This Love

Christmas Eve Eve

A little late for Christmas Eve Eve, but I have fun writing this one!! It's for @Hopelessangelxxx who requested some Lino and Angela!

Happy Holidays everyone!
💚❤️💚

~'~'~'~

Since he wasn't old enough to drive, Lino walked the three blocks from his house to Angela's, enjoying the Christmas decorations as he went. There was a chill in the air, but it felt good on his skin after running around all day at soccer practice. He still had his ball under his arm, though he'd showered and changed. He wondered if Ang would be down for a game.

There was one dark house in the middle of the decorated ones; Angela's. He headed up the walk, knocking on the door in aa specific pattern they'd agreed to a long ago before letting himself in. It was Christmas Eve Eve and Angela had promised to help him wrap presents since he was really, really bad at it.

"Ang?" he shouted, kicking off his sneakers by the door and setting his ball down. He walked to the living room and found her on the ground with wrapping paper tubes and scraps around her. Several perfectly wrapped presents were beside her. She was leaning her back against the couch, her knees pulled up to her chest. There was an unwrapped box in front of her that she was staring at with a sad look on her face. He set his present-filled backpack down on the ground and sat beside her. It was then he saw the tears on her face. Reaching out, he wiped one away. "What's going on?"

She shrugged a shoulder, sighing heavily. "Was wrapping presents, and I got one for Hap," she explained softly. "And I realized he's not going to be here this Christmas or for any Christmases for a long time."

Lino's heart sunk; Happy had been indicted just a few months before, and she was struggling with not having him around. They'd both lost their father's when they were kids. In fact, their mothers had met at a grief meeting. Hap was the only father figure she had left in her life, and now he was locked up with a ten year sentence. He knew her whole world felt like it'd been knocked off its axis. "Can't you give it to him anyway?"

Angela held up a wicked looking knife with a happy face etched into the handle. "Pretty sure they wouldn't let me bring this into prison."

"Yeah, no," Lino said around a laugh. "Maybe if you bake it into a cake?"

She laughed at him, shaking her head and elbowing his side. "Stupid," she muttered, rolling her eyes as she wiped her cheeks. "You bring your presents?"

He nodded grabbing his backpack. He set out the little boxes, knowing the one he had for her was already poorly wrapped at the bottom of his bag. "Didn't know what to get Nessa," he said, handing her the little box with the present inside.

"First Christmases are hard," she commented, taking the box from him and opening it. She grinned at the silver necklace with the pretty red gem inside. "This is so pretty, Lee."

"Ruby's her gemstone," he explained with a little blush. "I um...was gonna get her the astrology sign shit, but she's a cancer and...."

"It looks like a 69," Angela finished, smirking at the naughty connotation.

Lino nodded emphatically. "Yeah, didn't feel right givin' her somethin' that could be seen as...sexual when we just got together, and we haven't gotten...there yet."

"Fair enough," she said on a chuckle as she started wrapping the little box.

"Heard you and Esai have been getting pretty close," he stated, elbowing her lightly. Her cheeks turned a little pink, and he couldn't help but grin. "Everyone's talkin' about it."