CHRISTMAS CAROLS

ASPEN CARTER'S CHRISTMAS TREE TRADITION

"What," Marcus Kane said slowly, his voice flat and laced with mild annoyance, "do the three of you think you're doing?"

It was early in the morning, so early that the sky was still a mixture of light pink and dark purple. There was a hint of bright blue on the horizon. The edge of the sun would appear at the tip of the mountain in just a few minutes. None of them had expected to get caught, since they had bribed the man at the gate and had been as quiet as physically possible considering they were each carrying a side of the fern tree they had cut down. Unfortunately for them, Kane couldn't sleep and had caught them sneaking back into Arkadia with the tree, and had promptly stormed over. He looked at the three people, one after the other, and held in a sigh. Lincoln was at the back of the group, clutching at the base of the tree, while Octavia was at the lead, holding the tip. Monty was clutching to the side. All of them were bundled in layers of clothing, their hands covered in thick gloves.

Kane had asked Monty the question, since he was usually the easiest to shake down. The person who answered, however, wasn't even in Kane's line of sight.

"What does it look like we're doing, Kane?" a cheerful voice said. A moment later, the tree was being pushed up to rest momentarily on it's base, and Kane could see Aspen standing there. Her cheeks were flushed red, and her blonde hair was pulled into a messy braid over her shoulder. There was a beanie on top of her head, pulled over her ears to keep them warm. Kane stared at her for a moment, face expressionless, before a look of defeat seemed to settle over him.

"Why am I not surprised you're behind this?" he asked her. Aspen developed a mock offended expression, then started beaming, grinning from ear to ear. Kane sighed again and took the bait. He knew that was what Aspen was waiting for. "Why are you carrying a tree into Arkadia, Aspen?"

"It's not just any normal tree, it's a Christmas tree!" Aspen declared. Octavia and Monty both grinned in response and nodded along, their excitement clear, while Lincoln just shook his head and shifted the tree a bit so he could hold it up more comfortably. Now that it was standing straight, Kane saw that it wasn't as large as he had originally thought. It couldn't have been more than seven feet. The width of it, however, made up for it's length. He wondered idly how they were going to get it inside, and then concluded that they would have to carry it through either the garage or the rec room.

"Christmas tree?" Kane asked, voice flat again. When Aspen nodded, he frowned. "Aspen, Christmas is a dead holiday."

"Not anymore," Aspen declared, "because I said so." When Kane continued to look doubtful, a pout formed on her mouth. She moved closer, widening her eyes in the way she did when she wanted something.  "C'mon, Kane! We always celebrate the New Year, and before that, there's always that one week where we do ceremonies and thank the stars for another year of good health. We're on earth now, and this is the first year where there was no war. Human civilization is thriving right now, together. What's the point of repopulating the earth if we're not going to bring back traditions that were lost with the bombs? Christmas was huge. Our ancestors celebrated it, so why don't we? Raven and I did all the research, and the only reason we stopped was basically because the Ark wasn't festive enough."

"Where will you even put the tree?" Kane demanded, exasperated. He couldn't quite form the word no, however, and Aspen seemed to know that. Her wide-eyed look promptly disappeared.

"We're putting this one in the rec room, by the piano," Aspen declared, reaching for the tree itself. "I thought it'd be nice to have the kids string up some popcorn so we can use it as decoration, and Raven is making some lights with Monty later. She's been gathering small bulbs over the past month. Abby had a cool idea where everyone can put something personal on the tree, like a necklace or scarf, but since this one's too small, we're planning on going back out and getting more. O wanted a huge one in the center of camp, and Lincoln wants one in the training room—he hasn't said so, but I can tell." Kane was already shaking his head.

"Aspen, I know you mean well, but the annual meeting for the Coalition is coming up soon, and we're hosting this year," Kane reminded, not that he needed to. Aspen was the ambassador for Skaikru, and was aware of every single meeting the Commander called. Clarke always sent messengers and ravens from her residence in Polis, taking a backstage in all the politics but still helping Aspen when she needed it. Clarke couldn't outwardly show favoritism toward Skaikru anymore, considering her relationship with Lexa, but everyone knew the favoritism was there, even when Clarke wasn't present in the meetings. The delegation coming to Arkadia for the meeting weren't going to be happy to be there, but Aspen knew how to make it all easier.

"Inviting the delegation to join in on all the merry fun will make them feel welcome," Aspen said confidently, before she snapped her fingers. "Alright, everyone! Grab the tree! I want it set up before everyone starts waking up."

