Leo Valdez x Reader/Nico x Reader

Christmas Special

A/N: please vote if you enjoyed this. Please!!!!! And do y'all like the holiday shots???

*flashback*

I was just five years old. We were a small family, just me and my parents. My dad traveled a lot. Especially around the holidays. He was home for the holiday itself, but no the days before or after. Yes, it was upsetting, but he brought home interesting gifts from all the other places he visited. He went not only around the country, but to other countries as well. I never knew how great jasmine smelled.

This time, he was just going ten or so hours away. He had promised me to get me a Christmas surprise like no other. He always did. And he always got me something unique. Yes, I was little then, but he got me many things. 

It was Christmas Eve. There was a very gentle snow, so light you could barely tell it was snowing. The window pane was cold, and my breath fogged it up. Today dad was coming back home. My excitement was barely contained. 'Joy to the World' started playing on the radio in the kitchen. I heard the phone ring. At the moment it was just background noise, until I heard mom crying. I rushed into the kitchen, abandoning my post at the window. 

Dad had been in a car crash. 

I was sent to a friend's house for Christmas. Mom spent it in the hospital. On Christmas Day, at 2:39 p.m., my father was dead. It no longer felt like Christmas. Dad was gone. It felt like my entire life disappeared behind me. I had no future, no past. Just the present. And the present sucked.

*end flashback*

It's Christmas time again. All that shit is back out. Mistletoe, wreaths, lights, snowmen, all the bull crap. I sighed. I hated Christmas. None of it ever felt right without dad. His smile, the way he did the lights, his Santa hat, all of it I sorely missed. I'm now sixteen. I've made some friends. My best friend is Leo Valdez. He's the one who helped me, the only girl, get through football tryouts and passed. He taught me how to correctly throw a spiral and kick the football. 

As of late, I spend more time with him than most. We are partners in almost all of our classes so we do our homework together which saves time. Since we have more time, we draw straws. Person with the longest straw chose the first activity. At first, we chose totally different things and we hated each other's choices. Over the years, it didn't matter who drew the longest. We both loved football, videogames, and just messing around.

I walked up to his door. After a moment's hesitation, I knocked. I heard a thump and someone running. Leo burst through the door. "Y/n! You're here! Come on in!" We sat down and went over our essay for Christmas break. I didn't want to do it, which surprised Leo. Normally I was all over the subject, pouring out information faster than a machine gun. All we accomplished was the outline and rough draft. Well, before we got extremely bored and decided to do the rest later. 

He offered to drive us both to the mall, maybe grab a pizza and if our parents said yes we might go the movies. We drove in a comfortable silence. We arrived. There was the smell of chocolate and pine in the air. It was a wonderful smell.  After shopping for Christmas and getting pizza we received word that it would be okay to see a movie. We had no curfew since it was Christmas, so we took our time. 

He bought the tickets, and I got the snacks. He chose the movie,so I expected it to be overly violent. So, when we watched a romantic movie, I was surprised. Since Leo is awesome, he chose the movie that didn't have any cliches, cheesiness, any of that. I cuddled into his side. Near the end of the movie, he leaned in. I neared closer, right when my phone vibrated. I quickly exited. It was an unknown number, but I listened to the message. 

My mom had stopped breathing. 

I called back so fast, my phone barely could process anything. I was informed that my mom was in the hospital and she was stable at the moment, but that I couldn't visit at least for another 24 hours. 

The movie had ended while I was on my phone. Leo came out, looking concerned. "Is everything okay?" "I.... I have to spend the night at your house." He raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. He grabbed my hand and led me to the car. We sat for a moment, each pondering our own thoughts. I played a game on my iPhone while he drove us back to his house. His mom hugged me really tight, so tight I could barely breath. 

I got set up in Leo's room since the house was small. I laid down on his bed while he set up the inflatable mattress. We were silent. His mom came I. To say goodnight and check on us, but other than that we said nothing. 

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Days passed. My mom had been diagnosed with lung cancer so serious, and she had dementia, that she couldn't leave the hospital. Leo and I hardly talked to one another. One day, I was given permission to visit. My mom had no idea who I was, or dad. I left feeling awful. 

Leo took me back to his house. I said nothing. When mom and dad's favorite Christmas song came on, I started to cry. Leo turned off the radio, pulled the car over, and got out. He came around to my side, opened the door, and pulled me out. His face was an inch away from mine. A gentle snow began to fall. I looked at his face, and almost sealed the gap. He pulled away. He swallowed.

I started at my shoes. He pulled me in for a hug before taking me back to the car. 

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It was Christmas eve at 11:59 p.m.. It would be Christmas day in less than a minute. Leo got up from his bed. He sat on mine before leaning in quite close. The moment it struck 12:00 he kissed me. It was wonderful. Amazing. Perfect. 

Until I got a message on my phone. Mom had died.  

Leo pulled me in for a big hug. I took a deep breath. "Merry Christmas, Leo." "Merry Christmas, Mrs. Valdez." He said before running off. 

Needless to say, I lived with some relatives for a little while. Leo and I got married, and everything was  perfect. 

1111 words!!! Yay!!! Woohoo!!!!!!!