Narrator
Y/n went back to their usual routine. Although now, they avoided the park cross Danielle's house at all cost.
It was Christmas Eve and every business was shutting down early in the day. Every park was closing and there was not a single soul in sight.
It was a bit lonely in the streets, but all the Christmas lights were quite comforting.
- Y/N POV -
I was nervous.
There was nothing open. Nowhere warm to walk into, nowhere to use the restroom, and nowhere to shelter in case it rained.
"Great. Just my luck," I whispered under my breath.
Just as I thought about sheltering from the rain, I felt a rain drop hit my face.
I was walking around for a bit, just wondering what everyone was doing inside every house I passed.
The rain was starting to get a bit harder, but there was nothing I could do about it. So, I just did my best to ignore it.
Suddenly, I came across a tree with a decent dry spot underneath it. I walked over to it and stood there for a bit.
It wasn't really helping.
When you're wet and stand somewhere to dry.... it makes you even colder...
I was about to continue walking, when a car suddenly stopped in the middle of the street.
I looked at the car a bit confused and someone suddenly came running out of it.
"What are you doing? You're going to get sick!" An agitated Danielle suddenly yelled.
I was so confused.
I hadn't seen the Marsh family in that particular car before.
"Come on. I'm taking you home!" Danielle tried to grab my hand to drag me to the car.
I immediately snatched my hand from her and refused.
It was Christmas Eve. I couldn't owe anyone that much kindness.
Suddenly, Mr. Marsh got out the car and walked towards us. He took off his jacket, held it over my head, and said... "Get in the car."
I gulped a bit nervously.
Mr. Marsh sounded upset.
- Danielle POV -
Y/n looked all confused seating in the back seat.
They looked confused, upset, sad, and cold. All at the same time.
It was actually kind of sad.
Dad and I were just on our way back home from dropping toys off at the fire station toy drive, when we noticed someone out in the rain.
As we got closer, we realized it was Y/n and Dad immediately stopped the car.
"Go get them," Dad coldly requested.
I looked at him a bit confused for a second before doing as I was told.
Honestly, Dad looked very upset.
"You go and take a warm shower, okay?" Dad told Y/n as he pulled up into our driveway.
Y/n didn't respond, but it seemed like they at least nodded at Dad from the rear view mirror.
We all got out of the car and Y/n waited for us to enter the house so they could follow.
"Y/N!!!" Mom exclaimed
She looked so surprised that Y/n was in the house. She dropped everything she was doing and ran up to hug Y/n.
I giggled at how uncomfortable Y/n looked.
To them, it might seem like an odd thing for a stranger to do.... but to us... it seemed right.
Mom had been worried about Y/n the most.
While Mom constantly wanted to go out and look for Y/n, Dad always told her that we couldn't interfere in others affairs.
"Y/n knows where to get help now. They'll come when they're ready," Dad always told her.
We didn't know Y/n very much or even at all, but mom always acted as if it was her own kid out on the streets.
"You're all wet, Honey! Go, go. Go take a warm shower. Dani will bring over some clothes for you," Mom worriedly guided Y/n to our restroom.
You could say that the looks on me and my sister's faces were ones of jealousy, but we had been worried too.
We couldn't understand how someone could just let a literal kid live on the streets.
- Y/N POV -
I couldn't lie that warm water felt so good on my skin. It had been a while since I took a proper shower. So, the warm water felt like heaven.
"Y/n, I'm leaving some clothes on the sink counter!" Danielle suddenly yelled through the window.
"Okay," I lowly responded.
I was still in shock from being suddenly brought back into Danielle's house. I couldn't give a proper response from how embarrassed I felt.
After what felt like hours of being in the shower, I dried myself and changed.
I could tell it was Danielle's clothes that had been loaned to me from how small they fit me.
I looked at myself in the mirror and realized it was a little weird to wear a strangers clothes. So, I took off the clothes and put my own back on.
