Sorry for the late chapter, exam season and all ! Posts will be less frequent, sorry x

in which Christmas comes, Fletch is grumpy and Jac is contagious.

Christmas was fast approaching, and the closer it got, the sourer Jac's mood got, too.

This hadn't gone unnoticed by those surrounding her, but most people chose not to comment. Since their meeting, Jac and Fletch had grown a relatively close bond, the two sharing a mutual understanding of each other, Fletch knowing when he was pushing his luck and Jac knowing that she had to put effort into keeping Fletch in the loop to be fair to him. Despite this, she was still feared within her course- having gained the nickname 'Jacular', a nickname Fletch hated, wasn't a misplaced nickname. She was ice cold when she needed to be, standing on anyone to get here way, apart from Sacha of course, and she tended to be nicer to Raf and Ollie, having quiet respect for the two. She enjoyed Raf's company, knowing he was passionate just like her, and while she knew Ollie was ignorant and could be annoying, she knew he would be a good doctor. Thus, she left him alone.

Fletch, Donna and Raf had noticed her distaste for the holidays, especially when she voiced her obvious resentment towards the 'childish' decorations the trio had put up. The three took no notice of her though, becoming immune to her icey behaviour and learning to just embrace her at face value. The flat's dynamic had changed- by no mean we're Jac and Donna close, but they could enjoy each others company and shared the terrors of having to share a room with two boys, a topic the two thouraghly enjoyed hitching about over a glass of wine or when cleaning up after them. They all happened to get on, and she was no longer their 'mystery girl'.

Jac knew she was being unfair with her mood, but she had always despised the holidays. All she could remember were the holidays at the home- always dull with the scrawniest Christmas tree ever, with never a present to be seen underneath. Their meals were changed up a bit, getting some roast potatoes and turkey for their dinners instead of the cheap frozen vegetables and smash, a meal that even thinking about made her want to throw up. She remembers how on Christmas, he'd help himself to manipulating more girls, and she'd muffle her ears under her pillows to drown out the cries that she would hear. To conclude, Jac Naylor hated Christmas.

She sat on the counter of their flat, grumpily skimming through her notes, being slightly more rough with the paper than needed at the thought of her past traumas. She's snapped out of self pity as Fletch slams the door to their flat open, his face bright with anger as he chucks his phone down onto the sofa, before stomping to his room and slamming the door shut behind him, not even sparing Jac a glance.

She watches after him, puzzled by his behaviour, as she gets to her feet cautiously, following him to his door before knocking cautiously. She hears a muffles go away, to which she ignores, as she pushes the door open delicately, poking her head around the corner to see him sat on his bed, head held in his hands.

"What part of Go Away do you not understand?" He snapped, a tone Jac never heard come from the usually childish and happy-go-lucky man.

"The part of which you're upset and no one else is around to console you. What's wrong?" She questioned, stepping into the room and shutting the door behind her, not daring to go near him just yet.

"Doesn't matter. Just stupid family stuff." He grumbled, clenching the sides of his bed as he kept his gaze trained on the ground in front of me.

"Well it's clearly upsetting you. Maybe talking about it will make you feel better." She offered, not really sure what to do to make him feel better. She didn't do shoulders to cry on.

"My parents are going away with my aunt and uncle and their cousins." He started, finally lifting his eyes up.

"What a crime-" she started, only to get cut off by him.

"I hate them. They're homophobic, racist, egotistical fucks and I can't stand being around them. Mum and Dad know this, and they don't like them either, but my grandma wants them all to be together for the holidays." He grits out, frustration flowing through him at his confession. "We just argued about it. Looks like I'm going to be here for the holidays- I'd rather eat my own leg than spend time with them."

Jac nods as he speaks, and eventually goes to sit by him, leaving a small gap between the two. "Well, I for one think you're doing the right thing. Family doesn't mean they get an excuse for having such appalling opinions. Besides, I'm going to be here for Christmas. I'm sure my old roommates won't be missing me." She jokes, offering him a tight lipped smile.

