Your boots crunched loudly against the newly fallen snow as you did your best to run down the uncleared sidewalk without stumbling into the snowbanks next to you. Under your arm was a gift, one that you spent an entire year trying to obtain. It took you all of your strength to not drop the weighty present as the content shifted around ever so slightly enough to cause you to lose your balance and fall backwards onto the icy concrete. Your eyes were clenched shut in pain from the fall, but you managed to crack them open to see the neatly wrapped present still nestled safe in your arms and held closely to your chest as if you subconsciously were trying to protect it. Slowly you rose to your feet, staggering a little, but you eventually stood. You decided that maybe it wasn't the best idea to be running, and that your friend would understand if you were a few minutes late.
"Gosh...I hope he likes it..." You thought to yourself as you paced through the snow, "Then again...he's liked a lot of the things I've gotten him..." You began to recall mentally.
-Flashback to 17 years prior-
"WOAH! Neat! Thanks (name)!" The eight-year old boy exclaimed pulling the plastic gladiator armour from the box and placed it over his torso.
"Y-yeah...You're welcome R-Romulus..." You stammered from being so shy at only six-years of age, "But...wh-here's my...g-gift?" You hid behind your father's pants leg.
Romulus' eyes widened in surprise as they darted around as if he was trying to find an excuse for not having your present with him. He twirled a finger through his short dark-brown curls before answering, "Yyyooooooooooou uh...have to...uh...FIND IT! Yeah! It's a new game I made up!"
You sighed to yourself and looked up at your father whom just smiled and looked down at you as if to say "That sounds fun. Try it!"
"Oh...ohkay." You agreed before aimlessly wandering through the house trying to find your gift.
And after what seemed like hours of walking in and out of random rooms, looking under countless tables, chairs, and beds, you found a sloppily wrapped box crammed inside the young Roman's closet. Carefully you plucked the box from the mess of miscellaneous objects and scurried back to the main room where Romulus was "sword fighting" an invisible army. Without much thought you ran up to him to show that you found the gift, but as soon as you came into his range...SHFWAP! You were knocked back by the "gladiator's" elbow and onto the floor, streams of tears rolled down your cheek as you sniffled and brought your hands to your forehead where a nasty bruise was forming. Your friend hadn't even noticed what he had done until he heard you begin to sob in pain.
"(N-Name)!" He cried, kneeling next to you looking frantic. He stammered a few times before getting up to get your father.
During the time he was gone, you shakily unwrapped the present in front of you, pulling a doll about the same size as you out of the box. It was dressed in some sort of Roman garb that flowed off the plush doll. You brought the new toy into your arms and squeezed it tight. It felt so warm and soft against your skin as your sobs quieted and your tears stopped. And that's were everyone found you, curled up in the middle of the floor with your new doll, also starting the "gift finding" tradition.
-present -
It began snowing again, like some cruel reminder that you still had a mile to walk until you reached your friend's house. You shivered slightly, pulling your hood up and burying your face into your scarf. Your feet grew number and number as you trudged through what felt like a blizzard.
"Leave it up to coincidence that my car broke too..." You muttered angrily to yourself, attempting to scuffle your way faster. The icy wind stung your wrists and cheeks, the only parts not covered by clothing.
After about another twenty minutes of walking, you soon saw the familiar Christmas decorations on Romulus' lawn. A few illuminated candy canes, bushes covered in white lights, and a light bulb candle in every window. The pathway to the door had been freshly salted,which was a relief from the snowy hell around you. As you walked down the stone path you noticed that there were no other cars in the driveway.
"Odd...he usually always has a girlfriend over..." You questioned.
-10 years ago-
You dashed into the Vargas household, a small gift in hand with a card attached-a love letter actually- you had written to him, "Merry Christmas Rom...u...lus?" Your words dwindled as you witnessed something of the more "intimate" nature taking place on the living room floor. You screamed in both horror and shock before rushing back out onto the porch, grasping the letter tightly, crumpling it up in your hands before tearing it up into pieces. You already were expecting to be rejected on the spot after you were to give him the letter, but to walk in on him and another girl was all it took to shatter any hope of being with him.
"(name)? Oh gosh (name), I'm so sorry you had to see that..." Romulus apologized through the door, "I didn't think you'd be coming over until later..."
"Well. I'm here now." You hissed bitterly, "Next time tell me when you're going to be screwing some girl." A spark of rage ignited in your chest, sending you into a fit of rage fueled by a jealously you hadn't acknowledged.
"How about Cleo and I get ourselves cleaned up and you can have dinner with us. I'll even hide the present I got you, is that okay?"
"Yeah, I guess so..."You sighed standing up. Still feeling that mixture of heartache, rage, and jealousy.
But that wasn't the only time you felt this way. Nearly every year after that he always had a new girlfriend over for Christmas, and while you would muscle your way though the day,every year your hopes of ever dating him dwindled more and more. But even then, he still took the typical hour out of the day to continue the gift finding tradition he had started. It made you feel special though, you were the only person he had done this with.
