Amelia stood in the living room, her face and arms covered in scratches and body dotted with bruises, as she admired her hard work. She had gotten off work early, and had decided to spend the rest of her day picking out a Christmas tree to surprise her girlfriend. Technically, this was Arizona's house. Amelia had moved in after Meredith kicked her out, and had stayed even after she and her sister made up. She knew Arizona wouldn't mind her decorating, though. The blonde absolutely loved Christmas, and had been trying to carve out time in her schedule to buy a tree anyway.
Arizona quietly walked into the room, unnoticed by the other woman. She smiled at the sight before her, and she snuck up behind the brunette to wrap her arms around her waist from behind. Amelia hummed in response and leaned into the embrace, closing her tired eyes as Arizona pressed a sweet kiss to her cheek.
"You did all of this?" she asked, feeling Amelia nod in response. She grinned when she noticed the Christmas music playing in the background and the half-empty mug of hot cocoa sitting on the coffee table. She knew her girlfriend wasn't as much of a Scrooge as she made herself out to be.
"So Christmas 'isn't your thing,' huh?" the blonde smirked, using Amelia's own words against her.
"Shut up," the brunette huffed, her cheeks turning a rosy shade of pink.
Arizona tightened her hold on the brunette's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder and gently swaying them to the music. She giggled at her girlfriend's response.
"I think it's cute," she assured her, nuzzling her cheek. She again looked to the tree that stood in front of them, noticing that the floor was covered in pine needles. She realized how much effort Amelia must have put into this.
"Thank you for doing this," she whispered. "I love it."
The brunette smiled. "I should hope so. Putting this stupid thing up almost killed me in the process."
Arizona frowned, now noticing the scratch marks, small cuts, and bruises that covered her girlfriend's body. She tugged on Amelia's arm, signaling for her to turn around. She gently touched her fingers to the little cut running along the side of her face and studied the faint purple bruises that dotted her arms.
She suppressed a laugh, slightly amused at how difficult the relatively simple task had been for her girlfriend. The women cut open people's brains for a living, surely she could have handled putting up a Christmas tree. But she fought this urge, knowing that Amelia had gone through all this trouble just for her.
She pulled the brunette closer by her waist, smiling sympathetically.
"Want me to kiss it better?" she cooed softly.
Amelia nodded, circling her arms around Arizona's neck as their lips met in a soft kiss. The blonde pulled back, gazing into her girlfriend's eyes. She loved her eyes - their warmth, their ocean-like blueness, their impossible depth. They conveyed everything she needed to know, even the things Amelia wasn't willing to express in words. They made her feel safe, protected, loved...
She snapped out of her thoughts when she noticed tiny dark red droplets forming on Amelia's skin.
"Baby you're bleeding..."
She disappeared to the bathroom, returning in a matter of seconds and sitting Amelia down on the couch before she had the chance to protest. She was cautious and gentle as she cleaned the small laceration, placing a bandage over it when she was done. Amelia secretly loved how Arizona was always so careful with her, her touches light and tender as she dressed the small wound.
"You really don't have to do that," she told the blonde, chuckling softly.
"I like taking care of you," Arizona offered simply, helping the brunette up off the couch.
Amelia smiled, her heart fluttering at the response.
"We should probably get to decorating this thing, huh?"
The blonde nodded. She went upstairs to find the box of ornaments while Amelia made them both cups of hot cocoa, topping each with a heavy dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. She turned up the music as she wound the string of Christmas lights around the tree, her lips turning upwards into a smile when Arizona returned, singing along to the song that was playing.
They danced around the room as they adorned the tree with ornaments and tinsel. Arizona snuck a glance at her girlfriend and smirked when she saw Amelia singing along quietly when 'All I Want For Christmas is You' came on. The brunette met her gaze and quickly blushed a bright shade of pink, biting her bottom lip.
"Oh, come on! You love this. I know you do," Arizona whined.
Amelia sighed and rolled her eyes, letting her guard down and making a point of singing loudly when the song picked up. The blonde laughed, unable to get herself to stop smiling as she admired her girlfriend. She loved seeing her like this, happy and carefree.
I just want you for my own, more than you can ever know
Amelia made her way towards the other woman as she belted out the words, grinning at her own ridiculousness.
Make my wish come true
She stopped directly in front of Arizona, sliding her arms around her waist and pulling her closer.
All I want for Christmas is you.
She sang the words with certainty, her eyes soft and genuine as they poured into Arizona's. The blonde couldn't stop herself from leaning in and kissing her hard, her hands cupping the brunette's face, their lips meeting with passion, desire, and so much love.
The blonde pulled away slowly, resting her forehead against Amelia's. Her eyes widened in shock as she impulsively whispered the three words she had been wanting to say for so long, but was too scared to. Her heart pounded hard and fast in her chest, alarmed and slightly embarrassed at her own unintentional actions. She mentally slapped herself for ruining the moment and opened her mouth to take it back, but was cut off by Amelia's quiet reply.
"I love you too."