Chaos.
That was the only word to describe Christmas at this house.
Unbridled,
Unadulterated,
Chaos.

I sighed heavily as I heard Riki and March shouting at each other in the kitchen,

"Watch it, idiot! You're gonna burn the food!"

"Well maybe I'd be paying more attention if your dumb ass knew how to properly roll out the dough and cut the cookies!"

I felt another sigh pass my lips as I heard Senri's irritated voice coming from behind me,

"Jackson I swear to fucking god if you and Bex fuck up the tree I'll personally cut you both into itty bitty pieces and bury you alive."

It took all my self restraint to not burst out laughing at how seriously he took decorating the tree. Jackson smiled mischievously as his eyes met mine,

"(Y/N), come help us decorate the tree!"

I giggled at his childlike tone as went over to the three boys,

"I'd love to, but I feel like Senri might pop a blood vessel if I do."

I cast a glance at the blonde in question, who pinched his brow in annoyance as he responded,

"She's the only one who might actually understand what I'm trying to do here. I want the tree to look more natural and rustic, but these two uncultured swines want to use only stuffed animals to decorate the tree. Please help them see reason."

I rolled my eyes playfully at the honor student as I looked at the decorations, Bex and Jackson countering Senri's statement,

"But the tree will be adorable if we do it this way! Your tree is boring and she agrees!"

"Yeah, (Y/N)'s with us!"

Bex chimes in to back up Jackson's statement. After looking at all of the ornaments I turned around to face the boys with a triumphant smile on my face,

"I have an idea! How about we use the pine cones and the thistle in the tree along with the stuffed owl and the small birds and chipmunks? That way it's still natural but it has a bit of whimsy and cuteness as well."

I glanced hopefully between the dynamic duo and Senri as they thought about my suggestion. After a few minutes, Senri nodded,

"Sounds good. Let's see how it looks. However,"

He turned to Jackson and Bex with a menacing stare,

"She will decorate the tree. You two will merely assist and hand her the ornaments."

Jackson pouted and sulked as he turned to me,

"But I wanna help her decorate."

He said, giving me the best puppy dog eyes he could probably muster. I smiled at him,

"It's okay Jackson, you and Bex can help me."

Both Jackson and Bex lit up at my response as they quickly began helping me decorate the tree. I glanced over at Senri and saw him watching us quietly with a calculating look in his eyes. I know that look well, he's definitely planning something. I dismissed it for now as I continued to decorate the tree. Once I had finished, I grabbed the small star to place on top of the tree. Unfortunately for me, I couldn't quite reach the top of the tree. Just as I was about to ask the boys for help, I felt a warm chest pressed slightly against my back as a pale hand reached up to cup mine as we held the star,

"Allow me to assist you."

Senri spoke from behind me. I felt my face heat up slightly as he helped me place the star on top of the tree. I knew this was a little out of character for him, but then I remembered the look he has earlier and realized what he was doing. I cast a glance over at Jackson and Bex only to find them seething. I felt Senri press against my back slightly before he pulled away completely to admire the tree,

"You did well. The tree looks fantastic."

I smiled happily at the Christmas tree in front of me,

"I think so, too. Thanks for helping me, guys!"

Before they could respond, Riki and March barged in with a plate full of cookies,

"Cookies are done! Try some (Y/N)!"

Riki said as he shoved the plate in my face. I laughed lightly at his exuberance and picked up a cookie shaped like a snowflake and took a bite. It was amazing! I smiled as I continued eating it,

"This is so good! You two did a great job."

I complimented them, causing March to chime in,

"Thanks. I wanted to make them perfect for you."

"You barely did anything! I'm the one who made the batter and put them in the oven."

Riki declares in an attempt to one up March, who rolled his eyes in irritation. I giggled at their antics and placed a hand on each of their shoulders,

"You both did an excellent job, okay?"

I said with a small smile, causing them both to grin like idiots as Jackson and Bex called them over to look at the tree and show off. When everyone was distracted, I felt the smile on my face start to fade. Christmas had never been a favorite holiday of mine. I sighed softly as I went out onto the patio. The fairy lights were on, creating a beautiful golden glow that settled onto the snow covering the grass. I walked onto the wooden deck and leaned against the railing. It wasn't long before my mind began wandering to my memories of Christmas with my family. I felt silent tears begin to slip from my eyes and down my face the more I thought about it. A few moments later, I felt someone drape a blanket over me. I turned and saw Riki coming to stand next to me, his eyes locked onto my tears as he spoke softly,

"You're crying."

