can i ask for a cute dani x aubrey candlelights/christmas fic ? i love your writings by the way :’0
[travis said aubrey celebrates yule. i said i celebrate yule. gay rights.]
Aubrey was getting groceries for the lodge. That was what she was doing. Barclay had given her a shopping list and she was going to stick to it. She was almost done with the list now, and she hadn’t added anything to her shopping basket that she didn’t need.
That’s when Aubrey saw the sweater.
It was a grey knit sweater that was long in the front and back with chunky teal buttons. It was hanging on a hanger by the counter. Aubrey knew it would look perfect on Dani. She had to get it. Looking between the shopping list and the basket, she figured she could slip it in. Aubrey took the sweater and went up to the counter.
Twenty minutes later, Aubrey was back at Amnesty Lodge. Most of the residents were in the lobby, but Dani wasn’t there. Aubrey figured she was out getting more ramps. Going into the kitchen, she dropped the bags on the counter. Barclay looked up.
“Hey Aubrey, you get everything?” Barclay asked.
“Yes. I promise I got all the things on the list you gave me” Aubrey said.
“I got something for Dani. But I paid for it myself and today is the solstice so it was super last minute thinking,” Aubrey admitted.
“Aubrey, that’s fine. As long as you actually got sugar this time, we’re good,” Barclay said. He looked in the brown paper bag. “Looks like you did. Good job.”
“Yeah,” Aubrey laughed nervously. She would not tell Barclay about how she had missed the aisle for it three times. Taking the sweater out and walking away, she said, “See you later.”
As Aubrey walked to her room, she saw a green post-it note on her door. It was in Dani’s telltale chicken scratch.
“Hey Aubrey, meet me on the balcony for dinner at six? XOXO -Dani”
Okay. Was this a date? Or was it just Yule celebration? Did Dani even celebrate a holiday in December? Aubrey took the note off the door and went inside. She started digging through her travel bag (that she still hadn’t unpacked fully, even after months of living at the lodge) for something to wear. The balcony was outside, so it would be cold. Aubrey could probably wear her vest. But what should she wear under it? She decided on a green button-up shirt that would complement her hair and some black jeans.
The rest of Aubrey’s day was spent rifling through storage closets looking for anything resembling wrapping paper. She only found regular paper and bags, until she stumbled upon a thin cardboard box that was the perfect size. Stealing a red sharpie from Mama’s office, Aubrey wrote “To: Dani From: Aubrey” and then drew a heart. She put the sweater in the box and taped it shut.
There was still about a half hour left. Aubrey sat with Dr. Harris Bonkers, trying to read Twitter. The wifi in the lodge wasn’t the best, so there was a lot of staring at blank screens. Finally, with ten minutes left, Aubrey couldn’t take it anymore. She got up, set Dr. Harris Bonkers down in his pen, grabbed Dani’s present, and went into the hallway.
Aubrey started to get nervous as she walked down the hallway. She reached the door and hesitantly pushed it open. On the balcony, as promised, was Dani. She was trying to light some candles on the table. The matches kept being blown out by the breeze. Dani looked over at Aubrey.
“Oh, hey! You’re, uh, early,” Dani said.
“Yeah, sorry,” Aubrey said, scratching the back of her neck. “Do you want help with those?”
“Sure. You’re better at it than I am.” Dani tucked the matchbox into her coat and smiled.
Aubrey stepped forward and snapped her fingers dramatically, igniting the candles in a steady burn. “The Lady Flame is here to help.”
Dani laughed and leaned on Aubrey’s shoulder. Aubrey leaned into her too. Dani noticed the box in Aubrey’s hands.
“What’s that?” Dani asked.
“It’s for you,” Aubrey said, handing the box over.
“Oh, you didn’t have to get me anything!” Dani said. She took the box anyway. “Should I open it now or wait?”
“It’s up to you,” Aubrey said.
“Let’s sit down first,” Dani said. She gestured to the table. “After you.”
“No, after you, I insist,” Aubrey smiled. She pulled a chair out for Dani. Dani sat down gracefully. Aubrey sat down in the chair across from her.
“Upstaged at my own dinner,” Dani sighed, shaking her head.
“You can open it now,” Aubrey said. She was a little bit impatient, and she was really hoping Dani would like it.
“Okay. Actually, I got you something too, but I didn’t wrap it,” Dani said.
“Really?” Aubrey replied.
Dani nodded and reached into an inside pocket of her green jacket. She pulled out two things: a small blue bowtie, and an embroidered patch. She handed them both to Aubrey. Upon closer inspection, the patch was in the shape of Amnesty Lodge with some trees around it. Shiny silver and red threads were woven throughout the picture to give it dimension.
“I know you liked the Pine Guard patch, but you can’t really wear that around, so I made you this one,” Dani said.
“It’s perfect!” Aubrey said. She took one of the safety pins off the Pine Guard patch and used it to affix the new patch to her left chest pocket.
While she was doing this, Dani said, “And the bowtie is for Dr. Harris Bonkers. I thought the blue would complement his hat and your hair.”
“Thank you, I’m sure he’ll appreciate it,” Aubrey said. She gestured to the box in Dani’s hands. “Open it!”
Dani laughed as she ripped the tape on the box. Aubrey held her breath as Dani opened it, painstakingly slow. Finally, she pulled out the sweater.
“It’s so soft,” Dani said.
Aubrey grinned. “It’s a little bit completely my fault your other sweater has a hole in it, so, y’know. And I saw this and thought of you. It’s not as good as a handmade patch, but…”
“No, I love it!” Dani said. She took off her coat and pulled on the sweater. Aubrey could see her shiver slightly.
“Dani, it’s still cold, you don’t have to wear it right now,” Aubrey said.
“Well, maybe you should warm me up?” Dani suggested. Dani scooted her chair so she was next to Aubrey. Aubrey felt her face heat up.
Tentatively, Aubrey stretched her arm around Dani’s shoulders. Dani leaned into Aubrey’s arm. She was cold, so much that Aubrey could feel it through her sleeve. Aubrey made the candles burn a little bit hotter. Dani tucked herself under Aubrey’s arm. Suddenly, Aubrey remembered her question.
“Is this a date?” Aubrey asked, unable to stop the words from coming out. Dani looked up at her.
“I planned it to be a date,” Dani said.
“Have we been on dates before?” Aubrey frowned, suddenly hit with several realizations at once.
“Are you saying you didn’t know we were dating?” Dani asked, stifling a laugh in Aubrey’s side.
“I just–shit! We’ve been dating for a while,” Aubrey said.
“I was wondering when you were gonna kiss me,” Dani said.
“Well, I know I’m super late, but does right now work?” Aubrey asked.
“Yes, Aubrey,” Dani smiled. She sat up and kissed Aubrey.
It was a little bit awkward in their separate chairs, but Aubrey was too happy and embarrassed to notice. Dani kept laughing against Aubrey’s lips, and it was such a perfect sound. When Dani pulled away, she looked Aubrey in the eyes.
“This is the best Yule gift you could have gotten me,” Dani smiled, almost laughing again. “I can’t believe you didn’t know.”
“Well, I thought maybe we were just really good friends,” Aubrey said. Dani started laughing again, and Aubrey kissed her again.
snowghoul
gummygunk
yousharknotpass
dededos
tangentwithtanner
origamiaround
2087
