I am so, so sorry for the late update everyone!!! And also sorry that it's not the chapter that was voted on :( I figured it would be nice to have a little Christmas bonus on Christmas day as well as the usual update, but I got really sick and didn't have a good opportunity to get any writing done.

I seriously meant to upload two chapters this week and I completely hate myself for not being able to do it, sick or not. :( But thank you to everyone that's been so nice about it, and I hope the rest of you can forgive me as well <3 and don't worry, I have every intention of uploading the next chapter on schedule!

So, dedication (and thanks) to @Chatoevia for the awesome idea of a Christmas chapter, because I'm apparently too stupid to think of the idea myself XD And sorry for the long intro...it's 4 a.m. ...I hope it's good XD let's get on with the story!

"What's your favorite Christmas movie?"

"What?" Oswald looked up, startled out of his work.

Ed smiled and asked cheerily, "What is your favorite movie to watch on Christmas?"

The question, truthfully, caught Oswald by surprise. "I'm not really sure, Ed, what is yours?"

Ed shook his head, "No, I really want to know your favorite. Think hard. Give me a full list if you have to, I just need to know."

"I guess I've never really thought about it," Oswald answered honestly, trying to give the question some thought. "When I was younger I always had a bit of a fascination with Frosty the Snowman...but I guess as I grew older I started to like Miracle on 34th Street more. Does...that answer your question?"

"Perfectly," Ed said. "I'll see you tomorrow night then."

"Tomorrow night?" Oswald asked, surprised.

Ed frowned slightly. "On Christmas Eve. Tomorrow."

"Christmas Eve...already?" Oswald's eyes widened. When she was alive, his mother had always given him months of notice before the holidays, even long after he was a grown man, of course. He realized with a pang that last year, after her death, he had missed Christmas entirely. Was it when he was in Arkham? Or when he had gone to live with his father? He couldn't even be sure.

Then Oswald looked up. "Were you planning for us to spend the day together?"

Edward blushed slightly, a rare but good look on him. Then he said, "Well I was hoping we could...but of course if you have other plans or don't want to for whatever reason it's perfectly fine if-"

"No, of course, I would love to spend Christmas with you!" Oswald announced pleasantly, standing up quickly. "I just...wasn't expecting this at all."

"So...I will be seeing you tomorrow?"

"Of course," Oswald assured with a giddy smile.

~?

It was ultimately decided that they would spent the evening together, and then Christmas Day as well, but that left a big opening on Christmas Eve where Oswald had virtually nothing to occupy his time. It was surprisingly difficult to keep himself occupied, and that only gave him more of a chance to think of his mother.

If she were still alive, she would be spoiling him rotten with everything he could ever wish for-that was within her ability to grant him, of course. All of his favorite presents, his favorite meals, his favorite movies...they didn't have much, but on the holidays they could afford to splurge just a little bit, enough to satisfy the basic requests of a boy who didn't expect much. And he had relatively small dreams when he was younger. Santa Claus could always deliver exactly what he asked for.

And suddenly his thoughts turned to Kristen Kringle. Maybe it was a bit odd to feel jealous of Santa Claus...and yet Oswald couldn't help himself. Ed's past obsession with a woman named Kristen Kringle could hardly be ignored, not in his morose state of mind. What were the odds? Was Ed thinking about her, missing her, even as he arranged to spend the day with Oswald? Was he wishing she was still alive, so he could spend this time with her instead?

With each passing moment Oswald continued to torture himself more and more over these questions. He grew bitterer with every second that he merely sat alone in his chair facing the fireplace, feeling the heat on his slightly reddened cheeks. It didn't help that a bottle of whiskey was placed so perfectly on the mantle, right in his line of sight. It was terribly tempting to get drunk to forget everything that was bothering him.

Luckily, Ed happened to show up before he worked up the will to reach for it. The man walked into the room with a proud, too-happy smile, completely giddy with excitement thinking about their plans.

But when he saw Oswald's posture his smile dropped.

