing his coat before heading out the door. Time to go buy her a present, then.
With Dr. Holiday!
Okay, so maybe she overreacted just a bit. She could just blame the stress of the holidays. Though, honestly! What did he want her at Providence so badly for? She had other people she wanted to spend time with, even if Six was often at the top of that list.
Holiday sighed; it'd already been three and a half hours since she started driving and she still couldn't get her frustration at Six out of her head.
He was just so...! And it was almost Christmas! He could at least have said something. Maybe ask her to tell Beverly "Hi". Anything to show he had some spirit for the family-focused time of year.
But nooo. Six was all work and no play. Even when there was no work to do.
She was suddenly glad she couldn't figure out what to get him. She'd tried ridiculously hard to find him a good present, but nothing stood out. What do you get a man who doesn't want anything?
Hopefully she could get back in time to give Rex his present before Christmas was officially over. If she left by early afternoon on the 25th she was sure Rex wouldn't mind the late gift.
As she focused back on the road, she realized her neighborhood was coming into view. It was surprisingly easy to drive to her suburban childhood home from Providence...considering she'd only done it a few times before.
Pulling over on the street, she immediately noticed two other cars pulled up nearby. That must've meant that her other relatives were already here. Joy - she got to greet them all at once.
Taking a deep breath (she hadn't seen some of them in years, after all), Rebecca walked up to the front door and rang the bell. After a few seconds and some light chitchat heard from inside the door, the door opened to reveal a skinny, older, black-haired woman with clear-rimmed glasses and short, straight hair.
She brightened immediately at the sight of her daughter. "Well, if it isn't the world famous Providence scientist who saved our little girl...!"
At that, plenty of footsteps started running towards the door, and Rebecca was tackled by Beverly and their very young cousins. "Rebecca!"
Dr. Holiday laughed and gave them all individual hugs. "Hi guys!" She glanced up at Beverly. "Have you caught up in school yet?"
Beverly pushed some hair back and huffed at her sister. "Rebecca, it's Christmas vacation! Don't ask about school!"
Rebecca rolled her eyes and looked back at her mother. "So...anything I can help with?"
Her mother smiled and replied, "You can help by staying away from the kitchen!" At Rebecca's frown, she continued with: "...and maybe help keep the kids under control."
The good doctor smiled and picked up her youngest cousin, Sarah. "I think I can handle that. And where's Mr. Dr. Holiday?"
"He's in the garage with Ben and Ruth. Even in the winter time, they can't stop talking shop. I'll let 'em know you're here, you can just drop your bags off in your old room!" She smirked and walked down the hallway, leaving Rebecca with her sister and cousins.
"So...how long have you guys been here?"
The Next Day!
Alright, so he found a jewelry store just before it was closing for the night. And he hurriedly picked out a nice-looking necklace...hopefully she would like it, since Six knew little-to-nothing about jewelry and it cost him a pretty penny.
It was already the 24th and Six, not wanting to interrupt her family's dinner, decided to arrive around eight o'clock. He assumed that he wouldn't be disturbing and he'd still have time to get back to Headquarters before it got to be too late.
Currently he was trying to think about how he would tell Knight that he was taking off. Hopefully the man would let him leave for just that evening. Though Six knew from previous years that White wasn't the biggest fan of all the Christmas hype - made sense, considering he didn't celebrate. Neither did Six.
He cleared his throat awkwardly before slowly walking into White's "office" - a completely white room with a gigantic screen that he was constantly displayed on for emergency situations.
White looked up at his ex-partner and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"
Six shoved his hands in his pockets and spoke with a straight face. "I'm going off-duty for the rest of the night."
If Knight had been drinking milk at the time, he probably would've spit it out. "What? Why?"
Great. He had honestly hoped White Knight would just let him off without having to explain. "I need to...deliver something. To Dr. Holiday."
White's eyebrows raised again, then sunk down. He paused, obviously considering how to ask his next question. Six wasn't prepared. "How...romantic of you, Six. Didn't think you had it in you."
Six's teeth ground together for a moment, he really couldn't face-palm in front of his boss, after all. Even if they used to be partners. "It's not like that. I just...she's mad at me at the moment and I'd rather her not still be pissed when she gets back." There. Surely that would convince Knight that he had no 'romantic' agenda, as the nanite-free man not-so-subtly put it.
Knight actually had a slight smirk on his face at Six's explanation. The agent wanted to shoot him.
