A Holiday Spirit

A few flakes of snow drifted down, souring Jones's already bad mood further as he walked along a cracked and uneven sidewalk, one that had tripped him up more than a few times. Sure enough, lost in thoughts that matched the bitter cold, Jones nearly fell on his face but kept upright, no one else about to see him almost eat shit.

He passed by houses decorated with cheery Christmas lights up, annoying Jones further. In a few hours all of this would be buried under a blanket of snow and he would be back at home by himself for the next two days. Basically everyone he knew, not a lot of people, was out of town for the holidays and each twinkling light was a reminder Jones was on his own for the most wonderful time of year.

Muttering, he kept walking at a brisk pace, the only reason for being out that Jones needed to stock up on food before everything closed down. It should have been an easy enough task but working at the place had pissed him off bad enough he left without buying any supplies, as customers were growing pushier by the minute about the store being out of things and Jones thought he might spontaneously combust if he didn't get out of there. So he'd gone to his apartment, napped, and woke to find the weather had turned cloudy and even colder. But he needed food and batteries to ride out the next few days so how Jones was back out in the shit.

So now Jones was probably going to be keeping company with plenty of snow on his way back, the wet misshapen flakes starting to fall faster. The grocery store was within easy walking distance but the prospect of being alone for the jolliest time was casting a shadow over the time off. So far, the plan was to watch Die Hard and then catching up on movies, assuming he could find something that wasn't depressing to watch. Failing that, there was always catching up on sleep or just rotting.

Finally making it to the store, Jones found it packed, which only added to his ire. The chances of him being stuck with ramen and a few Mountain Dews for a truly dire Christmas feast was growing with each new car that pulled into the busy lot. From what the old timers at the store said it was like this every year, people scrambling to put together a full meal with whatever happened to be left over then having the audacity to complain when there were no more rolls or turkeys on Christmas Eve.

"Bah fucking humbug." Jones muttered as the automatic door opened, the interior too bright and warm, on top of playing the same songs from the 50's in a maddening loop that was ebbing closer to cracking his sanity. Inside, it was a madhouse, the beeping of the registers nearly drowning out 12 Days of Christmas, the singer of which was probably long dead but Jones wished he could throw an axe at his head anyway.

Grabbing a basket, he weaved around people bickering into their phones and two middle aged ladies yammering about how busy it was, Jones having to resist the urge to scream it was cause of people like them waiting until two days before Christmas.

Ignoring that, he grabbed a frozen pizza, a bunch of bananas, a box of cereal and small bottle of milk and found the shelf was cleared out of ramen. Standing there before the wiped out section, he figured either the Asian people had stocked up or more people like him were going to be spending time alone. Instead of finding solidarity in that fact, it only served to depress him further.

"Hey Jones!" He whirled around at hearing a familiar female voice, not expecting to speak with anyone while out and about. Kate was standing at the end of the isle, smiling and waving at him with an energy he never managed with the public. She was cute, short, and well mannered, which usually led to her to dragging a step ladder onto the sales floor to grab something off the top shelf for old ladies as Kate was easily the most approachable person on grocery day shift. And she rarely grumbled about it, instead going about the deed with a perk and nonchalantness Jones couldn't fathom.

"Sup Kate." Jones said, stepping out of the way of a father pulling a screaming child, making him glad to be a virgin if only so he didn't have to deal with that. "Kinda sucks in here huh?" He said, starting to sour on human contact but not wanting the abundant solitude waiting for him back at his place quite yet.

"Kinda, yeah." Even Kate was looking worn down, the holiday having taken it's toll on every worker at the store and probably the company as a while. "Hey, do you need a ride? I was suppose to be outta here like five minutes ago so I can give ya a lift."

"Sure." Jones said, slightly taken aback by the sudden offer. Sure, people had given him rides since his car died but he had been so resigned to stewing in his own misery that human conversation then kindness thrown his way was messing with his head.

"Cool! Let me clock out and I'll meetcha out front." Nodding, Jones walked to the self check out lanes and waited in line, feeling oddly displaced. It wasn't like he wanted to be miserable but having already consigned himself to that fate, pulling out of the bad mood was proving to be difficult. Once his turn came up he quickly got his goods scanned and bagged, paying and happy for the blast of cold air upon stepping outside. Between the heaters and all the people, it was too hot in there and Jones welcomed the cold as he leaned against the building and watched the snow come down.

