Hello :P It is Wednesday and I am back with another winter themed chapter! Well, technically it's Thursday now because it's gone past midnight here but I started reading through this before midnight. Unlike the last chapter, I planned on writing this one all along. It focuses a new little trio of Justin Morgan, his boyfriend Sammy, and Katie Ketchum as they take a drive to post off Christmas cards. Pikachu is there too of course! It's a lighthearted one. But it has a little diversion at the end too. I hope you enjoy :3
Ages:
Sammy: 27
Justin: 20
Katie: 14
Disclaimer: I own the stories and the OCs mentioned!
The deep purple haired male light-heartedly furrowed his brow and pursed his lips together, trying to poke his head over his shoulder and look back at his boyfriend one last time to see if he would relent. But he would not. His dark brown haired significant other was remaining firm. And he showed this by looking at the younger male in the rear view mirror of his car as he stalled the vehicle in front of the traffic lights.
"No. Go on. Go on back there. That'll teach you to keep your hands to yourself." Sammy continued his act of trying to be firm with his boyfriend, showing off a slight shake of the head. But in response to his words, Justin just merely continued clambering into the back seats of the car from the front passenger one, accepting his punishment and for once accepting defeat. The older of the two added at the same time that I tried to move into the middle seat so he could have the back left instead of the middle but he declined with a polite gesture. "That'll teach you to stop changing the flipping channel!"
As Justin finally flopped in the middle seat and in between Katie and I who were also in the vehicle with the two males, his frown couldn't help but disappear and a smirk took over his features as his boyfriend substituted a rude word for one that he would've normally used. From the right side, the orange haired teenage girl was developing a bit of a blush on her cheeks when her older friend decided to sit right next to her but she found herself focusing more on the amusement of watching the two older male's together. They certainly were fun company!
The deep purple haired male had been unusually submissive and quiet during his "telling off" but when he was finally seated and put a new seatbelt over his chest once again and Sammy prepared to drive off once more, he found himself pleading his case.
"I'm sorry but do you blame me? Your kind of Christmas music is so…" the newly short purple haired male began with a grin as he finally answered back to the older male but not very far into it he realised that his choice of words could potentially lead to offence. My ear quirked. Katie's cheeks cooled down and she tilted her head, wondering if her good family friend was going to be that blunt. Apparently not with what happened next. In the middle of slowly driving once more, Sammy shot a mellow yet defensive look into the rear view mirror. "…Uplifting."
And despite my ear quirking look of wonder if Justin was actually speaking his mind, I then found myself shaking off a smirk with the word that he chose. Katie exhaled when she understood it to be partially true. Sammy didn't react much at all and Justin hoped it was down to concentrating on driving!
Even so, the deep purple haired male hurriedly added more words, both of his hands resting in his lap.
"I just prefer something that's a bit more real." Justin concluded and as both of his hands entwined together in his own lap, Sammy let out a sigh. He always found it hard being mad at his boyfriend at the best of times but especially when he was only pretending to be disappointed with him. And besides, it was Christmas. He hardly had the heart to continue his act with the merry times that we all had been having up until that point.
Though the Alolan male shook his head, he finally showed off a smirk himself as he took a right turn and turned down another lane. He let a couple of moments of silence fill the car (apart from the sound of the station Justin had turned the radio over onto, of course) but then he added more words. He showed that he wasn't going to let everything go that easily.
"Well you're entitled to your opinions but they've landed you in the back of my car. I just hope you've learned your lesson." Sammy informed his younger boyfriend rather seriously then almost as soon as he'd said these words, he shook his head in a mischievous sort of way and showed off his elfish grin. And because of this, everybody else in the car chuckled also.
The deep purple haired male did as well and then after that died down, his mouth softened into a rather genuine smile. He glanced at me once and then at Katie for a longer time before addressing his boyfriend once again. He shrugged merrily.
"I don't mind. I don't mind sitting here. This is now the cool section of the car." He responded and before not too long, he reached one of his hands to messily ruffle through his own newly shorter locks, an air of sincerity about him.
It was no doubt did he say these words to continue trying to one up his boyfriend but they were said genuinely nevertheless. And I could tell by the way that he looked at Katie once more and smiled a second time as he continued playing with his own hair.
