Hey! So I wrote this for Meg for the Stitchers Secret Santa on Tumblr. Hope you all enjoy it as well! (If you read When It All Falls Apart, I'm still working on it, just got sidetracked by life/holiday fics.)
Sometimes it surprised Kirsten how often Camille got her way.
Then she remembered that Camille was an absolute force of nature. Everything made sense after that.
This time it was a gift exchange in the Stitch Lab. Camille had been pushing hard for some sort of Secret Santa exchange. Never mind that half of the lab didn't celebrate Christmas. Camille had somehow convinced Maggie that a gift exchange would be a boost to morale. It would promote warmth and caring between the staff. After all they couldn't be 100% truthful with anyone else. That was one of the (many) drawbacks of their job.
In the end, Maggie caved as long as Camille called the thing 'Secret Snowflake.' Everyone wrote their name on a piece of paper and tossed it into a knit cap of Camille's. They drew names one by one, leaving Kirsten for last.
The neat, rounded script on her slip spelled out a name Kirsten hadn't wanted.
Chelsea.
The brunette was nice and all, but Kirsten wasn't familiar enough with her to buy a gift. To be honest, Kirsten wasn't sure she could think of something to give to any of her coworkers. Cameron or Linus would be easier. She could pick Camille's brain for ideas in that case. Her roommate wouldn't be the worst either. If Kirsten wandered around the mall long enough, something would shout Camille's name at her eventually.
After the name draw, everyone had dispersed. Camille followed Kirsten as she headed for the locker room. Her fingers pulled lightly at the blonde's cardigan, trying to stop her. Kirsten slowed down and faced the brunette near the doorway.
"Are you interested in a trade?" Camille held up her folded slip of paper. "If you have me or like your pick, you don't have to."
Kirsten pressed her lips together. "Wasn't this whole 'random draw' thing your idea?"
Camille smirked. "Yes, but I thought you might want Cameron." She waved the name in the air again. The teasing lilt to Camille's voice grated at Kirsten's nerves.
Kirsten's hand darted out to take it. She recognized rather than read Cameron's name off of it. His actual handwriting was legible. His signature was anything but.
"I'll trade you Chelsea for him," Kirsten offered.
Camille took the slip with a smile. She mimed spitting into her hand then shook Kirsten's. "You've got yourself a deal, roomie." As soon as the trade was done, Camille split.
At first Kirsten thought shopping for Cameron would be easy. She thought wrong. At the mall and online there were tons of things that he would like. The problem was that they had a ten dollar limit.
At least it was a problem for Kirsten. Everyone else had no problem with their picks. When Tim had drawn his name out of the hat, he had announced enigmatically that he knew exactly what he was getting his person. Ayo had asked everyone about whether or not Maggie had any food allergies. Alex had even been showing pictures of the pizza cutter he bought for Linus.
After several days Kirsten asked Camille how her shopping went. Her intent was to get an idea for Cameron's gift. Camille had bought a chocolate bar and a Hufflepuff lanyard for Chelsea's work badge. It was the perfect gift for her, really. Kirsten couldn't see herself buying something like that for Cameron though. He meant so much more to her than that.
Kirsten mulled over what Cameron would want if money were no object. She observed him both at work and after. There didn't seem to be anything obvious.
The constant tangle of nerves in Kirsten's stomach grew. She was about to give in when she saw Cameron at his desk. He had picked up the silver frame that sat there. His fingers traced the image on it. Kirsten tried to figure out why a sad smile had crept across his face.
Then she remembered who the photo was of. Snippets of a conversation they'd had a few weeks back replayed in her head. Pieces sorted themselves together until they neatly fit.
Kirsten knew exactly what she would get Cameron. She just hoped she had enough time.
It never surprised Cameron how often Camille got her way.
What surprised him was how quickly they caved this time.
Cameron hated the idea of doing a gift exchange. Sure, he loved giving gifts, but this whole Secret Snowflake had put a serious damper on his holiday plans. He'd purchased Kirsten's gift just after Halloween. Linus' present had been stashed in a closet since just after the Fourth of July. Cameron had even picked out a gift for Camille already, but he hadn't bought it yet. He had thought he was done with the stress of finding the perfect gift.
