Author's Notes: Heeey, guys! So I'm not Jewish. Just throwing at out there, lol. I apologize if I got anything pertaining to Hanukkah wrong. I watched a few videos and did a little bit of research for what I needed to know for this scene, but it still might be glaringly wrong or there might be more to it...or what not. sob. Either way, I hope I don't offend anyone! lol randomly throwing this out there, but I'm not very good at writing fluffy things with no direction other than to be fluffy, so I keep worrying what I write is very boring. Hopefully you guys are enjoying it, though! ALSO before I close this ramble off, I am so torn between my love for Marhinki and Marishire and couldn't decide one way or the other which one I wanted her to be with for the sake of this story, so I might be writing both pairings. Just consider each of these chapters as standalones with no bearing on the other ones. A few might tie in to each other, especially the Iancorn sections, but otherwise they're each separate one shots tied together only by the fact that they're Christmas themed. :) Thanks for reading!
It was pretty late at night, and Matt Sohinki was alone in the game room - putting a few final touches on a video they would be posting tomorrow. He hated being the Scrooge of their little group, but as the only Jewish member of Smosh Games, he had to keep reminding everyone when they were getting swept up in their Christmas spirit that he didn't even celebrate it. So while he might have done the editing during the day when Joven and Lasercorn were filming their latest 'Let's Play' segment, he opted to go at a time when he would be alone just to save himself the aggravation of having to deal with any of their nonsense. Joven, especially. It was only a month, he reminded himself. Not even a month. Twenty-three days in counting. He could do it.
Matt had been so engrossed in his game, he didn't even notice when the door opened behind him until Mari's sudden greeting caused him to jump and let out a yelp. She shrieked and nearly dropped what she was holding. Regaining his composure, he swirled around in his chair to face her, "Geesh, Mari! Try not to be so stealthy next time."
"My bad. It's hard to control my inner ninja, and I didn't think you'd be off in your own little world. What're you doing, anyway?"
"Trying to edit tomorrow's video..."
"Sounds boring. I come bearing gifts of food, so I think it's perfectly okay for you to take a little break."
As soon as she said it, he caught the scent of warm pizza and couldn't think of anything else but his hunger. Funny how he hadn't even noticed his appetite until presented with a meal.
"I guess food is a pretty good excuse for a break." Matt turned around to save what he was doing so far before he got up, following her lead to the break room. "How'd you know I'd be here, anyway?"
She gave him a look, "C'mon, Sohinki, it's preetty obvious you're doing most of your work when the office isn't very busy."
Mari dropped the pizza box onto the table and opened it up. The aroma wafted into the air, and Matt felt enticed by it - inching closer and collecting a paper plate when she offered it to him. He wasted no time freeing a piece of cheesy goodness from the rest of the pie and bringing it to his plate.
Even though he knew Mari deserved a response, Matt had to take a bite first to quell his nagging stomach before he could respond. With a mouthful, he said, "It was that obvious, huh?"
"I get it, though. I do. It can probably be pretty annoying being the one who's left out while no one else really understands," Mari pulled out a slice of her own, and if it was possible to be dainty while eating pizza, well, she managed it.
"I'm pretty used to it. It's something you battle pretty much all your life. Arts and Crafts in school don't want to hear you're not doing the project because Santa doesn't visit little Jewish boys. And wow, this sounds like the depressing beginning of some sob story so I'm just gonna shut up and eat."
"Is it a sad story, though?" She regarded him with interest, pulling off a small piece of her pizza crust and tucking it in her mouth.
"It'll probably sound that way if I tell it. But like I said, I'm used to it by now."
They fell into a silence after that. Matt wasn't entirely sure if she was pitying him in her silence or if she was just giving him the floor to talk about his feelings. Really, he had nothing to say about it. The only thing he felt now was a residual annoyance around Christmas time and nothing more - annoyance that would fade once the Christmas spirit had vanished and everyone else was gearing up toward the New Year. But he supposed he could appreciate her thoughtfulness. After all, she came bearing the wonderful gift of pizza in the middle of the night, which he was doing a pretty fantastic job of devouring.
Mari finished her slice and wiped off her hands, suddenly getting up, "I got something for you."
"Something other than food? You didn't have to..."