I walked out of the bathroom and walked over to Danielle's room to return her the clothes she had let me borrow.
When I walked in, I immediately walked back out.
- Danielle POV -
I was starting to change into my family Christmas jammies, when Y/n suddenly walked in.
I was halfway to through taking off my shirt when Y/n walked in and then immediately walked out.
"Oh my god!" I mouthed out to myself.
I quickly pulled my shirt back down and walked out to check on Y/n.
"I didn't see anything. I didn't know you were changing. I'm so sorry!" Y/n awkwardly apologized, trying to avoid eye contact.
At first I was a bit embarrassed, even if Y/n didn't see anything, but then I was upset once I saw Y/n still wearing their wet clothes.
"Y/n, why didn't you change into something more comfortable? Dani did you not give Y/n any clothes?" Daddy suddenly came up the stairs.
"I did," I answered him.
Y/n seemed really embarrassed and shyly said, "I-I- I.... Umm... the shirt is a little small for my liking."
"Oh, you could've said that!" I cheerfully exclaimed.
I was about to feel offended that Y/n didn't like my style or something.
I walked back into my room and quickly grabbed an oversized Tee then walked out to hand it to Y/n.
"There you are. Now go change!" Daddy laughed out, as he signaled Y/n to return back to the bathroom.
- Y/N POV -
I had to change back into Danielle's clothes in order to not be disrespectful towards The Marsh-Mo family.
They were being very kind and generous. I didn't want to look ungrateful by declining every offer they made.
"Kids, dinner is ready!!" Mrs. Marsh suddenly yelled from down stairs.
I took a deep breath and walked out of the bathroom to head downstairs. At the same exact time, Danielle walked out of her room and we both froze in front of each other.
"Umm..., I'm really so-"
I was going to apologize to Danielle again about earlier, but she didn't even left me finish my sentence before walking away.
I sighed out in frustration.
I didn't want her to think I was being creep or something. After all, I was just a stranger in their house.
I took a deep breath to try to calm my nerves down and then headed over to dinning table.
Just like last time, Mrs. Mo had made a lot of food. It was unbelievable how much food she had made.
I guess it was Christmas Eve after all.
"Oh, Y/n! Come here and seat next to Mama!" Mrs. Mo requested.
I gulped at the sudden request.
Danielle and her sister looked a little upset with me.
Either way, I did as I was asked.
"Okay, let's say grace!" Mr. Marsh exclaimed.
This was a bit different than the last time I joined them during dinner. Last time I ate with The Marsh Family, they didn't pray.
I figured it was either because they had a guest or maybe because it was a holiday. Either way, I bowed my head down respectfully.
"Amen," I respectfully whispered at the end of the short prayer.
Danielle and I caught each other's eyes when everyone finally began to eat and we both immediately diverted our attention in the opposite direction.
This time around, it didn't seem like Danielle was too fond of me.
I don't blame her though.
I wouldn't want a strange kid roaming around my house either.
Dinner went on just like last time. The Marsh Family cracked jokes and shared their crazy everyday life stories.
They were a very happy and loving family.
It was a bit of odd sight for me.
I didn't know families could be this close.
"Remember that time Dani kept saying the a moptopus at the beach!" Danielle's older sister began to tease.
"Hey! It looked like a mop! It was all plopped down the sand like if it was waiting to sweep the water away," Danielle cutely defended herself.
Danielle was a bit of an odd one.
She was overly friendly and charismatic. You could tell that she hadn't lived many hard days in her life aside from daily life stressors.
It made me a bit jealous.
"So Y/n, you and Danielle will share a room. You can eat whatever you'd like, drink whatever you'd like, please use the washer freely, and don't be afraid to ask us for anything. We're here to support you with whatever you need," Mr. Marsh suddenly spoke up.
I gulped at the sudden offer.
"Sir, I-"
I was about to decline his offer, when he coldly interjected.... "You are a part of this family now. You sleep here, you eat here, you clean yourself here. You are loved here. Understood?"
