An Unlikely Holiday Pairing: Pt. 01

Hi! This is my first story here, so I hope you all enjoy it. This is the first part of a multi-part story that focuses on a steamy encounter between unlikely parties during the holidays. This part mostly focuses on laying out the groundwork of the overall story and plot. Please let me know what you think in the comments! Your feedback is greatly appreciated! Happy holidays!

DISCLAIMER:

This is a work of fiction meant for entertainment and reading purposes only. Any resemblance to real people by way of descriptive appearances, names, mannerisms, or any other facet, are purely coincidental. All characters depicted who are involved in any sexual activity, whether explicitly or implicitly stated, are above 18 years of age. As a work of fiction, this story may contain fantastical exaggerations, embellishments, and creative liberties. When consuming fiction, a suspension of disbelief may be required at times, but otherwise, the use of common sense is always advised. Please be advised that there is no implicit, explicit, or tacit approval of any sexual behavior or deviancy depicted in this work. This story complies with the rules and guidelines of this site to the best of this author's knowledge. Thank you.

A raging winter snowstorm, just shy of a blizzard, has mostly just passed. For one family in a suburban town, the timing is just perfect. Eager to celebrate the holidays with loved ones and house guests, revel in old traditions as well as embark on creating new ones, everyone is ready to partake in a bit of holiday joy, food and festivities included. With a pair of step-siblings who fight like cats and dogs, their first reunion at this time of the year comes with unexpected, tempting, and risky escapades that may just form a new tradition. The holidays are meant to bring family together, but maybe just not this close!

"Oliver! Madison! Get your butts down here!" Wendy bellowed at the base of the winding staircase for the second time as her neck craned up to monitor the landing at the top.

Old habits die hard. The 52-year-old mother of two focused her eyes on that spot, not breaking to blink, just where her two kids had routinely lined up as children. Going back 11 years, it almost seemed like it would be like this until the kids permanently moved out. The blended family meshed well at times and not so much at others, but from a young age, 10 and 9, for Madi and Oliver, respectively, they had bonded as well as any other siblings could be expected to when faced with shifting family dynamics. Despite being step-siblings, like cats and dogs, the two got along as would be expected of a young boy and a young girl, and grew up together as brother and sister. Waiting for only a few more seconds, her fingers tapped at the banister just as she was about to unleash another call for her adult children to come down.

"Ugh, what, Mom?!" Madi stomped out of her room and locked eyes with her mother, coming within view right where Wendy had expected. "Why do I need to come down? Can't we just act normal when they get here?"

Even at 21, the young woman had an overwhelmingly snarky and unsavory reaction to her mother's nagging, and no amount of time away at college seemed to lessen it. The frown on the face of the sassy dirty blonde and the heavy sigh out of her mouth told her mother all she needed to know about how her daughter felt. Madi flicked her hair behind her, falling just past her shoulders and crossed her arms as if she was greatly disturbed from something important.

A few feet down the corridor, the sound of a creaking door filled the hall, garnering Madi's attention and disrupting Wendy's attempt to address her daughter's sassy remarks. Slower, heavier footsteps approached her, as the male figure stood nearby, only a few inches away. Madi turned her head slightly upward, side-eyeing her step-brother, Oliver. For all intents and purposes, the pair were brother and sister, even if they had the safety of being step-siblings to keep them apart when it counted.

"Huh... what's going on?" Oliver inquired with mild enthusiasm and a genuine curiosity while scratching at his short beard and running it into his brown hair, unkempt and short. The 20-year-old young man let out a loud yawn right over the top of Madi's head and into her ear as he had gotten too close for her comfort.

"What the hell, you idiot... that's rude," she barked, spinning her head as if on a swivel while she stepped away from him.

She immediately swatted her arms in his direction to push away the stench of his morning breath as it wafted into her nostrils before she could get away.

"Gross... how are you just now getting up? It's like almost noon..." she said, nearly taking after her mother with the nagging tone.

