The Quinn Who Stole Christmas

Quinn doesn't love Christmas


"Fuck me" – Quinn groaned as he stepped out of the elevator.

"What?" – Deb asked with a frown.

"It's Christmas" – he spat with such a level of venom in his tone that the woman had to turn and stare at him – "What?" – he echoed her.

"What's your problem with Christmas, asshole?" – she motioned to the decorations around the door to the Homicide Division, and looking inside, it was clear there were a lot more decorations.

"I don't have a problem with it" – Quinn tried, just to get a raised eyebrow back – "I don't! I just don't like it"

"You don't like Christmas" – Deb stated dryly, flatly, incredulously. It was amazing how the woman could fit so many feelings onto so few words.

"We're in Miami, not exactly a Christmas–y vibe"

"Jesus, you're a wet blanket" – the woman snorted, turning sharply and walking off without waiting for him.

"Why?" – he questioned as he quickly caught up with her. She rolled her eyes as she settled on her chair, and looked up at him with an amused expression.

(okay, maybe Quinn was a tad too in love with Deb Morgan)

"It's cute that you're such a Grinch" – she said with a little smirk.

(that Quinn couldn't help but find very appealing)

"Did you just call Quinn 'cute'?" – Masuka stepped far too close to Quinn, as per usual, eyes wide with morbid curiosity – "I don't think I've ever heard you say the word 'cute', Morgan"

"Go get fucked by a mistletoe, Masuka" – Deb snapped in her usual offhand way.

It was Masuka, after all.

"Leave her alone, man, don't you have work to do?" – Angel, good old Angel, slid beside the Asian man, with an easy, even teasing smile.

"Fine, fine, I got shit to do before Christmas anyway" – Masuka grinned widely and wiggled his eyebrows – "Gonna have me a very merry Christmas"

"You find an elf willing to fuck you with a sugarcane? Lucky you" – Deb piped up.

"Alright, alright" – Angel quickly said, not allowing Masuka to answer – "Move along now, thank you" – with a small huff, Masuka did as told, and Angel looked between Deb and Quinn – "So. Any Christmas plans?"

"Dex is going down to spend the day with the kids" – the woman shrugged – "I guess I'll just drink the day away, watch Die Hard, you know, eat take out, the usual" – Angel chuckled.

"You never disappoint, Morgan. Well, I am spending the day with my little girl" – he puffed up – "I snagged her one of those fancy Real Dolls, you know? Gonna make her entire year"

"Those creepy dolls that talk to you?" – Deb made a face.

"They are not creepy, and it's what the kid wants" – Angel sighed – "Alright fine, they're creepy as shit, what am I gonna do?" – then he shrugged – "What about you, gonna get with your family or something?" – he turned to Quinn.

"No, we don't really do the whole Holiday thing"

"He's a Grinch, he doesn't like Christmas" – Deb interjected and Angel frowned.

"I'm sorry, you don't like Christmas?"

"I did not say I don't like Christmas" – Quinn tried to correct it as both Detectives gave him looks – "I'm just not... You know, all that into all of it" – he motioned to the tinsel and balls and lights and fake poinsettias and tiny plastic trees on the ceiling, on the walls, and on each table (even his own – who the fuck– anyway).

"All of what? It's Christmas, what's not to like?" – Angel persisted – "It's the most beautiful time of the year, man, a time to be with family and friends, and eat good food, give and receive presents–"

"Like I said, Grinch. Careful with your creepy doll, he might steal it away" – Deb snorted.

"I'm not a Grinch!"

"Yeah, he's not green enough" – Angel nodded with a growing smirk he couldn't quite hide – "And look at that pretty face, no one would call that the face of a Grinch"

"That's what he wants you to think" – Deb pointed out.

"Why are you ganging up on me?" – Quinn complained.

"Because you're weird, man, who doesn't like Christmas?"

"Even Dexter loves Christmas, and look at him, does he look like a guy who loves Christmas?"

"Before he got married, he used to head the toy drive every year" – Angel added with an appreciative expression – "and even then, he still bought and donated a bunch of toys since"

"And it's one of the few things that will get Dex competitive, you should've seen him going head to head with the closest fire station" – Deb snorted while Angel shook his head.

"Captain Norris tried to poach Dex over the holidays a bunch of times, he's that good at getting people to donate"

"But LaGuerta loves him too much"

"I can't see Morgan as a firefighter" – Quinn commented.

