Theo watched worriedly as your smile slowly faded from your face, your gaze resting on the decorations placed strategically along the windows of nearby houses, garland wrapped around railings and wreaths hung up on doors. You deliberately tore your gaze away from the beautifully set up house, but he could tell that you wanted to just keep staring at it forever.
You could even see the outline of a Christmas tree in the window. Theo tugged on the sleeve of your jacket, taking you away from your depressing thoughts and focusing your attention on your concerned boyfriend.
"You look upset," he noted quietly, placing a hand on your back and steering you away from the house and all its festiveness. You wrinkled your nose, scoffing lightly at such an assumption. He rolled his eyes playfully, nudging you lightly with his elbow.
"Seriously, Y/N. What's wrong? I thought you loved Christmas, you said it was your favorite holiday." You shrugged, biting your lip as you gazed at every decorated house on the block.
"Yeah, loved, past tense," you said simply, not really wanting to discuss it further. It still hurt just thinking about your parents, let alone talking about them and the holiday that they had adored with every fiber in their being. Now, it was just you and your older brother, and neither of you really felt like celebrating much. "My, um, my parents used to love Christmas... my brother and I haven't really celebrated since they passed. It makes me kind of sad, I don't like to talk about it much," you added softly, smiling gently at Theo when he started to apologize. "You didn't know, it's fine."
"You don't even watch movies anymore?" Theo asked, remembering how much you loved any and all Christmas movies, how happy you told him they made you. You shrugged, your smile disappearing again as you shook your head.
"Nah, I can't bring myself to. I'll probably start up again eventually, I don't know." Theo nodded in understanding, stopping in front of your house, his stomach dropping at how sad it looked compared to the other houses on the block; no bright lights or even a hint of Christmas. "Thanks for walking me home, babe," you said, flashing him another smile and pressing a swift kiss to his cheek. His lips quirked slightly, but he was still feeling a bit upset that you didn't celebrate something that you cared so deeply about. And he knew you cared, even if you didn't want to admit it. He watched you jog up the steps of your house, waiting for your brother to open the door. When he did, Theo gave him a wave before heading back to his own house.
When he got there, he immediately headed up to the attic, digging out all his old Christmas decorations from dusty old boxes stored in the very back of the room. He found the lights all tangled together, which was relatively infuriating, but he managed to pull them apart in under an hour. He let out a disgruntled sigh as he opened another box, revealing more tangled up lights that would need to go outside in addition to the ones that he just successfully fixed. With his head in his hands, he groaned loudly, and the only thing getting him through the grueling process of finding all his own decorations was the fact that he was doing this for you; to reignite your love for the holiday season.
It was going to be a long evening.
~~
The next morning, Theo called you eagerly, sounding completely exhausted but excited nonetheless. He begged you to come over early, insisting that he had something important for you to see. You agreed, despite being tired yourself, and you were on your way in under twenty minutes. He stood outside waiting for you, his cheeks tinted pink from the cold and snow falling around his face, a hat pulled low over his head and his eyes shining brightly as he saw you pull into his driveway, not yet noticing the elaborate set up that Theo had produced over night. You slid out of the car, boots crunching against the snow as you shivered. Theo rushed over to greet you, wrapping you up in a warm hug the moment he reached you.
"Y/N! I am so glad you're here, notice anything? Anything at all?" He asked excitedly, jumping around you like a little boy.
"Other than the fact that you look adorable with your cheeks all pink? Nope. Why?" He grinned at you, grabbing your shoulders and spinning you all the way around until you were facing the front of his house, staring at everything he had set up. Just for you. You looked back at him, unable to even comprehend what was happening in front of you.
"Do you like it?" He poked your cheek lightly, a proud beam on his face when you nodded, swallowing back every tear that threatened to spill down your cheeks, and this time, they weren't from the sadness of spending Christmas without your mother and father. "I know how much you love Christmas, present tense, and I wanted to celebrate it with you this weekend. I know it makes you sort of sad, but I think you should open up to it again. I have all those movies you like in my living room, I've got hot chocolate, I've got candy canes, I've got everything, my love. So, what do you say?" You grinned at him, one tear slipping down your cheek. He wiped it away with his thumb. You pulled him in for a kiss, your hands sliding across the stubble on his cheeks and jaw.
"I love you," you told him when you broke apart, snowflakes sitting in your hair and frosting your already frozen cheeks. You took his head, letting him lead you inside, forever thankful that you had someone as wonderful as Theo Raeken in your life. That Monday, after you had gone home brimming with happiness and Christmas spirit, Theo found you outside of your house trying to string lights around your windows, nearly falling off the ladder and freezing your ass off in the process. He grinned.
Mission complete.
