Kind of belated, but hey! Better late than never, right? Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this fic as much as I did writing it.
Warning: The fluff in this chapter becomes increasingly disgusting ;) Happy holidays, everyone!
The bathroom door flies open and out struts Jesse, shoulders back and lips puckered like a model.
"Oh for the love of God, don't tell me you're wearing that. Please." Using her arms, Beca shields her eyes away from the horror that is his Christmas sweater. "You look like an idiot."
"Now I know it's perfect," he chuckles, reaching to kiss her, only to have her dodge him. He pouts. "It's purely for entertainment purposes. You know, for the kids!"
"Sorry, I can't kiss anyone with a bright red pom-pom on the middle of their chest," she points out, staring at Rudolph's smug face on his tacky sweater.
"It's not a pom-pom." He grabs the ball and squeezes it, making it squeak.
She snorts. "Fine. A bright red squeaker," she muses, dodging another one of his kisses.
"Shallow."
"Dork."
Nine hours earlier...
The kids were asleep and the Swanson siblings were engaged in a slow game of Scrabble, Christmas Edition, as well as finishing up Elf in the family room. Beca sat between Jesse and Kaia, whose face was buried in her lap. She could feel the kid's drool seep into her sweat pants, which effectively grosses her out, but without the heart to get her off. Instead, she closes her eyes, letting Buddy the Elf and Jovie's rendition of "Baby, it's cold outside" lull her into drowsiness. Jesse hums along, absentmindedly stroking her hair. Jovie screams and Buddy runs into the bathroom wall, making Jesse and the rest of his family guffaw loudly. Beca rubs her eyes, struggling to open them as she tries to figure out whose turn it was.
"Hey, you missed the best part!" he scolds quietly into her ear. She shrugs, not actually caring, and breathes in the apple pie smell wafting around the house.
Her eyes wander away from the TV screen to the snowflake wall decals on the walls, and to the way it stands out against the deep red wallpaper. Nutcrackers and pinecones mark their places on the windowsill, bright lights shining through and glowing off the nutcracker's wooden skin. There were nine stockings hanging closely together on the mantel of the fireplace- Mom, Dad, Brett, Alex, Jesse, Rylee, Ava, Kaia, and Tate, each name carefully stitched with white and silver thread. The fabric of the first six stockings were drained of color and aged— Beca could see a candy cane poking out of a hole in Alex's— while the last three's were clearly newer and vibrant. The fire underneath was warm and silent, crackling occasionally under the dancing flames. Fresh poinsettias and garland adorn the staircase banisters and wreaths hang on every door. The tree stood tall in the corner of the room, with ornaments of different shapes and colors hanging off its limp branches and presents, big and small, swallowing it from all sides. It was a stark contrast from the Mitchell household's during the holidays. While the Swanson Christmas tree was beautiful, it was messy, just what you'd expect from a bunch of toddlers decorating it. Instead of the precise placing of ornaments on an individual branch like she was used to, the Swanson tree held its own unique and charming quality. The Mitchell household looked nothing like the Swanson's. She'd describe it as boring, and unoriginal, if she had to. It was different in the Swanson house, and she did not only see it, but she felt it, and Beca loved it.
She watches as Jesse grabs a cookie meant for Santa Claus and takes a bite out of the gooey insides of the chocolate chip-filled treat. He offers it to her lips, which she takes happily. She studies her tiles carefully, waiting and hoping that Rylee would put down an 'N' somewhere. She scowls as the older brunette puts down 'Rudolph', foiling her plans to lay down 'snow', which would have earned her twenty points. Jesse raises an eyebrow at her sour expression and chuckles quietly, making her glare at him. He pokes her in side with a grin on his face. The corners of her mouth twitch, fighting the smile that was bound to appear on her face.
"It's five minutes 'til twelve," he says excitedly, nudging her with his elbow.
"So I can open your presents in five minutes?" she asks, still racking her brain for a word to play on the board. She settles on "frosty", which gains her twelve points.
He shakes his head. "No, only the kids open at midnight."
She rubs her eyes and looks at his unwavering expression, realizing that he was being serious. "Okay that was not what I agreed on. I agreed on opening presents on Christmas Day."
"If we're being technical, it's Christmas morning," he points out, sticking out his tongue in response to her giving him the finger.
