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Charlie was taking her time setting up the ceramic Christmas tree that had tiny glass lights up at her lab station. She didn’t have leave to go home this year but refused to let that deter her. She was going to have a merry Christmas even if it was by herself god damnit. Flint dropped down into the desk chair opposite of her desk. He had that look in his eye that said he’d spent the morning doing whatever it is he does but won’t talk about but always puts him in the worst most bitchy mood. Practically everyone else on their Project gave him a wide berth on these mornings but not Charlie. Maybe that’s why they liked each other and got a long. They had no problem getting in each other’s faces and then apologizing later.
“Cute.” Flint muttered glaring at her ceramic Christmas tree. Charlie rolled her eyes at the man who had quickly become one of her best friends.
“Quit being a Scrooge.” Charlie teased bopping Flint on the nose. Flint batted her hand away. “So do I get to finally meet the rest of you strapping Manes Men this Christmas?” Charlie teased fluttering her eyelashes at Flint. Her friend just rolled his eyes and snorted rudely.
“No. We don’t exactly do Christmas.” Charlie’s eyes glanced over to Chief Master Sargent Manes talking with one of the project leads. There was something underneath his charming veneer that had always made her skin crawl. She couldn’t decide if it was the way he sometimes seems so cruel behind the eyes when he thinks no one is looking or if it’s the way she’s seen Flint’s face of absolute terror when there was a setback on their atomizer but she had a gut feeling Chief Master Sargent Manes was always going to be one of those things Flint will never tell her about.
A couple weeks later Charlie is marching her way across the base to Flint’s apartment wearing the ugliest Christmas sweater she could find at Goodwill, a Santa hat, and her arms filled with bags full of the Christmas cookies her mom had sent, boozy eggnog, Christmas movies, and take out from the diner that Flint goes to religiously. She kicked at Flint's apartment door.
“Merry Christmas now open up ass hole!” Charlie yelled kicking the door with her booted foot until Flint wrenched the door open dressed in pajama pants and the ugliest sweat stained hoodie she had ever seen.
“What the hell Charlie?” Flint looked flabbergasted at her presence at his apartment. To be fair Charlie has never been here. They either frequented bars or hung out in Charlie’s apartment. Flint was weird about having people over in his space and Charlie had never asked why. But Flint hadn’t been answering his phone and Charlie was on a mission.
“Merry Christmas!” She exclaimed pushing past Flint into his apartment taking stock of what she had to work with to give them a merry Christmas. She was pleasantly surprised at how clean and orderly the apartment was. It went beyond military cleanliness and felt homey. There was a rumpled quilt on the couch and the tv had the Captain America movie paused on the screen. Flint grumbled behind her that he was going to go get dressed. Charlie set her bags down and admittedly started snooping. It was the big sister in her, she couldn’t help it. She let her fingers trail over the large collection of Captain America comics on the bookshelf all well loved but perfectly cared for. They made her smile. She knew Flint loves the super hero. Hell they went and saw the movie in theaters together three times and she’d listened to Flint’s countless rants about things changed from the comics and what he did and did not like about that. There were also a wide array of fantasy novels. It was obvious that the Lord of the Rings was his favorite from the state of their spines. She knew he had hated Game of Thrones and they sat mostly untouched.
There were a few pictures spread over the book shelf. One picture was him with three other men all in uniform at a boot camp graduation. They all looked alike and Charlie deduced those must be his elusive brothers he occasionally talks about. There was another picture of a baby faced Flint dressed in an ill fitting tux with his arm slug over the shoulder of a pretty baby faced girl in a red prom dress. Charlie turned to Flint who was entering the room again, holding the picture in his hand.
“Holding a flame for your high school sweetheart is pretty lame, even for you Manes.” Charlie teased and watched as Flint’s face shutters through a pained expression.
“Rosa wasn’t my high school sweetheart.” Flint’s face morph’s into some sort of bullshit version of fake cheer that Charlie easily clocks. She’s seen Flint actually happy and seen when he’s faking it and she can tell he’s full of shit right now. She narrows her eyes at his back as he goes to poke through her canvas bags as if that will unravel whatever secrets her friend is hiding from her. She allows him to get glasses for the eggnog while she puts on Charlie Brown’s Christmas and sets out the cookies.
