dsmp christmas oneshots

the night before christmas

trigger warnings at the end of the oneshot

☃

"you take that one," schlatt orders, gesturing vaguely at one of the large cardboard boxes in the corner of their office. the label on the side says 'bills and expenses' but they only did that to divert the kids from wanting to look inside.

schlatt moves to pick up a different box, one that he knows to be lighter and reads 'vegetable receipts.' admittedly, that label is less than realistic, but the older kids in the home never really come into the office so the pair of them considered it good enough to lead away the youngins.

realistically, none of the kids ever go into the office. sometimes if one of the little ones is being particularly clingy and falls asleep in one of the men's arms then they'll bring the sleeping child in so they can continue work. the first aid kit is also kept in the office, but then the children are too worried about whatever minor injury they've endured to be looking around. the only two children who regularly come into the office are wilbur -when one of the adults needs to administer his medication, but the brunette is always in a rush- and tubbo -when he requires his inhaler.

so yeah, they probably didn't even need to label the boxes but it gave the two men a good laugh at the time so schlatt doesn't consider it a wasted effort.

"of course you give me the heavy one," ted complains with a grunt as he hauls up the large box into his arms.

schlatt only responds with a proud grin as he shifts the box he is holding to sit on his hip. he hears ted sigh, all dramatic and playful, before making his way out of the room and trusting that his friend is following.

unfortunately, in all honesty, they don't get a lot of money to spend on the kids in their care. getting them treats is unusual and, more often than not, they end up missing out on things that kids in stereotypical families don't. it's a sad but honest truth, and one that schlatt has had issues with ever since he got his job as a care-worker.

that's why, when christmas wraps around each year, he doesn't find dismay in cutting into his own paycheque to do something special for the kids who deserve so much better than what life has paved out for them. his old coworker used to think it was pointless, claiming the kids would forget him the second they move out anyway, which is why he felt blessed when ted came around to take his ex-coworker's place when the elderly woman quit.

ted has the same beliefs as him and bumping two paycheques together meant he was able to really do something.

now here they are, on christmas eve with boxes full of presents and stockings darted up all over the lounge just waiting to be filled. schlatt can't deny the joyful feeling it invokes in him as he sets a box down in the middle of the room, soon followed by ted's own box.

he wonders if this is how saint nicholas used to feel when he was still rocking around and making little wooden knickknacks for unfortunate children. probably.

schlatt peels off the tape from both of the boxes whilst ted goes to retrieve the first two stockings and brings them back to the centre of the room, making an old-man sort of sound as he lowers himself down to sit on the floor on the opposite side of the boxes.

"you're in your forties, ted, you shouldn't struggle to sit on the floor," schlatt says with a short laugh, glancing at which stockings his friend had received and looking back to find the gifts belonging to each respective child.