Author's Note: Shit. I missed my deadline for uploading this chapter by three days. Im kinda trying to post every two weeks or less. Hopefully I can improve on that, but we'll see now won't we? Anyway, Yay Gage is meeting the in-laws now! And hopefully he's nice… well... you'll see. Right now in fact! Also ha! I can make that Christmas in july joke now!

Now go enjoy the chapter and review if you can!

Song: All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey

Gage was standing there in front of the Massive black and yellow Ford F650 that was owned by Yang's father, still awe struck as to how awesome, and frightening it looked as Yang and Ruby released Taiyang from their hug, and hopped down from the truck.

Yang hopped down and ran behind her boyfriend as she heard Taiyang get down as well…. And he eventually made his way around the truck until he stopped dead into Gage's view.

Taiyang stood there, smirking at Gage with his blonde hair, facial scruff, and lilac eyes as he was wearing a black leather jacket with most of the right sleeve cut off, along with an old white shirt under that, an orange bandana around his neck, two fingerless black leather gloves on both of his hands, and a pair of dark brown jeans.

The Huntsman approached Gage and stopped before he looked at his figure from head to toe, but soon smirked again after as he extended his hand towards the ghost.

"Gage. I'm Taiyang. Man, It's good to finally meet you."

Ruby and Yang just watched in silence as they threw their bags into the bed of the truck… So, Gage had no other choice but to reach out and shake the man's hand. But as hard as he could with his non-metallic one,

"And uh… you too. Yang's told me so much about you."

He felt the father's grasp on his hand increase, and he was clearly trying to test if Gage was able to give him a true man's handshake, and thankfully he was able to provide one.

"Ditto." Tai said before letting go. "Now, Hurry up with your bags. I don't want to get caught in a storm before we get home."

"O-Oh. Yeah sure thing!"

He let go of his hand, and immediately grabbed one of his bags, and tossed it in the back of the truck. However, he brought two, since one was filled with everyone's presents…. Well, mostly Ruby's.

However, the small rose took the second bag, which was a rolling suitcase that he had yet to touch, and stared at what clearly was a big popcorn tin that was wrapped in wrapping paper, and strapped to the front of the case.

"...Gage? Can I have it now?" She asked him politely.

He looked down for a few seconds, walked over to her, and just sighed, "*sigh* ...Yeah sure Ruby." And then he took the strap off of the tin for her.

That made her take the tin from him, ripping off the paper that covered it as she smiled at Gage, "Yay! Thank you!" She thanked him.

Yang smiled along with Taiyang as the small girl put one arm around his chest and tried to hug him before she let go, and walked over to her father happily.

"Alright, but don't eat too much. It'll spoil your dinner." Tai said as he started to walk back over to the driver's seat.

Ruby nodded, and hopped up in the passenger seat, so Yang threw the last bag into the back of the truck, and grabbed onto Gage's hand,

"Dad can me and Gagey sit in the back?"

Her father's smile faded as he heard the spin on the ghosts name, and he just looked back at the two as he was climbing up into his seat…

"...'Gagey'? *sigh* ...oh boy…."

The couple heard him mumble that… and Yang felt Gage's grip on her hand loosen as he looked down at the ground, so she growled and dragged him over to the truck and started to climb into the back seat,

"Come on dad…" She said to him.

"What? Hehe, I'm sorry Yang. I can't not tease you guys when you're giving him names like that."

Tai then smiled as he said that to his daughter, and finally sat down and shut his door before he started up the truck.

All while Yang glared at him as she sat in the back, Gage was next to her but remained silent, and Ruby just ate some popcorn while Zwei said on her lap.

And once the engine turned over, he stepped on the gas, and they started to drive off down the icy road as the wind began to blow a little bit harder.

The icy feeling just made Gage look out the window and tug on the collar of his Dark green ugly christmas sweater…. But… then he turned to Yang, and saw that she was now resting her head on his shoulder, and was looking at the ceiling of the car.

"Hey... Yang? What are you looking at?"

She smiled again, and pointed up at the ceiling, so Gage looked up and noticed that there were old pictures that were either glued, stapled, or taped above them both. And they were all pictures of both Yang and Ruby.

They were scattered, but the pictures ranged from their baby pictures, toddler years, tweens, and their early teenage years. And there were also other pictures such as birthday and holiday family photos too.

"Wow..." He whispered.

She nodded, so Gage smiled, and just started to look around at all of the old pictures… but then he suddenly stopped, and looked right above himself.

As she did that, Yang blushed, as her boyfriend suddenly noticed the picture right above him of herself when she was just a little girl.

