Merry Christmas, Love - Chapter 2

Rated: T

Chapter Summary: More sweet Christmas moments as boyfriend and girlfriend and than as husband and wife…


Here's the second installment! Again, since I am doing a purely smutty Christmas fict, I thought a nice fluffy fict was in order as well (even if the NSFW is mentioned in this chapter as well - albeit it very briefly).

Hope y'all enjoy and have a VERY Merry Christmas! Xoxoxoxo


"I never knew you were so festive," Ash murmured more to herself as she watched with barely concealed amusement as Johnny carefully hung snowflakes in the doorway.

The piping hot coffee still cradled in her tiny paws had grown lukewarm as she supervised the massive amount of work he'd done so far. Put up and decorated the tree, hung stockings by the electric fireplace, put a wreath on nearly every door, and it seemed he wouldn't be done until there was a piece of tinsel on every surface of her - no, their house. A move they decided to make two years into dating.

"Ya never decorated this much when you were living in the garage." she continued after taking a long sip of the sugary beverage. Ash would have offered to help but with her diminutive height, she would have been more in the way than anything.

Besides, he seemed to be having such a great time doing it.

Johnny peered back at her across the expanse of his massive shoulder and just smiled down at his girlfriend.

"Heh. Christmas was kinda lonely when I lived alone without my dad. Heck, even with my dad there, we weren't much for celebratin' anything since mum passed. So…nah. You're right. I didn't decorate much," he explained and Ash bit her lip; wanting to punch herself for bringing up his painful past yet again when Johnny happily continued as if nothing was amiss, "But now, there's much more reason to celebrate."

Ash swooned beside herself.

Being together for over two years and every romantic line and sweet nothing he whispered still sent her heart into near convulsion every single time. At first, it was rather annoying simply because she was not used to it but over time, the goopy, sappy lines became a necessity.

"It's still a lot of work," Ash observed his carefully hung snowflakes, "…and you'll probably hit your head every time you go underneath."

"Probably," he chuckled warmly, "It's alright - I nearly bump my head every time anyway - it'll at least be a warning."

Ash laughed even if it didn't feel completely appropriate upon recalling the many bumps Johnny had gotten from her doorways. Johnny didn't seem to mind; he knew what he was getting into being in a romantic relationship with a porcupine.

The gorilla flashed her a quick smirk when the last one was hung and he brushed his hands on his jeans.

"Think that'll do?" he muttered, glancing around their shared space and at the many decorations strewn about.

Ash placed her coffee aside and wrapped her arms arms around his middle for a tight hug.

"Looks great, Johnny." she said genuinely, giving his hip a soft kiss through his sweater and simply enjoying his warmth and presence. Taking a moment to rest her head on his stomach and glanced at all the decorating he'd done, their stockings on the fireplace and the carefully decorated tree nearby. It's lights flickering across the bulbs and beads strewn on its branches filling the room with an inviting light.

The festive touch she had never really attempted before and she had to admit, while it was different, it was nice.

Recalled that night that felt like forever ago. When he'd dropped her off after Buster's party - her apartment so empty and lonely but now full of light and happiness. As if reading her thoughts, Johnny reached for a picture atop the fireplace - the very same one Rosita had taken that night.

"That's where it all started, huh?" Johnny murmured more to himself.

"Pretty much." Ash answered him anyway.

Johnny chuckled lowly as he stared down at it.

"What's so funny?"

"I just - I guess I still can't believe I kissed ya that night." he shook his head, "I'm glad I did, but ya know me, I normally would have never done such a thing. Heck, I never kissed anyone before that…"

Ash grew quiet for a moment before gently taking the picture from him and looking at it. Pulling away from his addicting warmth to wipe a bit of dust that had accumulated on the glass surface.

"You told me you felt as if I was down that night - and Rosita and Miss Crawly told you to kiss me to cheer me up?" she rehashed the story he told her; the last time it was ever really brought up until right at this moment.

