1. Perhaps you guys have heard about the good news about the COVID-19 vaccine! The good news being, well, there is a vaccine, and people are at last starting to receive it. While it's understandable to be nervous, I want to clarify a few things: vaccines do NOT cause autism. Severe reactions to vaccines are incredibly rare (like, one in a million rare). A majority of vaccines do NOT contain live viruses (they contain pieces of a dead virus, e.g. proteins, which means a vaccine CANNOT make you sick). Thimerosal and aluminum in vaccines are NOT harmful. Vaccines are incredibly important to protecting us from diseases, and it is crucial that as many people as possible receive vaccinations, as this creates "herd immunity" that protects people who cannot receive vaccinations for whatever reason (e.g. allergies) from those diseases. Vaccines are the reason there's no smallpox and polio anymore! Measles had actually almost been entirely eradicated in the USA until the anti-vaxxer movement started, which boosted measles infections upward as parents began refusing to vaccinate their kids. Moral of the story? Vaccines are safe! GET VACCINATED! (Information condensed from the 10-page report I wrote about vaccines, lmao, vaccines dot gov, and pretty much any reputable source about vaccines on the Internet).
Happy holidays, my friends! To those who celebrate, I hope you had a very merry Christmas yesterday. If you don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you had a great Friday anyways! This chapter is on the longer side, and I'd describe it as this: feel-good. Fun times and fluff abound! I hope you enjoy!
xXxXxXx
Callum's physics professor had submitted his recommendation. Callum himself had uploaded his transcript, filled out every informational form, and answered each personal interest question thrown at him with at least one paragraph. He'd also finished his essay, which had undergone three rewrites with the help of edits from his amazing girlfriend. For all intents and purposes, Callum's application to the KSU-XU exchange program was complete. Which meant there was only one thing left to do.
Submit it.
And Callum was absolutely terrified of pressing the little blue button at the bottom of his screen.
He knew he needed to get around to it soon. The application deadline was only a few days away, and there was no point putting off his submission any longer since there were zero changes he planned to make, but still. Actually submitting his application would make the possibility of going to Xadia all too real, and he wasn't sure he was ready for that. Submission meant the possibility of rejection.
Or, even scarier, acceptance.
If he got in, he'd live on campus at Xadia University, most likely with a roommate in his same grade. He'd take classes that aligned with those needed to meet degree requirements for his major. He'd be provided a stipend to help pay for necessities, too, that way more of his free could be spent actually interacting with Xadian customs and culture.
For him, personally, he imagined he'd spend most of that free time with Rayla. Hopefully by then he'd also be on better terms with Runaan and Ethari. Rayla had mentioned the other day that she'd been working to smooth things over with them - having the most success with Ethari, unsurprisingly - although Callum suspected the atmosphere might still be tense when the couple flew in for the championship.
Still. If Aunt Amaya could put aside her learned prejudice, he had no doubt Runaan could, too.
"Callum, are you agonizing over that application again?" Ezran demanded, standing in the doorway of the kitchen with Bait in his arms. "We don't have time for that right now! We need to leave for Claudia's party soon if we don't want to be late."
Callum placed his phone down, relieved to no longer have his thumb hovering indecisively above the submit button. "Ez, we can't leave until your friends arrive. And no, I was not 'agonizing' over my application." Yeah, that was a lie. He'd definitely been agonizing. "I was just having some… last-minute jitters, okay?"
Ezran rolled his eyes. "If you're really that nervous, just submit it at Claudia's house with Rayla standing next to you or something." He smirked at Callum. "She can even hold your hand and help you through it."
That was... a surprisingly good idea. Or not maybe not surprisingly. His brother had always possessed eons more common sense than he did. Even if the teasing was completely and utterly unnecessary.
"Also, Ellis and Aanya are almost here! They both texted me that they're five minutes away, so they'll probably arrive around the same time. Which means we will need to leave soon." Ezran gave him a look. "Like I already said."
Callum chuckled at his brother's serious expression. "Alright, alright. Point taken. I'll start getting my stuff together." He turned his phone off, tucking it into his pocket before leaving the kitchen through the doorway Ezran wasn't occupying and heading towards his bedroom.
Claudia had invited Ezran to her New Year's party without hesitation, and had also promptly extended the invitation when Ezran asked if he could bring a couple of his friends. Callum had worried about how comfortable Aanya's and Ellis's guardians would be with letting their teenagers hang out amidst a group of college students on New Year's Eve, but apparently they all trusted Ezran to the point where they felt their kids wouldn't be exposed to any dangerous situations. High praise for most. For Ezran, though? All in a day's work.
Callum feared the day his brother realized just how easily people trusted him. The amount of chaos he could cause was unfathomable.
Once in his bedroom, Callum took his sketchbook out of his satchel. He loved drawing, but having expanded his friend group since entering college, he now recognized that carrying his sketchbook everywhere was… well, at least a partial crutch for avoiding social interaction. Tonight, he wanted to focus on spending time with his friends. Not to mention there was something far more important he needed to store in his bag tonight: Rayla's gifts.
His heart skipped a beat at the thought. God. He really hoped she liked them.
