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Sonny always had a complex relationship when it came to his feelings about the holidays. Of course, he loved the many weeks King’s gave their students for winter break, but with the break and free time came the demand for family to visit. He didn’t really mind that part of it either. There were some cousins and family friends he never got to see as much as he would like to that came to visit over the course of a week or so. It wasn’t that nor was it the expectation of parties that came with being half of the famed Hungarian-British Banks family. He could deal with those. At the least, his cousins made it at least bearable. No, it was the more localized Christmas party that had him feeling somewhat weary.

Every year, the Banks-Drakes and the Castillo-Jameson families, who all were close friends, held a Christmas party for their nearest and dearest, taking turns in hosting. Soleil and Jackson co-owned Asgard Fitness, Viola and Marco were co-heads of the King’s Academy PTA, and, of course, Andrea and Marco Junior were the ever-infamous on-again, off-again couple. 

Sonny’s time at the party so far had been full of unpleasant pleasantries he was forced to be the receiver of as well as the giver. Family of family friends, friends of the family, and his own kept bothering him to the point where he was only able to get free after nearly half an hour of boring conversations. It was mostly about how these people who hadn’t seen Sonny in so long and how much he hasn’t grown. That was like a knife in his back, forever reminding him that he didn’t inherit his father’s height. Added to how they all refused to call him by his preferred name and just went straight for the jugular as they called him Jackson Jr.

As he made his way far from where all of the boring adults were, Sonny leaned against the table where he happened to see Marisol [i]sneaking[/i] some of the alcoholic eggnog as her parents weren’t anywhere to be seen. [color=ff8c00]“Smart. But it tastes like ass. Nowhere nearly enough brandy for my liking,”[/color] Sonny commented, looking Marisol up and down. He knew it was a party, but seeing her all dolled up really made it set in that even Slim herself could shock and awe. [color=ff8c00]“Nice dress.”[/color] He complimented, doing his best to not stare for a prolonged amount of time.

While Sonny was of a somewhat bittersweet opinion when it came to the holidays, Marisol was in the opposite. She loved Christmas time: the food, the break from school, the time spent with family, the way everyone seemed to be in the best of moods, the PRESENTS…

Hell, the Castillo-Drake Christmas party was probably the biggest family event Marisol Castillo always looked forward to throughout the year besides her birthday. Good food and good company were always the order of the evening, and it always brought a long-lasting smile to her usually-grumpy face to catch up with those she loved the most. As always, her immediate family was in attendance, as were both sets of grandparents, her aunts, uncles, and cousins. And although Mari had been incredibly excited to see each and every one of them, there was one particular person she would never get enough of her cousin Nicolas. The blond boy had been away for the last few months studying abroad in Europe, causing Mari a great deal of heartbreak. So the second the short girl saw her big cousin’s tall figure walking up the steps to her home, she had ran out the door, tackled him with a hug, and had refused to leave his side ever since.

Right as the party was in full swing, Marisol had decided that she needed a little more alcohol. And after excusing herself with Nico for a second, the girl leaped up from her seat on the couch next to her cousin and made her way to the drinks table. When Sonny caught her mid-sip of her eggnog, she offered her best friend a wide grin.

[color=A52A2A]"Why, thank you, Prince Charming! You're looking good yourself!"[/color] Marisol responded in an uncharacteristically cheerful tone while slurring her words a little: both clear signs that she was getting tipsy. [color=A52A2A]"Did Drea pick that outfit for you?"[/color]

Sonny faked a couple of laughs with a grin and then lost it. [color=ff8c00]“Very funny.”[/color] He paused for an awkward moment of silence. [color=ff8c00]“Okay, she may have been with me when I went to Barnie’s,”[/color] he confessed, somewhat embarrassed. [color=ff8c00]“But enough about me, let’s talk about your glow up for a sec because I could have sworn you [i]hated[/i] dresses. Something about missing you with that girly shit?”[/color] He teased, laughing.

Mari rolled her eyes at his last comment. [color=A52A2A]"Trust me: I haven't changed my opinion on this dress bullshit. But when [url=https://media.tenor.com/images/cf1169289d47db9f9a4929d5625c2815/tenor.gif]Aunt Callie[/url] saw me heading downstairs in jeans, the black Thrasher hoodie, and your orange beanie, she blew a gasket. Before I made it to the top of the stairs she'd pulled me into her room, dressed me up in this-"[/color] she pinched a bit of the red fabric hugging her slim body for a moment. [color=A52A2A]"-did my hair and makeup [i]and[/i] had me borrow some of her shoes and accessories. I'm so fucking ready to get out of this thing."[/color]

[color=ff8c00]“Careful now, I think some of my cousins might see that as a challenge.”[/color] He teased her some more as if he wasn’t thinking the same thing- no, what? He didn’t know what he was thinking. There was no way he could...could he? 