She blushed shyly in response and looked down at her lap but she smiled too. And following the antics of both those boys she was joining for a car ride and following a carefree listen-along to the song on the radio also, she looked back up and lightly placed her hands on the back of the car seat where Justin had once sat.
Katie addressed the Alolan male, quietness and shyness in her voice but willingness to converse nonetheless.
"W…Where h-have we got to go to deliver your next letter, S… Sammy?" the orange haired female questioned and another bit of a blush took over her cheeks at the way that her words came out but I got the impression that she was a little bit soothed by the way that the deep purple haired male reached over to tickle me on the cheek at that moment. I certainly was!
In the meantime, Sammy just acknowledged that Katie was talking to him and though he could hear her perfectly well, he reached to turn the radio down out of courtesy. And then following him turning down yet another lane, he reached for the pile of cards in his lap and he took hold of the top one before reaching behind him to hand that one to Katie. She accepted it as soon as she realised that it was being offered to her.
"I think we're near enough now to where the next one needs to be delivered, Katie." Sammy replied to the younger female and when his spare hand was empty of the card, he used that hand to briefly push his locks from his eyes. He then continued when he felt that the orange haired female was leaning back in her seat once again, inspecting the letter. "You tell me. Does the address on the front look like it matches somewhere on here?"
The Alolan male gestured to the sat-nav and it encouraged Katie to lean forward in her chair all over again and have a look. She held the card in her hands towards better lighting before she glanced between there and the technology of Sammy's computer. After a couple of moments of making sure, soon enough she nodded and came out with:
"It… It looks like we're getting c…close. Maybe a bit further on?" Katie suggested and her fingers absent-mindedly stroked the paper that was the envelope in between focusing her eyes on the sat-nav, patiently waiting for an address that matched the one on the letter to appear on the surrounding area of the screen.
"Maybe so." Sammy agreed and as Justin continued scratching my cheek while we sat in the back together along with Katie, the older male's voice started to slow down in concentration. His driving started to slow down also as he drove into the general area that was close to the known address. All of a sudden, at the same time that Katie leaned back in her seat all over, the Alolan male grinned. He looked in his rear view mirror and that time he had eyes for the orange haired teenage girl. "I see it! I see it. Nice one, Katie. Do you think you could reach out the window and put it in their post box when I drive outside?"
And upon hearing this, it was Justin who smiled. Seeing his close mouthed and dimple decorated smile made me understand that he liked the repetition and the easiness of the little errand that we were all running together. Sammy had Christmas cards to deliver and he knew who would be perfect to accompany him!
The deep purple haired male liked the normality and the introduction back to a slower pace of life following tour and the orange haired girl always enjoyed being in the midst of their antics together, even if she wasn't saying much at all. And as for me, I always liked being in the thick of the action – whatever it was.
Katie wordlessly replied to Sammy's words but she nodded her head nevertheless, leaning slightly closer to the window and her other hand reaching out as she prepared to press the button to open it when the Alolan male drove nearer. After a few more manoeuvres and him quietening down himself to concentrate on driving, he managed to squeeze his car pretty close to the letter box on the other side of the gate of the house.
It was then that the eldest Ketchum daughter knew it was her turn to act. Fumbling almost but glad to be included all the same, she pressed the button to pull down the window and then she scooted her body nearer to the window so she could do her best in reaching out to put the envelope in the red shaped box that was mounted on the brick wall.
I watched and I believed that it was going to be effortless for her, despite her shyness. I watched and she believed that it was going to be easy enough for her, despite the fact that she felt a little uneasy with everybody watching her.
Katie stretched and strained and tried to aim her hand nearer to the letter box but it just wouldn't do. Sammy wasn't parked quite close enough to the box for her to succeed in her task. And after a quick surveillance in the middle of biting her lip, wondering if she could stretch all the more, she knew that she couldn't open the car door because of the pillar on the other side.
Though the Alolan male didn't say anything or do much at all – not wanting to react in any way in case it made Katie feel hurried – it was obvious that he had noticed the other cars coming up behind them and they were certain to lose their patience. The people in the cars were going to lose their patience. And there was a high likelihood that they'd press their horns in frustration. Nobody wanted that. Nobody wanted that for Katie.
