"On the 11th 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, and a Surprising Reveal."

December 11th

Yuri was excited for the day to end. She was moving from the kitchen to the counter and then to the customers. Yesterday it was such a hassle to get the tree they- more like she -picked out inside the shop, they just leaned it up against the wall in the back room and decided they'd decorate it after work today.

The twins could tell she was excited and maybe just the slightest bit inpatient. She would tap a single finger nail on the counter when she was standing next to Arthur, and would move her foot back and forth on the toe of her shoe when she was leaning next to Noel. They both thought she had warmed up to them incredibly, and- whether or not Noel admitted it -they were happy about that.

"The day could not have been more dragged out." Yuri slumped against the door she just locked.

The corner of Noel's lips twitched up as he cleaned a table, "It wasn't that long."

She huffed, "It was for me, I'm ready to throw all my pent up Christmas spirit on that tree." She smiled and pushed herself off the door to lean against the counter on her forearms. Arthur copied her actions on the other side of the counter. Noel tossed the rag he was using in the sink then copied their position beside Arthur.

She pursed her lips, looking between the two. Arthur smiled. Noel raised an eyebrow.

"So.." She moved her finger between the two, "you two are gonna bring the tree out now."

"Aren't you gonna help?" Noel's eyebrow stayed raised.

She frowned and started waving at her eyes as if she was trying to stop herself from crying, "Oh, I wish I could! But my arms are noodles." She demonstrated for them. Picked up a napkin and whimpered when she lifted it barely an inch. "See! I can't even pick up a simple napkin." She fake sobbed, peeking through her fingers that rested over her eyes at them.

The two glanced at each other then back at the worst actor they'd ever seen. "Fine, but you get to take the Christmas boxes we brought this morning out from the break room." Neither said anything about seeing her carry a whole platter of heavy glass mugs twice earlier.

"Deal!" She gave them a closed lipped smile.

She helped direct them with the tree down the hallway and onto the stand they set up in the front. They helped her bring boxes from the back room and set them around the tree.

"My back.." Arthur groaned while standing up.

Noel rolled his eyes while setting the last box on another, "I've told you countless times you use your back when you need to use your legs." Noel turned to him with his hands on his hips.

Arthur rubbed his lower back with a grimace, "Can you just get it over with."

Shaking his head, Noel walked over and felt his brother's lower back. When Arthur hissed he pushed hard with his thumbs and moved them around the area to ease the ache. Arthur sighed and slumped as Noel pushed the pain away.

Yuri watched with a small smile- to which she was oblivious to. She thought it was a really sweet moment between siblings. An ache ran through her heart as she watched them. It reminded her of just how alone she was.

...was...

She bit her cheek and stared at the open box she was crouched in front of. Was. Past tense, not present. She looked at the brothers from the corner of her eye. Was it them? It had to be. They're the only new thing in her life. But what does that mean? Were they friends? She hadn't thought of them as such until now. Was she okay with being friends with them? They are going to leave.. she just didn't know when...

Question after question mixed with confusion plagued her mind. So much so, that she didn't hear Noel calling her name until his face was hands length away.

"Yuri?" He tilted his head.

She blinked and a pink hue flitted across her cheeks. With his head tilted, his hair tilting to the left, and his eyes more like a puddle of blue water than ice sickles, she couldn't help but think he was cute. Really cute..

"You okay?" He snapped his fingers, successfully snapping her out of a temporary trance.

"Yeah! Yeah?" She swallowed and gave him a somewhat forced smile.

His eyebrow raised- she realized that, that was his thing. Raised eyebrows there and here- Oh! Right over there too. It was his signature, and she wanted to smile at the little fact. "Do you know where the lights are?"

"Yes! That I do know." She muttered. Standing up, she grabbed the box she had placed on the floor and deposited it in the boy's arms. "There, it has colored, white, and snowflake lights."

"Thanks.." Noel watched from the corner of his eyes as he walked to his brother.

"Ooo!" Arthur automatically took the box away from him without thinking, too consumed in the lights.