The short girl snorted and rolled her eyes with a sardonic smile. [color=A52A2A]"As if I'd give any of them a chance!"[/color] she exclaimed, shaking her head. Sonny’s cousins were all fifty shades of idiots, and with her minuscule amount of patience, there was no way she could handle both her best friend [i]and[/i] some relative of his.

Sonny quickly shook his head when Marisol wasn’t looking in his general direction, likely when he mentioned his cousins, and took a glass of eggnog. It wasn’t enough alcohol as he said, but it still was eggnog. As he sipped it, he used this time to think, knowing full well there was a limited amount of time he could do it until Marisol thought something was up, so he had to think of something to say.

[color=ff8c00]“Sooo…”[/color] Sonny’s voice came with an extension as though trying to find his beat. [color=ff8c00]“You know [url=https://66.media.tumblr.com/55186a24161c13fa8c9196b3032db250/tumblr_ozcb6ulc371vuoo7do1_250.gif]Jamie[/url]’s around, right? He’s been asking about you.”[/color]

Marisol's smile was quickly wiped away from her face, replaced by a deep scowl and a disgusted expression. [color=brown]"Ugh, fucking Jamie!"[/color] she spat, looking around for the bane of her existence. From the first time they’d met as children, Sonny's older cousin Jamie had seemingly made it his mission to make Mari's life difficult, to say the least, with constant jabs at her height. There had been many attempts at kicking him in the nuts so hard he’d think twice about making fun of her again, but much to her chagrin, they were either futile or interrupted. [color=brown]"Where's that son of a bitch?! I've had a few drinks already, so I have no issues squaring up with that piece of shit if he calls me anything!"[/color]

Sonny found her reaction quite entertaining. Maybe it was the fact that she had a couple of drinks or just how Jamie had this effect on her, but seeing her want to pick a fight with him brought an amused grin to Sonny’s face. He laughed for a few moments. [color=ff8c00]“Calm down there, tiger,”[/color] he advised her, [color=ff8c00]“he’s three-thousand miles away. He and his parents are in Cabo for Christmas. He just asked about you when I called him last night,”[/color] Sonny admitted, [color=ff8c00]“I just wanted to see what your reaction would be.”[/color] He remained silent for a few seconds. [color=ff8c00]“Safe to say, you didn’t disappoint, Slim.”[/color] He smiled at her.

The green-eyed girl visibly relaxed and let out a relieved breath. [color=A52A2A]"Oh thank God…"[/color] she said, grinning widely now. [color=A52A2A]"I would've hated to ruin the party by breaking [i]darling Jamie[/i]'s nose, as much as he deserves it."[/color]

[color=ff8c00]“He could use a good bruise or two,”[/color] Sonny commented, looking at Marisol. And like previous times, Sonny couldn’t bring himself to take his eyes off of her [i]again[/i]. He didn’t know what it was about tonight of all days, but something was in the air. Perhaps it was just the Christmas festivities, or maybe it was how Marisol had a rather unique glow about her tonight. Red was her color and the dress was doing everything it needed to.

Sonny collected himself again, looking at Marisol. [color=ff8c00]“Hey, you wanna get out of here for a while? I got something I want to give you.”[/color] 

[color=A52A2A]"What do you mean?"[/color] the brunette asked him, eyebrows raised and eyeing him suspiciously for any signs of a prank or a joke.

[color=ff8c00]“What do you mean, [i]‘what do I mean’[/i]?”[/color] Sonny rolled his eyes. [color=ff8c00]“I’m saying I want you to come to my room with me so I can give you your Christmas gift, dumbass.”[/color]

[color=A52A2A]“Alright, fine!”[/color] Mari exclaimed, rolling her eyes and raising her hands defensively. [color=A52A2A]“Just let me finish this and we can go-”[/color] she said, grabbing her glass of eggnog from the table, downing it in one gulp and placing the now empty glass back down again. She flashed Sonny a grin. [color=A52A2A]“Ready!”[/color]

After Marisol had downed the rest of her eggnog, they would excuse themselves from the party to a part of the house that was a little more isolated from all of the overplayed holiday music and chatter. This part of the Drake house was in Sonny’s room, a place the two of them were very familiar with. The epic roars from downstairs could still be heard but it was a lot quieter and much easier for them to talk about whatever, which was exactly what Sonny wanted.