He let out a weak chuckle, before nodding his head. "Yeah. You're right. We'll make this a good Christmas, you and me." He announced, grinning at her wildly.

"Whoa whoa whoa, I don't celebrate Christmas-"

"Well, you do now. You won't be able to resist after getting the old Fletchers Christmas!" He cheered, causing her to smile at him.

"If it makes you feel better and distracts you from you sad life." She teases.

He chuckles, before engulfing her in a hug, wrapping his arm around her and placing a kiss to her hairline. "Thanks Jac. I feel a lot better now." He hummed, resting his head on the top of her head.

She hummed in response, taken slightly off guard by the sudden affection, and feeling the blood rush to her cheeks as his lips connected with her forehead. "Don't think I'm going to become your own personal therapist." She warned once he'd released her from his embrace, him nodding in response.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

The end of term rolled around fast, and before they knew it, everyone was appearing to get ready to go home. They had the best part of a month and a half to themselves as neither of them were going home, and it was a long time with just the two of them. However, Fletch knew that Lofty, Zosia, Dom, Serena and Bernie were planning on staying too- although, all of them weren't going to be there for Christmas Eve, Christmas day and Boxing Day as they all had places to go- Fletch and Jac, on the other hand, weren't blessed.

Fletch's had called him persistently, trying to bring him round to the idea of coming away with them, but the date had come and gone and Fletch hadn't budged. They'd gone away without him despite their threats, straining their strong bond. Fletch tried not to care- it was his parents being unreasonable- but it was hard for him to keep his usual cheery demeanour up.

In an attempt to try and cheer himself up, he'd rushed out to the nearest shop that was open on Christmas Eve, and bought as much cheap "christmas rubbish" as Jac had so kindly put it, including a skinny green Christmas tree, and headed back to the shared flat, on a mission to make it as homely as possible on such small funds.

He strung lights upon the walls, the flashes of red and green and white illuminating the room, sending shimmers reflecting off of the complimentary baubles that Fletch had managed to get in the discounted section. He'd set their counter-top table with the nicest plates they had and some actual matching cutlery, along with glittery red candles that sparkles gently against the soft illumination of the fairy lights. His bootleg Christmas Eve meal had all gone to plan, and he was ready to annoying Jac immensely with it.

He was dishing up the chicken and vegetables he'd put together when Jac emerged from her room, and boy, was it a sight.

Her hair was up in a messy bun, frays of it escaping the bun on top of her hair and lining her face delicately- slightly frizzy, as if she hadn't styled it as she usually did. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were bloodshot, and she could have given Rudolph quite the run for his money with her nose. She held a half used tissue in her hand, and an extremely oversized hoodie, which Fletch soon realised was one of his, and he assumed she was wearing shorts underneath. To finish off her look, she had bright red fluffy socks on her feet.

It soon occurred to him that Jac must have been sick.

"Yikes." He grimaced, putting the pan he was holding down.

"Shut it." She rasped out, scowling at him as she trudged out of the room, clutching her head.

"You look rough. So rough I won't even complain about you stealing one of my hoodies." He teased, leaning against the counter. "Is it the kind of sickness where you can't stop eating, or you can't eat at all?"

She thought for a moment, and shook her head. "I haven't eaten all day so I guess I need to eat at least something. Have you got anything small?" She questioned, rummaging through the cupboards for some paracetamol to fight off the pounding headache she was currently suffering from.

"You really are ill." He chuckled, moving to the stove to get some plain chicken for her, a small amount of mashed potato and some mixed vegetables on the side if she was feeling up to it. "If you can't smell this masterpiece, then your nose must be completely blocked."

She rose an eyebrow as the food was shoved over to her, taking in its contents. "What's the occasion? Do you have a date? If you do I can get out-"

"Who has a date on Christmas Eve?" He chuckled, guiding her over to the counter table that he'd set up in a half decent surrounding. "Nah, in the Fletcher household, you do things like this the real way! Christmas is a three day thing." He proudly accounced as he took a seat opposite her.

