I've been roped in exams for almost 2 weeks and only managed to relax and get in the Christmas spirit a few days ago. As such, let's put out a short story just for that. I know I just started a big story a few days ago, titled Miracles, but we'll put that on pause to briefly release this one.

It's also the first story focusing on Luna and Luan that is unrelated to my ongoing series of stories and story arcs since On Top of Vanzilla (see my profile for details).

Happy holidays, everyone!

Tea Time

December 24, 2019

Luan Loud watched the snow falling gently from the window of her bedroom, sitting in her psychedelic Jester's chair, which she had pushed right up to the window frame so that she could watch the scene outside unfold. Though the frozen world that was the outdoors was dark and cold, her house was toasty warm. Admittedly though, it was just as dark in her room; the girl had deliberately done this. With the lights out on both sides of the window barrier, she could see the natural luminance that the thick blankets of snow were emitting as they lay atop everything in sight: the backyard, Charles' doghouse, the rooftops of nearby houses, everything. A sea of white greeted her eyes and seemed to shimmer and sparkle no matter where she looked. The sky, though an inky dark blue, was also coated with the traces of falling crystals, with no signs of ceasing the precipitation rate. Neither the snow nor Luan made a single sound as the otherwise noisy and disruptive prankster of a girl opted to just sit quietly and see what she could see.

But whatever sounds she did not make tonight, her appearance said it for her. She was sporting those reindeer antlers on her head again this year. A tradition, obviously, but they didn't mean so much to her as the annual 12 Puns of Christmas. This year, Luan had decided to expand her scope and bump it up to 24 Puns of Christmas. This meant twice as much fun for her (and oblivious to Luan, twice as many groans from her family). Currently, she had stacked up 21 puns throughout the day, leaving her with three more chances to wait out for the perfect opportunity to arrive before her so that she could craft and utter them out loud. Her self-imposed rule was that she had to complete the full 24 by the end of tomorrow.

Luan smiled as her thoughts now turned to tomorrow. Christmas Day, like for most kids, was always a special time to her. The whole week or so leading up to it was tons of fun in itself, but when it finally came to the 25th of December, it was just the superior package of heartfelt joy. Yes, for a while, she too had gradually let the true meaning of this holiday slip past her as the desire for material goods and commercialized traditions flooded her brain capacity. But ever since her family had shown some love to their still-grumpy, yet much more approachable neighbour Mr. Grouse last year, Luan's true Christmas spirit was now freshly renewed and she payed far more attention to spending quality time with her family and friends, than focusing on the blatant 'gimmie gimmie's of the season.

Her 24 Puns of Christmas though, was still a 'must have'.

Her deep thoughts and the darkness of her bedroom were interrupted when the door creaked open, sending light from the hallway flooding in, briefly disrupted as a silhouette stepped in, holding something.

"Whoa, dude. Why's it so dark?"

Luan swiveled around in her large chair to face Luna. "Well, I was watching the falling snow outside, until you ploughed in. Get it? That's 22!"

Her sister watched as she grabbed her 'pun counter' from her skirt pocket and clicked its tab, bringing its current number up from 21 to 22. She rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, right, your traditional pun count. How could I forget?"

She closed the door, letting their shared bedroom plunge into darkness once again. She then approached her little sister, upon which Luan could now see that she was cradling a white coffee mug with a cursive L in purple ink on its side. Small streaks of steam were wafting from the liquid's surface. She was also wearing a lilac scarf around her neck.

Luna peered out the window, gazing at the snow. "Huh, look at all that white stuff fall. You'd think some rock concert came to town that they're all big fans of."

The jokester watched as Luna dragged the rickety old chair from the desk that they shared for doing homework and took a seat next to her and the jester's chair so she could watch the outside too. The sight of this, however, made Luan frown; somehow, it didn't seem fair to her.

In a house with this many people, and more to the point, this many siblings, it was always a fight for the last chocolate chip cookie, the only grape popsicle in the freezer, and the best seat in front of the TV. Anything of the highest coveted position in the house that Luan was lucky enough to grab for herself first was rightfully well-deserved since it was the top prize of every fight cloud and argument that broke loose. Perhaps it was her natural kindness under her tough, pranking skin that was nagging at her, or maybe just her softness for Luna, but for some reason or another, the sight of Luna sitting on that unstable, uneven wooden chair while she sat upon her decorative throne didn't settle right with her gut.

She scooched over as much as she could to one side, pressing herself against the green-coloured right armrest. "Luna, don't use that chair. That thing's gonna fall to bits any day now."

She patted the empty half of her seat. "Get up here," she ordered.

Luna stared dumbly at her for only a moment before flashing a small smile and obeying. Pushing the discarded chair aside with her boot, she sat down right next to her sister, still holding her drink. It was only a mildly tighter squeeze than Luan anticipated, but the two managed to sit comfortable together on her chair for the most part. To Luan, the important part was that Luna was no longer sitting on that pathetic chair while she took the fancier one.