[color=ff8c00]“Ah, that’s much better!”[/color] He let out a sigh of relief, parking his ass on his bed back-first.

Marisol followed his lead, plopping herself right next to him and releasing groans of relief as she took off the high heels that had been silently torturing her for hours. [color=A52A2A]“I’ll say!”[/color] she replied, rubbing at the imprint the footwear had left on the top of her feet. After about a minute, Mari turned her attention away from her feet and to Sonny instead. [color=A52A2A]“So… Where’s my gift, dipshit?”[/color] she inquired, raising a demanding eyebrow.

Rolling his eyes at her, Sonny propped himself upright and off his bed. Sonny stood around for a couple of moments to gather himself due to the blood rushing to his head, but once he gathered himself, the teen went to his nightstand and reached inside to pull out a box the size of two baseballs horizontally aligned that was wrapped in red and white candy cane gift wrapping paper with a golden bow and a card attached to it.

Sonny returned to his bed and set it on Marisol’s lap. [color=ff8c00]“There’s your present,”[/color] he announced, gently punching her arm.

There weren’t many times in which Marisol showed an expression other than anger or violence. But if there was something that was guaranteed to cause her to light up with excitement and anticipation, it was receiving gifts. Whether it was Christmas, her birthday, or just a random occasion, getting Mari a gift was a foolproof way of raising her spirits and putting her in the best of moods.  Upon receiving her gift, she clapped excitedly a few times, shooting her best friend a beaming grin before removing the card from where it was attached to the box.  [color=A52A2A]“Do you want me to read the card first? Or do you want me to do it after I open the gift?”[/color]

He knew what he wanted her to do. She probably knew it as well, but saying it out loud meant that what he wrote on that card was going to be real. Knowing what he put on that limited space card, he had to think about it, but time wasn’t on his side. [color=ff8c00]“It’s common courtesy to read the card before the gift,”[/color] he said, chuckling to himself.

[color=A52A2A]"Okay! Fine!"[/color] Laughing, Marisol rolled her eyes, slid a finger under the flap to open the envelope, pulled out the card and started to read:

[indent][i][color=ff8c00]“To the pain in my ass,

Shit, I'm not good at this thing but these past couple of months made me realize you really are something special. I nearly lost you on several occasions and the fact that I didn't is astonishing, so I'd like for both of us to share this gift because despite how I may seem on the outside and what little I show, I do love you, even if you are a major pain in my ass.

Sincerely,
Your Pain in the Ass”[/color][/i][/indent]

A warm feeling traveled across her body with the sweet, handwritten words in the card. [color=A52A2A]“Awwwww!”[/color] Mari exclaimed, throwing her arms around her best friend and planting a kiss on his cheek in a surprising affectionate move. [color=A52A2A]“Thanks, dipshit! I love you too!”[/color]

As he sat there, looking at how uncharacteristically happy Marisol was, Sonny felt something odd in the pit of his stomach. It felt it was turning and his whole body felt slightly warmer than usual. It was very similar to how he felt when he went on that date with Nadia and when he was [i]involved[/i] with Ariana a couple of years ago. He knew what it was, but never anticipated he would be getting these butterflies because of Marisol. Or at least, when he wrote those words down, he didn’t think it would make him feel like this.

[color=ff8c00]“That’s not…”[/color] Sonny stumbled for the right words, while Mari quickly became concerned. He scratched his head, finger digging at his scalp as he tried to find the right words to say. The thing about that was Sonny was terrible at finding those exact words that summed up what he was thinking. [color=ff8c00]“Mari, that’s not what I meant. I mean, I do love you but not just like [i]that[/i].”[/color] He grabbed her hands, forcing her to set down the gift while she frowned at him with confusion. [color=ff8c00]“You know I’ve never been good at this sort of thing, so I’ll just show you.”[/color] He lingered in her jade-colored gaze for a moment before giving her a kiss that lasted for a long few seconds until he pulled away. They felt like an eternity and his heart was pounding as if it was trying to break free of his chest.

There were no words to describe the feeling Marisol got when Sonny pressed his lips against hers. While her mind raced a mile a minute, her heart was hammering against her chest, and her head was spinning. She sat there for a few seconds, frozen on the spot, trying to make sense of what was happening between them. And even when he pulled away and she pieced everything together, she could only stare at him with a mixture of confusion and wonder plastered all over her face.

