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At first, the idea blending the traditions of the entire squad seemed like a daunting task. So far as most of them could tell, they were all from vastly different cultures that couldn’t even decide whether or not salt was a spice, let alone how to celebrate what was, for some, the biggest and most important holiday of the year.
So in the lounge, they all sat down to talk about how best to go about it.
It didn’t take long before they realized they actually had a lot in common. Ana had already begun observing Advent, though there was a quick debate over when it actually started and ended among her, Reinhardt, and Torbjorn. Other than that, nothing really seemed to conflict. While some were only mildly religious, tradition was still tradition, ingrained in them. So it was decided they would do their very best to embrace as many of their traditions as they could.
Reinhardt, Jack, and Gabriel went in search of a Christmas tree. It took the better part of a day, mostly over them simply arguing which would be the best tree. When they came back, Reinhardt proudly hauled the largest Christmas tree any of them had ever seen into the base. Ana had simply sat back, chuckling under her breath. While Jack argued the logistics of a tree taller than even their crusader, Ana stepped in.
“Boys..Did you forget decorations?”
The three gaped, each turning red (or in Gabriel’s case, pulling up the hood of his hoodie). Waving them off with a laugh, Ana took her turn to head into town.
While they decorated the tree, they told stories about their childhoods. Jack was proud to say his family had taken a few trips to watch the Christmas Day Parades, describing the colours and sounds in rich detail. Reinhardt told stories about his childhood, surrounded by family and warmth and boisterous laughter. Gabriel lead the commiseration of midnight masses, while Torbjorn lamented missing the candle services at home.
By the time decorations were set up, it was dark enough to light the tree. Ever patient Ana was given the honors, and for a moment, they all ooo’d and aah’d at the glittering tree.
Then the lights in the lounge wing went out and Torbjorn had to fix it. then everything was perfect.
Gifts were especially difficult, namely for the two blooming relationships on the team. Jack and Gabe had at least been together since their SEP training, so they had some idea of what to get one another. Jack knew Gabriel was practical, and Gabe knew Jack was sentimental.
With a still fledgling relationship of their own, Reinhardt and Ana had a little more trouble. They weren’t as certain, and each turned to other members of the team for help and ideas. Ana for Reinhardt was a little easier, but when Reinhardt went to the guys, they were completely stumped.
“Perfume? women like that right?”
“Well she doesn’t really wear much jewelry…”
“Too bad we don’t need civies.”
Reinhardt had nearly given up, wandering the shops one evening and looking in the windows for anything in the way of inspiration. Passing one store, he stopped, staring into the window at the perfect gift. His face brightened, and he ran inside immediately to purchase it.
Christmas Eve was strange for all of them. Being so far from anything familiar was par for the course as a soldier, but Christmas never got easy. Sitting around the table in the lounge, the sad group gazed forlornly at their tree. It glittered and twinkled in all the right ways, but Jack humming “I’ll be home for Christmas” summed up all of their feelings.
“Enough of this,” Reinhardt said, slapping both hands on his knees. “This should be a happy time! If we can’t be with our families, we will bring them to us!”
Everyone stared at the big man as he got up. He came back a moment later with one of the personal use terminals, setting it up on the table. He motioned everyone to come closer, then carefully pecked the keys until a conference calling program blipped to life.
Grinning, he keyed in a dearly familiar number and waited. A moment later a middle aged man answered, his bright eyes widening when he saw Reinhardt. They greeted each other in the same boisterous way, chattering in German for a moment before the other man (Reinhardt’s uncle) disappeared to gather up his family. He spoke in English, more heavily accented than Reinhardt himself, introducing his gaggle of daughters and lovely wife to the Overwatch team. They talked briefly, exchanging many “Fröhliche Weihnachten!!!” before they hung up.
Jack went next, calling his family back in Illinois. They were thrilled to ‘meet’ the rest of Jack’s team and to see him smiling. Jack blushed a bit, explaining once the call was over that his mom had worried about him a lot during SEP.
Torbjorn called his brother, Ana called her old unit. Gabe was last, calling his mother. Everyone was stunned at how tiny she was, though they enjoyed Gabe’s fluent Spanish. He had to translate, since her English had only ever been barely passable and the array of accents would make it that much harder. One they hung up, he rubbed the bridge of his nose.
