I want to say sorry for the time between updates, 3 months almost, but I had college and my finals (not to mention me and some friends started a D&D group). But have no fear I finally got this finished and edited for your viewing pleasure.

Nepeta walked down the stairs as the air started causing goosebumps to show on her skin. She sat at the island and started to cut the cake as she heard the furniture upstairs begin the move which she guessed was a good sign. She wished she knew more about him but she really wanted to know why she felt so star struck around him. From the first moment she had a feeling of want for him, she was scared asking for his number was too straight forward but he seemed like it was no trouble. Of course anyone in a suit that nice had to be used to a lot of people giving him their number, god he looked good in that suit.

Nepeta put her hands on the counter and focused, "Whoa kitty, bring it in you just upset him which probably blew your chances," she signed in disappointment, "way to go." She pulled herself back to reality putting a slice of cake on a plate and started to eat as she remembered her day, right back to her conversation with Sollux.

...

Nepeta had just gotten to the store and locked her Sudan when she decided to call Sollux about what her cabin mate would want to eat. She pulled out her phone and dialed the number with a very businesslike answer of, "Hello, Thollux Captor thpeaking."

"Hey this is Nepeta, Meulin's sister, I had a question."

"Thoot." Sollux said in a familiar tone.

"I wanted to make a dinner for my roommate; I'm guessing you won't tell me his name?"

Sollux chuckled and said, "Yeah"

Nepet Rolled her eyes and continued, "Well I was wondering if baked chicken with green beans and mashed potatos would be something he'd like?"

"That thoundth good."

"Well I'll have it finished by about seven so if you could…"

"Ok well I'll have him back here in time; between you and me I think thith will be hith firtht good home cooked meal in a long time." Sollux sounded almost relieved as he said it.

"Really well I'll make it a good one." Nepeta said as she walked through the automatic doors of the grocery store. Then Nepeta heard "I gotta go I think I hear him."

"Well go give him a good day ok."

Sollux sounded like a giant weight was lifted off of him and said, "Ok bye"

Nepeta's trip through the store was uneventful until she ran into her sister Meulin who jumped out of nowhere and tackled her. "Little sister what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to pick up dinner for me and the mystery man I'm currently living with." Nepeta said fixing herself and catching her cart before it ran into another one.

Meulin looked overjoyed and said, "We came to get dinner too," she gasped over exaggeratedly as her fiancé came around the aisle and she continued in her preppy but still French accent, "we should shop together, just like we used to." Nepeta agreed knowing she couldn't argue with Meulin when she puts her heart to something so the rest of the trip was spent watching Meulin jump at random things that looked good, Nepeta apologizing and avoiding eye contact with other shoppers, and Kurloz laughing, or tried to, at all of it.

Seeing these two together you wouldn't think they'd work well. Meulin was a preppy older version of Nepeta in black and white striped leggings, a black skirt, and an olive green over shirt with a white tank under it even in this weather, black and white high-tops, and she seemed like she was snooty at times but she was just shy. Kurloz on the other hand wore black pants, a black shirt with a ribcage and arm bones printed on it, black tennis shoes, and skull makeup on his face which hid his darker skin. But them together was adorable; Meulin would act like a kid, something Nepeta hasn't seen since before their dad died twenty years ago, and Kurloz would show his happiness through silent laughter and sign language.

Nepeta was pulled out of her thoughts by her sister's voice, "Nepeta, you have to see this," Nepeta walked around to the next aisle and found her sister holding matching clip-on cat tails that could be shaped.

Nepeta looked at Meulin and said with a chuckle, "Oh no, the last time we had those the boys made fun of us."

Meulin rolled her eyes and said, "Yeah and Equius broke them because he wanted the wired for some sciency thing."

Nepeta put her hands on her hips "You know that he needed it for a project for school."

"Yeah but Horuss didn't need the other one for school." Meulin said matter-of-factly

Nepeta laughed commenting, "Yeah I guess you're right about that one, brothers right?"

"They can be the worst." Meulin said as they started laughing then Kurloz hit hand against the handle of his cart and started to sign to Meulin and they started to have a conversation, her speaking him signing, about cherishing family or something like that. Nepeta started to look at the tails in this so called toy section and saw one that stood out to her.