The orange haired female bit her lip even harder as she started to realise all of this herself and feeling like she had goofed up a simple task, her mouth started to grow a little dry. Even if Sammy was being easy-going and Justin and I were too, she couldn't help but feel like a bit of a fool.
However, before she could utter the words "I can't" or her cheeks could redden at the simple embarrassment of it all, the deep purple haired male stopped tickling my cheeks and he turned to the younger female. He could care less about the impatient drivers behind. They would have to learn to wait.
"May I?" Justin uttered and with a small gesture of his fingers, he offered to take the card from Katie. As soon as she heard the deep purple haired male's voice, even though she definitely felt like she should have been able to do it herself, she leaped at the chance of someone making that moment become a thing of the past. Even if he succeeded and she failed.
The orange haired teenage girl turned around and pressed the letter into the older male's hand and then he suddenly pressed his body forward. I didn't know what Katie was expecting and she didn't either but she didn't expect that! All Justin did was take his seatbelt off momentarily and reach towards the open window and he was somehow able to post the letter in the box himself from that position.
Katie hardly dared breathe at having the older male's slim shoulder pressed up against hers and her nose inches from his neck but it was over and done with very quickly. Justin posted the letter for Sammy and exhaling himself, he returned to his usual position and had an airy smile.
The Alolan male shook his head and looked in the rear view mirror to try and make contact with my gaze but he didn't say anything else. The orange haired female finally exhaled herself soon after the eldest Morgan son did and despite the embarrassment and then surprise and then shyness and every other thing in between, she soon uttered out for us all to hear.
"How are your arms t…that flipping long?" she muttered and she spoke the word that Sammy had put forth a bit earlier on out of amusement to herself but it caused amusement to everybody in the car! We all snickered. We all smirked. We all chuckled.
Justin laughed and his dimple became more apparent and he was just glad that he hadn't squashed his younger friend in the process. Sammy continued looking in the rear view mirror and after seeing that Katie had loosened up enough to make her own joke, he made one of his own. And it was of course at the expense of Justin.
"Be quick, Katie. Trap his head in the window." He encouraged her in a completely jokey manner and I watched as before she could respond with her own smirk or innocent widening of eyes as she wouldn't have dreamed of doing anything of the sort, the slim and tall frame of Justin thrust forward all over again and he pretended to stick his head out of the window. At the same time that he did this, Katie pretended to push the button all over again and the impatient cars at last started honking their horns! The deep purple haired male spoke past them.
"I wouldn't mind. I might start eating the snow!" he announced and it was when he had only a split second to keep his head out the window and poke his tongue out playfully that someone pressed down on their car horn and did so in an elongated way. And it was soon after this that Katie grew bolder and she tugged Justin back inside. With her spare hand, she gestured to Sammy.
"I t-think you'd better drive! We've wasted enough of their t…time already and I especially have." She spoke aloud and Justin pretended to stop squirming at her tugging him (even though she was hardly touching him at all) to smile fondly yet disagreeing at the way that she was singling herself out.
Needless to say, Sammy had a similar reaction but he agreed with Katie that he should continue driving so he did exactly that. But he only drove a few metres before he made another right turn. He turned down a little lane that led to nowhere in between all the houses and parked in a place where no one would come up behind them and beep.
I realised that Justin had almost the right attitude in poking his head out of the window because it was so nice out there. And when the car was parked, we all obviously had the same idea. We all had the same idea as each other as well as the deep purple haired female. Together, Justin and Katie glanced out of the same window in the back of the car and I clambered to the front to look out of Sammy's with him. And together the three of us observed.
Snow was indeed falling so Justin would have got a mouthful if he continued his antics any longer. But contrary to his mother's belief, snow was to be enjoyed, not eaten! And I certainly enjoyed everything that I was seeing. As well as the company of my friends.
As cheesy as it sounded, it looked like a scene that belonged to a Christmas card. The houses and lawns were decorated in a blanket of white but not too much that it slowed down our driving. Lights were sprinkled and flickering everywhere. And you could almost feel everybody inside their houses holding their breath.
Children anticipating the visit of Santa Clause in just a couple of weeks. Young people wondering if they were going to get their kiss under the mistletoe. Old folk holding onto each other nearer and dearer as each second past, cherishing the blessing of yet another Christmas together.