"Callum!" Ezran's voice floated in from the front of the house. "Ellis and Aanya are here! I already got the two buckets of jambalaya out the fridge for the potluck! We're ready to leave whenever you are!"
"Okay!" Callum called back, carefully tucking each of Rayla's gifts into his satchel. He made sure he had his phone and his keys before pulling on his winter boots - it didn't matter that they'd be inside most of the night, the weather would still be freezing - and returning to the living room. The three teens were indeed already gathered there. "You all have everything you need?" he asked, waiting for affirmation from them before gesturing towards the door. "Then let's hit it."
He had no idea why he'd chosen such a dramatic phrase to herd their crew out - it wasn't like Soren and Claudia's house was far. In fact, the drive was so short that he allowed all three of them to sit in the backseat together. Even though that was probably against the law.
Callum also noted that their conversation was endlessly amusing - it started with Ellis talking animatedly about her new puppy, moved to Ezran eagerly showing them pictures of Bait dressed in the outfits Claudia had given him for his birthday, and ended with Aanya lamenting how much she wanted a pet. The other two promptly swore up and down that they'd find a way to get her one.
All of which was discussed in the span of three minutes. So, both amusing and impressive.
When they arrived at the house, they were greeted by an eager Claudia before Callum had even had a chance to knock.
"Hi everyone!" she said cheerfully, waving them all inside. "I want to give you a proper greeting, but it is freezing out here!" She shut the door behind them after they'd all stepped into her house. True to her word, she promptly pulled them all into a giant group hug. "I'm so excited you all made it!" She then directed Callum to the kitchen - he'd carried the jambalaya inside - before escorting the other three into the living room where their friends were apparently all hanging out.
Callum walked into the kitchen, placing both containers of jambalaya that he'd helped Harrow cook onto the counter before taking off the plastic lids. He made sure the labels were still securely attached, though, because one of the mixtures was vegetarian for Sonya and he didn't want her to accidentally eat the wrong one. Afterwards, he moved the styrofoam bowls next to the two containers, knowing that jambalaya was best served not on a plate.
"Hey there, stranger. Come here often?"
Callum recognized that voice even before he turned around. "By your definition, sure," he said teasingly. "Ez and I came here all the time as kids."
Rayla laughed. She was leaning against the doorframe of the kitchen, dressed in a soft-looking purple sweater and a denim skirt with black leggings underneath. It was probably the warmest outfit he'd ever seen her in, what with her apparent inability to feel the cold. "I guess I should have known that was the case."
"Mm, probably so." He moved the box of plastic spoons next to the styrofoam bowls as Rayla crossed the room towards him. "But it was a pretty cute attempt at flirting."
"Aw, thank you. Glad to know my efforts weren't for nothing." She rested her elbows on the counter, leaning forward to examine the food he'd brought. "What's this? It smells…" She inhaled deeply. "Whoa. It smells really good."
"It's jambalaya," Callum replied, spooning some of the non-vegetarian kind into a bowl for her. "My dad and I made it together." He offered her the bowl. "Want to try it?"
Rayla raised an eyebrow but obliged, accepting the bowl from him and taking a bite. She chewed for a moment, then her eyes widened. "Oh my God. This is so good." Then she coughed. "And maybe a little spicier than I expected."
Callum snickered. "This is actually just mild seasoning. I take it you aren't big on spice in Xadia?"
Rayla filled a cup with water, downing a gulp before wiping her mouth with one of the paper napkins on the counter. "I can't speak for all of Xadia, but in Silvergrove we're much more focused on sweet or savory things." She threw her napkin away. "Moonberry-flavored items are popular for that reason."
Right, she'd mentioned moonberry before. "Ez would adore that." Since his brother loved anything sweet.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure you have a moonberry surprise when you come to Xadia next year. Then you can tell Ezran all about it."
Callum's stomach flip-flopped at the mention of Xadia, remembering the application he was yet to submit. "Speaking of Xadia, actually…" He loosened his scarf around his neck, unsure of why he suddenly felt so nervous. Talking with Rayla was normally the easiest thing in the world.
Worry flickered across his girlfriend's face, and she placed her cup of water down. "Did something happen? You haven't missed the application deadline, have you?" Her eyes widened. "Oh no, is it your essay? Did my edits discourage you? If I came across as harsh, I swear I didn't mean it. Your essay really was fantastic -"
His girlfriend's frantic, rapid-fire questioning helped Callum relax, oddly enough. Maybe her almost-panic reminded him that… she was Rayla. Of course he could talk to her about anything.
"No, none of that," he reassured her with a laugh. "Your edits were ridiculously helpful, just like they always are. And the application deadline is still a few days away, so no, I didn't miss it."
"Oh. Okay." Rayla frowned. "Then what…" She trailed off, a realization of sorts appearing to dawn in her expression. "Callum, if you changed your mind about wanting to apply, I promise that's - that's totally fine. I support your decision no matter what you choose and -"
"Wait - no, no, that's definitely not what I was leading up to!" Callum interrupted, vigorously shaking his head. Rayla's shoulders slumped in relief. "No. That's not it at all." He offered her a small smile. "I can't wait to go to Xadia University with you. Er, assuming I get accepted." He bit his lip. "What I was trying to say…"
Too late to back out now, even if he was inevitably going to make a fool of himself. "I - uh, I'm just a little nervous about actually submitting my application, so I was - er, I was hoping that you could - you could be with me. While I submit it." His words were nothing short of a rambling mess, but they got the point across. He hoped.
