“I just want everything to go smoothly for your brother’s first run. Christmas Eve is already so important, but his first as Santa Claus,” he says the name with such reverence, I could vomit. “Everything needs to be perfect.” His voice breaking on the last words, nearly jumping up an octave, as his agitation gets the better of him.
Theodore has always been Klaus’ most trusted elf, his promotion was more of a formality than anything else. Even when I first moved to the village he could always be found rushing around doing all the jobs of Head Elf. He knows the ins and outs of the Christmas business like the back of a gingerbread house.
“I will make sure it is done in time,” I say, my voice becoming harsh, enunciating each word as I push myself up from the sleigh.
“And if my stepbrother has any complaints, he knows where to find me.” I say, heavily emphasizing the step, before gesturing to the sixty-foot red and gold sleigh parked behind me.
Theodore huffs, practically stomping his feet with the exhalation. I use the back of my hand to wipe at my mouth, attempting and failing to disguise my smirk at the tiny jingle that comes from his shoes.
Already feeling done with this conversation, I ignore the elf’s further complaints and walk over to my workbench and crank the stereo. The heavy thrashing of guitars drown him and the remaining sounds of carols out.
Leaning back against the workbench, I stare at a red faced Theodore, as he tries to shout over the now deafening music. I mime my inability to hear him mouthing “I can’t hear you” before pushing back the sweat dampened hair that is hanging limply in my eyes, taking another drag of my cigarette.
Theodore scrambles to roll up his parchment, his mouth pressed into a firm line as his eyes shoot daggers through me. He shakes his head, turning with a flourish and stomping out of the garage as he slams the door behind him.
I’m sure he is on his way to tell Klaus I am being uncooperative, but it’s not like his opinion of me has ever been positive. Why start now?
Last Christmas, when Klaus announced his retirement, it didn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, he had been doing the job for over five decades. He stood next to the sleigh, snow still dusting his thick white beard, staring lovingly at my mother. They were both ready for some downtime. To spend their lives supporting Christmas, rather than being the star of the show.
His announcement rang out cheers from the crowd, confirming once and for all that he was passing the reins to my stepbrother Nick, also not a surprise.
From the time I set foot in the village, everyone hailed Nick as the future of Christmas, the pride of our family.
With my heavy metal tunes blaring and my carefree attitude, I stood out as the outsider, dampening the Christmas cheer. The village’s very own Scrooge.
The people in the village meticulously planned and cultivated everything. Children followed their parents into family run careers and everything kept rotating like a never ending wheel of doom.
I was a wrench in the cog of their uniformity. I didn’t fit. Since Nick would follow in our parents’ footsteps, what job could they possibly assign to me?
That is how I landed in the garage. Well, almost.
At seventeen, I had taken it upon myself to offer the village some redecorating in the form of a new mural painted on the side of the sleigh garage.
I was standing back, admiring my handiwork, taking in the scene of a female elf being spit roasted by two reindeer. The garage door suddenly swung open and Arthur, the current sleigh mechanic, emerged.
I froze, waiting for the backlash, but Arthur just assessed my painting skills and chuckled to himself before clasping me on the back, inviting me into his workshop.
The tools were mesmerizing, and I had found a purpose in being able to make something useful again with my hands.
When the sleigh wasn’t in need of maintenance, we ensured all the village machines and transportation were up and running.
My first job, after repainting the garage wall before anyone could see it, was to touch up the paint on the sleigh decals. The gold swirls were intricate and detailed, and I found myself entranced.
From then on I had spent every moment I wasn’t required at school or with my family locked in this shed, fixing, building, painting.
I couldn’t stop my mind from slipping back to Nick. Despite his inevitable path following his father, I had no genuine issues with him.
The only thing that bothered me was the way my chest tightened and ached whenever he was close to me, and the fact my dick never forgot to remind me of his existence.
An insatiable, constant, gnawing sensation that never went away.
I had fucked my way through half of the elves my age, men and women alike, but there was something about the stupid fucking twinkle in Nick’s eye whenever he caught me looking at him, that had my fists clenching with the sudden need to throw him over my knee and spank the shit out of his ass till it was as red as the tip of Rudolph’s nose.
My thoughts snapped back to reality as the door swung back open with a crash and Arthur entered, lugging in a bunch of unknown sleigh parts.
“I just saw Teddy tearing through the middle of the village,” he said with a chuckle, “that wouldn’t have anything to do with a visit to you now would it?”
I shrug, and huffing out a laugh, took one last drag on my smoke and put it out in the empty beer can on my bench. “Teddy seems to have his panties in a twist that we won’t finish in time.”
Grabbing one of the new air filters from Arthur’s cart, I lay myself back on the creeper and push myself back under the sleigh. The four-foot elf stops my gliding and drags me back out, now peering down at me in grease stained overalls.
“You called him Theodore, didn’t you?” The shit-eating grin that split my face makes his shoulders bounce with his contained laughter and he shakes his head.
“You’re an asshole, you know that.”
“Hey! I’ll stop calling him Theodore when he stops calling me Kristopher.” Arthur’s smile softens as he looks me over and I move to push myself back under the sleigh, to avoid this touchy feely moment but I’m once again pulled back out.
“Sorry son, but you’ve been summoned to join everyone up at the house.” His pitying look has me turning away. He, more than anyone, knew how uncomfortable I felt in that house.
Though I was still required to live there, Arthur was always the first to provide me with cover to get out of as many things as I could as a teen, but now at twenty-nine there was no escaping.
Fucking great. Nothing like dinner with the family.
This is going to be a long fucking Christmas.
Chapter twoNick
December 20th