For that reason, he was overwhelmingly relieved when he pulled Alex's name out of the hat. It was hard to gauge who anyone else had. The whole team had been shockingly covert in that moment. Tim was the only one who seemed genuinely pleased with his assignment. That meant he definitely did not have Cameron.
Out of everyone in the Stitch Lab, Alex was actually the easiest person to shop for. He had a small collection of bobbleheads on his desk. The company that made them had recently released a new line based on one of Alex's favorite shows. It would be quick and painless for Cameron to buy one for him.
Chelsea approached him about a trade. She wanted to give him the chance to have Kirsten as a giftee. Cameron nearly took her up on her offer, but decided that he wanted to stick with Alex. Luckily, Chelsea didn't want Alex's name for the same reason. She'd already picked something out for her boyfriend.
As the time drew closer for the exchange everyone started to get more excited. Cameron hadn't figured out any of the pairings though. Everyone was extremely cautious around him. He did have a tendency to blab so it wasn't a shock that people tried not to confide in him.
On the day of the Secret Snowflake party everyone brought in various things to share. Sandwiches, snacks, and several different kinds of cookie covered every inch of the big table in the break room. A giant stack of gifts sat on one of the smaller tables. It sat in the middle of a giant circle of chairs. Once everyone was seated, Camille handed out the gifts and pieces of paper with everyone's name on them.
"Okay so here's how we're going to do this. Starting with Tim, we'll each open our gifts one by one, clockwise around the circle." She held up a sheet of paper and a small wrapped gift for everyone to see. "We're all going to try and guess who everyone had. For example, if you thought I was Kirsten's Secret Snowflake you would write my name next to hers on your paper. Whoever has the most answers right gets this bonus gift. So don't reveal yourself just yet!"
They started with Tim, just like Camille had said. He tore open the paper to reveal a large package of his favorite coffee. There was a giant stripe of duct tape on it that proclaimed that it was solely for Tim's enjoyment, no one else's. He seemed pleased, but unsurprised by the coffee.
Alex went next. He laughed when he saw the bobblehead, then pulled it from its box. Cameron let out a sigh of relief when Alex announced that he didn't have that one yet. Chelsea was next to him. She pulled a chocolate bar and a black and yellow lanyard out of her wrapping paper. Once she realized what the lanyard was for, she transferred her work badge over to it and slipped the thing over her neck.
Maggie opened her gift with precision, gently peeling off the tape. Her eyes widened when she saw the Oreo cheesecake brownies. She broke a piece off of one and started eating it while Ayo opened her gift. It took Cameron a moment to figure out that it was a tea infuser. Little butterfly charms hung off of the end of it.
Kirsten opened her gift next. She tilted in her head in confusion as she pulled a mug out of her gift bag. Her fingers ran lightly over the green knitting that wrapped around the cup. Chelsea gnawed on her lower lip as Kirsten continued to inspect her gift.
"This mug has a sweater." The corner of her mouth tilted up. "So it stays warm longer. That's smart."
Kirsten smiled briefly at Cameron before pointing at the envelope in his hand. It was large and silver, but deceptively light. Cameron slid his finger under the seal, trying not to completely destroy the paper. A small sheet of yellow paper fell out. It was thin and had the words 'While You Were Out' at the top. His Secret Snowflake had filled out the page. It let him know that he had missed a call from someone called Mercury. Their name had about eight numbers following it like an e-mail address. The note at the bottom told him that this person would call back at three o'clock, which was in five minutes.
Cameron frowned at the paper. He had no idea what kind of present he had just received. Camille had him read the message out loud. Everyone in the room looked just as puzzled as he did.
Linus waited a moment for Cameron to finish. Then he continued the circle. He found a pizza cutter at the bottom of his gift bag. It was a bright shade of red with his name written across the top.
Camille was the last person to receive a gift. She played with the package for a moment before she opened it. The item flexed in her hands. Camille threw her head back and laughed when she finally tore open the paper. Her Secret Snowflake had bought her a set of lock picks. Maggie's lips flickered into a pleased smile, almost too quick for Cameron to notice.