"Right, fine. Well, I suppose if it's to help improve your..." He paused, again thinking about how to word his next statement, and sending shivers up Six's spine at the increasing smirk. "...'team dynamic', I can't really say no, can I?"
Six's frown got deeper.
White almost laughed. "You can go, Six, just be on call. I may have given Holiday the time off, but you, Rex, and Salazar are expected to be on the field immediately when you're needed."
Six nodded. "Understood." He stood there awkwardly, waiting for White to dismiss him, when instead the older man asked him another question.
"So what'd you get her?"
Six sighed before growling out, "A necklace."
White's eyebrows went back up. "Jewelry? Wow, you're not trying to be subtle, are you?"
Six crossed his arms and responded with a quick, "Can I go?", to which Knight just nodded with his unusual smirk.
The green ninja sighed again and stepped out the door, letting it close behind him. White was just trying to get on his nerves - Holiday knew their relationship was strictly...er...well, it wasn't romantic. Getting her a necklace wouldn't change that.
He started walking towards Rex's room to grab the kid's present, then head for the Roadster...since showing up in a jump jet might look a little odd.
At that same moment...
"Rebecca! I told you to stay away from the stove!"
Dr. Holiday and her mother raced out of the kitchen, which was now filled with smoke.
Rebecca turned to her mother, eyes starting to water, and rubbed them uncomfortably. "I'm soooo sorry, Mom! I just-I just wanted to help!"
Her mother scowled and grabbed Rebecca's arm, pulling her further away from the kitchen. "Okay, Rebecca, just stay away from the kitchen. Stay with the kids. Ben, Beverly and I will re-make dinner. Don't. Go near. The kitchen."
Rebecca sighed as her Aunt Ruth ran towards the kitchen with the fire extinguisher in hand. Beverly soon followed, shoving her sister towards the kids' room.
Rebecca sighed, traumatized and embarrassed, and quickly got herself together before walking across the hallway to hang out with the kids.
"Rebecca! Did you burn dinner again?"
Later that day...
Six saw what he could only assume was the Holiday House just down the street. Parking the Roadster, he stepped outside and immediately saw the "Holiday's" sign on the mailbox, confirming his thoughts.
It was already 8:15 - Six was absolutely sure they'd be finished with dinner, so he could just knock on the door, give her the present, apologize awkwardly, and leave. Problem solved, Holiday most likely no longer angry, and Six gets to tell White that nothing happened, as expected.
He sighed before walking down the short path leading up to their front door. This was a very...quaint house. Two floors, Christmas lights hung up all over the rooftop, and a little lit-up reindeer bopping its' head up and down on the front lawn. It seemed like the type of home the doctor would've been raised in.
Sighing once again, he awkwardly reached over and rang the doorbell.
After a few seconds, he heard the sound of very small feet getting closer to the door. Great, he was hoping Rebecca would answer the door and he wouldn't have to uncomfortably meet her family.
The door was excitedly opened by a little girl - probably five or six years old - and she stared up at him in confusion.
"Whoa," she started. "Are you from the FBI?"
He ignored her question. "Is Dr. Holiday here?"
She nodded before slamming the door in his face, and running to the dining room where Rebecca and her father were setting the table for dinner.
Rebecca looked at her young cousin. "Who was at the door, Sarah?"
She spoke obnoxiously loud. "Scary looking guy! He asked for Dr. Holiday!"
Rebecca and her father looked at each other. "Did he say which Dr. Holiday?"
Sarah brought a finger to her lip in thought before shaking her head. "I'll go ask!"
Six heard those tiny footsteps again and, lo and behold, the little girl opened the door again. He cocked an eyebrow at her, to which she immediately responded with a loud, "Do you want the regular Dr. Holiday or the famous Dr. Holiday?"
Six heard an older man's voice off in another room going, "Ouch, my pride!" followed by a familiar laugh.
Six's mouth formed a thin line as he responded with a somewhat bemused, "Rebecca Holiday."
Sarah nodded before reaching for the door and slamming it in Six's face again. She ran back to the kitchen. "He wants to see Rebecca!"
Rebecca patted her father's back before circling around the table, placing a few glasses down, and heading towards the door. "So who is it?"
Sarah shrugged. "I didn't ask! He's tall and green. I think he's with the FBI!"
Rebecca's mind paused and she quickly looked at the door - which was closed. "Sarah! You just left him outside?"
The girl shrugged as her older cousin zipped by and ran to the door, opening it dramatically and coming face-to-face with just who she thought it'd be.