And in it, the small blonde girl was in a large beautiful field of grass smiling as she was holding a small puppy Zwei, and she was wearing small black boots with little orange socks, ragged black shorts, a ruffled brown shirt, and a small orange bandana around her neck.

But then Gage laughed a bit, as he noticed that the tiny Yang's hair had pigtails with little orange ties around them in the picture!

"Awww Yang! You had pigtails?! That's sooo cute!" He cooed.

"G-Gage..."

The couple started to have a conversation about how Yang didn't want Gage to make fun of her, but he said he couldn't help it since she was too cute, and so they started to go at it back and forth about it.

With him just continuing to tease her with a smile, and she begged him to stop in an embarrassed tone as she clung onto his arm and nuzzled into his shoulder, but tried to remain silent at the same time.

Meanwhile, in the front of the truck, Taiyang was trying to keep focus as he had his eyes fixated on the road, and his hands pressed firmly against the wheel….

But… soon, he sighed, and had to turn to Ruby as his other daughter and her boyfriend's moment went on,

"So…. What do you think of him?" He asked.

At first, Ruby gave her father a weird stare as she fed a popcorn kernel to Zwei before answering him.

"*munch* ...He's great!" She almost yelled with her mouth full. "He's like my best friend next to Weiss! ...If she would let me call her that."

His eyes widened, and looked back towards the road once again. "Hmm… and why's that Ruby?"

"Well…" She started as she looked up at the roof. "He knows how to take care of me and Yang, even if we're crying, and he's really into cool weapons like me too!" And then she put a hand against the side of her mouth, as she tried to say something else to Tai, but quietly.

"And he's like a teddy bear…. From what Yang says to me…"

That made her dad smile nervously and squint back at the small girl. "U-Uh…. A 'Teddy Bear'? What's that suppose to mean?" He asked, Nervously.

"Yeah… that and Care-Bear…. Could just be a nickname… but it could also be slang for something too…"

He just shook his head for a few seconds, sighing as he did, and looked back at her again. "*sigh* ...Does he at least treat you both nicely?"

She let her head rest against the car seat, and smirked as she looked her father in the eyes again. "Do you think she would be all over him if she wasn't happy?" Ruby replied to him with a question.

"...Fair enough. Now it's time for Gage's survey..."

"...Survey dad?"

That's when Taiyang looked up into the rear view mirror, trying to look authoritative as he raised his voice so the couple could be able to hear him more clearly,

"*clears throat* …Gage?"

"But you're cute Ya-U-Uh, What?" Gage asked as he stopped and put his hands at his sides.

"I came up with a list of questions that I thought you could answer for me. So I can know more about your… background. Oh, and make sure you answer truthfully."

Gage's body tensed up a bit as he glanced at Yang again, but she just smiled and cupped his cheek before nodding, letting him know that it would be okay. So, Gage looked back at Tai and sighed,

"*sigh* ...Okay. Ask away."

"Hehe…. Alright." Tai said with a grin.

He then saw Yang begin to clutch and hang on to her boyfriend again, so he decided to start it off with just simple questions, but he first he just had to tell him that, "Oh and by the way, Now is when you're gonna have to call me sir.'

His cheeky end there made the couples eyes open a bit more, but it didn't matter, as he now began to ask Gage his questions, in what felt like a lightning round. "First things first, how old are you Gage?" he asked him

"...Nineteen. My birthday was last month.."

"Hmm…. Alright. How many fights have you been in?"

"I… can't really say how many."

"Well…. How many fights have you started then?"

"One… when I was younger."

"You ever do any drugs before?"

"Nothing except for prescription. And i didn't abuse it."

"...How about alcohol then? Do you drink often?"

"...Y...Yeah, but I've never tried to purposely do it around the Yang or Ruby before. I swear."

Taiyang's smile faded, and he glanced back at Yang with only one of his eyes… and saw that she was trying not to look at him… so, that made him exhale deeply,

"*exhale* ...Plus in manliness points, but negative in future-son points. Next question, have you ever been arrested?"

Gage began to sweat now. "N-No Sir."

"Have you done anything illegal?"

"I-I've ridden a skateboard without a helmet and got a ticket."

That answer made Ruby stifle a small giggle, and Yang nearly started as well, but they managed to stop as their father went on,

"Okay…. Now, if this whole Huntsman thing doesn't work out for you, what else could you do to help Yang financially if you got married?"

"U-Uh…."

The rather curveball of a question made Gage look down at the floor for a second, clearly looking distressed as he tried to think….

...And it was like that for a few moments, in silence of course, but soon he suddenly remembered the fact that he had gone to college for a Mechatronics degree…

"O-Oh! That's right, I went to college a few years back!"

