So it's the same deal as the birthday special, but it's for Christmas. New Year's special is coming soon. Have a good day/night! :)
-Ash
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I wake up on the morning of Christmas Eve. I was up reading all night, so I feel especially tired. I groan as I realize that Altaïr will yell at me for my lack of sleep again. But I can't help that I'm always more productive at night.
I get out of bed and get dressed into a forest green T-shirt and straight cut jeans with a plain gray sweatshirt. Then I head downstairs and sit at the table, watching everyone's faces.
They all look concerned, as if I'm a fragile piece of glass that's at its breaking point. I huff, annoyed. Clearly, Jacob must have told them what happened. "Ash, are you okay?" Connor asks with concern written all over his face.
"Do you need anything?" Evie asks.
I shake my head and go to grab a mug from the cupboard for coffee. I see Shay in the same spot and he sees me looking intently at the mugs, so he hands me one. "You sure you're okay, Ash?" he asks.
"I'm fine!" I snap. Everyone most likely heard me from the other room and Shay looked...hurt.
I make my coffee and leave for my room, but before I leave, I spot a mistletoe above the cupboard I was just grabbing a mug from. I smile to myself, knowing I could use that to my advantage for tomorrow.
Timeskip-
I'm up in my room, sitting on my bed while scrolling through TikTok on my phone when I hear a knock at the door. I go over to the door and open it, seeing Ezio there for some reason.
"Yeah?" I ask, kind of zoning out.
"Breakfast is ready." he replies with a small smile.
"Oh," I reply, still kind of zoning out.
So I lock my phone and put in my pocket, then head downstairs to eat.
But I honestly didn't have an appetite.
As I sit down to bacon, eggs and pancakes with everyone else, I didn't touch anything, not even the pancakes.
"Ash," someone says, shaking me. I look over to see Altaïr, who seems to be concerned. "You okay?"
"Y-yeah, just...no appetite." I reply.
Everyone stops eating and looks at me, concerned. "What do you mean?" Shay asks.
"I...I can't eat without an appetite. I haven't had for about a month..."
The lively conversations stop and everyone looks at me.
I start to get anxious, start to feel claustrophobic and squeezed in.
"Ash please, just eat," Edward says. "You already don't sleep or don't get enough sleep."
I stay silent, not wanting to talk. I dig my nails into my palms, making them bleed.
I feel another hand on my shoulder. Arno.
"Are they alright?" Jacob asks.
"I don't know." Altaïr says to him.
As I sit there, I feel tears burn and I keep them bottled up.
"...I'm fine..." I say in a quivering voice.
From my view of the table, I see Edward and Evie talking while looking at me, concerned.
Oh, how I wished I could break down here. But I controlled my emotions and willed them into an emotionless mask.
But I can't hold the tears and emotions back and tears stream down my face.
"Shit!" Edward says.
In a near instant, I feel someone hugging me. Then more, until everyone is hugging me.
I stop crying and everyone stops hugging me. "How long have these breakdowns been going on, Ash?" Connor asks.
"...A few months to a year..?"
"And you didn't tell us?" Aveline asks.
"...I didn't want to be a burden to you." I reply hesitantly.
"Ash, you aren't a burden to us." Altaïr says. I give him a small smile in response.
Timeskip again-
I wake up, feeling tired as usual. Checking my phone, I see that it's Christmas day.
As I get dressed into a gray T-shirt and forest green sweatpants, I head downstairs and see everyone waiting for me.
"MERRY CHRISTMAS ASH!" everyone yells.
I smile in reply, not wanting to ruin the festive vibe everyone else had set up.
Altaïr hands me a gift and I unwrap it. I see an iPad Pro Max with an Apple pencil. "This must have cost you a lot Altaïr, but thank you so much!"
He gives me a small smile and replies, "I know how much you wanted to do digital art Ash, so I got you this."
You smile at Altaïr and say, "I'm thirsty, I'm going to go grab some water."
So I go to the kitchen to grab a glass from the same place I grabbed a coffee mug yesterday. I was completely oblivious to Edward grabbing a glass from the same spot-and the mistletoe I spotted last night hanging above both our heads.
He sees me and gives me a toothy grin. He looks up and sees the mistletoe, and his grin grows wider as he looks at me again.
"Merry Christmas Ash." he says before getting closer to me. "Wait, wh-" I say but I'm cut off by his lips on mine.
After a minute he leans back, leaving me with a blushing face. Edward gives me a shit eating grin and asks, "Did you enjoy that?"
"It was subpar." I reply nonchalantly.
"So you've kissed other people before?"
"No, but I think that it was pretty subpar for my first kiss. Anyway, I have to get water."
When I come back, Jacob asks me, "So you fell for my trap, eh Ash?"
I ignore him and sit down next to Altaïr. Arno looks at a present under the tree that has his name on it and reads the note, "Arno, you and and Jacob better stop doing doggy style at 3am. Everyone can hear you and it sounds like you're the bottom."
The room bursts into laughter and Arno goes red.
"Who is this from?" he asks.
"Me." I reply, starting to wheeze like a tea kettle.
"Really Ash?" Jacob asks with a hint of an annoyed look on his face.
"It's true though! Everyone else can back me up. Besides, why are you doing doggy style at 3am anyway?"
"Wh-Ash!" Edward says, coming into the room laughing. "What's going on in here?"
Just open the present, Baguette Boy." Jacob huffs.
So Arno opens it-and finds two packs of condoms with a tube of lube.
They both go beet red at the exact same time.
I start wheezing like a tea kettle, spilling my water on Altaïr, who gives me a small glare.
Edward sits next to me, watching me become a living tea kettle while sipping his water.
When that was over, Ezio goes to the tree next. He picks a gift and silently read the note, going a light shade of tomato red.
