"On the sixth day of December, Santa gave to me, Two Blonde Newbies and a Gingerbread treat!"

December 6th

Yuri Lawson. Out of many words, quiet and reserved are the two that stick to her. She doesn't do it on purpose, she can't help it. But she wasn't shy- not a whole lot anyways -but people just tend to pass by her. Never take a seat and start a conversation.

So excuse her for jumping when somebody does sit beside her at the table tucked away in the corner. Looking up from her notebook, she was surprised to see the walking epitome of the Grinch sitting across from her.

"Noel." She went back to her notebook.

She didn't know him long, not at all really, but every time he looked at a Christmas decoration his shoulders slouched forward and every time a Christmas classic played through the overhead speakers, he'd roll his eyes and turn away from her view.

"Yuri." She glanced up when he didn't continue. He was looking at her notebook.

She swallowed and closed it. After stuffing it in her backpack she started for the backroom with said backpack in hand. He didn't follow her.

She left her bag on the couch and walked to the kitchen. There she found Mrs. Marsh writing something down at the metal island. "Mrs. Marsh?"

The old woman jumped, placing a hand over her heart, "Oh holy baby Jesus! You mustn't scare me like that, you'll give an old woman a heart attack."

"Sorry." Yuri smiled sheepishly.

"It's quite alright dear, since you're here, come have a look at this." Following the old woman's demand, she rounded the counter and stood beside her, looking at the list that was written down neatly.

Lightly moving the piece of paper closer to her, she read aloud, "One gingerbread house, a new peppermint hot chocolate, fruitcake, cinnamon bundt cake, and.. does that say what I think it does?"

"What?" Linda moved the piece of paper closer to her. "Which one?"

After pointing to it, Marsh laughed, "Oh, yes, dear. It does."

Yuri looked at it again with her eyebrows furrowed, "Why do we need to get mistletoe's? What if a brother and sister walk under it?"

"Don't be a Grinch." Linda waved dismissively before handing her the list, "I'm leaving tomorrow, so I made this list of things I want done while I'm gone. You can get started on the gingerbread house after we close- speaking of which," She looked at the watch on her wrist, "you got fifteen minutes before we open." Then she started walking towards the door.

"I'm glad you found your glasses, Mrs. Marsh." Yuri gave her a small smile.

Linda looked over her shoulder at the young lass, "Thank you, I found them in my coat pocket, I need to check there more often."

Yuri giggled as the old woman left. Mrs. Marsh always misplaces her glasses, and usually finds them in her jacket pocket or in her desk drawer.

A second passed and Yuri stretched her arms before shaking her body, trying to get rid of any nervousness she had from last night. She had worried about her new coworkers most of the night. Taking care of the shop by herself was one thing, but adding two non-experienced boys to the mix was another.

She took a deep breath before sticking her head out the kitchen door. "Noel, can you please come to the kitchen!" She raised her voice enough he'd hear, but not enough to call it a yell.

As she turned back to the kitchen, she got a glimpse of his twin walking into the cafe. Why is he late? All employees must arrive an hour or two before opening to help prepare for the day. She shook her head a second later. Doesn't matter.

"You called for me?" Noel asked, walking in as she pulled a tray of cookies off the metal rack.

"Oh." She set the tray on the metal island and walked to the refrigerator. She walked back to the cookies with three bowels in her hands, "Red, white, and green."

Noel nodded, walking over and peeking into the bowels, "Icing for the cookies?"

She nodded curtly, "I'll decorate three so you can copy them."

"Okay."

There were three different shapes and two flavors of the cookies. A Christmas tree (sugar cookie), an ornament (sugar cookie), and a gingerbread man (gingerbread). She iced the tree green with red and white dots scattered. The ornament was red with a white lace design towards the top. The gingerbread man was simple and classic, like the one from Shrek.

"Here," She handed him the green icing bag. "Now repeat what I did."

He did with precision. He handed the cookie to her for inspection. She stared at it and then glanced down at hers. It came out better than hers! "It's good enough." She set the cookie down and started for the door, still reeling from his cookie. He had blended the icing perfectly and instead of random dots, he made it look like lights.