Kane watched in disbelief as the four of them carried the tree into the main building at the center of camp. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't find a flaw in her logic. Bringing back traditions from the old world wasn't a bad idea, far from it, and everyone knew that inviting grounders to join in on festivities not familiar to them was typically seen as a sign of good faith. He shook his head. He had to keep reminding himself that Aspen Carter was twenty now, and more than capable at her job as the Skaikru ambassador.

She knew what she was doing. He just had to trust her to do it.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

Two weeks later found Aspen's idea to be absolutely genius. Raven had rounded up enough small lights to wrap around the smaller tree in the rec room, and it was currently covered in messy homemade decorations, courtesy of all the young children on the Ark. In comparison, the tree in the training room was even smaller, and covered in bandages dyed red and yellow. Octavia had found extra strings of popcorn and had added those as well. In the garage, Raven, Monty, and Miller had managed to put together a tiny tree made entirely out of silver and copper wires. It was lumpy and uneven, but displayed proudly on top of the jeep, which currently had a dead battery and no one was able to drive.

The best of it, however, was the giant tree mounted up in the middle of camp. They hadn't chopped it down, but rather had dug into the soil to get up the roots. They ended up planting it inside. Now the tree would stay where it was, no matter how wide Arkadia expanded. The Sky People had clung to Christmas in a comforting way, adapting to the idea so naturally that for a while, Aspen couldn't believe it. She was used to her people being difficult, but she supposed that a celebration like this—where family was together, gifts were exchanged, and feasts were laid out for all to eat—wasn't something anyone would be difficult over.

There was a lot about Christmas they still didn't know. A lot of the files had been deleted long ago, for other more important things like population control and oxygen levels, so sadly those things were lost forever. But that was fine. They were going to recreate Christmas out of what was left, and hope that was enough. Either way, it seemed to be a success, because even the Coalition delegation was begrudgingly having fun. The Azgeda ambassador, Echo, was talking to Lexa and Clarke by the huge tree, glancing over at it in confusion. There were already things hanging from the lower branches. Aspen, smiling, started toward them, catching the tail end of Clarke's explanation as to why there was jewelry hanging from the tree.

"It doesn't have to be jewelry," Aspen cut in, even as she was unclasping the Commander's symbol from around her throat. She clasped the necklace back together as Clarke, Lexa, and Echo watched her. "It can be anything that you want. Our people are putting things that are meaningful, but that's only because everyone knows everyone else so theft is...unlikely." Aspen knew who all the thieves were either way, so if something did go missing, she would know who to go to. But she didn't bother adding that. She just smiled again and added, "You don't have to put anything, but your welcome to do so if you want." Echo narrowed her eyes on Aspen, but then frowned when Aspen stepped closer to the tree and looped her necklace around a branch.

Clarke stepped up beside Aspen then, but Aspen didn't get a chance to see what she was putting up. She caught sight of Raven and Bellamy at the edge of the party. Bellamy had been in Azgeda the last month or so, working through some personal issues he had never had the chance to address before, so he hadn't been aware of Arkadia's newfound love of Christmas until he had traveled back with the Azgeda delegation. Seeing him now, Aspen broke into a run, moving so fast that she actually managed to startle Lexa. Everyone was either crowding around the giant tree, inside enjoying the feast, or sticking to their small groups, so Aspen had a clear path to Bellamy. Once she reached him, she didn't hesitate to fly into him, jumping slightly so he would catch her. A moment later, her arms were wrapped around his neck, and her legs were clinging to his waist.

"You're back," she said, turning her head to press a warm kiss against his cheek. He set her down a moment later, only sparing enough time to ghost a kiss along her forehead before he was looking over what Aspen and Raven had rather hastily put together. Raven, who was watching with affection from a few feet away, reached for Aspen's hand as Bellamy absorbed it all. Aspen pressed a quick kiss to her mouth just to make sure she didn't feel left out, then turned back to Bellamy. "So what do you think, Bells? Isn't it amazing?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's—what made you two put this together?"

"I dug up a bunch of old files buried in the Ark's hard drive," Raven revealed, smiling when Bellamy gave her an impressed look. "Aspen and I went through them together and we found some stuff about Christmas. The next morning, Pen dragged Monty, Lincoln, and Octavia out of bed and went to cut down a tree. That one's in the rec room. This one is the one everyone is putting something on." Raven waved her hand at the giant tree. Aspen grinned and grabbed both of their hands, dragging them across the yard toward the tree.

