Who: Gretel gretel & Thirteen doctor13 What: Gift Exchange When: Christmas Where: Thirteen's Place Rating/Warnings: Teen/Language, and light sexual talk. Status: Closed/Completed GDoc
~*~
Dating was a new thing for Gretel. She'd never stuck with someone long enough to actually consider exchanging gifts for any holiday let alone a major holiday. It'd been just a few months since they'd started dating, but Gretel wanted to get something nice for Thirteen.
Jewelry seemed like the best bet, but she couldn't wear it while working. Maybe a statement piece to wear out when they went somewhere fancy? Who was Gretel kidding. They didn't frequent a lot of really fancy places only because it wasn't her scene, and Thirteen hadn't seemed to mind that so far.
Shopping for Hansel was easy, but shopping for Thirteen had felt like a nightmare for Gretel. After a lot of deliberation she settled on a nice watch for her and a coffee mug that she thought was rather funny and fitting for her girlfriend. There was also another present tucked away in a small jewelry box, a key to hers and Hansel's place, just in case Thirteen decided to come over without either one of them there.
She trusted Thirteen, and this was a sign that she was comfortable enough in giving her permission to enter their home.
Gretel had spent the majority of the day with her brother, and it wasn't until later that she gathered up Thirteen's presents and headed over to her place. She'd stopped knocking a few weeks back, and instead she pushed the door open, and smiled at Thirteen. "Merry Christmas." She offered with a smile. Putting the presents down, she shucked off her coat, and then made her way over to Thirteen to give her a soft kiss on the lips.
~*~
Kissing her girlfriend, Thirteen appreciated the novelty of having a girlfriend for the holidays. Her faith was nonexistent, but Gretel didn't care about that. All she cared about was celebrating the season together. Thirteen had put a lot of thought into what she should give to Gretel in order to express appropriately how she felt for her woman. It was hard to see her as anything other than the person she wanted to spend as much of the rest of her life with as possible.
Time was never on her side.
Thirteen had chosen the best gift she could think of as a result: a way to stop time.
Handing over the box, she smiled as Gretel seemed surprised by the weight of it, "I hope you like your gift. It may be---stupidly sentimental, but I figured I didn't have much to lose other than a little bit of pride."
She had gotten a digital camcorder kit which would work in the outdoors as well as inside. Gretel seemed to want to spend time with her. Thirteen didn't have as much time as other women. Her first recording was a simple one: Thirteen had set the camera up to record her waking up, getting out of bed, preparing for work, a morning, a normal morning before her normal life was over. It was mundane, but it would become priceless as time went on and more and more normalcy was stripped from her in the name of Huntington's Disease.
Pointing at the gifts Gretel had set down, Thirteen asked, "Think I can talk you into letting us open those early? I'm the impatient sort. Time isn't always on my side."
~*~
"Hm," Gretel felt the weight of the present in her hand, curious as to what could be inside of it. "I'm sure that I'll love it." She smiled at Thirteen before she took a seat beside her, the present cradled carefully in her hands.
Time was never on anyone's side as far as Gretel was concerned. It was all too short, life was valuable and moments should be spent with people you cared about doing things that you enjoyed. Death was a fact in Gretel's life. Her parents had died here and in the dream world, and she'd seen far too many good people die in her dreams.
She laughed softly, "Of course, I hope you like mine." She placed the gift from Thirteen down into her lap, and then handed the gifts she'd brought with her over to her. "There you go. Open away." She grinned, keeping hers in her lap while she watched Thirteen.
Gretel sincerely hoped that she liked them, and she wanted to see her reaction while she opened them.
~*~
"Hah! Perfect. I have a feeling my coworkers will find this fitting."
Thirteen had opened the heavier box first to discover a coffee mug which flipped off those looking at her when she was drinking. It was exactly her style. She wasn't the most approachable person, nor did she want to be. There were too many things she would rather be doing than trying to fake an interest in the weather or someone's issues with their roommates or whatever mundane small talk coworkers wanted to involved her in to make themselves feel more comfortable around her.