They make it half way through Jim Carrey’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas when a tipsy Flint starts crying. She hugs him tight to her as he tells her about Rosa. Who was his best friend that he lost to addiction. How it’s been years and he still feels like he’s grieving her. That her Dad took them to see this movie the year his Mom left. Eventually Flint cries himself out and they cuddle under his quilt while Charlie tells him stories about sledding on Christmas and Midnight Mass, and the year their dog stole the Christmas Turkey right off the table. That startles a laugh out of Flint and the mood starts to lift. They eventually fall asleep curled up together on Flint’s couch with Rudolph playing in the background. The next morning they make breakfast together and have a food fight with flour collapsing in a heap of laughter on Flint’s kitchen floor.
A couple weeks later Charlie has tracked down Rosa Ortecho’s burial site and she pays Flint’s best friend a visit coming with a bouquet of winter flowers in hand setting them on the snow dusted earth. She introduces herself to Rosa then makes the other woman a promise. She promises Rosa Ortecho that Flint is safe with her.
~*~*~
Flint pulls the heavy stocking cap he’s wearing down over his ears and pulling up the collar of the jacket he bought just for this trip with Charlie who doesn’t even look like she’s feeling the affects of these fridged temps. Flint glares at the woman whose become his closest friend and accepts the way she laughs full of joy and excitement as she pinches his cheek practically bouncing with excitement.
“Stop being such a Grinch.” Flint grumbled under his breath that if he was the Grinch she’s Cindy-Lou Who which only made Charlie laugh harder and Flint finally crack a smile. Flint follows Charlie up the driveway of the old farm house where Charlie grew up and let herself in like she still lives there. She’s taking off her winter gear excitedly flinging it in all directions while Flint cautiously removed his own and studies his surroundings. The home he’s standing in feels so different then the house he grew up in. In a weird way it reminds him of what home was like before his mom left even if it is nothing like the home his mother kept. It’s even further then the house his Dad kept.
He can smell something warm and buttery baking and there’s Christmas carols playing, and laughter in the house. Charlie tugs his hand pulling him down the hallway that he learns leads to a large open kitchen where two women, one older and one younger are baking and laughing. Charlie introduces him to her mom and sister. Charlie has her mom’s eyes and the older woman laughs sharing a wink with Charlie when Flint extends a hand and calls her Ma'am like he’d been raised to do. Mrs. Cameron hugs him and it’s firm and warm and soft. He didn’t realize just how much he missed being hugged by a mom until that very moment. Charlie’s younger sister Jenna is a spitfire. All rage and gumption to prove herself. Charlie rolls her eyes fondly at her younger sister. Jenna makes Flint miss his brothers and he thinks he should text them later.
Mrs. Cameron cooes over the three of them feeding them as she insists they are all too thin and proclaiming the Army must not be feeding them properly. A couple hours later Flint meet’s Charlie’s dad. He knows on a logical level that his trust issues with men stem from his Dad. He logically knows that Charlie has a Dad just as good and loving as he remembers Mr. Ortecho as being. But logic flies in the face of standing in front of the mountain of a man that is Mr. Cameron. He can see where Charlie gets her height and large hands from. He can see Charlie’s face in her Dad and it puts him at ease when he can recognize his best friends smile on the other man’s face. They both smile with their entire face and even laugh the same. It’s infectious.
Flint let’s Mrs. Cameron shows off old pictures from previous Christmases. And he gets to see pictures of the dog who stole the Christmas turkey and how that big black Newfie wore a special bandana ever year for Christmas. Flint wears his only civilian suit for Midnight Mass and glares at the old Ladies who misgender Charlie. He over hears one make an ignorant comment about Charlie and his his relationship with her. He’s never been attracted to anyone ever. But he thinks if that was something he was capable of Charlie is the woman he’d want to marry. So he wraps his arm around her waist and they pretend he’s her doting boyfriend for a couple hours. They laugh about it on the drive back to Charlie’s childhood home.
The next morning they eat Aeblskivers with fresh whipped cream and home made jams while dressed in warm pajamas. Gifts are exchanged, after Charlie is leaning against Flint’s side excitedly telling him about the Artist who makes the most beautiful illustrations from books and how she was hoping she guessed right that The Fellowship of The Ring was Flint’s favorite. Flint hears a camera and looks up to see Mrs. Cameron taking their picture. That afternoon after a lunch full of leftovers, they bundled up in snow gear and Flint goes sledding with Charlie and Jenna. He thinks this is the most fun he’s had in years and he hates that it has to end. As they are leaving Flint thinks he might like to live on a farm someday or maybe in a cabin. Just somewhere away from cities and small towns.
A couple weeks later he frames a picture of him and Charlie dressed in their pajamas celebrating Christmas in the Midwest and places it on his bookshelf in between a picture of him and his brothers and the picture of him and Rosa at their Senior prom.