As they all stood to throw away their garbage, Cameron's phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket and read the display. It was a video call from the same name that was on the message notice he had received. He ducked out of the break room to answer.
Cameron wasn't sure what to expect when he swiped his finger across the screen. The face he saw was probably one of the last ones he would've guessed.
"Duckie!" a warm voice called from the phone, sounding like she was in the room instead of on the other side of the country.
Cameron closed his eyes and pushed down the wave of homesickness that washed over him. It was his grandmother, his dad's mom. Grandma Goodkin had been the only person solidly in Cameron's corner for as long as he could remember. She was the polar opposite of Grandma Harris, who barely tolerated children. Grandma Goodkin was the textbook example of what a grandmother should be. She gave the best hugs and made the best cocoa. Whenever his parents had been too overprotective, GG had been the one to talk them down. She was the one who had taught Cameron how to cook. He had a whole book of secret heirloom recipes she had passed down to him.
"I miss you. I'm so sorry I haven't been able to get out there recently. Work has been really hectic lately."
Cameron took in all of the new things about his grandmother's face. She'd purchased new glasses since he saw her last. Her hair was a touch shorter and looked like it had some sort of product in it. Cameron rarely got to see new pictures of his grandmother. He had to wait for her friends to print pictures from their social gatherings. She would send them along sporadically.
"It's fine, lovey. Rosie and Florence have been keeping me on my toes." GG's eyes twinkled behind her new glasses. "Although you're welcome to bring yourgirlfriend to visit Florida any time you like."
Cameron frowned slightly at the girlfriend comment. The past few weeks GG had been asking him whether he had a girlfriend. Now she was outright saying he had one. Cameron decided to ignore it in favor of asking her a different question. "So last time we talked you claimed you were never picking up your tablet again. What changed?"
GG shifted slightly causing everything below her mouth to disappear from the screen. She pulled the device closer, which made it so only her mouth was visible. "Well it's really easy to work one of these once you get an instruction book." She held up a thick stack of papers all bound together with a black binding comb. "Kirsty also used her remote control to help teach me. She and I have been practicing enough that I got the hang of it. My name on the video messaging thing was her idea. I guess my initials stand for mercury or something. It was sciencey though so we thought you'd appreciate it. I really like her. She's a keeper, Duckie."
Cameron looked over his shoulder toward the breakroom. He noticed a flash of movement and blonde hair by the door. He bit his lip and smiled briefly. So Kirsten was his Secret Snowflake which meant she was probably the one watching, making sure everything turned out okay.
"She's not my girlfriend." Cameron shook his head slowly. "And she prefers Kirsten by the way."
GG's expression was far too all-knowing. Her eyes swept over him like they had a thousand times before. She had always been able to suss out whether or not he was lying, even if it was just about sneaking a cookie before dinnertime.
"Not for lack of wanting, Duckie," she told him enigmatically. "Also Kirsty told me that I could call her that."
Cameron smiled at the thought of the two most important people in his life bonding. He continued to catch up with the one, while thinking of the other.
Kirsten twitched in impatience as she watched Camille and Linus tally the results of the Secret Snowflake guessing game. They'd given up on Cameron after Kirsten had left to check on him. Camille declared he had very little chance of winning anyway, which was hard to argue with.
She wanted Cameron to come back through the door and tell her whether or not he liked her gift. It was hard to tell from what she had overheard. Was the gift too much? Not enough? Should she go find his actual Christmas gift and give it to him? There was no way he'd hate the sweater she bought him. It had cute little Tardises stitched across the front.
Kirsten had never really experienced this kind of thing before. Her temporal dysplasia didn't allow her to feel the passage of time. She could blink away tedious seconds and hours. With her nerves in this state, each moment allowed another doubt-laden question to take root. It was so frustrating to feel like this.
A strange growling noise pulled Kirsten from her thoughts. It seemed to be coming from Camille. The brunette's eyes narrowed at Tim. She crumpled up a piece of paper and threw it at the engineer.