"Huh…" Tai said, sounding a bit surprised at his reply. "Well then, what did you major in Gage?" He asked.

"Well, it was Mec-"

"He majored in Mechatronics!" Yang yelled out, cutting them off and making them both jump.

Then, everyone else in the car just turned and looked at the blonde as she put her index finger against her chin and tried to remember what Gage had told her about his education,

"Mechatronics… yeah! He did it for three years, but then dropped out in his fourth year because he wanted to become a Huntsman. Like his mom."

And Gage snapped his fingers in response, with a smile. "Yeah. Yeah Mechatronics. I did it since that and weapon making can go hand in hand. And make things a little simpler." He told Taiyang.

"Hmm…. Mechanical and Electronical engineering eh? Didn't think Yang would be into an M.I.T. type of guy…"

Yang giggled at her father, and continued to hold onto her boyfriend's arm as she whispered something a little bit too carelessly…

"Hehe…. He's a lot more than that.~"

Which of course just made Taiyang's grin turn into a scowl as he watched the road… as he was just forced to give Gage a pass on the previous question.

"Alright alright…. You're doing good Gage…. For now…"

That made Ruby instinctively sit up and turn back to Gage before she gave him a thumbs up, causing Yang to just giggle again and cup her boyfriend's cheek again… which Taiyang of course noticed.

"Hmph…. you're so obsessed with him aren't you…" He said to himself.

His small and sarcastic remark was a little too easy to catch, so, Yang looked at Gage for a few seconds before she turned and intentionally glared at her father.

"YUP."

Her clear aggressive response made The Ghost just look at Ruby with a nervous expression… and she just covered her mouth with her hand as she smiled again. So, Gage laughed nervously to add more to the awkwardness, and looked at Tai.

"E-Ehehe…. So uh… you should probably save the rest of those questions for later sir…. I guess…. Maybe for like… dinner talk or something-"

"Ohoho… i'm just scratching the tip of the iceberg…" Tai said as he rudely interrupted him. And he also gripped the steering wheel a little harder. "So get comfy. Because i still have questions, and we still have a looong way to go…."

He then stepped down a little bit harder on the gas pedal, making the truck speed up a bit as it went along the road… and also made it clear to everyone that he was going to be pissed now for the majority of the car ride home...

"Aw shit…" Gage thought.

Later…

After a few hours on the road, the group of four finally arrived on Taiyang's land. A place that both Yang and Ruby would always call home.

As the truck roughly pulled up on the land, Gage titled his head so he could look in front of the car, and got a clear view of the two sister's childhood home.

"Wow….."

There was a large wooden fence that outlined the border of the entire patch of land, which in fact was something close to a very sophisticated-looking farm.

Because on the outer perimeter, there were only a few trees along with grass that was cut neatly, a shed near the entrance, and in the middle of the land, there was a nice medium sized modern house that was painted white.

From the outside, it appeared to have just a second floor since there were windows above, and the home had a nice porch complete with steps that ended right in front of the front door. And of course, the home and the plot of land was completely blanketed with snow!

"This place looks beautiful." He said to Taiyang.

But, the father just nodded, and stopped the car as he reached the front of the house and turned off the ignition. "Mmhm…." He mumbled.

Then, as the truck stopped and turned off, Ruby, Tai, and Yang all opened their respective car doors and started to pile out of the car.

"Now, grab your bags and head on inside Gage. Before the storm comes or gets any more wilder." The father said as he closed his car door.

"Oh… yeah sure."

So, Gage did that and hopped out of the car while Ruby and Yang just put their things gently on the porch, and Tai took Gage's big bag and put it down next to the front door. But he set it down a little harshly at the same time...

"All right… come on in." Taiyang said as he got his keys out and unlocked the door.

Ruby just had a giddy little smile on her face as she took the red backpack she was wearing off, and let Zwei hop out of her arms and run straight inside of the house, yipping and barking as he did so. "Arf! Arf!"

"Hehehe! Looks like Zwei's happy to be home!" She giggled.

Her father smiled and went inside as well, so Gage and Yang got their things and followed Ruby as she entered the house, and soon all three of them stopped and looked at the home's interior like it was the inside of an opera house.

The first thing the three saw was the living room of course. On the left side of the room was a large couch with a tall lamp on the right side of it, and a night stand on the left side.

But on the right side of the room, was a large plasma TV that was set so you could view it from the couch, but it was set right next to the entrance to the kitchen, which was in the back right corner of the living room.

And lastly, was the outrageously decorated Christmas tree that was on the left side of the kitchen entrance.

That was when Ruby rushed inside, through the living room, and started to run up some stairs that were to the left of the couch, which went up to her and Yang's bedrooms.

