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safyresky · 1 year

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19. Secret Santa

(25 Days of Christmas Prompts)

ehehehe, I think you'll like this one! Stuck a read more bc it got a lil long, haha. Sorry for the delay! Had to put my tinfoil hat on to get into Myles's head. It was. An experience. Enjoy!

Secret Santa

"What on the goddess given Earth is that," Olivia asked, stopping in the doorway to her stepbrother's room when she caught sight of his latest piece of art.

"It is my game plan to get Charlie as my Secret Santa."

"Why Charlie? Did you have a specific gift in mind for him?" Olivia asked, stepping into Myles's room (several crumpled up papers crunching under her feet as she made her way in).

"Hmm? What? Oh! No! No I mean, to make sure he gets me as his secret Santa."

"Why? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of it? It's supposed to be a secret, you're not supposed to know and you don't get to pick and ALSO, you can't pick FOR someone else."

"No, but hear me out. There is a way I can rig it, so that he naturally gets my name."

"But why?"

"Because they make the best sugar cookies at the North Pole and every time I'm there so is Dad and it's like he's got like, 'Myles is about to consume sugar' senses and it's like. Can't a fairy just have a cookie? As a treat? It's not like I don't brush and floss!"

Olivia laughed. "Well, your teeth will thank you later."

"My Teeth thank me every day!" Myles said, with an exasperated flutter of his wings, throwing his hands in the air. "Anyway, anyone else would get me like, a toy or new goggles which I don't want and I keep TELLING Spring that and she keeps SUGGESTING it EVERY secret Santa and it's very frustrating. We really ought a get her to NOT write out suggestions for everyone. I bet we'd win that by a landslide."

"She is a bit of a control freak," Olivia agreed, staring at Myles's latest convoluted pin board.

Photos of each Legate were pinned to it, with threads running all over the place. Olivia couldn't make heads or tails of the threads, even with the colour coding Myles was prone to doing. There were just...so many of them! The very top of the board had a selfie of Myles, throwing up a peace sign, his cracked goggles glinting in the light. Below his selfie was a rather unflattering one of Charlie mid-sneeze, and below THAT a picture of a fresh plate of sugar cookies from one of the cookbooks down in the kitchen, that Olivia was sure would perplex Roy and her Mom at some point this holiday season.

(They would simply stare at the cut out image, look at each other, both smile and say "Myles" and continue on their merry way, hoping the recipe on the flip side of the magazine wasn't one of the family favourites).

Olivia looked at the other photos, relieved when she saw hers was decent. "So. How does this one work?"

"Well," Myles said, his little wings fluttering excitedly. "Each Legate has a thread that's their colour. I've matched them all up with all possible scenarios. And the bright red thread is how I think, based on the last five years of Legate Secret Santas, this year's will go. Ready?"

"Yep! Hit me with it."

"Spring puts her name in first, then passes it over to Day on her right, then Night on her left. So their names are at the bottom of the thingy. From there, it goes to Jacqueline, who always passes it across from her to Charlie, who passes it to US. Then it goes down to Xander and Blossom and ends at Dite, who is beside Jacqueline, and Jacqueline picks first. That's why she almost always gets Dite. She never shakes it. And that's why she got Spring last year! Xander shook it."

"She was so mad," Olivia recalled with a laugh.

"But Spring really liked the fuzzy socks!" Myles said. "Anyway, Jacqueline passes it over to Day and Night and Spring, so they usually get Blossom, you, or me. Then it goes to CHARLIE. So here's how I sneak in. We mix the seats a little bit. It's not like they're assigned, anyway."

"Only at Summits."

"Right! So we sneak in and get our names in there after Jacqueline, and I think that should make it so that Charlie grabs my name!"

Olivia had some doubts about this plan.

"Oh, I know that look," Myles said. "Yeah, I know, there's lots of variables I haven't accounted for, like, someone shaking the basket or hat or whatever the thing is this year, or seat changes, but I think it could work! And if it doesn't, there's always next year! And the year after that, and after that, and after that..."

"Your tenaciousness is admirable," Olivia said.

---

Well, the holiday Legate meeting came and went. Myles managed to sit exactly where he thought he'd need to be to get Charlie to pick him as his secret Santa. He made sure to toss his name in there at the opportune moment as the cup went across the table.

Jacqueline grabbed it before Xander could shake it, and, based on her happy little smile, Myles guessed she had once again gotten Dite.

All according to plan, he thought, with a slightly maniacal grin and a little rub of his hands. It got him a weird look from Spring, and a giggle from Olivia.

Finally the hat came to Charlie. He pulled his name; he looked at it, surprised; then he briefly made eye contact with Myles.

Gotchya! Myles thought, as Olivia picked her name and snorted. She passed it over to Myles, who drew his secret Santa: Spring.

Easy peasy, he thought.

The meeting ended with Spring and Jacqueline almost throwing elements thanks to the seasonal transition coming up in the next few months. Which was a new record, actually. Usually a snowball went flying or petals swarmed Jacqueline's face. An almost boded well for the rest of the winter season, and was a great way to close out the meetings for the year.

