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“Arnold!!! Help me!!!” The sounds of Rishe's laughter filled their little home as they put up Christmas decorations on a cold snowy night. Despite the weather, the house was filled with warmth and sounds of joy, their hands were kept busy setting up their tree, adorning it with ornaments and colorful lights.Arnold sighed, slight exasperation plain on his face while he watched her struggle, a small smile growing. “What are you doing?”Rishe giggled, her laugh sounding like wind chimes in the breeze. “Hee hee hee… Well, I didn't mean to get tangled in the lights.” She gave him a cute pout, reaching towards him for help. “Come on, help me already!” Arnold watched her with a soft expression as she danced around him, joy evident in her eyes.“Hold on a moment.” Reaching for his phone with a small smile, he quickly snapped a picture of her while she was dancing. Rishe froze at the sound, blinking in surprise at him.“Did you just–?”“Hm?” Arnold tilted his head at her, his eyes narrowing in affection for her. “Is there something wrong?” He asked, a smug look on his face. Rishe chuckled in response, puffing her cheek out at him. “If you wanted a picture, you could have just asked.” She continued dancing around him, a blur of lights and coral hair circling him. “Heyyyy, free me already!” Arnold wrapped his arms around her, his chest against her back, and whispered into her ear, his voice husky and almost ticklish against the shell. “You're adorable.”“Hrk–!” Rishe's face flushed red, barely managing to compose herself and turning into his arms to face him. “I love you too…” She leaned up and placed a gentle kiss against his lips, savoring the way he reciprocated. “Now can you free me, please? I'm making it a request now!” She pulled back in his arms slightly to frown at him. “Please?” “In a bit.” With that, Arnold began peppering little kisses against Rishe's face and neck. “H–Hey! Stop that– Ah!” Rishe gasped out, overwhelmed by his constant storm of kisses. “The star, we still have to put the star on the tree–” Rishe snagged the star from its box, waving it at him.“Oh, right.” Arnold's hands deftly untangled Rishe from the lights, taking care to unknot her hair where pink strands got caught in the tiny bulbs. “There we go. Do you wanna put the star up now?” “Yes!” Rishe stood on her tiptoes, her arms straining towards the top of the tree to place the star on. “Hngh… Whoa!” She cried as she got lifted in the air by her hips, Arnold carrying her so she could reach. Placing her hands on his shoulders for balance, she stared in shock at him. “Does this help?” Arnold stared at her, expressionless. “Mhm!” With a swift motion, Rishe placed the star on the tree. “There! All done.” Leaning back slightly to admire her work, her eyes suddenly met his stunning blue eyes, crystal-clear and as bright as the ocean. “As always, your eyes are so beautiful…” Arnold's eyes widened in shock momentarily before narrowing with love. He brushed a strand of hair out of her eyes, before taking her hand in his and placing a kiss on her ring finger, where a small sapphire ring the same blue color as his eyes lay.“Not as beautiful as you.”“Eep!” Rishe squealed in embarrassment. Leaning down, she laid a light kiss against his forehead. “Merry Christmas, my love.” Her eyes softened as she gazed at him, filled with love and affection. “Our first one married. I look forward to many more by your side.” Arnold gripped her tighter, a hand coming up to pat her head as she hugged him. “As do I. Merry Christmas, my beautiful wife.” ❀❀❀“Mamaaaaaaa!!!! Papaaaaa!!!!!!!! Help meeeeee!!!” “Aurora, you got caught in the lights?” Rishe looked over at her, a small pink head visible in a blur of color, and quickly put the ornaments down to help free their giggling daughter from the string lights, taking care to unknot her pink strands from the tiny lightbulbs. “Like mother, like daughter.” Rishe glanced over her shoulder to see Arnold walking over with cups of cocoa in his hands, a smile on his face as he watched her free Aurora. “Here, something to drink.” Setting Aurora’s cup on the table, he handed Rishe a steaming cup of hot cocoa and sat down next to them. “H–Hey!” Rishe exclaimed, her face burning up. “At least she has someone that will get her out of the lights!” Accepting the cup, she pouted at him over the rim as she took a sip.Arnold patted her on the head, ruffling her hair a bit, before taking a sip out of his own mug himself. “You’re being dramatic. I did free you… After a few minutes,” he smirked at her, a teasing look evident on his face. “Hmph! You just teased me!” Despite her pouting, she couldn’t resist a small smile, reminiscing the memories of her being trapped in the lights and Arnold having to untangle her only a few years ago. Glancing at her husband, their eyes met and with a small chuckle, she knew he was thinking about the same incident, which had thus become an annual tradition when they put up Christmas decorations. Arnold’s hand reached out to her, gently brushing a stray strand of hair out of her face, eliciting a giggle from his wife. A light weight suddenly landed on her lap, and Rishe peered down at their daughter smiling brightly at her. Wrapping her arms around her, Rishe asked, “What is it, Starlight?”Aurora giggled and held up their star tree-topper with her little hands, nearly smacking her mother in the face. “Last one! Papa!” She exclaimed, seeing her father sitting next to her mother, “Help me put it up!” Arnold sighed, then with a gentle smile, opened his arms out to her. “Come here.” “Yay!” Aurora shouted, and slipped off of Rishe’s lap into her father’s arms, holding tight as he lifted her up and walked towards their tree, raising her high enough to place the star at the top. “Is this good, Aurora?”
“There!” With an excited cry, Aurora plopped the star on the tree and looked towards Rishe, who had snuck her phone out. “Look, Mama!”
Rishe peeked out from behind her phone, chuckling. “Good job, Starlight!” Walking over to her husband and daughter, she placed a hand on her daughter’s head, rustling her soft pink locks. “It looks very beautiful.” Her eyes narrowed with love and affection for the two people she loved the most. Arnold shifted his hold on Aurora, wrapping his free arm around his wife, giving her a light kiss. “Merry Christmas.”Rishe snuggled closer in his hold, poking their daughter on the cheek, eliciting a laugh from her. “Merry Christmas, my loves.”