"Bed i missed you!" She yelled before her voice was blocked out by her footsteps.

Taiyang just watched from inside the kitchen, and looked at Yang with a smirk. "You gonna go hug your bed too Yang?" He asked her jokingly.

"N-No. I was gonna help you with dinner first dad!"

"Okay Okay..."

"I can help too." Gage said to him.

However, that just made Tai roll his eyes and look down as he began to wash his hands in the kitchen sink. "Sure thing… the more the merrier…"

Gage gave off a fake laugh that was… more aimed towards himself as he held his things, feeling nervous as hell now….and… was kind of having a feeling of regret in the back of his mind as he looked down at the ground….

Although, Yang could see his unenthusiastic expression, so she suddenly turned to her boyfriend and held onto his wrist as she tried to whisper into his ear, "You can put your things in my room Gage…-"

But of course, Taiyang heard her. "Actually Gage, just leave your things next to the couch for now." He said coldly.

"D...Dad."

The blonde girl just assumed that he was gonna make her boyfriend sleep on the couch at this point, so she was going to glare at him with her red eyes this time, but… that was until Gage put a hand on her shoulder.

"N-No it's alright Yang. It his house, so it's his rules." He then looked over at Tai, and tried to smile. "Right Sir?"

"Yep!" The older man replied as he nodded, and snapped his fingers while he smirked at the ghost, "*snap* Mmhm! Now you're getting it!" Before he went back to getting some of the turkey he had bought from out of the fridge.

Yet… Yang kept watching him with anger being built up inside of her… and Gage could tell since her eyes had turned red.

"*sigh* ...Gage?" She asked as she turned to him slowly.

He just set his bags next to the couch slowly first, and he looked at his girlfriend soon after that. "Yeah?"

"I think I need to talk to my dad alone for a few minutes… is that alright with you?"

"Yeah it's okay Yang." He answered as he took Yang's suitcase out of her hands. "I'll just go put your things in your room. It won't be that hard find…. Probably..."

She smiled and laughed at his words, and simply use her right hand to cup his chin before she planted a small kiss onto his left cheek, "...Thank you Care-Bear." She thanked him.

Gage blushed on the spot mostly because of the situation he was in, but laughed quietly as he nodded and started to head towards the stairs. "Y-You're welcome…" And then he started to walk upstairs with her bag in his hands.

So, Yang sighed and took off her brown boots, and her galaxy jacket that she was wearing over her yellow ugly Christmas sweater before she sighed and walked into the kitchen.

She was humming the song Santa Claus is Comin' to Town quietly to herself as she walked past her father and reached into a cupboard that was above him so she could grab some plates and set the dinner table.

But… while she went over to the dinner table, which was a round table that was set in front of the bay window that was next to the front door, Yang could barely contain herself….

So, as she set the table, Taiyang came up from behind her and put some glasses next to each plate that she put down….. And that was when she decided to strike…

"So…. why are you trying so hard to make my boyfriend afraid of you?"

He sighed… but still kept setting the table along with his daughter, "It's my job as a father Yang. And i have to know that he's the right guy for you. If i have to be a little harsh to find that out, then so be it. He is a man after all…. He can handle it." He admitted.

"He is the right guy dad…. He's the only person, aside from family, that i've let get this close to my heart…"

That was when he just stopped, and faced Yang as he turned and just rubbed his eyes while he leaned against the table,

"And that's why I'm trying so hard. Because you know what a lot of people say about first relationships….-"

"That they never work out?" She asked, cutting her father off.

"...Y...Yes." Tai answered. "Yang…. You know i'm just trying to protect you." He then looked up at her, and she simply crossed her arms and glared at him. Her red orbs glaring at his lilac eyes angrily.

"Yeah well…. You're not the only one anymore dad. You should see it as a luxury…"

Taiyang paused for a few moments… and his figure slouched as he frowned. Feeling kind of sad that… this deep attachment with her and Gage formed without his knowledge. And it felt like he was missing out on an important time in her life…

"Dad…. i'm not a little girl anymore." Yang told him as her eyes returned to their normal color once again.

One of the older man's hand's turned into a fist as he gripped the edge of the table harshly... And then… he looked at Yang again… and growled at her.

"Well you are to me! ...You'll… you'll always be one to me. Same goes with Ruby too…."

Yang lowered her arms at that point, and took two small steps towards her father, but with a more sincere look on her face. "W…Why does this make you so angry? You know that i have to grow up sometime soon… and… why not have it start with just this?"

