Just another fluffy Modern AU

Decorations

Poe set the box of decorations down on the floor with a smile, watching as Rey continued to mess with the string of lights. They weren't too tangled, but she was still having trouble with them. Lack of experience, he supposed. He looked up at the currently bare tree, excitement filling him as he realized he and Rey were about to start a new tradition. Granted, they weren't in their own place, yet, but to have Rey enjoy her first time decorating a Christmas tree in the house he grew up in was pretty special.

Poe's father had decided to go on vacation for Christmas this year. He and a couple of friends that he had worked with for the last decade, all either divorced or widowed men in their 50s, had decided to spend the holiday in the Caribbean. He had asked Poe to housesit for him and told him that Rey was welcome to stay, too, if she desired. Since they were both living in tiny apartments of their own but had been talking about getting a larger one together, Poe thought it would be a great time get used to living together. Not that he was unsure of his feelings on the subject; he was ready to start sharing his life with her. But Rey was still nervous about the idea.

Today, Christmas Eve, Poe decided it was time to put up his father's old fake tree and decorate it.

"It's a little late, isn't it?" Rey asked when Poe told her the plan.

He shrugged. "Traditional Catholics tend to wait until now," he told her. "Christmas doesn't start until tonight in the Church, and it lasts until Epiphany." Poe had been raised Catholic, and while he didn't consider himself devout, he did still love practicing the traditions he grew up with. They reminded him of his mother.

Rey finally got the lights untangled enough to satisfy her, and Poe directed her on how to wrap them around the tree. Having grown up an orphan, Rey had mixed memories about Christmas, some good, some bad, but she had never actually been able to decorate a tree.

Once the lights were in place, Poe plugged them in. "It's more fun doing the rest of the decorating with them on," he told her. The garland came next, both blue and gold in color. It was old, Poe thought as he unwound it from the cardboard holder. It was still shiny and pretty, but it was starting to fall apart. He made a mental note to get some new stuff for his father for next year.

Next came the decorations. Poe moved aside the newspaper that had separated the garland from the individual ornaments and felt his breath catch.

"What's wrong?" Rey asked, always attuned to his emotions.

"So many memories in this box," Poe told her softly. He reached in and pulled out a small ceramic dog, painted in fading watercolors. "I made this in 3rd grade," he told her. "I was so proud of it. Mom was, too."

Rey was smiling softly at the ornament. "It looks like Bee," she said. The owner of that name lifted his head from where he had been laying next to the fireplace and swished his tail.

Poe chuckled. "I guess I've always had a thing for yellow Labs." He reached into the box and pulled out a package of shiny glass balls in red and gold. "Why don't you put these on the tree," he told her. "I'll do the 'special' ornaments and tell you about them if I remember anything."

She took the package and smiled her brilliant smile. "I'd like that."

And so, they took their time decorating the tree, Poe telling her about each individual ornament as he pulled them out. If he couldn't remember anything about one in particular, he still had a cute or funny or touching story about past Christmases to tell. "Mom bought this at the Angel Bizarre at church," about the pretty beaded star. "I asked dad for this one the year after mom died because she always collected the annual ornament from this store," he said about the snowman. Sometimes, he worried that he was boring Rey, but whenever he got quiet, she would start to question him, encouraging more stories out of him. Her eyes were bright and her laugh free.

God, he loved this woman.

Finally, the tree was covered with a combination of store-bought and homemade decorations, shiny balls and cute little Santas. Poe pulled out the tree topper last. It was a beautiful silver snowflake design, a more recent addition as the star from his childhood had long since stopped lighting up, though he did notice that it still sat at the bottom of the box, as if his dad refused to throw it out. Poe grabbed the footstool and pulled it over to the tree.

He handed the snowflake to Rey. "I'll let you do the honors," he told her.

"Oh, so I can be the one to fall and break something, huh?" she teased as she stepped onto the footstool.

Poe moved up behind her, wrapping his arms around her. "I'll make sure you don't fall." He rested his head on the small of her back.

She smiled down at him, then reached out and placed the snowflake on the top of the tree. She plugged it into the already glowing light string and it lit up with brilliant white light.

Rey turned to face Poe without getting down from the stool. His face now even with her abdomen, he looked up at her as she started playing with his curls.

"Next year, when we have our own place and our own tree, we'll have to buy all our own ornaments," he told her.

"But it won't have the history or memories this one does," Rey said, frowning.

"No, it won't," Poe agreed. "But we get to start our own history. Our own memories."

Rey nodded, smiling again. "I like the sound of that."

"Merry Christmas, Rey," Poe whispered, then he nuzzled his face into her belly.

She giggled. "Merry Christmas, my love."