"Thanks, dude. Cheers," Luna said, smiling down at her sister.

Luan's clown-possessed mind saw its chance. "I would…but unlike you, I don't have a drink."

She snickered while Luna groaned quietly.

Silence fell between them for the next while, the pair watched the frosty world outside their window as more and more snow dropped from the darkening sky. It was peaceful and the sight of the snow was ironically bringing a particular warming feeling to them both.

For as long as it had existed, snow brings with it a strange delivery of magic. Though Lisa might beg – or rather demand – to differ, it is literally ordinary precipitation frozen into ice crystals as part of one of Mother Nature's most ancient and completely natural cycles. In a much less literal and scientific sense, it is a beautiful sight; a sign of winter and one of the many indications of Christmas time, a season that even Lisa could not resist but indulge in to her absolute fullest. To kids both young and old, winter and its snow bring about many opportunities of fun and enjoyment that can never be found anytime else. Luan and Luna were no exception. They watched with warm smiles as the snow fell around their windowsill, blanketing the neighbourhood in a glossy white cover of cold.

Though she still felt a tad squished now that she was sharing her chair with another person, Luan felt very happy to have Luna with her now. She loved each and every member of her large family, but there was no one whom she felt safer and closer to than with her immediate older sister and roommate. Even though they tended to fight and argue over the most trivial of matters, and her pranking didn't exactly do much to invite Luna closer, her big sister had always remained extremely loyal to her ever since their years as little children, always watching over Luan and fulfilling her big sister duties in the best ways she could. Even though Luan herself had proven to be very independent early on in life, she still found herself frequently rushing to the safety of Luna's open arms, the latter of whom almost never failed to welcome her in and invite her to pour out her troubles for her ears and heart to listen to.

Speaking of listening, the only sounds of the night were coming from the light sipping as Luna took gradual samples of her warm drink from her mug. Luan looked across at her and the object in her hands. A pleasant aroma was coming from whatever she was drinking, sparking her nerve receptors with interest.

"What is that?" she asked, curiosity winning her over at last.

Luna cast her eyes down at her, swallowing her latest intake. "White cranberry tea," she answered. "Just a little drink I made to warm the night."

Luna and Lola were the only siblings in the family who had developed a taste for tea early on in life, the former having adopted this from their equally British-loving father and a little from their mother, the latter of whom had gotten into the stuff from her husband. Luan wasn't exactly big on tea, preferring the more common and less fancy drinks that came straight out of the plastic bottle or soft drink can. But because Luna frequently brewed up tea and brought a mug into their room late at nights to complete last-minute homework assignments, Luan was often met with sweet smells and delicious scents that made her mouth water, even though she retained a tough shell and usually didn't inquire about these to her sister. It wasn't easy though; every time seemed to be tea time for Luna, and with each new arrival of a mug into their room while Luan was also present, there always seemed to be a new scent filling their shared space that was coming from Luna's drink and tempting Luan's mind.

Maybe the snow and the peaceful night were having an effect on her, because this was one of the few times when she had actually asked about it.

"Smells good," she said quietly to Luna, nodding hopefully a little at the drink.

Luna smirked. "Want to try some? I think you'll like it. S'got harvest cranberries and sweet apple, mixed with a lemon twist. It's seasonal, so it only comes to the shop around Christmas. Sends you far, far away on that little paradise trip you always dreamed of."

The younger girl took the mug carefully from her, their fingers briefly grazing each other as the mug made the transfer, during which Luan could feel the warmth in Luna's hands. She felt the same comforting temperature increase pass through her own hands as she took the mug completely.

"Thanks," she whispered gratefully before trying a small sip. The heat of the tea sent all of Luan's senses tingling as she was washed with a lovely sensation, surrendering all of her being to the steaming warmth that the tea fused with her system in a sudden, yet wonderful rush, both inside and out. Luna was right, the taste of the tea was actually very nice too. Unlike soap, which does not taste as good as it smells, this worked very well on both ends.

She zonked out of her brief trance and was brought back to reality when she looked up at Luna, who was watching her with interest. "See what I mean, dude? That stuff is magic."

Luan smiled. "Well, I think this Christmas tea goes perfect on this fros-TEA night. Get it?"

She laughed while simultaneously holding her counter high in the air above her felt antlers with her free hand. "That's 23! Only one more to go!"

Luna didn't share her enthusiasm, instead waiting patiently for Luan to finish her obligatory laugh track. She eventually did, and looked down at the mug, still reasonably full of tasty tea.

"Seriously, though, Luna…I actually really like this." She then took another sip, this one slightly larger than the previous. Once more, she felt the beautiful feeling spread over her, rejuvenating her circuits again. "Not just because it's warm. It tastes really good too."