"Because it feels like you've changed ever since you went off to Beacon…. I mean, you've been talking to me less… and then you surprise me with this 'boyfriend' when i was still trying to figure out what i'd do when you met someone…"

She grinned at him, and put a hand on his shoulder before she went on. "You still can find out. Just… get to know him. For me. Please."

Then she laughed again, and closed her eyes as she lowered her palm and Tai continued to stare at her… "And i promise that Gage isn't some bad boy. If anything, he's a dork. A really, really sweet dork..."

"Hmm…." Taiyang hummed to himself, and rubbed the back of his head as was thinking about his daughter's words… and how obsessed she was with Gage. And the fact that she was practically begging him to… try and accept him

"She really does love him…" He thought.

Then he realized something.

This was the first instance that he had seen Yang wanting to get involved in some sort of love life...except… he didn't have to help her get started on how to get a boy to notice her, or on how to look out on who she could trust…..

Because she can protect herself… and she already found someone. So why should he have to get in the way of her first relationship?

"Alright Yang…. I'll try. But he is not sleeping in your bed tonight. Even if he does have that metal arm, i'm gonna have to treat him like any other guy. Okay?"

Yang stared at her dad with a sweet sparkle in her eyes, and nearly knocked him onto the table as she ran and hugged him, squeezing Taiyang hard while she nearly lifted him off of it. "*sigh* ...Thank you…. And i love you dad… so much." The blonde girl whispered to him.

"Ugh…. Y...You're welcome… and i love you too..." He groaned.

She laughed again and eventually went easy on the amount of force she was using in her hug, so Taiyang eventually exhaled and separated from Yang with yet another smile before he ruffled her hair and got up from the table,

"Alright. Come on Yang. Time to make our Christmas dinner!"

"Hehehe! Okay!"

Later…

"Ruby! Gage! Dinner's ready!" Yang yelled.

As soon as he heard that, Gage knocked on Ruby's door twice before he smiled and went down the stairs, just as the small rose opened her door and followed closely, eventually managing to move past him while Zwei barked and got onto the base of the staircase before all of them!

"Arf! Arf!"

He reached the bottom of the stairs, letting the girl and her dog run past him, and stopped dead in his tracks as he looked over at the dinner table once again.

As to why? Well, it was mostly because he saw his lover Yang placing a large platter that had a fresh and hot-out-of-the-stove turkey placed on top of it… and the fact that the blonde girl was wearing cute yellow oven mitts over her hands, which also added to the reason of why he paused.

"Oh my god... she can cook too? ...I…I-I really am lucky…." He thought.

Yang smiled as she set the turkey in the center of the table, took the oven mitts off, and brushed one of her hairs over her ears as she turned and faced Gage, giving him a warm and sweet smile as she put her hands together.

"Dinner's ready Care-Bear.~"

He blushed and nodded, soon racing over to the dinner table as Taiyang brought over three other plates and set them down, circling around the giant turkey.

The plates had one different item on them, which were scalloped potatoes, a randomized plate of fried potatoes and vegetables, and lastly, a large plate of mashed potatoes that were covered in gravy, with a side of cranberries.

"Yep! Food's hot and ready. So let's dig in!" He said before he sat down.

Gage chuckled to himself and sat down just before he sat down on the south side of the table, and Yang giggled as she sat on the left side, next to him.

Ruby used her semblance and nearly warped to the seat on the east side while Zwei sat on the ground next to her in front of his dog dish, and then finally, Taiyang sighed as he sat in the chair in front of Gage, which was the closest to the large bay window that had white curtains hanging from above.

"This looks amazing…" Gage mumbled as he quickly got a big scoop of the scalloped potatoes and dropped it onto his own plate.

"Tch! Save some for us Gage!" Yang said as she nudged her boyfriend's shoulder.

"S-Sorry! They're my favorite. Hehe."

Ruby smirked and shook her head as she cut off a few pieces of turkey and lowered them into Zwei's doggie dish so he could eat it.

Then she took a spoonful of vegetables and mashed potatoes and put them down onto her platter, "You can share them you know. It'd be cute!" She cooed.

"Yeah, and we could maybe get them candles…. maybe play some music for them too…." Taiyang said sarcastically with a playful smirk displayed across his lips.

"D-Dad!"

"Come onnnn! Yang you know that was funny."

She blushed and just continued to start stuffing her mouth with turkey and cranberries while Gage just laughed at her.

"Jeez. Save some for us Yang…" He mocked her.

Ruby laughed again, along with Taiyang, but it made Yang nudge his metal arm even harder. "Oh don't you start!"

"Hahaha!"

After nearly half of their dinner was devoured, and Yang brought out a pumpkin pie that she baked herself for desert, the four started to rowdy down and start to converse… but the topic eventually changed to Gage and Yang.