We held our breath in the car also. Though the radio continued singing cheerily and announcing Christmas songs, that wasn't the thing that we were focusing on. We were focusing on those moments together. And they danced in our minds and our ears more prominently than any words that the carols had to say.
After what felt like quite a long time of just being and just being with one and other and what felt like a split second also, we then continued with our errand running. Katie quietened down. She had been being quiet before as she observed the outside world and thought to herself but she quietened down even more so when Sammy started the car all over.
However, it was not an uneasy silence nor was it a wistful one. She just let out a contented sigh as she wholeheartedly enjoyed moments such as those, even if they were nothing in the grand scheme of things. And because as Sammy drove off back down the road and knew where he needed to head next, he thought of the way that his deep purple haired male had helped Katie so seamlessly, he reconsidered his punishment to the deep purple haired male.
"You wanna come back up here, Justin? This next card is from the both of us so we should probably make sure we find it together." Sammy put forth easily enough but I knew from the way that Katie subtly twitched, in amongst her thoughts she caught onto the stubborn essence of the older male's words and nature. She didn't outwardly smirk but her eyes definitely did.
Justin's first reaction was to grin upon hearing the back tracking of his boyfriend and then he couldn't help but pretend to drop his jaw in shock. And then after he saw Sammy shaking his head in the rear view mirror and raising one eyebrow – he knew not to tease him enough to make him beg – so he gladly accepted. He was almost like a puppy as he prepared to bound forward.
"Alright then! I know it's hard for you to admit that you prefer my song choices after all so we don't have to say anything else on the matter if it pains you that much." Justin came out with as he clambered to his front, passenger seat all over again and though he hadn't teased his boyfriend enough to make him beg, he certainly teased him otherwise!
But he got away with it. Somehow, he got away with it. And I got the impression that he knew it from the way that while Katie was seemingly occupied, he reached his hand to pat his older boyfriend lightly on the cheek before he planted a kiss there.
Needless to say, Sammy softened upon being bestowed with this but because he knew better than to shower Justin with too much affection in front of company, he merely just let his smile do the talking and he reached to pat Justin on the cheek in return as Katie looked up.
Instead of wondering what she thought about the two boys and their small moment of romance between them, I wondered if she felt a little disappointed that Justin had clambered to the back seat. So before I could come to a conclusion or she could overtly show me how she felt about it and since I had abandoned the front with Sammy so Justin could be there, I decided to climb onto her lap so she could hold onto me after winding the window back down at last.
Katie scooped her hands under my belly almost as soon as she was done with her task and felt my presence and she pulled me so near that it felt wonderful. I felt the love and the unconditional affection from the orange haired female as the buzz of the car as it continued moving vibrating through my belly. It was almost a euphoric feeling. And I had to concentrate on not soaring out of my body as Justin and Sammy started to converse all over again. Their jokes had obviously not come to an end.
"I don't know why I even let you up here, Justin." Sammy began as the deep purple haired male turned to the side and started occupying both of his hands with sorting the letters on his boyfriend's lap. After the eldest Morgan son looked up and looked up innocently, clearly having a momentary truce since their light kiss, the Alolan male gladly continued, that elfish grin returning all over. "You don't even have any cards to send because you suck. You think you can get away with just a text. How impersonal."
I grew rather amused as well as tingly from Katie's touch at the way that I felt her head lift upon hearing this! But she didn't say anything. Justin's expression increased in innocence as he shared the understanding with her. But then he reacted, abandoning nosing through his boyfriend's letters on his lap and reaching to switch the station all over. It was expected at that point.
"I just got off tour, man." Justin retorted and out of his voice came a tone that led one to believe that he could have been the slightest bit irritated. The way that he reached both of his hands to the back of his head to play with his hair and stretch his arms indicated this. However, his expression and toned mellowed out when Sammy glanced to the side. The deep purple haired male insisted in a more easy-going tone. "I have Christmas cards for the really important people. Don't I, Katie?"
And though the orange haired female had been curious about their conversation and easing in and out of it the entire time, the girl whose lap I was sat on looked up when she heard her name. At first, she believed that Justin was referring to the letters he would send while he was away on tour and it took her a moment to think about whether she'd ever received a Christmas one.
Then at the same time that she did this and Sammy continued driving, putting his foot down a little harder to make sure they finished their errands on good time, Justin reached down and into his backpack that was in the foot area of his passenger seat. Promptly, he pulled out an envelope. He pulled out one single envelope. And in a casual manner and in a swift motion, he turned around and handed it to Katie.
