The problem with having something to do right after admitting you actually had feelings for each other made itself very apparent very fast. What started as a few, curious kisses turned into a full blown, heated make out session that was only stopped by Peros texting Cracker that you two needed to get over to their mom's place.

It took most of the car ride there for the both of you to compose yourselves enough to be seen around others without raising a few eyebrows and you were sure your only saving grace from giving in to your want to strip each other down and satisfy certain urges was Cracker still needing to explain why you had to go to his mom's in the first place. Having to talk about something more normal made you feel a little more in control of yourself but he still seemed to struggle with it.

His fingers drummed along the steering wheel restlessly and if he wasn't driving, you were sure he would have been bouncing his leg. He went from watching the road to risking glances in your direction often, wearing a very satisfied smile the entire time.

"Sooooo what's the plan for this evening?" You asked, reminding him what he was supposed to fill you in on.

"Oh, right." He cleared his throat and made it a point to focus on driving but it wasn't hard to tell what was on his mind, it was on yours too. "As you know, there's a lot of us in the family. When our family started growing, mom noticed it was getting a little tough on the holidays to make sure everyone got nice gifts. At first it was because the company was new and the income wasn't quite good enough for it but it eventually turned into an issue of there just being too many people to be able to get everyone something nice."

As he talked, he relaxed little by little, more engrossed in giving you details than the more questionable thoughts that plagued him only moments ago.

"So when there were a few of us that were working and had our own incomes, we started getting together before Christmas to draw names. The name you pick is the person you get a gift for. Makes it easier to get something more personalized and no one feels left out."

"That sounds pretty nice." You played with the edge of your skirt, not entirely accustomed to wearing something like it.

Cracker had suggested you wearing something a little better than the usual shirt and jeans, saying that the rest of his family would be dressed a bit nicer than usual today as well. They seemed to like to wear their better clothes around the holidays and you only noticed Cracker had done the same when he'd mentioned you changing. While you wore a skirt and blouse, he had a crisp pair of black slacks and an expensive looking sweater. You both looked more put together but not exactly stiff or formal and you were assuming the rest of the family would be dressed similarly.

"It is actually. The kids that don't have income yet kinda stick with one of us adults to help them out, so we all pitch in and it's worked well since we started doing it this way. But that's why the meet up tonight. We all get together to pick our people, figure out ideas without letting our pick know what we have in mind for them. It turns into a bit of a game actually."

"Do you guys always find excuses for parties and games?"

He chuckled. "Yeah, we're good at it."

"And how long is this supposed to last."

He slumped forward a bit and frowned slightly, eyes still locked on the road. "All night, into the early morning for some of my siblings. It's not uncommon for some of us to stay the night actually."

If you could read his mind, you bet he'd be thinking something along the lines of how annoyed he was that it meant it'd take longer for him to find alone time with you.

"There's room for that?"

"Well yeah. You've seen the place." His frown didn't last long and twisted into a grin. "Don't tell me you didn't get to see the bedrooms."

"I mean, Oven showed me where they were but I didn't go in any of them."

"If mom wanted to, she could run the place like a hotel, so if we need to spend the night, there's a room for us. That's if you want to that is." He added the last part quickly.

"I wouldn't mind it." You looked away as you felt a shy blush hit you.

Sharing a bed with him was on the top of your list of things you'd like to be able to do now but it didn't mean it was easy to admit that to him. You'd been friends for a while now so you'd spent plenty of time together, just not intimately. Maybe if your were lucky, that'd change soon.

----

While there was a lull in sexual tension in the car, it came back with a vengeance when you got to the family home.

Cracker was having a harder time controlling himself than you and as soon as you were both out of the vehicle, he'd stopped you beside it for another, much shorter make out session. It only ended when you fell into giggles because of how eager he was. It was actually cute to see the man get so bent out of shape over you.

Once inside and among his siblings, he seemed to simmer down enough to behave for the most part but it wasn't enough to go unnoticed. Since up until now you'd only been acting as a stand in girlfriend, touch had been very limited. You'd only kissed around his family once and that was in front of his two sisters and besides that, you'd actually managed to get away without showing any kind of real affection around others. Now that Cracker was sure he was allowed to initiate more physical things, he didn't hesitate to touch you more.

It started out simple as the evening began, a kiss before dinner, a brush of his thigh against yours under the table, reaching out for your hand when you were both done with the meal, chatting with everyone else as you waited for them to finish. By the time you'd all made your way to the sitting room and Pudding was making rounds with a hat full of names, some of the siblings decided to bring it to attention.

"When did you two get so sweet?" Angel asked from across the room as she plucked a neatly folded slip of paper from the hat. She muttered a quick "Daifuku" to Peros so he could write down who she'd gotten before she, and many of the others in the room, focused on you two.

"Today I'd say." Peros chuckled. "I reminded our dear brother to be better about how he treats (Y/n) today."

Cracker let out a huff but didn't move his hand for your thigh. "We talked some things out, found some miscommunication, and took care of it. Don't make such a big deal out of it."

The death glares he received were enough to make you uncomfortable. While you may have gotten past the Halloween fiasco, his siblings hadn't.