"What? Nah, man, Captain Morris full on just wanted to deputize Dexter solely for the toy drive, good thing Dex is not a pushover, we can't have them firemen stealing him away"

"This is what he gets for being so good at this kind of shit. But, you know, Dexter's always had a soft spot for kids"

"Right" – Quinn didn't know what else to say.

"Anyway, Dex is a Christmas genius, and you're the Miami Grinch"

"I am not–!" – Angel put a heavy hand on Quinn's shoulder.

"Not to pressure you or anything... But maybe you could learn a thing or two from Morgan. Dexter, I mean. It's nice to enjoy things like Christmas, man" – he turned to Deb with a wink – "Even if it is Die Hard and take out"

"Damn right" – Deb agreed with a grin.

(god damnit)

Deb, and low–key Angel, kept bugging Quinn about his "Grinch–ness", and after a while he stopped arguing because of course they were only going to keep going. This is what he got for wishing for a quiet end of the year the week before.

"Ho Ho Ho" – someone called out, ever so slightly unenthusiastically. Sure enough, it was Dexter, wearing a fairly good quality Santa hat, not a cheap one, and something of a sweet smile. He was wearing a moss green shirt, with gold tinsel all over it, and he carrying a large Santa sack.

(oh no)

"Fuck yeah" – Deb cheered, and she wasn't the only one around them.

"What's happening?" – Quinn couldn't help but question, except no one needed to answer because then Dexter started handing out small, brightly colored bags to every person on the bullpen, seemingly filled with candy and little trinkets.

"Deb" – Dexter said, with the usual familiarity and warmth he reserved solely for his sister, and handed her a small sack that was clearly meant particularly for her.

"There better be some red vines in here" – the woman threatened playfully, already tearing into it. Dexter remained put for a moment, watching on – "And a new mug!" – she smiled at her big brother, clutching the red mug with both hands – "Thanks, Dex"

"Don't forget the red vines"

"Never"

Then he turned to Quinn, and his expression froze.

(yeah, they were cool after the whole Liddy thing, but Dexter Morgan liked Joey Quinn about as much as Quinn liked the male Morgan)

"Merry Christmas" – the red head said with the least amount of holiday cheer possible, not that Quinn could say anything about it.

(the tinsel on his shirt looked obnoxious up close too)

Quinn took the offered present with a short nod, and then Dexter moved on to the next person, his sack almost empty by now. While looking at Deb talking to their co–workers, all of them munching on their respective snacks and candy, Quinn opened his Santa Dexter Morgan gift.

It was about as generic as most people got, minus Deb of course, with M&Ms, Hershey kisses, gummy bears, and even sugar canes, inside a sky blue metal pen holder, that, as slightly annoyed as Quinn felt, he almost automatically put on his table. And with an eye roll, he transferred his stray pens onto it.

Much as it pained him to admit it, Dexter Morgan was a creep, he was shady as fuck, but he was actually kind of nice sometimes, even to people he clearly didn't give a shit about, like himself.

At the end of the day, Quinn was bone tired of all the holiday cheer being shoved down his throat–

(if one more asshole giggled under a mistletoe, or waved a candy cane in his direction, he swore he was going to–)

–but he was going home with Deb, and he felt butterflies in his stomach at her easy giddiness over all the Christmas vibes. She was usually such a (foul mouthed) adult, so to see her being somewhat childish and downright gleeful...

(yeap, he was gone for her)

"So, Grinch–Quinn, how do you feel about Die Hard 1 and 3, and ah... Thai?"

"You got a deal, Morgan. I haven't seen 3 in a while"

"What? Dude, that's the best– Okay, maybe not THE best one, but it's so close!"

"Yeah, yeah" – his hand twitched to land on her hip as they walked to the elevator – "But if we watch Die Hard today, what're we gonna watch on Christmas?"

"Who says we can't watch it again?"

Quinn was itching to tell her that he didn't actually want to watch the same movie so close together, even if it was Die Hard, then she grabbed a red vine she hadn't devoured earlier, took a bite and offered it to him, and he couldn't help but take a (small) bite too.

Fine, maybe Christmas wasn't all that bad.

(not with Debra Morgan, anyway)


This is a Christmas present for my new buddy BecauseIMissYouBodyAndSoul, who so loves one Joey Quinn =D