He reached forward and gently wiped the tears from my eyes, a kind smile on his face as he spoke again,

"You know, none of us have any happy memories of Christmas. We were abandoned and forgotten by our families. With Jackson, Naomi would give him a gift and then take it away to watch him cry. Bex was practically a slave so he never received a Christmas gift in his life. Senri's father felt Christmas was frivolous so he never celebrated it. March's mother reminded him every year that he didn't deserve anything."

His voice was soft as he told me about the others and their experiences,

"What about you?"

I asked gently, causing the boy next to me to smile sadly,

"On the odd chance my parents were home for it, they always entertained. I only received gifts if I sang and performed to their expectations. If I didn't my gifts were thrown away."

His voice took on a distant tone as he recalled his past. I pulled him into a warm hug as I spoke,

"I'm so sorry you've all been through such tragedies. I wish I could've saved each of you from that pain."

He held me close to him as he replied, his breath tickling my neck,

"Don't be. We wouldn't be in this house today if those things hadn't happened. And if we weren't in this house, we never would've met you. That would've been the greatest tragedy of them all."

When we finally parted I smiled at him,

"Come on, let's go back inside."

Riki smiled warmly at me as he led me back inside. I giggled to myself when the boys turned around and flared at his arm on my shoulder,

"Why is your arm on her shoulder?"

March asked, barely concealing his anger as I step out of Riki's grasp,

"Relax. We were just talking outside."

I explained as I ate another cookie and sat down on the couch, my mind wandering back to my thoughts outside. The boys seem to have noticed this as they all moved to sit down with me. Riki sat on my left and Bex sat on my right, leaving Jackson to sit beside Bex and Senri and March to sit beside Riki,

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Riki asked me. I shrugged,

"I don't see what good talking about it will do. It doesn't change anything."

I responded quietly as Bex took my hand in his,

"If there's something wrong, we want to know."

He said kindly as he smiled at me. I smiled back softly and began explaining,

"When I was little, my parents really weren't there. They were busy a lot and they'd be gone on trips during Christmas. When they came back they didn't even realize Christmas had passed, so obviously they never gave me anything. The years when they did it was just generic junk you'd buy for a person you really don't know very well. It didn't really improve as I got older. I know I sound selfish but it just always felt like they didn't know me and didn't care to."

I explained as I looked down, suddenly finding the floor very interesting. I felt Bex squeeze my hand comfortingly as he spoke,

"I don't think that's selfish at all. It sounds like you're parents put their jobs before you. That's always wrong. Don't worry, we're here for you."

I turned to find a warm smile on Bex's face as he gazed sweetly at me. I found myself smiling back as I responded,

"That really does make me happy. I'm so glad to have friends like you guys. I hope nothing ever ruins the friendship we have."

I failed to notice how each of them imperceptibly twitched when I called them friends, but was happy when they responded positively to wanting to stay in my life. Suddenly, Jackson stood up,

"How about some Christmas movies?"

He asked, causing us all to nod and shout out movies. In the end we settled on Frosty the Snowman, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, and several other movies.

I can't remember exactly when I fell asleep, but I know I woke up to someone carrying me upstairs and into my room. When he lowered me down onto the bed, I cracked my eyes open to see who it was,

"Hi, (Y/N). You fell asleep downstairs so I decided to carry you up to your room."

I smiled sleepily at him,

"Thank you (His/Name)."

I said softly as he pulled something out of his pocket,

"What's that?"

I asked him, my mind still foggy from sleep. He smiled,

"It's mistletoe."

He said as he held it over us,

"Do I get a kiss?"

He asked softly as he leaned closer to me. I laughed slightly, waking up a bit more as I responded,

"Of course."

I said slowly, sleep starting to take me again. I heard him chuckle as he planted a sweet kiss on my forehead,

"Goodnight, my love."

I didn't really hear him as I fell asleep, grateful to have such kind friends with me on Christmas.