The dinner table suddenly went quiet and everyone was looking at me.
"Are understood?" Mr. Marsh asked again.
"Yes, Sir....," I nervously responded.
Every face at the dinner table suddenly lit up and went back to happily eating.
I did my best to not show my true emotions and held my tears back.
In reality, I was so thankful that I wanted to breakdown and cry.
"Oh, it's getting late!" Mrs. Mo suddenly exclaimed.
"Everyone finish up your plates and get ready for the family Christmas photo. You too Y/n!" She said as she got up to clean her plate.
It didn't take long before the rest of the family followed direction.
Everyone clear the dinner table and put everything away before gathering around the Christmas tree in the living room.
"Umm, I'll take the picture," I offered.
It didn't make sense for me to join the family picture of a family I wasn't even a part of.
"Nonsense, you get in the picture right now!" Mr. Marsh exclaimed.
"I'll join the next one," I awkwardly cleared my throat.
"No, weren't not going to pretend like you're not here!" Mrs. Mo exclaimed as she set up the camera.
"Okay, it's counting down! Come on!" She suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me in with the rest of the family.
It was really awkward as everyone gathered around me.
"Say cheese!" Mrs. Mo announced.
"Cheese!" Everyone said, while I just awkwardly smiled.
"Okay, a silly one!" Mrs. Mo announced as she went back to reset the camera.
She quickly ran back and everyone began to pose. Except for me.
I was more shocked at the fact that Danielle had wrapped her arm around me and was sticking out her tongue
"Okay, a cute one!" Mr. Marsh announced.
"Dad!!" Danielle's older sister suddenly whined.
We all turned to look at Mr. Marsh and he had pulled out a mistletoe to hold above his head.
"Everyone say 'Marry Christmas'!!" Mrs. Mo giggled out.
She quickly ran back and kissed Mr. Marsh under the mistletoe, with Danielle and her sister looking at their parents in disgust.
I was just uncomfortable with the odd, yet cute, family behavior.
I had never been in an environment like this.
The night went on with family games, hot chocolate, movie watching, and just an endless amount of family activities.
The Marsh family was waiting around till Midnight to open gifts.
All I kept on wondering all night was, if everyone else in those houses I had passed by, was doing the same thing.
You know being a family and enjoying Christmas Eve.
Soon enough, Midnight hit and the whole family started to get more energetic than before.
I could tell who was the baby of the family by the way Danielle was treated by her whole family.
It was kind of cute.
"Umm, I'm actually kind of tired. Is it okay if I go to sleep?" I tried to excuse myself.
It didn't feel right to intrude on such an intimate moment for the whole family.
They were all hugging and gathering around the Christmas tree.
"No, come on. It'll just be a few minutes," Mrs. Mo tried to get me to join them.
"Umm, I'm just really tired...," I tried not to be disrespectful.
Mr. Marsh suddenly got up and walked up to hug me. "I'm sorry we couldn't get you something in time," he whispered.
"This is all more than enough. Thank you so much," I assured him as I pulled away from his embrace.
"Alright everyone, say goodnight to Y/n. It's been a very tiring day for them!" Mr. Marsh announced to his family.
"Goodnight!" Everyone but Danielle exclaimed.
Danielle seemed a little bothered.
It was probably because she had to share a room with me now.
I waved everyone goodnight and then head up to Danielle's room.
I realized I didn't ask for a blanket, so I just needed up laying on the floor to try to go to sleep.
- Danielle POV -
I was a bit bothered that Y/n kept trying not to be a part of anything. Even after Dad welcomed them into the family.
It bothered me a bit, but I was doing my best to try to understand.
What Y/n said last time really bothered me, so I ended up having a deep conversation with dad about why he would just allow Y/n to roam around the streets like that.
He ended up explaining the whole different realities thing that Y/n had mentioned.
It made a bit of sense, but I still didn't understand how anyone could just allow for a kid to walk around without anywhere to go or anything to eat.
