Disclaimer: See part one. It's all the same.
Amy & Xylia's Christmas challenge – pt 2
Stephanie woke up shivering in her bed on Christmas morning to find everything covered in snow, including her window sill, where very little light could find it's way into her bedroom. She looked at her alarm clock and groaned, seeing it was only seven a.m. What person in their right mind was awake this early, even on Christmas?
She dragged on a pair of sweatpants laying on the floor at the side of her bed and pushed her feet into a fluffy pair of bunny slippers laying beside them. Wrapping the blanket from her bed around her shoulders, she shuffled into the bathroom and did her business, not bothering to even look in the mirror. She needed her morning wake up brew before tackling her hair, and she knew as soon as she saw her reflection it wouldn't be something she could ignore.
She made her way into the kitchen and filled the coffee pot, dumping some coffee into the filter and turning on the machine. Yawning, she walked into the living room and sank down onto the sofa, leaning into the corner by the arm and curling her legs underneath her to minimize the chills caused by the draft that found it's way under the blanket. She laid her head on the back of the sofa, closing her eyes as she waited for the coffee to finish. She really needed to get one of those programmable machines so it would be ready in the mornings when she woke.
When she heard the tell-tale gurgling of the coffeemaker as it finished brewing, she dragged herself off the couch and into the kitchen, picking up her coffee mug from the dish drainer. She poured the steaming liquid into the mug, liberally adding milk and sugar until it resembled the shade of mocha latte. Stirring the mixture sleepily, she yawned more than once before lifting it to her lips and taking a healthy swallow.
Her appreciation of the drink was cut short by the sound of knocking on her front door, startling her and almost causing her to spill it on the blanket. She cursed as she set the mug down on the counter, her brow furrowing as she wondered who could possibly be visiting this early, and better yet, knocking. No one ever knocked that she wanted to see, especially this early!
She retrieved her gun from the cookie jar, checking to see if it was loaded before moving over to the front door. Peeking out the peephole, she saw Tank and Lula standing on the other side grinning. She released the deadbolt and chain, unlocking the door and opening it as she tucked her gun under her arm.
"What are you two doing here?" she asked in surprise.
"Merry Christmas skinny ass white girl!" Lula called out as she barreled into her apartment, followed a little more sedately by an amused Tank who seemed to have his arms full. She reached over and plucked the presents from him, thrusting them into Stephanie's arms and laughing as she noted the bemused look on her friend's face.
"Aintcha gonna open 'em?" she asked, then turned towards Stephanie's stereo. "Well now I know the problem! Ya need some happy tunes to getcha in the mood!" She flipped on the tuner and turned up the volume as 'Deck The Halls' blared out of the speakers. She whirled around and stood glaring at Stephanie. "Well?"
Eyes starting to focus again, Stephanie shook her head to clear the last of the sleepiness as well as the sight of Lula dressed in a red and white spandex Mrs. Claus suit, thinking now she'd seen everything.
She grinned and started over to the sofa, almost dropping her gun when she tried to adjust the gifts that had begun to slip. Tank stepped over and took the gun before it could slip again, murmuring "I got it Bomber" before setting it on the dining table. She smiled gratefully at him as she sat down, dropping the gaily wrapped presents on the coffee table.
Picking up the smallest present first, she unwrapped it carefully to find a small vial of Dolce Vita, her favorite perfume. She grinned and looked up at Tank. The gift had been from him.
"Thank you Tank. I love it!" she exclaimed happily. He grinned back at her, a slight pink tinge to his chocolate skin.
Choosing the largest gift this time, she untied the strings that anchored the bow, trying not to destroy the artful arrangement. Apparently she wasn't opening this gift fast enough to suit Lula, because the plus-sized woman muttered a curse under her breath before bursting out "Jus' rip it off, white girl! It won't bite!" impatiently.
Stephanie laughed and tore through the paper, lifting the top off of the box and pushing the tissue paper aside. She gaped in astonishment as she recognized the 'barely there' fur-trimmed red teddy that she'd seen at Pleasure Treasures last week but didn't feel the need to buy. There wasn't anyone she'd ever wear it for anyway, so why bother?
Lula giggled, grabbing one of the smaller packages and thrusting it into her hands. "Here, open thiz one next. It goes with that there 'outfit'. Ya gots ta wear 'em together."
Unwrapping the gaily decorated package, she pulled out a little red Mrs. Santa hat that had been displayed with the teddy in the store. She let out a chuckle and set the hat on her head at a jaunty angle as she looked up at her friends. Lula grinned as she stuck her hands on her hips and quoted (somewhat) a line in the carol that was playing.
"Now yo skinny ass can 'don yo gay apparel'* or sumthin' like that. Cuz 'tis the season to be jolly, ya know?"
Stephanie burst out laughing, getting up to hug her blushing friend. "Thank you Lula! I love it! Now I just need someone to wear it for!" She was still hugging Lula and didn't see the look that passed between her partner and Tank.
"Whatchu mean, ya doan got someone to wear it fo? What up wit Supercop?" Lula asked as she pushed Stephanie back so she could see her face.
Smiling, Stephanie plopped back down on the sofa to finish unwrapping the presents as she explained.
"Joe and I decided to call it quits a few weeks ago. We're gonna try doing the 'friend' thing and see how it goes" she answered as she unwrapped another present. Massage oils. She should have known.
"What!" Lula squealed, causing Stephanie and Tank to cringe. "Ya mean yo skinny ass gonna be all alone fer Christmas? Now that jes ain right. Huh uh, no sirree!" Lula turned to Tank and quirked an eyebrow. "Din yo say Batman gonna be by hisself today too?"
Tank nodded, glancing at Stephanie before turning his attention back to his woman. His eyes narrowed as Lula's face began to take on a cunning expression. He knew that look, and it meant she was up to no good.
"Okay, here's whatcha gonna do, white girl. Get yoseff all decked out in that there outfit, then we gonna take yo skinny ass and drop ya off at Batman's." She looked over at Tank. "Tankie, whyntcha give that man a call jes ta make sure he stayin' put. We gonna make his Christmas!"