"On the 16th day of December, Santa gave to me, Two Blonde Newbies, a Gingerbread treat, a Shopping Trip, an Awkward Silence, a Lights Show, a Tree for Three, a Surprising Reveal, a Harsh Blow Back, and a Walk Through Lights."

December 16th

The amount of guilt that has consumed Noel over the course of three days was making him look worse for wear. All he could think about was the look of hurt and disappointment she gave him. His eyes wandered to her from behind the register.

She smiled, talking with an old couple by the window. For a split second their eyes met and she acted as if she hadn't seen anything at all. A moment later she walked away and over to him. "I need a black coffee and a hot chocolate to-go."

He blinked before writing it down, "Okay."

"Thanks." She whipped around and off to another table.

He closed his mouth from what he had wanted to say. Sighing, he handed the paper to his brother. "Thanks." Arthur smiled at him before starting on the drinks.

"Yeah." Noel sighed, leaning his elbow on the counter while setting his chin in his palm.

Arthur frowned hearing his twin sound so dejected. Usually he only heard him sound like that when he had to wrap gifts. "You know," Arthur glanced at his brother briefly before focusing back on the drinks, "maybe you should apologize. It may not mean much, but at least then she'd know you felt guilty."

Noel sighed, staring out the front door and at the light falling snow, "I've tried, but she won't give me a second to speak outside of asking me for something."

Arthur heard all about what happened when his brother had returned that night. He didn't agree with what his brother did, but he understood his curiosity. Arthur couldn't say for sure he wouldn't have done the same. Yuri was still very much a mystery. It can be frustrating trying to learn more when she barely opens up. But privacy was something one shouldn't cross.

"I know I shouldn't have done it." His eyes drooped, a yawn escaping him, "I just can't get her to listen to me.. I don't blame her either." A mix between a scoff and a chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, "What would father think of me now?"

"Sarcasm isn't gonna fix things." Arthur turned around, setting the to-go drinks in front of his brother, "You have to admire her resilience though."

Noel snorted, "Yeah, it's freaking fantastic!"

His brother patted his back, a grim look taking over his cheery smile, "Shall we abort the mission?"

"What?!" People glanced at them. The two smiled at them before turning back to each other. "Hell no!" Noel smacked his brother upside the head with a glare, "What're you crazy?"

Arthur stared wide-eyed at his brother, "Well, I just thought-"

"-You thought nothing, I'm not letting my bad decision cause us to abort. I'm gonna fix it, I promise." He glanced over his shoulder and saw Yuri making her way over, "I will fix it."

"These the drinks?" Yuri pointed to the two on the counter.

"Yeah." Noel nodded.

"Kay." She walked off with them in hand.

Noel slumped, leaning his forehead on the counter while wrapping his arms around the back of his head. Arthur chuckled, patting his back before going back to his previous duties. He's never seen his brother act so helpless. It reminded him that Noel may act confident- arrogant even -calm, and cool head, but under all the cool guy, his brother was still human and struggled to figure things out. Just like himself, Noel needed help sometimes too.

...

"Hey, can I show you something?"

Yuri looked up from zipping up her jacket and smiled, "Sure."

"Meet me by the door when you're done." Yuri nodded and Arthur smiled before disappearing down the hall. He waited patiently by the door, his finger fiddling with the zipper of his puffy jacket. His eyes wandered and lit up when Yuri came into view.

They stepped out, the cold making their noses and cheeks turn pink. After locking up, Yuri turned to Arthur with a smile. "What was it you wanted to show me?" She shivered and stuffed her hands in her pockets as her breath made fog.

He smiled down at her, his own hands fisting in his pockets, "Can it be a surprise?"

Her head tilted, a smile lifting the corner of her lips, "I wouldn't mind a surprise."

His smile grew into a grin, "You'll love it, I promise!"

"Imma hold you to it." She smiled as they started for whatever Arthur wanted to surprise her with.

They reached a bus stop and Yuri raised an eyebrow when they boarded the bus that could take them to the next small town over. Hearing the soft humming of 'White Christmas', Yuri glanced at the boy who sat next to her. His nose was close to the color of Rudolph's, which she found even more adorable given he wore a white knitted sweater with Rudolph on the front that had red around the collar and wrists on under his jacket. She had gotten an eye full the entire day. Remembering the festive sweater made a smile pull her cheeks.

"What are you doing?"

Arthur blinked at her question, hovering his finger over the glass window. "Drawing, wanna join me?" His smile was child-like with how big it was.

She tilted her head, reaching over him to draw presents under the tree he drew, "Shouldn't you be watching for our stop?"

He hummed, distracted by how close their hands were. The warmth coming off of her hand as it drew came in waves, and being in close proximity, it seeped into his chilly fingers, making them tingle. It made him think of when he had built a snowman without gloves- besides his mother's consistent pestering not to do so -and had had a nice hot mug of coco afterwards.

"Hey, you getting off?"

Both Arthur and Yuri looked at the bus-driver. He turned around in his seat to look at the only two people in the empty bus, "This is the second to last stop, so unless you wanna go to Evergreen, this is your stop."

"Sorry, thank you!" Arthur hurried Yuri and himself towards the doors.

