Disclaimer: The rights of the Total Drama gang belong to Teletoon and those associated with the show. No profit is being made by the fanfiction, but please enjoy it and have a Merry Christmas!
Harold x Leshawna
While Leshawna and Harold were chatting at the kitchen table, Owen returned from outside, noticed the pile of Christmas cookies on a plate, and quickly devoured of the remaining ones.
"Man, that boy can still really eat!" Leshawna remarked as she watched Owen walk out of the room.
"I could do that too, but I need to watch my weight for my lady-fans," Harold boasted as he puffed out his chest proudly.
Chuckling, Leshawna answered, "Please Stringbean, I doubt you'd gain any weight from them, but more importantly, who are these lady-fans you're trying to impress?"
Leshawna cocked an eyebrow skeptically at Harold who responded confidently, "Well, I'm pretty much a role model for everyone now and a hero, so I'm sure that there are plenty of girls watching me back home completely in love. Of course, none of them matters to me except you, my Chocolate Goddess."
"Well thanks, honey," Leshawna responded as she eyed the empty plate. "You know, I wish Owen had left some for the rest of us. I mean, Lindsay might not be the brightest bulb, but those cookies looked pretty darn tasty to me."
"I could make you some that are even better," Harold asserted triumphantly as he whipped a chef's hat onto his head from a nearby closet. "I have mad culinary skills, you know. I've even refined them more at Super-Chef Steve's Gourmet Food Camp! Now I'm like an Uber-Chef."
Leshawna readily agreed to the idea but then hesitated and wondered, "You know, how many camps does this Steve even run? I don't think we've ever found an activity for which you haven't attended one of them."
Harold, pulling some brown sugar out of the cabinet behind him, mumbled in response, "Well, Steve only runs ten of them himself; the rest of them are run by hired help. I'd explain it in greater depth, but I'm not scheduled to go to CEO Steve's Management Camp until next summer."
"That's fine, Sugar," Leshawna answered, not particularly interested in an explanation of Harold's upcoming cap, as she walked over by Harold to look for the recipe. "So, what kind of cookies are you making?"
"Uh uh. I can't say cause that would spoil the surprise. And with baking, surprise can be almost as important as presentation. That's rule number 36 from the camp you know," Harold babbled as he finally located the molasses and flour and placed them on the counter as well.
Shaking her head in amusement, Leshawna laughed, "You do know this isn't a magic trick right? Now why don't you scootch over and let Lil' Leshawna have a hand at helping you."
"Gosh! Don't you know not to interrupt a master at work?" Harold questioned her as he looked at the pile of ingredients before him doing a mental checklist of supplies. "I suppose, I could use some shortening, if you wouldn't mind my fair Lady Leshawna," Harold acquiesced, deciding he could at least let Leshawna help him gather supplies.
"That's better," Leshawna answered as she began looking for the shortening, "Shawnie knows her way around a recipe, although she does need you to tell her what it is already."
As Harold began sorting through the spice rack to make just the blend he wanted, he called to Leshawna, "Gosh, can't a guy do some baking for his lady on his own?"
"Look Sugar Baby, I know you think you can do this on your own, but it's Christmas Eve, so we're going to do it together or do something else," Leshawna threatened him growing annoyed. She didn't mean to get mad at Harold, but she also didn't want to sit idly by with nothing to do while Harold baked.
Satisfied that he had the right blend of spices and bringing a little extra ginger, clove, and cinnamon with him, Harold returned to his ingredients and prepared to start baking. Determined to keep his recipe a surprise from Leshawna, he bluffed, "Fine! We can do it your way, but all I need now is some fresh sliced pineapples. I'd guess that there are some in the fridge."
"Are you fronting me?" Leshawna asked him incredulously as she moved in close to him to look him in the face. "You know I'm allergic to pineapples!"
"Well, yeah, but you said I had to let you help, and that's all that needs to be done right now," Harold answered innocently as he began mixing the molasses, brown sugar, shortening, and water in a bowl.
"Oooh, sometimes you can just be the most difficult man on the planet!" Leshawna complained as she returned to sitting at the table and brooding, watching carefully every step Harold took during the preparation.
"Fear not, my love! I'm sure even without your graceful touch, these cookies will turn out just fine," Harold reassured her as he began sifting the flour, salt, baking soda, and spices together.
Softening slightly at the compliment, Leshawna jokingly asked him, "Aren't you forgetting something? Say, the pineapples?"
"No!" Harold answered defiantly. "They're going to be an accent at the end."
Drumming her fingers on the table in boredom, Leshawna replied, "Fine, but just put the dough in the refrigerator already so we can do something else. I don't see why you couldn't have just cut those pineapples yourself and let me mix the ingredients."
"Don't rush me!" Harold protested as he began pouring his mixture of spices into the earlier mixture and blending the two together. "Great cooking takes time, and great chefs are willing to put it in, gosh! Besides, the ingredients have to be added at just the right rate and at a precise time to make the best cookies possible."
