And To All A Good Night [h.s. one shots]

Sugar Plum by pawriter19

I'm doing this for you, she tells her grandfather, wherever he may be. You and Nonna.

It's almost a two hour car ride from the airport to the lodge in Vail. That means - two hours of Clara kicking Nicholas every time his music is too loud and pouring out of his headphones. Two hours of her mom and dad bickering about which route will get them there the fastest. And two hours of Nonna staring out at the mountains, lost in thought, thinking of her person who isn't here to see this.

Nonno fucking loved the holidays.

Clara tries to keep her mind occupied, listening to her sad girl hours playlist - because nothing helps a sour mood like ridiculously sad music. And even when her eyes are glued to the gorgeous lodge outside of her window, the sorrowful voice of Kacey Musgraves stays flowing through her ears.

Vail is... a lot more beautiful than Clara imagined. She Googled the lodge, of course, but she never imagined it would look so... whimsical in person. The sun has just set, so there's a dim hue in the sky that seems to match the Christmas lights all around. The mountains seem to glow and every person just looks so... happy. Cold, but happy.

It gives her the smallest glimmer of hope - not enough, but just a little. Maybe enough to get her through tonight. And tomorrow.

"Clar?" A small nudge on her shoulder pulls her out of yet another daydream, and her mother gives a small nod towards the trunk of the car. "Help with Nonna's bags?" Clara immediately nods, tucking her headphones away to grab the old floral suitcase from the trunk.

The lobby of the lodge is stunning, and it's what makes Clara feel out of place. Immediately.

The Biancos don't do things like this - they don't go on fancy vacations with all the flare and the drama. They stay home, in their cozy house, baking cookies and trading small gifts. They're not a family who goes crazy on presents, because there has never been a need to - and they'd rather use the money to help pay for the house or the car or for school.

"How can we fucking afford this?" Nicholas' jaw is dropped open, just like his older sister's. She shakes her head, because she really has no idea.

"Nonno must've hid his other stash from us." The literal stash of money - in his sock drawer. The Bianco children always knew to wait outside their grandparents' bedroom before they left a visit to their house. Nonno would slip them a few bucks, whisper 'it's not much, but it's somethin' ' and shoo them away.

The trip itself was Nonna's idea - she didn't want to spend her first Christmas without her soulmate in that dreaded 'cracker box' of a house. So she set up this trip with some of the money that he left her. She knew their only son wouldn't want the constant reminders of missing his father, either, and the grandchildren had a bond with Nonno like no other.

So no Christmas or New Year's at home this year. She insisted on whisking them away - to see the snow, the mountains, the beautiful lights of a Christmas town like Vail. All of Nonno's favorite things... they would just have to celebrate without him.

Clara is gawking at the thirty-foot Christmas tree lighting up the lobby, admiring all its ornaments and garland, when she catches a set of eyes staring back at her.

Green, and it's only for a moment, but green eyes catch her brown ones. He lets out a breath before breaking eye contact and going back to whoever he's talking to.

His cheeks are flushed pink, contrasting his cable knit sweater, and Clara notices the way his hair is messily displayed on top of his head. It looks like he has been skiing, and she is proven correct when she notices the pair of skis clutched to his side. His smile widens while he talks to another boy his age, and Clara's breath is stolen by the way his cheeks carve inward.