"Come on," Aspen ordered, tugging on their hands harder. "You have to put something on the tree."

Thus, Aspen Carter started a new tradition for the Sky People.

ROWAN CARTWRIGHT AND HER ABUNDANCE OF CHRISTMAS LIGHTS

"Tilt it a little to the right—no, no, that's too much—well, now you have to go left—do you not know what right and left means—"

"You know, you could get off your ass and help," Damon snapped, freezing where he was adjusting the Christmas tree. Crouching on the floor was Stefan, who was waiting to screw the tree into place once it was set straight inside of the tree stand. Rowan, in comparison, was sitting comfortably on the couch, her legs tucked underneath her and a sketchbook balanced on her knee. A pencil was in her dominant hand, tapping thoughtfully against the paper as she looked around their living room. Various plastic bins were stacked around the room, dragged painstakingly from the attic the day after Thanksgiving. They had been sitting there ever since, until Rowan—tired of stubbing her toe against the bin right beside the kitchen doorway—sat everyone down and told them that they were going to decorate the entire Salvatore boarding house for Christmas, not just the living room. Stefan, Elena, Caroline, and Bonnie were excited—but it was Damon who went to buy new Christmas lights when they plugged them in and realized that they were not only a plain white color, but also half dead.

"I am helping," Rowan said, irritated as she motioned toward her sketchbook. "I'm the actual decorator. You boys have absolutely no taste when it comes to Christmas decorations. White lights? Plain white tree decorations that all look exactly the same? Come on, where's the variety? Where's the color?"

"How dare you," Damon said, pointing an accusatory finger at her, keeping the tree up with one hand. Miraculously, it actually made the tree stand up straight, and Stefan was quick to screw it into place before Damon moved it again. Damon didn't even notice. "Who went to get the multicolored lights? That's right, me. These aren't even our decorations, they were Zach's—"

"The fuck is Zach?" Rowan cut in, confused. There was a brief moment of tense silence between the brothers, and then Damon cleared his throat and released the tree, taking a step back.

"Not important," he dismissed, reaching for the plastic bin Rowan had placed on the coffee table. She had placed the multicolored lights inside of it after making sure all of them worked, and those were the ones Damon started to untangle now. Rowan stared at him for a moment, unimpressed, then rolled her eyes and climbed to her feet. The mysterious Zach flew from her mind, and now she was focused on the decorating again.

"Okay, well, I sent Bonnie to get new tree ornaments. She has better taste than anyone here and you know it's true. Caroline and Elena are in charge with stringing up lights outside, and Matt has a bunch of cookie recipes we can make. Together. As a family." Rowan glared hard at Damon as she said those words, daring him to argue. When he just shot her an irritated look, Rowan continued. "This is the first time since you two assholes arrived in Mystic Falls that no one has died or almost died, so unless Santa Claus is going to come down the chimney and try to kill us, we are going to celebrate and be happy for once in our lives."

"Please," Stefan cut in, sounding exhausted, "don't bring Santa into this. Don't jinx it. If Santa turns out to be evil, I will never recover from it." Rowan rolled her eyes at his dramatics, then got up from the couch to help Damon string the lights on the tree, sliding between it and the wall to plug them in. For the rest of the day, the three of them moved in comfortable silence, save for a bit of banter on Rowan and Damon's part. By the time the sun was setting, the house was mostly decorated. The fireplace had stockings hanging from the mantle, the Christmas tree was covered in multicolored lights and pretty ornaments courtesy of Bonnie, and other table decorations were littered around the room on every possible flat surface. Rowan looked around her with a pleased expression, her hands planted on her hips.

"There you are!" Elena said behind her, making Rowan jump and whirl around on her heel. Elena came barreling into her, a string of white lights hanging from her neck like a scarf. Rowan caught her, surprised by her sudden energy, then started to laugh into her neck. Elena grinned and took a small step away. "I came in a minute ago to show you the lights outside, but you weren't in here. Come on." Elena didn't give her a chance to respond. She just grabbed Rowan's hand and dragged her outside, walking forward until they were in the center of their driveway. Rowan turned to look, and immediately started grinning. Caroline and Elena hadn't just strung the lights up; they strung them up in a way where the lights were hanging down loosely under the porch roof, making it seem like lights were raining down.