"You guys are disgustingly cute," Rylee snorts, crinkling her nose at the two of them arguing. Beca turns and gives her the finger as well, making the only Swanson sister laugh. "That's a compliment, Beca".
"Yeah Becs, it's not everyday Ry—"
Jesse's interrupted by the sound of Beca's phone vibrating, with the blare of his own voice erupting out of the device.
"BECAW!"
Jesse swipes at her phone, immediate embarrassment spreading on his face and neck. She takes the phone away, dodging his arm, curious to hear what the hell the nerd had done to embarrass himself now.
"IT'S CHRISTMAS! How crazy is that? I even set this alarm to let you know! I'm sad we're not together at the moment, because I know how to throw a good Christmas party".
Beca snorts, but shortly after she starts to feel the second-hand embarrassment redden up her neck. She presses a thumb on her lock screen, ready to end his Christmas message early, when Rylee takes it from her grasp and holds it high.
"Anyways, Merry Christmas Becs. I know you don't like the holidays, and I'm really hoping this message somehow changes that," he lets out a hearty chuckle from inside the screen, further embarrassing the nerd and Beca, "but just in case it doesn't, maybe your presents will change that. Hopefully my package got there safe and sound," he pauses for a second, which Beca takes as an opportunity to jump for her phone. Rylee runs across the room, holding it high above her head as the message continues.
"And you know what? We've been officially together for seven months. I know you despise couple-y things like anniversaries, but hey! It's Christmas! And you can't hurt me because you're in Maine!" She slowly turns to Jesse and raises an eyebrow, ready to press her thumbs into his carotid arteries. He gulps and shrinks away.
"These seven months have been the best of my life, Beca. And I know it sounds cheesy and gross to you, but I mean it. I can honestly say I've never been happier," Beca feels her her heart beat rapidly, disturbed at the warm emotions tugging inside her. "So yeah, thanks for being there... With me. I miss you a lot, Skype me when you can. Merry Christmas, weirdo."
There, the message ends. The entire room stays still, with only the TV humming in the background. It's Rylee who breaks the silence.
"...That was cute," the older brunette smiles, genuinely warmed by her younger brother's cheery message. She hands the phone back to Beca. By now, the blush on both of their cheeks seem to be permanent.
"Dude, you're so whipped. When's the wedding?" Alex muses, only earning him a slap from Cara.
"Uncle Jesse, you asked Beca to marry you?" a sleepy Kaia asks, rubbing the dust from her eyes. "Can I be the flower girl?"
"No, they're not getting married, sweetie. Well, not yet," Brett tells his daughter, who frowns in return.
Jesse, still trying to reel his mind around what just happened, pats the kid's back. "There's no need to be sad, kid. It's Christmas! You get to open your presents!"
An excited Kaia runs to her two sleeping cousins and wakes them up, points to the presents under the tree, and yells something about it being Christmas. The three run and grab their respective largest boxes, ripping them open with immense vigor. Their parents pull out their cameras, fixated on on their kids, leaving Beca and Jesse to quietly sneak back to his room. He shuts the door before facing a silent Beca.
"I swear I completely forgot I even recorded that," he begins, "But I don't take anything I said back."
"You are honestly the only person I know who would even think of something as cheesy as setting a message as an alarm. You're the biggest loser I have ever met," she chews on her lip, unsure of what to say. "How did you even get my passcode?"
"I've seen you type it once or twice," he admits, making his way over to her side on the bed. "Six three seven three. What does that even mean?"
She freezes, deciding that he didn't need to know. "It's nothing," she pauses, avoiding his stare. "But yeah, thanks for that," she smiles, "it was... you know."
He chuckles, knowing exactly what she meant. He brings a hand to her chin and tips it upward. Her eyes meet his, and for a second she loses herself to the explosion of lightness that spreads through her body. She bites into her bottom lip, fighting off the smile tugging at the edges of her lips.
"So, Merry Christmas. I'm glad you're here. With me."
This time, she allows the smile she's been fighting to stretch across her face. She leans into him, burying her face into the flushed skin between his chin and shoulders. "Merry Christmas, nerd. I'm glad I'm here... With you."
Nine hours later...
"Uncle Jesse... What are you wearing?" Ava asks, eying the red ball on his sweater. "It looks funny."