“She says I’m too skinny,” he said. Everyone laughed.
With the mirth and good feelings flowing, they decided to exchange gifts. Each of the two couples held back their gifts to each other as the various presents were passed around. Torbjorn thanked everyone and excused himself, his smile warm beneath his glittering eyes.
“Well..who goes first then?” Jack said, leaning back in his seat.
“I suppose you and I can, Jack,” Ana offered. Jack laughed and nodded, reaching for a pair of packages. He handed one to Ana, then settled the other in Gabe’s lap. Ana handed hers to Reinhardt.
“We ran into each other in town,” Jack explained as the two opened their gifts. “Apparently we felt you both needed the same things.”
Reinhardt laughed, producing a huge and warm looking scarf. He immediately wrapped it around his neck, leaning over to kiss Ana. Gabe pulled a grey and black scarf of his own out, smiling warmly as Jack leaned close to him.
“You’re always cold,” he said. “And you have your beanie, so...I thought this might at least help through the winter months.” Gabe turned his head to press a soft kiss to his lips.
“My turn!!” Reinhardt reached under the tree and daintily lifted a box. He held it out proudly to Ana. “I think you will like it.”
Ana chuckled, taking the package and settling it in her lap. She untied the ribbon, which Reinhardt took and tied around her raven black hair. Tearing the paper away revealed a simple white box. Inside was a somewhat large, soft pink tea cup with a gold band around the top. Little pink flowers were painted onto the sides. It looked like something you’d find in your grandmother’s china cabinet.
“I love it,” Ana said, smiling at the cup and matching saucer. Reinhardt beamed, Jack and Gabe fighting back a case of the giggles. The cup was hideous, but Ana was forever lamenting her lack of a good tea cup at the base and Reinhardt had solved that problem for her.
“That just leaves Gabriel.” Reinhardt said.
Jack felt like he was the only one not in on a joke. There were no more presents under the tree, and Jack was a little uncertain of just what was going on. Ana and Reinhardt were watching them almost expectantly, one of Ana’s delicate hands clasped between both of Reinhardt’s. Gabe cleared his throat, shifting in his seat.
“You know I suck at gifts,” he said, rubbing his neck. Brown eyes darted everywhere but Jack’s face.
“No you don-”
Gabriel raised a hand.
“Yeah I do, not shut up, lemme get through this.” He took a deep breath, then went on. “Since we can’t have a lot of personal stuff, it didn’t seem like a great idea to get some little knickknack..and since I’ve gotten you what, three or four by now?” Jack chuckled, putting Gabe at ease a little. “So I...decided to give you something that you could always keep with you in uniform…”
Gabe stood, straightening his shirt a little. He reached into the pocket of his hoodie, then knelt, producing a small jewelry box. Jack’s heart stopped when he opened the little box, revealing a simple gold band.
“Me.”
Jack’s bright blue eyes flicked between the ring and Gabe’s face. Clutching his hand to his mouth, he could only nod emphatically, holding out his trembling left hand. Gabriel fumbled the box twice before he got the ring out, finally sliding it onto Jack’s finger...then tugging it off and getting it onto the right finger.
The mistake broke the tension, and Jack laughed, throwing himself on his lover and now fiance. They topped backward onto the floor, and soon all four of them were laughing. They went their separate ways for the night, each couple adjourning to one of the other’s rooms for proper thank yous.
Christmas Day was full of carrols in every language they knew, trying to teach each other the words and laughing at how poorly their languages meshed. No was one certain who had more trouble, Torbjorn trying to make Egyptian Arabic sound like Swedish or Gabriel trying to speak German with Spanish pronunciation. The entire day was filled with food and laughter. Other members of Overwatch joined in, their tech, medical, and support staff as well as the rank and file soldiers.
The mess hall was taken over by loud singing and jostling for cooking space in the kitchen. Sweets from every represented country, fresh baked or packaged, littered the tables with wrappers and powdered sugar. Food of every sort was piled on plates, and Torbjorn laughed in glee that he wasn’t the only one who demanded copious amounts of fish. As the sun went down, the alcohol came out, and those who imbibed did their level best to out-sing one another.
By the time evening had come and gone, most everyone was returning to their quarters. Everyone agreed it had been a successful Christmas, and though they missed their homes and families, they were glad to at least be surrounded by good friends.