"God you're far too cheerful. Stop it." She chastised, as she picked at the chicken in front of her. "Well, happy fucking Christmas to me. Plain chicken and a volatile stomach. Cheers."

Fletch chuckled quietly, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry Naylor, you should be better by tomorrow. That's when the real fun begins." He grinned out, shoving a mouthful of food into his mouth as he spoke.

She groaned at him, rolling her eyes, the action causing her to take notice of the sudden change in appearance of the flat. She narrowed her eyes at him, and stuck her lip out.

"What have you done to the flat? A Christmas tree? Really? We don't have any presents to put under it." She complained, waving her fork around in an exaggerated stance.

"That's where you're wrong, my friend. My presents for my friends are under there, ready for all of them when they get back." He cheered, flashing her a toothy grin. "Even yours is under there, all wrapped and ready for you tomorrow."

Jac felt her stomach drop, and she held a hand up to her mouth as a sudden wave of sickness washed over her.

She rushed to her feet, and only just made it to the sink before bringing up the small amount of food that she had digested only moments before. Fletch was only steps behind her, grasping her stray hair behind her ears and rubbing her back soothingly, smiling at her fondly. "Didn't know you were actually allergic to Christmas." He joked, standing behind her and waiting for her to recover.

They stood in silence for a while as Jac breathed heavily, fighting off the waves as they came, while Fletch continued to rub her back and running his hands along her forehead every now and then to move the stray hairs from her firing line, just in case.

Finally, she leaned up, and rested her elbows on the edge of the sink, her eyes still shut. Fletch moved back from her space, and waited patiently, incase she had another bout of sickness.

"I haven't got you anything." She admitted finally, and if Fletch could swear on something, he thought he'd seen a flash of guilt pass through her eyes. He felt a wave of affection for the younger girl infront of him all of a sudden.

She looked so small stood there. She was practically drowning in Fletch's hoodie, which he remembered she'd borrowed from him after the two got caught in the rain on the way back from the library. Her skin was pale, as white as a ghost, her usual fiery auburn hair had lost it's spark, looking dull and put out, and her eyes no longer held their sharp feline glare to them, instead holding heavy blue backs underneath them. Her voice sounded tired and defeated, not like the usual Jac Naylor wit that he was oh so used to by now.

She looked so vulnerable, he mused.

"I know. Christmas isn't your thing, I know that. I just didn't want you waking up and having no presents, and feeling that no one cares about you. No one should." He murmured gently, taking a step towards her and running his hands up and down her shoulders soothingly, offering her a kind smile.

"That's not fair though, that's not how Christmas works." She protested, pouting.

"Since when have you ever followed the rules?" He questioned.

"Touché." She agreed, the ghost of a smile playing on her lips, as she swayed unsteadily on her feet.

"cmon now, let's get you to bed nice and early." Cooed Fletch, gently grasping her to help guide her towards her room, to which she shrugged him off.

"Not tired. Let's go watch a movie or some shit." She grumbled out stubbornly, walking over to the sofa and throwing herself onto it, letting out a long sigh as she groaned.

Fletch snickered, before joining her, grabbing the blanket that was folded neatly next to it for the movie nights the four often had. He chucked it over her, avoiding invading her personal space, before getting Netflix up onto the screen.

His eyebrows rose to his head when she moved over next to him, allowing him to have some of the blanket. She wasn't cuddling- Jac Naylor doesnt cuddle- but she was sat close enough that her arm was brushing his, causing heat to rise to his cheeks, but he managed to keep calm and cool, before switching Elf on.

Jac let out a loud whine, and threw her head back. "You're not serious."

He let out a yelp of offence, holding a hand to his heart mockingly. "It's a Fletcher tradition! And a Christmas classic! Naylor, you need some serious help." He grumbled out, keeping the remote away from her incase she tried to fight him for it.

"Whatever." She huffed, sinking down in her seat and keeping her eyes trained on the screen in front of her.

She didn't even make it half an hour into the film before she had drifted off, her head slumping down onto his shoulder, her soft breaths drawing out in a steady rhythm. Fletch rolled his eyes, before pausing the movie and scooping the small girl into his arms, her grumbling in protest to the sudden movement.

