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❅Holiday Chapter (Extra) & A.N.❅

Hey, y'all! Surprise surprise, I've decided to post a holiday chapter! I hope you'll like this little gift! I'm sorry for the long pause in this story- I've been dealing with stuff from school (oh boy) and family stuff, etc etc. Not to mention writer's block smacked me in the face yet again (woo) soooooo yeah, haha... ANYWAY! Happy Christmas, happy holidays, happy break, happy whatever you celebrate, if anything! Now go grab yourself a cup o' tea or cocoa, a blanket, a pet, and enjoy this snippet of the lil group! :3

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Shuko had organized the whole thing- the Hacking and Technology Division secret Santa. Despite their being on break, the hacker wanted them to spend part of the holidays together; he used the secret Santa as an excuse for that. He had drawn names out of a hat and texted the group of six who they were to buy for. However, this excluded himself, because he was the one drawing. Nonetheless, the rest of the office was also doing a 'secret Santa' of their own, just in a different group- Shuko wasn't what you'd call 'organized'.

Anyway, that's beside the point. Let's see what each of our lovely little group are up to, shall we?

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Reuben paced back and forth, thinking hard to himself. What on earth would Ace like? The tall cyborg was more into technology than silly little knick-knacks. As he was running a hand through his ashy blue hair, he didn't even hear Moren come home, kicking snow off his boots against the wall by the front door. Reuben's twin raised an eyebrow at his brother.

"You've been pacing like that since I left. What's up with you?" Moren asked, crossing his arms in quiet consideration of Reuben's scrunched up expression and how his brother continuously messed with his lip ring.

Reuben shook his head, not offering an explanation. Muttering under his breath, Moren took off his coat and shoes, putting the latter by the fireplace.

"It'd probably be easier for you to think if you were making something, rather than pacing, you know. I've found that works well for me- and we are twins, so it might go both ways," He said, the hint of a teasing tone behind his carefully leveled voice as he shook snow from his hair.

Finally, Reuben stopped pacing and turned his gaze to the ceiling. He fell onto the couch with his arms splayed out around him, letting out a loud sigh. He was normally pretty good at thinking up gifts for people; but then again, those were usually for his brothers and family friends, including Mr. Kedi. Most of them were adults, too, so that only made it more difficult. "Maybe I could give him a candle," He said sarcastically. "I'm sure he'd love that."

Moren snorted. "Still don't know what to get that cyborg, huh?"

"Nope, not a clue," Reuben drawled in reply.

There was a moment of silence before Moren suggested, "How about something personalized? Like a necklace with his name on it or something?"

This idea wound through the cogs of Reuben's mind as he thought about its possibilities. Hm... it could actually work... but I don't know if there are any metals that interact badly with the technical parts of his body. I wouldn't want to screw him up somehow.

The teenage clockmaker sat up, putting the tips of his fingers together. I'll have to find a simple metal that doesn't react negatively to things like Ace. As long as I do that, I have a good idea of what to make for him...

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It was normally an easy task for Oscar to decorate his family's bookshop- there wasn't much, other than to hang lights, decorate some of the inside for customers, and create a cute little display for the front windows. However, this year, his parents decided that it'd be a good idea to invite his younger cousins to come help him. It wasn't like he needed any help; he generally got it done in less than an hour. Now he had to deal with four small 6-year-old monsters trying to suffocate him with giant strands of tinsel while Mr. and Mrs. Gilbertson went out to buy gifts and ingredients for Christmas dishes and desserts.