"Don't buy me nothing 'cause I am feeling one thing, your lips on my lips. That's a merry, merry Christmas."

~Mistletoe by Justin Bieber~

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A/N: Okay, okay, so I really wanted to do some kind of short Christmas special chapter because I'm still delayed on regular updates because I've been sick.

First of all, Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays or whatever you celebrate, if you do.

Secondly, there are a few things that may seem "inaccurate" in this little 1,000 word chapter. A: "Moskowitz" lends itself to a Jewish background, but I know I couldn't write an authentic Hannukah experience as someone who was raised Christian. So, I hope you understand. B: This chapter is between episodes eight and nine of season one, but the timeline there is iffy overall from when winter and spring are so just go with this haha.

Thirdly, remember that at this point: Z and Eli haven't said "I love you" or announced their relationship directly or been super intimate, Z hasn't seen Robby again, the first tournament hasn't happened, and her mom kicked her out only a couple months ago.

Elion in the beginning was so pure, though, so here's my gift to you.

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"Z, you ready?" Eli peeks into my room. "Wow."

I turn from the mirror, "Almost. Sorry." I finish putting my earrings on. 

"You look so hot," he tells me. 

I smile, "You look handsome, too." He really is dressed up nice, and his mohawk is down for tonight per his mom's request.

"I feel weird," he says.

I walk over to him and brush the hair out of his face, "Remember that your hair doesn't define you."

"Whatever," Hawk rests his hands on my waist. 

"You know I kind of like it like this," I grin up at him.

"Thanks," he says softly. "I don't wanna go to this stupid service."

"Your mom said you enjoy the Christmas Eve service every year," I remind him.

"Yeah, the old me. The new me doesn't want to sit through some boring thing when we could be partying."

"Everyone else is going to church, too, remember? Miguel, Aisha-"

"Demetri, yeah, yeah," he frowns. "I wish we were all at least going to the same church."

"It's going to be okay." I gently peck his lips for reassurance.

"Well, are you sure you're okay with this?" he wonders.

"Yeah, it's okay. Your mom seemed excited," I shrug.

"You said you're not religious, though, right?"

"Hawk," I level with him, "I'm doing something nice with you and your mom after a couple months of you letting me stay with you. This is the least I could do." He frowns. "Besides, I'm only attending, not converting."

I've never had a real experience with religion, at least not one that counted. My parents never engaged in religious activities, and I was only exposed through the school system. I like celebrating Christmas, but I don't really care about the whole story of it all. 

"Okay," he sighs.

"It's okay to be excited, too," I take his hand and lead him downstairs.

"Oh, you look adorable," Mrs. Moskowitz grins.

She bought me a red velvet dress with short sleeves and a knee-length flowy skirt. I'm going to wear it with my black boots and black jacket. I hope it's conservative enough for this church. 

"Mom," Hawk rolls his eyes when she's not looking.

"We should get going. We're going to be late," she grabs her things.

We walk out the door. 

Eli's parents are together, but his dad is always away on business. So, this holiday season it's just us three. I think Eli's mom is happy I'm here. At least, I hope so. I feel like a burden all the time. 

Eli's dad was raised Jewish, but he married a Christian woman. So, Eli was raised in a household of both. We briefly went over Hannukah traditions, but Mrs. Moskowitz has decided that Christmas takes precedence this December. I don't really care. I just feel badly that she's spending more money on dresses and presents for me. I know Eli is pretty well-to-do, but my mom never went to this extent for me these past few years.

I hold Eli's hand nervously the whole ride there. I don't know what to expect.

The parking lot is crowded as we find a spot. The church is huge. I think the sign said First United Methodist Church. 

We pass lots of older couples on our way up to the sanctuary. I'm a little overwhelmed by all the happy children running around in their nice outfits. And, I'm feeling a little self-concious. Between my purple hair and my lack of knowledge of Christianity I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb.

"Barbara, how are you?" Mrs. Moskowitz stops on her way to find a seat.

An older lady with a walker and a kind smile replies, "I'm good, Ellen. My back is almost fully healed. How are you? Oh." She looks at me, "And who is this?"

"This is Zion," Mrs. Moskowitz ushers me forward. I'm taken aback by the use of my real name.

Barbara extends her hand, and I shake it nervously.

"She's Eli's girlfriend." 

"Nice to meet you," I say politely.

"Nice to meet you, too, Zion. And, oh, Eli," Barbara turns to him, "you look so grown up."

"Thanks," he says softly.

"Hey, Eli," some man brushes past Hawk as Mrs. Moskowitz and Barbara continue talking.

Hawk turns to me, "That's Pastor Morrison."

"Oh," I nod. I try to focus on the pretty decor: gold, silver, red, poinsettias, and crosses. The stained glass windows in here are pretty, too. 

"Joanna," Mrs. Moskowitz moves on to talk to another lady.

I glance at Hawk hesitantly. 

"Yeah, she might take a while..." he admits. "Do you want to get some hot cocoa?"

"They have that here?" I ask.