"Shush you numpty, I'm banishing you to bed." He ordered, pushing her door open with his hip.

"Killjoy." She teased as she was lowered into her bed, her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as he shuffled her under her covers. Fletch gripped her hands, attempting to gently pry them off of his neck.

"Noooo. Stay." She whined, her exhaustion talking for her.

He chuckled quietly, successfully managing to free himself. "I think you'd regret that decision."

She hummed in response, before rolling over and falling straight back to sleep.

He smiled down at her. "Goodnight, Jac." He purred, placing a gentle kiss on her temple before leaving the young girl to sleep, and for Fletch to return to his annual watch of Elf.

"I'm going to burn myself alive."

Fletch had gone to sleep soon after he'd finished Elf, crashing on his bed, unusually tired. Jac on the other hand, had woken up, feeling much better- her day long misery passing by after a good nights sleep. Unfortunately, Fletch wasn't so lucky to be feeling well in himself.

He'd trudged out of his bedroom, a simple white t-shirt and only his black boxers on, his arms wrapped around himself while shivering, shuffling along towards the cupboards for some paracetamol.

Jac watched on in amusement, looking a lot fresher than she did yesterday, a mug clasped in her hands. She wore a bear dressing gown, topped with little brown ears on them, and some black joggers.

"I hope you like my Christmas present to you." She joked, getting to her feet and beating Fletch to the cupboard, popping two paracetamols and running a glass of water for him.

"Christmas is ruined. You got your way in the end." He whined, taking the offering items gratefully, knocking them both back.

"Christmas is overrated anyway." She shrugged, peeling her dressing gown off and offering it to him.

Fletch eyed her up wearily, before taking the offending item and shrugging it on, appreciating the wave of warmth that flowed over him.

Jac peaked an eyebrow at him, a smile threatening to emerge over her face. "That's quite a look." She commented, taking a seat back on the counter table.

Fletch smirked in return, pulling the hood up to complete the look. "I can pull off anything." He exclaimed, his voice raspy.

"Questionable." She muttered to herself, busying herself with pouring a bowl of cereal. "Just another normal day then." She commented, a satisfied smile on her face.

She was confused to see no response, only to turn around and find Fletch looking like a kicked puppy. His eyes were averted from her, and he was slouched over the table. "Sure." He finally replies, offering her a weak smile in an attempt to cover up his disappointment.

"What's wrong?" She questioned, furrowing her eyebrows in confusion, trying to figure out what she'd done wrong.

"Just not feeling great. I'm gonna head back to bed." He hummed out, forcing himself out of the seat and shuffling over back towards his bedroom. "Oh, and Merry Christmas Jac." He spoke, before closing the door behind him.

Jac blinked, and felt a pang of pity. She realised it must have been his first Christmas without his family, and to make matters worse, he was spending it with the most pessimistic person alive.

She huffed to herself. "Keep my dressing gown then." She grumbled, picking up toast she'd just made, a plan formulating in her head.

Fletch awoke from his nap to a loud knocking on the door, proceeded by him jumping and almost falling out of his bed. He groaned quietly to himself, cursing Jac for waking him from such a peaceful slumber, and quickly noticed the time- 2pm. He let out another long groan, wishing for the day to be over.

Jac had clearly gotten impatient, and pushed the door open to his room. "Come on you lazy lump, get up." She commanded, before exiting the room, leaving the door wide open.

Fletch scowled at her retreating figure, flipping her the bird, before dragging himself to his feet. He chucked on Jac's dressing gown again and some black joggers, before exiting the room after her, shivering slightly, clearly running a slight fever.

He raised his eyebrows as he emerged to find the table set, with some plain chicken and mash for Fletch, and a plate of chicken (seasoned, of course) with mash, vegetables and gravy for Jac. The red candles flickered away, placed delicately next to a single Christmas cracker and what appeared to be a small, wrapped up box.