The thought of walking in this was more daunting, pure white cutting down visibility badly and probably turning that busted sidewalk into a deathtrap. Switching holding the bag from one hand to the other, Jones was glad to have a lift and only wished people would stop giving him suspicious looks while heading into the nearly depleted store.

"Ready?" A voice said right beside Jones and he jumped, turning to face a smiling Kate in a poofy white coat.

"Yeah." She had a bag of stuff that swung as they walked out into the mess of vehicles, a honk blaring as one car nearly backed into another.

"So much for peace on Earth and goodwill towards man." Kate said and Jones laughed, clouds flowing from his mouth as he stopped beside a newish black car that she unlocked.

"No kidding! I had some guy bitch at me earlier cause we didn't have the ham he wanted and that's not my department! Just take a damn ham and fuck off!" He ranted as Kate got in, Jones joining her.

"Yeah, it's bad this year." She said while starting the car, the engine purring to life rather than protesting as his car had before finally dying. "Got plans for Christmas?" Situating his goods on the floorboard between his feet, Jones took his time in answering

"Nope. Just going to be hanging out and enjoying my days off." Said out loud, Jones could almost buy it.

"By yourself?" Kate's tone made it clear she wasn't convinced and he settled for looking out the window as they got moving.

"Yeah, everyone else is out of town." Jones was startled to find he was close to tears and shut up, blinking back stinging that had come from seemingly nowhere. 'It shouldn't be this big of a deal' Jones told himself as Kate glanced over at him, knowing she had to pay attention to the road but still curious about the quiet guy that no one at the store knew anything about. He was kinda cute, with reddish blonde hair and on the short side for a guy, around her height of five foot five but he didn't talk much except about books she had never heard of.

"You live at Riverside, right?" Kate asked, only now figuring out she had been driving without any destination in mind. Not when she was getting an idea. Granted, Kate had no idea if he liked guys or girls but surely it beat leaving Jones alone for Christmas, right?

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, should have told you before." Jones said, grateful he didn't have to be out in the increasing shitshow outside was becoming then jerking upright, nearly swearing out loud at realizing he had forgotten to get batteries and now the two days were that tiny bit darker now.

"No big deal." She said, touching her purse absently before putting both hands on the wheel to ensure she got them there safely. A few minutes later she pulled into the parking lot for Riverside Apartments, not nearly as classy as the name suggested. Jones gave his apartment number and she found it with ease, pulling up to the curb and parking, digging in her purse as Jones gathered his bag.

"Wait, I got- Here it is! Here, Merry Christmas!" Kate held out a baggie that at first Jones thought had weed in it but she held it up, showing it was some leaved tied together with a string. "It's a lock, uh, wait no that's not the right word... Uh, it's like a really old school ornament, all natural!" She pushed it closer and Jones took it, thinking it might have looked familiar but he knew next to nothing about about plants.

"It smells good so hang it up someplace." Kate said, sounding very pleased with herself as an errant of Jones' became speech.

"Is it mistletoe?" He asked and she shrugged, leaving him amused that she had no idea about what she was giving him.

"Dunno but maybe you'll get a chance to kiss someone under it." She smiled and Jones gave a light chuckle, knowing that was so unlikely as to be impossible. "Take care Jones! And Merry Christmas!"

"Thanks for the lift and Merry Christmas to you as well." Slipping the gift in with his groceries, he left her car for the cold and increasingly wet outside, taking a few steps and unlocking the door to his place. Inside was dark but he flipped on the kitchen light as he put the food away, hanging onto the baggie and looking around for a place to hang it in his studio apartment but came up empty.

Still, Jones was on his own for the next two days so that meant relaxing in his own special way. A little lightness formed in his stomach, helping to cut past weeks, if not months of built up gloom. Sure, Christmas alone wasn't ideal but if he approached it on his own terms, it didn't have to be miserable.