Rayla stared at him for a moment, then averted her gaze, her face turning a pretty shade of pink. "Oh my God," she mumbled, dropping her head onto his shoulder. "You are so cute."
Callum could feel his own face heating at her words. "Uh… Is that a yes?"
Rayla lifted her head to roll her eyes. "Of course it's a yes, you dork. I'll hold your hand and stay by your side and whatever else you need." Though her tone was dry, there was a gentleness Callum adored to her eyes. Not to mention her cheeks were still dusted with a pink blush. That duality - er, triality? - was one of Callum's favorite things about her.
And while he did not need her to hold his hand, per se, he certainly was not going to refuse the offer.
Callum fumbled as he typed his password into his phone, as he was only operating the device with his right hand. He got it correct on the second try. The application page was still open in his web browser, and surprisingly had not logged him out yet.
Though he refreshed it to sign in again anyways. Just in case.
"This is it. The big moment," Rayla said, excitement edging her tone as she squeezed his hand. "You ready?"
Callum took a deep breath. Yes. He was ready. Because with Rayla by his side, he could take on anything - including a year in a foreign country, where he wouldn't know anyone but her.
Which was an embarrassingly cheesy thought, he realized, so he kept it to himself.
"Okay," Callum breathed, exhaling slowly. "Let's do this." Almost functioning in a trance, yet somehow simultaneously aware of each miniscule detail in the room around him, he lowered his thumb to the screen, pressing 'submit' before his anxiety could protest otherwise. It was an out-of-body experience if he'd ever had one.
There was a pause. He didn't miss the way Rayla was biting her bottom lip to stop herself from smiling too widely. "You did it."
All the tension in Callum's body vanished, and he was pretty sure his shoulders dropped downward at least a full inch as relief flooded his body. "I did it." He placed his phone on the counter before turning to look at Rayla, not bothering to hide the wide grin that stretched across his own face. "I did it!" He squeezed her hand tightly. "It's crazy to think that this time next year… I might be in Xadia with you."
Rayla laughed. "Wow. Now who was it that kept telling me not to act like it was guaranteed you'd be accepted into the program?"
Callum shrugged, ignoring her teasing dig at him. "It's New Year's Eve. A new era dawns tomorrow" - okay, maybe a slight dramatization - "so I'm allowed to let myself have a little hope tonight."
"Well, hope is a good look on you," Rayla mused, tapping his nose. "Now come on! Everyone else is hanging out in the living room already." She began dragging him out the kitchen, though he did manage to reach back and grab his phone off the counter while she did so.
"Oh, there they are," Soren called as they entered the main room of the house. "I thought you guys had been kidnapped."
"I thought you'd been poisoned by someone's poor cooking," Dominic said with an amused look at Felix, who stuck his tongue out at his boyfriend. Felix's response earned a snort from Lucas.
"I thought you were just having a conversation," Sonya said dryly. "You know. The normal assumption someone would make."
"Look, they were obviously making out in the kitchen," Emilé countered, crossing their arms over their chest. "Which I'm sure is most excellent for you, dudes, even if I will never personally understand the appeal, but please - not by the food." Their comment prompted a chorus of disgusted sounds from Ezran, Aanya, and Ellis, who were sitting in a circle on the floor and playing three-way Battle with a deck of cards. Claudia had presumably provided it.
Rayla rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry to disappoint, but we were not making out in the kitchen." She smirked at their friends before shooting Callum a sly glance. "We have the decency to do that elsewhere."
Callum groaned as their friends whistled and laughed. "Yeah, yeah. Get all of your teasing out the way now so I can actually enjoy this party tonight."
Rayla snickered. "Anyways. What we were actually doing - or what Callum was doing while I stood there as emotional support - was submitting a very important application to the Xadia University exchange program!"
The room erupted into cheering and applause, and although Callum could feel his face reddening, he was also silently grateful for the supportive nature of his friends. If he was honest?
He didn't know what he'd do without them. "Okay, that's enough school-related talk," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand after their congratulations died down. "Aren't we all here to have a party?"
"Hell yes we are!" Claudia said enthusiastically, jumping up from her seat on the couch next to Sonya, who was startled by the sudden movement. "And as the resident crew of college students who aren't particularly interested in getting blackout drunk - plus we have a wonderful trio of high schoolers here - we have a million board games to play instead! Let me grab 'em."
She disappeared into the hall adjacent to the living room, returning with a stack of boxes and a few card games on top - Callum knew exactly which closet she'd retrieved everything from - before plonking them down on the coffee table in the middle of the room. "Cast your votes now!"
Callum was concerned that the competitive nature of 90% of his friends would end up putting board games on par with blackout drinking when it came to sheer destructiveness. Hopefully there would be a bit of passiveness to balance it out. He himself was completely willing to make such a sacrifice if it meant his friends wouldn't kill each other.
The game they started with ended up being UNO. Way to immediately fan the flames of competition.