"I actually had the mistletoe at first. I-I thought it would be a good ice breaker - since, ya know, you were still kinda getting over your wanker ex, so -"

"...So, it was your idea?" she interrupted.

Johnny swallowed nervously before answering her with a slight nod of his head.

"I was trying to be subtle - you were still getting over your break-up and…I thought it was still too early to outright ask you out."

"So you kissed me instead?"

Ash's heart swelled at the nervousness filling his face.

"I was considering it and Miss Crawly and Rosita gave me that final push - a-and I did." he answered; accented voice tapering off and looking at her as if waiting for a negative reaction.

Ash didn't answer right away; simply remembering the weeks and months following that fateful party. Her own feelings she questioned were becoming harder to ignore now that she knew Johnny felt something for her.

Johnny wouldn't kiss just anybody after all.

It took time, visits to his dad, and allowing her walls to finally come down before she outright asked him out one day during practice. Ash wished she had a camera in that moment to capture just how big Johnny's eyes had got. Silent and most likely confused before he smiled and bashfully agreed.

…and as they say, the rest was history.

"...I'm glad you did." she admitted softly; still having a hard time admitting her love for him so easily. Wanting to pinch herself in even imagining such a love existed - especially for her.

For so long, she really believed that her and Lance were it - the break-up was the world crumbling beneath her feet. Never did she think she'd let go of her past and embrace someone new like she did - then again, she'd never met anyone like Johnny.

Positive, loving, friendly, encouraging, and he was one of the first animals to put her needs before his…

"I am too." he replied before gently taking back the picture from her and placing it lovingly in the center of the fireplace and staring at it longingly.

Ash took the moment to re-wrap her arms around his middle and rest her head on his firm stomach. The Christmas decorations and lights flickering pleasantly around them in a moment so perfect she never wanted it to end…


If it hadn't been before, Christmas Day was definitely different now.

Ash casually toyed with her wedding band as she Johnny relaxed in front of their newly installed wood-burning fireplace.

It was moments like this that their married life felt like a dream; so incredible and wonderful - being happier than she ever thought possible as she melted into his form.

"You alright with it being just us this Christmas?" Johnny asked lowly, breath skirting pleasantly over her spines.

"Why wouldn't I be?" she mused, running small furry fingers over the expanse of his palm before lazily spinning his gold wedding band.

Johnny shrugged, "I dunno. Your folks are having Christmas dinner -" Ash made a noise of disapproval and Johnny continued with an amused chuckle "Or, I thought ya would prefer going to Buster's potluck or…"

"...or what?"

"…Mike's party…" he cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Nancy invited us again this year, but…"

Ash could practically feel the flush of heat fill him at the very mention of Mike's now infamous Christmas party

"That was two years ago, Johnny." Ash couldn't help but laugh, "I highly doubt he's still mad at you. Hell, the guy has a kid now, I doubt he still remembers."

"How could anyone forget that? I was drunk out of my bloody mind and I still remember it!" he groaned, gently removing his hand from hers to rub at his face. A thing he always did when he got particularly embarrassed - he was too damn cute.

"I know I won't forget." Ash giggled, biting her lip and leaning deeper against his incredibly warm form as the heat from the crackling fire tickled her toes.

Johnny grunted out another embarrassed noise and Ash just laughed harder when she caught the redness of his cheeks.

Never did she think it would still bother him after all this time. Johnny getting incredibly drunk off some spiked eggnog and her coercing him to have sex in Mike's bed (even if neither knew it was his bed at the time or were just too horny to care).

"Ya gotta remind me?" he groaned lightly.

Ash quirked her brow at him, "Isn't it a good memory for you?"

Johnny flushed, "Well, of course it is! Y-Yeah, it was a wonderful night, it's just…the last bit was embarrassing…"

She couldn't help but smirk at just how red he had gotten. Ash knew she probably shouldn't tease him about it but truthfully, she couldn't help it.