The rocker teen smiled proudly at her. "Well, it's nice to know there could be someone else in this fam who can like this," she said soothingly. "Next time I'm stirring up a pot, I'll call you down."

Luan matched her smile. "Sure," she said, helping herself to a third dosage of Luna's tea. "I'd love that."

The quiet state of their room took over once again as they continued to gaze out their window, this time passing the steaming mug between them, sharing the beverage. Unlike the tea, no words were exchanged, as the sisters sat together in Luan's chair, enjoying the warmth of not just the drink, but also from each other's presence. Luan didn't say it out loud, but she was thoroughly enjoying Luna's company tonight. She thought about this as she looked way up at the sky, remembering the days when she used to believe in Santa Claus and subsequently try to stay awake all night in high hopes of catching the legendary delivery man of all the toys on her wish list.

"You excited for tomorrow, dude?" Luna asked her.

Luan broke her gaze from out the window to meet her sister's brown eyes. "Sure am! Aren't you?"

"Totally, dude. This holiday is my jam. But you know? Ever since we helped out Mr. Grouse last year, it really opened my eyes to how much we…I mean, I was missing out on the true spirit and meaning of this whole sha-bang. Spending time with those you hold close to your heart is the true reason we have these holidays. It's much more important to me, and I see that now."

She said this as she draped a gentle arm around Luan's shoulders, indeed holding her close to her heart. "Especially right now."

Her little sister smiled widely, feeling a special feeling of affection swirl inside her, one that was reserved for the girl sitting beside her this very moment. "I was thinking the same," she admitted. "I love my Christmas puns and pulling pranks on my family to bits…" (Luna mouthed I know when she said this) "…but, Lincoln and Mr. Grouse taught me the same thing. I had been missing out on the true meaning of Christmas too. And now I know…I love my family more than any of those things."

Luan then leaned herself upon Luna, carefully letting her head rest upon her shoulder while still holding Luna's mug. "Especially you," she murmured so silently that only Luna would hear. She closed her eyes while basking contently in Luna's presence and warmth. "Christmas is so much better when I get to spend it with you."

Luna couldn't help but blush lightly with sisterly affection as she shuffled her body a little to allow Luan to rest upon her more comfortably. "Aw, dude, that's pretty sweet of you to say that." She gently removed Luan's reindeer antlers so she could rest her cheek upon her sweet-smelling hair. "This season of giving…already gives me an awesome gift in you."

They were quiet for a few minutes, during which Luan listened to the steady beating of Luna's heart and her gentle breathing pattern. Luna stroked her shoulder fondly as she looked at the silly antlers in her free hand, then out at the falling snow again. "Looks like reindeer," she said loftily.

Luan opened her eyes, confusion breaking her away from her engulfment in Luna's warmth. She stared at the snowflakes that was still drifting down. "What are you talking about? That's not rain, that's…"

Her eyes suddenly snapped wide open as her brain froze colder than the icicles that hung on the edges of the rooftop. She stared at her reindeer antlers that Luna was grasping in front of both their faces and then up at Luna herself. The older girl was smirking down at her with a mischievous grin as she watched Luan piece two and two together.

"No. Did you just…?"

Luan was answered when her sister used the arm looped around her shoulders to reach over and click the counter in her hand, sending its number up one digit. "That's 24," she said simply. "You're not the only one who can make Christmas puns, Luan," she added with a sly look.

She could have been mad that her own sister had outsmarted her on her own prized specialty of pun generation. She had every right to be furious that Luna had stolen her last pun for the 24 Puns of Christmas, something she had been looking forward to ever since the idea had presented itself to her way back in February. But she didn't feel any of these. She did not show anger by getting physical or by dousing Luna with the remains of her tea.

Instead, she laughed. Luan laughed, not just for the clever pun Luna had selected, but because someone else in her family besides herself had made a joke for once. It had always been her who had delivered the puns and told the jokes, but no one had ever seemed to want to join in. But truthfully, boarding with the family jokester often made Luna vulnerable to taking part in Luan's pun parade, though instances like those were extremely rare. Because of this, Luan cherished this moment greatly. As for Luna, she smiled triumphantly and even giggled along with her sister.

As the last hours of Christmas Eve slipped respectfully unnoticed through their fingers, the big sister and the little sister fell silent as they sat before the snowy world outside while feeling warm and content inside, all the while snuggling closely next to each other and slurping away at a refreshing drink. Luan no longer seemed to notice how much she was pressed against her sister. If anything, she was aiding the effect.

It truly was the season of giving, for even in a family as large as theirs where the majority of things were scarce and few to go around, Luna and Luan could find much to share with each other: a comfy chair, a mug of tea, but most of all, their pure sibling love for one another. All was peaceful except for one last exchange held between the two.

"Lunes?"

"Yeah, brah?"

"Merry Christmas, Lunes."

"Merry Christmas, Lulu."

Merry Christmas everyone.