Wendy sighed and watched her kids, Madi being her own, and Oliver, her step-son through marriage to his father, Rick. Oliver, being the younger of the two, although only by six months, enjoyed maintaining that classic brother-sister relationship, not minding in the slightest if his sister was annoyed by anything that he did around her. Wendy shook her head as she took in the sight, tuning out the verbal pollution to see hands waving and mouths moving, she decided to put an end to the childish behavior. She clapped her hands with vigor, loud and fast enough to startle Madi and wake up Oliver as both turned to provide their mother with their full attention.

"Okay, that's enough already! You're both adults, but still bicker and fight like children. You two are both home for the holidays, at the same time, for the first time in two years now, so let's be civil and adult about it for a change, okay? Good? Great. Now, get changed and get downstairs before everyone gets here. Madison, you get down here and help me in the kitchen. You said that you'd bake sugar cookies for everyone, so what happened? Oliver, check the guestrooms and move the TV out of the basement and into the bigger guestroom for Uncle Ed. Uncle Tyler and Aunt Helen just called and said that they are only about twenty or so minutes away. Cousin Betty has the flu, so she isn't coming," Wendy scolded the pair without taking a breath, not intending for any type of push-back from them now.

"No Betty? Wait, Uncle Ed is coming??" Madi whined as her eyes seemed to replay annoying moments from her childhood interacting with a grumpy sourpuss of a man old enough to be her grandfather.

"Why him? He's a shut-in and doesn't like me," she added while crossing her arms to think about the situation a bit more now.

Her complaint was purely selfish, out of self-preservation more so than anything else. Ever since they all became family, Madi found that Betty was great with kids and kept the younger cousins at bay, even if none were coming this time around. Betty's motherly instincts from having been on babysitting duty for years as a teen made her the natural choice and freed up Madi to enjoy her time without having to indulge them.

Without Betty around to handle that spotlight, the question of who would be perky and entertaining now haunted her. Her own uncle, Ed, on the other hand, was not going to be able to be a stand-in for the cheerful cousin, not in the slightest. It meant that the college-aged girl would likely have to deal with interacting more with the family this year, flying in the face of her plans.

"If it makes you feel any better, I don't like you either," Oliver joked, snickering to himself before looking down below to see that their mother had left the area already, only catching a glimpse of her shadow trailing away.

Madi shook her head and rolled her eyes before the slim and petite blonde disappeared back into her bedroom. Oliver watched her figure as she left, half expecting her to turn back around and make some comment at him only to find that she wasn't interested in entertaining his juvenile comment. In like manner, he turned around to get back to his room to freshen up and then to handle the guestrooms as told.

*****

Downstairs, Madi and Oliver's parents, Wendy and Rick were moving like synchronized swans, passing each other in the kitchen while singing and dancing with the spirit of the holidays until he disappeared into the basement to get a few bottles of soda. Madi came down, barefoot, still in her white and pink pinstriped pajamas and a tight-fitting black tee as the blonde shuffled her medium-length hair over her shoulders to smile at her mother. Looking up at her face, she gave a wide-eyed expression in anticipation of whatever command would be given to her.

"Well? What do you need me to do, Mom?" she asked.

"Madison, you didn't change?" her mother inquired with a stern demeanor. "You can't look like you just rolled out of bed."

"They're just family, it's fine, Mom," Madi replied. "I've been up anyway... why do we have to be so formal with family?"

DING-DONG.

"Fine, then at least just go get the door, Madi," her mother said with a strained voice while reaching up in a nearby cabinet to grab a few festive mugs sitting up on a top shelf. A moment passed as her daughter idled.

"Madison. Now."

"Okay, but..." she walked off and sped to the door, though reluctant and withholding her verbalized apprehension.

She already knew that she was in for a series of hugs and kisses from her Aunt Helen and Uncle Tyler and wanted to desperately avoid it.

Within moments of opening the door, a loud barrage of welcomes and well wishes were thrust upon Madi as she backed up to let everyone inside. A gust of cold arctic air filled the entryway of the house where some of the visitors were idling on the rug with wet, snow-covered boots. Taking hats, scarves, and jackets and setting them aside on the coat rack, Madi suddenly felt Aunt Helen grab her arms from behind. Spinning her around like she was a doll, the bigger woman pulled the delicate young woman in for a crushing hug and a pair of kisses.