"What took you so long?" Oswald asked simply. He wasn't sure if the venom in his voice was really there, or if he had just imagined it. He didn't even bother to turn his head to look at him.

"I-I was getting things ready, Oswald are you okay, have you been crying?"

"No."

"But...your eyes are red, and you sound a bit choked up," Ed reasoned.

"I was on the verge of tears, there is a difference," Oswald said in an accusatory tone.

Edward gave him a concerned look and knelt beside the chair as he asked, "Oswald, what's wrong?"

"Do you miss her?" Oswald asked, gazing into the fire with fake interest. "Do you still love her?"

Ed's brow furrowed in confusion. "Who?"

"Kringle."

There was a pause, and then Edward smiled. "Don't be ridiculous. Even if she was still alive, there is no one I would rather spend the holidays with. I love you, Oswald, not her."

Finally Oswald glanced up, and he was just in time to see Ed leaning in close. He didn't move at first, but as Nygma came closer he let out a small sigh and leaned in to kiss him. The feel of Ed's warm lips on his instantly melted his resolve and convinced him of the truth; that Ed was his, and he was Ed's. One of his lover's hands reached up and touched Oswald's cheek affectionately before pulling them apart. By then, Oswald was blushing. Of course he was being completely foolish.

"You know, I don't think I know of anyone with such an intense hatred of Santa Claus," Ed pointed out teasingly, to ease the situation a bit. "At least not anyone real; I can certainly think of some instances from some of the movies we have lined up. At least in Santa Claus is Coming to Town Kringle seemed to get along pretty well with the Penguin."

At that, Oswald smiled. "Who would you be in that scenario then? Or in any Christmas movie?"

"Come with me and we can find out!" Ed said happily as he stood, taking Oswald's hand and leading him away.

~?

A short while later Oswald was snuggled up in Edward's bed wearing new pajamas; they were green and covered with little penguins. It seemed ridiculous, and yet oddly pleasant at the same time. Unfortunately, Ed said he couldn't open up any of his other presents until Christmas morning...it felt so childish, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't enjoying it.

Not long after he was settled, Edward entered the room wearing matching pajamas, and carrying two steaming mugs of hot cocoa. He handed one of the mugs to Oswald, and then set his own on the nightstand before climbing into the bed beside him.

"Thank you," Oswald said shyly, still a bit embarrassed that he had been so jealous before.

"Of course," Ed answered as he flipped on the T.V. and Miracle on 34th Street started playing.

Oswald's blush intensified as he watched, and he sipped the scalding liquid in his mug as he began to relive the oddly distant memories of past years. Before long he had finished the hot chocolate, so he set the mug on the table and snuggled up closer to Ed under the blankets, resting a hand on the man's chest. And all the while Edward talked endlessly about his thoughts on the movie. Oswald found it humorous, honestly. He just listened as Ed pointed out a fact here or there, or criticize it there.

Near the end of the movie Ed grew increasingly disturbed. "I don't see why the court would accept the mail as proof that Kris is really Santa Claus. The judicial system frequently overrules cases involving the federal government's decisions, especially in matters like this. If it's truly such a controversial decision, I should think there should be a trial for the man that made the ultimate decision to send the mail in the first place, since it's obviously a violation of several laws pertaining to the postal service. Perhaps it isn't that big of a deal, but if it holds sway in a court case it clearly calls the validity of the decision into question."

"Falalalala, lalalala," Oswald said in response as he rubbed Ed's chest affectionately and chuckled. Edward gave a sheepish smile and kissed the top of his head.

Neither of them could have imagined a better way to spend Christmas.

Again, thanks everyone for being so patient and kind about this! And in case you were wondering, the vote is the same as last week's, so feel free to leave a comment there, or let me know what you want to see next in the comments below. And don't be afraid to leave votes well after the week is done, I always bring old votes into consideration as well! (And don't forget to send me ideas for one-shots, I could always use more, and as you can see I always give credit ^-^)

So with that, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Happy Kwanzaa, and happy New Years!