The first ornament that they hung on the tree had "Baby's First Christmas" scrawled across it in red with Kory's face in the middle, framed by the green of the cartoonish tree. It had been a Christmas gift from Gar the first year she was on Earth. He'd thought it was clever. A joke gift that anyone else would have put away and forgotten about but that Kory would love. The other Titans had rolled their eyes at it but she had hung it on their team tree proudly. Something small to remind her that she was from Earth now.
Dick smiled at the memory and hung his own ornament next to it. Something that Kory had gotten him because she'd seen it at a street fair and thought of him. Growing up with Bruce hadn't put him in the habit of collecting ornaments; their tree had always been done up to look like something you'd see in a magazine. Something to keep up the appearance that Bruce was a regular rich person. Even the small things went a long way to preserving that and rich people had no time for nostalgia like ornament collections. The boxes that had started piling up with Kory and her love of ornaments would only grow with time. Something he knew he could look forward to as their life together wore on.
Dick's eyes followed Kory's nimble fingers. They had picked up a large bauble by the hook and she stared at her reflection in the shining surface for a moment before turning around with a smile to hang it on one of the higher branches (one of the ones Dick had trouble reaching). He fell back to sit on the arm of the couch, just to watch her as she decorated the tree.
"Dick," she turned around, her brows drawn together. "Why aren't you decorating with me?"
A plan, foiled because he'd caught Kory's eye. Because nothing ever slipped past her.
"What do you mean?" He pointed at the tree, "I hung one up."
Her hands sat on her hips but she couldn't help but smile. "That's not decorating, Dick Grayson, and you know it."
"Aw, come on," he reached out to tug her closer, her legs coming to stop between his. "I strapped the tree to the top of the car –"
"That was me."
"And I dragged it all the way up the stairs –" He wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Me, again." Her reluctant smile grew and she tipped her head back to keep him from seeing it.
"And I baked with you all week –"
"We haven't baked anything!" She laughed, letting it bubble out of her chest finally after trying to keep it in.
"Oh, yeah?" He smiled and stood, arms still wrapped around her. "You're right, completely slipped my mind." Dick leaned in and kissed her, swallowing her laugh and steadying her with his hands. Kory's fingers found his jaw, tracing it as he kissed her again and again, teasing her with his mouth like he had with his words.
She pulled away with a smile, her other hand on his chest, and eyed him. "You still have to decorate the tree."
"Damn," he rubbed slow circles on her back. "I thought you'd forget about the tree."
She kissed him quick and pushed herself away.
"Not a chance," she danced away from him and plucked another one of her ornaments from the box. "It's one of my favorite Earth holidays, you know that."
"Well, it's everywhere." He smiled and gave in, picking up another one of his ornaments (again, a gift from Kory).
"That's not why I like it." She dug around in the box, searching for another ornament and pulled out a clay sculpture of the two of them one of the fan clubs had sent. "I like the togetherness – it reminds me of my parents. My brother. Even when they're so far away." She hung the small sculpture of an ornament on one of the middle branches and pushed it back to stabilize it.
"Alright, you got me there." He snuck a quick kiss to her cheek and grabbed one of the plainer ornaments in the box. "Christmas with my parents was always a good time, even as simple as it was."
"And with Bruce?" She turned to him, an ornament dangling from one of her hands.
Dick shrugged. "They weren't bad. Just a little quiet, a little lonely sometimes. I never wanted for anything." They both hung another ornament at the same time. "Alfred always took care of me."
Kory nodded and looked in the box of ornaments again, choosing another fan club gift to hang on the tree. His upbringing with Bruce had always worried her in ways she couldn't quite put a name to. The few times they had worked with Batman as a team, he had taken charge and pushed Dick into the background until Dick had pushed back. He was too used to being a leader unquestioned. The kind of power and entitlement that came with that made her uncomfortable. The kind of man that acted like that had brought Dick up and she didn't know what to think about that.
Those were thoughts she chose not to voice, there would be a better time. A better place for that. Talking about Dick's foster father and his endless well of emotional issues while decorating the tree wasn't her idea of fun. She pushed the thought away and hung another ornament, reaching into the box behind her blindly, coming up with nothing but air. She looked over at Dick.
"Something missing?" Dick asked her, the last ornament dangling from between his forefinger and thumb.
"Funny – are you going to hang it?" She pointed at the tree and Dick shrugged, hanging it on one of the lower branches.
And then, their tree was done. So little time and it was done. The ornaments hung on the tree at odd intervals, leaving spots on the tree that were entirely unused. It looked odd. It would look better with the lights wrapped around it. Some tinsel draped over it and the angel on top. Kory could see it in her mind's eye and it didn't look too bad.
Dick leaned over and kissed her cheek again, his nose nuzzling against her skin as they wrapped around each other.
Dick set his chin on Kory's shoulder. "So – are you ready to watch Scrooged?"
"Not again," Kory wrinkled her nose. "Miracle on 34th Street sounds much better."
Dick pulled back to look at her. "Is this going to turn into a Christmas movie war?"
She shrugged at him. "Not if you watch Miracle on 34th Street."