"Madison! We missed you last year!" Helen squealed in delight as the young woman gritted her teeth at the bear hug but smiled once face to face with her to maintain the pleasantries, being sure to avoid a direct hit from those thick glasses that the older woman wore.

Not even a split second after being released, Uncle Tyler, a bear of a man at 6'4" and quite wide, dropped the two large suitcases in his hands, and spun Madi around like a top. He scooped up her little 5'3" frame right off of her feet and into his arms for a big hug and kiss. Having no choice but to sit on the shelf created by his massive forearm, the girl felt like she was sitting on the wooden seat of a tree swing, feeling her Uncle Tyler squeeze her hard with his wrapping arm and plant a wet one on her cheek.

"There she is!" Uncle Tyler roared with a hearty laugh, having no shame for himself or thinking about how a woman in her twenties might receive the overly physical greeting.

"Uncle Tyl-" Madi tried to speak through the crushing grip, embarrassed by how she was being held in the air by a man who ultimately was only related to her through marriage.

"Tyler! Put her down... she's a grown woman, not a four-year-old," Aunt Helen screeched and batted at her husband's shoulder incessantly.

Uncle Ed muttered under his breath as he stomped inside. His slouch and the scowl on his face were more pronounced with a carry-on bag forcing him to lean hard to one side. He dropped it like a brick and rubbed his boots hard on the welcome mat before marching in, barely kicking them off in time before giving a quick nod and forced smile to Madi.

While she was still held, he patted her on the shoulder while passing by, wearing that scowl on his face again and making no effort to hide it. Finally feeling satisfied with his crushing hug, Uncle Tyler set Madi back down. She composed herself and stepped back while sighing and adjusting her shirt, pulling it back down to cover her midriff that was accidentally exposed during the impromptu wrestling match. Madi's parents, Rick and Wendy, strolled in with a leisurely stride and welcomed the extended family with well wishes and season's greetings that the girl had just wished her mother had done in the first place. With the front door finally shut and the sample of the winter blast shut out, the group offered small talk and smiles before the sound of running alerted them to the presence of another person.

"Let me get that up to your room, Uncle Ed," Oliver called out from the balcony of the stairs as he ran down in a hurry. Grabbing the suitcases, the athletic 6'1" stud, now looking alive and refreshed, turned to his mother for a moment.

"Mom, can you come up for a sec?" he asked before he sprinted back upstairs with the cargo, having observed the entire greeting situation with Madi a few moments earlier.

As Madi, her father, Uncle Tyler and Aunt Helen went off to catch up with Uncle Ed and get acquainted in the kitchen, Oliver bore the news of an unfortunate situation upstairs to Wendy. After surveying the situation, the composed mother came back down to mingle with everyone as if nothing had happened.

*****

After what seemed to be an hour and a half later, the sugar cookies that Madi had baked came out to the satisfaction of all, especially Oliver. Watching them in the distance near the breakfast table, talking about the falling snow while staring out through the bay window, Wendy pulled aside her daughter in the kitchen near the fridge.

"Honey, there's a problem with one of the guestrooms. The window in the smaller of the rooms is broken and is letting in a bad draft of cold air. It's too cold for anyone to sleep in there now," Wendy said to lay out the situation. Madi followed along and then kept waiting to hear what was next, but was only greeted by a sigh.

"You're going to have to share your bed now."

"What? No way!"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Madi, but you have to share with Aunt Helen. Uncle Ed and Uncle Tyler will share the big guestroom."

"What? Why can't Uncle Tyler and Aunt Helen get the guestroom and Oliver shares with Uncle Ed?"

"You already know that Uncle Ed is stubborn and he likes that big bed in the guestroom. They'll only be here for four nights. Plus, everyone already agreed."

"Yeah, everyone except for me," she replied, rolling her eyes and pouting for a moment at the major inconvenience that this situation now posed for her.

Any further discussion now seemed futile. She would have to share with the larger, overweight woman, who would easily monopolize the real estate space that was her bed. She already knew that there was no chance that a man as physically large as Uncle Tyler would fit in Oliver's full-sized bed, let alone with Oliver in it, so there was no alternative.

"Would you rather share Oliver's bed?" Wendy teased, seeing her daughter's immediate visceral and defeated reaction courtesy of the full body sigh she let out. "At least you'd safely fit in that one."