As expected, Rayla, Claudia, and Soren were comically aggressive with their desire to win. Felix was close behind them in intensity, and probably would have been equal if it weren't for Dominic sending him a disapproving stare whenever he got too into the game. Those looks always took him down a notch, and considering that Dominic often followed them with a kiss, Callum had a feeling Felix did not at all mind.
Aanya and Sonya were the calmest - almost regal, even - as they played. Lucas was composed, too, but he was also a fairly quiet guy in general. The juxtaposition of him and Soren sitting next to each other was… 'hysterical' didn't even begin to cover it. Callum would have paid good money to see them do so again.
Emilé and Ellis - two of the e's, huh - simply had… no poker face. If they drew a wild card, the entire group knew within a matter of seconds. On the bright side, neither of them cared about winning, so their lack of secrecy wasn't a huge deal. They just wanted to have as much fun as possible, which often meant causing havoc amongst the rest of the players by sporadically dropping reverses and skips. Callum's respect for them tripled as a result.
Callum himself was not obsessed with winning, either. He had accepted from the get-go that the best he could achieve - no matter what game they played - was fourth, maybe third place.
It was also incredibly amusing for Callum to see his friends who didn't know Ezran well learn that it was virtually impossible to beat his little brother. At any game. From UNO to Spontuneous to Taboo, Ezran won almost every round. Felix looked like he wanted to tear his hair out, Emilé and Dominic were openly impressed, and Sonya and Lucas appeared more amused than anything else by the whole experience.
The evening passed into night while they played different games. People left the room every so often to get food or a drink from the kitchen. Callum was incredibly pleased to note the number of compliments he received on his and his dad's jambalaya. Perhaps the best moment was when Sonya pulled him aside and quietly thanked him for bringing a vegetarian version that she could eat. But Dominic telling him that the recipe was almost as good as his grandmother's had to be a close second - God, Callum loved his friends so much.
When some of their group gradually started to grow tired of board games, Claudia turned on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This action resulted in about half of the people there moving to watch the show while the rest continued playing. Unsurprisingly, it was the more competitive half that remained invested in the games at hand. Callum himself was perfectly content to watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine - he loved the Halloween Heist episode that was playing - but he chose to remain sitting on the floor next to Rayla while he did so.
As the time got closer to midnight, the sound of more and more fireworks cracking and bursting from outside began to puncture the conversations amongst the group as well as those on TV. When the clock struck eleven, Soren jumped to his feet with a wide smile on his face. "Who's ready to pop some fireworks?"
The answer, unsurprisingly, was everyone.
Callum lagged behind, leaving his satchel with Rayla's gifts in it on the couch before he followed the group out of the house. When everyone was outside and standing near the end of the driveway, Claudia and Soren laid down their ground rules about firework safety. Which was probably smart, considering how Emilé was practically bouncing on their heels in excitement.
"If you are under 18" - Soren looked pointedly at Ezran, Ellis, and Aanya - "you need one of us older peeps to be with you when you're lighting a firework, got it? Just to be on the safe side."
"We'll do a maximum of two fireworks at a time," Claudia continued, "so long as they're appropriately spaced apart and not set off in intervals."
"A more obvious rule - once you light a firework, make sure you back away," Soren added. "We want everyone to keep their eyebrows tonight. Oh, and no pointing fireworks at people. Duh."
"Lastly, in case something goes wrong, we have water to douse unexpected fires," Claudia concluded, gesturing to the milk jugs filled with water that lined the right side of their driveway. "In other words, don't freak out if something is sparking that shouldn't be - just grab a jug!"
"With all that boring stuff said and done…" Soren grinned at the group, wiggling his eyebrows as he flicked on a lighter. "Who wants to go first?"
Ezran and Ellis eagerly volunteered - at the exact same time as Felix, which earned laughter from everyone. Dominic rolled his eyes, giving Felix an amused look before saying, "You two can go first, since you're actual children, while my wonderful boyfriend here is just a child at heart." While his words poked fun, there was a familiar softness to his voice.
Ah. It clicked in Callum's mind that he probably sounded… exactly like that whenever he spoke of Rayla.
He did not mind this revelation at all.
Callum also knew that Ezran ordinarily would have been miffed at being called a child, but apparently he didn't mind the description when it allowed him to pop the first firework. Callum couldn't help but chuckle as Ezran and Ellis held the lighter together to set off their firework, scrambling backwards with elated laughter when the fuse successfully caught fire.
Callum suddenly remembered how Rayla had mentioned that she hadn't really been exposed to fireworks in her life, and now he realized that she had probably never been so close to one, either. He didn't think she'd be afraid, necessarily - as far as he knew, the only thing she had an intense phobia of was water - but he slipped his hand into hers anyway, and she gave him a grateful smile before returning her attention to the hissing firework.
There was a beat of silence, then the firework shot up into the air and exploded into a dazzling display of red and gold.
"Had to start with KSU colors!" Claudia shouted with a laugh. "Come on, guys - let's welcome in the new year!"
And thus began the - controlled - frenzy of everyone wanting to have their turn setting off a firework. Claudia and Soren did an excellent job of facilitating the process without slowing down or dampening any of the group
S excitement, too.