She thought that he was joking at first! She thought it was some kind of joke. No doubt did Sammy feel the same way. Soon enough, the earnestness in Justin's eyes could not be faked and the name written in the deep purple haired male's expressive sloped writing on the front couldn't either. It was definitely for Katie.
The eldest Morgan son explained himself a little more with a shrug, both his hands going back to his hair when he felt Sammy exhale out his nose in surprise.
"I got all of them done on the plane. There was hardly any other good entertainment." Justin paused. Justin paused after saying these words. Though he turned back around in his seat to face the front, his words were most definitely said to Katie – in the same way that that Christmas card was most definitely for her. "Open it. And read it aloud if you like."
I hopped off the orange haired female's lap to give her space even though it would have been perfectly cosy to sit together. I just knew that she didn't like too many people looking at her. And Sammy secretly was keeping an eye out as he drove. He couldn't believe how much a family man Justin casually was and with people beyond his family. They had the same exact priorities even if they agreed to disagree a lot of the time as well.
Because the eldest Ketchum female still felt like she was being teased or something, she didn't feel too under everyone's watch as she held the envelope in her hands. Though her name on the front was definitely hers and Justin had offered it to her, she still felt like there was a catch. So she just had to find out.
The humming of the car engine and the radio playing provided white noise while Katie ran her finger along the red crease of the paper and proceeded in opening the Christmas card up. I tried not to watch too hard but I was definitely curious. Sammy felt similarly in between the slow growing swelling of his heart at the future he was planning on planning with Justin. The deep purple haired male in contrast kept up a cool, laid-back act. But I knew him rather well and could sense the extroverted bashfulness within him. He listened out for Katie's reactions. I watched them.
She couldn't help but smile when she pulled out the card and when little snowflake shaped confetti flew everywhere and out onto the back seats of Sammy's card, she pulled an apologetic face. But she knew that she didn't need to outwardly apologise at the carefree energy and smile she could sense within the oldest male.
Katie placed the empty envelope with her name on to one side and focused on opening the card. But of course, she first looked at the décor on the front. To match the snowflake confetti inside, it was a simple snowflake design. But she knew it was special. When she opened it for good and her eyes wandered to the words, she knew this even more so. She read. It was Justin who was the sheepish one that time.
"Dear… Dear Katie. I hope y…you have a very Merry Christ… Christmas and I look forward to seeing you s-soon. Save a viewing of one of your films for me. I'll be there bef… before you know it. With loads of fondness always, J…Justin." Katie read the contents of the letter and I glanced at Justin rubbing the back of his own head at the same time that the orange haired female added her own words. She questioned; that blush from earlier on coming back on her cheeks. "You… You mean that?"
The uncertainty in her heart sunk my heart and then engulfed it all in one. It was not a sad kind of uncertainty. She just enjoyed his company so strongly that she wasn't exactly certain he felt the same way. But he did. And he proved this from recovering from his own shyness and turning around to give her a brief grin. He nodded his head once.
"Anytime." He affirmed to her simply and she was left ducking her head and reading the words all over to herself, running her finger over his carefully written letters. The deep purple haired male let a moment of genuineness pass between them then when he felt Sammy giving him a side glance as they came to get another set of traffic lights; he gave him a boastful look. He pretended to puff out his slim chest. "See? They've been in my bag the whole time. You're not the only one with special deliveries to do."
"Well in that case, you'd better take the wheel then! Go on then. Let's give you your turn in being the postman." He told his boyfriend and almost as soon as he said these words, Justin was unclicking his seatbelt and obviously willing to comply. He didn't puff his chest further out but he sat further in his seat. He gave Sammy a look. He gave Justin a likeable and determined look.
"Well okay then. Let's switch." Justin agreed, and Katie managed to take her eyes away from starting to clear up the snowflake confetti on her seat long enough to smirk to me as the boys quickly swapped each other's seats before the red lights turned amber and then eventually green.
The deep purple haired male flopped into the seat with quite some gusto for his light frame. The orange haired female gave me another look as I prepared to clamber onto her lap all over and I knew exactly what it meant. It was then unlikely that they'd get their errand trip done by nightfall with the way that Justin Morgan sensibly drove! But it was going to be a fun time nonetheless.
