A/N: Sorry for not updating, I've been busy. (Super sorry!) Here's a Christmas story to make up for it. *throws story at you*
Decorating -
Tennessee stood in the middle of the doorway, the wood door flung wide open letting all the warm air from inside the home rush out into the freezing cold air outside. He stepped inside and pulled the door shut, it fell into place with a heavy "clunk" sound. He looked around the house, Virginia was laying on his side his face facing the back of the almost beige colored couch. He walked across the room's hardwood floor and sat down on the red armchair across from the couch.
"Need some help," asked Tennessee after he got bored of a game on his phone. Virginia snored lightly in response. He shook his brother's shoulder. More snoring. "You called me to help you, why the heck are you still sleeping!" Demanded Tennessee shaking his brother harder. Virginia continued snoring. Tennessee pulled out the couch cushion underneath his brother's head. "What?" Asked Virginia his voice slurred as he sat up slowly blinking. Tennessee fought the urge to kick his brother in the ribs or to stalk off somewhere and bang his head against a wall. Virginia grabbed the couch cushion and stared at the beige fabric in confusion before sloppily replacing it on the couch, and getting to his feet.
"I'm glad that you came," he said finally becoming oriented. Tennessee held his head down as he shook it in fake disapproval and he tried to hide his grin. Virginia picked up one of the many boxes stacked in the corner behind the storm door. He shoved the heavy box into his younger brother's arms. Tennessee balanced it on one arm and opened up the flaps with his free hand to peek inside at its contents. It was filled to the very brim with shiny ornaments, tinsel, garland, tangled strings of vibrantly colored lights, figurines and an assortment of other miscellaneous Christmas decorations. "Sometimes I hate you," Tennessee sat the box down on the kitchen table in the other room. He wrinkled his nose as he pulled out an almost endless string of lights with ornament and glass figurines tangled in its mess of knots. "Aww, is that any way to talk to the person that raised you," asked Virginia in a mock pout and he poked his brother's pale cheek, "And especially at Christmas of all times," he continued in a teasingly sullen voice. Tennessee dropped the Christmas lights, picked up a blue and white plastic ornament from the top of the box and hit his brother on the top of the head with it.
Virginia puffed out his cheeks and then turned around only to come face to face with a ton of freckles and fiery red hair. "Ahh...uh...uh...," Virginia stuttered his vocabulary fleeing his brain temporarily in shock, "Hi Kentucky," he greeted cheerfully after several moments of awkward silence. Kentucky smiled and rolled his eyes. He wordlessly walked around his brother and into the kitchen to help Tennessee with untangling the mess of lights. Moments later there was a series of loud honks from outside and the sound of someone impatiently knocking on the door. "It's unlocked, like always," Virginia called from the kitchen as he pulled out a random sucker from his pocket. He eyed it suspiciously before tearing off the wrapper and sticking the purple, grape flavored piece of candy into his mouth. He crumpled up the wrapper and shoved it back into his pocket.
Two almost identical brown haired teenagers dressed in heavy coats walked in through the door. "I didn't want to come here but somehow he made me," growled the taller of the two brunettes clearly announcing his disapproval. "For some reason I get the feeling you don't want to be here South Carolina," Virginia said obliviously. North Carolina hummed along to the joyful Christmas music that was playing through his earbuds.
South frowned and crossed his arms over his chest, he looked like he personally wanted to rip the earbuds out of his brother's ears. Instead he just punched his younger brother in the arm. North Carolina shot him a weird look as he pulled out an earbud from one ear. "What was that for?" he asked in utter confusion. South Carolina shrugged and fiddled around with the shiny silver zipper on his black coat. "For some reason I think that you'd outlaw joy if you could," North Carolina joked, trying to break his older brother's silence. "I like being happy!" retorted South Carolina in a huff, no understanding the joke, as he turned away from the person who was speaking to him. "Oh, really," asked North as he walked back into his brother's line of sight. "I can be happy. See," South Carolina said and did his best to turn his scowl into a grin. "That's more forced than some of my smiles," Kentucky said startling South from behind. Kentucky smiled genuinely stifling his laughter, "Really it's not that hard to do," he said patting South on the back, and then he handed part of the mess of tangled lights into his older brother's hands.
"What the heck am I supposed to do with these!" Shouted South Carolina, his silver eyes widened at the mess of Christmas decorations in his hands. "You untangle them," Kentucky simplified. "Why would I do that," spat South angrily. "I think that somebody needs to learn how to be nice. You don't want a repeat of the 'Christmas Carol' to happen to you, do you?" Kentucky said removing a snowflake ornament off the lights and placing it in one of the many boxes scattered around the room. South reluctantly helped. Somehow, miraculously only a few minutes later they had it all untangled. Kentucky and South Carolina shared a grin, obviously having the same idea.
"Here you go Virginia," South said shoving the decoration into his brother's hands. Virginia stared at it perplexed then walked off to go put it on the Christmas tree. All of the brothers winced as they heard a loud crash come from the living room. The walked down the hall and into the living room all ready knowing full and well what they would see. Virginia was flat on his back, on the floor, tangled up in the Christmas lights and some popcorn garland that had been lying nearby.
"How?" asked all of his four younger brothers in unison. "I. Don't. Know." exclaimed Virginia, trying, and failing to get to his feet. He tried a second time and actually managed to get up. Tennessee picked up a shiny tree topper that had been lying by his feet. With a goofy grin he placed it on his Virginia's head, over the blonde's cowlick. "I'm the Christmas tree this year!" announced Virginia.
The lights tangled around him lit up and his pale blue eyes widened in shock. "How!" he shouted. Tennessee shrugged and took a step over to hide the fact that he had plugged in the lights. West Virginia looked into the room and held up her hand. "I don't even want to know," she said and walked away. Tennessee, Kentucky, and the Carolinas followed her out. Virginia stood all alone still tangled up in the lights, he started to hop after them. The plug of the lights was yanked out of the wall sending Virginia in a collision course with the floor. Virginia's smile faltered slightly. "Every single year," he muttered under his breath, "Every single year!" He flicked a red bulb, "I seriously hate decorating," he said and then grinned, rolled his eyes, and shook his head.
Suddenly a bright white flash filled the room. Virginia blinked several times trying to rid his sight of the white splotches. West Virginia walked across the room and showed Virginia a picture of himself all tangled in the lights. "This is next years Christmas card," she said with a smug grin and walked away. Virginia sighed and laughed; it was nothing new. He still loved Christmas, and he loved his family even more.