"Yeah, yeah, merry Christmas." He opened the doors for them.

They stepped out and away from the bus as the doors closed. They watched it go. Then Yuri turned to Arthur with a raise of her brow, "Where to now?"

He smiled as he bowed slightly and offered her his hand, "If you will, m'lady."

"How ever kind." She placed her hand in his, holding back the chuckle that wanted to escape.

His smile widened as he stood up, threading their fingers as he did. Before she could think about the action, he placed their hands in his jacket pocket and started walking. A blush flushed her cheeks, but with the nipping cold, you couldn't tell the difference.

Clearing her throat, she inquired, "Can I have a hint?"

He glanced at her before looking ahead again, "I would, but I'm pretty sure anything I say will give it away."

"Hmm." She hummed, eyeing his side profile. His cheeks were as red as his nose, and his hair stuck up slightly from under the red beanie he wore. His humming of 'White Christmas' snapped her from her daze. She rolled her eyes, bumping her hip with his, "Is that the only song you know?"

His lips remained sealed as he continued humming, the only thing that changed was a more noticeable curve to his lips. She shook her head, a smile crawling onto her lips as they continued.

It wasn't but a ten minute walk before Yuri found herself gaping. The closer they grew, the more clear and vivid it became. Until they stood at the entrance and all she could do was stare.

"Am.. am I seeing this right?" She couldn't even tear her eyes from it to look at the smiling boy beside her.

"Are we standing in front of a walk-through lights display?" He glanced around before looking down at her, "I believe we are."

She squeezed his hand, which was soothingly warm, and looked at him with a soft smile, "I've always wanted to go to one of these."

His smile grew as he started forward, looking back at her as he spoke, "Then what're we standing around for?" Her giggle was the softest jingle he heard, softer than the bells on the sleigh he rode to get to her.

"Wow." She whispered as they walked through the path. Blue lights wrapped around trees to their highest points, white lit-up reindeer connected to a glowing red sleigh with Santa waving, blue and white snowflakes dangling from the arch they walked under so low that if she stood on her tippy-toes she could skim her fingers along them, and soft chiming playing through speakers somewhere out of sight. It felt like walking through a winter wonderland.

The more they walked the more colorful the lights became. They laughed at two elves that moved up and down, peeking over the snow ledge in front of them, and a Santa that was stuck in a chimney with his legs kicking back and forth. They smiled at Santa's toy shop, where you could lean over and see elves moving around. When they arrived at the penguins riding around in a train, waving their flippers up and down, they awed.

"It kinda reminds me of 'The Polar Express'." She pointed at the train and smiled.

Arthur tilted his head. "Is it a train or..." He trailed off when she gave him a dumbfounded look.

She shook her head before furrowing her eyebrows at the boy, "Do you watch any Christmas movies?"

"We watch the ten Christmas classics and we watch the 'Miracle on 34th Street' every year- oh and we watched 'A Christmas Carol' last year!" His smile was so sweet and pure that she didn't want to say anything, but she needed to know.

"What year?"

"1984."

She closed her eyes while pressing her lips together. When she opened them, she licked her lips, "So you're saying besides those short films and movies, you haven't seen anything Christmas related?" He shook his head with a flickering smile. "Then what have you been doing at Mrs. Marsh's house? Doesn't she have cable?"

"We, huh.." He gave a sheepish smile, "..forgot how to work it."

Her shoulders sagged, "You know, it really saddens me that you haven't watched 'Arthur Christmas' given you're like the walking embodiment of Arthur- besides being a klutz, you're very aware of your surroundings. You guys even share the same name!"

He chuckled nervously, "Thanks, and I'm sorry? I would watch it with you if I could-" Her eyes lit up, "-but I don't know where to find it."

She shook her head with a smile so large her lips cracked, "Forget about it, I'll be your own personal movie buddy. I'll show you the classics, the animated, the comedy, and the romance. Do not fear, for I will show you it all."

A smile pulled his lips as he looked down at her. He couldn't for the life of him stop smiling around her. His cheeks were beginning to ache, and that's never happened to him before.

"So, how exactly are we getting back?" His eyebrows furrowed at her. She pointed her thumb over her shoulder, "We took the last bus to get here."

"Oh.." He blinked. "I.. I don't know."

She smiled, starting to walk away, this time him having to follow her since their hands were still intertwined. "Come on, I know a way." She shot a smile over her shoulder at him and he felt his heart stutter. The breath he took in, escaped him. The whole way, he followed her in shock, his eyes never once leaving her.

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Arthur never fails to bring a smile to my lips- oh, and I did create him after the Arthur in Arthur Christmas XD I love that movie and I love Arthur so much that I couldn't help it when I decided to write this to put him in one of the twins. The Arthur in my book I think is a lot more chilled out in a sense than the animated one, but they have the same cheery, Christmas loving, festive sweater wearing personality traits 😁

I love watching the 'Christmas Light Fight' and I really wanna go to a drive through display this year, so I threw my hopes in this chapter XD It's just so pretty *sighs*

The chapters are gonna be longer from here on out but I'll update when I have any chapters done.
Merry Christmas!

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