With permission, Sammy took the Christmas cards out of Justin's bag as his boyfriend started to drive his car and the Alolan male looked through them. From being in the back seat with Katie I couldn't tell what sort of names or whose names were on the front of the envelopes but I had a pretty good idea.
Out of gratitude for her cleaning his car of the snowflakes and other bits that she was not responsible for either – as well as a natural inclination to include her – Sammy spoke to Katie all over again as he mused through Justin's letters in his hand.
"Did you have any particularly nice Christmas cards this time round, Katie? I bet the ones from your little siblings were really cute." Sammy asked and then stated and after tilting her head on one side, considering, the orange haired female leaned a little bit further forward in her chair as she answered.
With her spare hand, she pushed her hair from her eyes, a small smile taking over.
"Y-Yeah… Yeah, they were. I… I gotta say that Rey's were the s-sweetest with all the colourful drawings that she did. James'… James' deserves a mention though but because his turned into a bit of a letter to Santa but through me!" Katie told us all and of course, we all chuckled. The deep purple haired male pushed his hair out of his eyes in the middle of driving as he did so and it was him to have words in response.
He surprised me by focusing on the former part of her words rather than the latter. He let his little friendship with the chestnut haired little boy not be the topic of conversation for the time being.
"Rey didn't do that for me! I wish I had little drawings to go along with mine. But I don't think she likes me all that much." Justin announced in a cheery way that almost reminded me of my best friend and as my eyes wandered to the world outside and I watched the moon following our car every step of the way, I was certain that it was going to be the Alolan male to say something in response. And I was right. But he did so after a couple of moments of silence.
Sammy was seemingly really involved in looking at all of the names on the cards that his boyfriend had written and as my gaze continued fixing on the outside world, I named the ones that I was assuming in my mind.
Ash and Misty were going to be there for definite and I was sure that he'd deliver it in person rather than through a letter box. He would also have the names of all his tour friends and family but he'd have to go to the post office for that – for they were from all over. His friends closer to home would be named as well, and along with his siblings. Tom. Jazmyn. Jayden. Jaxon. Names belonging to family further afield too.
The Alolan male had stumbled on two of these names at that exact same moment and he was obviously having a moment of bewilderment from the way that it was clearly decorating his face. I peered and I saw that he had two cards in his hand. One was a green one and one was a silver one. He glanced between the two of them one last time before over at Justin as he became stalled by some traffic in the centre of Saffron City.
"Why do you have one for Nan and Pop and a separate one for Grandad? I thought it's only your dad with grandparents still alive?" Sammy wondered out loud and I was almost taken aback myself by the double take that Justin had. I didn't have time to ponder the sheer amusement of how pure and honest I found double takes to be. After just a second, I grew distracted with how much he seemed to want the traffic to continue moving forward. Katie was certain to notice the same things if not more. "Justin?"
The deep purple haired male felt his hands stiffening on his boyfriend's steering wheel when he heard his name be uttered and he didn't know why. He did, and he didn't know why. It wasn't a big deal. It wasn't a big deal but he got the impression that other people would make it a big deal and he didn't want that. However, he knew that he had to be honest. And he knew that he had to be honest fast or Sammy was going to get really suspicious.
As the traffic continued coming to a half in the middle of the city high-street, Justin half explained to Sammy and Katie and I in the back with a vague gesture of the hand.
"If you moved your thumb and squinted a little more, you'd see that there was a name that followed "Grandad"." Justin offered and because the Alolan male continued looking rather dumfounded while Katie was wordlessly piecing everything together with me on her lap, the deep purple haired male reached his hand out to tug the envelope. He tugged the envelope so more of the words could be revealed.
Sammy furrowed his brow. But Sammy focused. And then he read. He read aloud. He started to come to conclusions for all to hear.
"Grandad… Charlie. Grandad Charlie… Grandad Charlie?" he said the name a few times before he finally started to understand and from the way that Katie's thighs lightly clenched beneath me, I got the impression that she was calmly taken back by his response. The Alolan male frowned and he frowned right at his boyfriend. He shook his head while tilting it. "Grandad Charlie? You're serious? After everything?"