Callum didn't miss, however, the way that Rayla hung back. "Don't you want to pop a firework?" he asked, tilting his head to where Felix and Dominic were each lighting one at the same time.
Rayla blushed, the color of her cheeks made more visible by the white and blue light of Felix and Dominic's fireworks exploding in unison. "I, ah…" She squeezed his hand. "Do you mind doing the first one with me?"
Callum was certain his heart was going to explode because of how much he adored his girlfriend.
Huh. Not unlike a firework, really.
So he gave Rayla a gentle smile. "Of course." He gestured to the pile of fireworks on the opposite side of the driveway. "Shall we?"
Rayla laughed. "We shall." She ended up choosing a 'falling leaves' firework that would burst into glittering trails of purple and green. "My signature colors," she said with a smirk.
Callum snorted. "Barney's signature colors." That comment earned him a well-deserved shove. Totally worth it, though.
He stayed by Rayla's side when she flicked on the lighter and leaned down to light the fuse, though he didn't actively help her do so. Knowing him and his complete and utter lack of coordination, he'd probably set something or someone on fire.
"Alright, back it up!" Soren called, and Callum grabbed his girlfriend's free hand to pull them both several steps away from the firework.
Seconds passed, ten at most, and then with a low hiss the firework shot upwards towards the stars, exploding into the promised colors of green and purple. And as beautiful as it was…
Callum found himself staring at Rayla. He was unable to tear his gaze away from her and, well, he had fully accepted that fact. She was more stunning than any firework, especially with the rainbow of colors both lighting up and casting dazzling shadows across her face.
If it meant he got to spend another year with her… Applying to the Xadian exchange program may have been the best decision he'd ever made.
After that, Rayla became an eager participant in creating the fireworks' display. Callum did one or two himself, but he was more content to simply watch the excitement of others. He wasn't the biggest fan of the loud noise, anyways, so he ended up hanging back closer to the porch with Sonya and Lucas. They didn't really talk, instead just enjoying the presence of one another's company while their friends cheered and shouted as they continued to light fireworks in front of them.
Callum seized the moment to check his email, relieved to find that he'd gotten a message informing him his application for the exchange program had been received. And also that there were no parts missing, thank God. Now he no longer had to worry about XU - well, not until the beginning of February, at least, which was when acceptance and rejection emails were supposed to be sent.
As he watched his friends, Callum found his attention switching mostly between Rayla and Ezran. Well, Rayla and Ezran plus Ezran's dynamic duo. One thing he was happy to see was how incredibly relaxed Aanya appeared. She was laughing as much as Ezran and Ellis, as if she'd embraced at least for the night that she was still a kid, too, and was therefore allowed to act like one. He didn't know all the details about the girl's life, but Ezran had mentioned once that the deaths of her mothers when she was young had resulted in Aanya… growing up faster than she should have. It was nice to see her embracing such a light, carefree attitude.
Callum didn't miss the way Sonya's gaze followed Claudia, either, and he couldn't resist the urge to tease her. Just a little. Hell, maybe Claudia herself was rubbing off on him, what with her lighthearted commentary about himself and Rayla. "So…" he said, giving Sonya a knowing smirk. "Is Claudia going to be your New Year's kiss or what?"
Sonya nearly choked on her water, and she had to cough into her arm for close to a minute before her voice returned. "I - what are you talking about?" Her face had darkened to a pretty shade of scarlet, and she sent Callum an embarrassed glare, though the intimidation factor was lost when she broke out into another coughing fit. "You are not funny, Callum."
Well, he begged to differ. "I wasn't joking!" he protested. And he hadn't been! Because teasing was not the same thing as joking in his book. "Come on. You both like each other, right? And there's nothing more romantic than kissing at midnight on New Year's. Seems like the perfect opportunity to me."
Sonya sighed. "I don't think it's that easy." She stared down into her bottle of water. "And even if it was, I wouldn't feel comfortable just - just kissing her out of nowhere. Not to mention…" She twisted the black ring on her right hand. "Well, I'm not huge on physical affection as it is. Besides." She gave him a wry smile. "This 'New Year's Eve' thing isn't really for me, you know. My new year occurred a few months ago. I mostly came because I wanted to see…" She flushed, and Callum had a feeling he knew exactly who she was going to name.
He decided to spare her further embarrassment and nodded. "That makes sense." He returned her smile with a soft one of his own. "And for the record, you know you never have to do anything you aren't comfortable with."
Sonya hesitated. Then she, too, nodded, her shoulders relaxing some. "Thank you."
"Besides," Callum added, offering her a mischievous grin, "you guys are my friends! All I want is for both of you to be happy. And since you make each other happy, I would say that I've connected the two dots."
Sonya snorted. "You didn't connect sh-" She cleared her throat. "You didn't connect anything."
"No, I've connected them."
"Shut up."
And he did, though he couldn't stop himself from snickering at her reaction.
"If you're not opposed to all forms of physical affection," Lucas mused, speaking for the first time since they'd unintentionally grouped up, "you could ask Claudia if she's okay with you kissing her on the cheek. That seems like a fair middle ground."
Sonya blinked, processing his suggestion. "Oh." She blushed, a small smile creeping onto her lips. "I… I wouldn't mind doing that."