"Six! Wha..." Noticing a hair in front of her face, Holiday whipped it back behind her ear, completely surprised and confused and not knowing what else to do with her hands. "What in the world are you doing here? Is everything okay? Rex is still with César, right?"
As he opened his mouth, immediately calming her nerves with a quick, "Nothing's wrong," Rebecca grabbed his arm and pulled him inside the house.
"Oh- God, I'm so sorry, it must be freezing out there! I'm sorry, Sarah's only five, she doesn't know-"
He cut her off by holding a small, wrapped up box right in front of her face. She stared at it, before looking back at him questioningly.
He turned his head to the side. "It's for you."
Needless to say, Rebecca was absolutely speechless. "You...what?"
He shoved it closer to her. "Merry Christmas?"
Taking it slowly, Rebecca felt her face heat up. Not only did Six get her a present, but he drove three hours to bring it to her on Christmas Eve? And she hadn't gotten him anything. And she'd been angry at him the entire ride to her childhood home.
He glanced at her, unsure of what the silent, but red-faced reaction meant. "Holiday?"
"I-I..um..." she stared at the present for a few more seconds before looking up at the agent cautiously. "I'm so sorry, Six, I didn't...um, I didn't get you..."
He raised an eyebrow. "I didn't really expect you to."
She blushed harder. Was that a bad thing or a good thing? No, this was all definitely a bad thing. It was even wrapped pretty messily - Six had done it himself! God, she felt like the world's worst person.
"Are you going to open it?"
She looked back up at him. He was completely unfazed by her not getting him a present. Though she was going to make it up to him when she returned to Providence. Whatever he wanted, she'd take care of it.
"I...I figure I should wait 'til the morning...I mean, that's when the rest of the presents will be opened," she replied, shrugging and chuckling slightly. Still embarrassed, of course.
Six's eyes widened (though she couldn't see it) and he pulled another present from his coat pocket. "Almost forgot. This is from Rex."
She blushed again, biting the inside of her cheek and taking the gift from him. She felt like an awful person - though she got Rex a present, still...
She looked up when Six started speaking again. "I'd rather you opened it now so I know if you like it." He shrugged a bit awkwardly. "That way I can return it and get you something different if you don't."
She didn't know how she could feel this hot in the middle of Winter. "O-oh, no, that's...you don't have to do that." She knew she'd love it. No doubting that.
Six nodded, comfortable with her answer. "Then I'll just leave you to your family..."
As he started to turn around, his words finally hit her and Rebecca grabbed his elbow with her free hand. "But you just got here!" She winced at herself, realizing how desperate she sounded. "What I mean is...um, would you like to stay for dinner?"
He turned around, facing her again. "You haven't had dinner yet?" Did people usually have late dinners on Christmas Eve?
She cleared her throat awkwardly. "I, uh...tried to help..."
"Ah," he responded, the message completely gotten across. Looking down at her eager face, he quickly said, "I wouldn't want to intrude. It's fine, I need to-"
Before he could finish, Rebecca (who should've wondered where these two were the entire time) finally noticed her parents' heads poking around the door frame to the kitchen. As she made eye contact with them, they both smiled at her distressed, obviously red face and jumped out to greet the tall man talking up their daughter.
Six tensed at the feeling of an older man's arm around his shoulders (good thing he'd calmed down his paranoia over the years, otherwise Mr. Dr. Holiday would've been flipped onto the hallway floor). "Nonsense, my boy! We'd be happy to have you here!"
Six looked over at him. "I really shouldn't-"
Rebecca's frown deepened when her mother came around and grabbed one of Six's arms. "And besides, you're so skinny! You need to-" Her hand landed further up her arm, and Rebecca felt herself blushing for Six. "Well, nevermind! But still - we'll have less leftovers if you join in!"
Rebecca slapped her hands over her face in embarrassment. She loved her parents dearly, but she should've expected this.
As Six was about to object again, Rebecca's father and mother let go of him and stood next to their daughter, who wasn't paying attention. Mr. Dr. Holiday shook his finger at Six and laughed, "Hey there, you stay away from my wife!" Shoving Rebecca towards the agent, he laughed again. "But Rebecca's definitely available!"
Six caught her by the arms as she let her forehead fall against his chest, unable to look at him. Though she could feel Six looking at her, then back up at her parents. She knew her parents would do that. She should've let him leave. She should have let him leave!
Her mother spoke up again, just as Six was about to mention the work he had to do (they probably wouldn't have believed him anyway). "So it's settled then! We'll set another place for you right next to Rebecca!"
