Work Text:
A thick black winter coat covered Matt as he wandered through the empty street of Merrick. The streets were coated in a thin layer of snow, glistening in the lights hung around the houses.
He sighed heavily, emitting a cloud of steam from his mouth. Matt stopped walking to gaze at the world around him. He really tried to romanticize everything to not be bothered that he wasn't able to go home for Christmas, it had almost been seven years since the last time, nor hanging out with the other holdovers at college. But whilst strolling through this town that was still unfamiliar to him, freezing and trembling, he more so felt isolated.
Isolated from home, from himself, from anyone in Merrick. Matt had tried to just enjoying listening to the radio, eating cookies and drinking hot chocolate in the candlelight. Except every Christmas song that played just made him more aware that he was alone on the one day of the year where no one wanted to be alone. Then he had hoped that a walk would distract him from his thoughts, help him get out of his head. It did quite the opposite.
Exhausted, Matt let himself fall on the snow-covered sidewalk. It just wasn't the same as walking around Billings. Not the same familiar houses, not the same trees and when he peaked into windows, he didn't even know who those people celebrating together were. What were his options? He could go home and try to ignore that it was Christmas. Or he could text someone from work and ask what they were up to. Suddenly, he remembered something. Didn't Alex invite Ron to her family's Christmas dinner? Alex's house wasn't too far from here and he had decided that he wanted to be more spontaneous anyway. In a surge of confidence, Matt got up from the the side walk, cleaning his coat from the snow and shaking the cold off his body. Off he was to the Mazurkian's house.
With frozen fingers, Matt pressed the doorbell. He could hear the sound of the big ben chimes ringing muted inside the house.
Dressed up nicely in a shirt, Tim opened the door: "Hello?"
"Hi, I'm Matt! Is Alex here?"
Confused, Tim turned his head towards what looked like the living room, "Alex, Matt is here!"
Alex ran quickly to the door and Tim went back to the living room. He wasn't too surprised about someone randomly showing up in front of their door. If Alex had invited this Matt guy then she probably had her reasons. It wasn't like she had asked him if it was cool that Ron was going to spend christmas with them.
"Matt? What are you doing here?"
"Uhh- I felt lonely and– and then I went on a walk and then I remembered that you invited Ron and then I came here and then I wanted to ask if I can spend the rest of the evening with you guys because-", his voice shivering just as much as his whole body.
Alex put her arm around him, essentially shoving him inside:"Come inside first sweetie, you look like you're about to freeze solid"
"So I can stay?"
"Of course! Here, let me take your coat"
Matt striped it off, still looking like a scared deer in the headlights.
Worried, Alex scanned Matt. She held her hands around his cheeks: "My god, you're cold. How long have you been out there?"
"Uhh- not too long. A couple of hours maybe?"
"Matt!?"
"I'm sorry", he shrugged his shoulders apologetically.
When Ron saw Matt walk through the door of the living room, he couldn't believe his eyes.
Ron turned to Alex: "So did he also have to bring something expensive?"
"Ron", Alex gave Ron a scolding look, "he's a new grad nurse not a centuries old Grinch-physician"
"Hi Ron!", Matt awkwardly waved at him.
"Hello Matthew."
Ella and Luke watched the spectacle happen with open mouths. Pure entertainment to them since Alex kept them updated on all the work happenings.
Once Matt noticed that he had become the center of attention, his cheeks turned a bright pink unlike the pale white they were before.
He looked around the room. A christmas tree was pushed into one corner and decorated with a bunch of self-made decorations, presumably by Luke and Ella. Fairy lights were wrapped around it, glowing in red, yellow green and blue. On every free surface there were mini christmas trees, reindeers, presents, angles or stars, often emitting a small warm light. The music playing was of the same spirit as the one he had heard earlier on the radio except that now it felt uplifting and not like it was mocking him.
Hectically, Alex placed a chair next to Ron, hooked her arm under Matt's and made him sit down with a cup of tea.
"Sweetie, don't feel bad about what Ron said", she ruffled through his hair but then stopped herself once she realized that she was treating Matt as if he was her kid.
Tim giggled when he saw what had happened, earning an angry look from Alex. 'Sorry', he mouthed with his lips.
"Here, Matt eat something", Alex shoveled potatoes onto the plate in front of Matt.
He hesitated. "Don't we have to pray before we eat?", Matt lowered his voice.
"Don't worry. You're not with your cooky cult anymore", Ron laughed.
"Ron! Matt, if you want to pray, you can of course. We're not really religious, but whatever makes you comfortable", Alex had to hold herself back to not ruffle Matt's hair again.
"Oh, okay", Matt nodded nervously. He decided not to pray. He didn't want Ron making fun of him.
After all, Matt had found a place to celebrate Christmas. Not with his family but with a decent substitute. A found family of sorts.
*soft christmas music starts playing, the camera zooms out from the dinner table, out of the window, while snow falls. we can see the everyone laughing and eating*