"You're a genius, Lucas," Callum said with a laugh. "They're finally a step closer to admitting they like each other!" Although he supposed he was really in no place to comment on that particular aspect of their relationship. It had taken him a lifetime, after all, just to admit to himself that he'd liked Rayla.
Lucas shrugged modestly. "It's what I do."
"What about you?" Sonya asked him curiously. "Do you have a 'New Year's kiss' in mind?"
"Soren," was Lucas's casual response, and if Callum had been drinking water he knew he would have spit it everywhere. Sonya appeared similarly astonished.
"Wait, Soren?" he managed to get out after a beat had passed, staring at Lucas in utter confusion. "Are you - Are you guys a thing?" It would be downright embarrassing if they were. Not that Callum would have a problem with their relationship, of course. It was just - he'd known Soren since forever! Felix and Dominic was one thing, but how could he have missed him starting to date someone?!
Lucas chuckled. "No, we're not. From what I understand, he made some bet with Felix where Felix said there was no way he'd be able to get a New Year's kiss, and of course Soren insisted that he could. As it got down to the wire, Soren asked for my assistance. I believe he called it 'senior solidarity.'"
Yeah, that sounded like Soren.
"In short, I'm just helping him out." Lucas chuckled again. "Felix was bragging to me yesterday about how there was no way Soren was going to win, and I have to admit that I'm eager to see his reaction when he's proven wrong."
"Oh," Callum said, relieved that his oblivious tendencies hadn't skyrocketed to such an embarrassing high. Again, it wasn't that he wouldn't be happy for them if they were together - he'd just be confused that he'd missed such a distinct development. "Okay. Cool."
Sonya raised an eyebrow upon hearing the story. "And you agreed to help him win this bet?"
Lucas shrugged. "There are worse people I could kiss than Soren."
Callum supposed that was true.
Their conversation was interrupted when Emilé jogged over to them, a bunch of slender metal sticks in hand. "Come on, dudes!" they said excitedly, giving them each one. "We're breaking out the sparklers!"
Sparklers were Callum's favorite kind of firework - quiet and small, but just as beautiful. Though Ezran did have a small scar on the inside of his left wrist from a sparkler incident when they were children, so Callum knew that they still needed to be handled with caution.
"Sparklers always make me feel like a fairy," Claudia admitted as she slowly spun in a circle, leaving a trail of green sparks in her wake. "Ugh. I wish I actually had magical powers."
"Can you imagine a ballet that involved sparklers?" Soren said, doing a clumsy but technically-correct pirouette and beaming all the while. "That'd be the coolest thing ever. If I was still taking ballet, I would totally suggest that to my instructors."
"I think adding sparklers to any activity automatically makes it better," Felix pointed out, "ballet or otherwise."
"We used sparklers in a performance of Heathers when I was in high school," Dominic mused. "Veronica's hair caught on fire. So maybe not every instance."
"What scene in Heathers demanded the use of sparklers?!" Claudia exclaimed, aghast at Dominic's casual proclamation.
"Well, none of them technically do, but…"
Callum tuned out his friends' idle chatter as Rayla began doing a little dance with Ezran and Ellis, sparklers in hand. And notably held away from everyone's hair. It wasn't ballet, per se, but there was a similar fluidity to the movements. Even better was when Soren joined in, especially because Ellis couldn't contain her laughter once he started dancing. Rayla laughed, too, and completed a pirouette with slightly more elegance than Soren had earlier, leaving a trail of gold sparkles behind her.
Soren seemed to interpret this as a challenge, and he and Rayla proceeded to break into a ballet-esque dance-off, their sparklers twirling through the air around them. As funny as it was upon first glance, no one could deny that they were both… well, pretty good. After Soren completed a grand jeté, though, Rayla conceded defeat, and Callum couldn't resist the urge to 'console' his girlfriend with a kiss on the cheek.
"Were you impressed anyways?" she teased, turning her head so as to transform his kiss into a quick peck on the lips.
Callum laughed. "When am I not impressed by you?"
Rayla flicked his nose, smiling all the while. "Flatterer."
As it got closer to midnight, the popping of fireworks became louder and more frequent as people all around the neighborhood joined the celebration. Callum wished he'd thought to bring some earplugs with him, or even just his headphones so he could have something to block out the noise. All of the sounds and the lights and the echoes - it was starting to get a little overwhelming. And he really did not want a repeat of what had happened at Felix's party. But he also didn't want to disappear without reason -
"You okay?"
Callum turned to see his brother standing next to him, a concerned frown on Ezran's lips. "Yeah," he said after a pause, giving him the most reassuring smile he could muster. "I'm good."
Ezran's frown deepened, evidently still skeptical. Callum supposed he'd never exactly been the greatest liar. "You can go inside for a minute. If you need to. I'll tell them you went to the bathroom or to get water. Or something."
Callum hesitated, then flinched as another firecracker exploded. His brother apparently knew him better than he knew himself - which meant it'd probably be for the best if he listened to him, then. "Yeah, okay." He gave Ezran a grateful smile. "Thanks."