-Present-
You wrapped a gloved hand around the front doorknob, twisting it to see if it was unlocked, and it was.
"INTRUDING!" You laughed out as you entered, tapping your toes against the welcome mat to remove some of the packed snow. The house was as warm as you remembered it, the stereotypical scent of cookies in the oven filled the house. You set the large present down carefully then proceeded to remove your snow gear, revealing your favorite sweater with a (f/c) tee underneath, and your black jeans. You picked the present back up and headed farther into the house.
"Rooooooomuluuuuuus!" You called out louder, perhaps he was asleep? A soft laugh caught your attention followed by the light sound of paper fluttering into your view, it was a note.
"Come find your present~" If he was trying to be subtle, then he sure as hell sucked at it. After reading the note again, you felt your heart skip. He was inferring that you find him, and in that case...
"Ah! Snap out of it. He probably forgot a gift this year and this is his way of making it up..." You resolved before trekking off to find your friend, searching through what still felt like an infinite amount of rooms, and meanwhile hiding your present in the shower of the guest bathroom, you found him like you found the first gift 17 years ago, in the closet being crushed by those same miscellaneous objects. He looked down at you, his amber eyes meeting your (colour) ones, and flashed a smile.
"Found you." You laughed with a smile.
"I said find your present, not me." The Roman laughed and mussed up you hair.
"Then...why were you in...the...closet?" You looked at him rather confused.
"Uh...Damn, I had a reason..." He muttered. You shook your head, "Typical scatterbrained Romulus" You chuckled mentally.
BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP! The fire alarm shrieked, sending a quick wave of panic into your gut as you frantically ran out to the kitchen, following the smell of burning gingerbread. Romulus was right behind you and shoved you out of the way once you approached the oven to turn it off. He quickly turned the dial to turn off the stove and flung open the door where angry orange flames lashed out and licked his arms and abdomen, causing him to hiss loudly in pain from the short but intense scorch. He did his best to ignore the searing pain as he grabbed the small fire extinguisher from under the sink and put out the fire. You finally exhaled in relief before noticing Romulus cringing and holding his arms across his stomach. The skin on his arms were a bright red, and if they were that bad, then you could only imagine how much worse his abdomen must have looked.
"C'mon...lets get you fixed up..." You said calmly, leading him to the closest bathroom. The guest bathroom.
Romulus sat on the lid of the toilet and removed his shirt, revealing his tan and chiseled abdomen that was scattered with many a "battle scar"-as he called them-along with his recently obtained second-degree burn that was already blistering. You took a wash cloth from the linen closet and got it damp with lukewarm water before lightly pressing it to the burn, the Roman lowly grumbled in discomfort as you treated him. A blush dusted your cheeks as you carefully patted the wounded area, feeling his perfectly toned muscles he had obtained from his days as a wrestler in high school and college.
You stood up straight and notice the Roman avert his eyes downward slightly then over to the shower where he raised an eyebrow in curiosity, walked over, then pulled back the curtain to reveal the neatly wrapped box you had nearly forgotten about. He took the box and held it, assessing its weight then tore back the wrapping paper, only to see a simple brown box. You watched carefully as he opened the flaps and drew the object from the container, his eyes growing wide with delight as he swung around and propped his leg up on the toilet in some sort of dramatic pose displaying his newly obtained gladiator sword and shield. His smile grew wide as he marveled at the craftsmanship, tilting the sword ever so slightly to test the balance. All you could do was admire him and his fascination as he flexed his shield arm-knowing you had to be watching now-causing his biceps to tighten and ripple against his beautifully tanned skin, then he raised his other arm and flexed, facing his entire torso to you as his muscles became more pronounced. You began to get lost as your eyes followed every crease before becoming distracted by a bright flash of silver.
"Romulus...c-come down here." You ordered and he obeyed, stepping off the lid and back down to you. You focused your eyes on the shimmering object around his neck, it was a silver heart with a diamonds around the edge and your birthstone in the center.
"F-found it." You mumbled, slightly nervous from the close proximity you were to your crush. He smirked, taking note of your sudden nervousness and removed the pendant from around his neck and hung it around yours, his hands lingering behind your neck before resting on each side of your face. You felt every muscle in your body tense up as the space between the both of you disappeared and your lips connected. It was warm and sweet, much like the rest of the atmosphere. He dropped his hands to your hips and you brought your fingers to his soft brown hair, entwining your digits in his curls as you kissed back. You could feel Romulus smile against your lips and slightly chuckle deep in his throat.
"I think this should be a new tradition." He said breaking the kiss.
"What? Setting the oven on fire?" You joked.
"Sure. If that's what you want to call it." Once again he returned to your lips giving them a quick peck before leading you back into the main room to celebrate, more properly this time.