Although the young woman wanted to speak, no words were coming out. She opened and closed her mouth a few times like a fish out of water, stuttering and stammering all sorts of incomprehensible gibberish. But after taking a deep breath to compose herself, Mari finally found her voice.

[color=A52A2A]“What does [i]that[/i] mean?”[/color] she croaked in barely more than a whisper, looking up at Sonny with big doe eyes.

[color=ff8c00]“I figured that kiss said it all,”[/color] he joked, laughing as he held her hands. 

He surveyed her face, seeing her mass confusion. Admittedly, he didn’t quite understand this either. He never did quite grasp his feelings. It wasn’t that he didn’t know what he felt. But when it came to Marisol, it was tricky. It took months of discovering things about himself and what he wanted to get into a state of mind where he could think clearly; and more importantly, when Sonny could look within himself and find a true answer. This, right here, was that. 

Marisol felt right. [i]He and she felt right.[/i]

And as he made a mental check, he kissed her again. It lasted for the same amount of time and he pulled away. [color=ff8c00]“When I wrote that I love you, it wasn’t because you’re my best friend, Mari. It’s because I’m finally ready to say it: [i]I love you[/i] and I’m willing to give this a real shot if you are.”[/color]

If the first kiss had left her stunned, the love declaration had blown her mind. After they’d made up a few months ago, Marisol had put in all her efforts into keeping her feelings for Sonny in check, focusing on their friendship and accept the fact that he didn’t feel the same. Things had certainly felt different since then, with the same amount of playful banter but with less arguing and more affectionate actions shared between them. Of course, she had been hesitant to address their new bond it in fear of jeopardizing their relationship again. But from a softer demeanor to [i]love[/i]? It was a surprising confession, but one that made her heart swell with happiness and that she welcomed with open arms.

[color=A52A2A]"Oh, Sonny…"[/color] the girl started to say as her jade-colored eyes filled up with tears, her voice breaking a little with the sudden wave of overwhelming feelings. In typical Mari fashion, she blinked rapidly to fight hard against it, refusing to show how her heart was nothing but a puddle in her chest at the moment. In the end, it all proved to be in vain. After a few wobbles of her lower lip, the brunette embraced Sonny and burst into tears of joy.

Once the sobs subsided she'd regained some sort of composure over her feelings, Marisol pulled away. [color=A52A2A]"I love you too!"[/color] she loudly proclaimed in between sniffles, wiping her tears away and giving him a watery smile. [color=A52A2A]"I would love to take a chance with you."[/color]

The air was thick with the feels. Sonny hadn’t been surrounded by them in a while. It wasn’t since he had been involved with Ariana that he experienced this kind of high -- the kind that was nigh infectious and how every bone in his body felt weak and every breath he drew was lost at the sight of Marisol. It was as though she was different to him now. His best friend and partner-in-crime, the person he had known forever was no longer just the friend he went to for everything, for laughs, for rants, for some quality gaming -- but someone who actually was his soulmate was that and so much more.

But as he remained on her face, taking in the roundness of the shape of it, her almond eyes with that unique green/hazel shade that was unique to her Jameson genes, and the hue of her skin that brought some color to her pasty relatives, Sonny was speechless. He wanted to speak but nothing felt right. Maybe he had said everything that needed to say and maybe that was okay. Perhaps it was more than okay and he was just now realizing that.

[color=ff8c00]“I more than just love you, Marisol Alejandra Castillo,”[/color] he admitted, squeezing her hands in his, [color=ff8c00]“I pan you!”[/color] Sonny laughed, unable to keep a straight face, but his smile that came after was a wholesome, genuine, I’m-in-love-with-you grin.

[color=A52A2A]“You’re so stupid!”[/color] she cried out with a shake of the head after her small laughing fit, playfully swatting his arm. She took a second to simply stare at him, or  [color=A52A2A]“Does this mean I’m the spatula to your skillet after all?”[/color]

Sonny kissed her, laughing and quickly pulled away. [color=ff8c00]“Yes it does.”[/color] the young man eagerly affirmed before he kissed her again. [color=ff8c00]“Now shut up and let me show you how [i]skilled[/i] I really am!”[/color] Sonny kissed her some more, guiding her backward onto his bed, their loved-up giggles filling up the empty spaces of his bedroom.

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