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Haul Out The Holly

Summary:

It's time to decorate for Christmas, but Holly kind of hates you.

Notes:

Maybe OOC for Holly. She hates me in my personal game, and I personally don't like her character even though I'm obsessed with holidays IRL, so... my bias might show.

Work Text:

Rainey was into it. Honestly, how could she not be? Everyone loved Bing Crosby, and now that Tony had fixed her and records didn't all sound like dying cats when she tried to play them, it was a win for everyone.

Lux was loving it. You had always loved Christmas lights, and this year you had decided to go even crazier than normal, trying to blast away the gloom of being in job (and romance) limbo by stringing up beautiful, colorful lights on every surface that would accommodate them- along door casings, outlining windows, across both sides of the mantel... even around the kitchen cabinets (Cabrizzio wasn't that pleased about it, but he was easily won over by your enthusiasm, so he dealt with it with minimal griping).

Stefan was having a great time baking Christmas goodies with you and was already asking about meal plans for the big day. You didn't really have he heart to tell him that you would probably just have some chicken nuggets since a full turkey dinner for one was pretty impractical (you also really didn't have the time or patience to argue with Friar Errol that you would probably be using Stefan to make the nuggets).

All of your Christmas preparations were going swimmingly.

Except for Holly.

Because, of course, you'd managed to piss off Holly.

Of all the objects in the house, you'd assumed you'd get along with Holly really well. You were obsessed with Christas, after all, and you had a love of most other holidays that rivaled that of an elementary school student. And Holly should know- you bought holiday decorations compulsively.

But when you'd met her, she'd been neurotic and quite frankly, kind of annoying. You couldn't even have a conversation with her because she was always trying to do something else, and you just wanted to shake her. Not every day needed to be a holiday. Even you knew that. Still, you had wanted to help her and be her friend. That was why when Betty and the others had mentioned that she was working herself to death and that she needed to rest, you took their suggestion and recommended to Holly that she take a day off.

And that was when Holidaygeddon had happened. Holly had thought you were trying to sabotage her and had become so angry at you. She hadn't spoken to you since, despite your numerous attempts to explain your position and make up.

You didn't really get how the whole thingness thing worked, despite Skylar explaining it to you multiple times, and so despite the fact that Holly was, in fact, holiday decorations that you had purchased yourself, you hadn't felt right using them while she was angry with you.

Consent was a thing, after all.

Easter had come and gone. Then the Fourth of July. Halloween had hurt. A lot. But Christmas was threatening to kill you if this stalemate didn't come to an end soon.

And so you hatched a plan.

After ordering festively colored taper candles and switching them out for the ones in Scandalabra, you put on the Dateviators, making sure the most gossipy objects knew that you planned on having a Christmas decorating party that evening.

So when the time came, there you were, in the living room, clad in your favorite Christmas sweater, drinks flowing courtesy of Bev and music pumping courtesy of Rainey, with a good number of the household's objects in attendance. Everyone seemed to be having a good time, not exactly remembering that it was supposed to be a decorating party, when you finally spotted the one object you'd been hoping would attend.

Holly stuck her head around the corner, a half-nervous, half-pissed-off expression on her face as she twisted the end of one of her pig tails in her fingers. Leaving your place in the midst of the revellers, you walked over to Holly, who balked when she saw you approach, a sneer marring her features.

"I thought this was supposed to be a Christmas decorating party," she said with an air of disgust.

"It is," you reply simply.

Holly scoffed. "And how are you supposed to do that without me?"

"We're not."

Holly looked taken aback by that, wary confusion clouding her features. She didn't say anything, waiting for you to continue.

"Look, Holly. I'm sorry we fought. I don't want to be enemies with you. We both love holidays, and you know you want to decorate as bad as I do. I mean, come on. I threw a whole party for you."

"You didn't throw a party for me, you threw a party for decorations," she mumbled, pouting.

"Holly, come on. Don't you think we've been enemies for too long? And really, look at Stella's railing. Doesn't it need some garland? Doesn't Dante's mantel need some decoration? Look, Holly. There are zero stockings hung by the chimney with care!"

Holly's eyes had travelled to the mantel and had grown large, her teeth worrying her lower lip. She began to nod, slowly at first, then frantically. "We could do stockings for everyone."

"Wait, what?"

"Everyone."

"Holly, the mantel has two sides, but everyone is, like, one hundred people."

"Everyone," Holly repeated, her eyes hard, and you knew that this would be the deciding factor.

"Alright," you nodded. "I guess we'll just put everyone's stocking in the room they're in."

"Yay!" Holly squealed, throwing her arms around you. "Well, come on. We'd better get started. This house isn't going to decorate itself!"

"Yeah, I'll be right there." A bit stunned, you stood there in the doorway, pulled out your phone, and ordered a gross of Christmas stockings.