Leshawna merely rolled her eyes and sighed in response. Finally deciding the mixture was blended enough, Harold placed the bowl in the refrigerator. "Well, I guess we have some alone time now," Harold informed Leshawna.
Leshawna, who had been watching all the proceedings carefully, shot back in a rather annoyed fashion due to being slighted, "Excuse me Mr. Chef, but I think you forgot your pineapples for your gingerbread cookies. Oh wait, no one uses pineapple for gingerbread, so you were just using it as an excuse to prevent me from helping!"
Growing embarrassed at his deception being revealed so quickly, Harold answered while very flustered, "I just needed it done the way Steve taught us, okay?" Harold paused awkwardly before dropping dramatically on one knee in front of Leshawna, "My dear! You are right. I should have let you help." Covering his face with his arm in overacted angst, Harold sobbed out, "I am infinitely sorry and hope you can manage to forgive me somehow."
"Harold, you're too much sometimes, you know that?" Leshawna asked as she stared incredulously and skeptically at Harold. "Tell you what though. When they dough is ready, you're going to let me help cut it into shapes, got that?"
Harold paused before nodding obediently, worried that Leshawna might interfere with the last stage of his plan if she was nearby. "Fine, but only three trays of them, although I suppose you can decorate them too."
"Well, that's a little better, but how many pans are you making anyways?" Leshawna questioned him with her hands on her hips.
"Just five," Harold responded with a shrug. "My special recipe makes two and a half dozen after all."
"And just what are we going to do with 30 cookies?" Leshawna asked him. Rolling her eyes, she added, "I thought you had to watch your weight for your lady-fans."
"I do, but I figured we could offer some to everyone else; although, it might be best to offer them to Owen last so everyone gets some," Harold explained as he gazed out a window to check to weather.
"You have a point there," Leshawna responded with a chuckle. "But you know, you don't have to show me your skills all the time; sometimes you can let me show you mine too."
Jumping into Leshawna's arms, Harold requested, "Well my Luscious Leshawna, what do you think about going for a walk outside while we wait. I can show you my Possum Scout tracking skills and-"
Cutting Harold off, Leshawna dropped him back to the ground and questioned him angrily, "Did you not just hear a word I said? We can go outside, but you're not showing me your tracking skills."
"Fine," Harold conceded as he traipsed outside and Leshawna followed shaking her head.
After about two hours had passed, the two came back in laughing, both completely covered in snow from their snowball fight. "And that is why you don't mess with this sista" Leshawna boasted as she shook the snow out of her hair. "Shawnie knows how to roll with the snowballs to win a snowball fight Harold."
Harold, who looked like a giant snowball himself, answered, "You would have been no match for my fierce skills if I hadn't taken pity on a fair maiden such as yourself and sheathed them."
"Whatever you say," Leshawna shot back sarcastically as she shook her head in disbelief.
As Harold shook the snow of himself, he complained, "There's so much snow under my clothes, I don't think I'll ever be warm again."
Walking over and picked Harold up and into a tight hug, Leshawna questioned, "Well, does this help speed up the process?" Harold nodded blissfully as he leaned into Leshawna. "See, I knew we could have some fun if you let us both use our 'skills,'" Leshawna insisted as she set Harold back down gently.
Walking over to remove the dough from the refrigerator, Leshawna stopped abruptly when Harold quickly ran over and shut the door. "Not yet! We need to wait exactly 3.72 seconds!" Finished talking, Harold opened the refrigerator and removed the dough himself after quickly checking his watch.
"How did that make any difference at all?" Leshawna demanded as she crossed her arms in front of herself.
"You just don't understand the intricacies of food preparation," Harold replied dismissively as he began rolling out the dough.
"Oh no, no no, you did not just say that!" Leshawna shouted forcefully. "After cooking so many meals for my brothers and sisters, I know what I'm doing, and I say it wouldn't have made a difference."
Snatching the rolling pin from Harold in anger, Leshawna quickly flattened the dough and split it into two chunks so each of them could work on their cookies separately. Harold was about to try to console Leshawna before realizing the feud would enable him to work on his cookies more secretly. Taking his dough and a knife, Harold began to cut several shapes into the piece in a design that didn't match any of the available cookie cutters. Leshawna, however, angrily stamping her dough with the gingerbread man cookie cutter had already made her 18 cookie shapes and began placing them on pans. She then grabbed several spicy red candies as well as some chocolate chips and began using them to decorate the first pan of gingerbread men. Satisfied that they looked ready, she placed the pan in one of the ovens. Turning back to her other cookies, she resumed decorating them, still fuming about Harold's comments.
In the meantime, Harold had finished cutting out his three personalized shapes and also nine other gingerbread men. Placing one tray with his three shapes and three normal gingerbread men quickly into the oven so Leshawna couldn't see it, Harold returned to putting the final touches on the other six cookies. "There, now that's a masterpiece," Harold congratulated himself as he turned to Leshawna for support who merely continued decorating her final pan of cookies. "Gosh! You're not still mad about me phrasing that poorly, are you?"
