User:Hollywood101x/Christmas Morning

CHRISTMAS MORNING
“Charcoal! RISE AND SHINE!” SPARTAN-B027 yelled loudly across the small barracks and bunks of the other eleven Spartans. Parker smiles brightly than quickly raised both arms to block a tide of pillows.

“Parker shut the hell up I want to sleep in.” Matt says groggily and half asleep, he’s lacking a pillow and uses his arms to rest his head.

SPARTAN-B031 throws her pillow angrily, “Asshole.” She says then lays back down and covers herself completely with her olive drab blanket.

“Come on guys! Wake Up!” Parker says loudly again as he goes down the barracks and the isle of bunks. “It’s CHRISTMAS!” He stops at the end of the barracks and looks back at everyone, they’re all in their bunks. Christian is up and is slowly pulls a black tank top over a bare chest. Kinu, being her shy self keeps her warm sheet covering her as she sits up and slowly exchanges good mornings with Christian.

Lauren rolls her neck across her shoulders like she does every morning, her long blonde hair gently dances across her back and arms. Nao, Hanako and Yui get up and talk to each other with smiles across their faces.

Alex practically cracks every joint in fingers and hands as she gets out of bed and makes her bed. Karen immediately reaches for her footlocker and produces a book. She flips to a page near the end and begins to read.

Parker looks at them all, Christmas was never that special for them all. Just a nice meal and a few days off which practically everyone still took the time to train themselves, it wasn’t like what the “normal” people got to do. No gifts in the morning to unwrap and open, no home made cookies unless the Navy cooks felt the urge to do something generous which was rare. “Hey where’s Chris?” Parker finally realizing they were short one person.

As if on cue SPARTAN-B053 walked past Parker at the door. His black sweats and blood red strips going down the seams of his legs rippled with each step, his muscular upper body and arms showed through his grey tank top. Thrown over his shoulder was a small olive drab bag. He walked across the barracks quietly, practically emotionless like always. Only a few watched him, not because of his mood but curious of the contents of the bag. When Chris reached his bunk he put the bag down than looked at everyone. “Charcoal gather up.” He said gently but with authority. Immediately they all came around him, those in front knelt while the rest stood. He took notice of the general positioning of everyone. Karen in the back, Kinu in the rear and too the side with Christian next to her, Yui near the front and by his side. Parker and Matt knelt next to each other while everyone simply put themselves where they could. “Merry Christmas, everyone. I’m not one for talking very much but today’s a bit different.” Chris said looking into everyone’s eyes. “As you know this is our first Christmas together as Charcoal Squad. The twelve of us are a family, we may have the other SPARTANs but us, we twelve are the closest family we will ever have. We are blood brothers and blood sisters.” Chris hesitated for a moment thinking of what to say next. “They always tell us Christmas is about spending time with family. This isn’t much but I thought it would be nice.” He then takes the bag and places it upside down letting the content fall onto the mattress.

The jingled sound of metal hitting metal softly filled the air around them as they looked at the contents. Necklaces, more specifically dog tags. The old style chain and metal slab with the engravings of their names, not the regulation SPARTAN tags but their full names and the squad they belonged to. Chris picks up one and looks at the name for a moment. “We are a family, this is a symbol of our bond.” Then he passes the dog tag to Yui. Then another to Nao, then Karen, Alex, Kinu, Parker, Matt, Christian, Lauren and lastly Hanako. “I also snagged some ice cream from the mess hall so here you guys go.” Chris looks at their eyes. “Merry Christmas.”

Charcoal take a moment to look at Chris, than each other and the dog tags in their hands. Nobody else would have dog tags, technology had made them useless. These were special. Parker and Matt broke first. “MERRY CHRISTMAS!” They yell and leap forward tackling Chris at the waist. Before Chris had time to react the rest of the squad is on top of him as well. They are all laughs, even Karen has a slightest sign of a smile on her face.

Squad Charcoal was a family with the strongest of bonds.

END

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE ON HALO FANON, 12/25/08 – Hollywood