Small talk had never been on her list of exciting pastimes.
The watch in the second box was big on her wrist, yet not too bulky for everyday wear. It would serve her well for work and home. Her vision was still excellent, but her manual dexterity would go sooner rather than later. The bigger fixtures would become a necessity rather than a fashion choice. Gretel had good taste. She'd picked something meaningful, appropriate, and with forethought of the future awaiting Thirteen.
It was one of the nicest gifts she'd ever been given.
"Time. It's beautiful. Thank you for thinking of me. I look forward to getting to wear it."
Feeling silly for her gift, Thirteen gestured to the box Gretel held, "Go ahead and open yours. It's a little sentimental. I just---I've never had anyone who was going to stick around. I thought you should get something for the good days."
~*~
A bright smile settled on Gretel's features, happy that Thirteen liked the mug. "I think that they will as well." She couldn't help herself with that one, it'd just felt like something she would've appreciated.
Time. It was definitely not on their side, and Gretel knew that a day would come when she'd be taking care of Thirteen, and she'd do it without any complaints. If the other woman believed that Gretel was going anywhere, she was sorely mistaken. For Gretel this was, well, it was something special.
"I'm glad you like it." She offered with a smile and then looked down at the present in her lap. Sentimental wasn't something that she minded, and so she opened it, a little confused at first but then it clicked.
Something for the good days.
Taking in a deep breath, Gretel smiled. "We'll be sure to put it to good use." She wanted to capture every moment that she could while they had their time together. "Thank you, I love it." It would also be perfect for her to take out with her when they did the adventure weekends.
"There's one more." She reached forward for the smaller box that held the key to hers and Hansel's house.
~*~
"You know, spoiling me could be a bad idea. I might start to like it."
Thirteen smiled as she took the small box. There was a moment when she thought it held jewelry; she wasn't certain how she felt about such a thing. A watch was practical. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, any kind of purely decorative accessories were a bit of a hassle for Thirteen. She had to remove them prior to working on a patient in most cases; keeping them clean, sanitary, and from being stolen became another problem at the hospital as well.
She didn't have enough time off to really enjoy jewelry on her off days.
Looking at the key, she took it out of the box and held it up, "Going to offer me the option to leave an overnight bag there, too? I might wind up moving in on you with this kind of access."
She'd never had a live-in really. There were rules for Thirteen. Life was hard and only getting harder as time went on. It had never seemed fair to her to ask for too much commitment from someone else when she had so little to offer them in return. Gretel made her want to try harder, offer all she could. The desire to be with her regardless of circumstances was strong enough to have Thirteen willing to try anything.
"Mine has a morning recorded already. Just me. Getting up. Getting ready. Smiling. I was smiling for you. Maybe the next morning I record can be me getting up at your place?"
~*~
"You deserve to be spoiled." Gretel replied with a grin, not really caring if she was spoiling her or not.
Gretel hadn't had the chance to really spoil someone outside of Hansel. She did tend to go a bit overboard where her brother was concerned for Christmas and his birthday. He was all she had though, and he was the only person she'd ever really bought for.
Settling back, Gretel looked at the camera box in her hands thoughtfully. She chuckled softly, "If you want to. I may or may not have already cleared out a drawer for you in the bathroom and in my dresser." She didn't believe Hansel would mind if Thirteen spent the night, nor did she believe that he would even care if she wanted to move in.
That was still something she would discuss with her brother before saying that yes, she could move in. Gretel wasn't sure if she'd ever stop living with Hansel, even if they found their respective partners she didn't think that either one of them could live apart.
They'd been together for far too long for that to happen, and she was sure that Thirteen understood that, or at least, she hoped that she did.
Gretel smiled at that, "I'd like that." It was something so simple that so many people took for granted, but Gretel knew that Thirteen's time was limited. They wouldn't have a lot of normal as her illness progressed, and well, they'd deal with everything as it came.
"We can also record our night before activities if you want." She teased with a wicked grin and playful waggle of her brows.
