Chapter Text
Holden
Alex knew how to make a great lasagne, but he had never actually prepared a turkey before, so Holden had volunteered for kitchen duty. Admittedly, Holden also hadn’t prepared a turkey before, but orbiting Earth gave him the advantage of being close enough to home to have an actual call without lag.
“The turkey should be done,” his mother Elise said on the small screen after she had walked him through every single step of the cooking process. “Better check your oven.”
Holden gave one last smile into his terminal’s front camera and then bent down to check on the food that Avasarala had sent them. From the moment he opened the lid and the heavenly scent of fresh turkey hit his nose, he knew that asking mother Elise for advice was the best idea he could have had. She was a true miracle worker in the kitchen and even managed to guide someone as useless as him. The only thing in this kitchen that he could operate with confidence was the coffee maker.
Smiling proudly, he pulled the turkey out of the oven and held it up for his mother to see.
Mother Elise smiled at him in return. “I can almost smell it from here,” she replied kindly. “You’ve done well.”
“Thanks,” he said, trying not to blush. Now that the meal was prepared, Holden knew that it was time to hang up and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t used the opportunity to talk to every single one of his parents, but saying goodbye to them was always hard. Even more so on Christmas. “I kind of wish we could have all come down the well to celebrate Christmas with you. Naomi, Alex, the lot of them.”
His mother nodded, but her smile remained kind and understanding. “You know, we’ve been talking about a holiday on Luna. Maybe something can be arranged.”
Even though Holden knew it was unlikely to happen, he still smiled back. “Give them my love, will you?”
“Of course,” mother Elise said. “Have a Merry Christmas with your space family.”
When the connection ended, Holden thought his heart had grown a little heavier inside his chest, but then the voices started to become audible and it wasn’t long until Naomi, Alex, Amos, Clarissa and Bobbie walked into the galley.
“Holy shit, Cap, that smells great!” Amos exclaimed instantly and stepped closer, bending deep over the turkey he was holding. For a moment, Holden was afraid he was going to take a bite out of it right then and there. “I didn’t know you could cook.”
Holden chuckled. “Well, I can’t really. Mother Elise walked me through the steps,” he admitted. “But I think I did well for my first try.”
“More than that,” Alex confirmed, his eyes set on the meal. “I’d say it would be a shame to let it get cold.”
“Alright, alright.” Holden chuckled. “Everyone grab a fork.”
They all took a seat at the table, Holden and Naomi on one side, Amos and Clarissa on the other. Alex and Bobbie sat down on opposite ends of the table. It occurred to Holden that they weren’t exactly an odd bunch for a regular ship where Earthers and Martians and Belters often mixed for a couple of runs. But the Roci wasn’t an ordinary ship. Just like his mother Elise had said, they were a family. The best family Holden could have hoped to find out here. As he was looking around the table once more, taking in all of their faces, appreciating the fact that they were here together on Christmas Day, Holden noticed that they were all looking back at him expectantly.
“Merry Christmas,” he wished them.
“Merry Christmas!” Alex, Bobbie and Clarissa chimed in unison.
“Merry fucking Christmas!” Amos said. The broad smile on the mechanic’s face wasn’t directed at Holden. Instead, he was grinning at the turkey.
It was only then that he realised Naomi hadn’t said a word, so Holden turned his head to look at her. He had already feared the worst, knowing what she thought about this silly Earth tradition, but to Holden’s surprise, he found her smiling back at him.
“Merry Christmas,” she replied earnestly.
As they began to eat, Holden received many compliments for his cooking - and a comment from Naomi, stating that it could have used some more spices, but he knew better than to take the criticism seriously. There they were, his family, enjoying a wonderful Christmas together. Eating, chatting, laughing. After dinner, Bobbie and Alex showed off the Christmas cookies they had baked and Amos told the true story of how the Martians had made them, prompting laughter from everyone else until Alex started to blush. Even Clarissa came out of her shell, sharing a story about that time her sister Julie had received coal for Christmas and, out of revenge, had smeared it over the living room furniture. Somehow, Holden was reminded of Miller and thought that his old friend would have appreciated that tale. He wondered what Miller would have thought of their little Christmas celebration.
When they finally retreated for the night, Holden felt the sense of fulfilment - and that of a full belly. He placed his arms around Naomi and sighed.
“That was a lovely evening,” he said, still smiling in the darkness. Tonight, he would go to sleep, feeling nothing but content.
“Yes,” Naomi replied to his surprise. “You were right. I hate to admit it, but you were right. Christmas is nice.”
Holden chuckled. “I’d say I told you so, but I somehow get the feeling you wouldn’t appreciate that.”
She pinched him between the ribs.
“Ow,” he complained half-heartedly.
“Definitely not appreciated,” Naomi said, then sighed. “But I get it now. I get why it means so much to you.”
Holden cocked his eyebrows even though she couldn’t see it. “So, um, there’s a chance we could do it again next year?”
Naomi cleared her throat in return. “We’ll have to see about that,” she responded sternly. “I still say these decorations are a hazard. Imagine what would happen if we suddenly needed to maneu-”
She didn’t have a chance to finish her sentence when Holden pressed his lips against hers in a kiss. For a moment, he thought she was going to complain and insist on giving him a health and safety lecture, but Naomi let it pass and instead, sank deeper into his arms. A wonderful day with the rest of his crew, a delicious turkey for dinner and going to sleep in the arms of the woman that he loved was everything he could have ever wanted for Christmas.