He lets out a horrified gasp, making the young girl giggle. "You don't like Rudolph? How dare you!" He erupts into song, singing the famous reindeer tune. The three kids scream and run away, making him frown.
"Is it just me or has Rudolph turned into a horror tale?" he asks, puzzled as he leans against the decorated banister.
She grins smugly. "With that sweater, yeah."
Groaning, he takes her hand and leads her to the empty living room, standing directly underneath the doorway. He looks up and smiles cheekily, waiting for Beca's reaction to the hanging evergreen above them. She's almost too afraid to look herself, knowing well enough what she was bound to see.
"You know, it is only traditional to kiss under the mistletoe," he waggles his eyebrows, pulling her in for a quick kiss, only to find himself with a mouthful of cheek instead. He grunts at her disgusted expression.
"Be-ca," he whines, following her to the couch. She brings the back of her hand up to her cheek and wipes away the slobber, crinkling her nose. She wipes the mess onto his own cheek, making him shriek. She laughs, only ensuing a sea of complaints from him.
"I'm not kissing you until you change out of that ridiculous sweater," she snorts, using her palm to push him away.
"But Beca! You're breaking tradition," he pouts, pointing to the lonely mistletoe hanging from the ceiling from where they previously were.
She shrugs. "Good."
"In what century?!"
"This one."
He rolls his eyes and scoffs, going in for another kiss. This time, he ends up with a mouthful of her palm. She goes in to squeeze the ball on his shirt, but he dodges her. He waves a finger in her face. "No kisses, then no touching Rudolph's nose."
She shoves his finger away, rolling her eyes. "Fine by me."
His bottom lip juts out in a pout as he stares at her with round eyes, slightly weirding her out, yet amusing her. "C'mon Beca, it's Christmas! Can't you put your snarky, hurtful comments aside for one day? Christmas, of all days!" He cradles his chest with a hand on his heart, feigning hurt. She snorts at his overall appearance, from the way his pout made him look like an actual puppy to that ridiculous sweater.
"Sorry, it's a reflex," she shrugs, taking in the way he scoffs in mock anger. With a smug smirk, she reaches out and pinches his bicep. He yelps, rubbing the spot furiously as he glares at her. His hand darts out and suddenly his fingers feather her sides, catching her off guard as she squirms under his touch and begs for him to stop in between her laughter.
"Jesse!" she squeaks, hitting his chest with balled fists to no avail. He continues tickling her, enjoying the rare sound of her giggling underneath him. The force on his chest intensifies, causing him to lose his balance as he topples to the ground.
"OW! WHAT THE HELL, BECA?! AGAIN?!" he groans, splattered on the ground, rubbing the back of his head furiously. Her giggles come to an abrupt halt as she towers over him from atop the couch, watching as he writhes in pain. She blinks, and a second later she finds herself bursting into laughter once again much to Jesse's annoyance.
"Seriously, do you enjoy pushing me off high structures? If so, remind me to never go hiking with you through the Grand Canyon. Ever," he grimaces, taking her outreached hand as she pulls him back up from his spot on the floor.
Rylee and Mrs. Swanson enter the living room, faces concerned.
"Is everything alright in here? We heard a crash," his mother asks, rushing over to her son's side. "You didn't break anything again, did you?"
"No mom, I'm fine. I fell off the couch."
"Wait, so you that was you?" Rylee asks, smirking, while their mother stands there, clearly confused.
Jesse blinks, his mouth open slightly ajar. "I— What? What'd you think it was?"
"I thought something broke, not someone. I was pretty worried there for a second," Mrs. Swanson chuckles, ignoring her son's fallen face.
"Thanks for the concern, guys. I'm feeling the love."
Rylee snorts, smiling as she affectionately rubs her knuckles into the bush of hair on his head. He frowns and shoves his sister's arm away. "Anyways, what the hell are you wearing, Jesse?"
His eyes drop to his sweater. "A Rudolph sweater?"
"I know that."
"Then why'd you ask?" he rolls his eyes. Amused, Beca sits back and enjoys their banter. It was refreshing getting to watch someone other than herself (or himself, for that matter), embarrass and belittle Jesse to bits and pieces.
"I didn't mean it literally, you dumbass," Rylee sighs, grabbing the red ball and squeezing it, much to Jesse's dismay.
