#terrm9

“I cannot believe you conned me into this,” Ethan laments for the hundredth time since he agreed to participate in the cohort’s gift exchange last night in bed. 

“I cannot believe you conned me into this,” Ethan laments for the hundredth time since he agreed to participate in the cohort’s gift exchange last night in bed. 

“Yes, you can.” Becca’s snidely looks up at him as they cross the threshold into the residents lounge. 

Her friends are all there, with the addition of Bryce’s younger sister Keiki (it would be a strange sight if Keiki if the group didn’t all agree adding the teen into the pool was in her best interest. no kid deserves to get nothing on Christmas), waiting for the name picking to start. Bryce is at the center shaking a sugar holder he do doubt emptied to accommodate name-picking. 

“Ready?” Bryce asks, a manicured brow raised and a jolly smile coaxing the group in.  

Becca steps up to the pot first, adding the caveat: “If Ethan and I pull each other we’re drawing again.” 

Bryce rolls his eyes and Becca can feel Jackie doing the same from behind them. “Yeah yeah yeah.” 

Everyone pulled a name - the roomies, Rafael, Keiki, Ethan and Bryce. Bryce gives the most sinister of smirks. 

Once Ethan and Becca are in his luxury sedan, the key in the ignition and engine ready, Becca wastes no time in asking, 

“Who’d you get?” 

“Isn’t it against the rules to tell?” Ethan chides, attention on the road and safely backing out of the parking space. 

“It’s not me so....” 

Ethan can’t help but shake his head at her audacity. She wouldn’t be his if she wasn’t keen on bending the rules.  

She huffs and pouts, “You’re getting coal for Christmas.” 

A smirk graces his lips, “So are you.” 

Becca doesn’t think anything of it as she turns away from him, watching them pass the city by. 

Five Days Til Christmas. 

Four Days Til Christmas.

Ethan comes home to find Rebecca sitting on the floor of his living room wrapping gifts in nothing but an oversized tee. 

“Need me to wrap your grab bag?” she greets in lieu of anything formal. 

He doesn’t respond - just puts down his bag, slips his coat off and shoes. Small movements without any of the gusto he usually exhibits when she’s on the other side of that apartment door. 

Becca looks up from what she’s doing finally. She sees Ethan standing behind the sofa, not daring to come any closer. The way he looks is utterly guilty. 

Another sneaky, knowing smile graces her lips. 

“Don’t,” he holds up his palm in surrender to stop whatever snide comment she was about to make. “I’m at an impasse. Can’t I give money? All your friends need money.” 

“That’s not the point,” she chides. Becca wraps up the final touches on her gift, knowing whatever he says next will require her full attention. So she asks, “Who do you have?” 

He looks so shameful. 

“Is it Bryce?” 

“Worse.” 

Her brows furrow. “I have Jackie. Who’s worse than those two?” 

Ethan pulls out the piece of ripped paper pressed in his wallet, places it on the glass table next to her. Becca unfolds it. 

“Oh,” she tries and fails to suppress her laughter. 

“See?” he says, terribly forlorn. 

Her smirk is back as she shrugs, “Could be worse.” 

“$25 cannot cover it.” 

“You have to be creative! Lucky for you you have Amazon Prime.”

“I do?” 

The look she shoots him is downright triumphant. 

Christmas Gift Exchange. 

The group of friends are all sat in the living room of the roommates apartment. Food and presents wrapped with various levels of skilled precision are piled at the center of the cramped space. 

Sienna hands each gift out and the recipient must guess who bought them. 

Jackie is first up. Without a single care she rips open the snowflake designed wrapping paper. What she finds elicits a deep, hearty and nearly manacle laughter.  

“Becca,” Jackie decides without a second of thought needed and a shit-eating grin adorning her features.  

“How’d you know?” Becca squeals in delight. 

Jackie holds up her spoils - a mini set of flavored vodka and a bullet vibrator. She shakes the bullet and the two girls laugh, knowing they’re the only ones brave enough to give such an audacious and suggestive gift. 

Sienna gets a new set of baking trays from Rafael. 

Bryce gets a top up of hair product from Jackie. 

Elijah, a bootleg Lego infinity gauntlet from Keiki.

Aurora, a new cardigan from Sienna with her favorite blondie swirl brownies. 

Becca gets slippers and a onesie from Elijah. 

Ethan gets a.... t-shirt? 