(I'm not the only one who has pumpkin pie during Christmas dinner am I?)

"So, Gage, Yang….. how long have you two been together anyway?" Taiyang asked them both.

Gage was still in the same spot he was before, but Yang had scooted her own seat closer to his so she could lean on him and hold his hand,

"Six months strong now." Gage answered as he looked over at Yang. "Right Yang?" He asked her.

"Mmhm…. Hehe... I remembered since it was one of the reasons I cried at that dance…." She said, making fun of herself.

Tai's smile kinda toned down, and he lowered his glass of eggnog when he heard the word 'cried'. "You cried Yang?"

Gage was about to answer with a nervous stutter, but he quickly felt his lover squeeze his hand, signaling him to stop.

"Yeah… because this one knew my favorite song and got the DJ to play it…. And his words sorta got me all mushy too… but I loved every second of it."

She said that as she raised her and Gage's intertwining fingers, and Ruby backed this up of course, as she nodded and slid her scroll to her father.

"Yep! And I got a lot of the thing on video…. And a few pictures too." She said.

The father hummed as he heard this, and looked through his youngest daughter's scroll until he found a picture of Yang and Gage on the dance floor.

They were hand in hand, and both kinda looked emotionally overwhelmed as the crowd of students surrounded them. But Tai had a big smile as he saw Gage in his black tuxedo with his dark green bowtie, but more of course because Yang was wearing that bright and beautiful yellow chiffon dress.

And that was when he lowered the scroll and looked at the couple. But mainly their clothes, as they were both wearing an ugly Christmas sweater that went with their own unique color.

Gage's being dark green, and Yang's being bright yellow.

"Huh… looks like you two are a unique pair of colors aren't ya?"

They didn't know what he meant at first… but it soon popped into their heads as they saw that he was looking at their Christmas sweaters.

"Oh, heh, yeah. But hey, Green and Yellow can still mix can't it?" Gage joked.

Taiyang nodded, getting his inquiry, but then looked up… and pondered for a few moments in silence. "You know… seeing you two together kinda reminds me of a weird word… but i just can't put my finger on it…"

"Is it a good word dad?" Ruby asked him. In a serious tone of voice.

Her question made Yang stare at her dad a little menacingly, so he kinda flinched and nodded back at her quickly. "U-Uh, yeah! -O-Of course! And….. It was Kindle! That was the word!"

"Uh… what?"

"Kindle. It's a term for firewood. Sorta…"

The couple looked bewildered at his statement, so he sighed before he tried to explain his reasoning.

"It's because Gage's colors relates to plant life, and Yang's aura has a lot to do with fire. Along with her colors. And since she's kinda obsessed with him, it's like their relationship is the fire. And her flames are dependant on something to make it brighter. A.K.A. Gage. Hence the word Kindle."

"Oh…. Yeah, I can sorta see that." Gage said as he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"Hahaha!"

But then for almost no reason, Ruby suddenly started to laugh out of nowhere, and it just seemed to grow louder as she tried to quiet herself down.

"Hmm? What is it Ruby?" Yang asked her little sister.

"Hahaha! Yang I think dad just came up with a ship name for you and Gage! KINDLE! That's a good one!"

Yang and Gage both collectively groaned in that one instant, and Taiyang also began to join in as Ruby kept laughing harder and harder.

"Oh please nooo…." The blonde brawler moaned as she closed her eyes and clutched onto her boyfriend's arm yet again.

And Gage just whined, "Rubyyyy.…."

But their misery brought happiness to the small girl. (Obviously) And she smirked at her sister's boyfriend as she had a hand under her own chin, and tried to make fun of him.

"Gageeeee….~"

Taiyang sat there and watched, his laughter eventually dying since Zwei had started to yelp and bark to add to the commotion,

"Alright that's enough guy and gals. No need to get this rowdy at ten o'clock at night." He warned them.

Ruby stood up from the table, almost slamming her hands onto it as she smiled brightly, "Aww but dad! It's so cute to hear! I mean I did kinda get them together in the first place…"

"Oh did you now?"

Then, as he heard that, Gage lifted his head back up, and pointed at Ruby. "M-Mhm! So uh, blame her sir! N-Not me! H-Hehe…" He shouted.

"Yeah! Ah… I remember the first time they met…. They were holding each other at gunpoint, and i knew that it was just love at first sight…."

"Oh…. How romantic…." Tai muttered with a weird smile….

Yang giggled, and looked up from Gage's shoulder, still holding his hand as she grinned at her little sister. "...You're weird sis. But thank you!"

"No you're weird Yang! And you're welcome!-"

"Girls…. What did I say about getting rowdy?" Their father asked them, sounding irritated.

