Chapter Text
Horrible. Horrific. What more could describe the sickening days to come during this month?
Oh, yes. Hideous.
In the land famous for its nickname The Magnificent North , there was incomprehensible glee surrounding the season of Christmas. Jacks only lived here for a few years and some idiotic part of him assumed he’d grow use to it. He did not.
In fact, the very first Christmas here, he had not left his home once. Not one time. Rumors circled that he had died. It was the most serene Christmas he’d experienced thus far. One might even say he had something of resemblance to a pep in his step during the season. Until the carolers stopped by his door the following year, with their blinding bright smiles and vocal chords he was more than prepared to mute. Not many carolers, if any, stopped at his door after that year. He was glad.
Jacks was not glad to find out that most shops and stores he needed to stop by were at the center of town. The peak of the festivities. Where candy canes and sugar snowflakes rained as naturally as the dusted snow. Blaring lights of every color and more lined from street post to street post. Trees stood valiantly, tinsel and ornaments hanging from the branches. Jacks frowned at one of the thousands and he nearly felt it glare back at him.
This year wouldn’t be any different, he assumed. As he prepared to head into town, his mind lingered briefly on one person. On her . It was a brief flicker that died out before he stepped out the door. The icy breeze brushed past him, past the doorway as though it were returning home. He sighed, closed the door and began walking.
_____
Shrill yells of sweetened words and greetings grew in volume as he silently stalked around the shops. No longer than five minutes at each stand or his head might explode from the new-comer carolers traveling around the square. Jacks felt familiar eyes on his back. Hushed whispers buzzed past his ears, the cacophony of the people slowly fading off. His footsteps suddenly stopped when he heard a voice.
“Merry Christmas!” No.
“Happy Holidays!” It couldn’t be.
Jacks slowly turned and found her standing right there beside him, passing a card with a ribbon to the vendor. She tapped his shoulder, turning towards him before he could walk away. As his eyes traveled across her, his grimace furthered. She certainly wasn’t a torture to look at but the opposite could be said for that dreadful outfit.
She was joy, if the emotion were a person. It disgusted him.
Her cheeks turned a darker shade of maroon as his dark gaze met hers again.
“Hello, I’m Evangeline.” She offered her gloved hand. He did not accept it. Evangeline dropped her hand and for a moment, looked away. Jacks took the chance. He mumbled, “Have a horrible day.”
He didn’t give himself the moment to enjoy her reaction before leaving. He assumed she’d no longer feel such a desire to interact with him. Jacks wasn’t often proved wrong but this time…
“Hey! Hold on there,” she said, gently tugging on his coat sleeve. He glanced down at where her hand touched his coat. She let go, faint pink coloring her cheeks. He sneered. “What do you want?”
“You left in the middle of our conversation.”
“No, I didn’t. The conversation ended.”
She countered, “You didn’t even give me your name.”
Jacks sighed. He ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it in the process. Her expression remained the same. “If I give you my name, will you leave me alone?”
She nodded but Jacks spotted hesitance in her expression. And fear. And something else he couldn’t quite discern. Jacks was often talented in reading people while allowing no one to read him. He made sure his expression was free of any uncertainty. She did not appear to do the same. Evangeline was quite the open book, he noted.
“Jacks,” he said finally. He turned and was about to walk away when she tagged along beside him. Her eyes flickered towards his warily. “What, am I not permitted to see what you’re getting for Christmas?”
It came out as a tease. Jacks did not find it humorous. He rolled his eyes, tightening his jaw. “Did you not agree that you would leave me alone if I gave you my name? You have it now. Leave.”
Realization appeared to dawn on Evangeline’s face. Jacks took a few steps forward, approaching the next vendor, leaving her standing. He picked up a few garments and tossed a few coins at the man who was selling. The man was stunned before quickly scooping up the change with a hand. Evangeline kept up at his speed by his side. Her words were fast, meant to stick in his head.
“Quite interesting, isn’t it? You’re here yet it's blatantly obvious you despise Christmas.”
“I’m sorry, did I do something that gave you the notion?” He sauntered over to a fruit cart run by a young girl and picked up an apple from one of the baskets atop the cart. One turned into two. Then three. Evangeline did nothing yet she remained. Jacks groaned as he faced her. She narrowed her eyes at him, scrutinizingly. Jacks raised an eyebrow in near amusement. “Would multiple angles satisfy you? Shall I remove a few garments, give you a better picture?”
Her face flamed as did her rage he assumed. Jacks bit into his apple blissfully. The younger girl who’d been selling them tossed a cherry nut at his head. Her aim was off by an inch and nicked his ear. Evangeline’s serious expression faltered as she stifled a laugh. The girl shrieked, “You didn’t pay!”
Jacks was about to turn when Evangeline tossed the girl spare change and the girl skipped off more than satisfied. He fumed as he sank his teeth into the fruit. Evangeline’s attention remained focused on him. There was a glimmer in those soft sapphire eyes of hers. He blinked a few times, erasing the observation. She sighed after a moment and his hope rose that she would leave him be.
“This is not what I expected to be saying today but.. What if I made you a deal?”