"You picked yourself?" Camille realized how shrill she sounded and paused. "I mean, dude, you pulled your name the first time so we let you pick again. Did you really try to rig it so you'd get yourself?"
Alex shook from his efforts not to laugh. Chelsea tried to hide her amusement, but she soon dissolved into giggles. Even Maggie looked entertained by the situation. Kirsten couldn't help smiling either.
Camille glared at everyone. "You're all terrible." She rolled her eyes and shook out the paper in her hands. "The winner of the guessing game was Ayo with a perfect score, although I have zero idea how she figured out Tim."
Ayo shrugged slightly. "It wasn't that hard. Nearly all of you told me who you had or asked for my opinion about your gift." She walked over to Camille and took the small box that contained her prize. Kirsten already knew it was a candle, but pretended that she didn't.
Kirsten's leg jerked when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and read the display. Cameron had texted her.
best. gift. ever. thanks, snowflake :)
Kirsten smiled at the screen. The tension slowly drained from her body and was replaced by a steady warmth. Cameron liked his present. Kirsten looked around at her coworkers who were in full-on party mode. She rose from her chair and left without anyone noticing.
When Kirsten snuck out the door, she practically expected to see Cameron waiting for her. He was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed. His chin lifted from where it was tucked into his chest. Kirsten walked over and leaned against the wall next to him. The smile Cameron gave her lit up his entire face.
"So Kirsty, it seems like you and my grandmother are like this." Cameron crossed his middle and index fingers.
Kirsten wrinkled her nose at the nickname. "Only Hannah gets to call me that."
Cameron arched an eyebrow at her. "Hannah?"
"You did know that's her first name, right?" Kirsten teased. "Besides you do have a rather large number of nicknames for me that only you get to use. She can have one."
Cameron nodded. He took a deep breath and smiled at Kirsten. "Thank you. I don't know how you got GG to work her tablet. I've been trying for two months. I was starting to think that she was never going to learn."
"It wasn't too hard. I used remote access to install everything and to help teach her. I made step-by-step directions with pictures and numbered instructions for her to follow. Then I printed, bound, and overnighted them. We practiced for a week or so." A smirk tugged at the corner of her mouth. "Hannah had some really cute stories about you, Duckie."
Cameron wrinkled his nose. "I'm sure she did." He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up even more.
Kirsten smiled. "She really loves you. It's cute." Her smile grew as Cameron blushed. He looked at the ground then back up at Kirsten.
Cameron pushed off of the wall and shoved his hands in his pockets. He inclined his head toward the rest of the lab. "Come here." He walked backwards until Kirsten started to follow him, then he turned around.
They made their way over to the heart of the lab. Cameron stopped once he reached his desk. He rummaged around in his file cabinet, searching for a folder. He finally stopped at one and took a deep breath. He stood up and handed the folder to Kirsten.
Kirsten took the folder in both hands. She held it shut and looked up at Cameron. A pink tinge spread across his skin, starting at his neck and rising higher. His breathing increased slightly, two breaths for every one and a half of Kirsten's.
He was nervous.
Kirsten ran her finger along the edge of the folder. "What is this?"
Cameron licked his lips before answering. "It's your Christmas present." He balled up his hand and hid his mouth behind it.
Kirsten paused to take a breath before she opened the folder. She could practically feel Cameron staring at her. It took a moment for Kirsten to process what she was looking at.
There was a piece of heavy paper mounted on a backing inside. Kirsten held it at its edges. Cameron took the folder from her. She stared at the drawing, taking in all of the details of it. The artwork was reminiscent of a comic book cover. There were two figures on the page, a blonde female and a brunette male. The blonde was wrapped all up in white with a strong look on her face. The brunette was clad all in red with absurdly tall hair. They stood back to back as though they were looking for trouble.
Kirsten looked over at Cameron. He was watching her expectantly, gauging her reaction. Kirsten couldn't help the smile that was threatening to overtake her face. She felt the urge to pull Cameron into a hug.
Or maybe it was something else.
