Another belated Christmas oneshot. This time, it's ReaderxShaun! *cheers* for all those Shaun fangirls out there! This one was quite hard, especially the end. Like I said, I'm new to writing romance. ^^; If it gets confusing, let me know. "Blinding" means "fantastic," by the way. If I'm wrong, let me know =) Hope you all enjoy this and Shaun's little rant XD Merry belated Christmas!
A Blinding Christmas
ReaderxShaun
December 24th, 2011
You watched him from one of the safehouse's windows, with one hand holding onto the curtain. He was outside in the snow, sitting on one of the forest trail benches. Your eyebrows creased in concern as he shifted, letting out a puff of breath from his lips, shivering.
"He's been out there for a few hours," Lucy informed you, looking up from her computer. You looked back over your shoulder, and saw that her face held as much concern as you. "He just went out there and sat on the bench." The blonde moved her gaze from you to the man sitting outside. "He hasn't moved from that spot. And he's been quiet for weeks." You knew that. The historian would do nothing but stay in his room or work on the computer, rarely saying anything at all.
"...I'm worried about him," you confessed, looking outside the window again with softened eyes. "It's going to get dark soon," you added, staring at the sun as it shone from behind the treetops. After a moment of worried silence, you sighed. "I'm going to talk to him." You turned around, looking Lucy in the eye with reassurance. "Don't worry. I'll get that idiot inside before he freezes to death." Lucy nodded, and returned to her computer.
You walked over to the front door, grabbing your coat from the coatrack and putting it on, before taking your scarf and wrapping it around your neck. You sighed as you stood there, before grabbing the doorknob and opening the door.
You winced as the freezing weather hit you, your face and hands going cold. Taking a deep, shivering breath, you managed to fight off the cold as you silently closed the front door and walked down the barely visible trail. With your hands stuffed in your coat pockets, you stopped beside the bench, watching the man, who still had yet to acknowledge you.
"Hey," you said softly, and the man looked at you, his glasses shimmering as he turned in his seat.
"Hello, (Your Name)," he replied in his British accent, his tone as soft as yours, but it sounded unhappy, and that worried you. This wasn't the smartass, sarcastic man you knew. Said man looked straight ahead again, staring at the snow-covered mountains and trees in the distance.
"May I join you?" His reply was a silent nod, and you sat down next to him, before following his gaze. Although this was a nice moment, just sitting with your friend and staring at the mountains, you still wanted to know why he was acting like this. So after a few minutes of staring at the beautiful landscape, you broke the silence with the question you wanted to ask him.
"Are you alright, Shaun?" You were facing him now, watching for a reaction. He gave a wry laugh at your question, and you realized that the real Shaun was back.
"Am I alright?" he echoed, still laughing. "Of course I'm alright. I'm perfectly fine. Yes sir, there's absolutely nothing wrong with Mr. Shaun Hastings." You raised an eyebrow as he said all of this with fake joy. I shouldn't have asked if he was going to be so sarcastic about it, you thought annoyingly. "Yes, I'm completely-No, I'm not alright!" You leaned back in surprise when he raised his voice. This was unlike him, to lose his composure over a simple question. Something must have really been bothering him, and you had a feeling that you were going to find out what.
"One December morning, I was happy as can be, drinking my tea, enjoying myself, until all of this...this Christmas cheer began!" As usual, he was gesturing wildly with his hands. "Everywhere, nothing but Christmas this and Christmas that! Little kids sitting on the lap of some stranger who claims to be Santa!" His tone changed, making it high to impersonate a child. " 'Santa, I want this, I want that. I want a pony! I want a huge fortress to fight off the dragons and goblins!' " He made a sound of disgust before he went on. "Christmas ads, Christmas shopping, gift wrapping, stocking stuffing, all of it!" You watched Shaun with wide eyes. Where was he going with this?
"Now all of this was happening around me, and you would think I ignored it, but no, not this time. I just watched, wondering about what all of these people are so happy about. Ha, Jesus wasn't even born this month!" He looked at you, raising an eyebrow. "I would continue with that topic, but that's for another time. Anyways, I watched everyone as days and days went by, and I was suddenly becoming depressed. Ha!" He was grinning like a crazy man by now. "Me, depressed. Can you imagine?" Honestly, you couldn't. The British man faced forward again. "I was confused, and searched for an answer to why I was so depressed. I searched and searched and searched until...it suddenly hit me!" He turned to you. "You know what it is?" You didn't answer. Hell, you were too afraid to say one word after watching him lose it.
"I'm a lonely man, (Your Name)," Shaun said slowly with an earnest tone, and he suddenly stood to his feet, throwing his arms up into the air as he walked forward a few steps. "Christmas, the happiest time of the year!" he shouted sarcastically, his words echoing off of the trees and mountains of the forest, and you watched him, shocked. He spun around to face you, and you jumped slightly, but that went unnoticed as he held up an index finger. "No, not for Shaun Hastings!" He began walking back and forth, gesturing wildly. "Families are getting together. They're all happy, laughing and eating their Christmas feasts. Singing carols, hugging, kissing, giving each other gifts." His tone has softened somewhat at this, with a far off look in his eyes, and you wanted to say something, but you weren't given the chance when he shook his head, continuing.
