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DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HOMESTUCK, FOR THAT IS OWNED BY ANDREW HUSSIE.
WARNING: THE CHARACTERS IN THIS FANFICTION AND THEIR PERSONALITIES MAY NOT BE TRULY CORRECT; THIS IS BECAUSE THE AUTHOR (aka Me) MAY EITHER INTERPRET THEM DIFFERENTLY THAN THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO BE INTERPRETED, THEY MAY BE CHANGED IN ORDER TO FIT THE SPECIFIC AU, OR IN WORST CASE SCENARIO, THE AUTHOR (again, Me) MAY HAVE HAD THEIR PERCEPTION OF THESE SPECFIC CHARACTERS CHANGED DUE TO READING TOO MANY OTHER FANFICTIONS CENTERING AROUND THESE SPECIFIC CHARACTERS. PLEASE READ THIS FANFICTION WITH THESE THOUGHTS IN MIND. THIS CHAPTER ALSO TALKS ABOUT RELIGIOUS HOLIDAYS AND IS EXTREMELY CORNY AT THE END. IF YOU DO NOT LIKE READING ABOUT RELIGIOUS CELEBRATIONS AND/OR CORNY ENDINGS, YOU MAY FEEL FREE TO SKIP TO THE NEXT CHAPTER WHEN IT COMES AROUND.
POV used in this chapter: Aradia Droog (Midnight Crew)
Your name is Aradia Droog, and you suppose that it is December 25th, Christmas Day. Many of your friends were extremely excited for this date, though you were a bit more calm and indifferent, especially since you really didn't know what to expect from the holiday. You knew that every family had their own way of celebrating the winter season. John's family, for example, made pies on Christmas Eve so that they could throw them at each other the next morning (they also had another tradition that involved a large snowball war complete with snowball cannons and slingshots).
On the other hand, you had also learned from Terezi and Vriska Snowman (who you had become allies with over time despite your family's "feud" of sorts) that the Felt celebrate many different holidays because not all of the Felt members are Christian (somehow that seemed like it would be a lot of fun to experience one day). Their multi-cultural background allowed them something completely different from your own traditions. Your spirit friends also talked about their own ways of celebrating the holiday back when they were alive, but you weren't sure that half of those practices would've still been legal in modern day.
You didn't exactly know how your family celebrated Christmas, as your youthful memories of that occasion had faded from when you were three, and you had fallen ill last year and couldn't participate (you did remember receiving a "Get-Well-Soon" card and an unwrapped box of cookies from Karkat and the others, though you didn't necessarily think that counted). Your father didn't let on whether or not he even celebrated Christmas! There were no inklings of any form of religion anywhere in the house; the closest thing being a plastic cross that you were pretty sure came from Lux's Vampire Hunter costume from last year (was Halloween even a religious holiday? You weren't sure, you'd always thought it was just a commercial holiday, made for selling high amounts of candy and allowing dentists to profit off of kids getting mass cavities).
So here you were on Christmas Day, having already changed into your usual red velvet dress (you have many, of course. You especially loved the dark red or burgundy ones) and white knee-socks (you weren't allowed to wear shoes indoors because they'd mess up the carpet). Slowly, you crept down the stairs, not wanting to wake your father (he usually wakes up at 7 am sharp and you didn't want to disturb him. It's so exciting that you and Karkat figured out how to tell time on digital clocks before anyone else in your separate classes). At the bottom of the steps, you briefly paused to gaze in surprise.
The living room had been completely transformed over night; red and white tinsel made its way across the walls, with a patch or two of mistletoe here and there. The television, which before now had always been stuck on the news or weather channels, was playing one of the many holiday specials that you'd heard of before but hadn't seen. In the corner of the room stood a large, albeit fake Christmas tree that had completely decorated with ornaments and silver-painted bells, and a shining star that was perched at the very top. The rest of the Midnight Crew, including your father (he'd woken up earlier, much to your surprise), were already downstairs. Sol turned to you and smiled, inviting you over to sit next to him, pushing Karkat away a bit (this of course caused Karkat to get minorly annoyed and try to yell at Sol before he saw you approaching). You sat in between Karkat and Sol, and immediately you felt the joy streaming from everyone (including Karkat if you believe it) as they began giving out presents to one another.
You had made presents earlier in the month, and at some point your father must've wrapped them because you had seen them in the mix of gifts and torn-up wrapping paper. All of the gifts you had made were simple clay sculptures, which were amazingly done for someone your age (you'd made Peter Pan for Tavros, bees for Sol and Lux, and a small crab for Karkat…it was the best you could think of, but they looked like they loved what they got). You had received amusing gifts from your friends as well; Tavros, Karkat, and Lux, unsure of what to get you, had all participated in drawing an image of a ram, your favorite animal, sitting on a cliff overshadowing a gray world that was nostalgic despite the fact that you had never seen it before. It was done as well as any children's drawing was, but you still adored it. Sol meanwhile had gotten you a red hair ribbon, which you had thanked him for with a hug (his face had gotten slightly pink for some reason and then he had lightly pushed you away, complaining of cooties).
The greatest gift you had gotten, however, had by far been the one from your own father. The box had been a simple cube, perfectly wrapped in white wrapping paper that had been patterned with black diamonds (your father's signature shape). You had been very careful with the paper, making sure that you didn't completely rip or tear at it (it was so pretty, you didn't want to ruin it), and when you had finally opened the box, you had pulled out a black fedora. It was a bit too large for you, though you noticed that it matched your father's own fedora, and somehow you felt proud of that; it was almost like you were being given something handed down from generation to generation, and you knew what it meant. It meant that maybe one day, even if it wasn't your main career in life, you would be the next generation in the infamous Midnight Crew, the thing that had brought you all together. If you had to be sure of anything in this life, it would be that the Midnight Crew wasn't just a gang bent on letting crime reign; it was a tradition, a way of life for the new generations to follow. You felt that way as you still tried to wear the fedora, because when you did, you felt like a real member of the Midnight Crew.
Lulu: End~ Hope you enjoyed this, and Happy Holidays a month late~ :3