Smiling bright, they both scuttled back to the dining room, leaving Holiday alone, in Six's arms. She paled and pushed herself away from him, face-palming at the same time. "I'm sorry. You can still leave if you want."
He smirked oh so slightly. "It's fine. I suppose it'd be rude to leave at this point."
Rebecca's hand slid down her face and she glanced up at her coworker, smiling softly. "Thanks Si-"
"Hey! The scary green guy is still here!" Sarah, followed by her two brothers and then Beverly, ran in and hugged Rebecca. "Is he staying for Christmas?"
Rebecca rubbed Sarah's hair while Six and Beverly exchanged casual greetings. "No, no, just for dinner. And his name is Six."
Sarah glared at Rebecca. "Six isn't a name. It's a number."
The doctor laughed. "I know. But it's still his name."
Sarah looked up at Six, who was currently being introduced by Beverly to her eight- and ten-year-old cousins, Luke and Matthew. She walked over and grabbed his pant leg, bringing his attention to her. He raised an eyebrow.
"Why is your name Six? That's not a name!"
Rebecca stiffened at the question, but Six leaned down and placed his hand on top of Sarah's head. "My parents had six kids and I was the last one. They thought it'd be funny."
Sarah stared at him suspiciously, but then nodded, accepting his answer. "So why aren't you with your parents for Christmas?"
Rebecca visibly flinched, but Six just raised an eyebrow. Sarah was a very curious little girl. "Normally I would have, but Hol...Rebecca invited me here, instead. I hope you don't mind my staying for dinner."
Sarah smiled. "Nah, you're okay!" She walked towards the kitchen. "But you can't sit next to me! Beverly's sitting next to me!"
Beverly laughed and started to follow, when Luke pointed to Six. "So are you Rebecca's boyfriend or something?" Matthew made a choking sound and pretended to puke. "Cuz we could tell you super embarrassing stuff about her! Like when-"
Rebecca put her hand over Luke's mouth, glaring at Matthew and ignoring Beverly, who was cracking up behind them. "Guys, I think dinner's almost ready. Why don't you go sit down?"
The boys stuck out their tongues and headed into the kitchen, followed by the older three. Beverly smiled at her sister and friend, making the both of them uncomfortable. "So what are you doing here, Agent Six?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I came to bring your sister a present," he answered nonchalantly. There wasn't anything wrong with that, was there?
Beverly squeaked. "Really? What is it?"
Rebecca looked over to her sister and glared. "I haven't opened it yet!"
Beverly pushed her sister out of the way and leaned closer to Six. "C'mon tell me! I won't tell Rebecca!"
Six continued walking past her. "I think you can wait."
Soon!
"So your name is...Six?"
Mr. Dr. Holiday's older brother, Ben, gave the agent a skeptical look across the dining room table. Next to Six sat a very uncomfortable Rebecca, who was next to a snickering Beverly, and the other six family members were scattered around the table in a curious frenzy towards this green man that was forced to join them for dinner.
Six nodded in response, and Ben continued his skepticism. "Is that some secret agent code name?"
Rebecca sighed inwardly - this was going to be a short dinner conversation if all they wanted to talk about was Six.
Six smirked. "You could say that."
Ruth, Ben's wife, interrupted. "So you're not gonna tell us your real name, then?"
Six shook his head.
The older woman put a finger to her lip in thought, then pointed to her niece. "Does Rebecca know your real name?"
Six looked over at his coworker, who had been rubbing her temple before suddenly being brought into the conversation. He raised an eyebrow. "I doubt it."
Dr. Holiday quirked an eyebrow back at him before turning to her aunt. "His line of work is very dangerous, Aunt Ruth. I don't know his name, Rex doesn't know his name...honestly, I don't think Six even remembers his real name!"
Six frowned at the grinning doctor while some of her family members chuckled. He wasn't going to acknowledge that with a proper response.
"Speaking of - how's Rex doing?" Beverly chimed in.
Rebecca visibly brightened with the turn in conversation topic. "He's doing great, actually. Ever since his brother showed up, Rex has been learning a lot about his cultural heritage."
Six nodded beside her. Though neither of them were particularly fond of César, he had to admit that having the scientist around was doing wonders for Rex. They both surmised that with this Christmas trip, along with the others he'd taken with César, would help restore the kid's memory.
Luke and Matthew spoke up at the same time. "Aw yeah, Rex!"
"He's so cool!"
"Can we meet him?"
"Rebecca! I wanna meet him!"