"This is the best idea I've ever had," Rowan declared, and she meant it. It wasn't just because of how pretty the house looked now. It was the fact that everyone she loved had helped in some small way, with little to no complaint. Damon had complained the most, but even he had done everything Rowan had asked him to. It meant a lot to her. Everyone knew that Christmas was her favorite holiday. The over-the-top decorations and Christmas traditions they would perform in the upcoming weeks was going to be for her, and it made her grin wider.

"I'm glad you like it," Elena said, wrapping her arms around Rowan from behind and resting her chin on top of her shoulder. "Now we have to deal with Christmas shopping."

"That's easy," Rowan dismissed, turning in Elena's arms to face her. She was going to give Damon a new leather jacket, since all his others were old and falling apart. Stefan was getting a new journal, Bonnie an expensive sweater she wanted, Caroline a gift card to the mall. Matt was getting paid vacation days for the next year at the Grill, something she still had to compel his boss for. Jeremy and Tyler were both getting new sketchpads. As for Elena, Rowan was planning on taking her on a special picnic in the park, something she had never gotten the chance to do before because of how dangerous their lives normally were.

"Is that so?" Elena challenged, raising her eyebrows. "Then what are you getting me?" Rowan smiled and leaned into her.

"You're going to have to wait and see," she teased. Before Elena could say anything else, Rowan pressed forward and kissed her on the mouth, rendering her silent, the Christmas lights completely forgotten.

ADRIAN ROSEWELL AND HIS WINTER WONDERLAND

The land surrounding the Institute was covered in a thick blanket of snow, so high that Adrian had to dig out his knee-high hunting boots from the back of his closet just to walk to Taki's Diner. He was used to snow in New York, but never any this high. He supposed he should have anticipated it, since a blizzard had blown through Manhattan the previous night. It was just a pain to travel through the snow just to eat banana pancakes, and by the time he was on his way back from seeing Magnus and Oliver, he was in a fouler mood than before, his scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face and his hood pulled up just to hide his scowl.

Thankfully, by the time he reached the gate, the pathway to the front door of the New York Institute had already been cleared of any snow. Someone—probably Alec—had shoveled the snow away, leaving a clear path to warmth and an escape from the overrated frozen water that people called snow. He started up the pathway, then stopped in the middle when he noticed the four inches of snow to his right was trampled with footprints. The snow shovel was left abandoned a few feet away, thrown to the side carelessly. Adrian, with a frown, cast one longing look toward the door before turning to follow the footsteps. It led him around the Institute itself and to their backyard.

What he found in the backyard made him go very still out of disbelief. Not only was Alec there, covered from head to to with with snow, but Jace, Isabelle, Clary, and Simon were there too. All of them had snowballs in their hands, though most of them weren't exactly shaped like a snowball. All of them looked more like lopsided blocks. Adrian arrived just in time to witness Jace throw a ball larger than his head at Isabelle, which she neatly dodged. Alec and Clary moved together to drop snow onto Jace's head, and Clary went so far as to smear the snow deep into his golden hair.

At the sight, Adrian started moving again, only to do one simple thing: he threw his head back and laughed long and loud.

"Children," he gasped through his laughter. "You're all children, oh my god. Wait. Wait, wait." Abruptly, he bent to gather snow into his hands, beating the clumps together to make them stick. As he made his snowball, he spoke. "I can't believe all of you started a snowball fight without me. This is the biggest betrayal of my life. I can't even—" In the middle of his sentence, he shot up and threw his ball while it was half-finished. It crashed into Simon's chest. Simon cried out dramatically and fell to the ground. With that, the snowball fight was back in action. Adrian was the only one not covered in snow already, though, so unfortunately that made every single person target Adrian specifically. The end result was Adrian on the ground, the snow melting into his back as his friends dog-piled him into the cold. He shouted, his words muffled, until they all left him be to continue their snowball fight. The only person he kept from leaving was Alec, wrapping his hand around Alec's wrist when Alec moved to get up.

The next second, Alec was being flipped. He lost his breath when his back hit the snow, and it gave Adrian an opening to pin his hands above his head by the wrists, his body hovering over Alec's. Alec looked especially beautiful in that moment, his black hair and blue eyes striking against the background of white. Adrian abandondd his initial plan to shove snow down his shirt just to lean down and plant a deep kiss to his lips. Alec was prepared for it, reading Adrian better than Adrian would have thought. By the time Adrian pulled back, both of them were panting. Adrian, feeling the cold even more now that he wasn't kissing his boyfriend, slowly go to his feet and helped Alec up.