He quietly returned inside the house, getting a water bottle out of the cooler in the kitchen. Was it weird that he needed cold water despite the icy weather outside? He wasn't sure. That was just… how it was, sometimes.
Callum took a sip from the bottle, reveling in the peaceful silence that being inside brought. Or at least the partial silence, as the walls only muffled the constant explosions from outdoors. Regardless, it was much easier indoors for his mind to process the noise without spiraling.
"Are you alright?"
Callum jumped at the sudden voice, spinning on his heel to see Rayla leaning against the wooden doorframe of the kitchen. He got a strong sense of déjà vu. "Er, yeah," he finally said, awkwardly, before placing his water bottle down on the counter. "Yes, I'm fine." He gave her a puzzled frown. "What are you doing in here?" Last he'd seen his girlfriend, Rayla had been perfectly content to continue lighting fireworks with the rest of the group.
Rayla shrugged. "I saw you come in. So I followed." She raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Callum couldn't help but chuckle at her concern. "I promise. I just needed to be in the quiet for a minute."
Rayla nodded, understanding dawning in her eyes. "Right. Got it." She took a step backwards. "Do you need me to leave or anything? I don't mind waiting in another room until you're ready to go back outside."
Callum could feel his face reddening at the implication that she didn't want to return without him. He shook his head, walking towards her. "Nah. I never mind being alone with you."
Rayla laughed. "How sappy of you." Then she gave him a soft smile. "But the feeling's mutual." She grabbed his hands and pulled him out of the kitchen and into the living room. "If you aren't busy, then, I'd like to teach you the dance we do in the Silvergrove to bring in the new year."
Callum glanced at the clock on the wall. "Right now? It's still fifteen minutes before midnight." He couldn't remember if she'd mentioned whether the dance needed to be performed at exactly twelve or not.
Rayla waved her hand dismissively. "Anytime after eleven and before one is considered acceptable. We're fine." She released his hands to move his arms outward into what felt like a ballerina-type pose. Not a good sign. "Trust me, it's pretty easy. Just follow my lead."
Callum nodded, though he suspected her definition of 'easy' was drastically different from his. Ugh. He was going to have made several mistakes by the time they completed the dance, wasn't he?
Rayla proceeded to hold her arms outward in the same way she'd positioned his, and then began the dance.
Callum was relieved to note that his girlfriend hadn't been leading him on - the movements weren't too hard for him to follow, and she kept it slow so he was never rushing to catch up. He did manage to trip over his feet more than once, especially whenever he had to sidestep or twirl, but he never fell, and he considered that a victory in itself. Plus, Rayla's voice was gentle and soothing as she talked him through the more complex moves.
The ending, he found, was the simplest part - and his favorite. Rayla pushed her palm out towards him, as if asking for a high five, and Callum hesitated before placing his hand flat against her own. They slowly rotated around each other, each step taken in unison.
It seemed a perfect analogy for their relationship, in his humble opinion - synchronized, even-paced, and connected. The thought made warmth blossom in his chest.
Then Rayla dropped her hand, ending the rotation and beaming at him. "And that's it! You did very well." She winked at him. "I told you it was pretty simple."
Callum's hand fell to his side, and he laughed. "Yeah, yeah. You're always right." Then he smiled at her. "That was awesome. Thank you for letting me dance with you."
Rayla laughed, too, moving forward to plant a quick kiss on his lips. "Believe me. There is no one else I'd rather greet the new year with than you."
Before he could respond with what would have ultimately been a tease about her getting ahead of their midnight kiss - plus a statement affirming that he reciprocated her sentiment - Callum noticed his satchel still resting on the couch behind them.
Right - the gifts. He'd planned to give them to her after midnight, but… well, being a few minutes early wouldn't hurt. And at least right now they were alone.
"I have a couple things I want to give you," he said, moving around her to grab his bag off the couch. "I'd say now is as good a time as any, right?"
Rayla's eyes widened. "What? Callum, I didn't get you anything -"
"No, that's okay!" he hastily reassured her. "I wanted to surprise you. So if you'd known, it wouldn't have been a very good surprise." Callum flipped open his satchel, pulling out the small box that contained the Moonshadow earrings. "This one first."
Rayla looked like she wanted to protest further, but she must have decided that arguing wasn't worth it - which it wasn't, as Callum refused to let her even try to argue with him - because she accepted the box without complaint. She carefully untied the ribbon that held it shut, and her mouth formed a small 'o' as she removed the earrings. "The Moonshadow symbol?" She discarded the box onto the coffee table, cradling the jewelry in her palm. "These are beautiful, Callum! Where did you get them?"
Callum couldn't stop himself from beaming at her awe. "The arts' market downtown. The lady who ran the stall I bought them from was actually part of the Moonshadow clan, too."
"Wow. That's incredible." Rayla proceeded to immediately put in the earrings. The sheer power of her being able to do so without needing to look in a mirror would never fail to impress Callum. She then tucked her hair back, holding her hands just above her shoulders. "How do I look?"
Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. "You look great," he promised her. "Which, to be fair, is true every day."
Rayla laughed. "Alright, you big flirt. You like me. I get it."