The only Swanson sister pats his shoulder, while their mother watches her children warmly. "I swear you two still act like you're kids," Mrs. Swanson shakes her head, her arms crossed over her chest, "A part of me wishes you two would act like adults around each other... But a part of me wants you to shrink back into my tiny babies."
"Mom, that's weird."
Rylee nods in agreement. Their mother sighs. "Alright, fine. You know what else is weird? Your sweater."
Jesse's jaw fully unhinges, his mouth gaping at his mom's comment. "Are you serious? Nobody appreciates this fine piece of needlework?"
"No, Jesse," they all say in unison. His shoulders slump slightly.
"Can you two please help out in the kitchen? We could use two extra sets of hands," his mother asks, ignoring her son's childish behavior. The two nod and they all file into the kitchen, where various ingredients were scattered about on the counters. Mrs. Swanson hands them each a potato peeler and a bin of potatoes, as well as a run down of her mashed potatoes recipe. Rylee and his mother take charge of the dough for the dinner rolls on the other side of the kitchen. The four of them go to work, making small talk about the holidays, mostly memories of the past.
"Remember that year you and Dad got me a scooter? That was probably my favorite present, hands down."
"I do. You ran over my foot with it. I got spider juice all over my toes because of you," Rylee laughs. "My favorite present was that dollhouse, with the hand painted blue shingled-roof. Sometimes I wish I had a girl so I could pass it down to her. Not that Tate can't have it, he just isn't interested in it."
"You should try for a girl this time, honey. I want more grandchildren," his mom chimes, nudging her daughter with her elbow as they work on kneading the dough.
"Beca, dear," she turns to the petite brunette, staring her right in the eyes. Beca gulps as the beads of sweat begin to form on her forehead, nervous as to what the older woman was about to say. If she said anything about babies, she was going to have to book it straight to the door and out of Georgia for the rest of eternity. "Did you get to call your family back home yet? They must be pretty upset that you couldn't make it over there in time."
Breathing a silent sigh of relief, she nods. "We skyped them earlier. They say they miss me but I definitely saw my grandma drinking a bottle of wine to celebrate. And this was at eight in the morning."
"Or, you know, maybe because she has to go through Christmas without her favorite granddaughter."
She rolls her eyes, but manages a smile. "Gran usually doesn't drink until noon, at least. Either something's incredibly wrong or incredibly right."
"She seems like a walking party!" Rylee smirks. With Jesse focused on the potato he was peeling in his hand, Rylee sneaks over with a handful of flour.
"Hey, Jess! Merry Christmas!"
And with that, she throws the flour onto his face, with the powdery particles sticking to his eyelashes and falling to his sweater. Mrs. Swanson gives her daughter a stern look, but she can't help the twitch of the corners of her lips as she fights off a laugh. The two brunettes burst into laughter as Jesse groans and wipes his face off with his sleeve.
"Why do you always do this?!" He moans, looking sadly at Rudolph's newly colored nose. "You make me look so dumb in front of my girl over here."
Unfortunately, the boy both looked and sounded annoyed and embarrassed, which made Beca feel bad.
And God, she hated that feeling.
God dammit.
"Alright, alright. How about you change your sweater now? I'll help you, you know, make a better choice this time."
He raises his eyebrows, still disappointed in how many negative reactions his sweater's received. Surprised, he accepts her offer, leaving the two older women to go back to their cooking.
"Before you say anything remotely cheesy, just know that I am doing this out of pity," Beca sighs, kicking the door shut behind her when they get to his room.
"Doing wha-"
She raises up onto her toes, cupping his face as she gives him a quick peck on the lips.
"Aw, you really do have a soft spot!" he chuckles faintly, his lips hovering over hers. He grabs her waist and pulls her closer, kissing her gently.
She smiles against his lips, silently cursing herself for falling into his stupid, stupid trap. "You planned this all along, didn't you?" she asks, her waist still cradled between his arms. He leans back, his eyebrows knit together as if he had no idea what she was talking about. "The sweater. It's like... You're peacocking or whatever they call it."
"You think I have the brains to come up with such an elaborate plan? I'm flattered," he grins, amused.
With a laugh, she leans into his chest, her head resting right below his chin. "You're impossible."