"I thought you didn't like snow," Alec murmured, a shiver starting to wrack through him. He was more than properly dressed for the weather, but being pinned down in the snow would freeze anyone. Adrian unwrapped the scarf from around his neck and looped it around Alec's own before he responded.

"I don't," Adrian confirmed, taking Alec's hand and starting to drag him back inside. He wasn't about to let his boyfriend catch a cold. "But being in a winter wonderland with you isn't all that bad."

"How romantic," Adrian said, voice dry. Adrian shot him a smile over his shoulder.

"Oh," he said, eyes twinking, "just wait until Christmas."

HENRIK MIKAELSON AND HIS CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Henrik was acting suspicious.

Francis was used to Henrik acting suspicious during the holidays. He liked the mystery of gift giving, liked the suspense and excitement, and usually Francis was the same way. This year, however, things were different. Henrik was acting differently, a tinge of nerves accompanying his suspicious behavior wherever he went. This was the first time in years that the entire Mikaelson family would be together for Christmas, Hope included, which meant one thing: They were celebrating in New Orleans.

Francis thought Henrik would be happy to be back in New Orleans, even if Francis's feelings about the city was less than positive. Instead of being happy, however, Henrik was nothing but nervous and quiet. That in of itself made Francis nervous, even more nervous than he already was walking the streets of a city that haunted his dreams. Henrik only seemed to get worse as it drew closer to Christmas, and by the time Christmas Eve came around and they were out doing some last minute shopping, Henrik had fallen into a sullen and stubborn silence. Even Francis's gentle teasing couldn't break him out of it.

"Okay, that's it," Francis declared, stopping in front of a large window presenting pretty diamond necklaces. Henrik nearly kept walking without him, so consumed with his own thoughts that he didn't notice Francis had stopped. Francis had to grab his arm just to get his attention, and he waited until Henrik had blinked a few times and looked at him before he continued. "What's wrong with you? You've been nervous since we got here." Henrik blinked a few more times, then smiled so brightly that, for a moment, every thought in Francis's mind flew away. He knew this tactic from Henrik very well. He had a pretty smile, and he had a talent of making it even prettier whenever he needed to. Like when he wanted someone to be distracted. Francis wasn't about to fall for it, not this time, and he made that clear with his expression.

"Huh," Henrik muttered, that pretty smile of his disappearing. Part of Francis was kind of sad to see it go. "That normally works." Francis just raised an eyebrow and waited. Henrik eyed him for a moment, then let out a soft sigh. "Relax, my lovely. It's nothing serious, I promise. Well, I mean, I guess it's serious, but..." Henrik shook his head. "I'm just nervous about your present, that's all. I've been worrying over whether you'll like it since I got the idea for it." Francis frowned.

"Why would a gift worry you this much?" he asked, puzzled. Henrik just grinned and went to go into the jewelry store, throwing his next words over his shoulder as he opened the door.

"It's a very big present."

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

It wasn't until near midnight on Christmas Eve, when their entire family was tipsy off wine and not paying them any attention, that Henrik bothered to give Francis his gift. He dragged him away from the party first, where Hope was drunkenly rambling about a girl she liked at school, and led Francis up the staircase to a place on the second floor that was more than familiar. It was the place where they had first kissed. Henrik's bedroom was nearby; Francis could remember Henrik leading him there without even pulling away from the kiss.

Henrik pointed at the ground and said, "Sit." Then he was walking away, turning a corner and disappearing. Francis sighed and sank down, his fingers going to the jewelry box hidden in his coat pocket as he rested back against the railing. Nerves started to form in his stomach, making him tense and uncomfortable. He wasn't used to feeling nervous. Time moved very slowly when he was nervous, and this was no exception.  He was grateful when Henrik came back, though he frowned in confusion when he noticed Henrik carrying a red box with a golden bow wrapped around it. He raised an eyebrow as Henrik sat down and set the box on the floor in front of Francis. He looked at it for a moment, then looked over at Henrik, whose face was expressionless.

"This is the very big present you were nervous about?" Francis asked, puzzled. Henrik just smiled sweetly and motioned for Francis to open it. Francis, with a small smile, brought the box closer to him—only to freeze when he noticed air holes were drilled into the top. He cast an alarmed look at Henrik, then quickly untied the bow and lifted the lid. There, curled up into a ball on top of a small Christmas-themed blanket, was a tiny black kitten. It was blinking sleepily now, looking up at Francis with round golden eyes. A gold ribbon to match was wrapped around it's neck, tied into a pretty bow at the back.

