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Villanelle doesn’t think she’s ever been this genuinely happy. Not truly.
Sure, she’s had moments where she was under the illusion of happiness. Mostly back when she was younger, with Anna. She still remembers the moments of the two of them standing in her kitchen baking Christmas cookies. Or decorating the house in the moments they had when Anna’s husband was away at his job.
But that’s all it was. An illusion. And it all came crashing down eventually when Anna’s husband came home and reality set back in.
This is different though. This time she knows it’s real. And Eve isn’t leaving.
It is those rare, mushy feelings that causes Villanelle to find herself where she is right now. In their living room hunched over a box of Eve’s old things that they had brought home recently from Eve’s childhood home in America.
Eve had introduced Villanelle to her mother, though not as her official girlfriend. Villanelle had been irritated at first but she’s come to understand. For normal people, sometimes admitting to your family that you have a girlfriend…and one that’s younger than you and is a contracted assassin who once tried to kill you, isn’t always the easiest thing. She also knows that it’ll be hard for Eve to safetly see her family regularly, so visits will be sporadic.
She knows Eve isn’t normal. But sometimes, Eve still has her moments where she likes to pretend she is.
But the meeting had gone well enough. And Eve’s mother had sent them on their way with a good meal and the box of Eve’s belongings Villanelle is currently searching through.
She pauses once her hands come across something specific. A large, framed picture.
In the picture, is a child that looks to be Eve, maybe when she was around nine years old or so. Beside her stands her parents. And in the background, there is a large, looming Christmas tree decorated with colorful lights and dangling ornaments.
It has to be the most beautiful Christmas tree Villanelle has ever seen. She tells herself that opinion is objective and has nothing to do with the person in the picture.
“What are you doing?”
Villanelle looks up at the sound of Eve’s voice.
Her girlfriend is standing a few feet away from her in the doorway that leads to their bedroom. Her hair is a little messy from the nap she just woke up from. The sight causes a swell of warmth to spread in Villanelle’s chest.
Shamelessly, Villanelle stands up and shows her the picture she was looking at. “You didn’t tell me you celebrated Christmas.”
Villanelle has never had much exposure to Christmas. She knew from the movies she watched how it was typically celebrated in American culture. And while she’s never really given a damn about the message behind it, the idea of having a decorated tree in the house had always kind of intrigued her.
Eve looks at her with raised eyebrows, like she always does when Villanelle says or does something that surprises her. “I didn’t think it would matter to you.”
“Of course it does, Eve. I told you…I want to know everything about you.” Villanelle feels the faintest warmth in her cheeks at her own words and hopes it isn’t noticeable.
Villanelle never thought she would care this much about anyone, really. But she does. She wants to know everything about Eve. Past, present, and future. Even the smallest boring details.
But it isn’t ever really boring. Not to her, anyway. Because it’s about Eve.
Eve rolls her eyes at Villanelle’s words. But there’s also a fond smile on her lips that’s become familiar to Villanelle over the years. She walks over and takes the picture out of Villanelle’s hands and into her own.
“We only ever really celebrated when I was young. Once I became a teenager…Christmas celebrations became less and less important to us.”
“Do you ever miss it?” Villanelle is soaking up all of this. It’s not common that Eve talks about her past like this.
Eve shrugs. “Sometimes, I suppose. But it doesn’t mean the same thing to me anymore. It’s not like I have much reason to celebrate it now.”
Internally, Villanelle is coming up with one of her greatest ideas ever. But it must show on her face because Eve immediately frowns and wags a finger at her.
“I know that look. What are you planning?”
Villanelle gives her a fake, sweet smile. “Nothing at all.”
Before Eve can further investigate or question her, Villanelle kisses her firmly on the mouth, a groan escaping her lips as they push each other towards the bedroom. Sex was one of the few sure things she could use to distract Eve these days, after all.
Oh, this was going to be so much fun.
Sometimes, it really pays to be an assassin.
Being that Christmas Day was actually three days ago and stores were no longer quite in stock with holiday decorations, Villanelle had taken it upon herself to raid a couple of her target’s basements and attics.
It had taken a few places. But she’s proud of the haul she ended up bringing home.
There’s a string of green and red lights lining the front of their small roof. A reef hanging on their front door.
Now she just needs to find a tree to use the box of ornaments on.
Which is how and why she finds herself where she is now, on the outskirts of a patch of Alaskan wilderness as her eyes scan the trees around her, looking for the best one.
She’s tempted to go for the huge evergreen tree in the center. It was so tall that it would probably only be an inch or two away from touching their ceiling. It would probably be the one that would surprise Eve the most when she got home.
The only thing stopping her is the reminder that she’ll have to drag the thing back to the house herself if she wants to surprise Eve.
Her shoulders slumping slightly with mild disappointment, Villanelle makes her way towards a much smaller tree, ax in hand.