"Sure. Come on," he takes my hand and leads me through the sea of people.

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"Hey, hey, hey," a voice pesters me awake while tapping on my cheek.

My eyes flutter open and I pull Hawk's hand away from my face, "What?"

"Merry Christmas," he lays on his side next to me. His mohawk is fully done already.

"Merry Christmas," I yawn as I sit up. 

"I think my mom is awake if you want to open presents now," he grins. 

"Okay," I nod. "I think I need coffee."

"Sure," he gets out of bed and puts his pants and a shirt on. 

I roll off of his bed to change into pants rather than shorts.

"Also, heads up," Hawk throws me a brush, "Mom takes pictures after every present."

"Oh," I say as I brush out my bedhead as best I can. 

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I sit with my coffee on the couch as Hawk delivers his next present for me. Mrs. Moskowitz and him smile excitedly. I already feel so guilty because I was only able to get $40 out of my savings for their gifts. Black Friday helped, I guess, but it was still rough.

"What do you think it is?" Hawk encourages me to guess.

I shake the present gently, "I have no idea."

Hawk shares a knowing grin with his mom. I love how excited he gets.

I unwrap the box to reveal another box. I flip it over and see a phone case with snakes all over it.

"I saw that your old one was getting beat up," he says.

I smile, "You're so thoughtful."

"Eli has always had a knack for gift giving," Mrs. Moskowitz says proudly. "He'd bring me shiny rocks he found as a kid in the park."

"Okay, Mom," he tries to act tough.

"That's sweet," I place my hand on his. "Thank you for everything, Eli."

His cheeks turn slightly pink when I say his name. I wish I could kiss him right now, but something tells me that doing it in front of his mom isn't a good idea.

Instead, he gets up and grabs his mom's next gift. 

"Smile, Zion," Mrs. Moskowitz uses her iPhone to take a picture of me as I awkwardly hold up the box.

Then, I look at my pile of gifts in comparison to my two I gave him. I know he told me he wasn't expecting much, but I really feel badly. I want him to feel appreciated and loved. If presents are his love language, I worry that I'm not enough.

His mom gets up to put the ornament he got her on the tree. He sits back on the couch with me.

"What?" he asks me.

"Nothing."

"Seriously, what?"

"I just... I hope you know how thankful I am for you," I say, my voice low. I feel like charity or something.

"This is what you do when you... care about someone," Hawk tells me. 

I try not to overthink what he might have wanted to say instead of "care." But, I feel it, too.

"Look, you gave me a chance. You wanted to be friends with me. Eli. Then, I became Hawk and you have become so much more to me than a friend."

I note that he still doesn't say it outloud. Instead, he hugs me like he always does in lieu of words.

In some ways I think my love language is touch. Or, maybe it's his. Regardless, this hug feels so special and sweet. 

I let down my guard and get emotional for a second. Just for a second. I take in a breath and pull out of the hug with a slight smile.

"Thank you both for my gifts," Mrs. Moskowitz comes back over and expects some hugs.

I hug her awkwardly. It's still hard for me to get over her being better and different than my mom. I feel like I'm still walking on eggshells even though she's given me no reason to think that.

"Eli, you can watch your movie now if you want to," she pulls out of her hug with him with a warm smile. "Just clean up any snacks you make, okay?"

"Okay, Mom," he smiles. Sweet Eli is definitely still present underneath the Hawk persona. Sometimes it's a good reminder.

"What movie?" I ask as she walks upstairs.

"Well, I thought we could watch a superhero Christmas movie?" he suggests.

"Iron Man 2?" I ask, remembering the debate he and Demetri had with Miguel over it being a Christmas movie a week ago. 

"Maybe...?" he looks at me nervously.

"Okay. I'll start cleaning up the wrapping paper," I decide as I walk to the kitchen for a trash bag.

"I'll make popcorn," he races by me.

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We're on the second movie in our marathon: It's A Wonderful Life.

I suggested it because I thought it would be nostalgic and happy. I loved this movie as a kid. It reminds me of a good time when me and my parents would just sit around the TV with no drama.

Instead, I find myself trying not to cry and think about what I've lost this year.

I had a weird summer romance that ended as quickly as it began. Then, my dad died. Then, we moved away from my school and my friends and my home. Then, I became hated by my new school for existing. Then, my mom kicked me out. 

But, I try to focus on the good and my new friend group. Eli is my boyfriend. Miguel is my best friend. Aisha and I are becoming closer. And, well, Demetri is okay. I'm hoping he'll grow on me.

Mrs. Moskowitz was so nice to take me in and let me stay. I'm safe from my mom, at least for now. I've joined karate and developed a sense of confidence that's been gone for a while. 

Maybe the new year will be better. I hope.

I look at Hawk as he focuses on the movie. I curl up closer to him on the couch. His hand moves from my lower back to play with my hair. I really, really could get used to this.

"Merry Christmas, Eli," I trace his hand as it rests on his thigh. Then, I bring it into mine and squeeze it.

"Merry Christmas, Zion."

I hope I never lose him.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed reading this one!