"The Adventures of Death Stare and Captain Big Hair? You made me into a hero?" She asked slowly.
Cameron moved closer. "You already are a hero. I just had someone draw you as one." He stood next to her and pointed to a signature in the corner. "We would've looked like blobby crayon people if I had. I commissioned this artist on the internet and sent her pictures. She's really talented, right?"
"Yeah." Kirsten knocked her shoulder against Cameron's. "We look really good together."
Cameron cleared his throat and looked away. "We work really well together."
Kirsten bit her lip to keep the words from coming out, but they did anyway. "Do you ever wonder - " Seeing Cameron's unsettled expression, she shook her head. "Never mind."
Cameron turned so they were facing each other, nearly touching. "Wonder what?" His voice was so soft, nearly pleading.
There were so many things Kirsten could say, but she felt like words weren't going to be enough. There was too much going on in her head. She couldn't shake all the things that Camille, Linus, and even Hannah had said about her relationship with Cameron.
If ever there was a moment, this was it. Kirsten set her gift down gingerly and moved toward Cameron, never breaking eye contact.. Her heartbeat picked up, thrumming much harder throughout her body. She barely had to tilt her head to look him in the eye.
Kirsten reached her hand out, pausing with it in midair for a moment. She slowly moved it until it held the side of Cameron's neck. She flexed her fingers. Her thumb grazed along the delicate skin under his jaw. Cameron inhaled sharply. He looked at her in that heartbreakingly vulnerable way he so often did. All the power was in Kirsten's hands.
This moment had been something Kirsten had been thinking about for a while. She wanted to make sure it happened the right way. Kirsten leaned forward, tilting her mouth toward Cameron's. She barely brushed her fingers against his chin, guiding him toward her. They met in the middle for a whisper of a kiss. A tingling sensation travelled through Kirsten's veins. Her heart sang. The kiss was brief and gentle, but laid all of Kirsten's cards out on the table.
It lasted just long enough to leave Kirsten breathless. She found it hard to draw air into her lungs. Cameron looked just as affected. His expression was so open, waiting for Kirsten to speak.
"We should definitely do that again," she whispered. Her words were barely out when Cameron pulled her into his body.
One of his hands splayed across Kirsten's back. The other cupped the back of her neck. He kissed her like he was dying of thirst and she was the rain. It felt like the were both drowning in each other, pulled along by some invisible current. Kirsten crushed the front of his shirt in her hands. She was half afraid she'd tear it with how hard she was tugging on the material.
Their pace became less wrapped her arms around Cameron's waist. His hands travelled from her back to frame her face. Kirsten could feel the curve of Cameron's smile against her lips. He pulled back to pepper several kisses along the corner of her mouth.
Cameron finally rested his forehead against Kirsten's. His breathing had become shaky. His thumbs traced meaningless designs on her cheeks. A bubbling feeling welled up in Kirsten's chest. Her smile was so wide that it hurt her face. She pulled back far enough to see his eyes.
"That was, um, wow," Cameron stumbled over his words. "I just - wow."
Kirsten placed her hands over Cameron's. He melted further into her. "'Wow' is a really good word for it."
Kirsten's phone chirped. She released her hold on Cameron to look at it. The message was from Camille, asking where they were. Cameron groaned loudly when Kirsten read the text aloud. "Do we really have to go back to the party?"
Kirsten smirked at his reaction. She really didn't want to go back either, but she knew that they should. "So you'd rather stay out here and make out some more?"
Cameron shrugged. "Stay out here, find a nice closet, go to my place. I'm really not that choosy."
Kirsten kissed Cameron quickly, pulling away before either of them got caught up. "We'll finish this up later." She turned around and walked toward the breakroom. She made it three steps before she heard Cameron's voice.
"We will?"
The uncertainty in Cameron's voice made Kirsten turn back toward him. That vulnerability was back. "You're my person. This - " She gestured between them. " - is just another part of that."
Cameron smiled warmly. His whole body seemed to be bursting with joy. Kirsten held out her hand for his. She waited until Cameron threaded his fingers through hers before walking back to the party.