I don't own MR, or any Christmas music mentioned.

"Yeah I do, and nothing you say will change that." Fang was about the most stubborn person on the planet. When he wanted something, he got it. And unfortunately, this was one of those times where he wanted something. Bad.

"But-"

"No buts. Just shut up and please navigate us without crashing into a postal service mailbox like last time, okay?" He joked, trying to lighten the mood. His obsidian eyes sparkled brightly as he chuckled at me. I could actually see them since he had spiked his hair up today, and gelled it in such a way that it still managed to look Fang-ish, even without flopping over his eyes. Something told me he did that for my mom. He wanted to make a very good impression. Which would also explain the blue jeans without holes in them, and the black polo shirt with no Screamo band logos on it. He even took his ear piercing out just for this occasion. Wow, he was going to be really disappointed when we got to my mother's home.

"That was your fault," I mumbled more to myself, thinking back to that day. I usually did most of the driving since every time Fang got in front of the wheel he went at least a thousand miles an hour, never slowing for turns or pedestrians.

However, I had a tendency to sort of daydream about my wonderful boyfriend when he was sitting very close to me in a small car looking hot as ever in his bad-boy get-up. And that had been the day he had gotten his ear pierced which made my eyes wander away from the road even more to, uh, exam him for... injuries. Yeah, didn't want him bleeding out from his ear or anything.

So, while we were passing a Post office, I just happened to be looking over at Fang, about to comment on the current Screamo band tee shirt he had on, when BAM! We crashed into a gigantic dark blue mailbox- or rather, it took advantage of me not looking at the road and jumped in front of me. Fang had reached over to turn the wheel, yelling my name, but it was too late.

"I don't even know how you got your license," Fang had muttered, more angry at the blooding oozing out of my arm than me.

"Threats; lots and lots of threats," I had answered, hoping to lighten the mood, which kind of worked if you can't a half-smile that immediately turned into an angry groan as working.

"Max, green light. I swear, one day I'm going to die, and it's going to because of your attraction to me," Fang chuckled and I rolled my eyes, pressing the gas.

"Whatever floats your boat, Victor's Secret," I told him, turning my attention back to the road.

"Uh, I'm not affiliated with that Max-Term," Fang admitted, a look of confusion melting over his features.

"Victor's Secret, like the guy version of Victoria's Secret?" I explained, only for him to continue looking at me as if I had two heads.

"Just forget it. You know, after fifteen months you'd think you'd have all the basics down," I scolded, making a right onto Daster. Only eight more miles and then I'd have to face her again.

"That is so not a basic Max-Term. I've never heard you use it before," Fang argued, clearly letting his bullheaded-ness take him over.

"I use it with Iggy all the time," I spoke in a duh voice.

"Ah, that would explain it. I normally tune those conversations out. They get a little too weird for me," Fang said, looking out his window at the large grassy fields that lined his side of the road. Light tan grass stretched up towards the setting sun, pleading for it to stay a little longer.

"Iggy, too weird for you? The boy who bites anything and everything if they so much as think about the food that could be in his fridge?" I inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"Food is my hobby, okay? You can't take away my hobby unless you want to get bitten," Fang persisted defensively, as he always did after biting someone who took food from him.

"Yeah, okay. So, anyways," I let my voice trail off, waiting for my boyfriend to start up another amusing conversation to get my mind off the five miles between me and my mom, but he never did. Instead, he just flipped through the stations until he got to one that was playing Christmas music.

For the first verse of Jingle Bell Rock we sat in silence. Then Fang, probably noticing my discomfort, began belting the song out at the top of his lungs, rolling his window down to bless the people around us with his horribly out-of-tune voice.

The cool air snipped and snapped at us as it blew in, but Fang didn't seem to mind as long as he was making me laugh. "JINGLE BELL TIME! IT'S A SWELL TIME! TO GO RIDING IN A ONE-HORSE SLAY!" He yelled, bobbing his head wildly to the beat and messing up his perfectly gelled hair.

I began to sing along with him and the radio despite myself, glad to have this secret moment of forgetting my destination. But alas, it could only last for a moment, because no sooner did the song end, than did we arrive.

"Uh, Max," Fang mumbled, turning down the volume of Jingle Bells as I pulled up into a parking space. A solemn expression had fallen across his face as he stared into the distance at my mother's home.

"Yes?" I asked, already guessing his reaction.

"This is a Cemetery." Fang informed; his eyes darting up to the sign that read:

Decker Cemetery.

"Yes, Fang, I'm aware," I nodded my head once, and took a deep breath, trying to prepare myself. I hadn't visited since the funeral. Cautiously, I undid my seat belt and opened the car door, zipping my jacket up just a little higher as I stepped out. Fang followed my lead, never saying a word as he shut his car door and let me lead the way onto the white sidewalk.

We weaved our way through gravestones and marble angels before finally coming across a rectangular one towards the back of the cemetery.

Valencia Martinez

Loving Mother and Wife.

'Sometimes Different isn't okay,

but you have to be different anyway'

"You say that a lot, Maxie." Fang whispered, staring at the quote I had carved onto Mom's grave.

"Mom always said that when I was feeling really down," I sighed and took in a shaky breath, trying to hold back my already-forming tears. Fang intertwined our fingers together and took his own version of a deep breath.

"Well, I came here to meet your mom, so sit down, this will take awhile," he finally spoke up after a few minutes of eery silence.

"Wh- what?" I stuttered, looking up at him. He towered over me at six three, which was very frustrating at times, but right now it was comforting to know I could bury my face in his shirt and just cry and it would all be okay.

Fang winked at me and kissed my cheek before taking a seat next to my mom's grave and brushing off some dirt. "Hey, Mrs. Valencia, I'm Nicolas Ride, Max's boyfriend of three months, soryy I didn't come see you sooner. I think Max was a little scared to show me off," he started, and I grinned brightly, feeling tears stream down my cheeks as I sat next to him. But not because I was sad, because Fang Ride had to be the best boyfriend ever.

We ended up missing the movie we were going to see, and never went to the dinner he had planned. Instead we spent the rest of the night catching my mom up on the fifteen months she had missed out on.

And I couldn't have asked for a better date.

Just a little sweet one-shot I've had up my sleeve for a while now. I finally decided to write it and BAM! this was the product. I hope you guys like it as much as I do.

Soar on

VR