Wordlessly, Justin reached to take that particular envelope away from his boyfriend and placed it lightly down on his lap. He didn't need to nod. He didn't need to curl his lip defensively. He didn't need to do much in response at all.
While it was true that he didn't want people to make a big deal out of it, he was the type of fellow to belief in everything that he set forth strongly and with all of his heart. He could feel the rumbling of vehicles all around him as they slowly began to move forward in the traffic all over again and he knew that it would be his turn soon. But despite anticipating getting moving all over, he gave Sammy a look when he tried to take the Christmas card from him and put it at the bottom of the pile.
"Don't do that, Sammy. I'm going to deliver that one next. It's my decision." He insisted in a low-level but adamant tone and while Katie swallowed but didn't feel it her place to get involved, Sammy turned and locked his eyes on the side of his boyfriend's face. He just wanted to understand. He knew that if anyone did then he'd be most likely to. So the deep purple haired male explained loosely, not looking at him at first as he drove the car slowly off. "I know how he's been with my dad sucks. It really sucks. What he's said and done is uncalled for and not nice. But he's been nothing of the sort to me. At times he's been a bit of a joy to be around. And I want more of that. And I think he can be more like that. I don't think anyone else has stuck around for him before."
And rather eerily, it was these words that stuck around for me as Justin proceeded in driving the car properly off, turning out of the city and heading more towards the country outskirts. Though more than anything Sammy wanted to hold onto the letter and discuss the decision a little further, soon enough Katie's quiet influence had an effect on him and realised that it was Justin's decision after all.
The only thing that Katie really nearly said aloud was the fact that she didn't blame anyone for not sticking around for Charlie. And if it was anyone other than the deep purple haired male than she really would have let her feelings loose! But for some reason when it came to Justin, as well as encouraging her to speak her voice loud and proud, she also knew when to keep it hushed.
Because also when it came to Justin, she trusted him very, very much. She trusted him that whatever he went after, he meant wholeheartedly. So if he wanted to give his grandfather one last chance and deliver something at his door than he was absolutely going to do that. Katie and Sammy and me too really were united in our uncertainty. But we were united in our willingness to let Justin try also.
The car drive down to the mansion was a silent one and it was rare for it to be not filled with exasperation at how big the properties were down in that place! It was extravagant how large they were. But needless to say they were decorated so beautifully. The lights were draped over the trees and bushes and shrubbery to perfection and the snow really had gathered there.
It seemed to be a whole other world. And it was definitely a whole other world when Justin arrived outside the right place and the right mansion and opened up his window and when he reached out to the keypad, he typed in the right password. Katie held her breath. She just needed his instincts to be right. She just needed her good friend's judgements not to go against the loyalty of her Uncle James.
Sammy held his breath as well. He just needed his faith in everybody to make sure he didn't get wounded by surrounding himself with a tricky fellow. And he just needed his faith in Justin to remain strong enough that he could see that he made the right decision even if it went wrong for him.
In addition to the two of them, I held my breath as the gates swung open and there was still more driving to do before Justin pulled up outside the actual Lord and Lady Morgan Mansion. I knew that Christmas miracles were a cliché thing to believe in but I just needed one to be close to happening there and then.
Either way, I felt like one had been granted. Every single year was a Christmas miracle that I spent with the people that I loved. I had no idea that this was going to be the first step to – perhaps not quite loving yet another person – but seeing eye to eye with them a little more.
These thoughts and these musings came to an end when Justin shut the car engine off and with the envelope firmly in his hand; he opened his side of the car door. I turned my head at the same time and listened when both the deep purple haired male and the dark brown haired one questioned whether Katie wanted to stay behind but of course the answer was a no! It was funny how trios were a reoccurring theme in my life and yet another one had been formed.
So with a little bit of a smile on his face when Justin could sense that Katie wanted to be there for him as much as the loyalty of her Uncle James, that new little trio headed out into the snow and to walk up to the front door of the Morgan Mansion. I of course followed suit. I was there. I was present. But I was a little bit behind as well. It was their trio. It was their moment. I didn't know what to think or feel. But as I felt the snow fluttering down on my fur and felt the crunching in between my toes, I couldn't feel a strange feeling of hope. And I couldn't help but feel the future breeze of even more of a feeling of family.