He took cautious steps, taking in the dimly lit room that surrounded him, the curtains drawn so that the lights illuminated around him. A small smile played on his lips, before he turned his gaze to Jac.

She looked slightly sheepish and uncomfortable, shuffling on the spot, and not quite meeting his gaze.

"What's all this?"

She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, her cheeks flushed red.

"Its your first Christmas without your family. It may not mean anything to me, but I don't like seeing you all mopey and sad." She grumbled out, pouting.

"Cheers Jac." He snickered, rolling his eyes playfully. "But really, thanks. It means a lot."

She offered him a tight lipped smile before taking a seat on the counter table, motioning for him to do the same. He quickly obliged, rushing over to join her.

He eyed up the small wrapped up box, and looked at the other girl for permission. "Sure." She grunted, seeming disinterested as she tucked into her food, avoiding his vision.

He scrambled to underwrap the box, careful not to rip the wrapping paper as it was just so pretty. He prized the box open, and grinned as he looked at the gift with affection.

A small, orange gem was encased in a silver holding, connected to a black lace that fell limp in his hand. The orange gem shone brightly in the candlelight, reflecting off of the illumination of the flames, flickering constantly, showing up new patterns and designs that swirls around the small artifact. He looked up at Jac questioningly, a small smile playing on his lips.

"A carnelian." She clarified, her voice quiet. "I didn't have time to get you anything, and this was one of the few things I had from when I was a kid. Carnelians represent creativity and confidence, vibrancy and ambition- it's never really fully felt right with me. I've always been told I'm more of a Jasper." She sighed out, a small smile gracing her lips. "Dunno, guess it just felt right with you. You also seem like the kinda man that believes in that whole gemstone healing business." She joked.

Fletch swallowed the lump forming in his throat, and gave her a grateful grin. "I don't think I've ever had such a thoughtful gift." He rasped out, unhooking it and wrapping it around his neck, wearing it with pride. "Thanks."

She nodded, and smiled at him, before carrying on with her meal.

The two soon finished, and retreated to the sofas, ready to binge watch all of the 'Christmas crap' that was on the TV as Jac had so kindly put, before Fletch sprang from his comfortable position.

"Oh! Your gift!" He exclaimed, getting to his feet slowly as not to upset his stomach. He waddled over to the tree, and picked up a small rectangular box, neatly wrapped with a small golden bow on top.

She raised an eyebrow as he presented it to her proudly, grinning from ear to ear at her. She took it cautiously, and unwrapped it delicately. It was one of the only gifts she'd ever received in her life and wasn't used to the kindness he was displaying. Not that she would tell him that, though.

She carefully lifted open the box, and her lips parted slightly at the sight. A black stephoscope lay in neatly in the box infront of her, lined neatly with small intricate gold patterns trailing along it neatly. Next to it lay a pen light, black with similar matching gold patterns running along it.

She was speechless.

"Shit, is it too much? I got similar to Raf except red, I'm-"

"How could you even afford this?" She exclaimed, picking it out carefully, feeling as if it wasn't actually real.

"Ah, it's kinda sad, I always save up to get really nice presents for my friends every year, I really like Christmas." He admitted sheepishly, grinning at her innocently.

"Fletch I..." she started, dropping it back down, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "I don't know how.." she spluttered out, before turning to look at him, feeling her cheeks burn.

He was about to reassure her when she rushed forward and engulfed him in a hug, digging her head into his neck and wrapping her arms around his neck. He let out a squeak of surprise, before returning the hug with a fond smile. The hug didn't last too long as Jac retracted herself, wipeing her eyes clean from any evidence of tears.

"If you ever tell anyone about that I know how to surgically kill you." She threatened, but it was half hearted and weak. He snickered at her, and saluted. "Scouts honour."

Jac smiled at him gratefully, before settling back down onto the sofa with him, the two turning their attention back to the TV that currently had a terrible daytime Christmas movie on, both relishing each others company.

"Am I ever going to get my dressing gown back?"

"When I get my hoodie back."

"Touché."

Christmas wasn't too bad after all, Jac mused.