"You got me a kitten?" Francis gasped, his own present for Henrik completely forgotten as he reached into the box. He let the kitten sniff his hand for a moment, then picked it up when it started purring. Dogs didn't like Francis all that much—probably because they could sense what he was and didn't feel safe—but cats were different. They've always liked Francis, in particularly, though he wasn't sure why. He just knew he liked them just as much back. He let the little thing curl up against his chest, then he glanced over at Henrik, his heart swelling in his chest.

"I know you've always wanted one," Henrik said, his voice warm as he reached over to scratch the kitten behind it's ear. It purred louder. "Now that we're living in Chicago, I figured this could be a house-warming gift. She's a rescue, too. Found her shivering in the street a week or two ago." Francis cast him a curious look at that, knowing full well that Henrik had started acting nervous more than two weeks ago. He chose to ignore it for now.

"In that case, what do you think of the name Binx? Or maybe Salem, after that teenage witch show from the 90s? The witch theme fits—" Francis brought the unnamed kitten up to look at her face, trying to decide on a good name, and that was when he saw it. There, hanging from the ribbon around her neck, was a diamond ring with a rose-colored band. Francis froze, staring at it like it was some sort of a miracle. Beside him, Henrik was no longer breathing. For a long moment, there was nothing but silence as Francis slowly set the kitten back onto his lap. As she curled up there to go back to sleep, he worked to untie the ribbon. His fingers were shaking, but he was going slow, so it took no time at all. Once the ring was in the palm of his hand, he glanced over at Henrik, only to see that the warlock had gone pale as a ghost and was looking at the kitten instead of him.

That was the only confirmation Francis needed as to what the ring was for.

"Henrik Mikaelson turns out to be the one to pop the question first," he murmured, cloaking his sudden giddiness rather easily. When he slid the ring on his left ring finger, he found that his limbs were no longer trembling. He watched the diamond sparkle under the light for a moment, then shot Henrik a teasing grin. Thankfully, the color was starting to return to his face. "This has to be a Christmas miracle." At that, Henrik let out an offended sound.

"Hey," Henrik said, reaching over to swat lightly at Francis's arm. "You didn't even get me a chance to properly ask you. Is that even a yes or—" Francis burst into laughter then, if only because the question was so unbelievably ridiculous and just so Henrik. Leave it to his partner of over a decade to doubt whether Francis would say yes. Still laughing, Francis fished out the jewelry box from his coat and tossed it into Henrik's lap, picking the kitten up right after to cuddle it against his chest. He pressed his mouth against her fur as Henrik pried it open, then smiled when Henrik let out a breathless laugh.

"You're joking," Henrik said, letting out another laugh as he tugged yet another ring out of a velvet cushion and looked it over. This one had a rose-gold band and casing as well, but the diamond was blue instead of white. Henrik continued to laugh even as he slipped it onto his own ring finger. "You've got to be joking. There's no way we actually planned to propose to each other on the same—wait, what was your plan?"

"Does it matter?" Francis asked, still cuddling up to the kitten. "You automatically win either way. Little Salem was the perfect way to ask me to marry you. Look at her. Oh my god, she's adorable. Henrik, I love you so much, you know that? This is the best—" Henrik cut him off with a kiss, both of their emotions running too high by that point for it to be avoidable. Francis melted into it, feeling his heart clench in his chest before it kept swelling and swelling until he felt like it would burst.

"I love you more," Henrik murmured once the kiss ended, their lips brushing together. He nudged their noses together for good measure, then pulled away entirely. "Now let's go introduce our little Salem to the family, and then watch the entire family go absolutely feral once I introduce you as my fiancé." Francis seemed to freeze at that, and the realization that he was engaged to Henrik Mikaelson finally registered inside of his brain. Warmth immediately went through his body, making him feel nothing but love and affection. He let out a soft breath.

"Fiancé," he murmured, getting to his feet with Salem still against his chest. The fact that Henrik, the one notoriously afraid of commitment the most, was the one who asked first and was ready to immediately tell his family now seemed like a dream. A soft laugh left his mouth as he followed Henrik down the stairs. "A Christmas miracle indeed."

author's note: unedited, mainly the second half. i know a lot of these are very short, but i wanted to include all my major couples and have it up by christmas day, so i feel like the shortness works. anyway, merry christmas to everyone who celebrates!! and i hope you're having a good day, to anyone who doesn't ♥

here's an edit for your viewing pleasure. frenrik husbands.