Noel didn't care. Decorating has always been more up his brother's ally than his own. He was more worried about Yuri. She started acting weird all of a sudden- maybe he's just overthinking it. He did do that a lot. Like yesterday or the night she took him to see the lights. The same questions popped up. Was this worth it? He didn't want to hurt her when he and his brother had to leave. Why does his heart ache when he thinks about leaving her? At first he was ready to get it over with and go home. Now. He was torn between missing his mom and wanting to hug her, and not wanting to leave Yuri alone. He read all her letters. She doesn't deserve nor does he want her to be alone anymore.

"-what do you think?" Arthur looked at his brother.

"Oh, uh, sounds good." He gave him a thumbs up, completely lost.

"Yeah, I guess, but I really like the blue and white snowflake lights." His lips pursed.

Noel scratched above his eyebrow, "Maybe it'd look better with them."

Arthur beamed, "You're right!" He started to take out the lights. "Thanks, you help me see the light." He snickered at his own pun.

"Mhm." Noel nodded, surprised he got out of that so smoothly.

Together all three of them strung lights, put hooks on ornaments, and hung them. They laughed and yelled when Noel or Yuri dropped a glass ornament.

"Yuri!" Arthur fixed her with a stern look.

"What! I didn't know it was glass!"

"Noel!" Arthur looked at him bewildered. "You should know better, you were taught better!"

Noel glared at him, a frown pulling his lips, "What are you? My mom?"

All fun and games until they stepped back and looked at their art piece. Arthur drilled his eyes all over, trying to find any imperfection. Noel nodded, looks better than he thought it would. Yuri tilted her head, running her eyes up and down it.

"It's missing something.."

Arthur nodded, "It is."

Noel looked from one side to the other, trying to get some clarification to what they could see but he couldn't.

"But what is it?" Yuri tapped her chin.

"Hmm." Arthur squinted at it.

Noel stopped looking at them and instead studied the tree. The lights were working. None of the ornaments were sticking out weirdly. Then his eyes reached the top of the tree. "It's missing an angel."

The other two's heads snapped up and they blinked.

"It is.. Oh! I forgot- wait right here!" Yuri ran down the hall and into the break room. She unzipped her backpack, tossed her notebook on the couch and grabbed the only thing she ever got as a Christmas present that she held dear. Once finished making sure it was okay, she booked it back out to the twins.

"This-" She stepped in front of the tree and unwrapped the bag around it. "-is my most prized possession." She ran a gentle finger over the cheeks.

Both boys peeked over her shoulder, which wasn't hard because they were taller than her. In her hands was a beautiful angel with a broken wing. The brothers looked at each other over her head. The broken angel again.

"A nice old man used to live next door to me. He made all kinds of things. Watches, clocks, wax stampers, clothes, stuffed animals, and tree toppers." She gave both of them a sad smile, "I think he took pity on me, so he always offered to make me things." She smiled down at the angel in her hands, lightly touching the broken wing. "I always refused, saying 'I just wanna talk'. It wasn't until I hit twelve that he made me take a gift." She chuckled, setting the angel on the counter. "'I'm sick and tired of you not wanting anything, you are gonna take this, no is not an option!'" She deepened her voice comically.

"It was the angel, I was surprised that it had a broken wing and asked him why he did that. He never gave me a direct answer, always said something along the lines of you'll know when you're older. Then before he got married and moved away he gave me a wax stamper with the broken angel." She dragged a chair over to the tree. Standing on top of it, she smiled down at the two, "Can one of you bring me it?" She pointed to the counter.

Arthur hurriedly went over and with a feather light touch picked it up and brought it to her. Noel stared at her.

"Thank you." She gave him a smile and set out to put the angel on top of the tree. Once she knew it was secure, she plugged it in. She smiled at it and looked down at the twin contradiction, "I think the angel with the broken wing represents me. He saw me as an angel who had a broken wing and couldn't fly home, bound to earth and the people who were on it."

She got down and stood between the two. They glanced down at her and wrapped an arm around her. Noel's around her shoulders and Arthur's on top of his. Her hands raised and her fingers threaded through theirs. They all looked up at the angel.

It was lit up everywhere. The broken wing shining brighter than the perfect one.

Yuri looked from one boy to the other in the corner of her eye. A soft smile lifted her lips as she looked back at her angel.

She was happy. Really, really happy.

_________________________________________

How do you feel? I'm happy that she felt she could share XD

Merry- late -Christmas!! And happy New Year's Eve and New Year's!!

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