"I left my family years ago when I joined the assassins. I have no family to celebrate Christmas with. And when I realized this, I became even more depressed, and did nothing but sit in silence and think about my miserable life, just like what you saw earlier." He laughed. "Then I realized how much of an ass I've been to everyone. No wonder I have no friends." Now you really wanted to say something, to deny Shaun's words and tell him that you're his friend, but, once again you weren't given the chance. He had leaned towards you (a bit too close, you noted), and mumbled warily, "I just figured they thought I was too smart for them." Although you wanted to laugh at that, the close proximity made you blush, forgetting to laugh, and you were grateful that the cold had made your face red. Shaun sighed, leaning back from you and staring at the mountains again. "This isn't the first time I've realized how lonely I am, but...it's the first time it affected me like this." He chuckled. "Look at me, ranting on about my problems to you. I shouldn't have you worrying about me." The historian shook his head in disbelief, running a hand through his hair. "I could've just said no to your question instead of acting like a madman and telling you everything."
You watched him for a moment, before opening your mouth to finally say something. "Yeah, you could have." The historian looked at you with wide eyes, and you smiled at him. "But you didn't. You let your feelings get the better of you. You told me what's been making you so depressed, and I'm glad you did, because now I understand." He blinked at you, and you waited a moment before you look him in the eyes.
"Listen," you began, taking a deep breath. "You may not have a family to celebrate with, and yes, you're a complete ass sometimes..." Shaun grinned guiltily at that, and you couldn't help but smile. "But, that won't stop me from saying this..." You suddenly move forward and lightly hug Shaun, your arms wrapping around his neck, with your chin resting on his shoulder. You felt him tense at the action, and you noticed how warm it was to be against him. You wanted to stay like that, hugging him, relishing in the body warmth you both shared in this blistering cold. But that would have to wait for some other time. You had to knock him out of it. This behavior of his was worrying you to death, and it was too much to bear.
A sigh left your lips, and you said, "I'm your friend, Shaun, you can tell me anything." You narrowed your eyes. "And most importantly, you're not alone. You have me, Lucy and Rebecca. We've been working together for so long, and you think you have no friends?" Shaun was silent, and you pulled back from him, frowning.
"And I can worry about you if I want!" you told the historian, somewhat peeved about him thinking you shouldn't care about him. Shaun's mouth was hanging open as he stared at you with wide eyes. "As I said before, I'm your friend, and I..." You paused at that, blushing as you looked to the side. "I...hate seeing you like this, Shaun." You looked up at him, daring to look him in the eyes as you continued, "This isn't like you. I miss the smart, funny, sarcastic, Shaun Hastings. I want my friend back." You began to get annoyed at his unresponsiveness, and you angrily pointed at him, the tip of your finger pressing against his forehead. "This depressed Shaun Hastings better get going soon, because I'm going to beat the living shit out of him soon if he doesn't suck it up and admit that people care about him!" Satisfied with your words, you lowered your hand, panting. Shaun still had yet to say something, and you sighed. You turned to stare at the mountains again, leaning back in your seat and crossing your arms.
You were both silent, staring at the mountains and trees just like when you first joined him. For some reason, the weather had gotten colder for you, and you were wondering if it was because of that hug you gave Shaun. He was quite warm, you found yourself musing. Shivering, you rubbed your arms to help fight off the cold, biting your lip as your face became numb.
You heard Shaun sigh, and you blink as an arm was suddenly wrapped around your shoulders, pulling you against a familiar warm body. "Congratulations (Your Name), you brought the real Shaun back," he told you, and you grinned, leaning against his side and resting your head on his shoulder.
"I'm glad," you replied. "I don't how I would be able to survive with you being depressed." Shaun chuckled, and you felt his body tremble with the sound.
"You care about me that much?" he asked, amused.
Raising your head to look up at him, you raised an eyebrow, and replied with a grin, "Don't push it." You received a laugh from the Brit, and you simply rolled your eyes before resting your head on his shoulder. "We should go back inside," you added, glancing at the safehouse. "I told Lucy I would get you back before you freeze to death."
"Well I can tell you one thing," Shaun muttered, taking off his glasses and cleaning them with his scarf. He let out a shuddering breath as he placed the spectacles back on his nose. "I think you've breached that promise."
"Not my fault," you replied wittily, standing up from your seat. "You're the one who thought it would be a great idea to stay out here." You watched him as he stood up as well, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
He smiled at you with a small shrug. "I stand corrected."