Holiday held up her hands. "Um, maybe some other time, guys."
They looked over at Agent Six, watching the older man raise his eyebrow at them. Matthew pouted. "So what do you do at Providence that's so 'dangerous', huh? Can't be as bad as what Rex does!"
Six looked over at Dr. Holiday, who leaned closer to him. "I had their parents block Ultimate Exposure after the incident with Hunter Cain."
He nodded, understanding her reason perfectly. If those kids wanted news on Rex or Providence, they'd have to watch an actual news show.
He smirked at the kids. "Actually, I work with Rex. I'm the person who taught him everything he knows."
Holiday rolled her eyes. He just had to word it like that? Not to mention he shouldn't have told them at all. Those two would go crazy.
The rest of the family, Beverly and her parents excluded, seemed shocked or impressed by this news. Matthew and Luke, however, stuck out their tongues.
"Yeah, right!"
"You look like you do paperwork or sumthin'!"
Six's eyebrow quirked. Kids really didn't appreciate suits for their comfort and flexibility. "Actually-"
"Six," Holiday whispered next to him. When he looked over, she continued with, "do you really need to argue with them?"
He frowned, immediately unresponsive. Turning back to the boys across the table, he shrugged. "Think what you will."
Matthew and Luke looked at each other, and quickly ducked their heads under the table for what was obvious meant to be a "private conversation". It was obvious to the rest of the table that they thought his response was very suspicious.
Rebecca turned towards Six and whispered another, "I'm sorry," while taking a few bites out of her meal. It was really good. Reminded her of how bad her cooking was.
Six leaned down to her. "Stop apologizing. It's fine."
Another sorry almost popped out before she blushed and looked away. Having her family around Six was...worrying. Especially Beverly...considering she actually knew a bit about Six. They hadn't been too bad. Yet. She was prepared for the worst.
A little bit later!
Near the end of the meal, after another twenty minutes of horribly awkward conversation (mostly concerning Rebecca and Six, but when Rebecca brought up Beverly's own love life, her younger sis managed to get their parents to drop the subject), Rebecca noticed her mother subtly whisper something into her husband's ear.
He chuckled a bit and smirked at his wife, sparing a glance towards Rebecca and Six, before getting up and clearing all the dishes that were finished.
Holiday shivered and frowned. Something was going on. She just knew her parents were planning something. And immediately after he got up, Uncle Ben and Aunt Ruth started asking random, inane questions.
"So do you get much free time working at Providence?"
"Do you get to see movies often?"
"Where are One through Five?"
"Do you even know what TV shows are popular right now?"
"What do they feed you over there?"
The two answered them quickly, avoiding the details of any...inappropriate or unnecessary questions. Which were almost all of them. Rebecca was slinking down further into her chair after every other question. She could only assume this is what her parents had been whispering about...and somehow got the message to her aunt and uncle?
She sat up straight as Six answered a question she didn't pay attention to. Wait, if this wasn't what they were whispering about, then what could it have been? She glanced right and left, then leaned forward to look into the kitchen. Her father was by the sink...cleaning the dishes. Nothing suspicious about that.
She glanced back at Six. Who looked down at her. Who looked away awkwardly.
Sarah glared at them. "Why do you guys keep looking at each other? It's so weird."
Holiday brought a hand to her temple and sighed while Six stiffened a bit and leaned back on his chair. He cleared his throat and brought the chair back down.
"I...think it's time I headed back."
Initially Rebecca's head shot up, ready to tell him to stay, but the way Beverly was looking at her screamed, "LET. HIM. GO." She bit her lip for a half-second before turning and smiling at him. "Yeah, it's getting late."
She raised an eyebrow when Ruth, Ben, Bev, and her mother all nodded and agreed it was time he left. Sarah, Matt, and Luke, however, seemed confused by everyone's enthusiasm.
Mr. Dr. Holiday popped his head out of the kitchen and smiled. "It was great having you here, Six! Rebecca can walk you to the door."
Six, while getting up from his seat, frowned. "That's really not-"
Holiday pushed on his back to guide him to the front door. "Don't argue. Let's just go."
They stopped immediately in front of the door, and Holiday sighed. Six raised an eyebrow at her and opened his mouth to speak, but she cut him off.
"Thanks, Six."
His eyebrow stayed right where it was. "You haven't even opened the present yet."
Chuckling slightly, she rubbed her arm. "No, I mean...just for coming here." She stopped rubbing and just looked up at him. "You didn't have to."