Distantly, she thinks about how this is probably the first time she’s used an ax for anything even resembling normal.
Smiling at the thought, she starts to chop.
Villanelle barely manages to get everything set up by the time Eve arrives home.
She managed to stall her a bit by sending her a grocery list. And she has to hold back a smile at the sight of her girlfriend grumpily trudging through the snow with large bags in both her hands.
Despite their profession (running an underground business designed to help women kill abusive men) they still, every once in a while have moments like this that seem so strangely normal and domestic. Sometimes it still caught Villanelle off guard.
But she finds that she likes it.
She opens the door for Eve and then follows her into their small house, neither woman sayibg a word until the door is closed and Eve is setting the bags onto the counter.
“Did you get everything, dear?” Villanelle asks, voice sickeningly sweet.
Eve doesn’t rise to the bait, merely rolling her eyes as she takes off her boots. “I hope you’re planning on being the one to cook. Otherwise this is all going to waste.”
If Eve had followed her list exactly, there should be everything they need to cook a traditional ham Christmas dinner.
Villanelle snorts. “I always cook.” Eve had many talents but cooking was not one of them.
Eve opens her mouth to respond but seems to finally catch sight of the Christmas tree sitting in the middle of their living room, mouth closing as she turns to look at it.
Villanelle is proud of the end product. The tree is decorated with classic green and red ornaments and lit up with a couple strings of lights. On top, sits a glowing star.
She has never had much experience with decorating trees. But she thinks the one she set up today is pretty perfect.
Unfortunately, Eve doesn’t seem eager to give her the praise she deserves.
“Where did you get the tree?”
Villanelle rolls her eyes. “I chopped it down.” Obviously.
A moment passes before Eve speaks again. “It was Christmas two days ago,” she deadpans.
Villanelle pouts. “So we’re celebrating late. Eve, can’t you just tell me how pretty you think the tree is?”
Though she’s fairly confident that this is more than likely one of the best trees Eve has seen, Villanelle still hopes she likes it. That it reminds Eve of her childhood in a good way.
Finally, Eve concedes. “It is very nice.” She turns away from the tree to look at her. “I guess now I’m just wondering…why?”
She’s looking at Villanelle in the way she always does on the rare times she’s still able to take her off guard.
“You said Christmas stopped having meaning for you as you got older. I’ve never had a real Christmas. Not really.” Villanelle pauses, a mild flash of irritatation running through her as she realizes that her face is flushing slightly. “I thought we could make a new meaning for it. Together.”
This was still something she was training herself to get used to after years of burying it. Being vulnerable. But Eve was the only one to ever truly see it not that Konstantin is gone.
Slowly, Eve smiles. The sight immediately makes Villanelle decide that all her efforts were worth it. “What other ideas do you have?”
Villanelle’s eyes twinkle. “Just wait.”
Between the two of them, they manage to make a pretty decent ham dinner. Villanelle even manages to get Eve to help her. She wonders if that comment about making new Christmas meanings had softened her somewhat.
After they eat, they sit together on their small sofa with mugs of hot chocolate in their hands. Topped with whipped cream, marshmallows, and candy canes. On the screen in front of them, Home Alone is playing.
Villanelle laughs a bit as she watches the idiot burglars become mangled by the traps set up around the house. She isn’t sure why she hasn’t watched this movie sooner. It’s funny.
“Have you seen this movie before?” She asks Eve curiously.
Eve shakes her head, eyes on the screen. “When it came out, it was a little past my time. I didn’t stay caught up on Christmas movies once I was no longer a kid.”
That means it was a first time movie for both of them. Villanelle beams at the idea.
But there’s something else on her mind. Without thinking about it, Villanelle leaves the couch to suddenly kneel down on the floor next to the tree.
She feels Eve’s gaze burning into her back. “What are you doing?”
“I got you a present,” Villanelle says, grabbing the small box from under the tree and putting it in Eve’s lap. It was wrapped in green and red paper. “A Christmas present.”
Eve peers down at it for a moment before tearing it open. Inside lies a black, sexy lingerie set. She can immediately see the flush on Eve’s skin, which makes Villanelle even more proud of what she got.
It is something Eve is still getting used to. The fact that Villanelle wants to see her in sexy things so much. Apparently it isn’t something Niko encouraged much during their marriage.
It makes Villanelle think the man is even dumber than she initially thought. How could someone be married to Eve and not take advantage of something like that?
Oh well. His loss her gain.
“I didn’t get you anything,” Eve says as she takes the lingerie set out of the box, holding it in her hands and studying it.
Villanelle smirks. “My present will be you wearing it tonight.”
The lingerie set was a present for both of them, in actuality.
Eve considers this for a moment before nodding and standing up, with the clear intention of going to the bathroom to put on the lingerie.
“Want to add another new tradition and fuck in front of the tree?”
Villanelle’s eyes flash dangerously. “Go change. Now.”