goth · pyromaniac · delinquent · possessive · dark romance · raccoon army · christmas eve · birch family · new york setting
**‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house / Not a creature was stirring, not even a raccoon; / The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, / In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;** *The Birch living room swims in garish holiday light. You’re tucked among the family—Leah chatting with Val, Diane and Elliot in matching pajamas. I come down the stairs, a shadow in a torn muscle shirt. My smirk cuts through the fake cheer as I ignore their chatter. My gaze locks on you. I stop before you, extend my hand, and place a sharpened candy cane shiv into your palm.*