"S-Sorry." They apologized.

"Good."

He smiled again, and suddenly stood up from the table as he stretched his arms and pushed his plate away from himself.

"*yawn* ...Now that I've gotten my point across, I think it's finally time for all of us to head in for the night."

However, the announcement made both of the sisters whine, and Gage strangely yawned in agreement… somehow. "Yeah…. I'd wanna rest too after eating a meal that big…" He mumbled.

"Care-Bearrrrr…."

Zwei also barked In agreement as he ran away from Ruby's side and instead moved and sat over on the ground next to the staircase.

"Sorry Yang. It's three against two." Ruby told her.

"Hmmph…."

"Then it's settled. Goodnight everyone!" Tai said as he grinned and made his way towards the stairs.

The older man then waved and started to go up them, but he quickly stopped as he got up them halfway so he could turn, and glance at Gage for a few seconds before he went up to the top,

"Oh, and you're sleeping on the couch Gage. I put a pillow and blanket down for you, so uh…. Yeah. Sorry not sorry."

Then he went up to the top, and hummed as he walked down the hall. So, Ruby just shrugged and followed up the stairs as well.

"See ya in the morning Gage!"

And of course, Yang whined again and watched as Gage shook his head and walked over to the couch. Smiling as he sat down and saw that she had followed him

She stood in front of him, with a frown. "Goodnight Gagey…" She whispered as she immediately threw herself at him and hugged him.

He felt her hug's force tighten more, so Gage patted her back and gave her a kiss on the cheek before he looked back up at her,

"Goodnight Yang."

"Mmm…."

Her expression was clearly a sad one, but she nodded and moved her hand down his metal arm before she backed away from him and started to head up to her room… but not before she said three last words to him…

"I love you…"

Gage laughed to himself, and just waved back to Yang as he watched her slowly go back up the stairs and disappear out of his sight, but not before he whispered the three words back to her, which hopefully could help her sleep through the rest of the night peacefully...

"I love you too..."

Later… After Midnight….

After turning off most of the lights in the house and getting dressed in his black Achievement Hunter tank top and dark green pajama pants, Gage lied down on the couch and turned on the TV that was in front of him, but put the volume down low.

He was laying sort of on his side, his head against a white pillow and his body being covered by an old fluffy blanket as he was tiredly watching a marathon of Christmas movies…

And at this moment, he was watching Rudolph's Shiny New year!, with his eyes half open.

"Mmm…. W….Why don't they make these movies anymore…. They're so good…." He thought to himself.

He just continued to watch the old stop-motion film… as the light from the TV screen and the Christmas tree lit the room dimly. Gage sat there in silence… wondering why he couldn't fall asleep. But he didn't want to admit that it was because of Yang's absence….

"You…. don't… need to be with her to sleep…. its just the christmas jitters… or... whatever…"

So, he told himself that, and sighed again as he tried to shut his eyes… and he did. Successfully

Although... after about five minutes, Gage began to feel himself drift off… but not before he suddenly heard the floorboards on the stairs creak quitely.

It made him look up from the couch, and over at the source of the sound as he was trying to lay on his side entirely,

"Hmm…..egh….. Y...Yang?"

He took a shot in the dark and just whispered his lover's name…. But didn't even think about actually getting an answer back from her.

"Uh…. M...Merry Christmas Gage. E-Ehehe….."

Then, the bright blonde's bright hair, eyes, and aura made it easier for Gage to see her come into view as she came down the stairs, and came to a stop in front of the TV, and him. And he kinda…. Groaned inside of his head.

"W...Why are you coming to me so late…"

Yang was dressed in a… new black tank top with her symbol on it, which was colored orange, and she was also wearing bright yellow pajama pants.

But he soon noticed that she also was holding her old dog pillow and was staring at the ground…. Looking… really tired as her eyes were bloodshot.

"I can't sleep…." She replied.

She said that, and turned to look at the TV. Smiling as she saw Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer on the screen along with the rest of his friends… but… Gage thought she was just trying to draw less attention to herself.

"So…. Can I sleep here with you? ...Please."

For probably the first time in their relationship, Gage rubbed his eyes, and kinda… felt annoyed…

"Both of us… on a couch?"

Her reaction was to let out a small breath and clench her pillow harder. "Gage I know I sound clingy but i'm serious…. I can't sleep and I don't know why…." And she took a step closer to him as she said that.

The Ghost just wanted to sleep at this point, so he sighed, and lifted his blanket as he adjust himself so that he was laying on his back again.

"*sigh* ...Alright, come here…"

"Thank you… and i'm sorry."