Let alone, how could someone not love Y/n enough to help them out.
How could parents not love their kid enough to go out and look for them.
"Hey, it's alright. Y/n's just tired," Daddy tried to reassured me.
Dad always knew when I wasn't feeling okay and all day he kept trying to tell me to give Y/n some space.
At times, I could be a little much.
I had so much love to give and I always wanted to share it with people, but Y/n didn't seem the same.
Daddy kept trying to get me to not be overly excited about Y/n being in the house and possibly scare them away like last time.
It was hard task to be asked of me.
I wanted to smother Y/n with all the love that they lacked, shove all the food I could in their mouth, share everything that was mine with them.... but I understood that the goal was not to scare Y/n away....
"It's okay, Honey. Y/n just needs some time to adjust," Mom kissed my forehead.
She had seemed to pick up on my mood too.
I just wanted Y/n to seat with us and open gifts with us. I didn't want Y/n being all alone in my room in the dark.
I did my best to keep my happy mood and keep on with the family moment.
After a few laughters and cute surprises, everyone started getting ready for bed.
"I just hope some place is opened for us to get Y/n something for the morning gifts," I heard Daddy tell mom as we cleaned up all gift wrap and boxes.
"Oh!" I suddenly exclaimed to myself.
"Huh? What is it?" My sister asked.
"Oh, nothing," I awkwardly laughed out.
I quickly cleaned up and then ran up to my room.
I was so excited to wake Y/n up and surprise them with something, but when I walked in...
I tried over something.
"Oww, wtf!" I heard someone exclaimed.
It was Y/n.
I had tripped and fallen on them.
"What are you doing? Why are you on the floor!?" I began to scold.
Suddenly, I realized how close our faces were and I started to get nervous.
- Y/N POV -
Danielle was just full on lying on me.
"Are you going to get off or what?" I asked in annoyance.
She had knocked the wind out of me.
"Oh, right. I'm sorry," Danielle awkwardly responded as she got up from me.
Suddenly, she helped me off the floor and guided me to seat on the edge of her bed.
"Are you hurt?" She kindly asked.
I shook my head in response, taking a deep breath.
"Why were you on the floor anyway?" She followed up a bit annoyed.
"I was trying to sleep!" I answered a bit annoyed too.
I was genuinely starting to fall asleep too when she just suddenly freaking fell on me.
"You're supposed to sleep on the bed, you idiot!" Danielle tapped on her bed in frustration.
"It's your bed. Why the hell would you want stranger in it!" I answered back in the same tone.
"Ugh, you're so annoying!" She answered with an eye roll.
"Likewise!" I bickered back.
"Jeez, and here I was so excited to come give you your Christmas present!" Danielle exclaimed, crossing her arms.
"Christmas present?" I asked a bit confused.
The Marsh Family had given me more than enough for Christmas. I didn't need anything else.
Danielle stayed quiet for a bit, before taking a deep breath, and walking over to her closet. She pulled out a small Christmas gift, it had a bow and it was all wrapped, then placed it on the bed.
"Marry Christmas!" She cutely exclaimed.
I looked at her a bit confused.
A few seconds went by and it got awkward.
Danielle then sat on the bed, next to me, and handed me the gift in my hands.
"Open it. I got it just for you!" She suddenly started to get red.
I got a little nervous about her words, but did as she asked. I slowly opened the gift and pulled out what was inside the box.
It was a bike chain.
"Woah," I thought to myself.
"It was either this or a blanket," Danielle suddenly pulled me out of my thoughts.
"I figured you'd like something that could carry you rather than you having to carry it," she explained.
I felt really touched.
It seemed like Danielle understood a bit more than I thought.
"Plus, I didn't like the way you abused your bike the first time we met!" She joked.
I chuckled to myself a bit amused and pulled her into a hug.
"Marry Christmas," Danielle whispered, placing a soft kiss on my cheek.
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