His mind went blank for the briefest second. “A deal? You?”
“Yes,” she began carefully. Her hands moved to pull off a glove. “I propose that you give me twelves days to prove that Christmas is not as horrible as you believe. And I shall…” Her words trailed off as she seemed to rack her mind.
Jacks laughed darkly. “Find me something good to offer and perhaps, I’ll consider this ridiculous proposition.”
He tossed the apple core to the ground, rubbed his hands and walked down the stone path out of town towards his home. It was on the farthest edge of the town square, away from everything, everyone. People persisted in welcoming him the first two years. After that, no one stopped by nearly as much. Good riddance as well. Jacks approached and was about to open his door when he felt gooseflesh arise over his hands. He stilled and slowly turned.
“Evangeline.” He fully faced her with a scowl. “What do you want?”
This girl was persistent , his thoughts seemed to repeat unusefully.
She took a step forward, a smile dancing across her lips. “I found something.”
“The sudden desire to leave?”
“No, something for my end of the deal. If you agree, I will never speak to you again. If it will satisfy you when I fail, I’ll warn everyone to never speak to you, of you, or towards you. You will have the satisfaction and sure fact that I, nor anyone, will interact with you.”
He considered this. Though he did not let her know that in those few moments of quiet. Snow dusted the edges of her curls when he finally spoke. “Never?”
“Never.”
He folded his arms over his chest, shaking his hair free of any snowflakes. A golden strand fell over his forehead and Evangeline’s lips parted slightly. The tips of his mouth almost twitched upwards. “Are you going to continue ogling me with those eyes of yours until I give you an answer?”
“Well, give me one before the snow melts,” she replied. Evangeline cleared her throat, brushing her fingers through her curls. He turned the words over in his mind. No one would disturb him. She was the Christmas princess of this dreadful place. There was no doubt she could convince them. Those carolers were resolute little buggers but it could be doable as well. A simple twelve days in exchange for years, perhaps a lifetime of bliss.
“Fine.” Her head jerked in his direction. A clear expression of surprise remained there before she shook her head. A soft smile curled her lips naturally. “Well then. We’d better begin soon.”
“What?” He hadn’t intended for his voice to come out so incredulously but it did so regardless.
“We agreed I only have twelve days. I cannot waste time.” She walked down the steps and stopped, looking over her shoulder. Evangeline ‘s eyes widened slightly as a grin slowly crept across her face, the smile of relief disappearing entirely. She pointed with her chin in the direction back towards the square. Jacks heard the echo of the belles and gleeful yells eliciting a near shiver of discomfort through his body.
“First things first, we need to shop for decorations. Tinsel, ornaments, whatever your mind can muster.”
“And what do you plan to do with these items?” he asked, stepping beside her. The two began their stroll as she intertwined her hands together. “That is for me to know and for you to find out.”
________
Glitter, shimmer, ribbons, buttons. Jacks wouldn’t have been surprised if stars began prancing from the ceiling. Evangeline walked around, her eyes glancing back every few moments to gauge his reaction.
“Do you expect me to have a sudden change from looking at ornaments?”
Evangeline shrugged, picking up an opalescent jeweled ornament. She turned it between her fingers, the color shifting from a pale azure to radiant amethyst. “This one is beautiful, isn’t it? I believe this would be the perfect addition to begin shopping.”
“No,” he said. His hands remained firmly in the pockets of his coat. Evangeline set the ornament down with a sigh. “If this arrangement is going to work fairly, you must at least be open to the idea.”
“Who said this had to be fair?” His words aimed as sharply as the tip of a dagger. She set her lips into a firm line. Evangeline’s hands folded together as she looked down. “I believe then, it would be best to end this early now. To have this false hope was pointless.”
“For such an optimistic person, that’s rather dreary of you to say,” he replied coolly, devoid of any emotion. Evangeline went for the door, her body stiff and her face solemn. Jacks stood, waiting for her to exit when he saw a flash of a smirk on her face in the windowshop’s reflection. He took about three steps and caught her by the elbow. “What is this you’re playing at?” he sneered.
She looked up at him with soft eyes of feigned innocence. “No play, or lie or trick. Tell me, do you enjoy eggnog? I hear Ms. Bludders quite enjoys making it and when she discovers you’ve found a new endearment for the holiday, I’m sure she’ll send you a jug or two.”
“Don’t you dare consider spreading those lies,” he hissed harshly, the grip on her arm tightening. Evangeline attempted to shake her arm free but it was useless. He dropped his hand. She kept her expression serious but there was a victorious stance in the form her shoulders raised and her chin was held higher. Jacks made it his mission that he would not let her win. He would continue hating Christmas just as intensely, if not more out of spite, for this frustrating girl. He glanced around, his eyes scouring the shop. Shelves lined with porcelain Christmas figures, books of folktales and cinnamon sweetbread ingredients lined them in a clearly unorganized manner.
“Fair deal?” she said, returning to her prior spot. The very same ornament she had picked up earlier shone a little brighter as she left a coin for it on the countertop of the vendor.
Jacks nodded, biting his tongue as he was sure any word that left his mouth would send the porcelain running with their ears covered. Fair deal indeed.