"Am I supposed to do the rest by myself?"

She looked over her shoulder as she pushed the door open, "That's the idea."

Noel blinked a couple times. Then turned back to the cookies with furrowed brows, "I thought this would be easier." Shaking his head, he started on the icing of a dozen cookies.

Walking out into the general area she found Arthur looking at their coffee machine with a raised eyebrow. "You're on hot cocoa duty."

"What?" His head whipped to her.

"I said you are on hot chocolate duty." She walked over and gently reached around him to grab their cocoa mix. Arthur swallowed and backed up. He was not used to girls. At. All. She raised her eyebrows at him, but didn't say anything about it.

"Watch me, and then you'll make it, okay?" He nodded.

"Good." She nodded, taking the lid off their mixture. "You need to heat the water first and never let it get empty." She grabbed one of the coffee pots and filled it with the tap that's situated beside their coffee makers. Then she set it back in place and clicked classic. "While it warms you place two scoops of cocoa powder into a cup- if they're staying it goes into a glass mug, if not, then in a paper cup."

She grabbed a paper cup and showed him where the glass ones sat. After pouring in the powder she grabbed a bottle labeled 'Peppermint', "If they ask to have peppermint then you place a teaspoon of this in there." She showed him the bottle before grabbing the measuring spoon they keep in a to-go cup by the bottle. A beeping went off, letting them know the water was done.

"You fill it to the line right there and stir. " She pointed at the inside of the cup and then poured in the hot water. After stirring she grabbed the whipped bottle from the mini fridge below the coffee machines. "You spray whip topping and sprinkle cinnamon on top." She grabbed the shaker by the peppermint bottle and sprinkled lightly. Then she showed him the lids for the to-go cups and placed one on her cup.

"Here." She handed it to him to drink.

"Thank you." He smiled at her, his teeth showing as he accepted it from her hands. He sipped it and smiled at the warm sensation that filled his chest. "It tastes like my mom's."

Yuri looked away, "Now you make it."

"Okay." He nodded determinedly and got to work. He worked quicker than she did and when he handed her the drink to taste it, her eyes widened. She looked down at the drink and then at the boy before her. How could he make it taste better and like she was trying it for the first time when she's had it countless times before? "How is it? Bad?" He looked worried.

She took another sip, turning away, "It'll do." He visibly relaxed. "We're opening, so put this on." She handed him a green apron and started for the front door, they already had some people waiting outside the door in the cold.

"Please, come in." She greeted the customers with a warm smile as she pushed the door open for them.

Arthur watched with curiosity. He hadn't seen her smile like that. All the smiles he saw were forced or uncomfortable. Then again, you wouldn't want to scare away customers.

With all the hustle and bustle that Yuri did, running to check how many cookies they had up front, making sure everybody had their orders, bringing them their drinks, and constantly making different drinks, Arthur didn't have a chance to just talk with her. When Noel came out with a tray of finished cookies, Yuri grabbed the red apron from the corner behind the counter and slipped the neck band over his head as she took the tray.

"Gotta keep up appearances." She explained when his eyebrows shot up.

...

"Thank you for coming!" She waved before locking the door. Sighing, she slumped in the closet chair and rested her right ankle on her left thigh, "That's a wrap."

"Wow." Arthur took a seat across from her. "You work fast."

She hummed rolling her ankle, "I gotta keep moving or I get tired."

"You make me seem lazy." Noel commented behind the register.

"You are lazy." Noel shot Arthur a glare. Arthur looked away mumbling, "It's true."

She snickered, covering it with a cough when Noel raised an eyebrow at her. As she shifted she heard a crinkle and reached into her back pocket. Producing the list from earlier, she cursed, "Crap." Her head hit the table loudly.

"Are you okay?" Arthur moved some of her hair behind her ear to look at her better. She turned her head and stared at him. His hand slowly retracted.