“Thank you?” he says instead of guessing who thought this would suit him. He’s too confused and slightly too embarrassed to lift the fabric out of the plastic bag it came in. 

“Take it out,” Keiki instructs, rather impatiently.

Ethan Ramsey does what he’s told. Carefully opens the plastic and pulls out the item.  

It’s a gym towel. A white terry cloth gym towel with navy blue writing - Ethan has to hold back a groan as he reads the script. It’s monogrammed ‘YB Ripped Ramsey’. There’s only one person on the planet this could be from.  

“You love it,” Bryce infers.  

Ethan grumbles back something along the lines of a thank you. 

“One left...” Sienna hands the last finely wrapped green package to Keiki. 

The box is larger than the others. Keiki opens it with trepidation, already knowing who this is from. Instead, neatly packed is a Christmas succulent, rainbow fairy lights and an adult coloring book. She tries to stay impassive but everyone can see her amber eyes light up. 

She looks from Ethan to Becca sitting on the arm of his chair. “Thank you. I love it.”

Ethan’s shoulders relax, glad to not have ruined Christmas. 

And somehow he thinks Keiki will never truly like him, but at least this is her accepting him in their lives.   

________________  

a/n: i really just wanted to write ethan freaking out over getting a teenage girl for secret santa but this ended up happening instead :/ 

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Ethan:

Tatum says nothing, his rich, soulful brown eyes studying every inch of her face. 

“What do you need?” he asks quietly.

Valentina pauses, her gaze lingering a moment too long on his. 

“Aunt Sonia's,” she says at last. 

“A Soni’s Special?” The smile that breaks through his severe expression makes him look younger, like the boy Valentina remembers. “We haven’t done that in years.” 

By the time they sit in their favorite, tattered booth at the tiny diner twenty minutes later, it is almost nightfall. The neon sign announcing "Aunt Sonia's Diner" flickers in the dusk, illuminating Tatum's quiet, amused expression as Valentina creates their favorite meals from their orders. All the meatloaf from her plate is transferred to his. All the mashed potatoes and Mac and Cheese from his plate ends up on hers, creating the most delectable mound of carbohydrates she has ever seen. 

“A Soni's Special,” she announces with a flourish, scooping up a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. 

“I can't believe you still eat like a toddler,” Tatum comments with a chuckle. 

She glares at him in mock offense. 

“I'll have you know that carb loading is a very adult thing to do.”

“When you want a heart attack early in life it is.”

Valentina flings a balled up paper towel his way, which he easily evades.

“Shut up.”

“Good luck being hungry again in an hour.”

“Just eat your meatloaf, Grandpa.”

The old nickname, inspired by his old-fashioned choice of food, has Tatum fully laughing now, his handsome face alight and jovial. Valentina steals a long, indulging glance, basking in the deep sound of his mirth. He looks vastly different than the stern, unmoving bodyguard she sees everyday. Yet, she realizes, heart twisting slightly, he is the same Tatum she always knew. 

Her Tatum. 

He catches her staring so she adverts her eyes to her plate. Even then, she can feel the heat of his gaze burning into her skin, thrilling her. Maybe he's seeing the girl she used to be with him all those years ago.  

“I missed this,” he admits quietly. “I missed the real you.”

She looks at him then, stunned at his candor. In the silence, the words hang in the charged air between them, heavy like a pendulum. His eyes, darker and bolder than she's seen them in recent days remain fixed on her, pinning her into place. 

“Whenever I'm with you I am real.”

Tatum takes in her whispered confession like a breath of air. 

Then, all too soon, the muscles of his throat and jaw flex as his face reflects nothing but pure agony. Instinct kicks in and all Valentina wants to do is to kiss this silent suffering away. 

The loaded, sizzling moment is broken when he finally looks away. 

Mercifully, the familiar notes of Elvis Presley's “Heartbreak Hotel” begin to play from the battered jukebox in the corner. This brings back a quiver to his lips and Valentina jumps at the opportunity. 

“Hey, remember when I made you sing this during karaoke?” 

“We swore never to talk about that, Ferrer.”

“Where I get so lonely, baby,” she sings in her best Elvis impression. 

“Shut—” 

“Well, I get so lonely.”

“—Up.”

“You can buy my silence with a chocolate cake milkshake.”

The smile he gives her makes her heart ache. 