Pausing by the futon he usually hung out on, he opened the bag and recoiled from the slightly minty smell that came out, not too strong but not exactly what Jones thought of as being Christmas-y. Hanging the ornament from the switch that controlled the lamp he read by and giving it a poke so it swayed slight, he walked over to the closet, ready for what came next. Slipping out of his jeans and guy underwear, Jones browsed the small collection of panties he had before settling on a silky red pair with lace about the waist. Taking his time pulling them on, he was sporting wood that had to be tucked away, a feeling he loved.

Taking his shirt off and tossing it into an already full hamper, Jones walked to the futon and sat down, loving the feeling of smooth legs rubbing against each other. Shaving them was a pain but moments like this were worth it for him.

With a much improved mood, Jones turned the TV on and got comfortable, finding the first Die Hard movie and being surprised there was five of them. Faint memories of bad reviews didn't bother him as he knew the first was a stone cold classic. He forgot completely about the trinket Kate had given him, the small fading out as the movie whisked him away to the late 80's, a place of mystery for how familiar yet so far away it was.

By the time credits rolled Jones was nicely tired, the sort he usually only got after a good movie or reading session when his brain wanted to digest what it had taken in. Searching up his favorite YouTube channel, CineWaffle, he got a review of the latter two Die Hards playing as background noise, the host's suffering face telling him all he needed to know about the newer movie's quality.

As the ranting started Jones dozed in and out, eyes cracking open and seeing light without shape or form when an explosion rang out or the reviewer started screaming in exasperation. A knock at the door pulled him upright, ripping Jones from the lake of slumber he had been sinking into and back to his lonely apartment.

"Itz Christmas Eve Eve." Muttering a bit of nonsense, he rose and wrapped the sheet about him before slowly walking to the door, not awake enough for this. Checking the peephole, Jones saw a slight figure with the hood of their coat up, snow falling in a steady sheet of white behind them. He had absolutely no idea who it was or why they were there but common curtsy still compelled him to opened the door. Cold blasted right through the sheet and Jones found himself far too awake but still uncertain of who this was standing there.

"So-Sorry I'm late!" The person said, the voice not familiar and female, two things that didn't make sense when showing up on his doorstep. "Can I come in?"

"Who are you?" Jones asked, knowing he still wasn't asleep cause the cold insisted he wake the fuck up but having no idea who this was or why they were here.

"I'm Ashley and you called me?" Those last words were just as insistent as they were a question and Jones' brain was too muddled to figure this out. "It's kinda really cold out here."

"Uh, sure, come in." Jones stepped back, eyeing whoever this was as they closed the door on the winter wonderland happening outside. "I called you?" Shivering, Ashley pulled the hood down, revealing a shock of pink hair and a pretty face that looked around his place before settling on him.

"Yeah. Hopefully I'm not too late, it's a mess out there." Jones wondered if he had sat on his phone and somehow butt dialed Ashley but that wasn't right, nothing about this made any sort of sense to him. Ashley, meanwhile, unbuttoned her coat and shook off the lingering snow before looking for a place to hang it but none existed as Jones didn't own a coat rack.

"I didn't...Call you?" Jones said, not trying to be rude but Ashley was already making herself at home, hanging her coat on the doorknob and slipping out of her shoes. Only then did she look at Jones with eyebrows raised, as if amused by his confusion. Her being hot wasn't helping, a tight green shirt showed a slight figure without much in the chest area but Ashley was definitely a looker. A cloth purse was slung over a shoulder, battered and patched in a way that seemed genuine rather than being sold that way.

"Sure ya did!" Ashley walked to the lamp and gestured exaggeratedly towards the hanging bundle of leaves, the smell becoming more potent as if responding to the action. "You put this up so now I'm here. Though it took me a while cause I was across town and it's snowing but hey, I made it!" Ashley yammered on, not paying much attention to Jones as he rubbed his eyes, not understanding anything since being woken up from a perfectly good nap. The CineWaffle host was still paused mid word on the modestly sized screen screen, appearing furious in a way Jones couldn't seem to muster.

"That's a gift from a coworker and I have no idea what your talking about." He said slowly, as if trying to explain The Fountain to a child high on sugar.

"Oh Katie, right?" A numbness spread throughout his thoughts at hearing her name, recalling the odd statement she'd left him with: 'Maybe you'll get a chance to kiss someone under it.' Jones just couldn't figure out why Kate had sent Ashley here, assuming that's what happened. "Yeah, she's been hitting me up for a while now. Was surprised to get a call here instead of her place By the way, whats ya name?"