You and Shaun were standing at the safehouse's doorstep, eager to get back inside the warm building. Shaun held the door open for you, and you walked in, with him following. He turned around to close the door, but he stopped when he spotted a Christmas wreath on the door. "What on Earth...?" he muttered, and you looked at him, only to become confused as well when you saw the garland. Shaun raised an eyebrow and looked at you. "Are you responsible for this?" he asked you, and you shook your head. The historian moved to say something, but he stopped when Christmas songs were heard from down the hall. Now you raised an eyebrow, and you gestured for Shaun to follow you as you walked down the hall, following the sound of the music.
"Hey! Merry Christmas, guys!" Rebecca shouted as she spotted the both of you walking into the living room. You and the historian blinked, eyes widening as you looked around the living room.
The room was coated with Christmas decorations. There were lights of red and green hanging around the room, suspended on the beams and even on the ceiling fan. Above the fireplace were four stockings, each one with a name, including yours and Shaun's. In one corner of the room, stood a Christmas tree, decorated with lights and ornaments, and a golden star at the top.
"Rebecca," Shaun addressed the woman slowly, looking around. "What have you done to the place?"
"It was my idea," Lucy stated, walking out of the kitchen with her arms crossed. She smiled and added, "Thought it would bring your spirits up, Shaun."
Rebecca nodded from her seat on the couch. "Yeah, and it's Christmas Eve," she exclaimed, her eyes gleaming with excitement. "No one can be sad on Christmas, right?" Shaun smiled, and you could tell he was thinking about what you had said to him earlier.
He turned to you, raising an eyebrow and holding his hands out to the side. "Alright, I admit it. I'm not alone after all."
You laughed and turned to the historian, crossing your arms. "So," you began. "What do you say?" Shaun shrugged, pushing up his glasses.
"Who said an assassin doesn't know how to celebrate Christmas with friends?" he asked, chuckling, and you smiled. You and Shaun moved to join Rebecca and Lucy at the couch.
"Whoa whoa whoa," Rebecca exclaimed, gesturing with her hands for you both to stop. "Hold it right there, guys." You and Shaun both stopped, confused.
You raised an eyebrow, and asked, "Why, what's wrong?" Lucy grinned, and pointed to the ceiling. You and Shaun blinked, before looking up, to find a mistletoe hanging above you both. You felt your face redden and you turned to Lucy, mouthing, "You put that there on purpose, didn't you?" You received a smirk as a reply, and you reddened even more. You looked at Rebecca, to find her snickering behind her hand.
"You know the rules," the techie said, grinning. "You guys have to kiss."
"You can't be serious," you muttered, looking from Rebecca to Lucy. From the looks on their faces, you could tell they were, in fact, dead serious. You looked at Shaun and found him staring at the women with a raised eyebrow.
"You planned this?" he asked them, looking from Rebecca to Lucy.
Lucy smiled with a nod, and uttered, "Of course." You narrowed your eyes, your blush becoming more evident.
"Ohh no," you drawled, shaking your head. "There's no way-"
"You have to," Rebecca cut in. "Christmas tradition, remember?" You glared at her and ran a hand through your hair, aggravated.
You gritted your teeth. "I don't give a flying fu-"
"Oh alright," Shaun interrupted, annoyed, and you blinked. You felt a hand touch your face, gently raising your chin, then an arm wrapped itself around your midsection, pulling you against a firm body. You felt a gentle pressure pressing lightly against your lips, and your eyes widened. Shaun Hastings, the British, sarcastic smartass who always pisses people off, was kissing you, and...and it felt wonderful. You slowly closed your eyes as Shaun pulled you closer to him, and you returned the kiss, putting as much pressure into it as he was. The kiss was a quick one, and Shaun pulled back to look at the other women in the room.
"There. Satisfied?" he asked them, lowering his hand on your face to rest on your shoulder, but he didn't release his hold on you. Lucy nodded as Rebecca gave the Brit a thumbs up.
"Very," the blonde replied, smiling. Although you were a bit dazed, you could tell that she was happy for you.
"Way to go, Shaun!" Rebecca cheered, raising a glass of soda up in congratulations.
"Why thank you, Rebecca!" Yep, Shaun Hastings is back, you found yourself thinking as Shaun continued, "Now why don't you run along and make some gingerbread cookies or something, hm?" Rebecca only laughed and chose to talk to Lucy, giving you and Shaun some privacy.
Shaun looked down at you, smiling. "Now, that wasn't so bad, was it?" he asked, referring to the kiss. You returned the smile, your blush disappearing.
"I didn't say it would be bad," you replied, resting your head on the Brit's shoulder.
"Really?" he asked, amused. "Because if I remember correctly, you didn't want to kiss." You punched him on the shoulder lightly, laughing.
"Shut up, already," you muttered under your breath, raising your head to look into his brown eyes. "I liked it, okay? And what about you? What do you think?" You watched him, eager to hear his answer.
Shaun chuckled softly, before raising a hand to your face. He brushed his thumb against your cheek, smiling warmly as he uttered, "Blinding."