"I thought it was sexy how you talked back to him even as he yelled at you to get your pants back on. Let's just say, you're a very…passionate drunk."

Johnny groaned loudly, rubbing at his face and Ash threw her head back and laughed.

A few moments passed and he'd calmed, breath evening by her tenderly rubbing her palms in a soothing motion across his chest.

"But I hardly ever think about the last part, Johnny - really."

"Ya sure like bringing it up…"

"Because you're too cute when you get flustered," she giggled after giving his sternum a firm kiss, "What I like thinking about was you - us - how uncomfortable I was at that party and yet it turned into one of the best nights of my life."

"...Really?"

"Mm-hmm…" she hummed before rolling more on top of him and sitting flush on his stomach.

Johnny's eyes widened for a second but lowered as his hands made their perch on her flared hips to keep her in place. His pouty lower lip now between two rows of his white teeth; canine showcased in stark contrast to the pink tint of his inner lip.

"It also made me realize I wanted to marry you..." she admitted and he slowly sat up, his back leaning up against the pile of pillows they made in front of the fireplace.

"...really?" he asked, one hand leaving her hip to brush the back of his fingers tenderly against the fur of her cheek.

Ash hummed, nodding in reply as she nuzzled his hand with her face; gingerly kissing each of his knuckles.

"Heh," Johnny suddenly chuckled, "…and how did making love in Mike 'n Nancy's bed convince ya of that?"

"I dunno," the porcupine shrugged, "We'd been together for years at that point, even living together - but truthfully, I thought perhaps that's all it would be."

Johnny's brows furrowed at that.

"Marriage was something I stopped thinking about a long time ago at that point." she admitted lowly, eyes averting to his bare chest where she began circling her fingertips over his skin. "Mostly because I never thought it would never happen."

"Why would ya say that?" he asked, finger gently cupping under her chin to turn her eyes back to his.

"Heh," Ash chuckled mirthlessly, "Look who I was dating before you - spent five years with him and he refused to talk about marriage - hell, the ass didn't even pay his share of rent! I just…kinda assumed it wouldn't happen for me. Until you that was."

Johnny didn't answer, simply sat up and pulled her closer til she was laying on his chest, her face buried in the crook of his neck and breathing in the hint of leather and woodsy cologne still sticking to his fur.

Ash hid her face from him; she really hated bringing up her past especially now of all times. Her wedding ring a comforting weight and her husband, the most amazing thing that had ever happened to her, lying beneath her. Yet he deserved an answer, so she began talking.

"Before that night, I still was struggling with saying 'I love you' - still partially believing you were too good to be true and you'd end up breaking my heart. Yet none of that turned out to be further from the truth. That night, you sat by me, didn't ignore me how Lance used to - and had to admit, the great sex just kinda took it over the edge for me. I knew I wouldn't mind doing that with you the rest of my life."

The gorilla chuckled at that, hand tenderly stroking and smoothing down her quills as he held her closer. Ash's face eventually re-emerged from his fur to take him in and he was giving her the most gentle smile.

All of a sudden, Johnny's furry cheek brushed across hers; lips tender and soft as they pressed to her cheek much how they did the first Christmas they celebrated together. The same picture on the stand above their new fireplace; it was in a newer frame to match the wood of their new house…but still the same.

Ash pulled back and looked at her husband and gazed longingly into his chestnut gaze. The crackling fire creating flickering hues of gold and burnt orange to adorn his eyes. She reached up and cradled his face; the warmth of his fur and skin pleasant beneath her palms when she pressed her forehead to his.

"I love you so much." he whispered.

"Love you too," she responded; the words were now as simple as breathing.

With the gentle sounds of Christmas music playing on their iPod speaker nearby and the crackling fire, their lips met. A familiar caress and embrace both had grown to memorize but never tired of even after all these years. The warmth of the fire nothing compared to the one growing between them as they made the most of their Christmas night alone together.

In those moments, Ash never thought she'd grow to appreciate Christmas any more than this…she was happily mistaken.