Leshawna merely rolled her eyes and sighed at Harold's callousness before removing her first batch of cookies from the oven and placing them aside to cool. Noticing that Harold was following very closely behind her, she turned around and said, "Look Stringbean. Let's just finish these cookies, enjoy a couple as a snack and then move onto doing something else. I'm not in the mood for another baking discussion or lecture, got it?"
Harold nodded in response and quickly turned and brought out his own first batch of cookies which he placed far away from Leshawna's to cool. Intrigued, Leshawna asked, "And why are you being so secretive about those cookies?"
"I don't need a reason for everything," Harold insisted as they both put their second batch of cookies into the ovens.
"I suppose not, but you've been so suspicious, that I doubt there's nothing up," Leshawna informed Harold as she tried to sneak a glance at the cookies.
Deciding his best strategy was to lure Leshawna out of the kitchen until they were ready to remove the second batch of cookies, Harold bluffed, "You know, I'm worried Owen is going to smell these cookies and come running. We better make sure we know where he is right now." Harold walked out the door while Leshawna dubiously followed him.
The two returned about ten minutes later having not managed to locate Owen and removed their cookies from the oven to cool. "Okay, time for you to show me your cookies and me to show you mine while that last tray cooks," Leshawna demanded as she gingerly set her final pan in the oven.
"Not yet!" Harold protested as he went back to the refrigerator. "We still have to frost them. Then they'll look good enough to eat." Harold laughed to himself at his own joke while Leshawna just shook her head feeling a mixture of disbelief and amusement.
By the time Leshawna had finished frosting her dozen cookies, the final batch was ready to be removed from the oven. Setting it to cool, she walked over behind Harold who had just finished decorating his cookies as well. Hearing footsteps coming up behind him, Harold quickly slipped the three cookies onto a plate and hid it behind his back, leaving the other nine on display.
Surveying his cookies, Leshawna scratched her head bewildered and questioned, "Okay, now tell me why you had to keep this a secret. These gingerbread men look pretty ordinary."
"Close your eyes, Milady," Harold demanded as he guided Leshawna over to the table and then set the plate down in front of her. "Okay, you can open them now," Harold wheezed to which Leshawna reluctantly complied.
With a gasp of excitement, Leshawna looked down at the three cookies in front of her. In the center of the plate was a large heart made out of gingerbread on which Harold had written, "To my Chocolate Goddess with love from her Ginger Baby." On each side of it sat the two cookies Harold had painstakingly cut and decorated to look like the two of them. Overcome with emotion, Leshawna quickly pulled Harold into a tight hug and began kissing him rapidly crying, "Thank you! Thank you!"
"Don't mention it!" gasped out Harold happily from within Leshawna's tight embrace.
Finally setting him down, Leshawna apologized meekly, "Okay, I'm sorry for doubting you, Sugar. You obviously had a good reason for not wanting me messing with your cooking but I was just too stubborn to listen. Do you forgive me?"
"What's there to forgive? You were just being the strong, independent, and booty-liscious girl I fell in love with, and I should have tried harder to let you help the whole time. I totally could have too with my mad spy skills." Harold confessed before being scooped up in another embrace from a grateful and relieved Leshawna who let out a slight chuckle at Harold's boast.
"Well, the night is just getting started, so what are we waiting for? Let's get these cookies passed out to everyone," Leshawna exclaimed as she scooped up the two pans she had decorated before carefully placing the three cookies Harold had made just for her on top to take with them as well.
Walking over to the other pans he had made, Harold picked them up as well, leaving Leshawna's unfrosted one behind. He asked Leshawna, "What about your last pan?"
"Oh forget about it. We were almost out of frosting anyways, and we have enough cookies here for everyone without it. Besides, the sooner we get these cookies passed out, the sooner the two of us can have some quality time together."
Harold's eyes lit up and he remarked, "Boo-yah!" as the two walked out to hand out cookies to all their friends, shooting each other loving looks the whole time. Leshawna enjoyed being able to eagerly show her special cookies to Bridgette and Gwen who both agreed that Harold's gift was unbelievable sweet.
Finished, the duo retired to Lindsay's lounge and sat down on one of the couches. "Harold, you always seem to surprise me by doing something freaky-wonderful! You've really made my Christmas, so I hope I can make yours," Leshawna whispered as she gazed into Harold's eager eyes.
"Gosh! I have no doubt you will, but Merry Christmas all the same Baby!" Harold exclaimed as the two began making out, leaving Leshawna's cookies nearly forgotten on the table next to them except for when their eyes would occasionally alight upon them, although it was a rather rare occurrence.
Up next: As someone who cannot stand Christmas complains about the holiday, it's up to someone else to explain to her the holiday's true meaning.