"I wanted to!" She called out, darting into the other room for a minute. When she returned, it was with a medium sized box wrapped in shimmering red paper and topped with a golden bow. "I don't know how the whole Hanukkah thing works, but you guys get presents too, right?"
"Yeah, but..." he scratched the back of his neck. "They're normally not wrapped in Christmas paper."
"Shut up! I thought this was pretty neutral, and besides - it doesn't matter. It's the thought that counts. So be thoughtful, Matt, and enjoy the lousy present," she dropped it down in front of him, crossing her arms and giving him her meanest of mean faces. She was only able to hold it for a few seconds before she burst into a laugh.
Her laughter was contagious and although he tried to stop it, a smile broke free on his face. Matt lifted up the box, holding it to his ear and shaking. "What is it?"
"Why are you asking me what it is before you open it? Do you not get the concept of presents? Geesh!" Mari shook her head in mock exasperation.
"I didn't want to destroy your beautiful wrapping job," he fanned his hand out as though he was a game show host showing off a particularly nice prize.
"Open it, idiot, before I take it back!"
"Fine, fine..."
He reached forward, slowly peeling off the tape on the side until he could slip the wrapping off the package. This left him with a brown, cardboard box that gave no indication as to what was inside. He flashed Mari a skeptical glance, half expecting something to pop out at him once he opened it - but he went ahead and did so anyway, ripping open the flap and drawing out a styrofoam holder.
As soon as he pulled the styrofoam out completely, he was able to see the gift. Sitting in the center of the packaging was a menorah - and not just any menorah. It was a completely customized menorah with each of the candle holders being the space between their Smosh Games logo and the central candle holder being the bright red joystick. He pulled it out of its bubble wrap protection to get a better look. The menorah itself was painted with a metallic shimmer and the quality of the product was definitely not cheap. He stared at it in admiration, before finally looking up.
"You got this for me?"
"Obviously if I gave it to you," Mari blew on her knuckles, brushing them off on her shirt as though to silently gloat over being the one to give him such a great present.
"This is...actually really awesome."
"Psh! Like you thought it was gonna be anything less? It was from me, after all!"
"What made you-"
She held her hand up, "I thought you could use something to represent your holiday. Do you really like it? You're not just saying that, are you?"
"No. It's great. I mean, I couldn't use it for my family's celebration. But it's perfect for here," he got up, heading toward one of the drawers and finding a lighter before he lit the center candle.
"Wait. Why are you lighting the one in the middle? Isn't that the one you light last or something?"
Matt smiled at her ignorance, shaking his head, "No. It's the shamash. You use this one to light each of the candles. Hanukkah's almost over now, so we're going to light seven candles tonight. But you would start on the right and work your way to the left each night, starting with the newest candle."
"Oh. Can I do it?"
"Have at it. We're lighting...this one," he pointed to the second to last candle, pulling the shamash free and offering it over to Mari. She took it carefully and then brought it forward, touching the flame to the wick. Matt reached out, putting his hand on hers to hold it there. "Then you recite two prayers - 'Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who sanctified us with his commandments, and commanded us to kindle the Hanukkah light. Blessed are you, Lord our God, King of the Universe, who performed miracles for our forefathers in those days at this time.'"
Matt helped Mari light each subsequent candle, letting his hand linger on hers until the final one was lit. Then, he guided her hand back to the center in order to return the shamash to its joystick holder, the metallic red surface glimmering with a golden tinge of flickering flame. Mari smiled, looking at their work before glancing back at him.
"That's so cool."
"Eh, well, you know. Cool pretty much defines everything about me," he made as though he was flipping up his shirt collar.
"Thanks for sharing it with me..." Mari looked up at him. She looked absolutely stunning in the dim glow of candlelight - even more so than usual.
Matt admired her before glancing away, embarrassed to be caught staring at her for too long. "I should be the one thanking you. You made it possible to share, and this really is awesome."
Mari gnawed on her bottom lip, sidling a bit closer before she bumped him with her hip, "So, are you gonna kiss me or what?"
A sound of surprise rose in his throat, and he quickly looked over at her. She gave him a sheepish smile, and it was one he couldn't resist. Matt inched closer, his lips brushing hers tentatively before they locked in place. He had fantasized about kissing her before, but now that he was in the moment, it was even better than he imagined. This was perhaps the best Hanukkah gift he had ever received, and it made this day one he would remember for a long time to come.