"Meulin, I'll do it but only if I get this one," she said as she pulled a blue one off the shelf.

Meulin squealed and grabbed a green one and Kurloz even grabbed a purple one after his fiancée begged him to join in. Meulin even started to fight with him to put it on in the store and, as always, she won. Kurloz had to walk through the store wearing a purple cat tail that formed half a heart as Meulin's matched while Nepeta wore hers in the shape of an "S" starting at her waist going down. The trio got weird looks in the store and one man even said something that caused Kurloz to, what seemed instinctually, sign at him very fast and when the man obviously didn't understand he gave a very familiar sign and they walked away.

Nepeta walked down the baking aisle, already having everything she needs, and she thought about getting a cake to bake so she asked, "Hey Kurloz, even if you can't tell me his name, can you tell me his favorite kind of cake?"

He began signing and Meulin translated, "He likes red velvet with butter cream icing. It's his favorite and I don't know if he's had it since he left. Wow really that's so sad" she blinked and looked at Nepeta, "…uh sorry that last part was me." Nepeta grabbed the boxes and the frosting as Meulin continued for Kurloz, "Yeah he tends to be a loner and the last time he was here something happened that I think only solidified it."

Nepeta felt bad for her cabin mate wondering why he couldn't enjoy himself, it seemed a lot of people had a dislike of the season. She rang up her things and waited while her sister did the same, Nepeta noticed Kurloz watching Meulin closely with love in his eyes. As they left the store to go to their cars Meulin screamed, "We're gonna follow you to the cabin ok."

"Ok just stay close to me so you don't get lost." Nepeta yelled as she loaded her groceries into the backseat of her car. She started her car and felt an urge to text her cab guy from New York, Karkat. "Don't seem desperate Nep, you have his number. Not to mention you're in a cabin with a guy you've never met, that would be a perfect thing to say when he asks how things are going." She hit her forehead on the steering wheel trying to get him out of her head, it was bad enough she fell asleep last night thinking of him. Her luck with guys has always ended the same; they'd date and it'd be good but then they'd say she looked too childish, or worse they'd cheat because of it. She tried changing her style and introducing her real self slowly but that led guys to think she was fake.

As she picked her head up she saw Kurloz knocking on her window with a look of concern but she waved him off, to say she was fine, and started to pull out. The roads were relatively empty so the drive back to the cabin was calm and, for Nepeta, full of Christmas carols. They pulled into the drive and Nepeta made to open the door but she found it locked. She started looking for the key but didn't know where to start, it didn't help that her arms were full of groceries. Kurloz walked up and, seemingly on instinct, found it under a fake rock and opened the door for her. She walked in and started to put up the groceries.

"Hey sis why don't you put a sweater on instead of that coat," Nepeta looked at Meulin as the latter continued, "it'd be more comfortable."

Nepeta shrugged and said, "I can't find them, honestly I doubt I packed them."

Meulin jolted up and exclaimed, "What? Nepeta Leijon, how could you forget your sweaters in the winter, jeez you can be scatterbrained?"

"I don't know I only bought them to impress guys, not that it helped." She continued as she finished with the groceries and started eating from a sleeve of Pringles.

Meulin was getting frustrated but Kurloz put his hand on her shoulder and began signing, "Are you sure?" he continued so Meulin said, "That would be great, thank you baby." When he went up stairs and rustling was heard Nepeta shot Meulin a questioning looked to which she said, in a half lighthearted half smug tone, "They have sweaters up stairs for guests."

"Meulin, I'm fine," but it was too late Kurloz was back with a teal sweater, "Thank you Kurloz but that wasn't necessary."

Meulin shot her sister a glare filled with daggers, "Change." Nepeta, never the one to push her luck too much with her sister, surrendered her ground and started to take off her coat revealing a gray spaghetti strap tank top with "Leo" printed on it. "That's all you had under that thing? No wonder you look so cold." Nepeta rolled her eyes and pulled the sweater over her head surprised that it fit so well.