~*~
Few would agree with Gretel where Thirteen being spoiled was concerned. She did not make any effort to endear herself to others; there was little reason for her to work diligently to convince people to see her as a 'good person' when her definition of good people was considerably different. Morals were a subjective issue. Culture dictated them for most yet Thirteen had never been one to ascribe to cultural norms.
"I like to give you things you like."
Teasing was easy with Gretel. The woman had an amazing smile and an even better smirk. Her hands were rough in a way Thirteen found thrilling. There were rarely moments when she worried Gretel found her boring or too hateful. It was as if they mutually agreed with one another to enjoy their relationship while telling the rest of the world to go fuck itself.
Thirteen figured their compatibility could be given over in part to their disdain for societal standards.
Not to mention their general dislike of people as a whole.
"Why, Gretel, are you suggesting we make a sex tape?"
Thirteen did her best to sound shocked though her smile gave her away.
"I think you'll have an easy time convincing me if you play your cards right."
~*~
Gretel feigned an innocent look, "Maaaybe." The look faded quickly though as she began to laugh, "It could be fun, I think." Gretel had no issues with nudity and it wasn't as if anyone else would ever see it except the two of them.
Cocking her head slightly, she considered Thirteen for a moment, a smile still turning up the corners of her mouth. "Fair enough. I think I should be able to do that." She shifted to lean forward and place the gift down on the floor next to the couch.
Gretel scooted closer to Thirteen, one arm going to drape around her shoulders as she pulled her closer. This was nice. Just being able to sit back and enjoy the holiday with someone she cared about without any other worries in the world.
Leaning over, Gretel pressed a soft kiss to Thirteen's lips, her free hand coming up to cup her face as her thumb brushed gently over her cheek. "So," she asked after she pulled back, "do I get any hints as to what I have to do to play my cards right?"
~*~
Solid.
Gretel was a solid woman in a way women rarely felt. Thirteen allowed herself to relax against her lover as she considered how lucky she was to have gotten her as a patient purely by chance. The safety she felt being held against Gretel's strong, healthy body was better than any promise of hope for a future treatment for Huntington's which Thirteen would never live long enough to see.
Licking her lips, tasting Gretel on them, Thirteen admitted, "There's a good chance you won't have to play very hard or even well to get a win with me. The House is in your favor. That always helps I'm told."
She'd never been gambling so the language was purely from pop culture references. Thirteen was willing to do whatever it took to keep Gretel happy even if she didn't think she had to try to do more than be herself. It was a novelty for someone to take to her as she came. Most people wanted a fling or a fuck and then to flutter off to whatever new amusement their social butterfly lives led them onto.
Gretel wanted her for more and she wanted her to have all she could give. It was exhilarating and terrifying at the same time.
"Hold me awhile? We can pretend we're listening to the snow falling. I want to feel this for a little longer. Being loved on Christmas. Safe and warm. Healthy…"
'Enough,' Thirteen told herself as she bit down on her lip, resting her cheek against Gretel's chest to hear her heart beating steadily, a reminder of how very alive they were and how very fragile that life was all at once.
Thirteen had the strange feeling this would be the best Christmas of her life. She closed her eyes as she tried to memorize every detail for later when she'd need the memory.
Someday memory would be all either of them had.
~*~
Gretel chuckled softly, "Duly noted. We'll get to work on that after the New Year." She teased her lover lightly, although, she admittedly was more than happy to strip for the camera. The smile on her face faded as Thirteen talked, a line of worry appearing between her brows.
Healthy.
The word rang loud in Gretel's mind. She had no idea how many Christmas's they would have where Thirteen would be healthy, or if this would be the only one that they ever had together. Life was always full of uncertainties, and Gretel was no fortune teller.
Next year things could be different. Next year she could be alone for Christmas.
Right now, however, she was focusing on the here and now. All of the positive, and very little of the negative.
"You got it." Gretel replied, moving her hand down to lace her fingers through Thirteen's, resting their joined hands on her thighs. They could have tonight to just be, to share in the magic of Christmas and not concern themselves of anything else, even life's uncertainties.