Myles waited for Olivia, most of the Legates mingling with one another before heading off for the rest of the day. She was chatting with Charlie. He grinned; he had so done it. Blossom tapped Olivia's shoulder, distracting the pixie. She held up a finger in Myles's general direction. He nodded, stretching his arms and back, only to come up and bonk heads with Charlie.

"Ow!"

"Sorry, Myles! I didn't mean to sneak up on you."

"That's alright. Dad says I need to work on my spatial awareness and I think he's onto something," Myles said with a frown, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Anyway, hi! What's up!"

"I wanted to ask you something," Charlie said, pulling the teen closer. "I got your sister as my secret Santa."

Myles's heart plummeted. "Oh, you did? Cool! Nice! Great! Awesome!"

"Thanks?" Charlie said, confused. He blinked. "Anyway, I know what she wants, but I was wondering if you think there's anything she'd like! Like, appreciate? Something thoughtful, you know? Dad'll probably get her the switch, anyway. And that's like, a huge gift for a secret Santa, you know?"

"She wants a switch?"

"Yeah, to share with you, actually!"

"Oh. That's really sweet," Myles said with a little smiley pout.

"I thought so too! So, what do you think she'd like?"

"Definitely something thoughtful," Myles said, glancing over Charlie's shoulder. Olivia was making her way back. "I'll message you later, but thoughtful trinkets are very up her alley! Pixies like trinkets, especially healers like Olivia," he said with a small smile, as the aforementioned pixie joined them.

"What did I miss?"

"Oh, nothing," Charlie said with a grin. "I'll remember what you said. Both of you!" he added with a wink. "See you guys in a few weeks!" he shouted, rushing off and waving over his shoulder at them.

"So I guess that didn't go according to plan?" Olivia asked.

"I didn't even get to suggest the cookies because he told me who his was, and it wasn't me!" He sighed, looking droopy for a brief moment.

"There there," Olivia said, patting his shoulder. "There's always next year!"

Myles perked up at that.

---

The best part about the Legate's Secret Santa, was giving the gifts! Every Legate tried their best to very sneakily drop their gift off with their secret Santa during the year-end bash, without being noticed.

It made for a lot of fun moments, like Charlie getting whacked by a space-time present in the back of his head, for instance (which may have hurt, but Jacqueline had laughed so hard when she witnessed it, her laughter was contagious. Even Charlie was laughing as he rubbed the back of his head, eager to open his gift).

There wasn't a prize; it was just a fun challenge for a bunch of overpowered Legendary Beings to attempt! Especially during quiet years, or low work hours (COVID had done a number to their own retrieval rate, Myles had noticed. Turns out a lot less ordibeings lost teeth when sports were cancelled cross country due to pandemics).

So, Myles spent most of the party, well, enjoying the deserts and socializing and such, as you do at parties. BUT he was also ON ALERT to see who his gift giver was! He himself had managed to sneak Spring's gift into some of the vines on her skirt. That had been a very fun use of Tooth Fairy prowess. He smirked as Night poked it with his staff, Spring gasping and pulling the new flowery garden hat out of the vines.

"Nice one," Olivia said, landing beside her brother with her fist outstretched.

"I didn't even bonk into anyone," Myles replied, fist bumping her back.

"Doubly nice!"

"I know!"

"Charlie pulled mine out from behind my ear."

"Impressive given your headscarf."

"Right?! Look what he got me!" She said, holding up an ornament. It was shaped like a switch and had her name on one of the joycons, and Myles's on the other.

"Oh, that's so sweet!"

"I know! Did you tell him?"

Myles chuckled. "Well, I may have given him a bit of a pointer," he said, scratching his head under his pilot cap.

Olivia laughed. "Well, thank you, Myles. I figured I'd return the favour for you," she said, laying her palms flat in front of his face. With a small tink sound, a colourful Christmas tin appeared in a poof of pixie dust, sitting comfortably in her hands. "Ta-da!"

"You're my Secret Santa?!" Myles nearly yelled, his wings fluttering excitedly.

"Yup! And these are fresh from up North, thanks to Charlie," she said with a grin, waving at him. He waved and grinned back, his mouth full of marshmallows.

Myles was floating a bit. "Ah! Thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!" he said with a grin, hugging her tightly.

Olivia, who was not prepared for a sudden death hug from Myles, found herself pulled in tightly to the side. She gasped, watching helplessly as the cookie tin fell and landed on the floor with a clatter, the lid flying, the cookies spilling out and breaking up.

Myles looked down at it, aghast; the sugar cookies lay in pieces on the floor. He sunk down to his knees, putting the broken pieces in his hands. His lips quavered; he looked like he was ready to cry.

"Oh, Myles, don't worry, it's—"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Myles yelled out, throwing his head back, eyes closed tightly. The party went quiet; every Legate had turned their attention to Myles, some gasping, some making their way to comfort, others choking on their marshmallows to start this year's edition of 'who really IS the chubby bunny champion' discourse.

Olivia sighed, shaking her head with a fond smile. She'd tell him it would magically refill after the theatrics. He'd appreciate the hugs coming his way, after all.

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