Sighing, she stood up and called over her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen, "You two get to help me make a gingerbread house, what fun!" She waved her hands pathetically as she pushed the kitchen door open with her back, letting the two polar opposites in before her.

Arthur spoke while walking to the built-in freezer, "Why isn't it fun?"

"Because, I got handed this list first thing in the morning without warning and our candy selection is limited." Yuri started pulling out ingredients for the icing. "Look for yourself, they're in the cabinet by the fridge."

Noel opened said cabinet, smirked, and repeated her earlier words to him, "It's good enough."

Yuri shot him a glance before continuing what she was doing. Once everything was placed on the counter she started to measure out confectioners sugar. While she was busy with the royal icing, the twins took out the sheets of gingerbread pre-baked from yesterday and set out the candy they had.

"Alright, icings done. Let's get cracking." She cracked her knuckles and then her neck. They stared at her. Her arms fell to her sides, "What?"

"Nothing." They mumbled, turning away.

Rolling her eyes, she walked over with the icing and grabbed a piping bag on the way. After filling it up and cutting the tip, she grabbed one of the gingerbread walls and then paused. Turning to the two watching what she was doing, she asked, "When did these get made?"

"Yesterday.."

She opened her mouth, then closed it. Shaking her head she focused again, "Whatever, Mars. Marsh had me worried over nothing." She scoffed, reaching for another wall. Once pressed together she looked to Arthur, "I those books over there." She nodded to the shelf off to the left.

They placed the books so it would stay together. Tying her hair back, she reached for another wall. She continued until all the walls were up and then started on sticking the two sheets for the roof together.

"Do you like Christmas?" Arthur leaned forward on his elbows watching her work.

"What kind of question is that?" She glanced at him, confusion evident, then cracked a small smile, "I love Christmas."

He blinked both at the smile and her answer, "But you don't seem like you do."

"Well," She set the roof down gently. "I think you need to know me better before judging. I mean I could judge." She looked at his bright green sweater, an animated looking reindeer with a bright red nose on the front- presumably Rudolf. She smiled at it, "You look like a Christmas maniac and like you are up for anything to do with the holiday."

Noel snorted, "Spot on."

Arthur gave him a look- he never could glare for the life of him. It was just too mean for him. Turning back to Yuri he asked, "What about Noel?"

"Hmm?" She tapped her chin, looking at his black shirt and jeans. Looking at his face, she pursed her lips. He was like a walking Darth Vader- except without the messed up face and helmet. But other than what she's already observed of him, he was a mystery. They both were really. "He looks like he'd rather be fast asleep in his bed dreaming of sugarplums and fairies."

"Not far off." Noel nodded, reaching for some of the candy. She smacked his hand. "Ow!" He pulled it away quickly, glaring at her.

She rolled her eyes, "There isn't enough to snack on, now help me put the roof on."

It was twelve when they finished the house. They didn't talk much. Partly because neither of the boys knew what to say or talk about, and partly because she didn't know what to say either. It was kinda awkward for her. All of them really. But she never really talked to any of her colleagues about anything that wasn't work related. How do you start a conversation when you're both socially and internally awkward?

"Finally." Yuri slumped, after they placed it in the freezer. "I can hear my bed calling me." She whispered, walking towards the break room.

She hung her apron, pulled her jacket on, and grabbed her backpack before heading to the front door. She waited for the other two to show up and then opened the door, "I gotta lock up."

They hurried out into the cold, not minding it as much as Yuri did. She shivered while locking the door. Turning to them, she nodded, "I'll see you two tomorrow, we get to go shopping, hooray!" She weakly fist pumped the sky and started for her house, calling over her shoulder as she walked, "Don't catch a cold!"

Both their shoulders slumped. Sure it had only been day two, but they were getting nowhere. Operation : Give The Gift Of Friendship, was gonna take longer than they thought.

_________________________________________

First off, I wanna apologize for any mistakes- I'm really tired and stayed up to finish these two.

This chapter is longer than I originally wanted, but oh well.
Hope you enjoy! I'm going to bed.

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