"All the more the reward," he laughs, pinching the sliver of exposed skin on her hip.
She gasps, slapping his hand away. Glaring, she jumps out of his arms. "That hurt!"
"Weenie," he sticks his tongue out, dodging her fists as she aimed for Rudolph's nose.
"Dork."
"You love me! And Rudolph."
She rolls her eyes, pushing him towards his closet. "Would you hurry up and get out of that thing? You know, before my eyes start to bleed," she urges, making him sigh in defeat. She watches as he pulls the sweater off by the neck in one swift motion, taking in the way the muscles in his back flexed with every movement. Her eyes wander to the dimples on the lower half of his back, not noticing his head was turned sideways, watching her with an amused twinkle in his eye.
He does a little wiggle of the hips, enough to look up from where his back dimples were to the dimple on his right cheek, his pearly whites shining in her direction. Her eyebrows come together in a hostile glare, erupting a loud guffaw from his smug lips.
"You're an embarrassment to the human race, you know that, right?"
"Ouch, Bec. That hurts, deep in here," he points to his chest repeatedly.
She snorts. "You're only proving my point," she skirts around his side and drags his finger to the left side of his chest, right to where his heart was. "Your heart is on slightly on the left side of year chest, not the right, dummy."
He grins stupidly at her smart-ass quips, nudging her side with his elbow. "Thank you for the anatomy lesson, Dr. Mitchell."
She crinkles her nose. "Don't call me that. That's my dad."
"Fair enough," he shrugs. "So are you gonna help me pick out a new shirt or what?"
Her eyes wander over to the clothes hanging in his closet, her fingers filing through the different textures and styles. She chooses a burgundy sweater, along with a white button-down shirt to go underneath, and throws it over his shoulders. "There, you'll look like the true nerd that you are."
His arms slide into the sleeves easily. She buttons the lower half of the button-down while he works with the top. With the sweater on, Beca folds his cuffs to his elbows for him, and pops the collar of the button-down over the neck. She eyeballs him as he models for her, hands on his hips.
"Much better."
Eventually, the entire Swanson clan shows up around lunchtime. Even his grandmother, Alice, came, making her the living tree topper on their family tree. They play charades, with Alice acting out a rather inappropriate (but hilarious) Nutcracker. It was the events after, though, that really got to Beca.
Because apparently, it's not just Jesse who's into the whole singing thing.
It's the entire family. And before she knows it, they're all singing Christmas tunes and laughing and drinking before dinner even starts. In the midst of it all his uncle Perry and aunt Phoebe have pulled out a laptop out of the blue and are showing the entire family Jesse's a cappella competitions. He's kind of embarrassed, but kind of okay with it, because they start getting bored with him and pull up the Bellas recent performances.
It's not like she's embarrassed or anything. It's just when they pull up their recent duet when her cheeks turn a bright red. Most of the video mortified her— God, she was so obvious— and his stupid hip thing made her feeling light-headed again.
And as if the whole thing wasn't enough to scare her away for good, they ask them to sing another duet. He can sense her uncertainty and tries to get them to stop goading them on. It's only when Kaia wanders over to them with that child-like innocence that made Beca's dark, cold heart start to melt, when she finally gives in.
"Please, Beca? Uncle Jesse says you sound beautiful when you sing. I think you sound like a princess."
She looks at Jesse, who shrugs and smiles shyly at her. All the heat rushes back to her cheeks and her insides feel gooey and warm, and so she reaches for his hand to steady herself. She felt like the Grinch when his heart grew, but she didn't mind.
"Okay, fine."
The kid jumps and gives her a hug, thanking her. Jesse leads them to the piano. He flips through the Christmas sheet music already there, pointing out some of the song choices, when they finally settle on "The Christmas Song".
Apparently, Jesse's charm and talent extends to the piano, because he delivers the first notes easily. And he's good at multitasking, as he starts the opening verses.
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire,
Jack Frost nipping on your nose,
Yuletide carols being sung by a choir,
And folks dressed up like Eskimos.
He looks into her eyes, letting her know it was her turn, before going back to focusing on the keys in front of him. She waits for her cue and takes a deep breath before singing.
Everybody knows a turkey and some mistletoe,
Help to make the season bright.
Tiny tots with their eyes all aglow,
Will find it hard to sleep tonight.