"Jones." He said, forcing his gridlocking brain to produce questions that he needed answered. "How can you possibly know I have that, much less hung it up?" Jones said, all previous angst forgotten in the wake of Ashley showing up. She, meanwhile, planted hands on hips, bringing attention to the tight jeans that showed off nice legs that Jones shouldn't have noticed given the situation but did anyway.

"Katie didn't tell ya anything huh? Figures." She shook her head before looking Jones dead in the eyes and he felt weak for reasons beyond his ability to explain. "Okay, listen up cause I'm only going to say this once: I'm a spirit of nature, also known as a dryad and this is my call sign cause I made it. And before ya even ask, yes, I'll prove it." Jones felt his knees go weak as Ashley held her hand under the hanging leaves and, in what would have been a marvel of special effects had it been filmed, they suddenly started growing. A stem formed, with more leaves budding off of it and under a minute an entire plant was now dangling off his lamp. Jones looked from that to Ashley, seeing her eyes glowing a bright amber that slowly dulled back to something more human as she smiled.

"See? Any questions?" Jones had them, far too many in fact and they all got stuck together like too many people rushing for a single exit. He drifted towards the wall he had been standing by, grateful for something solid to lean on.

"But dryads don't have pink hair?" He tried to demand but instead it came out in a small voice, Ashley laughing quite hard at that, making him feel better only when she stopped looking in his direction. If Jones had been more action focused, he might have taken that chance to creep back to the kitchen behind him and pull a knife, getting ready for when this inevitably went bad. However, Jones was more adept at watching movies than acting the part and so he kept leaning on the wall as Ashley the dryad wound her laughing fit down.

"I dyed it!" Reaching back, she pulled the hair tie free and her pink hair spilled out in a wild tangle, shoulder length and framing a cute, bordering on beautiful face that wasn't human. "Why, what color shoulder my hair be?" The question wasn't teasing or mean, merely honestly asking. Jones had no answer but his grip on the sheet had been loosening and it finally fell about his feet, exposing his nearly naked body to Ashley, who didn't turn her gaze away as he struggled to realize what happened and cover himself.

"Cute panties." At hearing that, Jones looked down and saw that, sure enough, he was still only in the red silky pair and nothing else before his dryad shaped like a woman. All the color slowly drained out of the world as embarrassment suddenly overrode every other emotion to the point Jones was graying out. "Hey, are you okay?" He heard Ashley ask but there was no strength to respond or even reach for the sheet, all remaining energy was put into keeping him upright and even that was failing.

Before Jones fell over, someone was there and wrapped an arm about him, holding him upright. He tried to apolize for being a bad host but instead Ashley's voice spoke into his ear, clear as the sun shining through storm clouds.

"I think you need to lay down." Jones tried to agree but nothing came out and instead he had to force his dumb legs forward in weak, stumbling motions. Finally he was lowered to the now cool pillows he had been napping on such a short time ago and closed his eyes as the sheet was pulled over him.

"Are you okay? I know it's a lot to deal with..." Ashley said nothing more as Jones closed his eyes and hoped to feel something aside from a shame that had shattered his entire being. "I wasn't lying about your panties though. You look great in 'em." Hiding in the darkness of closed eyes like a child, Jones had no comeback for that nor any intention of leaving. Seeing her glowing eyes had made him feel small and stupid and flashing his nearly naked body hadn't helped any. Even having her close, touching him, was robbed of any comfort it might have had with how close to falling unconscious he had been. It had probably been days since he'd touched another person and even then that was in passing, hands brushing while passing of something at work.

"Jones? Can you hear me?" He nodded, not trusting him or her enough to open his eyes, scared to find the world still washed out or Ashley's eyes glowing, breaking the reality he had known for nineteen years.

"I didn't mean to freak you out. I figured if you had put up my call then you knew what you were getting into." Ashley's voice was soft and soothing, her hand touching his leg and then staying there despite him jumping. "So I'm sorry bout that. But I'm here to help, believe it or not." He heard her messing with something and then a new scent was in the air, almost familiar