She apologized, and set her pillow down next to the couch as she slid under the blanket and laid down on top of Gage… using his chest as a pillow before she just placed her right hand on his left shoulder.

"It's okay. Hehe…. You know that I can't say no to you Yang…."

"Hmm…."

She smiled tiredly and nuzzled into his chest while she also felt his fluffy blanket fall on top of her, making them both feel warm.

So warm, that even Yang closed her eyes, and slowly eased back into a comfortable position as Gage asked her another question.

"So… did you just have a bad dream again?"

"Mmhm…" She answered, and opened her eyes a little bit and rubbed her right hand down his shoulder. Until she felt his metal arm again. "It was about this…" She told him.

He sighed, and moved his metal arm up her back until he could feel her golden locks brush against his sage, and metallic fingertips. So, he leaned up, and kissed her on the forehead as he brushed her hair gently.

"My poor Sunshine…"

The little name made Yang giggle, and she squeeze Gage harder as she felt his lips press against her forehead. "It's okay though… i'm here with you now aren't i?"She asked him with another tired smirk.

"Yeah…. Yeah i guess so…"

Then he tried to smile again… and did successfully…. But it was a fake one. As…. he noticed that this was the second time that Yang hasn't slept in the same bed with him this month. And it was also the second time that she's been woken up because of nightmares…. About his accident, and again, it was the second time this month…. So it made him begin to worry immediately.

"S….She can't have PTSD or something like that… she's Yang Xiao Long… sweetheart extraordinaire…" Gage thought.

At first he tried to deny the fact of that possibility… mostly because it was so unlike her… to… seem so scared.

He kept thinking about it… and he came to the conclusion that, he didn't want to find out for himself since he just couldn't bear the thought of her… suffering like that. Like… him. All those months ago when they first met…

So he shook his head slightly, and hugged her harder as he had his right arm across her back, and looked down at her. He saw that she was now watching the TV, and was smiling as she saw Rudolph on the screen again.

"So… why are you still awake Gage?" She asked him.

"Uh… i just get really excited during The Night Before Christmas. Christmas jitters you know?"

Yang's smile widened, and she closed her eyes again as she continued to snuggle into her boyfriend even more. "Hehe…. Yeah that's right… tomorrow's Christmas…. Yay…" She whispered.

"Mmhm…"

Then all of a sudden, her lilac eyes opened once again and she slid up his body so she could grin… and whisper into Gage's ear drum softly,

"You know Gage…. I don't care about whatever you got me for my present. Because just having you here with me... is a gift in itself…."

He blushed, and smiled back as he felt her head nuzzle against his neck softly. "Same goes for you too Yang… but….. Can i ask you to do something for me?" He asked in a very nervous tone of voice.

"Sure…. What is it?"

Gage's blush darkened even more as he leaned his head back onto his pillow, and looked up at the ceiling as he went on with his request. "Okay, um… D-Do you remember the first night we slept together?"

Yang nodded, and laughed a bit as she reminisced about their first night together. "Yeah… you were so nervous that you could barely touch my body….. And it was so cute…." She said, dreamily.

"Well remember when i couldn't fall asleep…. And what you did to help me?"

"Mmhm… i…. Sang for you- Wait... D… Do you want me to do it again?"

His nervous smile also grew larger, and he tried to look away from his girlfriend mostly because he was feeling really embarrassed.

"It'd be nice…. As an early C-Christmas gift…"

His request made her blush as well, and it honestly felt really weird for him to be asking her this, but she took it as a possible push in raising his self-esteem, which of course made her feel happy for him. So… she just couldn't deny him this.

"Um… O-Okay. I think i might have a good song t-too…. So give me a second…."

"S-Sure thing."

Yang looked at Gage Intently as she took in a deep breath…. and exhaled as she felt fully capable to go into her lullaby mode!

"*exhale* ...Okay… now remember what I just said about you being a gift in itself…. Well… here's what I really meant!"

The blonde said that with some tired enthusiasm, and hugged Gage with both her arms… as she began to whisper one of her most favorite Christmas songs into his ear…

...However, her favorite song… was All I Want for Christmas by Mariah Carey.

"~I….don't want a lot for Christmas….. There is just one thing I need….. I don't care about the presents…. Underneath the Christmas tree…~"

Her voice was both so smooth and soothing…. That Gage smirked and closed his eyes while she went on,

"~...I just want you for my own…. More than you could ever know….. Make my wish come true… All I want… for Christmas… is…. you...~"

And finally… she giggled one last time… and closed her eyes along with him before she started to sing quietly throughout the night to her lover…. Until they both fell asleep. Right on the dawn of their first Christmas morn.

Together.

"~All I want…. For Christmas…. Is….. you...~"