He smiled for such a short amount of time that Holiday swore she just imagined it, before muttering a quiet, "...I know."
As he was about to say a quick goodbye before heading out, Six noticed the older members of Rebecca's family peeking their head around the door frame between the hallway and the dining room. They all motioned upwards, and Six followed their eyes.
Above him and Holiday was a sprig of mistletoe. That was absolutely not there when he arrived.
Rebecca noticed his head moving up and her eyes managed to glance the same way. She immediately blushed and turned around as quickly as possible, glaring menacingly at her family. She mouthed to them "Will you stay out of this?"
And they all mouthed back, "Kiss him!"
She slapped a hand onto her face and turned back to Six, holding her hands up. "Six, I don't, um..."
He raised an eyebrow at her, again. "Holiday, why...did your father put a poison above us?"
She blanked as her face turned even redder. "...excuse me?"
"That's mistletoe. It's a poisonous plant. He taped it to the ceiling."
She wrung her hands. "I-yes, I realize that...um, you don't really know a lot of Christmas traditions, do you?"
He glared. "Hanging poison is a tradition?"
"Ah-" Her mind stalled. This was her perfect way to avoid it. "Nevermind. There's no tradition! I'll see you back at Providence, then!" She started shoving him out the door, and he didn't complain.
Rebecca didn't get a chance to see the upset looks on her family's faces before Beverly stepped into the hall and spoke. "Standing under the mistletoe means you have to kiss!"
They both froze at the teenager's voice. Rebecca covered her face while Six cleared his throat.
"There's no getting out of it!" Bev continued. "You have to kiss!"
Six turned and looked at Rebecca, who was red-faced and avoiding his gaze. "That...is an incredibly strange tradition."
She shook her head. "I know. You don't have to do it, there's no-"
She was cut off by Six's lips pressing against hers for a shortest second. Her eyes hadn't even had the chance to flutter closed before he backed away, embarrassed.
The older Holiday relatives laughed and figuratively patted each other on the back, happy to see Rebecca with a guy, finally. They'd, specifically her parents, always been a bit disappointed at their older daughter's success in the romance department. Not that her three PhDs didn't explain and absolutely make up for it - but still. They wanted grandkids. Couldn't blame 'em.
Rebecca's face didn't turn red until the front door opened, and Six started on his way out. After muttering a quick, "See you at HQ," Holiday turned to make sure her parents had stopped watching, and followed him out the door.
She grabbed at his sleeve partway down the path and let go when he turned around. She could clearly see his ears were pink and she looked down.
"...did you need something?"
Rebecca looked back up at him, unsure of what to say. She had a slight idea of what she wanted to say, but...this was Six.
Instead, her hand wrapped around his shoulder, and feeling him tense under her touch...she leaned up and kissed him. Her eyes were scrunched tight, just a smallest bit afraid of him pushing her away.
After what felt like hours, but was actually a few seconds, Six's hands found her waist and he pressed back, as her hands reached around his neck. In the heat of the moment, her family completed cleared out of her mind, and she melted into the kiss.
Six didn't even notice his grip on her waist tightening as she slowly pulled away. His lips were still slightly puckered for a few moments after she dropped back on to her heels. As soon as he realized that fact, he pulled them in, embarrassed. His hands immediately released her waist at the same time, and she slid her hands down from his shoulders to his chest.
"Um..." She didn't look at him. "Merry Christmas, Six."
He smirked just the slightest. "I don't celebrate...but yeah, you too."
She chuckled and started walking back to the house. "Right. I'll be back tomorrow afternoon."
He stared at her retreating back, smiled for a split second, and gave her a small wave before returning to his car.
Rebecca took a quick glance back at him before shutting the front door, and stepping back inside. Turning around, she was immediately met with the older members of her family.
"Sooo...Rebecca..." her mother started. "How long has this been going on?"
She glared. "Mom, we need to have a talk."
And a few hours later!
Six tried his best to sneak back on the base, not wanted White to find him and ultimately ask a bunch of ridiculous questions related to their earlier conversation.
He had just such luck when walking back into his bedroom, completely unnoticed. He sat on the edge of his bed, not sure how to fall asleep at this point. He'd spent the entire car ride home trying and failing to not think about those two kisses with Dr. Holiday.
And...thinking. And thinking. Could not stop thinking about them.
Eventually he managed to fall asleep, barely recognizing that the next day (or, later that current day) was officially Christmas. Maybe he would open Rex's present when he woke up.
The end!
Actually I'm gonna add a little epilogue someday soonnn