"(Y/n), if you ever find another one of our brothers to be more accommodating for you, I'm sure they'd be more than happy to take you on a date." Custard offered.

There were a few snickers heard throughout the room as Cracker scowled.

"That's a nice offer," You suppressed a giggle and laid your hand over Cracker's in hopes of making him drop the look. "but I think I'm alright. We've got it all figured out."

"If you change your mind, I think you've got options." Pudding added as she stopped in front of you.

She gave Cracker a look as he went to pull out a name that made him stop so you could go first. As much as it sucked for him to be in the dog house with his family right now, you were definitely enjoying the positive attention from all of them. You were glad your dad had decided to bail on you for the holidays.

You sifted through the papers quickly and pulled one out. "Um, Kata?"

You didn't know anyone that went by that but a gruff grumble from Katakuri made you realize it was him.

"Oh, sorry, Katakuri." You felt a flush of embarrassment from calling him by what had to be the family nickname.

"Kata's fine." He said. "I wouldn't suggest calling me that at work though, I'm still your boss after all."

There was a collection of groans from the younger kids when they realized none of them would be the ones to get him a present this year. You'd heard about how popular he was with the kids and it was almost laughable.

"I got Prim." Cracker noted before lowering himself to whisper in your ear. "I'll help you find Katakuri something if you help me figure out what to get Prim."

The room had moved on to their own conversations and were no longer focused on you two, leaving you in your own little world as you shared a smile with him.

"Deal."

"Yessss." He was relieved to not have to struggle to figure out what to get her. She was one of the few sisters he didn't see as often and was clueless on what she liked. You were sure it'd be interesting to see what the both of you came up with.

Picking names ended fast and soon enough, some of the adults had pulled out the alcohol. The game like part of the night began and you soon understood why it was treated as such. As soon as Cracker had managed to get you some sort of fruity, mixed drink, he was pulled away by Amande who had picked you. She obviously planned on getting ideas from him. Not long after, Brulèe did the same with you as she'd drawn your boyfriend.

The funny part was, she was very close to him and already had half a dozen things in mind but wanted to see if you knew anything she didn't. You also had the sneaking suspicion she just wanted a chance to talk with you before he came back.

You don't know exactly when or how it happened. Maybe it was the alcohol that relaxed your body and mind or seeing that Cracker's family was there for you more than your own father was, but you couldn't help but notice how at home you felt among the chaos.

Someone had turned on music and it played through the mansion loud enough that everyone had to get close to hear each other, the younger kids ran through legs, screaming and shouting in excitement, it felt hotter than normal with so many bodies pushed close together. And yet, you were calm.

Cracker was still gone and you were at ease without his presence while you tried to hear Brulèe over the noise of the life surrounding you. In fact, you were easily the most relaxed you'd been in this moment than you had since first taking on your job.

You weren't sure how long you and Brulèe stood in the kitchen together but you were sure an ample amount of time had passed. Eventually, more people came around to join in on the conversation. Over time, someone would leave to be replaced by someone else as people came and went, mingling with one smaller group or another.

At some point, you noticed Brulèe had disappeared some time ago and you'd been talking with parts of the family that you'd only met long enough before to get their names. And you were still at ease.

Any time your glass was empty, someone would snatch it to fill it with something they thought you'd definitely like, or so they all said. You didn't mind, most of the time they were right.

Cracker wasn't joking when he said the gathering would last well into the night. The kids for the most part had gone to bed around midnight. Some of the adults had done the same, either retiring to their rooms in the home or going back to their own places if they had managed to refrain from drinking.

About another hour after that, you were about ready to call it a night yourself. You felt like more alcohol ran through your veins than blood at this point and were in a delightful, dizzy state as you managed to excuse yourself to go find your boyfriend.

He wasn't in the kitchen, you were sure of that, so you checked the next best place and to your delight, found him rather quickly. He was sitting with Brulèe and Angel on one of the couches in the living room, sandwiched between the two women. Angel was sound asleep, her head resting on her brother's shoulder. He and Brulèe on the other hand, were quietly talking, the music that was playing loudly before having been turned down to a much more muted volume.

You leaned over the back of the couch with a drunken hum. "Hiya guys."

Cracker reached back and ran his fingers through your hair. "Hey yourself. I'd say you look ready for bed."

"I am." You mumbled. The soothing feeling of his touch was lulling you into an even sleepier state and you were fighting to keep your eyes open.

"You two should head upstairs then." Brulèe said as she stood. "I'll take care of Angel."

"Thanks." Cracker waited for her to move Angle before standing and tipping back a glass you didn't see he was holding. The amber liquid in it slid down his throat and he let out a sigh as he placed it on a coffee table to be cleaned up later.

He took you by the hand and led you away, past the remainder of his siblings that were still going strong. When you had slowly made your way upstairs and stopped in front of his door, you caught his eye. Even in the state you were in, you could easily see how much he wanted you.

A slight, alcoholic flush adorned his face and neck and he licked his lips as the door swung inward. A few strands of hair fell in front of his eyes and in that moment, you knew you wanted the same thing he did. You'd spent hours with his family and it felt long overdue.

Sleep was going to have to wait a bit longer.