At the third verse, Jesse winks at Kaia, who giggles. Beca smiles as she continues to sing, but with Jesse finally joining in.
They know that Santa's on his way;
He's loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh.
And every mother's child is going to spy,
To see if reindeer really know how to fly.
And so I'm offering this simple phrase,
To kids from one to ninety-two,
Although its been said many times, many ways,
A very Merry Christmas to you
She doesn't notice that she's leaning into his side, with her hand weighing his shoulder down. It was a short song, but somehow the entire family's quieted down to hear it all. It's silent for awhile after he finishes the last notes.
It's a bit awkward for her when they start clapping, but they're all smiling and offering compliments and, even though they were talking low, she could hear some of his relatives tell him that, "she's something special". She tries to hide her blush at these comments, but her body fails her as her ears turn a bright red.
One of his relatives speaks out. "Can we make this a holiday tradition?"
"Yeah, you better be here next Christmas because that was wonderful." Alice, Jesse's grandmother, pipes from the couch. Jesse's face is a mixture of disbelief and joy and excitement, confusing Beca. "My grandson is so talented! So is my future granddaughter!"
At this rate, the blush on her face was going to be permanent. She stares at Alice, noticing something different about her face.
That's when she realizes that Alice was smiling.
And at that moment, Jesse's crying, unable to believe the sight before him.
There was really no topping this moment.
After dinner and all of the emotions that have been thrown about, it's finally present time. There's wrapping paper everywhere. The kids are squealing at the presents Santa's delivered. But Jesse's whisked Beca to a private little corner of the house to get away from it all, with their presents or each other in hand.
"You first, okay?"
She hands him her present. He eagerly unwraps it, revealing the framed movie poster. He's staring at it in astonishment, speechless.
"So, do you like it, or...?"
"This must've cost you a fortune, holy shit Beca! How in the world?!" He gasps, holding the poster so that it was facing her. She notices an unfamiliar scribble at the bottom of the poster, much to her surprise.
"Well, that wasn't there when I bought it..."
She looks closely, squinting at it hard to confirm her suspicions.
"That's Spielberg's autograph! Like, is that authentic?! Oh my God Bec!"
She's speechless.
On the back, he notices a piece of paper sticking out of the frame. He carefully takes it out and reads it, eyes glowing. "Holy shit! Holy shit! Look at what it says! Holy shit Beca!"
"Jesse,
You're doing great. I'll be waiting to hear your name being called at the Academy Awards!
—Steven Spielberg"
"What the fuck." She sputters out, looking at the letter in disbelief. "As much as I want to tell you that this was all planned, it wasn't? I literally just bought the poster at this dinky little place downtown and suddenly... What the fuck?"
"What do you mean? This looks real to me, I mean... You're lying, right? This couldn't have just been lying around somewhere in the middle of Georgia, let alone with my name on it."
"It wasn't there, I swear!" She examines the autograph once more, trying to remember what exactly happened just a couple days ago at the store. The memory comes back, and she suddenly remembers the old man. Allan? She thinks that was his name.
"Allan... The store owner. They wrapped it for me. Can I see your phone for a second?"
He hands it to her, still buzzing with excitement at the mint-condition, now signed, poster in his hands. She searches up Spielberg's picture on the internet, and it finally all comes together.
"But how is that even possible? Why would he ever be in Georgia. This has all got to be a mistake. Maybe he's an impersonator?"
"When was this? I read that he was in Georgia to host some sort of benefit concert a couple of days ago."
She stares at the note again, unbelievably amazed and shocked. "You have got to be kidding me? This is so weird."
"But really, Becs, how did you not recognize him? He's my hero. This probably costs thousands of dollars!"
"I don't know, he looked like any ordinary old man who likes movies. Your movications don't exactly educate me on the faces of your movie heroes." She shrugs. "This is just crazy. This has got to be some sort of crazy dream."
"Well it's not! Thank you so much, Beca." His excitement hasn't worn him down, as his eyes are still glowing and his smile is huge. He gives her a dozen little pecks on her lips, much to her amusement.
"You're welcome, nerd. This is so crazy, I don't really understand how this happened but I'm glad it happened to you."