"It says: 'Wear protection Ez. And for God's sake, look at Leo already."
I wheeze even harder, leaning on Edward's shoulder.
Ezio gives me the middle finger before opening the present and finding a box of condoms. "ASH-" he yells. Still wheezing, I reply, "I'm sorry, I couldn't resist!"
Unfortunately for me, Edward goes to the tree next, leaving me without a headrest.
He picks a present, looks at the note and subsequently flips Jacob off. "Well, are you going to read it to us?" I ask.
"It says, 'I hope you and Ash kissed under the mistletoe. If anything gets further, I have this for you. -Jacob.' Well, I wonder what the fuck is in here."
I choke on air as Edward reads the note, and I give Jacob a death glare.
"It's a box of condoms or some shit, isn't it?" Edward asks Jacob.
Jacob flashes Edward a shit eating grin in response and Edward rolls his eyes while opening the present. He finds condoms with a box of Plan B.
Jacob gets flipped off by Edward yet again.
Timeskip-
I go over to the tree, picking a present with my name on it. I open it and find a stress ball with a fidget cube.
The next present I open is a huge box with quality canvases, paints, paintbrushes, sketchbooks, gouache, watercolors, pastels, markers, pencils, pencil crayons, acrylic paint and oil paint. I smile at it, then go to open another present. There was a note that read 'Ash, if you fell for the mistletoe trick (hopefully having to kiss Edward), this is for you. -Jacob' I glance over at Jacob, who's talking to Arno and mutter misgivings under my breath.
I open it and find a suit. A beautiful forest green suit with a cream dress shirt and tan dress shoes. I guessed it was for some kind of date or wedding and put it aside for now.
Timeskip again because I'm lazy as fuck-
I mentally recount my presents as I lean against the kitchen counter, yet again oblivious to the mistletoe hanging above my head.
The iPad Pro Max from Altaïr, a miniature bonsai tree from Ezio, the box of art supplies from Leonardo, a book on D&D monsters from Connor, a New Orleans food cookbook from Aveline, a beautiful necklace from Edward, a Templar ring from Haytham, a microphone and headset from Shay, a decorative sword to hang in my room from Arno, the beautiful suit from Jacob, a book on medical and mental conditions from Evie, an Assassin ring from Bayek, a $250 Steam gift card from Kassandra and Norse god altar supplies from Eivor.
I see Edward coming to grab another glass of water, so I slightly move. He gives me a shit eating grin as he looks above our heads and I look up as well, seeing the mistletoe.
Before I can say anything, his lips are on mine again. It feels a bit...soft. The first time this happened, I was too shocked to register what was going on, but now I knew everything that was happening.
I taste some kind of alcohol-rum or whiskey, maybe?-on Edward's lips. But I didn't care. I just wanted more. The kiss starts to get more heated, more passionate, with his fingers tangled in my short light brown hair and my hands wrapped around his waist.
"Jesus Christ, you two. Can you not?"
Edward and I break apart, both of us blushing like a tomato.
"I guess you two fell for the mistletoe trap. Again."
I turn my head to look at Jacob and see his hazel eyes twinkling with some sort of mischief.
"Oh, shut up. Go fuck Arno or some shit." I snap, very much aware that my hands were still wrapped around Edward's waist, that his fingers were still tangled in my hair and that we were unusually close together.
If Jacob hadn't walked in, I probably would have been sitting on the counter while kissing Edward.
Jacob just chuckles to himself and leaves.
Edward steps away from me a bit and gives me yet another shit eating grin.
"We'll continue this later." he says into my ear.
I feel my face heat up as I flip him off. He laughs and says, "You enjoyed that, didn't you Ash?"
Timeskip again-
As everyone was eating dinner, I made sure to avoid talking to Edward and talking about the subject of the mistletoe as much as humanly possible.
"So, guess who I just caught under the mistletoe earlier?" Jacob says with a bit of a smugness in his tone as he looks at me with a smirk.
I nearly choke on my water.
Edward seems unfazed by Jacob and continues eating his food.
"It was-" Jacob starts before I cut him off.
"Actually, I saw Ezio and Leo kissing under the mistletoe earlier!" I say, giving Jacob a glare.
Altaïr gives me an odd look and Evie gives me a look that says, 'I know what happened'.
I look down at the table, trying to avoid the subject of the mistletoe altogether.
"Anyway," Jacob says. "I saw Ash and Edward under the mistletoe earlier."
Shit, shit, SHIT.
Edward nearly chokes on the piece of food he's eating.
I feel eyes on me, and it's clear Edward also feels eyes on him. "I never would have expected that." Ezio remarks as he sips his wine.
I ignore him and try to eat some of my food. As everyone eats, Jacob is animatedly talking about Edward and I under the mistletoe.
I was going to beat the shit out of him, but a gentle hand on my shoulder stops me. I see Edward's hand in my peripheral vision and huff a bit.
"Ash, leave it be. Let Jacob be Jacob."
So I decide not to beat the living shit out of Jacob.
Timeskip yet again-
Everyone had gone upstairs but Edward and I. "What do you want to watch?" he asks as we sit on the couch together.
"Family Guy."
He smiles and gives me a small and tender peck. "We aren't even under a mistletoe so you can stop kissing me now." I point out.
"I know," he replies. "I just wanted to do it anyway. Merry Christmas Ash."
I squeeze his hand and reply with a smile, "You too, Edward."
Then we both hear a banging and some moaning upstairs.
"JACOB! ARNO!" I yell. "STOP DOING FUCKING DOGGY STYLE GODDAMMIT!"
☼•••✯•••☼
It was pain to write this as I forgot about it until yesterday-But I still published it on time! Merry Christmas (to those who celebrate) and happy New Year!
-Ash :)