“Wouldn't be a Soni's Special without it.”

***

50 Ways to Say “I Love You” prompts | Prompts Masterlist

A/N: Man, I always make Valentina sing lol. 

Thank you @terrm9 for the prompt! 

Also, excuse all the flood of these drabbles that are about to be published (I feel annoying lol). And if you read them, thank you! 

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Foreign Affairs- Tatum x f!MC

2 years and 3 months later, Ethan was planning on proposing. 

He made arrangements for a fool-proof evening weeks in advance. He liaised with a bespoke jeweler months before. And now, as the weeks turned into days and days turned into 72 hours, the ring was burning a hole in his pocket and his fears were eating him alive. 

He was more distant at the hospital over the last few days. Anyone could see he was more jaded and on edge; though most chalked it up to MC being away for the week with Sienna. 

The tiny doctor offering to take MC away for a few days of TLC and pampering before the important day. That gave him peace of mind. At least Ethan didn’t have to put on a brave face 24/7. MC surely would have caught on and figured his plan out.  

Naveen pulled his protégé aside in the office.   “What’s going on with you? MC hasn’t been gone that long,” Naveen teased.  “The sooner MC is home, the sooner things will get back to normal,” Ethan grumbled.  “Ethan...” 

Naveen wasn’t sure what’s made his friend so moody, and rose a questioning brow. 

Ethan pinched the bridge of his nose and slumped into the chair with a sigh. 

“I’m going to propose on Saturday.”  “Ethan, my boy, that’s wonderful!” Naveen’s radiant smile could light up the hospital in a blackout. 

Ethan made some incoherent grumbles. 

“Use your words,” the old diagnostician scolded.   Ethan inaudibly muttered his greatest fear, “What if she says no?” 

Naveen stared at his mentee as if he was the stupidest man on the face of this earth; “What makes you think that?” 

Ethan just looked at him, dumbfounded. 

He didn’t have a solid reason, just the swirling bits of doubt plaguing him. 

Every time he’s disappointed MC, every time he pushed them away, every fight they’ve ever had, every worry about his own woes getting in their way... 

“That woman adores you. Has for years. You were the only one too thick to realize it.” 

Those words were supposed to make Ethan feel better. They were meant to admonish all this doubts and remind him of the great love he found. Alas, it only added to his worries. 

“Son, you’re practically married anyway. All you have to do is give her that ring.”  “And if she hates it?”  “You go pick out a new one together. This is just another adventure for the two of you. I couldn’t be more proud of you. I’m glad you’ve found time to have a family.” 

The old friends spoke some more and Ethan felt slightly better. 

But there were just some things clawing at him that couldn’t be pushed aside. 

So Ethan called his dad and drove to Providence. 

Alan knew his son was planning on proposing, just didn’t know when or how. Hell, all he knew was vaguely what the ring looks like. His son was a private person and Alan respected that. 

Ethan’s impromptu visit told him something was awry. 

The two men sat in the living room facing one another. 

Alan had to all but pull the words out of Ethan, for his son to tell him what’s on his mind. 

After moments, Ethan relayed most of his worries and his conversation with Naveen. 

Alan sat with a ghost of a smirk. He felt for his son, and he remember how nervous he felt when he proposed to Louise 44 years ago.  

“MC’s the best thing to ever happen to you. She’ll say yes.”  “How can you be so sure?”  “Has she ever let you down?”  “No, she exceeds every single one of my expectations every time.” 

The two Ramsey men talked more about MC and how they and Ethan compliment one another almost divinely. Like they were made for one another. 

Soulmates. 

Another concept Ethan couldn’t understand.  

“What if...” Ethan couldn’t even finish that sentence. His head hung low and he kept his gaze on the old blue rug.   “If it ends like your mother and me?” Alan finished the thought for him.   Ethan’s words were just a whisper, “I couldn’t survive it.”  “You could. You’re strong.” Alan moved to sit next to him and put a hand on Ethan’s shoulder. “But that’ll never happen. After all you two have been through. All this marriage will be is a piece of paper. You two have been connected in that way since longer than I can remember. Marriage isn’t a fixer or a new circle of life, it’s a commitment.” 

Alan continued talking sense into his son. Assuring him that he and MC were worth taking the risk on. 

Deep down neither could say for certain how their love story would end, but there was hope. There was so much hope and happiness and unconditional love that they’d make it.