He laughs and gives her one last peck on the lips, lifting her into the air and swinging her around like some sort of weirdo. Her insides feel fuzzy and warm and she's dreading the moment the feeling leaves. Finally, he sets her down, ruffling her hair before reaching for his present for her.
"Open it. You've been waiting long enough." He muses and gives her a shoe-box sized gift, wrapped tightly with penguin wrapping paper. She smiles and tears it open carefully, revealing a box within a box.
"You little shit!" She laughs, unwrapping and opening about five boxes like a Russian nesting doll. At last, she comes to the real present, a necklace. A silver chain lay in the box, with a single garnet pendant attached, smaller than her pinkie nail. There was also a single music note charm— a treble clef, of course— with three smaller garnets embedded into it. She blinks at it a couple of times, taking in the simplicity of the gift.
She doesn't notice that he's freaking out in front of her.
"Oh God, oh God. You hate it, don't you? You're not saying anything, oh God. I'm so sorry, Beca, I mean it's no puppy but I— Is it too soon to give you this? I mean, oh shit. I'll return it and everyth—"
"Will you shut up?" She shushes him with a long kiss, bringing his body closer to hers. Her arms wrap around his neck as she savors his lips, smiling as he finally relaxes into her body. His arms circle her waist as they hold each other for a few lingering kisses. When they finally pull apart, she's looking into his eyes, which have seemed to calm down. "I love it. I totally see what you did there," she points out the treble clef, making him grin, "but I love it."
"Really? Wait, are you lying to me?"
"Would I ever lie to you?"
"...Yes?"
Her eyes roll and he laughs, then he pulls her closer for another kiss. "Well, are you gonna be totally corny and put this on me or not?"
So he does just that, moving her hair to the side to clip the chain around her neck. When she turns back around, he's got this ridiculous grin on his face and she swears it's bigger than the cheshire cat's.
"There's more in the box, you know."
"What? How is that possible?" She looks under the foam protection that the necklace laid upon and finds one single diamond earring. She stares at it, both astonished. "Please don't tell me this is real, Jesse. Then I'll actually get mad."
He just looks at her innocently.
"Oh my God, Jesse! You can't be serious?! Like, you've already lost one and with it being real what a—"
He's somehow fetched the other earring from his pocket, as it's in the middle of his palm. He offers it to her, grinning as he closes her fingers around it for her.
That's when it clicks.
"Oh. Oh."
That cheeky grin is still on his face when she pinches him on the arm.
It was the diamond earring.
That nerd. Of course he'd sneak their movie into his gift, even though it wasn't the movie itself.
What a sneaky bastard.
"I can't believe this. I can't believe you!"
"You love it!"
"I cannot believe this. You're such a weirdo!"
Suddenly, she's laughing so hard that she can't breathe and there are tears coating her eyes. He eventually joins in after trying hard to keep a smug face.
When she finally regains her breath, he speaks up first. "You started it first, so I thought I'd keep the game going." He gives her a wry smile.
"I guess that's true. So, am I allowed to call you 'Princess', now?" She asks, leaning into his embrace.
"Well, you've always been my 'Criminal', slash Million Dollar Baby..."
She's laughing again, giving him another kiss through her tears. The emotions that ran through her body was unreal, like nothing she's ever felt before. They were there because of her nerd. He always knew how to make her happy and he never failed in doing so. She wasn't sure she could ever repay him. She could never express her feelings towards him accurately, as there weren't enough words or emotions or anythings that could ever come close.
"I love you!"
She freezes, because, did those words really come out of her mouth? According to Jesse's face, they did, and that moment was, indeed, very real. He's staring at her in awe, and shock, and maybe that was love, but what the hell does she know? She's been with him for not even a year, but it feels like she's known him her whole life. She's shocked at herself, and how easy it was for him to tear her walls down when her own family has been trying for years. She's shocked at how easy it was for him to inch into her heart and her thoughts every single day, and she's shocked that she's been letting him do that. And even if he proposed marriage right there, although she's sure she'd say no then, she can't imagine ever saying yes to any other guy.
"I love you, too. A lot. You are my favorite Christmas present."
"I am not some object, Jesse."
"Okay, you're right. You are my favorite tiny Christmas person-present."
"I hate you."
"You just said you loved me!"
"This whole day has just been full of surprises, huh?"
Epilogue to come soon!