They talked as Nepeta looked at her phone on the counter and started to feel like she really needed to text Him. She grabbed her phone and ran upstairs to the bathroom and started thinking of what to say, "Ok I'll ask how his day has gone, no that's stupid we don't really know each other." She paced while discussing what to text with herself in the mirror, "I'll ask for his address, it's to send the money so he'll have to tell me anyway…yeah that'll be good," she concluded half hopeful and half pessimistic. She sent the text and waited, she waited for what seemed like forever until her phone made its usual meow to tell her she had a text. She didn't expect him to be so forth coming, then again a businessman would have to be flexible to the people he worked with. Nepeta sighed, thinking she was reading into it too much and decided to head down stairs.

When she rounded the corner to the kitchen she saw her sister and future brother-in-law embraced and lost in a deep kiss. She was both happy for them because they were about to be together forever but she also felt jealous; Nepeta has had boyfriend after boyfriend but when she'd try to get more serious they'd leave because of her looks. She has never gone farther than heavy kissing but her sister found a guy online, who's mute, and they're already about to get married.

Meulin opened her eyes in time to see Nepeta looking away and she and Kurloz parted. "Nepeta, I'm sorry…you were taking a long time and…"

"No you're engaged, don't apologize for being happy. I'm happy for you sis" Nepeta said putting on her best smile before getting hugged by her sister.

"There's a guy out there sis, you just have a lot of coal to go thru before a diamond appears." Meulin smiled as she looked at the clock and said. "We have to go ok sis, are you gonna be ok by yourself?"

Nepeta nodded and the three said their goodbyes. As her sister pulled out of the drive Nepeta locked the door sat on the couch turning on the TV and flipping through channels. Finally settling on watching Love Actually Nepeta popped some popcorn and sat down. She watched the film always having something to say about love and how it never really works out for people until the ending when she finally was quiet to watch the outcomes; sympathizing with Mark seeing his friend Peter marry the girl he had a thing for, Juliet. She finished off her popcorn and a cup of cocoa she made before getting up to start on dinner. As she got everything out she turned on Christmas carols and decided to bake the cake first.

"Dammit, I should've put it in while I was watching that movie," she cursed, and then she heard her brother's voice get on to her for "using such lewd language" against herself. With the cake finished she started on dinner and got lost in the scent of the cooking and the melodies of the music.

It wasn't until a pair of strong but gentle arms held her close and a soft but growly voice said someone else's name that she snapped out of her trance. After the awkward embrace and the realization that her "mystery man" was Karkat dinner went smoothly. Nepeta had to do everything she could to keep her eyes from lingering on him. When she started to clear the table she saw him blushing and getting flustered and God she didn't want to think of getting into another relationship, but she couldn't help wanting one right now.

"Hey where did you get that sweater?"

...

"Gah this is so stupid, Kurloz had to have known." Nepeta said slamming her fork against the plate after finishing her slice of cake. She rinsed the dishes but stood over the sink a few seconds longer than she probably should have trying to keep herself together , "This isn't fair," she thought, "I was gonna try with him when I was back in New York but now I don't even have a shot when we're practically stuck in the same house."

She looked up towards the top of the staircase and half sigh in relief that Karkat wasn't there while the other half wanted to cry out of anger. She started washing her face when she heard her phone ring; seeing it was her sister she let it go to voice mail having had enough of people today. When everything quieted down upstairs Nepeta decided to head up for a shower, maybe clear her head a bit. On instinct she went straight to the bathroom showered and dried off, it wasn't until Karkat called out a "Hello?" that Nepeta realized her clothes were still in her room, two doors down.

Nepeta waited until the footsteps went away and down the stairs. She waited until he came back up and into the master bedroom before walking out to the hallway, where she faintly heard running water from the master bedroom, well the bathroom, and imagined Karkat needed to cool down from the events of today too as she walked back to her room. After pushing inappropriate thoughts of her roommate in the shower aside and getting into her pajamas, fuzzy olive and red plaid pants and a black tank top that had a half heart and a curve to finish the shape with a bleeding cut shape over it, she walked downstairs to get a glass of water for the evening. As she turned off the water she saw that a large piece of cake was missing. She walked to her waiting bed and lay down with a smile that at least he got some cake out of this whole mess.

I hope you all liked it, I watched Christmas movies a whole day to find one that I felt fit well. My roommate laughed before joining in. Please review if there was something you felt wasn't right or if you liked it. Have a good night/morning/afternoon