"Ew! No! Seriously, Mom? Did you just ask me to sleep with my own brother?" Madi sniped, sharpening her gaze, feeling her ears burn while turning red as she clearly voiced her obvious disapproval.

"I asked if you wanted to share his bed, not sleep with him, Madison. And anyway, I was only kidding if you couldn't tell," Wendy retorted in a matter-of-factly way, head held high before shaking it in disbelief at the embarrassing exchange that should have never made it past being an off-handed remark to make her daughter agree to sharing with her aunt.

Madi shot a quick glance at the group, thankful that they were all out of earshot of her conversation with her mother. Her eyes found and focused on Oliver like a laser, watching him laugh hysterically and joke around with the men while Aunt Helen bellowed and cried in laughter as well, doubled over from laughing so hard.

The young woman shook her head and grabbed a sugar cookie, nearly crushing it with her violent movement before storming off to make the necessary adjustments in her bedroom for one more.

*****

As the day began to wind down faster, the family found themselves ready for bed after a fully exhausting evening of several rowdy rounds of charades, endless timeless classic movies, and drinking by the older adults following dinner.

Now settling into her bed, Madi laid her head against her pillow, breathing a sigh of relief at getting a chance to rest. Her bathroom door opened slowly and Aunt Helen came out in her festive red and green pajamas. With her glasses still on her face, she put her hands together and rubbed them to warm up a bit as she eyed her niece in the bed.

"Thanks for this, Madi. I know that this arrangement probably isn't ideal," she said with a warm and genuine tone, caring in nature.

"No, it's okay, really," she replied as her facial expression took a turn for the worse while the bed creaked upon Aunt Helen's larger frame settling into the bed. "Good night."

"Good night, dear," Helen replied.

Nearly half an hour in, Madi's eyes were still wide open, unable to stay shut due to the steady and consistent snoring. Like a well-oiled machine, the heavyset woman beside her produced a non-stop and rhythmic snoring pattern that made it impossible to tune out.

Her large arm gradually pushed into the smaller woman's space bit by bit, leaving her with just a sliver of her own bed to lay on and little to no comforter to cover her from the general coldness in the room.

"This is ridiculous. I'm never going to get any sleep like this and it's too cold," the blonde muttered under her breath just as she lost her balance and slipped right out of bed.

Catching herself and landing like a cat on all fours, she slowly stood up and started to take stock of the situation.

"Unbelievable," she said, crossing her arms and shivering a bit to conserve body heat while she stared in disbelief at the large mass on the bed, Aunt Helen, and how enormous she appeared to be from this perspective. She also quickly considered how small her bed truly was from the same vantage point.

Suddenly, an unexpected thought came to mind about that little chat that she had with her mother earlier in the kitchen.

Debating it for a few moments longer, she made a bee line for her door, but paused before dashing back to grab her pajama pants. Slipping them back on with haste, she slowly crept out of her bedroom and across the hall to Oliver's bedroom. Madi turned the doorknob slowly and opened the door, not making a peep as she stepped inside and shut the door as if there was a sleeping baby in the room before making her way to the bed with her step-brother in it.

"Ollie... Ollie..." she whispered as she pushed and prodded his arm. "Wake up..."

Startled out of a deep sleep, Oliver's body shook before he simultaneously grabbed her hand reactively while half-asleep. Coming to, he looked up at her as the moonlight pouring in through his window gave him enough light to recognize her appearance.

"Madi... what are you doing...?"

"I can't sleep in my bed... Aunt Helen is too loud and too large," she said with urgency in her voice while pulling her hand back. "I need to sleep and... well, just give me your bed."

"What? Give you my bed? No... go away, Madi," Oliver said while turning on his side to avoid seeing his desperate sister still waiting there.

Madi, now feeling even more embarrassed that he left her stranded, pulled his covers up to let a draft come in out of spite. She couldn't leave now and make the walk of shame back to her room with him rejecting her need for his bed.

"Ollie, come on... just sleep on the floor. Do the right thing, I mean... what kind of a man are you?"

Oliver groaned and turned in bed, onto his back, shifting his attention to his slightly older step-sister to look her in the eye. "You can take the floor. It works just fine."