"Actually, I love you," Callum corrected, smirking at her. "And I don't plan on letting you forget it, either." He then pulled the second gift out of his satchel, the metal flower carefully tucked into a small bag cushioned with tissue paper. His heart was already beating faster, nervous - terrified - about how she would react. "The lady at the arts' market actually helped me pick out this one," he explained as he handed the bag to her.
Rayla's eyes widened as she slowly removed the silver flower. The blue crystal caught the golden light of the lamp that glowed in the corner of the room. "Callum…" There was an odd, almost… uncertain note to her voice. "Do you - Do you know what this means?"
Well, he sure hoped he did.
"Yes." He cleared his throat, wanting to sound at least slightly more confident than he was feeling. "It's - It's like unconditional love. So, for us… When you're in Xadia and I'm here, it represents how much we care about each other despite the distance. And - And even if something horrible happened and we broke up" - God forbid - "it shows that we'll always be best friends, anyways. I know we're kind of young and we really haven't known each other that long, but…"
Callum took a deep breath. "You're always going to be one of the most important people in my life, Rayla, whether we're together or not. So this flower is… symbolic of that."
By coming to Katolis, Rayla had completely changed his life. And Callum knew he'd never be able to fully express his gratitude for that.
He hesitated, then found himself asking, "Are you… okay that I'm giving you one of these?"
Rayla didn't answer immediately, instead running a finger over the pointed edges of the silver petals. "I remember when Ethari made one of these for Runaan," she finally said. "It was before Runaan had to leave on some super important, long-term business trip." She held the flower to her chest, exhaling slowly. "He told Runaan, 'My heart goes out with this one.'" A warm, content smile danced onto her lips. "And I remember Runaan telling him, 'I promise that I will return your heart to you.'"
She lowered the flower, still holding it gently. "So, where I'm trying to go with all of this…" She stepped forward, cupping his face with her right hand. "You'll always be one of my best friends, too. No matter what." She pressed her forehead to his. "I love you."
Callum had never truly understood what it meant to cry tears of joy until that moment, and he gave his girlfriend what was probably an embarrassingly watery smile in response. "I love you so much, Rayla."
And as he leaned in to seal the moment with a perfect kiss, they were promptly interrupted by all of their friends barging back into the house, causing them to jump apart as everyone ran into the living room.
"Three minutes until midnight!" Claudia cheered, grabbing the remote to turn on the TV for the ball drop. Now there was a tradition Callum had never understood the purpose of. "Time to break out the fancy glasses that we really should use more than once a year!"
"Champagne for anyone that wants it, as long as you're 18 or older," Soren added, "and sparkling apple cider for everyone else. This is not up for debate."
Callum ended up taking the sparkling cider simply because he thought it tasted better. Sonya and Dominic did the same, as well as Ezran, Aanya, and Ellis, of course.
"Okay guys," Claudia said once everyone had a drink in hand, "this is of the utmost importance, so pay attention. We are all going to clink our glasses together at exactly midnight. I believe in us." She paused, listening to the countdown beginning on the TV. "Ten. Nine. Eight."
Everyone joined it, arms held out at the ready. "Seven. Six. Five. Four."
Callum couldn't help but move an inch closer to Rayla, earning a knowing look from her. "Three. Two. One!"
Glasses clinked together, and some miracle from above prevented any of the liquid from sloshing out. "Happy New Year!"
The actual drinking of the champagne and cider was far less synchronized, but most of the group downed theirs in a gulp or two before placing their glasses down on the coffee table to seek out their respective partners. Callum couldn't stop himself from grinning as he watched Sonya press a quick, chaste kiss to Claudia's cheek, who blushed cherry-red in response but nonetheless beamed in delight at Sonya. Soren and Lucas exchanged a short but intense kiss as Felix grumbled something about Lucas being a traitor before handing Soren a $20 bill. Of course, Felix was promptly tugged into a deep kiss by Dominic, so Callum doubted his irritation at losing the bet would be a problem for much longer. Emilé was watching everyone in amusement, looking perfectly content about not being kissed as they tapped the white ring on their left middle finger.
And then, Callum's favorite of the night: Ezran, Ellis, and Aanya all exchanged New Year's high fives in perfect synchronization.
"Come on, sad prince." He turned around to see Rayla smirking at him. "What are you waiting for?"
Callum didn't need any more invitation than that. He placed his hands on his girlfriend's waist to pull her towards him before she leaned down and crashed their lips together.
Okay, he'd changed his mind. This was his favorite.
He could taste champagne on her lips, but he found he didn't mind the fizzy drink when it was being delivered like this. Rayla looped her arms around his neck to close the space between them further, and he found himself pressing harder into the kiss, trying to convey all of his adoration for her into the one action. Impossible, of course, but he'd be damned if he didn't make the effort.
And it really was the best New Year's kiss of all time.
xXxXxXx
Aren't they just ridiculously in love? I adore Rayllum with my whole heart, what can I say. Anyways - next time I update will be in 2021. Goodbye, 2020! I'm not sure you'll be missed! So I'll end with this: happy early New Year's Eve and Day, and I will see you guys next year!
(P.S. Gonna promo myself real quick: if you like Katara from A:TLA, I posted a Katara-centric fic a few days ago after working on it for many months that I am really proud of, so if you're interested, I'd love it if you checked it out!)