The Alolan male's hands stuffed into his pockets while he walked and even after all the time in that region, he still wasn't used to the cold! And for this reason, I hopped onto his shoulder and to keep him warm. And at the same time that this occurred, Katie started to fall behind so it was her hand that ended up being clasped by Justin's.
She looked over at him and they shared a wordless look and then before he lost any nerve – any nerve at all – he used the hand that he was also clutching the envelope in to ring the doorbell. It was such an odd and strangely out of place sound. It seemed to echo through the vast halls of the interior that we knew that was inside and it felt far off. Yet in the same breath, it rattled through us.
We expected to hear footsteps. As I looked at Sammy and as Justin and Katie didn't look at each other but remained interlinked by their digits, we waited to hear footsteps. But we didn't hear any. We didn't hear any at all. The deep purple haired male's frown threatened to crease. He had been so determined and adamant and certain of his decision. It was awful for that to go in vain. It would have been more awful than if he had been utterly and rudely rejected by the unsympathetic man that could be his grandfather.
However, he didn't need to worry about that. He didn't need to worry about that at all. His time was coming. Charlie was coming. And soon enough the doors to the manor swung open and the greying dark lavender haired male poked his head gingerly outside. Straight away from his satin robed dressing gown and slippers and the way that he was the one who had answered, it was obviously that his many members of staff and servants had gone home for Christmas. He was alone. He was seemingly alone.
The first look that we had on his face as he stood between the two large doors was to take note of how surprisingly almost down to earth he looked. He had a frown on his face but it was not at our presence because he had not absorbed it then and there. And it was not out of arrogance either. It was more of… Dare I say it…? Loneliness?
Justin exhaled against the icy breath of the winter wind and dropped Katie's hand when he too took note of this but it made the four of us stand closer rather than separate us. When Charlie caught side of his eldest grandson standing there and then the sight of us too, his hard to read expression soon changed to surprise. It still, however, remained not as smooth as always. He had a bit of the same double take as the deep purple haired male had done in the car.
"What… What the bloody hell are you lot doing here?" Charlie questioned and for a rare occasion, defences did not rise at the words that he had decided to utter. Katie and Sammy looked at one and other. And then I looked at Sammy. And following that I looked at Katie. Finally, we looked at Justin as we decided that he was the leader of the pack. The older Morgan held his hand out briefly as he added in his upper crust accent. "Justin?"
In response, the envelope finally left Justin's hand. He took the opportunity that Charlie's hand was outstretched to press the card into his palm and then when that was said and done with; he reached for one each of Katie and Sammy's hands. Whether it was to reassure them that his decision was worthwhile or whether it was to encourage himself to face up to the man whose goodness was questioned a great deal, none of us could tell.
But the orange haired female and the dark brown haired male of course squeezed Justin's hand back. And it was when I placed one of my paws on his shoulder that Justin had an answer for Charlie. It was obvious that he had been trying to sum up the reason for their visit since he had decided to make that diversion and it was when that all the contact had been made that he finally knew. After my paw touched Justin's shoulder, Justin then reached his hand out to briefly touch his grandfather's.
Charlie's eyes looked at the younger male's hand on his and then he looked to his face. He looked at his face at the same time that Justin articulated his answer for him.
"Everyone deserves someone at Christmas, don't they?" the deep purple haired male answered by offering a question and before I even saw the moustache adorned males response and saw that moustache of his quirk upwards as he couldn't deny his eldest grandsons words, I knew that I wholeheartedly believed them as well as Justin.
When I woke up that morning I didn't have the slightest idea that I would feel something so sincere towards the man that was Charlie Morgan. But I supposed that it was a Christmas miracle. And hell, miracles seemed to always take place when I was around the people that I cherished most of all. Especially at Christmas time.
The End.
There you go! Thanks so much for reading and I hope you enjoyed :3 I like the character and the interactions that came out here. You start to see the competitive nature of both Justin and Sammy in their relationship. You see their fondness for Katie. And you see her little uncertain but included teenage self! And of course at the end, you see James' father, Charlie, be given a bit of a second chance. He's always going to be an interesting character from the way that he canonly treats James in the anime but as you see here, there are some people who do give him a chance. And I think that Charlie is probably a lot more grateful than he ever could say! Thanks again for reading and I will be back again next Wednesday with another winter themed chapter so see you then :P
AmyBieberKetchum signing out :3